Grandma's Graham Gems

These muffins were a staple when we were growing up and we ate them with fruit for dessert most week nights. Mom also packed them in our school lunches. In the 1950s and 60s, whole wheat flour was not readily available in grocery stores, but graham flour could be purchased in small bags.
Here is the history of graham flour from wisegeek.com.

"Graham flour is a coarsely ground type of wheat flour that is unbleached, and less processed than whole-wheat flour. The production of graham flour starts by finely grinding the kernel or endosperm of winter wheat. The other parts of the wheat, germ and bran are also ground and added back to the endosperm grind, resulting in brown colored flour that many think is nicely sweet.
Graham flour is named after Sylvester Graham, one of the pioneers, or really frontiersman of the health food movement. He invented the flour in 1829 and used it in many recipes featured at his chain of “health" hotels. In addition to advocating for the use of less refined wheat flour, Graham founded the American Vegetarian Society in 1850, though he had less than welcome receptions from large food manufacturers and butchers of the time. He discovered, as many dietitians can attest to now, that it is usually healthier to eat whole grains than it is to eat overly processed food that contains a lot of chemicals."

This recipe is very adaptable and whole wheat flour and bran can be used instead of graham flour. Dried fruit is also a nice addition and cinnamon or other spices also work well with the ingredients.

Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare 16-18 muffin cups.

1-1/2 cups flour (or whole wheat flour)
1-1/2 cups graham flour (or wheat bran)
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. In a large measuring cup or bowl mix;-

1-1/2 cups buttermilk (or soured milk)
1/4 cup oil
1 egg

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients mixing until just moistened. Spoon into prepared muffin cups and bake at 375F for 15 minutes or until tops are firm to light touch.

Makes 18 medium muffins.

Tostadas

During my recent visit to Mexico I enjoyed tostadas with various toppings. My sister-in-law served a hot chicken stew, a crab salad, a wonderful concoction with poblano peppers, mushrooms, tomato and cream, as well as refried beans with cheese on baked tostadas at my brother's birthday party.


I watched a group of young soccer players devour close to 50 tostadas topped with tuna salad while watching the World Cup. The Milpa Real tostadas are the fried version my daughter bought and they were addictively delicious. I haven't found anything as good yet in Canada.


The tostada in the first picture is topped with a salad of lentils, finely chopped apples, carrots, onions, cilantro, avocado, tomatoes and sweet peppers mixed with fresh lime juice.

Or layer refried beans and ground round adding toppings of cilantro, tomato, salsa, sour cream, shredded cabbage or lettuce and grated cheese

The possibilities are endless...

Here is a link to more information on tostadas from Simply Recipes.

Bean Pie

This dessert pie takes the prize for economy and nutrition. Beans are used in desserts many parts of the world. I found some recipes for very rich versions of bean pie, much like pecan pies, which are popular in southern United States. This recipe is similar in taste and texture to pumpkin pie and can be served with whipped cream.

Ingredients:

1 unbaked pie shell (9 inch)

In a blender combine:

• 2 cups cooked beans, preferably light, smooth beans such as peruano beans (or white kidney, navy or pinto beans)
• 1 cup milk of your choice (I used unsweetened soy milk)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon and ginger
• add 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and cloves if you like them
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt if you have not used canned or salted beans
• 3/4 cup brown sugar or sweetener of your choice

Blend together and pour into prepared pie shell. Bake for 10 minutes at 425F and then reduce heat to 350F and bake until set, about 25-30 minutes.

Layered Vegetable Enchilada Casserole

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and tried it with a few modifications. It was fast and easy to make and is a good way to use up stale corn tortillas. I did not have any enchilada sauce and could find none at the grocery store. My daughter is going to teach me how to make an authentic version and I will post the directions after we try it out. I made a sauce from 1 cup of hot salsa, 1-6 oz tin of tomato paste and 6 oz of water which was combined in the blender.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups diced zucchini (I used 2 medium zucchini)
  
• 1 cup chopped onion (or substitute some chopped fresh mushrooms)
  
• 2 cups packed coarsely shredded fresh spinach (I used an 8 oz package)
  
• 1 cup whole kernel corn or 1 diced sweet pepper
  
• 2 cups enchilada sauce
• 12 corn tortillas (6 inch)
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• Chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat oil in skillet. Add zucchini and onion(mushrooms and peppers if using) and cook 5 minutes or until golden brown and tender. Add spinach and corn. Cook and stir until spinach wilts.
3. Spread 1/2 cup enchilada sauce in a 9x13 baking dish. Place 6 tortillas, overlapping as needed to cover bottom of dish. Spread with half of remaining enchilada sauce. Top with half the vegetable mixture and half the cheese. Top with remaining tortillas and enchilada sauce and vegetables.
4. Bake 20 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Cut into 6 squares and garnish with cilantro.