Muffins for my Muffin: Healthy Banana Nut Muffins & Herbal Coffee!

Valentine's Day is a fickle thing, you never seem to know exactly what we can expect from it, always a reminder of time and change in our life. But, like many other holidays, its an excuse to whip up something unnecessary, but delicious... to build love into our art & experiment with emotional play.

Thus, the succulent muffin was born! Well, I didn't quite birth it myself, it was inspired by the fabulous The Joy of Vegan Baking (a must read for veganization of the classics, Irish Soda Bread to breakfast scones). It was also inspired by T, who was taking me to a movie for Valentine's Day: Forks Over Knives! Yes, T obviously knows me well, giddy at the chance to sneak a peek at the newest and highly rated documentary on the benefits of a "plant-strong" diet. (A MUST see, more on this in a later post).

Being the Chocolate-in-my-Muffin-Addict I am, I did a side batch for my self (shhh)

With health and nutrition on the mind, the task began to strike a balance between comforting morning sweets (sometimes I think T's an incurable sweet addict) & a healthful diet... if there were going to be 16 muffins tempting me, they'd better not be pure sugar.

So, with a bit of reconfiguring and additional add ons, here's a quick recipe for one of the best, if not thee best, vegan muffin I've had to date (no dates involved, but a good idea!); evenly cooked, super soft, and with a gentle moistness about it:

Be Mine Muffins

Ingredients
* 2 C, whole wheat pastry flour
* 1 1/2 t, baking soda
* 1/2 t, salt
* 1/4 C, granulated sugar
* 1/4 C, brown sugar
* 1/3 C, grapeseed oil
* 2/3 C, applesauce
* 4 very ripe bananas, well mashed
* 1/8 C, water
* 1 vanilla bean, caviar
* 1/3 C, chopped walnuts
* 1/3 C, chopped pecans
* 1/4 C, chopped good-quality dark chocolate (*optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Place muffin tins in your muffin pan and grease lightly (make approximately 16 muffins)
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the sugars and oil. Add in applesauce and mix. Add in the mashed bananas and stir well. Stir in the water and vanilla bean, mix thoroughly.
4. Add the flour into the wet mixture, along with the nuts and chocolate (is using). Stir to mix.
5. Fill each muffin tin about 2/3 of the way with batter. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes (mine were done at 24 minutes each), or until they are golden brown and a knife, when inserted into it, comes out clean. Enjoy!


Of course, it wouldn't be Valentine's Day without some gifts and surprises....

HERBAL COFFEE! I was lucky enough to have won this great selection of healthy, mostly organic, non-caffeinated, herbal coffees and, lo-and-behold, they arrive on my door step with love, the day of love!

Too perfect.

The selections were chocolate, chai, hazelnut, vanilla almond, and java. With all natural ingredients such as organic carbo and organic dates, its a unique blend of some of my favorite flavors. Of course, if you're a coffee aficionado (as I sometimes think of myself as; only because of an irrational obsession perhaps), I would give a word of warning: don't expect "coffee".

T said he could've been fooled, but if you know your coffee, I beg to differ; it doesn't have the fullness and subtleties of real (good) coffee, a bit more like an strong herbal tea. Which is NOT to say that they are delicious.

I think it does its job well and if you want something richer than tea, but perhaps don't want the caffeine or the potentially cancerous decaf version of coffee, this is not only a great alternative, but its a really unique drink with some great ingredients and flavors.

Have you tried herbal coffee? How much coffee do you drink & what flavors do you look for in a good coffee? Also, anyone have a good vegan pistachio muffin recipe? :)

Cure That Cold: Garlicky Pasta

Garlic has been recognized for its medicinal health benefits for over 5,000 years. So, naturally, whenever I feel that scratching my the throat, along the warm tea with lemon & ginger, a garlic pill is in order. Better yet, up that garlic pill and go for the more delicious equivalent: garlicky pasta.

Here's a quick recipe to try at home, whether for infection-fighting purposes or simply because you're craving pasta but with little money to spare. This dish is surprisingly smooth and light, with the only bad side being some potentially potent breath. Don't worry, your partner will understand upon trying it themselves!

