Banana Bread Smoothie

I love having smoothies for breakfast.  They save me time in the morning because I don't have to sit down to eat before I head out and keep me from wolfing down food in the car.  Instead, I take a smoothie in a to-go cup and finish it some time mid-morning at my desk.  But even on the weekends when I'm not rushing out I still like to enjoy a tasty smoothie while I read or lounge around.  With the added time, sometimes I'll even get more creative with my morning meal, like putting together this Banana Bread Smoothie that really tastes like dessert for breakfast!

 

Banana Bread Smoothie

 

1 ripe banana

1 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 tablespoon peanut butter (I used Peanut Butter & Co mighty maple)

 

Blend everything together and enjoy!

It's a Stretch

How annoying is it to look into a box of pasta and see this?  Especially if you've got a craving and nothing else seems like it will do.  Before you start doing the calculus on whether it's worth it to change out of your pajamas (or not even change) and head to a convenience store to overpay for boxed pasta, take another look around your cupboard and you may just find there's an easier way to stretch that pasta into a real meal - or from one serving into two, or three, or four. 

Whether it's that you're running low on pasta or that you want to add a bit more umph to your meal, try scrounging in your food stores for a simple can of white beans.  I always try to have cans of beans on hand to toss into meals for added protein and nutrients.  Stretch things even further by adding whatever veggies you've got on hand.  My favorites for red sauce: mushrooms, broccoli, and zucchini.  White sauce or pesto: peas, asparagus, spinach, and kale. 

 

The protein punch will also make you more satiated than you would with a simple meal of pasta and sauce.  And the best part?  Canned beans are easy to have on hand and basically never go bad.  They're the perfect food to stock up on.  Whether it's for your next Italian craving or to wait out the zombie apocalypse. 

Happy Fourth!

Happy Fourth everyone!  Or should I say, Merry Independence Day!  I'm definitely planning on a patriotic viewing of the movie Independence Day later today, mostly just to watch the best presidential speech ever delivered.  Yay 'Merica!

 

But of course this day wouldn't be complete without a little red, white, and blue to celebrate too.  And what's the most delicious patriotic treat out there?  That's right ... Craisin and white chocolate scones sitting in front of a blue background ... erm ...  Well, two out of three isn't bad.  And that just means these would make a great Canada Day treat too :) 

 

I adapted these delicious vegan scones from a scone recipe I'd been using for years.  But needless to say they require quite a few vegan replacements.  Fortunately, the end product tastes just as great and seems to have just the same consistency as the original.  Science wins again. 

 

Craisin and White Chocolate Scones (Vegan!)

(makes 12 scones)

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar + 1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 tablespoons vegan butter, cold
1/2 cup craisins

1/2 cup vegan white chocolate chips

1/2 cup vegan sour cream

1 vegan egg

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. 

Combine first five ingredients, then cube butter and mix into dry ingredients by hand until you achieve a coarse meal texture. 

Stir in craisins and chocolate chips.

Whisk together egg and sour cream in a separate bowl, then mix into dry/butter mixture until the dough comes together.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and divide into two balls. 

Press each ball into a disk about 3/4 inch thick. 

Sprinkle each disk with the 1 tbsp sugar. 

Using a sharp knife (to cut through those chocolate chips and craisins), cut each disk into six triangles. 

Transfer the triangles to a parchment-lined baking sheet, at least an inch apart (they won't expand much). 

Bake 15 minutes, until golden. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins

June 20 my office held its annual summer picnic.  Everyone gathered in the sunshine at Sandy Point State Park to engage in merriment and lots of eating.  Though the catering was BBQ, there was still a veggie option - grilled veggie wrap with cheese - and a vegan option - veggie wrap with no cheese.  The weather was beautiful and not too hot, so I never cashed in my snow cone ticket (by the way, that should really read "snow ball" - this is Maryland, after all!). 

 

But the real highlight of the day for most people was the dessert contest.  The contest was "election" themed (the Maryland primary was held June 24), and four prizes were awarded: chocolate, non-chocolate, election theme, and grand prize (plus a couple of honorable mentions).  I think there were 19 entries overall.  And I didn't get to try a single one ... :( 

 

The plight of a vegan is that it's very hard to eat dessert anywhere, really.  Not at restaurants, not at a coffee shop, not at your friend's house, and not at your work picnic.  Not a lot of baked goods "happen" to be vegan, and rarely do people go out of their way to accommodate you.  Nope, if you're vegan, it's up to you to make your own desserts.  Which I do ... on a very regular basis. 

