Thursday, October 14, 2010

Quinoa: Two great recipes

My friend, Allie, served this at Bunco and it was DELICIOUS! I'm going to make it as a side to serve with chicken tacos.
Black Bean and Quinoa Salad

I tried this recipe last week and it was really, really good! It made a great side with our pan-fried chicken.
Quinoa Goat Cheese Risotto

6-Week-Refrigerator Bran Muffins

Six-Week-Refrigerator Bran Muffins

2 cups boiling water
2 cups Bran Buds cereal (Kelloggs)
5 cups flour
5 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup shortening (I used butter)
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
4 cups All-Bran cereal (Kelloggs)
1 quart buttermilk

Mix water and Bran Buds. Let stand for 10 minutes, then stir and try to mash up any hard lumps as completely as you can.

Combine flour, soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a really large bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time beating after each addition. Add buttermilk, All-Bran, the water/Bran Buds mixture. Add the flour mixture and stir only until moistened.

Batter will keep in the refrigerator (in Tupperware-type container, glass jars, etc) for up to six weeks.

When ready to bake, fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full and bake 20 minutes at 350.

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My notes:
I baked a batch of these immediately after I made the batter. They were good, but the mixture gets better with time! The subsequent batches were better.

I didn't count how many muffins this made, but I'm guessing between 4-5 dozen. I typically only baked 6 muffins at a time because a couple of picky eaters in my household turned their noses up at them. No worries...more for the rest of us!

You can add raisins if you'd like. I'm not a big fan of raisins so I didn't add them to mine.

Click the links above if you're unsure about the Bran Buds or the All Bran and you'll see the picture of what you need to buy.

The longer the batter sat, the thicker it became. It's okay. Your muffins will still be moist and yummy.

This batter makes a LOT--probably 16+ cups. Make sure you use a big bowl to mix it and make sure you have plenty of containers to put it in!

I think the cost for both boxes of cereal was around $7. I got TWO batches of muffins from both boxes. In fact, I probably still have enough of the second one for another batch.

Menu Plan 10.14.2010

Hmmm, that's weird. My last two menu plan posts never appeared. Even more strange is the fact that I can't find them anywhere in my saved/archived files. Weird. Let me assure you I *have* been cooking! Hope this post is successful!

1. Meredith's lasagna
2. Pork and black bean chili
3. Tuna melts
4. Spaghetti soup
5. Piccata chicken
6. Loaded baked potatoes
7. Santa Fe enchiladas
8. Chicken tacos/quinoa salad
9. Roast beef/sweet potatoes
10. Ravioli carbonara
11. Snack supper (sausage balls, chips/dip)
12. Allison's chili
13. Pan-fried chicken and spinach/mushroom pasta
14. Eating at church!

I need to add a few of these recipes so I can link them!