Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

We often have cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. So this year, I went on the hunt for a gluten free cinnamon roll. I took a bit of a chance, not having tried it earlier. I found this recipe on The Baking Beauties site. You should have a look! This recipe goes on for miles, but if you get a helper you can finish them in a snap. There are 3 distinct sections- the dough, the filling, and the topping. I would recommend you start with the filling, then the dough, then roll it, then chill the roll. While the roll is chilling, make the topping. 

Filling:
Combine:

• 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, very soft
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1-2 Tbsp. cinnamon

NOTE: Once thoroughly blended, you may add 1/2 cup re-hydrated raisins or pecans or walnuts.(optional)

Dough:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour (see note)
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch
• 1 Tbsp rapid rise yeast
• 3 Tbsp white sugar (I used organic raw sugar)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp guar gum (I used 1 t vegetarian gelatin)
• 1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix (dry)
• 1 tsp baking powder
•  4 Tbsp margarine or butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 tsp vanilla (oops- I forgot this!)

NOTE: 4 cups superfine brown rice flour, 1 1/3 cups potato starch (not flour), 2/3 cup tapioca starch. Combine all ingredients in a large zipper-top bag. Shake until well blended.

Directions:

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix all dry ingredients until combined. Set aside.
2. Put water and margarine in a glass measuring cup and microwave just until the margarine has melted. Remove from microwave and stir. Add milk, stir. Add other wet ingredients and whisk to combine.
3. With the stand mixer running (using the paddle attachment), pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Scrap down the bowl if you have to.
4. Allow to mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.
5. Take a piece of plastic wrap and lay it out on a slightly damp counter top, so it covers an area bigger than 8″ x 16″. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp of sugar on the wrap. Lay ball of dough on top of that. Gently lay another piece of plastic wrap over the top of the dough. Pat the dough down into a roughly squarish shape. Lift and reposition the top plastic wrap whenever you need to. Roll the dough out (with the plastic wrap on top) to a square approximately 8″ x 16″.
6. Remove plastic wrap. Spread filling mixture evenly across dough’s surface. Leave 1 1/2″ along one long end without any filling, this is where your cinnamon rolls will be sealed.
7. Starting along the long end, use the bottom sheet of plastic wrap to lift the edge of the dough and roll it up, forming a long cylinder. Start with the edge that has filling on it, that will be the center of your finished rolls.

At this point, you may need to chill your dough. I certainly needed to- because I used butter, the dough was super sticky and I couldn't lift the cut pieces into the pan without a minor disaster.


Topping:
Over low heat, in a small saucepan, heat 4 Tbsp. butter (or margarine), 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 Tbsp. corn syrup, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 2 Tbsp. whipping cream and a pinch of salt. Stir to incorporate. Remove from heat and pour into the bottom of a greased 9×13 pan.

Pull your chilled cylinder out of the fridge/freezer.

1. Using a long piece of dark thread or dental floss, cut the long “cinnamon bun log” into 8 pieces, about 1 1/2″ wide.  This way, you won’t be squishing your dough down by cutting with a knife. Place rolls in prepared pan, with cut side up.
2. Allow the cinnamon rolls/buns to rise in a warm, draft free place for about 30 minutes, or until nearly double in size.
3. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are a nice golden brown.
4. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before inverting on a serving tray, and let the syrup run down over the rolls.

**This is how they looked when I inverted them.
waiting on the photo to upload...
**This is how they looked on the plate. They were oh so yummy!

Cranberry Nut Bread

I was able to save the cranberries we received for our Thanksgiving box until now! I love cranberry nut bread and made some this morning. I juiced 2 oranges to make the 3/4 C of juice.
Recipes abound on the internet for this. I used a recipe I found on allrecipes as my base. Below is the recipe amended a bit.

2 cups spelt flour (half wholemeal, half white) 1 cup sugar (organic) 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 6 T butter

1 egg 3/4 cup orange juice 1 t grated orange peel 2  cups fresh cranberries- coarsely chopped 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse to combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Pulse in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Put into another bowl. Beat egg, orange juice and peel; stir into dry ingredients just until blended. Pulse the cranberries ever so slightly. Add them and the chopped walnuts to the bowl and mix gently.

Spoon batter into a greased and floured 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

 **Delicious! Crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside. Great balance between the tartness of the cranberries, the crunch of the walnuts, and the orange juice and zest.

