Wild Blueberry Cherry Bran Muffins

A simple, healthy bran muffin recipe that can be made a little differently each time. In my latest version, I added a combination of dried wild blueberries and dried cherries. Currants, raisins, fresh blueberries or raspberries.... whatever strikes your fancy!

You Will Need:

3 cups bran cereal

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup honey or agave

1/2 cup apple sauce (homemade is best!)

2 cups buttermilk

2 egg whites

1/2 cup dried or fresh fruits of choice

Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine bran and dried fruits. Now pour 1 cup boiling hot water over the cereal and set aside to fully absorb and soften the mixture.

In a smaller bowl, mix very well all of the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.

Once the cereal has softened, mix in all liquid ingredients: buttermilk, eggs, applesauce, and honey/agave.
Now add dry ingredients to wet and mix thoroughly. Generously spoon the mixture into pre-greased muffin tins, sprinkle with a few oats and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Spinach and Feta No-Crust Quiche

This quiche has been a long time favorite of mine. It is inspired from a recipe in a wonderful old family cook book, titled 'Bakey Lane Soup Bowl', purchased many years ago by my grandparents at a little restaurant in Middlebury, VT.

In a large bowl, mix together 3 eggs + 3 egg whites into 1 pound of ricotta cheese. I prefer to use my hands to fully blend the two together.

In a pot, boil 14 oz of fresh, chopped spinach. Make sure to drain the spinach VERY well, then add it to your egg and ricotta mix. Blend thoroughly.

Chop up a medley of your favorite veggies. I used: 

3 white mushrooms, 1 large green bell pepper, 1 small onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 head fresh broccoli and 1 medium sized zucchini.

Now, stir fry the veggies in 2 tbsp olive oil until just cooked and softened.

Add cooked veggies to the spinach mixture, then add 1 cup crumbled feta cheese. Stir all ingredients together well and pour into a greased pie plate. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour or until edges of quiche are slightly browned and knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Asian Inspired Salad with Marbled Tea Eggs

This is a simple salad recipe I came up with recently. It is refreshing and delicious, but requires a few steps.

Begin by making traditional Chinese tea eggs. You will need: 

4-5 whole eggs, 8 bags of black tea, 3 tbsp Chinese 5-spice, and 1/4 cup soy sauce.

Add enough water to a medium saucepan to plunge your eggs into. Now add all ingredients to the water and bring to a roaring boil. 

When the eggs have hard-boiled, remove from saucepan then crumble the shells by carefully rolling them around on all sides. Return the eggs to the tea sauce, reduce flame and let simmer for at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare a colorful medley of choice for your salad. I used purple cabbage, red bell pepper, carrot, onion, garlic, apple and toasted, ground almonds.

Once the tea eggs have cooked, remove them from the pan and carefully peel the shells way  (take care not to leave any broken shells behind). The eggs will have a gorgeous marbled look. Slice to your liking.

In a separate bowl, stir together a simple ginger-honey-soy dressing:
1/4 cup honey, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp ginger paste,  1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil.

Over a bed of mixed greens, add your medley of veggies, nuts and fruits and the sliced tea eggs. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve with dressing on the side.