The Taste Traveller

pumpkin muffins

With just a day until Halloween I thought this was a good time to try these out. My original plan was to feature a soup this week, but these muffins ended up getting made first and so the soup recipe will follow in the next week. I have a few recipes for pumpkin muffins. One from The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book: The Essentials of Home Baking and the one I've adapted this week, from Muffins and More (Company's Coming). Super easy and all I altered was adding some whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose and using brown sugar instead of granulated. I used canned purée which worked just fine, but I have a cute little pumpkin that I plan to use when trying the other recipe over the next week. I'll be interested to see how they differ. Perhaps the fresh, cooked pumpkin will produce a fluffier, lighter version. My aunt makes a fantastic pumpkin pie and says using fresh pumpkin makes all the difference - a lighter pie being the result.

These taste great topped with a little plain yoghurt or dollop of butter - but they don't really need anything to be perfectly satisfying. I'll definitely return to this recipe again. Try adding different spices if you like - cloves or allspice for instance. I'd also like to try this with a bit of chopped apple or banana. As usual I think a handful of dark chocolate chips would be fun with these too.  

Happy Halloween! 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) all-purpose flour (or 3/4 cup all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour)
• 1 tsp (5 ml) baking powder
• 1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda
• 1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt
• 1/2 tsp (2 ml) cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp (2 ml) nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground ginger
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) raisins
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup (50 ml) granulated sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1/3 cup (75 ml) cooking oil
• 1 cup (250 ml) cooked pumpkin or pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) milk

Method:

Combine first 8 dry ingredients in large bowl. Stir thoroughly. Make a well in center. 

In a small bowl beat egg until frothy. Mix in sugar, cooking oil, pumpkin and milk. Pour into well. Stir only to moisten. Batter will be lumpy. Fill greased muffin cups (or muffin cup liners) 3/4 full. Bake in 400⁰ F (200⁰ C) oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and place on a cooling rack. Serve warm. Makes approximately 12 muffins. 

sweet potato and black bean burritos

This is a delicious burrito, one that won't have you missing the meat if you like your chicken burritos. The recipe I have adapted here is from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites: Flavorful Recipes for Healthful Meals . It's such a winner in my books that I've barely made it past this recipe in the book. I keep meaning to try more of the delicious sounding recipes but so often I end up back on this page. 

This is healthy of course, but you could certainly add more toppings which could tip the scales in a less healthy direction. Go lean or not, but here's the recipe to get you started. Often I adapt it by just grabbing whatever quantity I have around of the main ingredients - so there may be more or less of the sweet potato or onion for instance. Frequently I only have one can of black beans around so I just use that and adjust the amount of sweet potatoes to my liking. I often blend all of the ingredients, including the onions, with my hand blender - but you could of course just mash the ingredients with a fork, or blend everything but the onions. It all blends wonderfully into a very smooth consistency. 

Top the burritos with salsa, some chopped cilantro, maybe some plain yoghurt and chopped tomatoes - and you've got a colourful, tasty lunch or dinner. 

Ingredients:

• 5 cups (1250 ml) peeled, cubed sweet potatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) salt (optional)
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) canola or other vegetable oil
• 3 1/2 cups (875 ml) diced onions
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced, pressed or chopped
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) minced fresh green chili
• 4 teaspoons (20 ml) ground cumin
• 4 teaspoons (20 ml) ground coriander
• 4 1/2 cups (1125 m) cooked black beans (three 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed)
• 2/3 cup (150 ml) lightly packed cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice (try lime juice too)
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt (optional)
• 8 eight-inch flour tortillas (depending on how much you fill them)
• salsa

Method:

Peel and chop or slice the sweet potatoes. Place in the top portion of a double boiler or in a medium saucepan of boiling water. Cover until boiling, then simmer until tender, about ten minutes. Drain and set aside. 

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, warm the oil in a medium sized skillet or saucepan and add the onions, garlic, and chile. Cover and cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft. Add the cumin and coriander and cook for about 2 or 3 more minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and set aside. 

In a food processor, or with a hand blender, combine the black beans, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, and cooked sweet potatoes and purée until smooth. Transfer the sweet potato mixture to a large bowl and mix in the cooked onions and spices. I often blend or process these into the mixture as well. 

Lightly oil a large baking dish. Spoon about 2/3 cup (150 ml) to 3/4 cup (180 ml) of the filling in the centre of each tortilla, roll it up, and place it, seam side down, in the baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, until piping hot. 

Serve topped with salsa and any other toppings you like. Add a side salad to your plate for more variety of texture and a larger meal.