Blueberry-Chocolate Jicamuffins #SundaySupper

A topping of Nature's Path Organic Love Crunch® Dark Chocolate Macaroon cereal makes these secretly healthy, gluten free Jicamuffins decadent!

Wow, April is almost over! I for one am glad to see it go - it's been a rough month - but more than saying goodbye to the fourth month I'm anticipating the warmth, sunshine and growing season May begins to develop in earnest. One of my favourite things about May is the opportunity to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, which I love doing even though I'm not Mexican, nor do I live in the US where celebrations are more common. For the uninitiated, May 5 celebrates Mexico’s victory over France in the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War, and heralds parties across America if not so much south of the border. 

Unless you happen to be in the small Mexican community in Toronto, Mexican food is summed up as guacamole, nachos, tacos and the occasional quesadilla. However, there's so much more to "real" Mexican cuisine, including a bevy of fruit and vegetables! This past year or so, I rediscovered my love for jicama - a sweet, crunchy, semi-starchy root vegetable that is awesome raw in salads and slaws as well as prime for making oven fries or "country potatoes" when sprinkled with a bit of steak seasoning. Because their flavour profile is on the sweeter side of things, I often wondered how it would fare in baking - not so much flavour-wise, but in terms of texture. Unlike carrots, jicama is full of inulin - a fibre that helps regulate digestion and enhances the absorption of calcium. With that much fibre (5g in just over 3oz) I worried it wouldn't break down enough to lend moisture to a cake or cupcakes. After all, it doesn't break down into sauce when cooked on the stove!

I decided to try it regardless, after finding a recipe for jicama muffins on Food Fanatic. I kept things GF with my own flour blend, amping up the flavour with chocolate chips and butterscotch schnapps. Rather than "regular" sized muffins (what fun is there in that?) I Texas-sized them, topping each with a sprinkle of Nature's Path Organic Love Crunch® Dark Chocolate Macaroon cereal. Decadent? You bet. But in a way that is (sort of) good for you too!

Our #SundaySupper host for this week's Cinco de Mayo celebration is Shelby from Grumpy’s Honeybunch. Thanks, Shelby!

Appetizers

• Beef and Portobella Tostados by Our Good Life
• Cumin Spiced Potato Quesadillas by Sprinkles and Sprouts
• Easy 5 Minute Restaurant Style Salsa by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Fiesta Corn Dip Recipe by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Rotisserie Chicken Nachos by Pies and Plots

 

Drinks

• Cherry Paloma by The Crumby Cupcake
• Spicy Micheladas by Food Lust People Love
• Strawberry Pineapple Agua Fresca by Authentically Candace

 

Entrees

• Cheese Enchiladas with Red Sauce by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Chicken Tinga Chalupas by Palatable Pastime
• Chicken Tortilla Soup by Soulfully Made
• Chipotle Chicken and Black Bean Soup by Cooking Chat
• Mexican Chicken and Black Bean Casserole by Simple and Savory
• Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas with Mexican Slaw by A Mind Full Mom
• Southwestern Chicken Layered Salad with Cilantro Dressing by My Savory Spoon

 

Sides and Sauces

• Alambre Skillet Cheese Dip by My Life Cookbook
• Black Bean Cilantro Rice by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Mango Habanero Sauce by Caroline’s Cooking
• Queso Fundido (Melted Cheese with Chorizo) by Tara’s Multicultural Table
• Slow Cooker Healthy Refried Beans by Cricket’s Confections

 

Sweets

• Blueberry-Chocolate Jicamuffins by What Smells So Good?
• Carlota de Limón – Lime Charlotte by Sunday Supper Movement
• Flourless Mexican Hot Chocolate Cake by Baking Sense
• Margarita Cupcakes by Gourmet Everyday
• Oreo Taco Cookies by Ninja Baker
• Sopapilla-Inspired Cheesecake Bars by Books n’ Cooks
• Strawberry Gluten-Free Hand Pies by And She Cooks

 

Tacos

• Chicken Street Tacos by The Freshman Cook
• Chicken Fajitas by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Lime Chicken Soft Tacos by Life Tastes Good
• Mini Taco Bowl Bites by Jersey Girl Cooks
• Pineapple Lime Chicken Tacos by Brunch-n-Bites
• Taco Bake by My World Simplified

 
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Sweet Potato Crackers

These deliciously crisp crackers are 100% gluten free and vegan, with the goodness of sweet potato too!

