Baba Ganoush Muffins #MuffinMonday

Roasted eggplant, tahini, garlic and a little cumin give these baba ganoush muffins all the flavor of that wonderful dip, in small portable packages. They are perfect with a cold beer, red wine or even something sparkling.

I am a firm believer that you can make pretty much anything into a muffin. It just requires some imagination and the creation of a fusion recipe, taking the ingredients of one dish and turning it into something completely different, but just as delicious.

As we munched on these with a glass of Prosecco the other evening, I share my theory with my husband. He’s learned over the years not to doubt me on matters of the kitchen, but he cocked his head to one side and gave me that little smile where he turns up just one corner of his mouth. “How about banana cream pie?”

If you’ve been reading along here for a while, or follow me on social media, you might know that banana cream pie is his favorite dessert, his special request on his birthday or Father’s Day. Interesting idea. Banana cream pie muffins. I’m not even going to google it because, in all likelihood, someone’s already done one.

But check back next month to see if I succeed. Meanwhile, roast youself an eggplant and make some savory Baba Ganoush Muffins. They are really rather special too.

Ingredients
Butter, oil or baking spray for greasing muffin pan
1 small eggplant about 8 1/2 oz or 240g
1 1/2 cups or 190g flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Black pepper
1/2 cup or 130g tahini
1/2 cup or 120ml milk
1 egg
1 clove garlic, minced or crushed in a garlic press
Parsley for garnish, if desired

Method
Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C and grease a 12-cup muffin pan with a little butter or oil.

Poke the eggplant all over with the tines of a fork. Using a carving fork, hold the eggplant closely over the flame of your gas stove, turning it until it’s charred all over, about 5-7 minutes. (If you don’t have a gas stove, you can just to all the roasting in the oven - it may take up to 25-30 minutes.)

Put the charred eggplant on a baking sheet and put it into the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until it’s completely cooked through.

Remove the eggplant from the oven and set it aside to cool.

Meanwhile, you can be getting the rest of the muffin ingredients ready.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, salt, baking powder, cumin and a few generous grinds of fresh black pepper.

In another bowl, measure out your tahini and milk and add in the egg.

When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, remove the peelings and discard.

Mash the flesh with a fork.

 Add it to the wet ingredient bowl along with the garlic. Stir well to combine.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just mixed. Divide the thick batter between the 12 muffin cups. Top with a little chopped parsley for color, if desired.

Bake in your preheated oven about 20-23 minutes or until the tops and sides are golden.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes in the pan. Then removed them from the pan and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Check out all the lovely muffins my Muffin Monday bakers have created for you:

• Baba Ganoush Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Basic Banana Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Gruyère, Roasted Pepper, and Thyme Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Lemon Poppyseed Muffins from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Healthy Tiramisu Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts
• Maple Bacon Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Orange Oat Muffins from Passion Kneaded

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.

Pin it!

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Red, White and Blue Sangria

Crisp dry white wine, mixed with a little lemon vodka and Grand Marnier, then topped up with lemon-lime soda and lots of pretty fruit, makes a refreshing libation for summertime. 

This week Sunday Supper is remembering all those who made the ultimate sacrifice in our armed forces, just ahead of Memorial Day tomorrow, by showing off our red, white and/or blue recipes. Even as you feast and enjoy the extra day’s holiday – if you are living in the US, that is – we hope you will be inspired to honor military personnel from every country who died to preserve our freedoms, including those who put themselves in harm’s way to bring aid to the needy and try to ensure safety and peace in troubled regions worldwide. (Did you know that there are more than 30 countries whose flags are red, white and blue?) Unlike Veteran's Day, which honors the service of all soldiers, Memorial Day is especially to recognize those who gave their lives.

Many thanks to this week’s host, the great DB from Crazy Foodie Stunts. Make sure you scroll on down to the bottom of my post to see all the colorful recipes we are sharing today.