 

So while I salivated over the dessert table at the picnic trying to live vicariously through others by asking them about their favorite desserts (most people thought it was the key lime mousse cake, apparently), I was secretly formulating a plan to make my own delicious and vegan dessert the instant I got home.  And the plan?  Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins!  (Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie's recipe for blueberry muffins.) 

 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins

 

(Makes two muffins - regular size, not large)

 

Ingredients:

 

3 tbsp flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

heaping 1/16 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp sugar (maybe go to 1 tbsp if using a plain peanut butter)

1 tbsp peanut butter (I used White Chocolate Wonderful - yum!)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp milk of choice (I used almond)

1 tbsp mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 330 degrees. Mix first four ingredients, then add the next three. Mix until just combined (don’t overmix).  Fold in chocolate chips, then spoon into two regular-sized muffin liners.  Bake for 17 minutes, but start checking at 15.

Puff Pastry with Vanilla Cashew Cream

Last week I hosted another one of my periodic group lunches at work.  This was the first one since session ended, so I really wanted it to go well.  Unfortuantely, Papa John's messed up the pizza order and I ended up completely stressed out and pretty much unable to enjoy the actual lunch.  But even if the pizza wasn't executed perfectly, the dessert I brought seemed to be a big hit.  Well, it all disappeared at least.  I had to really elbow my way in just to grab a couple for myself!

 

I remembered reading a while back that Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Cups were "accidentally vegan", so I decided that instead of baking something from scratch, I'd use them as a nice shortcut to make a cool summer treat - puff pastry filled with vanilla cashew cream and topped with raspberries and powdered sugar. 

 

I was a bit concerned that the puff pastry would get soggy if I made the dessert at home ahead of time, so I brought everything separate and assembled it at work.  I used a squeaze bottle with a frosting tip to fill the pastry cups, added the raspberries, then tried my best to sprinkle the powdered sugar on artfully with my fingers.  (It would have been a lot easier with a sifter, but I didn't bring one into work - too much hassle.)  I'm not sure the one single raspberry sticking out of the center of the cup looked all that great, but they sure tasted wonderful!

 

The vanilla cashew cream was definitely the best part of these little gems - and I'm not just saying that because it's the only part I actually made myself.  I ate the leftovers by squeazing a bit directly into fresh raspberries - it was all I could do not to just squeaze it directly into my mouth!  Yum yum yum.  Plus it's so easy I know I'll be using this again and again for a delicious fruit dip, in tarts, or maybe just to eat by itself with a spoon! 

 

Vanilla Cashew Cream

 

1/2 cup cashews

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon imitation vanilla extract (I used imitation because it is clear and would keep my cream whiter)

1/4 cup plain almond milk

 

Blend together and enjoy!

Easy and Nutritious Pasta Dinner

I love to make cashew cheese sauce to have on hand for occasions when I don't really feel like making a big production of dinner, but still want to make sure I have something that will be satisfying and delicious.  And those occasions seem to happen on an all-too-regular basis.  Fortunately, sometimes even the simplest dishes can be both tasty and nutritious. 

 

I throw this pasta dinner together on a very regular basis, but still enjoy it every time. 

 

Kale and Bacon Pasta with Cream Sauce

(serves 2 generously)

 

Ingredients:

 

2 servings pasta of choice

3 large handfuls of chopped kale

3 strips LiteLife smart bacon

Cashew Cheese Sauce

 

Prepare pasta per package directions.  Chop bacon strips and saute lightly in a pan.  After the bacon has sauteed about three minutes, add chopped kale and toss to combine.  Cover pan and let the kale steam for about three minutes.  Once pasta is finished cooking, drain and add to bacon and kale pan.  Top with cashew cheese sauce and toss everything to combine.  Serve and watch your dinner guests swoon! 

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies

 Last weekend I visited Josh's parents to celebrate Josh's mother's birthday.  Ever since I was little I've loved wrapping presents.  Learning how to curl ribbon was one of the great moments of my life.  I was always in awe of the wrapping at Creative Kidstuff and think of them every time I wrap a present today.  (Check out this photo for inspiration!)  I may have gone just a little overboard with the ribbon curling on this one ... Nah!

 

Pretty much every time I go to Josh's parents' now I also bring along some little treat to share.  I know his parents are still uncomfortable with vegan food, so I figure anything I can bring to make sure there's something I can eat helps!