A throwback to the dieting days of my teens is the die-hard "knowledge" that dry snacks (read: chips, crackers, rice cakes) were bad and dehydrating, and never slaked your hunger. Lucky for me, I guess, that I never really liked those things anyways - notable exceptions being for Triscuits after school and saltines when I was too sick to eat anything else. Crackers and potato chips just felt like a non-filling waste of time (and calories) when I could just as easily smear some Nutella or peanut butter on a slice of bread and make a fold-over sandwich.

However, I know I'm in a relative minority. I look at my grade 4-6 class, for example, and spot baggies of microwave popcorn, chips, Bugles and Goldfish in over half the lunchboxes. While a good third of the class will ignore the morning snack option most days, if crackers and dip are on offer? Gone in a flash. Since my mom is in the same camp, and everyone loves sweet potatoes, when I saw this recipe on Frugal Farm Wife it seemed like a perfect mixture of favourites!

By making my flour blend with sorghum and chickpea flour, these crackers had a hefty dose of protein and B vitamins injected into their makeup. This not only helped out the nutritional profile, but improved the texture by helping the dough stick together a bit more and prevent the "sawdust" mouthfeel of so many GF baked foods.

The original recipe's author said these reminded her of Wheat Thins. I've never liked Wheat Thins, which is great - because these tasted nothing like the cardboardy, weirdly salty snacks I grew up with. If you're a fan of sweet potato fries, though - this is in your wheelhouse. A less greasy, crunchier sweet potato treat, true, but the nuances are there. I liked them plain personally (but I don't like "stuff" on each other in general) but I can imagine they'd be good with a cream cheese type of dip or even guacamole. No sweet potato (or you hate it / are allergic to it)? Use an equal measure of  pumpkin or any other winter squash. Heck, even pureed carrots would likely work! Let me know if you try those substitutions so I can update the recipe!

Very Veggie Vegan Muffins

A slow roasted applesauce, along with homemade pumpkin and carrot purees, made up the base of these vegan spice muffins, which are crowned with cereal crunchies. The other secret? Cane sugar ginger ale!

 

Easter always brings out the first carrot cakes of the year. The perfect marriage of new growing vegetation and the warming spices of fall and winter, a carrot cake is one of the most delicious ways to bridge the seasons. Of course, I have more than a few carrot cake / cupcake / doughnut recipes on this blog, and by and large they use grated fresh carrots. But I found myself in the situation with leftover cooked carrots languishing in the fridge that nobody would eat (including me - I hate cooked carrots except in soup). 

Rather than toss them (my finances have recently tightened a bit), I decided to clean out the rest of the fridge and see what I found. Turns out I had all the makings of a batch of hearty, healthy and delicious muffins! Laced with ginger ale and spiked with spices and a whisper of both maple and vanilla extracts, they required no egg or dairy to come together into a moist, full-flavoured package. Wrapped individually and frozen, they're great to throw in a lunchbox for mid-afternoon, or split and toast them lightly before topping with (vegan) butter or cream cheese for a decadent breakfast!

'Neep Cakes

These spiced sesame and date muffins have a secret ingredient... Turnip puree! Trust me - you'd never know, and they are to die for!  

Vegetables in muffins and cupcakes is nothing new - certainly not on this blog for sure - and they have an uncanny ability to blend nutrition, moisture and a hint of flavour into every bite. From experience, mixing veggies into dessert is a great way to get even the most loathed of the crops (looking at you, beets, radish greens, cauliflower, parsnips and let's not forget kale) to taste delicious and in some cases even convert the haters. 

One of the root veggies I have been rather slow to embrace is the turnip. I've tried (and enjoyed) raw Tokyo turnips bought on a whim at the farmer's market, but truth be told I prefer radishes, and I wasn't a huge fan of their flavour when roasted. I'm told I come by it honestly - my mother and grandmother hate them as well, but like rutabaga (as do I), so when I was faced with leftover roots that I couldn't bring myself to eat, I looked around for a way to make them delicious - even for all of us!

