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Light and Rich Blueberry Muffin

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These blueberry muffins are so light and yet rich in flavor, great for breakfast or an afternoon snack. They are loaded with blueberries, moist, soft and slightly crumbly.

I picked so many blueberries from my Sunshine Blue, which is small to medium size blueberry planted in a large planter. It is so much fun to be able to pick your own

– Why is this muffin recipe different?

Two different combinations were used…butter with vegetable oil and, cake flour with all-purpose flour. Vegetable oil not only lighten the batter are well as give moist. Cake flour will give the batter a lighter texture.

– How easy is this recipe?

Like most of the muffin recipes, it is pretty straight forward, just make sure to not overmix the batter.

– Can I use frozen blueberries?

Absolutely, I used fresh ones because by blueberry bush was loaded with blueberries. If using frozen blueberries, lightly coat the berries with all-purpose flour before adding to the batter.

– Are you ready for the recipe?

Ingredients:

  • 85 g all-purpose flour
  • 85 g cake flour
  • 70 g sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • Lemon zest to taste
  • 1 egg
  • 40 g butter, melted
  • 30 g vegetable oil
  • 80 – 100 g milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste
  • 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
  • 200 g fresh blueberries

Method:

Preheat oven to 400oF.

In a medium bowl mix all the dry ingredients, sift the flours. Add the lemon zest and use a whisk to mix.

In a measuring cup place the egg, melted butter, vegetable oil and complete with milk until the 1 cup mark.

Add the vanilla extract or past and mix well.

In another medium bowl, place the Greek yogurt and pour the egg mixture on it.  Mix well until an uniform mixture.

Add the dry ingredients on the egg mixture and mix gently. Do not overmix.

Add the blueberries and mix gently stir.

Scoop the batter into prepared muffin cups.

If there is empty cup, fill with approximately 1 inch of water.

Put the trays into the preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375oF and bake for another 5 – 7 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let it cool before serving.

– If you enjoy this simple and easy recipe you might want to look are these recipes..

Did you know that blueberries and considered one of the healthiest fruits? It is loaded with antioxidant, vitamins and soluble fiber.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Crustless Zucchini Blossom Quiche

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Looking for a low carb quiche? This crustless quiche is so delicious, creamy, and loaded with vegetables, and topped with zucchini blossoms and dollops of herbed ricotta.

This quiche is delicious…it can be served for brunch or any meal…

– How I came up with this recipe?

This recipe was created because I wanted to use up the zucchini blossoms and the leftover herbed ricotta used in Air Fried Zucchini Blossom with Ricotta and Mozzarella Cheese recipe. The good thing is that I was able to use them all in one recipe.

– Why this quiche is so easy to make.

First, because there is no crust, so you will not have to hustle in making the dough, which can be time consuming.

Second, just layer all the ingredients into a deep dish, steam and you are ready to serve the most beautiful and delicious quiche.

– What substitutions can I make?

Of course, substitutions are allowed…instead of spinach you can add zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, and so on, just make sure to sauté before to remove the excess of water from the vegetables.

– Like it richer?

Yes, substitute milk with heavy cream, or half and half…you make the decision.

– Are you ready to try this recipe out?

Ingredients:

  • 3 extra-large or jumbo eggs
  • ¼ onion chopped
  • Handful of spinach leaves
  • Cherry tomatoes, cut into half
  • Milk (double measurement from the eggs)
  • Zucchini blossoms (6-7)
  • Herbed ricotta, recipe HERE
  • Fresh thyme to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Olive oil

Method:

In a small frying pan, sauté onion and spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside once the spinach is wilted.

Beat the eggs and pass through a sieve into a measuring cup.  Take a mental note of the volume.

In another measuring cup pour milk, double of egg volume. For instance, if the volume of the eggs is 120 ml, use 240 ml of milk.

Mix the milk and egg together. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Coat a deep dish of approximately 21 cm (8 ½ inches) with butter.

Spread evenly the sauté spinach with onion. Gently pour the egg and milk mixture into the dish.

Topped with sliced cherry tomatoes, thyme, zucchini blossoms and finalize with dollops of herbed ricotta.

