Month: August 2014

Blueberry Lemon Mini-Bundt Muffins

Blueberry lemon mini-bundt muffins

I just can’t get enough of these blueberry lemon muffins! Not only are they adorable (they’re made in mini-bunt muffin pans, and let’s face it, a miniature version of anything is just “the cutest thing ever”) but they’re also healthy! How can something so deliciously adorable also be healthy? Well, they’re made with Greek yogurt instead of butter and they’re filled with juicy blueberries! YUM! If you don’t have a mini-bundt pan, don’t worry! My recipe includes directions for how to make “muffin pan” versions of these little beauties…I’ve gotchya covered! 

This recipe is super easy to make and doesn’t require a lot of time. The longest task (besides the whole baking part, but that’s the oven’s job) is zesting two large lemons. if you don’t have a zester, you can use a cheese grater to do this. A zester is just a skinnier version of a cheese grater anyways!  

Blueberry lemon mini-bundts (6 of 6)

After pre-heating the oven and spraying your muffin tins with non-stick spray, mix your “dry” ingredients (cake flour, baking powder, and salt) together and set aside.

Another thing that makes these baby bundts so delicious is that they’re make with cake flour instead of normal flour. The main difference between cake flour and your normal non-bleached flour is that cake flour is extra finely ground, giving it a softer, finer texture. You can physically feel the difference, and these characteristics are reflected in the final product of your baked goods! Just pay attention to the expiration date on the box… no one wants to eat muffins made with stale cake flour. If you want to learn more about cake flour, the kitchn has some great information. 

Blueberry lemon mini-bundts (2 of 6)

Anyways, after mixing your dry ingredients, use an electric mister to beat the eggs and sugar together. It should look nice, thick, and yellow when you’re done. Next you’ll add in the lemon zest, Greek yogurt, canola oil, and lemon juice to complete your “wet” mixture.

It doesn’t make a difference weather you zest the lemons before you start mixing the ingredients or if you stop halfway through to do this, just make sure to WASH your lemons before doing so! Lemons are some of the dirtiest fruits, which isn’t surprising because, who knows how many times they’ve fallen off the shelf and rolled around on the dirty grocery store floor. {ew}. Since you’ll be zesting the lemon rind (the part that touches the dirty grocery store floor) right into your muffin batter, I suggest you do everyone a favor and wash your lemons using warm water and soap before the zesting activities occur.   

Blueberry lemon mini-bundts (4 of 6)

Once your wet ingredients are mixed, complete the batter by adding the dry ingredients and mix until everything is perfectly combined. Before you pour the batter into your muffin tins you’ll need to add the frozen blueberries. Toss the blueberries in 2 tablespoons of cake flour the fold them into the muffin batter. 

Make sure the oven is done pre-heating and spoon the mixture into your muffin tin. If you’re using a mini-bundt pan fill each tin up 3/4 full. If you’re using a muffin pan you need to fill each tin all the way to the top without overflowing. 

Place your tin in the oven at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. When the time goes off, leave your muffins in the oven and reduce the heat to 350 degrees. If you’re making mini bunts, cook them for 5 minutes at 350 degrees F. If you’re making muffins, cook them for 10-11 minutes at 350 degrees F.

 Blueberry lemon mini-bundts (3 of 6)

When your mini bunts are done baking, remove them from the oven to cool so you can make the lemon glaze. All you have to do is mix together powdered sugar and lemon juice. I suggest using an electric mixer to do this. Glaze the muffins while they’re still warm. NOTE: you will NOT drench these in the lemon glaze. We want to very lightly glaze them. Dip the back of a large spoon into the glaze, and gently spread the glaze along the tops of your muffins. It won’t look like much is there, but I guarantee that it will taste delicious!  

Blueberry lemon mini-bundts (5 of 6)

[yumprint-recipe id=’24’]I had a ton of blueberries left over after making this and I didn’t want to just throw away three perfectly good post-zest lemons, so I juiced them. What’s a girl to do with lots of lemon juice and blueberries? Add some coconut water and make popsicles. See the recipe here

Fabulous recipes by Mandi at godsavethequinoa.com

Grilled nectarine & pistachio quinoa salad

Grilled nectarine & pistachio quinoa salad (3 of 7)

Greetings! I hope summer is treating everyone well, I’m sorry I haven’t posted in a while…I’ve been SO busy lately! But get excited because I have tons of recipes to be posted, so stay tuned! 

Anyways, let me introduce you to one of my favorite summer recipes: Grilled nectarine and pistachio quinoa salad. This dish combines the soft, sweet flavors of grilled nectarines with the crunchy, salty flavors of raw pistachios. (I’m getting hungry just thinking about this!) Mix that together with warm quinoa and fresh veggies drizzled in a lemon-dijon basil dressing, and you’ve got yourself the ultimate summer evening dish! 

With 8 main ingredients, this dish is SUPER easy to make and can be cooked in about 30 minutes. All you have to do is cook the quinoa, sauté the nectarines followed by the zucchini, and make your dressing. See, its literally as easy as 1, 2, 3! 

Ingredients with words

 Step 1: Start by cooking the quinoa in half water half veggie broth. Need some quinoa cooking tips? Look here! 

Step 2: While quinoa is cooking cut the nectarines (the same way as you would an apple slice), quarter the zucchini, and slice the basil. Brush the nectarines with olive oil and arrange them on a grill pan to caramelize. You want grill marks to show up on the sides of the fruit, so  cook each side for about 2 minutes. When nectarines are done cooking, set them aside, add a little extra olive oil to the pan and sauté the zucchini until pieces become soft and translucent. This should take about 5-7 minutes. When this is done, remove zucchini pieces from heat and set aside. 

Don’t forget to check on the profess of step 1! By now your quinoa should be done cooking (or close to it). When the quinoa is al dente, fluff with a form, remove from heat, set aside and cover with a lid. 

Grilled nectarine & pistachio quinoa salad (4 of 7)

Step 3: Last but not least, you will make the dressing. To do this, start by combining the dijon and lemon juice in a small bowl and stir with a fork or whisk both ingredients are combined. Very, very slowly (while constantly stirring dijon lemon mixture) pour olive oil into bowl in a smooth, steady stream. DO NOT FORGET TO STIR DIJON LEMON MIXTURE WHILE POURING OLIVE OIL INTO BOWL. I cannot tell you how important this is!! Stirring the ingredients already in the bowl while simultaneously pouring in the olive oil will allow ingredients to emulsify. Emulsify is a fancy word used to describe two ingredients that aren’t meant to blend together but will become “one” under the right conditions… sounds like a love story, right? 

Anyways, if you start to notice that the olive oil isn’t playing nice with the dijon lemon mixture, stop pouring the olive oil and in the words of the late MJ “just beat it”. All jokes aside, stir your little heart out until ingredients start to combine. When they finally start to blend, continue stirring while you (more slowly this time) pour the rest olive oil into the bowl, pausing to stir ingredients as needed. When finished, add in basil and salt and pepper to taste.  

Grilled nectarine & pistachio quinoa salad (6 of 7)

You’re almost done! In a large bowl simply combine the cooked quinoa, grilled nectarines, and sautéed zucchini. Next, fold in the dressing so it is evenly dispersed throughout the quinoa. Top with chopped pistachios and left over basil and ENJOY! 

Grilled nectarine & pistachio quinoa salad (2 of 7)

[yumprint-recipe id=’23’]I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do! Comment below and let me know what you think! I’d love to hear from you! 

Fabulous recipes by Mandi at godsavethequinoa.com