Gwen's Not-Quite-Vegan Bran Muffins

It's another rainy day here in Sydney so there will be no hiking (sigh). Instead I decided to get a jump on the week and bake some muffins for Scott and I to take to work. I made carrot raisin bran ones last week and they were great. Unfortunately I used up all the carrots last night, so decided to try a carrot-free version. I started in on the recipe with gusto - mixed the dry ingredients then turned to the liquids... Here I ran into a slight (major) snag - no eggs. I wasn't about to let that stop me though. I turned to my vegan cookbooks for ideas. Another snag - it seems all vegan muffin recipes call for apple sauce as an egg replacer. I do not have apple sauce on hand. I do, however, have apples. So I chopped up 2 apples and put them in a saucepan with some water to make my own apple sauce. The end result was an accidentally made up recipe and here it is.

Gwen's not-quite-vegan bran muffins (to make vegan use soy milk and replace honey with more molases)

1 cup Bran
1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbs ground flax seeds
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup molases
1/4 cup honey
3Tbs apple sauce
2 Tbs oil - I used non GMO canola
1 tsp vanila

Preheat oven to 350. Combine dry ingredients in one bowl. In a separate bowl (or large measuring cup) combine liquids. Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and mix well. Grease a muffin tin and pour batter into it. Bake for 25-30 min, until a fork or toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy.

Oatmeal for Dinner? Why not?

I started a new Hatha yoga class after work last night. It was great - much better than the 'yogaerobics' class I tried a few weeks ago. My only complaint is the timing. The class starts at 5:45 and ends at 7:15, which means I get home at 7:30 with a very grumbly tummy. In the future, of course, I will plan ahead and have something ready.... but last night was not the future. I got home, grumbly tummy and all, to realize that there was nothing quick and easy to whip up in the fridge. Scott had prepared himself a nice grass-fed roast that took him out of the 'what to eat' equation, so I thought outside the dinner box and decided to make oatmeal. Why not, I thought, it's healthy, filling and quick. I decided to get a little creative with it to make it more substantial - here is what I did.

Dinner Oatmeal (makes 2 bowls - Scott wanted some in the end)

1 cup Oats - the slow cooking kind
2 cups Milk - soy would work fine
2 Tbs ground Hemp Seed
1 Tbs Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 Apple, diced - I left the skin on
1/3 cup Raisins
2 Tbs Raw Pumpkin Seeds

Combine the oats, milk, maple syrup, hemp seeds, cinnamon and nutmeg in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 min, until you get the consistency you like. After about 2 min of simmering, add the apples so that they cook a little too. When your oats look ready to eat, stir in the raisins and pumpkin seeds. Serve and enjoy!

Yummy, Crunchy Granola

So far our favourite thing about living in Cape Breton is the proximity to so many awesome hikes and beaches. Every weekend we pack up my trusty old ugly yellow backpack with peanut butter and jam sandwiches, a baggie of gorp and a couple bottles of water and head to the hills (or the shore). I added a little slide show with some of our pictures of these adventures and will keep adding to it. Unfortunately last weekend's hike lives only in memory as the camera threw a tantrum and decided to stay in the car. Ok, I forgot to take it out of the car, which was really a shame as we did a 3-hour hike along the shore by the lighthouse in Louisbourg. Ah well, we'll go back. There are so many hikes around that we should be busy until long after the snow comes - then we'll just have to pick up some snowshoes and keep going.

Anyway, this is supposed to be a food blog, so I decided to post something hike-friendly. And really, what says outdoorsy hiking like a granola bar? This is a conglomeration/adaptation of a number of recipes I found online and ingredients I found in my kitchen. I borrowed most from the recipe found here http://runningtimes.com/blogs/?p=25. They turned out great - even held as 'bars' while not being too hard to chew.

1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup bran
1/8 cup ground flax seed
1 cup nuts and seeds (I used hemp seeds, pumpkin seeks, sesame seeds, soy nuts and peanuts)
1/4 butter or margarine
1/4 cup honey (I'm thinking of trying agave next time)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup raisins
1 Tbs goji berries

Preheat Oven to 325

Combine the oats, bran, seeds and nuts in a 9x13 pan and toast for 25 min, stirring occasionally. Remove pan and increase heat to 350.

While the oats and nuts toast, combine the butter, honey and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is melted add the peanut butter and stir until well blended.

Pour the toasted oat mixture into a large bowl. Add the raisins and goji berries. Using a wooden spoon, slowly stir in the butter mixture until evenly coated. Place the mixture into the 9x13 pan and press it firmly to form an even block (I put a piece of wax paper over the mixture so i could really press it down without getting all goopy).

Bake at 350 for 12 min (without the wax paper, of course). Place pan on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before cutting. Cut into bars and enjoy. mmmmm