Garlicky Pasta

Ingredients
* 1/2 package whole wheat pasta
* 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
* 10 cloves garlic, roughly minced
* 1/4 C & 1 1/2 T, good olive oil
* 1 t & 1 t, raw pink Himalayan sea salt
* 1 T & 1 t, pepper
* 1 clove garlic, roughly minced

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place 1/2 package of whole wheat pasta in a large pot of boiling water and cook according to package directions.
3. In a large bowl, toss together halved tomatoes with 1 1/2 T olive oil, 1 t salt, and 1 t pepper, mixing well. Place tomatoes on baking sheet and put in oven to bake roast.
4. Now for the (more difficult) fun part! You'll smell like garlic for a while, but its a good thing! To really get the juice out of the garlic, you have one of two options. Either use a garlic press and press the hell outta them, or use the flat end of the knife (plus a little sprinkle of salt) and squeeze on the minced garlic until it begins to release its juices, repeat a few times. Place pressed garlic in a small dish and set aside.
5. In a large frying pan, heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and set to low heat, simmering until about a minute after it becomes fragrant (don't let the garlic brown).
6. As the garlic cooks, drain pasta well. Add pasta to the frying pan once the garlic has become fragrant.
7. Remove tomatoes from the oven and toss them in with the pasta, mixing well on low to avoid any browning.
9. Add remaining 1 t salt and 1 T pepper, mixing well. Remove the pan from the heat.
10. At this point, I like to add some extra fresh, uncooked garlic for the added health benefit, so I threw in the additional minced garlic clove after pressing it thoroughly. Feel free to also add fresh herbs of your choice. Enjoy!

A few notes about Garlic:
* Garlic has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels and blood pressure
* It has also been studied for its ability to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, particularly through reducing the risk of blood clots
* Garlic's antibacterial effects have been recognized for hundreds of years and is still used as a home remedy for fighting off colds

Peace&Love

Food of the Gods?: How to Have Your "Chocolate" and Eat it Too!

If you've ever been on a chocolate tour (...if you haven't, do it now!), you probably know that our sweet, sweet friend comes from humble beginnings in the form of the cacao bean.

As it turns out, we may actually be able to have our chocolate and eat it too. (Organic) raw cacao nibs are filled with tons of antioxidants and a variety of vital neurotransmitters. If you find yourself reaching for a chocolate bar when depressed, you may not be so far off. Cacao contains the neurotransmitter serotonin which is largely responsible for positive mood. Since it also contains MAOI inhibitors, this allows the serotonin to circulate in the brain longer, allowing for an extended elevated mood.

Cacao also contains anandamide, a chemical known for inducing natural states of bliss in humans. Even better (yes, there's more!), this little bean contains enzyme inhibitors that decrease our ability to breakdown natural anadamide, allowing for the extension of the natural bliss state.

Among some of the features contained in this super food are phenylethylamine (the neurotrasmitter released when we are in love), sulfur (detoxify your live), magnesium (great for heart and circulatory system) and zinc (helps your immune system).

So while I've already tried adding raw cacao nibs to cookies and having them just as a snack, I figure you can never have to much. This is where the beautiful drink picture above comes in. It's a cold drink of blended lucuma and cacao with soy milk from newly open vegan restaurant Vantra (Soho, London). At 3 pounds, this drink was a bit steep, but totally worth it! I've gotten it three times since (and once I return home to a working blender I intend to try it at home).

Do remember, however, that there is much to be considered around the ethics of chocolate. Please opt for fair trade, environmentally sustainable chocolate whenever you can. A few of my favorites are (Taza and Global Exchange). If you prefer to get the benefits in a sweeter form, make sure to get chocolate at least over 80%.

Study Sweets: 3-Minute Brain Boosting Cookie

Now I'm not usually one to microwavable meals, but this recipe was made for Harvard students who are looking for something a little healthier to satisfy a sweet tooth than the dining service's Chocolate Cupcakes and Apple Pie (both of which are not vegan).

However, I think this recipe is also great if you are busy and get a craving a comforting and delectable treat; a good alternative to simply grabbing a box of Oreo's (also vegan). Plus, this cookie is filled with brain boosting, energy enhancing goodies including banana, oats, and peanut butter.

Ingredients

· 1 cereal bowl, 1 fork, 1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, 1 coffee mug

· Mug full of rolled oats

· Splash of soy milk

· Teaspoon of brown sugar

· Tablespoon of peanut butter

· Handful of raisins (I used dark chocolate chips in mine, shh)

· Small banana, very ripe

· Teaspoon of maple syrup (optional but suggested)

Directions

1. Place unpeeled banana in cereal bowl and smash thoroughly with the fork until creamy
2. Place all other ingredients in bowl with banana; mix well (the mixture should not be liquidy, add more oats if necessary)
3. Microwave on high for about 1 minute or until mixture is firm and chewy. Enjoy!

Peace&Love