Let me introduce this sangria ingredient list with a disclaimer. When I told my husband that I was making sangria and, did he want some, he said, “Nah, thanks. I’ll just have a cold beer.” Well, I’m all for taking one for the team, particularly my Sunday Supper group, but drinking an entire one-wine-bottle batch of sangria seemed ill-advised, so the amounts you see here photographed are for half of the recipe I share below. And, yes, I did drink the whole darn half pitcher over the course of a hot afternoon! It was refreshing and delicious.

Ingredients
1 bottle dry white wine (My favorite white is Sauvignon Blanc, both for sangria and drinking in general.)
1/3 cup or 80ml Grand Marnier
1/4 cup or 60ml lemon vodka
3 cups or 710ml lemon-lime soda (Two of the 12 oz or 355ml cans.)
6 oz or 170g raspberries
4.4oz or 125g blueberries
1 dragon fruit

Method
Starting at least a day ahead, wash some of the blueberries and raspberries and put three blueberries and one raspberry in several of the holes of a muffin pan. For a more decorative look, I used the Nordic Ware one known online as the Bundt Brownie pan. <affiliate link Add a little water, until you see the blueberries just barely start to float.

Put the pan in the freezer and leave until the water freezes enough to hold the fruit in place.

Top up with more water and freeze until solid.

When the fruity ice is frozen, release by running some water over the back of the pan and store in a airtight container in the freezer. If you want to skip all these steps and get straight to the sangria, just use normal ice cubes.

When you are ready to serve, peel and slice your dragon fruit and cut it into pieces about the size of your raspberries and blueberries. Wash the berries and drain well.

In a pitcher, combine your wine, vodka and Grand Marnier.

Add your fruity ice (or just some normal ice) and then top up with the lemon-lime soda.

Add in more raspberries, blueberries and some of the cut dragon fruit. Put some berries and dragon fruit and ice in each glass and fill up with sangria.

Enjoy!

And make sure to check out all the other great red, white and/or blue recipes we have for you today.

Food Using One Color

Red Food

• Baby Back Ribs with Roasted Strawberry Barbecue Sauce by Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Baked Tomato Breakfast Cups by Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
• Red Velvet Milk Shake by Nosh My Way
• Strawberry Meringue Tartlets by What Smells So Good?
• Strawberry Oat Crumble by The Wimpy Vegetarian

White Food

• Alabama BBQ Sauce by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Blue Food

• Blueberry Breakfast Cookies by Pies and Plots
• Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Blue Velvet Cupcakes by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks

Food Using Two Colors

Red and White Food

• Pickled Shrimp with Pico de Gallo by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Sausage Rougail (Rougail Saucisse) by The Petit Gourmet

Blue and White Food

• Blueberry Feta Cucumber Salad by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Blueberry Pierogi by Curious Cuisiniere

Red, White and Blue Food

• Berry Berry Celebrations by Momma's Meals
• Berry Filled Firecracker Cupcakes by The Crumby Cupcake
• Berry Patriotic Chia Seed Pudding by Tasting Page
• Easy Chocolate Covered Marshmallows by Palatable Pastime
• Eton Mess by Caroline's Cooking
• Greek Yogurt Parfait Bar by Family Foodie
• Grilled Shrimp, Tomato and Bleu Cheese Flatbread by Our Good Life
• Individual Loaded Red, White, and Blue Salads by The Weekend Gourmet
• Patriotic Cocktail by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
• Patriotic Panna Cotta by The Freshman Cook
• Red White And Blue Coleslaw by Nik Snacks
• Red, White, and Blue Parfaits by Life Tastes Good
• Red, White and Blue Cherry Pie by Savory Experiments
• Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Red, White and Blue Sangria by Food Lust People Love
• Red White and Blue Sundae by Desserts Required
• St. Honore Cake by Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Strawberry, Blueberry & Raspberry Cheesecake Crumble by Food Done Light
• Tomato Blue Cheese Crostini by Magnolia Days
• Triple Berry Coconut Chia Pudding Parfaits by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Vanilla Pound Cake with Fresh Berries by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Watermelon, Feta & Beet Appetizer by Take A Bite Out of Boca
  

Sangria outside on our new-to-us outdoor sofa set.  Doesn't it look refreshing!

