Italian Meatless Meatloaf Muffins

I was on a muffin kick and made these for dinner after I made the Banana Chocolate Chip Millet Muffins.  I can't remember if I saw these on Jen's blog or not.  I couldn't find them but I have had them bookmarked on Peas and Thank You for awhile now.  Finally made them and...WOW!  These will be made again and again...and again.  The flavor is awesome.  The texture is "meaty".  And they are even great warmed up for leftovers the next day.  In fact, my two school boys brought them for lunches and ate them cold and said they were great!  Yeah!  New lunch option!  I made a double batch and it made 28 or so.  These would be even more economical if you use your own cooked pinto beans from scratch.  Cheaper than using canned beans.  I had to use 4 cans of beans for my double recipe.  So good though!

Italian Meatless Meatloaf Muffins

Ingredients

1/2 cup marinara sauce, jarred or homemade, divided

1/4 c. flax seed, ground

Two 14 oz cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 of a large onion, chopped

3/4 c. oats

1 t. minced garlic

1T. Worcestershire sauce

2 t. olive oil

2 T. nutritional yeast

1/2 t. dried oregano

1 t. dried parsley

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. cracked black pepper

One 5 oz. can of sliced olives (optional)

Instructions

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

-In a small bowl, combine 1/4 c. of the marinara sauce and the ground flax. Stir to combine and set aside to thicken.

-In a large bowl, mash pinto beans with a fork or potato masher.  Do not over mash, we aren’t looking for refried beans, but a nice chunky texture.

-Add onion, oats, garlic, Worcestershire, olive oil, nutritional yeast, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.

-Add in marinara flax mixture and stir until fully incorporated.

-Scoop bean mixture into a muffin tin that has been lightly greased or sprayed with cooking spray.

-Bake for 15-17 minutes, until edges are starting to brown. Top each muffin with a spoonful of marinara and a few sliced olives.

-Return to oven for another 10-12 minutes, until muffins are firm and set.

-Allow muffins to cool for several minutes, as they will firm up even more, before serving.

12 Muffins - Serves 4

Banana Chocolate Chip Millet Muffins

These are reeeeeally good muffins.  I found them on Jen's blog, of course.  And she found them on Peas and Thank You which is one of my favorite food blogs.  So of course they had to be good!  And they were!  I loved the millet in them.  Slightly crunchy.  Yum!  I made a double batch and sent them with my 4th grader, Austin, for his school snack.  He had his state testing this week and all the kids were supposed to bring snacks to keep them "fueled".  So while all of his friends were munching on bags of chips, Twizzlers, and cookies, he brought these yummy muffins, carrot sticks, and air popped popcorn.  He was perfectly happy with his snacks and I'm pretty sure his "fuel" was the good stuff. ;)

*Do you like my Valentine liners?  I always buy them after the holidays when they are all on clearance.  You can get some great prices if you don't mind using holiday themes. :)

Banana Chocolate Chip Millet Muffins

2/3 cup millet

1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 bananas, mashed

1/2 cup organic brown sugar (maple syrup or coconut sugar)

2 tablespoons canola oil (i use coconut oil)

1/2 cup non-dairy or organic milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup non-dairy or organic chocolate chips

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

-Measure your millet into a food processor, spice mill or high speed blender and pulse into a fine texture.

-Pour into a large bowl and add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

-Mash bananas, and add to oil, milk, brown sugar and vanilla.

-Fold the wet ingredients into the dry.

-Spoon the batter into the lined muffin cups and top with banana slices.

-Bake 17-19 minutes.

Peachy Banana Orange Topping

Here's another pancake/waffle topping I whipped up a few days ago.  It's similar to our favorite banana-orange topping that we love to make.  I was going to make that this time but discovered I was out of frozen orange juice concentrate.  So this recipe was born.  It was fantastic!

Peachy Banana Orange Topping

1 (13 oz.) can peaches in 100% juice, drained
2 oranges, peeled
1 banana
1 tsp. vanilla

Throw all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  Heat up on stove optionally.  Pour over warm waffles or pancakes and enjoy!

Southwestern Spaghetti Squash

My friend, Amy, posted this recipe on her blog and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to make it.  What a delicious and different way to eat spaghetti squash!  I happened to have one just waiting to be used and made this up that very day.  I highly recommend trying this recipe!  My whole family loved it!  I did do a few things differently.  I left out the cheese and I upped a few of the spices and garlic.  And of course I substituted chipotle peppers in adobe sauce for the jalapeno...because that's what I do, and that's what I like.  It seemed a little dry so I added a bit of vegetable broth I had open in my fridge.  You could add a little water or even salsa, I think, if yours seems a little dry.  Sooo good!  To serve, I just cut each half into thirds for our family and we had our own shell to scoop out of.

Southwestern Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash

2 TBSP olive oil

1/2 medium red or yellow onion, chopped

1 red or green bell pepper, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small jalapeno, minced, remove seeds for less heat (or chipotle peppers in adobe sauce)

1 Roma tomato, seeded and chopped

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 Tbsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp chili powder (or chipotle chili powder)

1/2 tsp oregano (Mexican oregano if you have it)

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Juice from 1 lime

Preheat oven to 375°. Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Lightly brush the inside with olive oil and sprinkle each half with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet and roast for 60-70 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Over medium high heat, heat oil in a medium pan. Sauté onion and bell pepper until soft. About two minutes. Add in garlic and jalapeno and stir so not to burn. Stir in beans, corn, tomatoes and spices. Remove from heat.  Add chopped cilantro, reserving a bit for garnish.  Squeeze in the lime juice and give one last stir.

