I’m a very greedy reader. My self-control almost completely disappears as soon as I start a book. The problem is, I always have a book.
This week was slightly more intense than usual. It’s actually why I didn’t post a recipe, clean the house or make dinner. I ignored just about everything.
And honestly, I’m not sorry. I loved every minute of it.
Now it’s mostly back to real life—and in real life, I made some very delicious Parsnip Mashed Potatoes. I first had this combination at Casper Fry in Spokane, WA. It was served with fried chicken and sausage gravy. Everything felt wonderful in the world with each bite.
So, I decided to make a batch of the potatoes at home. Typically, Aaron’s not a huge fan of mashed potatoes. He doesn’t like gravy either. Sometimes he’s weird. But the combination of parsnips and potatoes somehow won him over. Parsnips add a touch of sweetness to the mashed potatoes.
It’s a slight change—but it makes a difference.
Parsnip Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch slices
1/3 cup half and half
1-2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Boil the potatoes and parsnips until tender (about 15-20 minutes). Strain and return the potatoes and parsnips to the pot. Add butter and warmed half and half (I microwaved mine for about a minute) and mash. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Sometimes you just need a good, sturdy muffin. You know, something that can fill you up and keep you satisfied until lunch—or maybe even become lunch. Apple Oat Bran Muffins are exactly those muffins.
They’re filled with apples and carrots and only rely on 1/2 cup of regular flour—the rest is whole wheat and oat bran. The touch of sweetness is supplied from the apples and dried cranberries instead of sugar.
They might be the healthiest muffins I’ve ever made.
Side note: Don’t be scared by the amount of ingredients. It only looks like a lot. If you bake, you most likely already have the ingredients. We always have a few apples and carrots in the house—hopefully you do, too.
Apple Oat Bran Muffins
Ingredients:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons oat bran
1/8 cup flaxseed
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup chopped apple
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
Directions:
Stir together the flours, oat bran, flax seed, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Separately mix together the remaining ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine (being careful not to over stir).
Divide the batter among lined muffin cups and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
Recipe: Adapted from Cooking Light
It can easily be argued that my baking has gotten a little out of hand lately. I didn’t think it was possible—but it turns out I was wrong. Really, the amount of muffins and breads I have baked in the last couple of weeks is slightly astonishing.
Now that my day job has slowed down a bit, I have the time to make all of the recipes that have been floating around in my head. It turns out that it was quite congested in there.
This bread was a bit of an accident. I made the mistake of not taking inventory of what I had on hand before beginning the process. Once I had the butter and sugars creamed, I realized there was no yogurt to be found. This is a variety in our refrigerator. So, there’s a good deal of substitutions.
That being said, this is one of the best banana breads I’ve ever made. And I’ve made my share of banana bread. Substituting cottage cheese for yogurt works wonderfully well. The brown sugar adds a caramel depth and crunch to the top of the bread.
It’s just the two of us and this bread only last about a day and a half—that’s got to say something.
Whole Wheat Banana Bread
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
3 banana
1/3 cup cottage cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray
Directions:
Begin by whisking together the flours, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl.
Separately, beat together the butter and sugars. Add the eggs, banana, cottage cheese and vanilla. Mix again until the new ingredients are incorporated.
Add the dry ingredient and stir until just combined (try you best not to over-stir). Add the batter to a loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool and serve.
Recipe: Adapted from Cooking Light