Gluten Free Pie Crust

I scoured the web and finally decided on trying this recipe. Unfortunately, I could not find sweet rice flour so for the two crusts I made- one I added more sorghum flour and the other I added more white rice flour. I found this recipe via the blog called glutenfree goddess. However, you find the actual recipe on Epicurious.

1 cup white rice flour
1/2 sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
3 tablespoons sweet rice flour
3 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon strong cinnamon (I use Saigon cinnamon from World Spice Merchants)
8 tablespooons (or, one stick) cold butter
1 large egg
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 ice-cold water, or enough to make the dough stick together

Mix together all the dry ingredients, including the sugar and cinnamon. Cut the butter into little pieces, about 1/2-inch thick and drop the pieces into the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or fork, meld the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter has crumbled into pea-sized pieces.
Make a well in the dry ingredients. Drop the egg and apple cider vinegar in, then stir them in, gently, with a fork, stirring from the center out. Once they are incorporated into the dry ingredients, slowly drizzle the ice-cold water into the mixture, a little at a time, then stirring to see if it has become dough yet. You do not want this dough to be too wet. Add water only it all coheres together.

At this point, drop the ball of dough onto a large piece of parchment paper. (Prepare this ahead, unless you want to wipe dough off the box of parchment paper later!) Place another piece of parchment paper, the same size, on top of the dough. Gently, smoosh the dough outward, equally in all directions, until it is a thick, round cake of dough, about the size of a pie plate.

Preparation

Refrigerate the ball of dough, for as long as you can stand. Ideally, you would prepare the dough in the evening and refrigerate overnight. Take the dough out of the refrigerator at least twenty minutes before you want to work with it.

Leave the dough in the parchment-paper sandwich and roll it out. By rolling it, gently, between the pieces of parchment paper, you will not need to add more flour to the mix. Roll it out as thin as you can, then strip the top piece of parchment paper off the dough. Gently, lay your favorite pie plate on top of the dough, then flip the whole thing over. The dough should sag into the pie plate. You can crimp the edges at this point. If some of the dough falls off the sides, don't worry. Simply re-attach the pieces to the crust-to-be by pressing in with your fingers.

You can pre-bake the pie crust, if you like.

For both my pies, I simply added the ingredients into the raw crust and baked it.

**Easy to make the whole thing in a food processor.

Gluten-free Scones

This is the second time I've made these scones. They were better this time based on my notes from last time!

Heat oven to 425.

In the bowl of your food processor (with metal blade):
2 C gluten-free flour mix (this time I used 1 1/2 C Arrowhead mix and 1/2 C yam flour)
1/3 C sugar
1 T baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 t xanthan gum (if it isn't already in your GF mix)

Pulse this mixture a couple of times. Then add:
6 T cold butter, cut into slices

Pulse this a few times, till the largest butter piece is the size of a pea.

To this, add:
3/4 C milk
1 egg, lightly beaten

Pulse till starting to lump. Then add:
1 C of nuts or dried fruit. I usually add chopped-up dates.

Pulse just till mixed.

Dump the whole lot onto parchment or a silicon mat on a cookie sheet. Shape quickly into a disc and score with a knife.
At this point, you can sprinkle the top with a cinnamon sugar mixture, or brush with milk.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.

**Delicious.

Pear Bread GF,DF

We are really concentrating on being gluten-free for the next few weeks. I found this recipe on a gluten-fee blog. I was trying to find something nice for breakfast and a way to use up a couple of pears from the box this week.

Ingredients

1½ cups superfine brown rice flour, plus more for dusting the pan
½ cup tapioca (or corn or potato) starch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cup sugar
½ cup grapeseed (or other neutral flavored) oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 ripe pears, peeled cored and grated
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pan with gluten-free non-stick cooking spray, add some brown rice flour and shift it back and forth in order to spread the flour evenly around the pan, tap out the excess flour.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the 1½ cups brown rice flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In another mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Add the pears and walnuts and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 60 – 70 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

**of course, the house smelled amazing as it cooked. I cut the sugar back a bit (couldn't help myself- it seemed like sooo much), but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. It slipped out of the pan well. I cooked it for 60 minutes- but the middle seems a little wet- it could have gone for another 5-8 minutes. Delicious! I'll be making this again.

Meatloaf with chili sauce

This recipe was requested by my daughter. I used my home made ketchup mixed with a heaping teaspoon of sriracha chile sauce. You can find this recipe on the Martha Stewart site.

• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 slices white sandwich bread, torn into pieces (I used gluten-free)
• 1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
• 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
• 2 small onions, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup chili sauce, plus 1/4 cup for glaze
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. In a large bowl, pour milk over bread; let soak, about 30 seconds. Add sirloin, pork, onion, garlic, 1/2 cup chili sauce, parsley, Parmesan, eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using your hands, mix until combined; do not overmix or meatloaf will be dense.
2. Divide mixture in half. Gently pat each half into a log, and place each log in an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Do not press down or into corners.
3. Bake 50 minutes. Brush tops of loaves with remaining 1/4 cup chili sauce; continue cooking until juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 160 degrees, about 10 minutes.
4. Remove from oven; let rest 5 minutes. Turn loaves out of pans; slice each into eight 3/4-inch-thick slices.

 **Very nice. Make sure to use a thermometer so it doesn't overcook and get dry.

Raspberry Streusel Muffins

I'd been threatening to make a raspberry yogurt cake this week- but when Saturday rolled around and I still hadn't made it...muffins it was. This is a recipe that I got from The Silver Palate cookbook. I've revised it considerably. My version below uses less sugar, butter, and white flour. It makes 6 jumbo muffins.

Batter:
1 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. sugar (scant less)
1/4 c. packed dark brown sugar (scant less)
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 c. apple sauce
1/2 c. milk
1 1/4 c. raspberries (slightly frozen or frozen)

Streusel Topping:
3/4 c. chopped pecans
1/8 c. packed dark brown sugar


Preheat oven to 350. Mix the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium size bowl. Make a well in the center.

Place the egg, melted butter, applesauce and milk in the well. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Gently stir in the berries. Fill each tin about 3/4 full. (12 regular or 6 jumbo)

Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the muffins. Bake them until nicely browned and firm for 20-25 minutes.

**Very nice and easy to make.

Chickpea and Spinach stew

I was surprised to see that this dish was entered into a contest for meals costing less than $10. For my menu this week, it was a perfect way to finish up the no-knead bread that I baked earlier. Plus it used the spinach from LPO and looked quick- if I used canned chickpeas.

Makes 4 servings
2 cans chickpeas
6 garlic cloves, peeled and whole
1/4 cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces sliced bread, with the crusts removed
2 tablespoons pimenton (Spanish sweet paprika) OR 1 1/2 T paprika and 1/2 T smoked paprika
1 pinch Spanish saffron (Optional)
2 tablespoons Spanish sherry vinegar OR red wine vinegar
1/2 pound spinach, washed and cleaned
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and white pepper to taste

Combine the chickpeas and cumin in a saucepan (this will be your final stew pan) and set aside.

In a small saute pan over medium to low heat, brown the garlic in 1/4 cup of the olive oil. When the garlic is browned, after about 3 minutes, remove from the pan and set aside. Add the bread and brown on both sides, about one minute each side. Remove the bread and set aside.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Add the paprika and saffron (if you are using it) to the saute pan, and the sherry (or red wine) vinegar immediately afterward to prevent the paprika from burning.

In a mortar or bowl, smash the reserved garlic and the browned bread to make a very thick paste.

Bring the chickpeas to a low boil and add the spinach. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add the paprika mixture along with the garlic and bread paste, to create a thick, stewy sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.

 **Very easy to put together. The smoked paprika added a nice touch. If it gets too thick, add more water. Very nice dish!

Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold butter cut into small pieces
1/4 cup buttermilk


           Mix dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Cut the butter until the mix is crumbly. Add just enough buttermilk to bring the mix together as a dough. It should not be too wet. Do not over mix or the dough will be tough.

           Roll out dough on a floured board and cut out biscuits. Place on a greased or nonstick sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Make 6 large or 12 small.

Pizza with cherry tomatoes, salami, mushrooms and caramalized onions

This was my own concoction.


1 Large portabella mushroom, cut into large chunks
1/4 salami, cut into slices and then quartered
Several handfuls of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 sliced onion, caramelized
mozzarella cheese
Pizza dough (recipe on blog)

Stretch out the dough. Brush a little olive oil on the top. Put all the ingredients on and finish it off with the cheese. Bake at 400 till bubbly and brown.

**Very delicious!

Eggplant, Green Olive and Provolone Pizza

I saw this on another blogger's site called The Noshery.