Steam under high heat for 4 minutes. Turn the heat off and let it sit for 14 minutes covered.

Serve hot.

– If you enjoy this simple and easy recipe, you might want to look at these…

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Light Sourdough Waffle

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This super light, crispy waffle is made using sourdough starter leftover, a very different texture from the classic waffle.

Apparently due to Covid-19 everyone is baking bread at home, especially sourdough bread, so I decided to adjust a recipe that I have shared a few years ago…using sourdough starter to make waffle…the recipe is very similar…using less butter not compromising the super light and crispy texture.

– Sourdough starter in waffle batter?

Yes, although you will need to have some overnight preparation for the waffle batter, still a very simple recipe, especially if you have extra sourdough starter, which is commonly named as “discard”.

– Sourdough discard?

Somehow, I do not like to call the extra sourdough starter a “discard”, sounds a reject, no good…which it is not…it is just extra that you will not use…

– How different it the sourdough starter waffle when compared to the classic waffle?

The sourdough waffle has a lighter and crispier texture, it is very hard to describe, you really need to try it…it is loaded with small holes due to the starter (yeast).

– Why is sourdough different?

The slow fermentation breaks down the carbohydrate in the wheat making it easier on your gut, so your gut works less during digestion.

– Ready to try?

Ingredients:

  • 100 g sourdough starter
  • 100 g all-purpose flour
  • 100 g water
  • 4 tablespoons melted butter
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • Powdered sugar
  • Maple syrup

Method:

Combine the sourdough starter, water, and flour in a medium bowl. Cover and leave at room temperature on the countertop overnight.

In the morning, when ready, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and the baking soda together.

Fold gently the egg mixture into the sourdough.

Preheat and grease a waffle iron. Pour approximately ⅓ cup of the waffle batter into the center of the iron. Close and bake until golden brown, by following the instructions of your waffle iron.

Dust the top of the waffle with powdered sugar and serve warm with maple syrup.

– More recipes using sourdough starter? Check these out…

Did you know that many sourdough bread sold in the grocery stores are not authentic sourdough? They found that many uses different kind of agent to create the sourness such as yogurt, vinegar and so on.  Therefore, be very careful when selecting your bread.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Classic French Toast

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This is a recipe that is super easy and fast…delicious French toast that makes every morning special.

Who does not like waking up in the morning with the smell of French toast?

The sweet, buttery, cinnamon eggy smell…so enticing…

I must confess that I do not make French toast as much as I should considering that I bake so much bread. Most of the time the bread is gone…

I purposely cut 4 thick slices of my egg sandwich bread and separated for this recipe.

Back in Brazil, we call it “rabanada” and usually serve by sprinkling with cinnamon and sugar, so the concept of maple syrup was totally new to me.

– Why French toast is so versatile?

You can use all kind of bread and all kind of egg mixture.

– How long should I dip the bread into the egg mixture?

I personally like mine French toast kind of crispy on the outside and almost creamy inside…almost like a bread pudding. Can you picture it?

– Ready to try this super easy and delicious recipe?

Ingredients:

  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup milk (or any dairy free milk of your preference)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 4 thick slices egg sandwich bread or challah
  • Butter

Method:

In a flat bottom plate whisk together egg, milk, sugar, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon

Place bread slice, one at a time into the egg mixture and flip to the other side, making sure both sides of bread are well-coated with the egg mixture. Set aside.

Repeat with all the remaining slices of bread. Make sure the bread absorbs the egg mixture.

Melt butter in a large skillet and place the slices in skillet, cook on medium heat until golden brown and flip to the other side, about 3 minutes.

Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream, fresh fruit or whatever your palate desire.

– Looking for more recipes using bread? Check these out…

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Dalgona Coffee with Oatsome

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This very simple and easy recipe to make a light and frothy coffee has been inundating the internet…and only requires three ingredients.

It was so funny when I saw so many of dalgona coffee recipes on the internet, which is nothing more than whipped coffee I just laughed…laughed because my aunt used to make this all the time using a simple fork when we were living in Brazil…more than 30 years ago…

I topped the coffee foam on a cup of Oatsome milk with a few ice cubes…it was so delicious, the combination of creamy coffee with oat milk…tasted like dessert in a cup.