 

This time I was in the mood for a peanut butter oatmeal cookie, and came across this recipe which I scaled down and modified just a bit.  The cookies were a big winner - especially with Josh's dad who isn't normally big on sweets (which means it's particularly ringing endorsement!).  I'll definitely be making these a lot in the future. 

 

One of my favorite things about these cookies is that they aren't too sweet, so you don't feel sick afterwards!  I made 1/3 of the recipe and came out with 19 cookies a little bigger than a quarter.  I also nixed the chocolate chips, used creamy peanut butter, and used plain white flour rather than wheat.  I did use salt, even though it said optional.  Another tip from my experience: after spooning onto a baking sheet, press down each cookie a bit because they won't sink on their own.  The back row in the picture are the cookies I didn't press down - still tasty, just a little less attractive. 

Oreo Cheesecake

While I may have been particularly good two weeks ago about being on top of my healthy workouts, even ending on a particularly high note with a 7-mile hike, I also ended the week by baking this delicious but decidedly unhealthy Oreo Cheesecake.  Fortunately, life is about balance ... so I basically had to bake a scrumptious dessert to restore order in the universe. 

 

I may or may not have proceeded to eat about two pieces a day for the next few days ...

 

Oreo Cheesecake (vegan, of course!)

 

Ingredients:
 

2 containers vegan cream cheese (I used Tofutti)

1 package firm silken tofu

1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Broken up Oreos - as many as you like

1 ready-made Oreo cookie pie crust (or you could be industrious and make your own)
 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.  Blend all but last two ingredients in a blender until very smooth.  Pour into a bowl and fold in Oreo pieces.  Pour batter into crust and bake for 1 hour.  When the hour is up, turn off the oven but leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1 more hour.  Then come up with a really good distraction, because you still need to transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerator for at least six hours before cutting yourself a slice.  But trust me, the long wait is worth it!

 

Peanut Butter Cup Chia Pudding

My chia pudding obsession shows no signs of slowing down, especially since I came up with this latest recipe to toss into the rotation, named for a certain chocolatey-peanut-buttery cup-shaped confection.  Plus, it's super simple to make with just five ingredients!  It's so delicious in all its chocolate-peanut-buttery goodness that all you need is a small bowl to be completely satisfied.  But then again, a large bowl might just make you even more satisfied ...

 

Peanut Butter Cup Chia Pudding

 

(serves two or one generously)

 

2 tablespoons chia seeds

3/4 cup dark chocolate almond milk

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon maple syrup (you could easily leave this out altogether)

 

Mix all the ingredients together, cover, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  Enjoy!

Mexican Salad

I'm starting to notice a bit of a trend to the healthiness of my eating patterns - I'm very good during the week, and then throw everything out the window over the weekend.  Maybe it's the extra time I've got to putz around the house looking for something to do - which seems to invariably lead to baking or cooking something unhealthy.  If only I could put that attention towards cleaning the house! 

 

After heading pretty far off the nutrition track a couple weeks ago with the vegan brie and chicken ring, I decided to start my week back off on the right track with a delicious Mexican salad.  See that empty jar of salsa in the background?  That's because this salad was soooo good I enjoyed it over and over again until my salsa ran out.  It's definitely on my shopping list for tonight so I can keep making this again and again!  And the best part is that the recipe calls for more staple-type ingredients that are easy to have on hand anytime. 

 

Quick and Easy Mexican Salad

 

Salad mix of choice (I used Spring mix)

Salsa of choice (I used a Cuban style black bean salsa from Target - the beans add extra fiber and protein to make this salad extra filling!)

Gardenburger chipotle black bean burger

 

Optional: halved cherry tomatoes, avocado, fried onions - or whatever your heart desires!

Spicy Peanut Butter Broccoli Wrap

If you've spent any time poking around my blog, it's probably pretty obvious that I'm a huge peanut butter fan.  I could eat peanut butter every day and never get bored - in fact, whether or not I mention it, you can rest assured I probably had some peanut butter at some point on any given day.  But for me the ol' PB usually pops up in sweet treats, whether it's mixed into oatmeal, peanut butter pie, protein breakfast shakes, or on a spoon straight from the jar.  (Love that white chocolate wonderful!) 

