Semi-virtuous, totally delicious recipe for Double Chocolate-Cherry Muffins

New Year's resolutions aside, cold weather makes me want to bake. That's why these sweetly satisfying muffins are semi-virtuous. After all, we're not even a month into the New Year, too early to abandon my good intentions.

When stirring up this recipe, I reached for more healthful versions of many ingredients -- white whole-wheat flour, which has all the nutrition of regular whole-wheat but is lighter in color and texture, plus nonfat milk and coconut oil, which is one of the more healthful oils. Cherries add flavor, moisture, vitamins and fiber. And chocolate is practically a health food, right? Even if it isn't, cocoa powder adds loads of chocolate flavor with a minimum of fat.


DOUBLE CHOCOLATE-CHERRY MUFFINS
Yield: 12 muffins

1 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process or 1/4 cup Dutch process and 1/4 cup natural cocoa powder)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup nonfat or low-fat milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pitted fresh or frozen cherries or jarred cherries, well drained (don't use cherry pie filling)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Coarse sugar, optional

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

Melt coconut oil; let cool. In a large bowl, gently whisk together milk, egg and vanilla. Add cooled (but still liquid) oil; whisk until slightly frothy. Add dry ingredients; fold together just until well combined. Add cherries and chocolate chips; mix lightly but well.

Divide batter among muffin cups. (An ice-cream scoop coated with nonstick cooking spray works well.) If desired, sprinkle lightly with coarse sugar. Bake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without any clinging crumbs. Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Freeze any leftovers; warm slightly before serving.)

Each muffin contains 269 calories; 15g fat (11g saturated fat); 18mg cholesterol; 214mg sodium; 36g carbohydrate (4g fiber, 22g sugars), 5g protein.

Coconut-banana muffins are dairy-free

These muffins are loaded with ripe, sweet bananas and a triple dose of coconut -- coconut oil, coconut milk, and sweetened flaked coconut. What they don't have is even a trace of dairy.

Coconut oil is trendy right now, touted for its health benefits and sold in most supermarkets. You'll see two types, extra-virgin and refined. I used extra-virgin, which has a slight coconut flavor and a lovely coconut fragrance. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature. I found that melting it in the microwave gives the muffins a better texture. Follow the instructions and watch carefully so the oil doesn't heat up. If you don't have coconut oil, you can substitute vegetable oil or melted butter, but the flavor and texture might be a bit different.

You also could substitute cow's milk for the coconut milk, but again, you'll lose a bit of coconut flavor. Regular and reduced-fat coconut milk is sold in cans in ethnic markets and many supermarkets, usually the section for Thai foods. You can refrigerate the leftover coconut milk -- you'll have about a cup left -- and use it in curries or even puddings.


COCONUT BANANA MUFFINS
Yield: About 12 muffins

1/2 cup coconut oil
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (9 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup lightly packed sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups or use paper liners.

Place coconut oil in a glass bowl. Microwave on medium-low power (30 percent or defrost setting) for about 4 minutes or until oil liquefies and warms slightly. If oil is hot, set it aside until it cools.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together bananas, eggs, coconut milk and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

Using a wooden spoon, stir granulated and brown sugar into oil. Whisk in banana mixture. Add flour mixture and whisk just until combined. Don't overmix or the muffins will be tough. Gently stir in flaked coconut and chocolate chips

Scoop a scant 1/2 cup of batter into each muffin cup. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out with just a few clinging crumbs, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then remove muffins to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Copyright 2013 by Judith Evans. All rights reserved.

Quick sausage-shrimp skillet celebrates the flavors of New Orleans

I won't pretend that this quick dish is authentic New Orleans fare -- far from it -- but I was inspired by this month's Mardi Gras celebrations.

As a bonus, this skillet supper is far lower in fat than tradional Cajun food. Spoon this slightly spicy mixture of lean protein and vegetables over brown rice and enjoy any time of year, not just on Fat Tuesday.

The key ingredient is andouille sausage, which is packed with spicy flavor. I used a chicken version from Whole Food's butcher case. You could substitute pork sausage, which is far easier to find, but you'll need to drain the fat after browning the sausage and vegetables. You also can buy links of smoked chicken or turkey andouille, which need only to be warmed. I like to cut them into 1/2-inch rounds and  brown them along with the vegetables.

And speaking of vegetables ... here in the Midwest in midwinter, good fresh okra is impossible to find. I substituted frozen. I've found that the quality of frozen vegetables varies greatly among brands, and sad to say, the less expensive brands are usually watery and lacking in flavor. I've also found that organic frozen vegetables are usually the best bets.