Irish Blackberry Cobbler Cocktail #BloggerCLUE

Muddled blackberries release their precious juice to mix with Irish whisky, sherry and simple syrup over crushed ice for a refreshing cocktail that is perfect for Happy Hour. 

This month’s BloggerCLUE is berries and the blog I am supposed to be poking around in, looking for berry recipes is none other than girlichef, written by my friend, Heather, fellow lover of garlic and margaritas. You might remember our celebrations of National Garlic Day 2014 and 2015 and this year’s National Margarita Day. Good times!

Anyhoo, I searched through Heather’s blog and found myriad recipes with berries like her tasty Chicken Strawberry Tarragon Salad or her creamy Mixed Berry Gelato and her sweet Rosewater Raspberry Meringues, just to mention three. There were just so many too choose from!

But the title that really caught my eye was the Irish Cobbler. The name conjured up a big pan of juicy berries topped with a batter or biscuit crust, so you can imagine my surprise when I clicked on the link and discovered it was a cocktail! Well, we love a good cocktail and it’s great to get out of the rut of always mixing and drinking the same old thing so I abandoned all thoughts of ice cream and salad and baked desserts for Happy Hour.

Make sure you scroll down past the Irish Cobbler to see what other special berry recipes my fellow BloggerCLUE members have found on their assigned blogs this month!

Ingredients for two cocktails
16 ripe blackberries
3 oz or 90ml Irish whiskey
3 oz or 90ml simple syrup (I used simple syrup made from demerara sugar.)
1 oz or 30ml cream sherry (Heather says: optional. I put it in. Hey, go big or go home.)
Ground cinnamon (Heather used nutmeg. You can choose.)
Crushed ice for two glasses
2-3 ice cubes

Method
Divide the blackberries between two short cocktail glasses and muddle until you have a lovely mush of blackberries and juice at the bottom. Heather said to leave some chunks, which I duly did but that did make the drink harder to sup through a straw.

Add crushed ice to fill both glasses, right on top of the muddled berries.

In a cocktail shaker, over a couple of ice cubes, vigorously shake the whiskey, simple syrup, cream sherry (if using), and a good pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg.

Pour over the crushed ice in your glasses.

Stir well to mix the muddled berries throughout the cocktails and finish with another pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg, if desired.

Enjoy!

Have you been hunting for berrilious recipes too? You are in the right place then! Here's a list of the other BloggerCLUE participants this month.

• Blackberry Yogurt Muffins by Azmina from Lawyer Loves Lunch
• Blueberry Bars by Lora from Cake Duchess
• Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake by Heather from girlichef
• Blueberry Lemon Bars by Christiane from Taking on Magazines
• Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed Muffins by Alice from A Mama, Baby and Shar-pei in the Kitchen
• Blueberry Sour Cream Cake by Jean from Lemons and Anchovies
• Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes and Frosting by Kelli from Kelli's Kitchen
• Irish Blackberry Cobbler Cocktail by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
• Italian Jam Cookies by Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Lemon Cheesecake Parfaits with Raspberry Sauce by Rebekah from Making Miracles
• Raspberry Muffins by Lauren from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Raspberry Oat Bars by Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet
• Strawberry and Coconut Tartlets by Anna from annaDishes
• Strawberry Champagne Cocktail by Kim from Liv Life
• Strawberry Fool by Kathy from A Spoonful of Thyme
• Strawberry Lemon Marmalade by Debra from Eliot's Eats
• Strawberry Margaritas by Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
• Strawberry Mousse by Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Tapioca Cream Strawberry Parfait by Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch
• Vanilla Roasted Peaches with Mascarpone and Raspberries by Kathleen from Bakeaway with Me

Cheers!

Paloma Naranjada Cocktail #BloggerCLUE

This refreshing cocktail is made with sparkling orange soda, tequila and fresh lime juice, served over ice. Add a rim of salt crystals and an extra slice of lime and it’s party time. 

