Corn bread muffins

We ate out at Famous Dave's recently, and I was in awe of their delicious cornbread muffins. Seriously delicious, moist and fluffy, didn't even need butter - they were fantastic.

I looked up the recipe and found it. Well, no wonder. Cake mix? What the heck kind of recipe uses a cake mix? Argh. Not an option for our "from scratch" lifestyle. The mayonnaise addition was kind of interested, but we don't usually eat real mayonnaise (we do Vegenaise. Not sure how that would work, totally different make up.)

Nonetheless, I was inspired to try making some corn bread muffins. I knew I wanted honey in them, and buttermilk. I found this recipe and adapted it for us.

My version:
1 C yellow corn meal
1 C finely ground whole wheat flour
1Tbsp baking powder
1/2 C. raw cane sugar
A sprinkling of unrefined sea salt
1 cup buttermilk (leftover from this week's butter making)
2 eggs
1/4 c. melted butter
1/4 c. honey

Mix dry ingredients, make a well in the center, add wet ingredients. Mix, but do not overmix. I let mine sit for about 20 minutes on the counter (this makes corn bread fluffier, I've discovered. Longer would've been better, but we needed to eat.) Bake for 18-20 minutes at 400 degrees. (I used a stoneware muffin pan. The baking time might be lower for metal pans. And I just oiled the pan, I avoid paper muffin cups because I hate disposable products.)

The result? They were pretty good. Not terribly exciting, but not bad by any means. I would've liked more moisture - maybe adding that mayonnaise would've helped, or maybe some applesauce? I'll play with it again when I need cornbread again. Husband said they tasted a lot like Famous Dave's. I'm not sure I agree, but I was glad he liked them.

Served them with Southwestern Chipotle Steaks (from the Colorado Farmer's Market cookbook) and black beans topped with homemade goat cheese.

Breakfast tomorrow - warmed cornbread muffins with homemade butter and maple syrup. The kids will be happy.

Quinoa Soup

I keep reading about quinoa. How it's amazingly nutritious, it's higher in protein than any real grain, and is even a complete protein. I remember my midwife suggesting I eat quinoa more often since I always seemed to lack sufficient protein. I enjoyed reading this blog about quinoa.

I finally gave in. I found a recipe for Quinoa Soup in my Colorado Farmer's Market cookbook. (Love this cookbook.) I altered it a bit for my taste and what was on hand, and it turned out darn good. Here's my version:

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. diced red onion
1 stalk celery, diced
1 cup cooked blackbeans
1 potato, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
6 cups turkey broth
1/2 cup quinoa

Sautee all the veggies and garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes, till onions are tender.



Add the broth. I used broth made from the bones of some turkey leg quarters I smoked last weekend - fantastic flavor that broth has, I tell ya. Bring to a boil.



Add the quinoa. I know it doesn't look like much, but if you've ever cooked with quinoa, you'll know that it expands. A lot. Half a cup is plenty.

Bring it back to a boil, then cover and simmer about 45 minutes till the quinoa is soft.

Serve with a side of homemade bread or corn bread and some homemade raw butter, and enjoy! Even Littlest One loved this, and she's not the best soup eater.

Pancakes!

Pancakes make a great breakfast, but an even better dinner.

Simple homemade pancake recipe:

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp aluminum free baking powder
2 eggs
1 3/4 c milk (we used leftover buttermilk)
1/4 c melted butter
1/4 c raw cane sugar

Mix all ingredients. Cook on a hot skillet. Consider letting the seven year old flip them, because it's a pretty exciting thing when you're seven.

We topped our pancakes with homemade butter, homemade strawberry jam canned last spring, and I served it with a side of homemade elk sausage and a glass of raw milk. True satisfaction right there, I tell ya.

Turkey Tortilla Soup

I've got lots of turkey around here right now. Here's a soup recipe I concocted tonight when I realized I'd forgotten to take any meat out to thaw for my originally planned dinner.

Turkey Tortilla Soup

1/4 c red onion, diced
1/4 c chopped bell pepper
3 cloves garlic
olive oil for cooking the above veggies - maybe a Tbsp or so.
1 1/2 quarts turkey broth, skimmed and brought to room temp.
1 1/2 cups cooked turkey, diced
2 cups cooked black beans in 1/2 cup liquid (assuming you cooked dried black beans. Or, use 1 can of black beans.)
2 cups diced tomatoes with liquid
1 cup frozen corn
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
sea salt and pepper to taste
8 corn tortillas, cut into strips
grated cheese for garnish

Start to finish, assuming you have this stuff in the fridge and ready to go, is only about 15 minutes.

Saute the onions, peppers and garlic in olive oil til soft. Add the remaining ingredients, except the tortillas and cheese. Stir well, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Put the tortilla strips into four bowls. Ladle the hot soup on top of the tortillas, garnish with cheese and serve.

Makes 4 servings, plus leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. :o)

Notes about making this from scratch:
The turkey was one I smoked recently, then deboned and saved the meat in meal-sized portions. The carcass was simmered and produced 1 1/2 gallons of broth, currently chilling in the fridge. Diced tomatoes, peppers and onions would ideally come from the freezer, having been grown in the garden last summer. Sadly, I had to use store-bought since my pantry stores are depleted already. Except for peppers - always plenty of diced peppers. The corn was purchased fresh from a local grower, then cut off the cob and frozen to last the winter. If you're cooler than me, you'll have homemade corn tortillas on hand. I don't - haven't gotten there yet, but hopefully soon.

Bon Apetit!