STONE FRUIT + YOGURT MUFFINS

I've been on a muffin kick this week, which is a byproduct of me buying too much produce. My eager zucchini purchase ended up in these muffins (also in her book), which are AMAZING, teetering towards dessert but with the perfect amount of moisture from the zucchini that melts away into all that delicious chocolate. I halved the recipe to get a dozen muffins and couldn't believe there were two full cups of zucchini in there. Then there are all the peaches, nectarines and plums; my favorite summer fruits, right behind ruby red strawberries. They smell so delicious and carry nostalgia for me of summers on the beach with my family, but I am the only one in our family who will eat a ripe one over the sink or chopped up in a green salad. What is not to like?!?! I question Cleo as she meticulously picks every trace of fruit from these muffins. Alas, a lot of extra stone fruit in the kitchen. These are not nearly as sweet as cake, but have a lovely almond essence and jammy fruit bits that feel like the perfect summer treat. I love them split and toasted the following day, though they are great straight out of the hand too. 

It's supposed to be nearly 100' here this weekend, so the muffin marathon will come to a swift hault. I'll leave the recipe for these right here in the meantime. 

Muffins with Stone Fruits + Yogurt

Makes 10

I made these gluten free, but you could swap in whatever flour you use regularly. Swap in unbleached all purpose for the same yield of the almond, brown rice and flax, or an equal measure of gluten-free all purpose if that is what you stock. If you prefer them dairy free, sub in a coconut or almond based yogurt. 
I love them split and toasted the following day, but they are great just straight out of the hand too. 

Ingredients

2/3 cups whole, plain yogurt
1/4 cup avocado oil (or other neutral oil)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 cup superfine brown rice flour
1/2 cup almond meal (blanched of unblanched are fine)
1 Tbsp. flaxmeal
1/2 cup light brown sugar (muscavado sugar or coconut sugar)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 heaping cup diced stonefruit (any combo of peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries), plus more for topping

turbinado (raw) sugar, for topping

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350'. Grease 10 holes of a standard muffin tin.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the yogurt, oil, eggs and almond extract together well. Add the rice flour, almond meal, flaxmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon and fold everything until fully combined. I like to let it sit for a couple minutes to hydrate, not sure if this matters. Fold in the fruit.
Fill the tins about 2/3 full. Put a couple extra pieces of fruit on top of the muffins and then sprinkle a bit of turbinado sugar on top. Bake on the middle rack for 18-20 minutes. Remove to cool completely. 

Sara Forte 2018-07-05

Gluten Free Muffins with Peaches, Nectarines and Yogurt

10

Delicious, wheat-free muffins with pockets of sweet peaches.

• 1/2 cup whole, plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup avocado oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1 cup superfine brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1 Tbsp. flaxmeal
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup diced stone fruit

197 calories

Preheat the oven to 350'. Grease 10 holes of a standard muffin tin.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the yogurt, oil, eggs and almond extract together well. Add the rice flour, almond meal, flaxmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon and fold everything until fully combined. I like to let it sit for a couple minutes to hydrate, not sure if this matters. Stir in the fruit.

Fill the tins about 2/3 full. Put a couple pieces of fruit on top of the muffins and then sprinkle a bit of turbinado sugar on top. Bake on the middle rack for 18-20 minutes. Remove to cool completely.

PT20M PT20M PT40M

gluten free baking

Breakfast

muffin, gluten free, wheat free, yogurt, stone fruit, peaches, nectarines

FEEDING BABIES: TODDLER VEGETABLES EDITION

My most frequent request is for more feeding babies posts. The consensus being: carbs, cheese, meat are no problem for their kids, but there is concern over vegetable consumption. I don't really feed babies specifically any more, but we are still not quite all eating the same thing. I am feeding toddlers, which comes with both more options and more negotiating than babies. 