Using a fork, scrap out most of "spaghetti" from squash. Don't remove too much because you want your shells to still be sturdy. Add to the pan and stir to combine. Scoop filling into each half of the scooped out shells.  Garnish with cilantro.

Soft Pretzels

My friend, Becca, posted this recipe on her blog and it looked delicious so I made them that day.  The lady who's recipe she linked to says she makes them for after school snacks.  They only have to rise for 30 min.  Whip up a batch, let is rise while you pick up the kids, and then when they get home they can roll them out.  Bake them up and they have fresh, warm, soft pretzels in minutes.  I tried it out that day and they were great!  I had less than a cup of white flour so I just made them with white wheat flour and they worked perfectly.  I'll definitely always make them like this.  The only thing we weren't prepared for was the salt level!  I didn't think I put that much salt on the outside but we all had to scrape it off.  If I know I'm going to put salt on the outside, I think I'll leave out the salt in the dough.  You can also top them with cinnamon sugar, garlic salt, etc.


*If anyone has used or saved this recipe, I just wanted to let you know that the recipe I copied it from listed baking powder instead of baking soda under the topping ingredients.  I have changed the recipe to the correct baking SODA!  Whew!  That could really make a big difference!  lol

Soft Pretzels

Dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
7/8 to 1 cup warm water
3 Tablespoons butter, melted

Topping:
1/2 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons baking soda
2 Tablespoons melted butter
coarse salt or cinnamon & sugar

Directions:

Place all of the dough ingredients into a bowl and beat until well combined. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth, and quite slack. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 450°F. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into eight equal pieces. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda, and place it in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved; if it isn't, it will make your pretzels splotchy.

Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (about 28 to 30 inches long), and twist each rope into a pretzel. Dip each pretzel in the baking soda wash (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 8 to 9 minutes, or until they're golden brown (only took 7 minutes in my oven). I only bake one baking sheet at a time and let the other rest while the first is in the oven.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Then sprinkle on the kosher salt or cinnamon & sugar! And Enjoy!

Makes 6-8 pretzels

Herbed Edamame, Black Bean, and Quinoa Salad

My sister, Heather, posted this on our other food blog and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to try it.  I had everything in my fridge to make it that day.  I did have to substitute baby spinach for the spring greens, which would have added a lot more color.  It also calls for 2 oz. (about 1/2 cup) feta cheese but we left that out.  I definitely doubled this recipe for my family.  We had it as our main dish.  The flavors were so fresh and it was a hit!  Love that bright green edamame!  Talk about a high protein salad!  Quinoa, black beans, AND edamame!  Wow!  I just thought I'd post it over here for people looking for a good vegan salad.  Just leave out the feta and you're set!  Delicious!  Thanks, Heather!

Herbed Edamame, Black Bean, and Quinoa Salad

1 1/3 cup water

2/3 cup uncooked pre-rinsed quinoa

1/2 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed, drained

1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed

2 cups loosely packed spring greens coarsely chopped

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

2 Tbsp. lemon juice 

1 Tbsp. olive oil

3/4 tsp. dried, crumbled oregano

1/8 tsp. dried, crushed rosemary

1 medium garlic clove, minced

1/4 tsp. salt

2 oz. reduced fat crumbled feta cheese (about 1/2 cup)

In medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat.  Stir in the quinoa.  Reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 8 minutes.

Stir in the beans and edamame.  Cook, covered, for 2 minutes, or until the water is evaporated.

Meanwhile in a large bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients except the feta cheese.  Add the quinoa mixture and the feta, tossing until the spring greens are wilted.

Serves 4

Here's Heather's picture.  As you can see, much more colorful with Spring Greens!

Green Bean Casserole

For some reason green bean casserole sounded good to me a few weeks ago.  I think I've made it the "old" way (cream of mushroom soup and all) maybe a couple times...in my life!  It's not that I don't like it, I just never even think to make it.  It's probably because it is not one of my family's "traditional" side dishes.  But anyway, it sounded good and it turned out delicious!  Best green bean casserole I've ever had!  Of course you can leave off the French fried onions on top and it would be much healthier for you.  Sprinkle some slivered or sliced almonds or even bread crumbs on top and I think that would be delicious!

Green Bean Casserole

1 cup French fried onions
1 (16 oz.) package mushrooms, diced
1-2 tsp. garlic, minced
3 cans green beans, drained
2 Tbsp. non-dairy butter or oil
5 Tbsp. flour
2 1/2 cups non-dairy milk
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce, optional
salt & pepper to taste

Saute garlic in butter or oil.  Whisk in flour and stir for about a minute.  Add milk and stir with whisk.  Add garlic powder, salt & pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.  Continute stirring until mixture comes to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Stir in mushrooms, half of French fried onions, and green beans.  Pour into a casserole dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Sprinkle remaining French fried onions (or other topping) evenly over top and continue cooking for 5 minutes or until onions are golden brown.