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/4 pound eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch-thick rounds
• 1 pound store-bought pizza dough at room temperature
• 5 ounces sliced provolone, cut into short thin matchsticks (1 1/4 cups)
• 18 pitted green olives, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Stir together garlic and oil. Brush some of garlic oil on both sides of eggplant and season with salt and pepper. Broil, turning once, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes total. Cut into roughly 1-inch pieces.

Stretch dough into about a 12- by 10-inch rectangle on a large baking sheet and lightly brush with garlic oil. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, until underside begins to get golden-brown. Brush top with more garlic oil, scatter cheese , eggplant and olives over crust. Slide pizza from sheet onto oven rack and bake  for 15 minutes, until done and cheese has melted.

Here the eggplant has been brushed with olive oil into which I put a teaspoon of garlic oil. I bought the garlic oil at the Santa Fe Farmer's market.

The finished pizza. Delicious! We forgot to add the parsley. We used a jar of Spanish green olives that I bought from Cost Plus World Market. I made the pizza dough with spelt flour.

Pizza Dough

I use this recipe consistently. It is from Moosewood's Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant.

1 pkg dry yeast (1 T)
1 C warm water
1 t salt
2 T olive oil
2 C flour (can go half and half with whole meal)
additional 1-1 1/2 C flour

Mix the yeast and water in a large bowl and set aside for about 5 minutes until dissolved (and proven). Mix in the salt and olive oil. Sitir in 2 C of flour and beat well. Gradually add enough of the additional 1 1/2 C of flour to form a soft dough. When the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, turn it onto a lightly floured board. Knead it for about 10 inutes, until smooth and elastic.

Wash out bowl and oil it with 1 T oilive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turn it over to ciat with oil and cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours or overnight in the fridge.

Punch it down and stretch the dough to cover your pan. Put your toppings on it.

Preheat the oven to 400. Cook 30-40 minutes.

Pizza with roasted garlic and beets, spinach, olives, sun dried tomatoes, and feta

Pizza dough already on the blog.
As the dough was rising, I roasted beets and garlic together at 400 for 25 or so minutes.
I layered the beets and garlic on the bottom, added a bag of spinach on top, sprinkled feta and kalamata olives on top of the spinach, cut some marinated sun dried tomatoes into quarters and spread them around,  ground salt and pepper over it all along with a splash of olive oil.

Cooked the pizza on 400 for 25 or so minutes. Yummy!

Spinach Bread Pudding with Lemon and Feta

With a lot of family coming into town for graduation, I need a good breakfast casserole for one of our meals together. I saw this recipe in Food and Wine and decided to give it a try. It seemed lighter than many breakfast casseroles that I have seen. I have yet to find one that I would make twice. So I'll make this one in advance...just to check!

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the dish
8 ounces whole wheat bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
5 ounces baby spinach, finely chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
6 large eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon chopped oregano

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly oil a medium baking dish. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, until dry but not browned. Let cool, then transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the spinach and 1/4 cup of the feta.
2. In another bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with the mustard, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add the eggs and beat until blended. Add the milk and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes and stir until they are evenly moistened. Transfer the bread mixture to the baking dish and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours or refrigerate overnight.
3. Sprinkle the remaining feta on the bread pudding and bake in the center of the oven until risen and set, about 40 minutes. Turn on the broiler. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and broil until the bread pudding is golden and crispy on top, about 2 minutes. Scatter the oregano on top, cut into squares and serve. 

**Very nice. It took twice as long to cook it. I will definitely serve this for brunch. 

Pizza

This is a delicious pizza crust. Very easy to make and adapts well to using spelt. I often 1 x 1/2 times the recipe to make 2 cookie sheets' worth of pizzas. This week I roasted a head of garlic with some fresh thyme and olive oil along with half a head of garlic. I put that on the crust along with lots of fresh spinach and crumbled feta cheese. This pizza dough recipe comes from Sundays at the Moosewood Restaurant cookbook. I searched online for the recipe, but came up short.

