Mango Memories - Mango & Cardamom Muffins

I opened my refrigerator and grabbed the mango. As I looked at it and it made me think about my childhood back in Brazil. One of my dearest childhood memory was when I spent the Summer vacations with cousins at my uncle's farm house, playing with carefree abandon, climbing mango trees, dangling from branches trying to pluck out that delicious mango from the tree and throwing stones aiming at the higher mangoes or building and using some kind of rustic mango collector made with an old can tied with a string to a tall bamboo , all this when the elders were taking an afternoon nap or playing card games. As I take a moment to remember the Summer joys of laughter and innocence, the smell of mangoes ripening, sights of guava trees and chickens,  I hear in the distant sounds of cars going by and the school bell from across street going off.And I can’t help myself but be amazed at the simplicity of life. Wasn’t life so simple those days?

And bellow is a recipe that I try the other day using mangoes.

Mango & Cardamon Muffins
(it makes approximately 12 muffins)

Ingredients

• 1 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Teff flour*
• 2/3 cup  dark brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons to sprinkle on top of muffins
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 cup chopped peeled ripe mango 
• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg 
• * If you don't have teff flour you can substitute with all-purpose flour.

How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line the slots in your muffin pan with paper baking cups 

In your mixer  cream the butter and sugar well and add the egg and vanilla extract then beat well

Mix the salt, baking soda,baking powder and cardamon to the teff and all purpose flour.

Add the flour mix and the buttermilk to the mixer in 3 parts alternating.

Add the mango to the mix and stir until everything is well combined.

 Scoop into prepared muffin tray sprinkle with sugar evenly on top of each muffin  and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the tray for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve on its own or with honey or jam on the side.

What are your fondest childhood Summer vacation memories?

Pri =)

Ingredients measured

cream the brown sugar with the butter

Mix in the chopped mangoes 

Fill the muffin tin and sprinkle sugar on top

Just out of the oven. Ohhh... they smell so good!

Let them cool down and they are ready to be eaten!

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Chocolate Chip & Pistachio Teff Flour Belgium Waffles

Hummm! Belgium waffles such a warm comfort food especially in those mornings when temperatures are below freezing. Making waffles from scratch is really easy and it's something  that you can get creative wtih the toppings and make one of your own. Try to with caramelized bananas , berries or nutella, whipped cream or syrup.
I did my waffles with chocolate chips& pistachios, for half the amount of flour this recipe calls I used teff flour for its nutty flavor and nutritional value. One cup of teff flour countains  347 mg of Calcium and 14.7 mg of Iron it's a great way to hide some nutritional value into bake goods and other foods for pick eaters.

Chocolate Chip & Pistachio Teff Flour Belgium Waffles

Ingredients
(makes approximately 6 waffles)
1 cup all purpose flour*
1 cup Teff flour*
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
2 tablespoons sugar 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups milk
3/4 chopped pistachios plus 1/4 cup for garnishing
1 cup chocolate chips
non-stick cooking spray



* if you don't want to use Teff flour you can substitute with all purpose flour, and if you want to make gluten free you can substitute the all purpose with the Teff flour 

How to make it:

Preheat the waffle iron.

In a medium bowl mix together both flours,baking powder and salt.Set aside.

In a separated bowl beat together the egg yolks and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and eggs have turned a pale yellow. Add the vanilla extract, melted butter and milk to the eggs and whisk to combine.Combine the egg-milk mixture with the flour mix and whisk just until blended.Do not over mix.

In a separated bowl beat the egg whites with an eletric mixer until soft peaks**form.Using the rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter.

Add the chocolate and the 3/4 cup of pistachios to the mix.

Coat the waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray and pour enough batter in the iron to just cover the waffle grid. Close and cook until golden brown about 2 to 3 minutes.

Pour maple syrup all over and sprinkle the remaining pistachios on top. Serve right away.

**in soft peak stage the egg whites barely hold their shape. The peaks flop over immediately when the beaters are lifted.