Another tip I am trying to implement, which I picked up from my sister in law, is to keep snacks after lunch to a minimum. Aren't we more apt to try new things with an appetite? She only offers veggies and hummus between lunch and dinner and I've been trying to do that. If they are not hungry for that, then they can't really be *that* hungry. No bars, crackers, string cheese, or whatever your kids' most requested snacks are. When I keep throwing snacks at them in that 4-6 window when they're asking for food and I'm trying to hustle back from an afternoon activity and get dinner together, they eat about one bite of dinner because they are not really hungry. They don't want to try new things or even sit at the table. The goal is to have them come to the dinner table hungry if you want them to eat what you're eating. Do you have any other good tips? 

Some of these "recipes" seem silly to write down, but I understand that some of us, especially with tasks outside of our wheelhouse, like to just be told what to do. Below are a couple things that my kids are into lately, and sides we adults enjoy eating too.  Roasted cauliflower with tahini sauce? Yes please. Forever.

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VEGGIES AND MONSTER HUMMUS

Makes about 2 Cups

Cut and prep this in advance so it's ready in the fridge when wee ones start asking you for food. The hummus will keep about 5 days before the color begins to brown. When you see how silly easy it is to make hummus at home, you can use it as a base for all sort of vegetable add ins: a cooked beet, jalapeno cilantro, roasted red pepper. I also love the one made with red lentils from Near and Far.

Ingredients

• 5 ounces baby spinach or power greens mix
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
• juice of half a lemon, to taste
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt and pepper

• prepared carrots, bell peppers, Persian cucumbers, for dipping

Instructions

Barely wilt the greens, for just a minute, in a tablespoon of water. Set aside to cool.  Into a food processor, combine the garlic, tahini, chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and process until smooth. Tip in the wilted greens and blend again until fully incorporated. Taste for salt and pepper. Thin with lemon juice or water as needed. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. 

Serve with cut vegetables, crackers, or as a sandwich spread. 

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ROASTED SWEET POTATO WEDGES WITH HERBY YOGURT DIP

Serves 4

I like the taco seasoning from Trader Joes, it does have some sugar, but doesn't have a bunch of other junk in it. If you are looking to just pull from your own spice cabinet, a mix of cumin and chili powder will be great alternative. Rolling them in cornstarch or arrowroot powder first, helps create a barrier to soak up the potatoes' natural moisture content and ensure a bit more crispiness. Even a very discerning toddler will not notice, but I am adding this step because I like to eat them this way :) If you have leftovers, they are a perfect addition to a breakfast burrito with some scrambled eggs, greens and shredded white cheddar. 
A dairy free option for the dip would be to use one large, ripe avocado in place of the yogurt. 

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder, optional
• 1-2 Tbsp. avocado oil
• 2 tsp. taco seasoning, see headnote
• sea salt and pepper

• 2/3 cup whole plain greek yogurt
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. well chopped cilantro (or parsley)
• pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400'.

Cut the sweet potatoes into wedges, no more than 1/2" thick. Toss them in the cornstarch or arrowroot to roughly coat (optional). Drizzle with the oil, toss again. Sprinkle the seasoning, toss again. Spread the potatoes in an even layer , using two pans if necessary to avoid too much overlap. Roast for 25 minutes until tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, mix up your yogurt dip. Stir together the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro and a pinch of salt and pepper. 

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EVERYTHING BAGEL CAULIFLOWER

Serves 2-4

The beautiful thing about cauliflower is that is doesn't have much flavor on its own, so it can go any direction. I let my kids sprinkle the seeds on and put this on their plate with a dollop of the tahini sauce or ketchup, when I'm in a pinch. It's also great mixed into some mac n cheese or into cooked brown rice and call it a complete meal. 

Ingredients

• 1 medium head of cauliflower
• 2 Tbsp. avocado or olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. everything bagel seasoning from Trader Joes or make you own*

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 large clove garlic, grated/li>
• 1 tsp. maple syrup
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• tiny dash of cayenne
• salt and pepper

* Mix 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, 1 Tbsp. poppyseeds, 1 tsp. dried onion flakes, 1 tsp. dried garlic flakes, 1/4 tsp. sea salt and pepper.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425'. Break the florets off, away from the core of the cauliflower and cut the core into 1" pieces as well. Toss everything in the oil to coat. Sprinkle on the salt and bagel seasonings and toss again. Spread the cauliflower in an even layer and roast on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes, tossing the vegetables halfway through roasting. Remove to cool.

