Strawberry Buttermilk Muffins

A friend of mine went strawberry picking the other day and was sweet enough to share some of their bounty with me. I also happened to have a free quart of organic buttermilk in my fridge that had passed its sell-by date (by a day) and couldn't be sold. So, I whipped up some muffins. I need to figure out what to do with the rest of the buttermilk, but for now, here's the recipe:

2 1/4 C whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 C sugar

1 t baking soda

2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 t ground nutmeg

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/4 butter, melted

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 C buttermilk

1 t vanilla extract

1 C chopped fresh strawberries (or whatever fruit you have)

Grease a muffin pan and preheat the oven to 375 F.

Combine all dry ingredients and mix with a whisk. In a separate bowl, mix all the wet ingredients until very well combined. Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and fold -with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon- until almost all the flour has been incorporated. Add the fruit and gently fold until JUST incorporated. DO NOT OVERMIX. That is the leading cause of death of all homemade muffins. Your mix should JUST get to the point where all the flour is damp, but the batter is still plenty lumpy.

Scoop mix into muffin pan. This will make 12 regular-sized muffins. Bake for 18 minutes. They will be done when the top of the muffin is springy to a flat hand.

Let cool, then enjoy! Store in an air-tight container or bag at room temp.

Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas

I learned to make enchiladas at my friend Molly's house once. She made two huge trays for her birthday party. They were ridiculously delicious, and I had no idea how simple they were to make. I'm by no means claiming this dish to be "authentic" Mexican cuisine. This is authentic Rose cuisine, a fusion of things that taste with memories that feel good.

I think this is the recipe I used for the sauce. I think I doubled it and put half in the freezer, because that's were I got this particular batch of sauce. I've also used jarred salsa verde for enchiladas, which is delicious.

So, here's what I do:
In a bowl, combine 2 cups cooked black beans, 1 cup sweet corn (frozen corn, defrosted), and 1 package of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained, with 1 cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, and some salt and pepper. Mix it all up nice. This is the filling.

You need a nice rectangular baking dish. I like ceramic. I use the little corn tortillas (MUST be corn). Scoop about 1/3 C of the filling into each tortilla, roll it gently, and set it in the baking dish, rolled side down. Fill your dish thus. Cover with a quart of enchilada sauce. Top with shredded cheese- I use a blend of Monterey Jack and cheddar. Bake at 350 F for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the cheese is all melty and starts to brown. Let cool for several minutes before eating.
That's it! Cheers!

Coconut Shortbread

I made these cookies today to bring to a meeting this evening. I forgot them at home. More for me!

Coconut Shortbread
1/2 C Sugar
1 C softened coconut oil
1 1/2 C AP flour
1 t vanilla X
1/2 t salt
1/2 C shredded coconut

Mix coconut oil and sugar together until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. Press into the bottom of an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish (the bigger the pan, the thinner the cookie, the shorter the baking time!) and make sure it's as even as possible. Bake at 350 F for about 15 mintues or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes, then cut into bars or squares. Let cool completely before removing from pan and eating.

Because there is no water in coconut oil, these shortbread cookies are SHORT. And freaking amazing. And incredibly easy and quick to make.