Eventually I came across These Things I Love, who had a great sounding recipe (and story) for turnip cupcakes. I was intrigued, so switched around a few ingredients. The result is not gluten free, but maintains the veganism of the original, and uses less sugar and margarine. To make up for the missing fat, I turned to hyper-flavourful roasted tahini, and added sesame seeds and dates for texture. The results didn't need frosting or a glaze - the sprinkling of raw sugar was perfect all on its own. The best part? These muffin-cupcakes don't taste like turnip at all, just warming from the spices, a little nutty and a tiny bit earthy. Definitely a great way to enjoy them!

Shared with Foodie Friday
 

Rosemary and Cabernet Salt Focaccia #BreadBakers

Rosemary and Cabernet Salt top this yeast-free, lightning fast, whole wheat focaccia. A touch of sourdough starter adds a delicate tang as well.

As insane as the last third of the school year tends to be - filled with plays, trips and the inevitable report cards - one thing remains constant: people have to eat! Along with the hearty, soothing braises and soups I've been cooking up these days, bread always has a place on our table. Nothing is more comforting to a household filled mostly with carboholics, especially when it's homemade!

Of course, because our schedules are so packed (not to mention wonky) these days, making "traditional" yeasted loaves has taken a backseat. Instead, I've whipped up a few "quick" style loaves (think Irish Soda) and this focaccia, which shares a similar set of basic ingredients and method to this Floral Grape and Lemon Focaccia, albeit savoury. As this was going to be more of a "side dish" bread rather than a sweet loaf, I turned to some of my favourite flavour-packed pantry items: home dried rosemary from last year's garden, a bottle of basil-infused extra virgin olive oil that I was given at Christmas, and a sprinkle of my vibrant Cabernet Salt. Together with a hint of my sourdough starter's tang, the crusty flatbread was perfect for slicing into fingers and dipping into herbed oil as a starter or sopping up the last dregs of soup!

What do you make / eat when life gets crazy?

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com

• Casatiello by A Shaggy Dough Story
• Ciabatta Sandwich Rolls by Herbivore Cucina
• Classic Italian Bread by Hostess At Heart
• Cornetti by Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Einkorn Parmesan Piadina by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Fingermillet and Rosemary Focaccia by Sizzling Tastebuds
• Focaccia Caprese by Sneha's Recipe
• Grissini by Sara's Tasty Buds
• Gubana - An Italian Sweet Bread by The Schizo Chef
• Il Pane di Matera by Food Lust People Love
• Italian BLT Focaccia by A Salad For All Seasons
• Italian Easter Bread by Palatable Pastime
• Italian Easter Cheese Bread by A Baker's House
• Italian Herb and Garlic Focaccia by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Italian Stuffed Pane Bianco by Cook's Hideout
• Mini Panettone by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Pane Bianco by Veenas Vegnation
• Pane di Genzano by Spiceroots
• Piadina by Passion Kneaded
• Pizza alla Siciliana by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Rosemary and Cabernet Salt Focaccia by What Smells So Good?
• Torta Salata Pasquale by A day in the Life on the Farm

Chocolate Raspberry Hamentashen

These delicious, crisp chocolate cookies are gluten and dairy free. Filled with homemade chia-raspberry jam, they're a decadent, but low-sugar, pick me up any time of day.

I've mentioned before how my parents, particularly my mom, grew up in a neighbourhood full of Jewish families and as such became good friends with many of the kids. As I was growing up, not only did I accompany my folks to Hanukkah parties almost every year, but I was able to learn about many Jewish holidays and customs at my school and through my friends as well. Obviously, Hanukkah was always the "favourite" celebration of the winter - even more so than Christmas, since at school we were allowed to play with dreidels (complete with chocolate gelt) and eat latkes in class as a "cultural" lesson. Other holidays such as Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Purim and Passover, on the other hand, were mentioned but never really elaborated on. It was only when I started taking world religion classes in highschool that I began to recognize their differences and appreciate what my friends were observing.

While not a traditional Passover treat, hamentashen (or if you prefer, hamantaschen) have a cultural symbolism that is significant for both this holiday and Purim, when it's commonly served.Both holidays celebrate the triumph of the Jewish people over evil - with Purim, it's in the form of Haman, who was planning to kill all the Jews in the Achaemenid Persian Empire, and it is from him that the shape and name of these cookies comes from. With Passover, it is the Egyptian Pharaoh who was defeated by the plagues, and subsequently freed the Jewish nation from slavery, and while that holiday has it's own set of culinary traditions and practices, I thought these cookies would be appropriate as well.

