hot for food

Something I do on a regular basis is modify recipes to suite my tastes and nutritional requirements. In fact, a lot of the things on this blog are created by doing just that. Geez I’m not a recipe inventor! Really who is? Just a recipe modifier. So I was excited to see the Recipe Makeover contest on Delish.com. I could win $650 worth of kitchen appliances! ooooh. Unfortunately, it’s not a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. Anyway I chose their Lemon Blueberry Muffins as my makeover candidate. Their version is full of bad fats, refined sugars, and dairy… so I went vegan, since I am obsessed with baking vegan! Here’s my Conscious Lemon Blueberry Muffin Recipe…

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
3 tbsp Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/3 cup Light Agave Nectar
5 tbsp Ground Flax Seeds
6 tbsp Cold Water
1/2 cup Earth Balance
1 tbsp Earth Balance, Melted
1/3 cup Soy Milk
3 tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tbsp Lemon Zest
1 1/2 cup Fresh Blueberries, washed and drained
3 tsp Raw Sugar, for topping

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 F and lightly coat a 12 cup muffin tray with Spectrum Naturals Canola Oil non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a separate bowl whisk together the ground flax seeds with cold water until they become fluffy and are well combined. You’re mimicking the texture of whisking egg whites. To this add the Earth Balance, agave nectar, soy milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix until well combined.

Stir the flour mixture into the liquids until just combined. Do not over mix. In a small bowl toss the blueberries in the 3 tbsp of flour and add to the muffin mixture. The batter will be thick enough that you can use your hands to portion it out into the muffin cups. Sprinkle a small amount of raw sugar on each muffin. Bake at 375 F for 25 minutes. Makes 1 dozen muffins.

I also made the websites original version here, so I knew how they compared. I really do prefer my vegan creation. It’s like I can taste the egg and dairy in baked goods now, and it’s kind of sicking me out. They’re not the best thing ever. I think this flavour combo is sort of bland to begin with. But my conscious version is definitely healthier and will make a nice breakfast for the next few days!

ALSO this has inspired me to make healthier, lower fat versions of some of the fattest recipes around…Rachael Ray’s! I was thinking I would do a Fatso Friday Recipe Makeover?! hmm we’ll see. What d’ya think? I wouldn’t want to get sued now!

One of my favorite restaurants in Toronto is Fresh. Luckily I live only 4 blocks south of one (147 Spadina Ave)! But unfortunately, I am near income-less so I will not be dining there in the near future. This past weekend I was craving their Banana Nut Pancakes, as I often do, so I thought, what the heck, I can make these things myself! Even better, by adding in banana to a traditional pancake mix recipe I can eliminate the eggs! One more step in the right direction…that is, my slow and steady transition to be vegan.

Don’t they look scrumptious! Now, I am putting in measurements here that’ll make about 4-6 pancakes depending on size. BUT you need to learn how pancake mix should look and feel when you make it from scratch. And that way you can make up a small stack for one or a massive brunch for 10. I don’t care what anyone says, it’s not a science!

Ingredients:

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of Salt
2 tbsp Canola Oil
1 mashed ripe (or thawed from frozen) Banana
1/4 Soy Milk
Cold Water
Toasted walnuts and/or pecans.

Mix together the dry ingredients, then add mashed banana, and the liquids. You want a batter that has the consistency of a thick-ish soup. It should be able to pour onto the pan easily. No lumps, so mix well. Sometimes, if I care a lot, I’ll sift the dry ingredients.  I just start adding in soy a bit at a time until it’s almost the right consistency, then a bit of cold water until I feel I have the right mix.

Using more cold water to thin out your batter will make a more dense pancake, and using more soy milk will make it a bit fluffier. Experiment! Make sure your pan is HOT when you start dropping in batter (med-high). And it’s time to flip when the pancake starts to bubble. Now please NEVER drizzle your homemade pancakes with Aunt Jemima…ugh. What a shame that would be. Please go the extra mile and use pure maple syrup… thank you and enjoy!