Zucchini Walnut Spice Muffins

I think my love of muffins is in my genes. One of my little sisters (I have three!) started cooking and posting recipes on her blog recently. As of when I checked today, 8 of her 40 posts (that's 1 in 5, or 20% if you like to do math, like me) were muffin recipes. (And that doesn't count the pumpkin bread, banana bread, etc. that could be easily mistaken for muffins in a different form.) Luckily, she too likes to eat healthy. And so most of her muffins contain whole wheat and other nutritious things. Like I said, muffins must run in the family.

It had been far too long since I spent the afternoon whisking together a bowl of muffin batter, impatiently staring through the oven door as the muffins formed their peaks under the heat, and then helped myself to two or three long before they cooled properly. And that's how it went today. These were soft and moist, flecked with chunks of walnut and shreds of zucchini. One of my favorite healthful snacks to have on hand. (I freeze whatever I don't devour instantly and reheat them throughout the week.)

Zucchini Walnut Spice Muffins

INGREDIENTS
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour (or use all whole wheat flour)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I used 1/2 tsp. allspice + 1/4 tsp. nutmeg + 1/4 tsp. cloves)
1/2 cup brown sugar (you can add up to 1/4 cup more sugar, but I thought they were plenty sweet)
2 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil (I replaced with 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce)
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups zucchini, grated
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease or line a 12-cup muffin pan.

2. In a small bowl, whisk to combine flours, baking powder, salt, and spices. In a large bowl, whisk to combine sugar, eggs, oil (or applesauce), milk, and vanilla. Slowly stir to combine the wet and dry ingredients (don't overmix). Fold in the zucchini and walnuts.

3. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin pan. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 12 muffins.

(Adapted from For the Love of Cooking)

Cranberry-Almond Grilled Chicken Salad

For the first few months of this pregnancy I could barely eat anything that resembled a vegetable. Lettuce? Forget it. And meat was equally repulsive. Bread and fruit kept us alive. Thankfully, I've recovered much of my appetite and I'm getting my greens again. Salads are especially enticing. And since I've been surviving off of this one lately, I figured it was time I shared it with you. It was inspired by a salad I ordered at a local cafe, and conveniently uses ingredients that I usually have on hand. I've made it a dozen times, and half a dozen different ways. In fact, this time I forgot to add the carrot. No biggie. But it's best with all the elements to play off each other- sharp cheddar and crisp apple, tart-sweet cranberries and toasty almonds, juicy tomato and cool cucumber. The chicken is definitely optional. I've paired it with a honey-mustard vinaigrette here, but it's equally delicious with balsamic or pomegranate dressings as well.

Cranberry-Almond Grilled Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS
mixed greens
spinach
carrot, shredded
grape tomatoes, halved
cucumber, diced
cheddar cheese, grated
apple, thinly sliced
sweetened dried cranberries
sliced almonds, toasted
chicken breast, seasoned with salt and pepper, grilled and thinly sliced

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette:
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. honey
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. To make the salad, combine mixed greens, spinach, carrot, tomatoes, cucumber, cheddar, apple, cranberries, and almond on a large plate or bowl. Top with grilled chicken breast.

2. To make the vinaigrette, whisk to combine the vinegar, Dijon, and honey. While whisking constantly, slowly stream in the olive oil to emulsify. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle over salad and serve.

Vinaigrette serves 3-4.

(Vinaigrette from this recipe)

Oatmeal Fudge Bars

I've been posting so infrequently that when I finally have a recipe to share, I find that I can't figure out what to say. It's like talking to a friend that you don't keep in close touch with. You have the best of intentions, but when you finally get around to phoning, those long-apart conversations are punctuated with awkward pauses. You could say I'm back in the kitchen on a PRN basis, but my mind has definitely been elsewhere. Like figuring out all the things I need to buy before baby girl shows up in 3 months or less (yes, I'm 27 weeks- reaching my third trimester!). And how we're going to manage moving just a month after she arrives (Dustin was recently accepted into a pediatric dentistry residency in Chicago). So much excitement! Combine that with a still-diminished appetite, and cooking isn't a big priority currently.

But every so often I find a reason to bake something sweet. This weekend it was the Superbowl. So I dug out a recipe I'd been meaning to try and gave it a go. As a fan of anything fudgy these bars sounded irresistible. And they definitely hit that chocolate-loving spot. The chewy oatmeal crumb balances the rich filling for the perfect salty-sweet treat.

Oatmeal Fudge Bars

INGREDIENTS
Oatmeal Crumb:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 cups oats

Fudge Filling:
2 cups chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)
1 (15-oz.) can sweetened-condensed milk
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts such as walnuts or pecans, optional (I omitted)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Lightly grease or line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper.

2. To make the oatmeal crumb, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined. Add the vanilla and mix well. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Stir in the oatmeal. Press 2/3 of the oatmeal crumb into an even layer in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Reserve the rest for topping.

3. To make the fudge filling, in a saucepan over medium-low heat melt together the chocolate chips, sweetened-condensed milk, butter, and salt. Stir until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and nuts (if using). Evenly pour over the prepared crust, leaving about a 1/4 inch margin around the sides of the pan (to prevent the fudge from sticking). Evenly dollop the remaining oat mixture on top of the filling.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden and the fudge layer is set but not solid. (Don't over bake or these bars will become dry.) Place on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting. (They take a while to cool and for the filling to set, so you can speed up the process by placing them in the refrigerator after they have cooled slightly.) Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes a 9x13 pan.

(Adapted from Erin's Food Files)