The whole reason I even decided to make this recipe (mostly "winging it" off one I found on Tori Avey) was because I was searching for a dairy free, gluten free cookie to bring to one of my acquaintances, who's son must avoid both foods. The original recipe wasn't gluten free, but looked fairly simple to swap in a mix of flour for - especially since I was only making a half recipe. In place of the starch I usually add to my gluten free flour mixes, I used cocoa powder. Along with the delicate nuttiness of the teff and the shot of coffee I used to help form the dough, the flavour was outstanding - no butter needed! To fill the little triangles I whipped up a raspberry jam with thawed frozen berries, a few tablespoons of chia seed and a tablespoon or so of honey. The leftover jam became the next morning's Toast Topper!

Shared with #FreeFromFridays

Nam Prik Num

This roasted chile salsa is packed with flavour that comes through the flames. Traditionally made with fish sauce, this vegetarian version uses “fish mint”, an herb with a remarkably fishy flavour.

If you're a fan of "real" Thai food, you know the chefs like to pack a punch of flavour with each and every dish. While some sort of "heating" element is almost always present, the undeniable focus is on balancing the palate with notes of sour, sweet, salty, bitter, and spicy. Since my mom's trip to Thailand many years ago, she's often commented that the restaurants, curry pastes and general recipes available to us in Canada are nothing like the meals she enjoyed. We've been searching for a remedy to this ever since.

While I can't promise this will be the answer for everyone craving Thai, we discovered that for us the secret is (literally) in the sauce. Dipping sauces for everything abound, and add that punch of balance to a skewed main dish. This one, adapted from The Chile Pepper Bible: From Sweet to Fiery & Everything in Between, is a Northern Thai specialty that utilizes roasted peppers, garlic, tomatoes and herbs along with a squeeze of lime and, traditionally, fish sauce or shrimp paste. To keep things vegetarian (and improve shelf life), I turned to fish mint, the undeniably fishy-flavoured herb occasionally found in Asian dishes. It added the needed flavour without any "off" fermented notes and was handy since I had it in my garden!

If you want to serve this spicy, sour, pungent dipper the traditional northern Thai way, place a few spoonfuls in individual dishes alongside roasted or sauteed vegetables, pork cracklings, fried chicken skin and/or sticky rice. I personally like it just with plain ol sticky rice!

Pressure Canned Homegrown Tomato Sauce #SundaySupper

With the arrival of April comes the start of my vegetable garden plans for the year. With such a short "outdoor" growing season, seeds for things like my famous heirloom tomatoes have to begin life in my indoor greenhouse - and, fingers crossed, they will survive the move outdoors and produce bushels of deliciousness by August.

Now, the "seed" heirlooms don't always proliferate the way "conventional" tomatoes do, and I do give myself some backup protection by purchasing heirloom seedlings at my local nursery. However, then you have years like last year, which started off at a lead-shelled snail's pace before taking off full throttle at the end of the Summer. What we couldn't consume (which was a fair amount, given the buckets of tomatoes we were pulling in from both my heirloom and my mom's conventional gardens) went into freezer bags and got packed into our deep freezer for later processing. I knew I wanted to make sauce with them, I just never got around to it by the holidays.

When Christmas rolled around, I was surprised with a giant pressure canner under the tree - I couldn't wait to play! The canner opens up the world of low-acid food preservation to me, and allowed me to try preserving my classic marinara - which I hadn't attempted before with a waterbath because it doesn't call for acidifying the mixture. I know I could have just added some citric acid to the batch before, but the flavours are so perfectly suspended that any added tartness would skew the overall impression of the medley. This way, it's canned up relatively quickly and is safe without acidity - and for a first go with any sort of pressure-cooking appliance it was a relatively fool proof "baby step" into that world. At any rate, my jars will help (partially) bridge the gap until I can get the Summer sun on my shoulders and my shovel in the ground!

This #SundaySupper is celebrating tomatoes. April is National Florida Tomato Month, and the state is the second largest tomato producer in the country. Fresh tomatoes are high in vitamin C and vitamin A, are fat-free and low in sodium, while providing 10% of your daily potassium needs.When you cook down good quality fresh tomatoes like I did, you also get a huge boost of lycopene, which is made more available with heating. All this and a killer flavour? Yes please!

