I am finally back on my feet, and after a course of antibiotics and lots of sleep I am ready to start cooking again. While I was down for the count most of my meals consisted of canned soup, fruit and whatever else was lying around. So, needless to say, I have been itching to get in the kitchen and cook some real food. This weekend provided the perfect opportunity to whip up some of my favorite comfort foods.
For me comfort food is seasonal. Something that hits the spot in winter or fall, may not do the trick in spring or summer. Since we are in the midst of fall (with occasional winter tendencies) comfort food favorites include potatoes, homemade applesauce, cornbread and muffins. Yum! Just thinking about them gives me the warm fuzzies.
For this adventure in comfort I made use of one new recipe and one old favorite. The new recipe is for Sizzlin’ Home Fries. It takes the classic goodness of pan fried potatoes and kicks it up a notch with some spicy goodness. The old favorite is my Struselicious Banana Mini Muffin recipe, which has all of the flavor of banana bread packed into tasty little bite-sized morsels. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Sizzlin’ Home Fries
2-3 potatoes (I like Reds or Yukon Golds)
2 tsp. Olive Oil
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, Diced
1/2 Medium onion, chopped (I use sweet or Vidalia onions)
1/4-1/2 cup Water
1/2 tbsp. Garlic, minced
1 tsp. Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Black Pepper
Wash potatoes and cut them into 1/2 inch cubes. Put the olive oil and potatoes in a large skillet and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the bell peppers, onion and water to the skillet then cover and cook for 5-10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. (You may need to add a bit more water as the vegetables cook.) Removed the lid from the skillet and add the garlic and seasonings. Cook uncovered for about 5 more minutes. Serve just as they are or with your favorite hot sauce.
If you like a bit more heat you can add a diced jalapeno chile or for a different flavor add a diced chipotle chili. If you want a more mild version just switch up the seasonings. Keep it simple by using just salt and pepper or be as creative as you want.
Struselicious Banana Mini Muffins
1 cup Unbleached White flour
1 cup Whole Wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/3 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1 cup mashed Banana
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
3 tbsp. Your favorite Non-Dairy milk or Water
1 tsp. Vanilla
In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix the flour, baking powder and baking soda then set aside. In a large bowl, cream the Earth Balance Buttery spread and brown sugar. Beat the mashed banana into the sugar mixture. Add the non-dairy milk or water and vanilla into the banana mixture then add the flour mixture. Stir until well combined. If you like you can fold in 1/2 cup of chopped nuts. (I like pecans but I know a lot of people like walnuts.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon batter into a well-oiled mini muffin tin so that each cup is about 3/4 full. Then mix strusel as follows:
1/3 cup Unbleached White or Whole Wheat Flour
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1/3 cup White Sugar
3-4 tbsp. Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Nutmeg
A generous dash of Clove
Using a fork, combine the above ingredients in a small bowl until it forms small pea-sized clumps. Spoon strusel mix over the muffin batter so that it fills the rest of each cup.
Place the muffin tin in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. Cooking times may vary depending on your oven so keep a close eye on you muffins while they are baking. If you want full-sized muffins prepare them the same way as the minis but use a regular-sized muffin tin and increase baking time to 25-30 minutes.
Now that I have shared some of my vegan comfort food favorites I would love to know what your favorite comfort foods are.
Confessions of a Vegan Virgin 