Oh, before I continue, this was my first-time trying oat milk as I got an invitation to try Oatsome from BetterBody Food.

I received a sample of Oatsome for review purpose and I was not financially compensated for this post, all the opinions are completely mine own based on my experience.

– What is Oatsome?

Oatsome is an alternative for dairy milk, it is organic, non-GMO and gluten free. It tastes delicious and you can use in your baking, coffee…it is somehow creamy and yes, taste great.

– Do I personally like Oatsome?

Yes, it is creamy and super delicious, and it sure can substitute milk in every possible way. It is something that I would buy, especially that my husband is lactose tolerant.

– What is dalgona coffee?

Dalgona coffee according to the internet was originated from South Korea…really? As I mentioned above, my aunt was making this whipped coffee more than 30 years ago…

This coffee is made by simply whisking 3 ingredients: instant coffee, sugar and boiling water, using an equal proportion.

– Why is dalgona coffee different from the others?

The whipped coffee is super light, fluffy, velvety and it is placed on top of cold milk…therefore mimicking as iced latte or cappuccino…sort of it…and yes, you can make it with hot milk.

– How long does the dalgona coffee last?

Using same proportion of the three ingredients will get you a pretty stable coffee foam.  In my experience the stability of the foam will decrease by decreasing the amount of sugar.

– What do I use to whisk the coffee?

You can use all kind of kitchen tools from a simple fork to hand mixer…I personally used my milk frother stick. Just keep whisking until stiff peaks.

– Should we look at this popular whipped coffee?

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons instant coffee
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons boiling water

Method:

Mix all the three ingredients in a small bowl and whip.

Whip until a stiff peak form.

Serve over ice milk or hot milk of your preference, such as oat milk, soymilk, almond milk, rice milk and so on…delicious over vanilla ice cream…it is a must try!

– Looking for bolder desserts? Check these out…

Did you know that recent studies demonstrate that coffee in moderation lower the risk of mortality? Moreover, coffee might protect you against liver disease, Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, heart attack and stroke. It is true that coffee can raise temporarily blood pressure due to its caffeine content, therefore it should be taken in moderation.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Simple Almond Cream Muffin

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This almond cream muffins are super quick and easy with moist and tender crumb with a hint of the delicate almond flavor.

The combination of cake flour and almond flour make this muffin light and moist with a hint of almond…super delicious with a cup of coffee or tea.

– Looking for an easy and no mess muffin recipe?

This recipe uses one, only one bowl, and it is super, I repeat… super easy to make for breakfast or snack.

– Can I add fruit in it?

Absolutely, you can add berry, such as blueberries, strawberries, frozen or fresh and/or lemon zest…use your imagination.

– No oil muffin?

Yes, instead of oil or butter, this muffin uses the fat from the cream (crema Mexicana).

– Are you ready to try this recipe?

This recipe was slightly adapted from Brechel.

Ingredients:

  • 100 g of cream
  • 1 egg
  • 65 g cake flour
  • 20 g almond flour
  • 4 g baking powder
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • Sliced almond for topping

Method:

Preheat oven to 350oF.

In a bowl whisk together the cream, egg, sugar and salt.  Mix until sugar is dissolved.

Sift the cake flour, almond flour and the baking powder into the egg mixture.

Add the almond extract and mix gently, do not over mix.

Scoop into pre-lined paper muffin cups, about 80% to the top.

Sprinkle sliced almonds on the top of each muffin.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out with crumbs.

Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack.

– Looking for more simple baked sweets? Check these out…

Did you know that almond flour is packed in protein? Almond flour also contains vitamins, minerals and it is a great source of fiber as compared to the white flour.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Simple and Healthy Homemade Granola

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This homemade granola is perfect to start your day…loaded with oats, seeds and nuts, with a touch of honey…

Can you believe that this is my first attempt to make granola? It is true that I have seen homemade granola in so many posts, but never had the desire to make until one day at Costco, after trying it and bringing it home, we somehow got into granola…

We were adding the granola to yogurt, cereal, yes, cereal just to give different texture…until I carefully read the content of sugar and decided right there to make my own.