1 pkg dry yeast (1 T)
1 C warm water
1 t salt
2 T olive oil
2 C unbleached flour (or spelt-can substitute 1 C whole wheat)
additional 1 C flour

Mix the yeast and water in a large bowl and set aside for about 5 minutes until dissolved. Mix in the salt and olive oil. Stir in 2 C of flour and beat well. Gradually add enough of the additional flour to form a soft dough. When the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, turn it onto a lightly floured board. Knead it for about 10 minutes (much less for spelt), until smooth and elastic.
Wash out bowl and oil it with 1 T of olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turn it over to coat with oil, and cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Just before you're ready to use the dough, preheat the oven to 400.
Punch the dough down and knead it briefly in the bowl. Oil a pizza pan or baking sheet. Press and stretch the dough to cover the pan and form a ridge around the edge.
Put your toppings on and bake for 30 minutes.

**So delicious, I couldn't get a picture in time!

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

I felt the tuna chowder needed some bread. You can find this recipe on Food.com.
I made them with the food processor- don't get turned off by the number of steps. They are quick and easy to make and turn out light and fluffy.

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board 
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder (use one without aluminum)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (approx)

Directions:

Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 22 mins

1. Preheat your oven to 450°F.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor.
3. Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles course meal.
4. If using a food processor, just pulse a few times until this consistency is achieved.
5. Add the buttermilk and mix JUST until combined.
6. If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk.
7. Turn the dough out onto a floured board.
8. Gently, gently PAT (do NOT roll with a rolling pin) the dough out until it's about 1/2" thick.
9. Use a round cutter to cut into rounds.
10.  You can gently knead the scraps together and make a few more, but they will not be anywhere near as good as the first ones.
11.  Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet- if you like soft sides, put them touching each other.
12.  If you like"crusty" sides, put them about 1 inch apart- these will not rise as high as the biscuits put close together.
13.  Bake for about 10-12 minutes- the biscuits will be a beautiful light golden brown on top and bottom.
14.  Do not overbake.
15.  Note: The key to real biscuits is not in the ingredients, but in the handling of the dough.
16.  The dough must be handled as little as possible or you will have tough biscuits.
17.  I have found that a food processor produces superior biscuits, because the ingredients stay colder and there's less chance of overmixing.
18.  You also must pat the dough out with your hands, lightly.
19.  Rolling with a rolling pin is a guaranteed way to overstimulate the gluten, resulting in a tougher biscuit.

Note: You can make these biscuits, cut them, put them on cookie sheets and freeze them for up to a month.

When you want fresh biscuits, simply place them frozen on the cookie sheet and bake at 450°F for about 20 minutes.
##Oh so delicious!  

Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins

As we used to live on an organic blueberry farm, I have lots of blueberry recipes I've tried over the years. During the snow days a few weeks ago, I made these muffins. One got taken to my husband's office to a friend who proclaimed they were the "best blueberry muffins" he'd ever tried. Not sweet, just delicious. He asked me to post the recipe on the blog- so here it is. This comes from a cookbook called, Maritime Flavours: Blueberries by Elaine Elliot and Virginia Lee. I couldn't find the recipe online.

1 C low-fat buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 C vegetable oil
2 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C sugar
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 C wild blueberries

Preheat oven to 400.

Whisk together buttermilk, egg and oil. Mix flour, sugar baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl; stir in the buttermilk mixture until just blended. Carefully fold in blueberries and pour into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Doubled, this makes 10 jumbo muffins. Tripled, this makes 12 jumbo muffins and 24 mini- muffins. All with tops that spill over.

* I use safflower oil and half white and half wholemeal spelt flour. I have used both frozen and fresh berries. Either work. If you use frozen, put them into the flour mixture before adding the liquid in order to keep the mixture from turning blue.

Chipotle Cheddar Corn Bread

Delicious recipe! I use my big muffin tin for these. I also use a tad less sugar than is called for. Use coarse corn meal for a crunchy texture.  You can find the recipe at The Luna Cafe.

1 1/2 C flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t fine sea salt
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted and warm
1/2 C sugar
2 large eggs
1 C buttermilk
1/2 C yellow cornmeal

2 C shredded cheddar
1/2 C minced scallions
1-2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
1 clove garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 400.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Reserve.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, eggs buttermilk, and cornmeal until thoroughly blended.
Add the flour mixture, grated cheese, green onions, chipotle chile, and garlic Fold gently until just combined. The batter will still be a little lumpy.
Pour into a lightly greased 9x9 metal baking pan or muffin pan.
Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes for the pan or 20-22 minutes for muffins. When done the cornbread will be lightly browned on tp and will spring back when touched in the center.
Remove from oven and let cool slightly on a wire rack.

Makes 8 big muffins.

Delicious! I should have cooked them a wee bit longer to make them a bit browner.