Multigrain Maple Pecan Muffins

this will be short since i have a ferocious headache and i am procrastinating my duty to pack. i'm heading back home to the great state of Louisiana to warm up a bit, see my best friend & hang with my rents. oh and to score a few soft shell crab poboys, frog legs and bloody marys. all of which can only (properly) be found in that hot and sticky state. stay tuned for pictures of my culinary adventures.

but to these muffins - they rock, basically fat free, full of whole grains & sweetened with pure maple syrup. perfect for breakfast or when made into a minis as a snack.

MULTIGRAIN MAPLE PECAN MUFFINS

1/4c buckwheat flour

1/4c AP flour

1/4c wheat bran

1/4c rolled oats

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger root

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 egg

1/2c dark maple syrup (pure!)

1/2c buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1/4c plain yogurt

1/2c chopped pecans

*preheat oven to 350F, line your muffin pan

*sift together all the dry ingredients

*in separate bowl lightly beat the egg, then add in buttermilk, vanilla, yogurt and ginger

*stir the wet into the dry until just combined

*fold in the pecans

*pour into prepared pan, sprinkle with some extra oats and nuts

*cook 20 - 25 minutes until toothpick is clean

Buckwheat Pancakes

i've been making these for somewhere around 3 years now. before i made my post-swine flu breakfast switch to yogurt and granola i made these every single morning. and when i say every single - i mean just that. as if you can't already tell; i'm a tab bit neurotic when it comes to both my schedule and my meals. in other words: i know what i want and i usually see no reason to not have it. i don't know when the same-thing-for-breakfast glitch was activated but the farthest back i can trace it is college - yogurt, berries and grapenuts (and tons of it). that stuck around for about 3 years then on to 1 fried egg, 1 piece of toast and a bit of yogurt, after a few years of that it was soy yogurt, an apple and off-brand cheerios. anyways i could go on like this but you get the annoying point. so during my flu i was unable to cook anything and by chance it came back to yogurt. but in my old age i've spiced things up a bit and now have pancakes every saturday and sunday. i know - so crazy!

now that you are thoroughly bored and maybe even a little weirded out i will warn you that these have been tailor made specific to my taste - so i make no claims to what other will think. i've never made these for anyone but myself but if you want something healthy and still a fun treat - check it out. my standard "syrup" is a 1 part honey or agave mixed with 3-4 parts water then microwaved for 30 seconds. this makes a thin syrup that you dip your pancake bite into. yum!

BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES

1/4c buckwheat flour

1/4c whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4c yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbs coconut oil

2 tsp powdered egg whites (or 1 egg white)

1/3 water

fruit of choice (optional) - i always do

*preheat your pancake pan over medium heat

*whisk together all the dry ingredients (through to cinnamon)

*in separate bowl combine all the wet

*mix in the wet to the dry, if you need more water add it by the tbs

*stir in any fruit

*pour 3" rounds onto hot pan, when you see bubbles (90 seconds, typ.) flip it over and cook another 90 seconds

*eat up with your syrup of choice!

Chocolate Balsamic Prune Cookies

evidently i'm becoming increasingly negative. or so my love says. i like to think of myself as humorously wry - i find stupid things funny and just so happen to think there are a lot of stupid things out in the world. hmmm ok well i suppose i should try and get myself to be more positive to counter-act this negative force.

here's something friggin possitive: these fudgy dense, yet fat-free, cookies. there are a few "secret ingredients" that i like to throw in when baking w/ chocolate that just seems to make life more positive (that's 1). those secrets include, but not limited to: coffee, cinnamon, prunes and balsamic vinegar. really they are positively (2) wonderful when paired with the dark silky goodness of chocolate. they are all ingredients that you would never really know are there but know you miss when they aren't - they are like a positive (3) outlook, or a silver lining of sorts.

so i included 2 of these above mentioned secret positives (4) in these healthy little treats. the result is a positively (5) chewy, rich and finely textured cookie that's super high in fiber and low in calories. don't worry you won't even know there is vinegar in these - yes i am positive (6) about that, trust me - think red wine and chocolate truffles.

i used sugar-in-the-raw so that that there is a little bit of a sugary crunch, i find this to be a positive (7) attribute; if you're not positive (8) you would agree just use regular brown sugar instead.

CHOCOLATE BALSAMIC PRUNE COOKIES

1/4c AP flour

1/2c whole wheat flour

1/4c buckwheat flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

1/2c + 1tbs cocoa powder

2/3c sugar in the raw / brown sugar - unpacked

1/2c prune puree *see note below*

1/3c yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

*preheat oven to 350F, line baking pan w/ parchment

*sift together fours, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder

*in separate bowl whisk together sugar, prune puree, yogurt, vanilla and vinegar

*stir in the flour mixture to the prune mixture

*place tbs fulls on prepared pan, smashing down with your fingers

*bake 10-12 minutes

**Prune Puree: soak 1c dried prune in near boiling water for 1-2 hours. Drain the prunes and puree in food processor until uniform and as smooth as you cab get it