While the cauliflower roasts, mix the tahini sauce ingredients. Stir together the tahini, garlic clove, maple, water, lemon juice, cayenne and a pinch of salt and pepper. 

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CHOCOLATE CRISPY SUNFLOWER BUTTER HEARTS

I love when Curran brings crafts home from preschool. I do not hang them or keep them, but I love that someone else is doing crafts and artsy things with him so I don't have to. I don't like junk or tchotchkes and I suppose crafts feel like a waste of materials and money. No offense, personal opinion, and I appreciate that other people love them but one cannot be good at all of the things. HOWEVER. My heart is not completely made of stone and I love my children so I went to Michaels (a store specifically for crafty people) last week to pick up Valentines supplies. Cards, stickers, glitter hearts, paint, heart cookie cutters, we're going for it. I really wanted to buy that $4 box of pre-made Minion cards, staple a bag of mini pretzels to it and call it done but my parents always made Valentines really special for my sister and I, so I'm going to do crafts for a minute in the spirit of family tradition. My (crafty) mom still sends us homemade Valentines. Where I do fail them in enthusiasm for crafts, I make up in cooking projects. They like to bake because they've caught on to the outcome. These sunflower butter hearts fit within all the allergy rules at preschool and my kids think cookie cutters are magical. They make a mess and push each other and the whole of it is harder and slower, but I think that is the refinement happening in me at this stage of parenting. Everything is harder with them. It just is, and when I quit fighting it and resign to things like Cleo never sleeping in the car no matter how far the drive or Curran being highly sensitive and crying easily, I give up the loosing battle for control. Instead of trying to fix it or solve it, for their sake or mine, I'm better for all of us. I'll be damned if they look back and think I didn't let them in on being in the kitchen, a place I love, because it made it harder and slower for me. Our food will be our crafts if that's how I need to do it. 

So. I applaud you if you have mini bags of pretzels or conversation hearts, but if you're up for a pretty simple, two dish cooking project, these could not be easier.

/// EVENT! ///

Hugh and I are hosting a food photography workshop in Seattle, WA on April 28+29. Tickets and a few more notes are available on the shop page. This will be our third workshop at Aran's beautiful studio and the whole experience is so refreshing for us and what we do for work. Hugh will go over light and composition and editing and I'll jump in for some styling and prep food with Aran and we get to bounce ideas off each other and learn how to be better at our craft. Basic understanding of your camera is recommended but you could just use your phone too, it doesn't really matter. We'd love you to come. Feel free to contact me with any questions at all. 

CHOCOLATE CRISPY SUNFLOWER BUTTER HEARTS // Makes 12ish

Because I know someone is thinking, "can I use all maple?", the answer is not really. Brown rice syrup is thicker and sets better than maple. It's the sweetener used in most packaged protein bars. I cut it here because I like the flavor of maple better and I wanted the hearts to be a little more tender. In short, you can go all brown rice syrup for the liquid sweetener yield, but not completely maple. They sell it at all health food stores, some conventional grocery stores or more conveniently, albeit more expensive, here. 
These are mildly chocolatey. If you want more, add a generous handful of chocolate chips to the mixture. 

1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup sunflower butter
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup rice crisp cereal
1 cup quick cooking oats*

* the quick cooking ones have a softer texture. The old fashioned sort will work, but have a bit of a raw taste in context as they're thicker. I'd suggest pulsing them in a blender or food processor if you go this route. 

Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper. 

In a large saucepan, warm the rice syrup and maple. Add the sunflower butter and coconut oil and stir until smooth. Remove from the heat and let it cool a moment. Add the salt, cocoa powder, rice cereal and oats. Stir to mix. 
Tip the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth down the top with damp hands. The mixture will be sticky, damp hands will help. 
Let it set in the fridge for a couple hours before cutting them into squares or using a cookie cutter for shapes. 
They are best kept in the fridge, and will keep covered for 3-5 days.