Enjoy,

Pri

Folding in the egg whites

Power Muffins with Teff flour - Winter Treats

Today,in New England most of us woke up with more than a foot of snow to shovel with temperatures of one digit,and with the wind chill going below -10 F. 
I just wanted to escape to somewhere warm, so I am standing in the kitchen, preheating the oven thinking in what to bake to thank my husband for taking care of all the shoveling  around the house and also to restore his strength. 
Then, I realized it would the perfect day to use the Teff flour I bought at Whole Foods the other day.
Teff is a fine grain, about the size of a poppy seed and grows predominantly in Ethiopia,this grain has a very mild, nutty flavor, and it packs a serious nutritional punch. Teff has an excellent balance of amino acids, and it is also high in protein, calcium, and iron. Ground into flour, teff is used to make the traditional Ethiopian bread, injera: a flat, pancake-like, fermented bread . It can also be ground into flour to make healthier baked goods ,and also used as gluten-free flour  alternative.
So,I substitute 1/2 of the all purpose flour this recipe calls to give a punch of nutrition in this muffin, perfect breakfast after being outside shoveling in the cold, and it's really good with blueberry jam.

Power Muffins with Teff Flour
(it makes about 12 muffins)

Ingredients:
1 cup of rolled oats
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Teff flour
1/2 cup  dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 cup of finely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup of raisins, chopped
1/3 cup of dried cranberries, chopped
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), softened 
1 cup of buttermilk *
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
* if you don't have buttermilk at home you can substitute by adding one tablespoon of white vinegar per cup of milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.*
How to make it:

 Preheat the oven to 400°F and line the slots in your muffin pan with paper baking cups 

In your mixer  cream the butter and sugar well and add the egg and vanilla extract then beat well

Mix the salt, baking soda,baking powder and cinnamon to the teff and all purpose flour.

Add the flour mix and the milk to the mixer in 3 parts alternating.

Add the oats, the dried fruits, and walnuts to the mix and stir until everything is well combined.

 Scoop into prepared muffin tray and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the tray for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve on its own or with honey or jam on the side.
Enjoy.
Pri

Ingredients all measured up!

it smells so good once they are out of the oven

Power breakfast!

Adding Lavender to Your Kitchen - Lavender Lemon Scones

It was 6:30 on Tuesday morning right after dropping off my daughter at school, I was driving back home and ready to enjoy my day off with my husband we both have been working like crazy in the past months, it was a looong wedding season for us. And soon we will be going in our two week vacation/honeymoon. Horray!
So, I knew that when I would be back home he would be still sleeping  and I wanted to surprise him with something yummy for breakfast. It came to my mind a lavender lemon scone recipe that I got a while ago but never actually tried to make it. So I got home with a purpose to make lavender scones went outside cut some fresh lavender flower from the garden, which is doing surprisingly well. I always prefer to use fresh instead of dried lavender I think it tastes a lot more floral when it's dried so I always need to watch out in the quantity and not let it taste like perfume. 
Trying my best in not to make too much noise I pulled out the ingredients to make the scones, did my scone and even decorate them with some lavender flowers before putting in the oven . Well, I like to serve and make pretty things for my family .And, I do believe we first eat with our eyes!
And by the time the scone were just about to come out of the oven I could smell the scent of lavender all over my kitchen.Ethan my husband got up and came downstairs to see what was going on in the kitchen. It must have been the delicious scent of baking with lavender that takes you back to spring..... then I had a second thought... No, I bet was the bacon that I just pull out of the oven and now was cooling down on a rack on the kitchen counter.
I hope you will enjoy this recipe, it's really easy to make it and so delicious you can serve with butter or jam or both!
Lavender Lemon Scones 
Ingredients: 

Makes about 10 scones

1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

5 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon  fresh lavender chopped

1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon of milk

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a bowl mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda,salt, lemon zest and lavender. Add in and mix butter until the texture resembles a coarse
meal. Mix together lemon juice with the milk and honey and add to the scone mixture. Combine until dough just comes together.

On a lightly floured surface, shape dough into a disc shape and just slice the disc into 10 pieces. Place scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with remaining tablespoon of milk and sprinkle the tops lightly with some sugar decorate with lavender flowers. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden on the top.

Enjoy!

Pri =)

get all of the ingredients measured first 

after you add the butter you are looking for a coarse meal texture

Make it pretty!

just out of the oven

Yum!

And that's Ethan's breakfast!