– Why is great to make your own granola?

Not only you can control the amount of sugar and oil you add, you can add all your favorite nuts, seeds and so on.

– How easy is to make granola?

It is just like counting one-two-three.  Gather all the ingredients you want…main ingredient is organic rolled oats…after that be my guest and add whatever you want.

– Do you like cluster or loose granola?

I like my loose since I do not tend to snack on it…but, you can have it both ways, for clustered granola, just press it against the pan and break into chunks. For loose, spread it lightly and mix once out of the oven.

– How long can you keep homemade granola?

Once it totally cooled, store in an airtight container and it should be good for 2-3 weeks. I prefer to add the dry fruits such as cranberry, raisin, blueberry when I am serving the granola, this way I make sure that my granola has not contact with any moist. Moreover, if I have fresh fruit I skip the dry ones on my yogurt…I think it makes sense right?

– Are you ready to see what I mix on my granola?

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups old fashioned organic oat
  • 1 cup slivered almonds
  • ¼ cup chia seeds
  • ¼ cup hemp seeds
  • ⅓ cup pumpkin seeds
  • ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ⅓ cup of honey (or a mix of honey and maple syrup)
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil (sunflower)

Method:

Preheat oven to 325oF.

In a large bowl, stir together oat, almond and the seeds.  Mix well and set aside.

In a separate small bowl whisk to combine oil, honey, vanilla extract, salt and cinnamon.

Pour the honey mix into the oat mix and toss to coat.

Spread the granola onto a silicone mat or parchment paper lined sheet pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

If you like clustered granola, bake it undisturbed. For loose granola, stir the granola halfway through baking.

Let the granola cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

– Looking for more breakfast recipes? Check these out…

Did you know that granola, due to high amount of oat are a great source of fiber and iron? Adding nuts and seeds will add good fat such as unsaturated fat to your diet. The good thing about making your own granola is that you are in control of the amount of sugar and fat you add to it.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Liège Waffle

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These waffles are a fusion of brioche and waffles topped with caramelized crunchy sugar and they are so good, totally addictive…

– Have you ever heard of Liège waffle?

Well, I have not until I bumped into it when searching for something on the internet and started to read about it…

These are originally from Belgium and do not taste like your traditional waffle or even Belgian waffle.

– What’s the difference between Liège waffle and Belgian waffle?

Belgian waffle uses batter and Liège waffle uses yeasted dough, yes, yeasted dough like bread and has pearl sugar in it which caramelized once in the waffle iron.

– Why you need to try Liège waffle?

Because they are unique as every bite of the waffle contains crunchy caramelized sugar…which makes these waffles super special.

– How do you serve Liège waffle?

You can serve as you would serve pancakes, American waffles, Belgian waffles…but I like it plain…just as it is…

– How long it takes to make Liège waffle?

Like bread, these waffles use yeast raised dough therefore will require more time than your traditional waffles (batter), but worth the time and effort.

And because contains a lot of butter like brioche it is recommended to use a stand mixer.

– Can I freeze the Liège waffles?

Absolutely, I like to freeze the raw dough already divided and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, place the dough on the counter for 10-15 minutes and directly to the waffle iron…super easy.

– How did I come up with the recipe?

After looking into many recipes in details, I realized that the percentage of butter varied from 15-51%, yes, some recipes called for 51% of butter when compared to the flour content…I like butter, but do not wanted to have my arteries clogged while eating this waffle, so I adapted to about 35%.

– Would you like to try it?

Here we go…

Ingredients:

  • 4 oz butter (113 g)
  • 320 g bread flour
  • 1 jumbo egg (approximately 65 g)
  • 1 ½ teaspoon yeast
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 20 g honey
  • 150 ml milk
  • 150 g Belgian pearl sugar

Method:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine all the ingredients except for the butter and Belgian pearl sugar.

Mix until well combined, it will be very sticky, do not add more flour.

On low speed, add the butter, and scrape down the bowl as needed, making sure that all the butter is incorporated in the dough. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, between 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the dough and place in a bowl and cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

Punch the dough down, flatten the dough with your fingers and spread the Belgian pearl sugar on the dough. Cut the dough in half and place one on top of the other. Again, cut the dough in half and top it on the other half.

