Blueberry Chai Muffins

It's time for some muffin mania around here. As much as I love to bake crazy desserts, I am planning on focusing on some more breakfast recipes this month. My kids love when we have a box of muffins on the counter. Muffins are an easy breakfast for them to grab when they are running behind in the morning. Usually we have plenty of ripe bananas on the counter, so these double chocolate banana muffins are our go-to muffin recipe. Lately though, I have stopped buying bananas because they just sit there until I freeze them for smoothies. Apparently, my banana-baking streak is on break right now. My daughter wanted some fresh fruit for some breakfast yogurt parfaits, so I picked up an extra box of blueberries for a batch of blueberry muffins. As I started to make the batter I decided to change up my usual recipe with some different spices. Ever since I made this chai whipped cream, I cannot get enough of the chai flavor in everything. I added it to the muffin mixture, and it was my best idea of the day! The slight orange flavor with the different spices and fresh blueberries worked so well together. I don't think I will ever make these muffins the old way again. The recipe calls for fresh blueberries, but you can use frozen berries if that is all you have on hand. When fresh berries are not in season they are usually a little bit more expensive, so we like to keep frozen berries in the freezer. I prefer fresh berries in muffins and bread though. Frozen blueberries will give your batter purple streaks and will add a minute or two to the baking time. Either one works and will taste great though. Another batch of these blueberry chai muffins and a chai latte sounds like the perfect way to start out the day! Print Save Blueberry Chai Muffins Recipe Embed Ingredients 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup oil 2 eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon orange extract 1 cup sour cream 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon cardamom 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 2 cups fresh blueberries Directions Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray or place cupcake liners in 16 cavities. Beat the sugar and oil until it looks like wet sand. Add the eggs, extract, and sour cream and beat again. Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Slowly add to the wet mixture until everything is mixed in. Stir in the blueberries gently. Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out mostly clean. Remove the pan from the oven. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 2 minutes, before gently removing them to a wire rack. Cool completely before storing in a loosely sealed container. Notes You can use frozen blueberries in place of the fresh berries. It will cause the batter to be streaked with purple though. They also may need to bake an additional 1-2 minutes longer. Recommended Cuisinart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls Le Creuset Revolution Spatula USA Pans 12-cup Muffin Pan via Food Fanatic http://ift.tt/2j8KDTQ Food Fanatic

Tuscan White Bean Farro Risotto

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Boulder Organic! Foods. All opinions are the contributor's own. She was provided with ingredients and compensated for recipe development. In 2012, my mom and I went on a Tuscan food based tour of Italy. Having been to Italy a handful of times before and always going from big city to big city, I was psyched for a more localized trip outside of the tourist trap places centered around my favorite hobby: eating. From a small, family-run balsamic vinegar company in Modena where we tasted 100 year aged balsamic, to eating some of the most amazing prosciutto and cured meats in a local man's dining room, to sipping Asti Spumante and nibbling on freshly made warm turrón straight out of the mixer, it was one of the best 10 days of my life. And just when we thought there couldn't possibly be more deliciousness, we pulled into a small rice farm on our last day for a tour of the property and a home-cooked risotto meal on picnic tables outside. Risotto has a special place in my heart. It's the meal my mom made on special occasions growing up (always with dried porcini mushrooms and sweet sausage) and if anything can trump pasta as my comfort food of choice, it's a hearty bowl of my mom's risotto. It seemed to make an appearance on many New Year's Days over the years and with 2017 fresh and new, it's immediately what I thought of when thinking up ways to incorporate Boulder Organic's Tuscan White Bean Soup into a hearty, warm and comforting winter recipe. Stealing elements from that risotto lunch in Tuscany and my mom's traditional recipe, this Tuscan white bean farro risotto was born. Boulder Organic soups are all made in small batches, certified organic, gluten-free and always fresh. By itself, this is one of my favorites of their soups. It's already warm, comforting and full of flavor. Completely delicious with some crusty bread, a big bowl, and your favorite sweat pants - but, might I say, even better when used to make Tuscan white bean farro risotto. The two things I love about risotto are the chew factor of good quality rice (carnaroli is the best kind, don't be fooled by Arborio!) and the meshing of deep flavors as the dish builds. This farro risotto expands on both of those. Using farro as the grain instead of rice, you get an even more pronounced chew (like in this blueberry farro yogurt bowl – one of my favorite healthy breakfasts this time of year) to each bite which I love and using the Tuscan white bean soup for the cooking liquid instead of just chicken broth like you'd normally do, you get a much deeper flavor profile in the finished product. And of course, since it's the New Year, I used chicken sausage to keep things light and added some garlicky kale greens on top for some veggie power. Mangia, my friends! Print Save Tuscan White Bean Farro Risotto Recipe Embed Ingredients For the Risotto: 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 8 ounces sweet italian chicken sausage, (or pork sausage) removed from the casing 3/4 cup farro 1/2 cup dry white wine 24 ounces boulder organic tuscan white bean soup 1 1/2 cups chicken broth freshly grated parmesan cheese, for garnish For the Garlicky Greens: 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups torn tuscan kale leaves Directions Combine the soup and chicken broth in a medium sauce pot over low heat. Add the olive oil to a large sauce pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the sausage to the pot, breaking up into small pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula until browned. Add the farro and cook 1 minutes until slightly toasted. Add the wine, stir and cook an additional 3 minutes. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the soup and chicken broth mixture into the pot with the farro, just enough to cover the top of the farro mixture. Stir and cook until liquid starts to become absorbed by the farro. Repeat this process until all the soup mixture is gone and the farro is cooked al dente, about 35 minutes. While the risotto cooks, make the garlicky greens by heating the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic, cook 30 seconds then add the kale. Stir and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and set aside. Serve risotto topped with garlicky greens and parmesan cheese. Recommended Boulder Organic! Tuscan White Bean Soup Le Creuset 3-quart Stainless Steel Saucepan Dreamfarm Supoon via Food Fanatic http://ift.tt/2iLdUHC Food Fanatic