Chicken Recipes

• Caprese Chicken with Bacon by Family Around The Table
• Cheesy Caprese Pesto Chicken and Quinoa Casserole by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Easy Balsamic Chicken with Tomatoes by Life Tastes Good
• Grilled Chicken and Pasta with Grated Tomato Sauce by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

 

 Main Courses

• Bronzed Tomato Spinach Cheddar Panini by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Ground Beef Curry by Wholistic Woman
• Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry by Sunday Supper Movement
• One Pan Pork Chop Dinner with Tomatoes by Simple and Savory
• Tuna and Tomato Bento by Ninja Baker

 

Pizza, Pies, and Pastas

• Angel Hair Pomodoro by Healing Tomato
• Heirloom Tomato Tart by Authentically Candace
• Pressure Canned Homegrown Tomato Sauce by What Smells So Good?
• Savory Tomato Pie with Pre-Made Crust by The Foodie Affair
• Three Cheese Tomato Basil Pie by Jersey Girl Cooks
• Tomato and Caramelized Onions Galette by Brunch-n-Bites
• Tuscan Pasta with White Beans and Tomatoes by A Mind “Full” Mom

 

Side Dishes

• Bacon Caprese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms by Crazed Mom
• Bloody Mary Mix by Our Good Life
• Bruschetta di Pomodoro by The Freshman Cook
• Caprese Garlic Bread with Arugula Pesto by The Crumby Cupcake
• Slow Roasted Tomatoes by Caroline’s Cooking
• Tomato Cauliflower Rice by Family Foodie
• Tomato Tulips for a Veggie Platter by Sew You Think You Can Cook

 

Snacks

• Cheesy Thumbprint Cookies with Green Tomato Strawberry Jalapeno Jam by Soulfully Made
• How to Make Homemade Salsa by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• IPA (India Pale Ale) Green Tomato Pickles by Gourmet Everyday
• Italian Nachos by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Marinated Cherry Tomatoes with Cottage Cheese by Cricket’s Confections
• Tomatoes Stuffed with Apple-Walnut Salad Filling by Asian In America
• Tropical Fruit Salsa by Pies and Plots

 

Soups and Salads

• 10 Minute Greek Inspired Couscous Salad by Sprinkles and Sprouts
• Burrata Caprese Salad with Balsamic Pearls by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Cherry Tomato and Preserved Lemon Salad by Shockingly Delicious
• Cupboard Tomato Mozzarella Salad by Food Lust People Love
• Fresh Tomato and Couscous Salad by Basic N Delicious
• Fried Green Tomato BLT Salad by Palatable Pastime
• Rustic Dill Tomato Soup by Hot Eats and Cool Reads
• Summer Tomato and Bread Soup by Monica’s Table
• Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Pimento Grilled Cheese by Bottom Left of the Mitten

 
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Green Tomato Mincemeat (ver. 2016)

I know what you're thinking -  "umm, it's barely Spring out there, nothing much is growing and certainly not tomatoes". Or (if you live in warmer climates) perhaps it's more "mincemeat pie filling? Christmas is 9 months away!" Well, either way, this recipe is not a typical one for this time of year, and truth be told I actually made it last July. However, I was cleaning out our freezer the other day and came across a container left over from the holidays, and a taste made me realize that I should, after all, post it - even though I already have two green tomato mincemeat recipes on this blog (not to mention a few others).

The difference with this one is not so much that it has the unripe fruit in it, or even the addition of zucchini. Rather, the flavour of this batch comes more from the mixture of two types of alcohol (spiced rum and butterscotch schnapps) and a glug of date molasses, which adds fruity sweetness without any of the bitterness from "regular" or blackstrap cane molasses. I bulked up my mixture with a few handfuls of fruit and nut trail mix, which kept a bit of crunch even after two hours in the pot and six months in the freezer.

Of course, originally when I made it I had mincemeat tarts in mind, which I baked for my dad and grandma last Christmas. However, the remaining mincemeat (except for the aforementioned container that sparked this post) found its way into two loaves of fruitcake (soused with a little more rum, of course). The little container? Well, that went onto my mom's morning toast and was even scooped out of a bowl. Good stuff, this is!