It’s funny what you find out you have in common with folks when you just meet them through the internet – and no, I’m not talking about the dating sites – but through blogging and social networking. If you’ve been reading this space for a while, you know that my friend, Heather, of girlichef is fond of garlic. I mean, really, really fond of garlic. We cohosted the National Garlic Day celebration last year and gave away a few sweet (and smelly) prizes. We have bonded over raising multicultural children as well, discussing the challenges we face trying to make sure that they know where they come from, on both sides of the family. And, we love cocktails! When she posted this Paloma Cocktail,  I was determined to make it because I love grapefruit but I struggled to find grapefruit soda. I finally decided that for Blogger C.L.U.E. this month, I was going to use orange soda and drink these babies as I watched the glamorous folks saunter down the red carpet at the Grammys. So I did. You should make them for Oscar Night! Or because it’s Wednesday.

Ingredients 
2 oz or 60ml tequila
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
6 oz or 180ml real juice orange soda (I used San Pellegrino Aranciata.)

Optional: For the rim and garnish
Coarse salt
Slice of lime or wedge

Method
Wet the rim of the glass with lime juice and press it into some coarse salt spread on a small saucer then fill your glass with ice.

Mix tequila and lime juice together and pour into the glass.

Top off with orange soda.

Garnish with a slice or wedge of lime.

Enjoy!

Check out all the other Blogger C.LU.E. participants this month!

• Bacon & Cheddar Savory Bread Pudding Bites by Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet
• Banana Cranberry White Chocolate Muffins by Aly from Cooking in Stilettos
• Blood Orange Mojito by Anna from Anna Dishes
• Buffalo Roasted Chickpeas by Janet from Cupcakes to Caviar
• Cherry Almond Coconut Bars by Jean from Lemons and Anchovies
• Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Bark by Ramona from Curry and Comfort
• Garlicky Roasted Tomatoes by Azmina from Lawyer Loves Lunch
• Love Potion #9 w/ Raspberry Chambord Ice Cubes by Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
• Madam Wong's Pizza Rolls by Kelli from Kelli's Kitchen
• Negroni by Kate from Kate's Kitchen
• Paloma Naranjada Cocktail by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
• Pomegranate-Lime Granita by Debra from Eliot's Eats
• Raspberry Amaretto Bundt Cake by Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Raspberry-Strawberry Puff Pancake by Alice from A Mama, Baby and Shar-pei in the Kitchen
• Red-Hot Currant-Glazed Pork Chops by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
• Red Velvet Cupcakes by Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch
• Roasted Asparagus by Kim from Liv Life
• Strawberry Chia Jam w/ Chia Seed Pancakes by Heather from girlichef
• Strawberry Vanilla Scones by Christiane from Taking on Magazines
• Tomato Herb Compound Butter by Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Turkey Joes by Anna from Anna Dishes

If you'd like to stalk - I meant meet -  Heather on the internet too, check out these links:

Facebook    Twitter   Instagram   Pinterest

Strawberry Champagne Cocktail #BloggerCLUE

This twist on the classic peach Bellini uses strawberry simple syrup and strawberry puree to create a deliciously fresh Champagne cocktail, perfect for any celebration.

This month for Blogger C.L.U.E., my assigned blog is one that I am very familiar with and love. It is written by one of the most popular ladies on the interwebs because she is sweet, friendly, kind to a fault and makes the most sensational recipes. Despite all the deliciousness that comes out of her kitchen, she stays remarkably slim. Yep, my blog this month is That Skinny Chick Can Bake, written by my sweetheart of a friend, Liz.

Our theme is sparkles, so despite all the great recipes with shiny things, like her beautiful vanilla cupcakes sprinkled with silver balls or the glistening sheen of barbecue sauce on her Asian Baby Back Ribs, I had to go with the Strawberry Bellini Cocktail. Any excuse to open a bottle of bubbly, right?

Liz had been sent some simple syrups to use in cocktails when she made this originally and they looked great, but unfortunately I didn’t have any, so I made my own strawberry simple syrup from this recipe online, halving the ingredients. It was super easy and still made plenty! Or head on over to Liz’s post and check out the syrup she used. Also, Liz says this makes only two drinks but we had plenty enough strawberry puree for four or five drinks. That is to say, we drank the whole bottle of Champagne. Hey, we didn’t want it to get flat and go to waste, right?