 

But peanut butter can also be a delicious part of savory foods as well.  I actually made this spicy peanut butter broccoli wrap before my trip to California last week and loved it so much I made another to stash in my carry-on for the plane.  It's healthy and satisfying, plus with only six ingredients it's so easy to make! 

 

Spicy Peanut Butter Broccoli Wrap

 

Ingredients:

1 whole wheat tortilla

1/2 cup broccoli florets, chopped

1 handful lettuce of choice (I used Spring mix bagged salad mix)

1 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter - if you can find "The Heat is On" by Peanut Butter & Co, that would be great for this, but if not creamy or crunchy regular is fine - just not White Chocolate Wonderful! :)

1/3 cup Israeli couscous, prepared following box directions

red pepper flakes to taste
 

Sautee broccoli lightly in a pan with red pepper flakes.  Add couscous and peanut butter and mix thoroughly.  Place lettuce along center third of tortilla, top with broccoli couscous mix, and fold tortilla over to seal wrap.  Enjoy!

Mediterranean Salad

Since returning from California (where I might have overindulged a bit and gained a teensy bit of weight), I've been trying to up the healthy-factor of my meals more than ever.  But since I also don't want to get bored eating steamed broccoli three times a day, it's important to balance nutrition with fresh, delicious ingredients. 

 

This Mediterranean salad is a great example of just such a recipe.  It's got protein from both beans and the hummus (used for dressing) and is packed with healthy veggies.  I've already eaten it twice in the last week and am planning to have it again for dinner tonight!  Plus, it's quick and easy to prepare.  What's not to love?

 

Mediterranean Salad

 

Lettuce mix of choice (I used half Spring mix and half baby spinach)

Grape tomatoes

Green olives (I used green olives stuffed with jalapenos)

White beans

Cucumber

Hummus

 

Toss everything together and enjoy! 

Leaving for Cali Pesto

I've been out of touch for a while and failed completely to explain why before I left ...  But I spent the last week in California!  Trips are always exciting, but I had so much last-minute stuff to do that posting to the blog just sort of fell to the wayside.  Apologies! 

 

One of the last-minute chores I did manage to accomplish though was to make a quick batch of pesto before leaving.  I never bother to get plant-sitters when I travel (though Panda was safely squared away at Josh's parents' house), so I basically assume that my travel is a form of Darwinism for the plants - the strong will survive.  But since my basil was looking so lovely before I left I decided that if the plant wasn't going to make it through my time away I should still do my best to preserve what I could.  So I clipped a bunch of the leaves and decided to make a small batch of pesto to freeze before heading off.

 

The plant still wasn't terribly large, so it was definitely a small batch of pesto, but it's still about a trillion times better to make pesto with fresh basil.  It actually comes out bright green, rather than the sort of sickly brownish-green you get with store bought basil. 

No-Fail Vegan Pesto

Makes enough for two plates of pasta

 

(Asjust all ingredient amounts to taste)

 

1/2 cup basil leaves (washed and dried)

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon vegan parmesan

1/2 tablespoon pine nuts

1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast

salt and pepper

 

Blend and enjoy (or freeze if you're headed out of town).

Peanut Noodles

Last week I made a big batch of peanut noodles and enjoyed them for lunch, dinner, and everything in between.  Well, actually just for dinner once and lunch twice.  Next time I need to make a bigger batch ... Because these noodles are so easy to make and so tasty I just couldn't get enough of them! 

 

The recipe below is modified from my equally tasty sesame noodles, tweaked a bit for my flavor preferences and to make prep a bit easier (we all need that sometimes). 

 

Peanut Noodles

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
• 3/4 pound spaghetti
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoon sesame seeds (crushed peanuts would be great here too!)

Directions:

1. Whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, oil, red pepper, peanut butter, garlic, and Ginger.
2. Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until just tender, drain, and rinse in cold water.
3. Toss pasta with dressing, carrots, scallions, and sesame seeds.

 

These are enjoyed best right after you make them, but if you must refrigerate leftovers for later, let them come back to room temperature before eating.  Enjoy!

Mexican Salad

Monday and Tuesday I had the exact same dinner.  Luckily, the Mexican salad I prepared is so tasty you don't get bored of it - in fact, you just want to eat it again and again!  This salad is perhaps a bit ingredient intensive, but that just means that once you've gathered everything for the first go-around, it's that much easier to prepare on night two.  Plus it has the advantage of being full of vitamin-packed veggies and protein from black beans.  What's not to love about this salad?