SHRIMP AND ANDOUILLE SKILLET SUPPER
Yield: 4 servings

1/2 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
2/3 pound fresh andouille sausage, preferably made from chicken (see note)
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 rib celery, coarsely chopped
1/2 large red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup fresh or frozen sliced okra
1 cup fresh or frozen trimmed green beans
1/2 pound shrimp, thawed if frozen, shelled and deveined
Hot cooked rice
Hot sauce

Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble andouille into the skillet; cook, crumbling it further with a spoon. When the sausage starts to brown, add onion, celery and red pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables soften and begin to brown.

Stir in stock, drained tomatoes, okra and green beans. Reduce heat until liquid simmers briskly; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in shrimp; cover and cook until shrimp is pink and okra and beans are tender, about 5 minutes.

Serve over hot cooked rice, passing hot sauce at the table.

Note: If you can't find fresh chicken andouille, use pork andouille and drain well. Alternately, use smoked andouille links cut into wedges or rounds.

The simple secret to lean, moist bison meatloaf

I almost called this "Meatloaf for Mushroom Lovers," but even if you don't love mushrooms, I think you'll like this recipe.

I often use bison for burgers because it's more flavorful than lean ground beef. This is January, though (although our widely fluctuating temperatures make some days feel more like April), and I was in the mood for meatloaf.

I always add lots of chopped onions to meatloaf along with an egg and seasonings. This time, though, I happened to have fresh mushrooms on hand. I used the caps to make Pesto-Stuffed Mushrooms, then chopped the stems and mixed them into the meatloaf.

Anyone who's cooked mushrooms in a skillet knows how much liquid they contain. When you sauté, you want the liquid to evaporate, but I wanted it to add moisture to the meat.

As I combined the ingredients, I thought that I might have overdone the amount of mushrooms. When the meatloaf was done, however, the cooked mushrooms had blended into the meat, keeping it moist and contributing subtle, savory flavor.

BISON MEATLOAF
Yield: 3 or 4 servings

1 egg
2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup finely minced button mushrooms (stems only or stems and caps)
1/3 to 1/2 cup minced onion, to taste
1 pound ground bison (see note)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a small broiler pan with foil. Spray the slotted top portion of the pan with nonstick cooking spray. (Or use a sturdy rack set in a baking pan. Don't use a loaf pan -- you want the drippings to drain away.)

Beat the egg in a medium bowl. Add Worchestershire, salt and pepper; mix well. Add mushrooms and onion. Crumble meat into the bowl. With your hands, mix gently but well.

Form the mixture into a loaf and place on the broiler pan. Bake until a thermometer inserted into the middle of the loaf reaches 160 degrees, about 45 minutes. Cover loosely with foil and let sit for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Note: I've found that fresh ground bison from the butcher case is more tender than prepacked frozen ground bison.

Banana-maple waffles taste as good as they are good for you

So many of my recipes get their start with ingredients that I have on hand after making another dish. That's the case with these waffles. I'd bought the low-fat sour cream to garnish my Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas, the banana for Tropical Coconut Pudding Parfaits and the frozen blueberries for Fruit-Topped French Toast Casserole.

I'm not quite sure why I decided to combine those ingredients in waffles, but I'm glad I did. These waffles are slightly sweet with a definite but not overpowering banana flavor. Using white whole-wheat flour provides the health benefits of whole grains, but the waffles are decidedly lighter than those made with regular whole-wheat flour.

Serve these waffles for breakfast, brunch or, as I did, for a change-of-pace lunch. If you have leftovers, freeze them and reheat in the toaster. The reheated waffles won't have quite the same texture as the ones fresh out of a waffle iron, but they're heads above any whole-wheat toaster waffle you can find at the supermarket.

BANANA-MAPLE WHOLE-WHEAT WAFFLES
Yield: About 7 waffles

1 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large banana
3/4 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup 1 percent or skim milk
1/3 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons real maple syrup (see note)
Fresh or frozen blueberries, optional

Prepare and preheat a waffle iron.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Mash the banana in a medium bowl. (You should have 1/2 cup. If you used a larger banana, remove the excess from the bowl.) Add sour cream, milk, oil, eggs and syrup. Whisk until well combined.

Add banana mixture to dry ingredients. Mix quickly but well with a silicone or rubber spatula. Do not overmix or the waffles will be tough.

For a 6-inch waffle iron, ladle a heaping 1/2 cup batter on the griddle. If desired, scatter a few blueberries over the batter. Cook waffle until done, then repeat with remaining batter.