Divide the dough into approximately 16 equal pieces (50 g) and gently roll each piece into a ball.

At this point you can freeze the waffle dough…first on the baking sheet. Once the waffle balls are frozen place them into a freezer quality plastic bag and store for future use.

Or, let the waffle dough sit for 15-20 minutes and place the waffle dough on the waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Place the waffle dough in the middle of the waffle iron and cook at medium low for about 4 to 5 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. The time will vary depending on the heat.  Make sure to watch carefully as the sugar can burn if the temperature is too high.

Carefully transfer the waffle to an iron rack and serve warm or keep in a warm oven of approximately 225oF.

Make sure to clean the waffle iron, while warm as the sugar will caramelized and stick to the iron once is cooled. You can use a spatula and damp cloth.

– Care for more recipes using waffle iron?  Please check on these…

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Simple Homemade Yogurt

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This is such a simple recipe for homemade creamy yogurt. The yogurt is made using non-fat milk and inoculated with previous batch of homemade yogurt…confused?  Continue reading and you will find out how…

We always have yogurt in the morning and the amazing thing is that I do not even remember when the last time I bought yogurt was.  I make my own yogurt from organic non-fat milk using the yogurt that I made previously…so it is a continuous production of yogurt by taking approximately 2 tablespoons or so from the jar that it is in used. The recipe is very versatile, you can use 1% fat, 2% fat, or whole milk. The more fat content in the milk the thicker the yogurt will turn out.  Although I use non-fat milk I can assure you that my yogurt still very creamy.

There is no excuse to not make your own yogurt as no fancy gadget is required, use your imagination to keep the inoculated milk with yogurt somehow warm by using oven with the light on, top of refrigerator, Instant Pot, rice cooker that has a keep warm setting, cooler or a thermos cooker (which is very similar to a cooler, only retains the temperature more efficiently).

I personally use the thermos cooker when making a large container, but often use the oven if I want to have the yogurt in small individual cups.

Oh! Make sure that you have a candy thermometer or any thermometer as the temperature is very important.  If the temperature of the milk is too high it will kill the live culture, or if it is too cold it will not the optimal for the culture to develop…therefore the only important parameter is the temperature.

The making of yogurt always reminds me of my microbiology laboratory where I used to cultivate all kind of bacteria and yeast…a lot of fun!

Ingredients:

  • 2 quart of milk (any of your choice)
  • 2 tablespoons of plain organic yogurt, preferably nothing added but live and active culture.

Method:

Place the milk in a pot and bring to simmer until bubbles form around the edges, around 180F. Stir frequently as it heats preventing crust in the bottom of the pan.

Remove the milk from the heat and let it cool until approximately 110 to 120F, do not add the yogurt below 110F or above 118F.

Place the yogurt in the jar and pour approximately ¼ of the milk and stir gently, once the yogurt is totally incorporated in the milk, add the remaining milk to the jar and stir again. I like to pass the milk through a fine colander to retain any unwanted particles or film produced during the heating process to have a smooth and creamy yogurt.

Cover the jar and place in the warm spot you selected. Do not disturb the jar while resting. Let the mixture sit for 6 to 12 hours. Just remember that the longer the yogurt sits the tangy it will taste.

Transfer the jar in the refrigerator and chill.  The yogurt will continue to thicken as it cools.

If you care for a thicker yogurt you can pour the whey liquid away and pass the yogurt through cheesecloth.

Make sure to reserve roughly 2 tablespoons of the yogurt for the next batch.

I hope you enjoy this simple method of making yogurt…check on the some of the recipes these recipes…Fresh Berries with Vanilla Yogurt or Yogurt with Honey Caviar recipes.

Did you know that yogurt is the most consumed fermented dairy product? Not only prevents osteoporosis due to the calcium and vitamin D from the milk, yogurt is loaded with live good bacteria, called probiotic. Probiotic food help to keep you gut healthy. The good bacteria use the sugar in the milk (lactose) and transforms into acid lactic, therefore for its tangy flavor.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!