 

Mexican Salad

 

Into the mix (makes two salads):

 

Salad mix of choice (I used Spring mix), chopped

Grape tomatoes, halved

Canned corn, drained (1/3 of the can)

Canned black beans, drained (1/3 of the can)

French's fried onions (you can omit this, but I love the added crunch)



Diced avocado (1/2 a large avocado)

 

For the dressing:

 

Vegan sour cream

Chalula

Mexican spices of choice to taste (I used adobo, chili, and ground chipotle)

 

Whisk together dressing ingredients, then toss salad fixings with dressing well to coat and enjoy!

Miso Soup

Last week I spied the tub of miso I have sitting in the fridge for making delicious vegan brie and cashew cheese sauce and decided I might as well make the thing miso is most famous for  ... soup!  I made a big batch of miso soup at the beginning of the week that ended up being three dinners - I was a bit miso-souped-out by the last bowl.  I followed this recipe, but tweaked it by adding some shitaake mushrooms to the mix and amping up the amount of tofu, scallions, and seaweed. 

 

Along the way I learned a few important things about making my own miso soup:

1. It's important to cut the seaweed up into smallish pieces or the long strips will send soup flying everywhere when you're trying to eat.

 

2. To cut the seaweed, it's a lot easier to fold the sheets up and then cut with scissors than to try to cut with a knife on a cutting board.

 

3. Cook the shitaakes first, the heating of the soup alone will not do it and raw mushrooms have a really weird consistency.

 

But most importantly ...

 

Miso soup is tasty, but not enough to eat it three nights in a row.  Either I'll have to figure out how to make a much smaller batch or stick to ordering it in restaurants. 

Pizza Quinoa

You'd think I'd be over my quinoa obsession by now, but no ...  It seems I can't get enough of this stuff.  Which is just fine, because it's full of protein and fiber not to mention delicious.  A lot of people think quinoa is bland and uninteresting, which it is ... if you try to eat it plain.  But if you add just a few ingredients to dress it up, it can magically become one of your favorite foods. 

 

Inspired by the quinoa pizza bites I made a while back and eager to find yet another use for my delicious cashew cheese sauce, I invented ... pizza quinoa!  It's warm, it's cheesy ... it's pizza-y.  It's got all the comforting gooeyness of pizza without the fat, carbs, and feeling of a brick in your stomach later. 

 

Pizza Quinoa

 

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa (follow package directions)

2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 1/2 tablespoons cashew cheese sauce

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

(Optional: serve with Daiya mozzarella melted on top)

 

Simply mix ingredients together and heat through.  Ingredient amounts can all be adjusted subject to taste.  Serve warm and enjoy! 

My New Addiction - Cheesy Quinoa

I know it's been a while now since I said I would post on my favorite new food - cheesy quinoa.  But better late than never, right? 

 

I didn't really think it was possible to improve on my cashew cream sauce. But then I added miso and truffle oil ...  What a difference! The miso, in particular, really adds a sharp, "cheesy" flavor to the sauce.  It just goes to show, even your staple recipes can always be revisited and maybe improved.  I don't even think I'll  ever go back to the old recipe.  And I definitely wouldn't have thought I would ever say that a month ago. 

 

New-and-Improved Cashew Cream (Cheese) Sauce:

 

(ingredient amounts are all estimated and can be adjusted to taste)

 

1/3 cup cashews, soaked overnight

1 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 1/2 tablespoons miso

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon truffle oil (optional)

soy or almond milk to reach desired consistency

 

I blend everything together in a cuisinart and then taste to adjust flavors. 

 

Then the real fun begins.  The sauce can be used on just about anything - pasta, plain broccoli, or even as pizza sauce.  But my new (and healthy!) favorite way to use it is to make cheesy quinoa.  Just mix cheese sauce with cooked quinoa, then dress up with your favorite add-ins.  Several times now I've opted to mix my cheesy quinoa with cooked broccoli (I lightly sauteed mine for a few minutes).  But you could use just about any vegetable under the sun.  I've also mixed mine with black beans (white would also be tasty!) and chopped and sauteed bell pepper.  I can't wait to try cheesy quinoa with mushrooms!  The possibilities are definitely endless.  But I intend to try as many as I can ...

Chicken Ring?