Ingredients
7 oz or 200g ripe strawberries, stems removed (plus a few for garnish)
2 tablespoons strawberry simple syrup
Champagne

Method
Puree the strawberries in a blender with the simple syrup. Strain mixture. (I forgot this step so we were left with tiny little strawberries seeds at the bottom of our glasses. Not a big deal though.)

Put a couple tablespoons of puree in each glass.

Just look at that gorgeous red color!

Pour in some Champagne. It will bubble up so just wait till the bubbles subside and pour in a little more.

Stir to combine.

And then top up with more Champagne. Make sure to garnish each glass with a strawberry.

This Month’s Blogger CLUE Participants are

• Baked Ziti from Azmina at Lawyer Loves Lunch
• Blood Orange Margaritas from Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Brown Butter Brown Sugar Banana Bread from Christiane at Taking on Magazines
• Cardamon White Chocolate Panna Cotta from Debra at Eliot's Eats
• Cherry Pie and Cream Pavlova (Okie Pavlova) from Ramona at Curry and Comfort
• Cornish Game Hens with Whiskey Herb Citrus Glaze from Lea Ann at Cooking on the Ranch
• Delicious Savory Clafoutis from Christiane at Taking on Magazines
• Fingerling Potato Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette from Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Lemon Ginger Crinkle Cookies from Jean at Lemons and Anchovies
• Maple Caramel Golden Sugar Blondies from Kelli at Kelli's Kitchen
• Milky Way Martini from Aly at Cooking in Stilettos
• Peach Buckle from Anna at Anna Dishes
• Pomegranate Champagne from Christy at Confessions of a Culinary Diva
• Ramona's Mini Cinnamon Rolls from Kate at Kate's Kitchen
• Rosemary Peach Sparkling Cocktail from Alice at A Mama, Baby and Shar-pei in the Kitchen
• Salted Toffee Chocolate Chunk Cookies from Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Soft Pretzel Sticks with Spicy Mustard from Heather at girlichef
• Sparkling Mojitos from Heather at girlichef
• Sparkly Shortbread Cookies from Lisa at Authentic Suburban Gourmet
• Strawberry Champagne Cocktail from Stacy at Food Lust People Love

Find That Skinny Chick Can Bake online:

     

Watermelon Jalapeño Cocktail

Fresh sweet watermelon chunks blended with ice and the double kick of jalapeño and tequila make a refreshing summer drink that will heat you up and cool you down.

Today I am pleased to share a refreshing concoction I make with sweet Texas watermelons and farm fresh jalapeños for our watermelon Foodie Extravaganza event.

Growing up in the South, I learned to put salt on my watermelon and eat it with a sharp knife straight out of the rind. The salt brings out the sweetness in the watermelon somehow so I’ve also added a little bit to this summer drink. It’s hot, cold, sweet and salty, in the best possible way. Hope you find it as refreshing as we do!

Ingredients for one 1 1/2-quart or almost 1 1/2-liter pitcher
1/4 15-pound or 6.8kg sweet summer watermelon (preferably seedless)
1-inch or 2cm fresh jalapeño or to taste
4 oz tequila
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Ice

Optional garnish – watermelon wedge, sliced jalapeño and flakey sea salt, if desired, but highly recommended

Method
Cut your watermelon off the rind and into small chunks. (Remove the seeds if you couldn’t find a seedless one.)

Finely mince the piece of jalapeño.

Put the watermelon and jalapeño in the blender. Add the tequila and salt and top with ice.

Blend until smooth and frothy.

Pour into pretty glasses.

Garnish with a watermelon wedge and one thin slice of jalapeño, to alert your guests that this will be spicy.

Add an extra sprinkle of flakey sea salt, if desired.

Put the pitcher in the freezer between servings.  It’s even better when it gets a little frozen.

Enjoy!

So refreshing in the summer heat!