Serve with your choice of toppings, such as sliced bananas, fresh blueberries and/or maple syrup.

If making more waffles than you can eat at one meal, let the extras cool on wire racks (to prevent sogginess). Once cool, transfer to plastic bags and freeze. Reheat in the toaster or the oven.

Note: Don't use pancake syrup, which is made from corn syrup and flavorings. You can substitute agave nectar or honey, but the flavor won't be the same.

Tuna-white bean salad: 3 ingredients, many variations

I often make a salad of canned tuna (in olive oil), white kidney beans and a dressing of olive oil and sherry vinegar. I add a little black pepper and whatever fresh herbs I happen to have on hand, and enjoy it on a green salad or tossed with pasta.

Last time I reached into the pantry for the tuna and beans, I noticed a jar of roasted red pepper and artichoke tapenade. When I stirred it into the tuna and beans, I discovered that it replaced not only the oil and vinegar but provided all the seasonings. The salad didn't even need salt or black pepper.

I had a bunch of green onions in the refrigerator, so I sliced one into thin rings and added it and some minced parsley for even more flavor.

This would work with some other types of tapanades and bruschetta spreads as well. Experiment, tasting as you go. You may be delighted with the salad you concoct.

TUNA AND WHITE BEAN SALAD
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

2 (5-ounce) cans tuna packed in olive oil
1 (15-ounce) white kidney (cannellini) beans
1 cup roasted red pepper and artichoke tapenade or to taste
Chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley or chives), optional
Chopped green onions (green part only, optional)

Empty tuna into a colander; drain and discard oil. Transfer tuna to a bowl. Flake tuna with a fork.

Pour beans into the colander. Rinse and drain well. Add to the tuna. Add tapenade along with herbs and green onions, if using. Mix gently but well.

Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for a few hours. (After a day in the fridge, the garlic in the tapenade I used overwhelmed the other ingredients.) Let come to room temperature before serving. If desired, serve over salad greens or mix with hot cooked pasta, then serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: This recipe can be halved. Refrigerate the leftover beans for another use.


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Chocolate meets pumpkin in muffins

I've been stirring up these muffins and breads for several years, tweaking the recipe over time to make it tastier and healthier.

Subbing white whole-wheat flour for all-purpose was an easy start. This product, relatively new to the market, is made from flour that is naturally light in color. It looks a lot like white flour, and it bakes a lot like white flour, but it's a whole grain. I use it when making quick breads and hearty cookies but not in tender cakes.

Heart-healthy canola oil replaces the butter you'll find in many recipes. A light colored, light-tasting olive oil would work too. Each muffin contains only 2 teaspoons of oil. If you'd like to cut that amount in half, substitute 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce for 1/4 cup of the oil. The muffins or bread will be a little less tender but still delicious.

I like to bake with organic granulated sugar, sometimes called evaporated cane juice. A whisper of molasses is left, turning the sugar a light tan color and adding a nice, light flavor. You can substitute regular granulated sugar if you wish.

I love the way this tastes when I stir dark chocolate chips into the batter. That's what inspired my latest alteration. I replaced 2 tablespoons of the flour with unsweetened cocoa powder. That tiny amount darkens the batter and intensifies the spices. You can't taste the cocoa, but you can taste the difference.

CHOCOLATE-KISSED PUMPKIN MUFFINS OR BREAD
Yield: 12 regular muffins or 48 mini muffins or a 9-by-5-inch loaf or 3 mini loaves

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 7/8 cups white whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup granulated sugar (preferably organic)
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup raisins or chopped walnuts or a combination

Place an oven rack so it sits just below the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin cups or loaf pan(s) with nonstick cooking spray.

Place cocoa powder in a 1-cup dry measuring cup. Stir or whisk flour in the canister, then spoon into the measuring cup, mounding the flour. Using the straight edge of a knife, sweep off the excess. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Measure and add the other 1 cup flour. Add baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Whisk until well combined.

In another large bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until well blended. Add to the dry ingredients. Use a rubber or silicone spatula to mix gently but well, scraping the bottom of the bowl. (The less you stir, the more tender the outcome.) Use the spatula to quickly fold in the chocolate chips and raisins and/or walnuts.

To portion batter evenly for muffins, use an ice-cream scoop coated with cooking spray. A cookie scoop works well for mini muffins. To make a loaf or loaves, scrape batter into pan(s).

Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with just a few clinging crumbs, about 25 minutes for regular muffins, 15 to 20 minutes for mini muffins, 50 minutes for a regular loaf or 35 minutes for mini loaves. Let cool slightly, then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.