Yes ... chicken ring.  Sounds pretty much disgusting, doesn't it?  I don't even really recall how I came across this recipe for a chicken broccoli ring, but I do know why I was drawn to it.  When I first became vegan I looked through the (extensive) list Peta compiled of "accidentally" vegan items at the grocery store, and I remembered that Pillsbury crescent rolls were included on the list (right between cornbread and pizza dough).  Since the real crux of this recipe was the crescent rolls, I figured everything else could be subbed out easily enough to create my own vegan version of the chicken ring ...

 

Horray, right?  Yeah, Josh didn't think it was worth pursuing either.  But boy was he wrong!  With the crescent rolls safely in the vegan camp, all I had to do to make my chicken ring dreams a reality was sub out vegannaise for the mayo, Gardein chicken scallopini for the chicken, and daiya mozzarella for the cheddar (I had the mozz already, but I'm sure daiya cheddar would have been great too - and more colorful).  I could have also gotten more color using a red bell pepper rather than orange but the orange were on sale ...  I also nixed the egg wash and almonds, figuring crescent rolls come out looking just fine without filling and would probably do the same here. 

 

The whole recipe came together pretty easily.  The trickiest part really was fitting all of the crescent roll triangles into my circle (I came up one short).  I also didn't get the beautiful foldover with perfect spacing, but I'm sure I can get it right with more practice!  And more practice I most certainly will get, because the chicken ring was amazing!!!  Decidedly unhealthy, perhaps, but really, really tasty.  I ate the whole ring myself in three sittings.  (Yes, I realize that's the equivalent of eating five crescent rolls at a time, plus the filling.)  So maybe the more appropriate plan here would be to make this with a giant salad to help ensure chicken ring portion control. 

 

Now, one more time for good measure ... chicken ring!

Muffin Mania

I guess it's no surprise by now that I'm a bit all over the map when it comes to my food choices.  One minute I'm talking about how I want to eat healthier, eat more green vegetables, and make sure I incorporate protein into my meals ... and the next minute I'm off baking up some indulgent treat again.  I'm definitely food bipolar. 

 

But I guess most of us are to some extent.  It's almost impossible to go through life without the occasional treat.  It's just that my treat occasions seem to pop up a bit more frequently than they do for other people ...  I also find that when I get bored I tend to turn to the kitchen.  Either I want to eat something or I want to make food.  It's a way to pass the time, and making food at least means I'm not consuming it ... until it's done. 

 

And apparently I've found myself bored a lot lately.  Because I've been turning to baking over and over again in the past couple of weeks.  To combat the resulting onslaught of baked goods, I've done my best to partake in just a few of the resulting goodies and haul the rest off to work to watch them disappear from the office kitchen.  Which usually manages to happen quite quickly and wins me all sorts of new friends at work too. 

 

Three times in the past two weeks I've brought muffins to work - the first two batches were supposedly cupcakes, but without the frosting (I followed the accompanying recipe for cream cheese frosting with disasterous results - it was sickly sweet glaze rather than frosting, though I followed the recipe to the letter) I figured these hummingbird cupcakes were really more like "tropical" muffins. 

 

I'm not sure if there's a definitional difference between "cupcake" and "muffin" other than the presence of frosting, but no one at work seemed to think they weren't muffins.  In fact, they were so popular that people actually said they hoped I would make them again soon - which is how I came to make a second batch less than a week later.  It also helped that I was quite taken with them as well.  Plus the recipe was so simple to follow it really wasn't much effort to make a double batch the second time. 

 

Then just two days after I brought in round two of tropical (hummingbird) muffins, the last day of Maryland's legislative session arrived.  The last day of session is always a long and exciting day, and lots of people bring in treats to share.  I certainly couldn't sit there with all sorts of non-vegan treats surrounding me all day.  I knew I'd go crazy if I didn't have an opportunity to indulge a bit too. 

 

Which is where the Caramel Apple Muffins came in.  I'd seen this recipe a while back and was eager to try it.  (Plus I couldn't very well bring in a third batch of hummingbird muffins!)  While this recipe wasn't quite as simple and quick as the hummingbird cake, it wasn't too difficult.  Following the recipe measurements, I ended up with 16 muffins to share at work. 

 

And I probably ended up eating 1/4 of them myself ...  The crumble topping made these a bit messy to eat, and I wouldn't really say there was any genuine "caramel" element to them, but the apple cinnamon flavor combination is always a winner in my book.  These also managed to come away with high praise, though nothing so enthusiastic as the hummingbird cakes. 

 

Maybe my coworkers were just a bit muffin-ed out.  I know I am ... for now ...