Just some yummies

Big news!  I'm actually writing a post about food!  I know, crazy.

Today I made some healthy strawberry muffins and Italian vegetable soup just in time for Fall.

Whole Wheat Strawberry Muffins with Greek Yogurt and Chia Seed

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons chia seed

    3/4 cup sugar

    1 teaspoon baking soda

    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon lemon zest

    2 eggs, lightly beaten

    2/3 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt

    1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    1-1/4 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen unsweetened strawberries

Cream together the butter and sugar until well combined.  Add the eggs, yogurt, vanilla, and Chia seed and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and lemon zest.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two batches, mixing until just combined.

Toss the strawberries with the 1 tablespoon of flour and gently mix into the batter.

Spoon the batter into a muffin tin with paper liners; about 3/4 full.

                                     

Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.  If you really want to take them up a notch, make a glaze with lemon juice with powdered sugar and drizzle it over the top--yum!

For the soup, I unfortunately don't have an actually recipe...I don't usually measure ingredients unless I'm baking.  I'll at least go through my steps.

I chopped a mixture of different vegetables (parsnips, onion, garlic, zucchini, roasted red pepper) and sauteed them in olive oil until softened.  At this point, I also seasoned with salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, oregano, and red pepper flakes.

Next, de-glaze the pan with any acidic ingredient (white wine, lemon juice, tomatoes, vinegar, etc.)

Add either vegetable or chicken stock, whichever you prefer.  Allow it to simmer until all the vegetables are softened.  Finish with fresh parsley.

**Bonus tip!  If you use Parmesan cheese, SAVE THE RIND!  I keep the rind of my used cheese in my freezer and use it whenever I make soup.  Just stick it right into the pot while the soup is simmering.  As it melts, it gives it an awesome, cheesy flavor.  So good!

That's all for today.  Enjoy your night and have a happy Friday! :)