Blueberry Oat Muffins

I know I’ve posted blueberry recipes before, but my children love them.  We keep frozen blueberries on hand year round. In the summer months you can always find fresh ones in our fridge.  We eat them as snacks, use them in our oatmeal, bowls of yogurt, smoothies, scones, coffee cake, ….and…and…and…and of course blueberry muffins.

This version of our muffins is wheat free.  We started making them with oat flour due to my son’s allergies to wheat and rice.  They are a nice alternative to our Wheat Free Blueberry Scones when we have less time in the morning.  The kids and I LOVE baked goods in the morning for breakfast and these also make great snacks.  These muffins don’t have a ton of sugar, so I don’t feel bad covering them with my optional lemon glaze.  Lemon and blueberries scream summer to me.

Ingredients:

• 2 c Oat Flour
• 1c quick oats
• 1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 c blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/3 c sugar
• 6 Tbsp melted butter
• 1/3 c Greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 c milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp salt

Combine the dry ingredients (oat flour, oats, baking powder, sugar, and salt).  Toss in blueberries.  Add melted butter.  In a separate small bowl, combine the milk, yogurt, and egg.  Add to the dry mix and butter.  Don’t over mix; simply stir until all of the ingredients are combined.

Grease muffin tins or place liners into muffin pans.  Fill muffin tins.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until tops are golden brown. This recipe makes 1 dozen muffins.  Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing.  The muffins are delicate.

Optional Lemon Glaze

• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 c powdered sugar

Stir the lemon juice and sugar until they form a smooth glaze.

Carefully dip the tops of the muffins into the glaze.  Serve warm and enjoy.

Texan Shepherd’s Pie

I am a Louisiana girl who lived in Texas for a big chunk of her adult life.  The first Texas dish I had was a stuffed BBQ potato.  The flight attendants on our flight to secure housing were  talking about how they had to get a potato before their next flight. One person thought they wouldn’t have enough time, and another made it clear that leaving Houston without one was not an option!

Always interested in food and apparently not being shy, I had to know what they were talking about.  They couldn’t believe we had no clue.  How could it be that we had never had a huge potato stuffed with the BBQ meat of our choice and then loaded with all the traditional fixins’? Yes, I wrote fixins’. We had been missing something.

This recipe is a nod to those great potatoes.  The basic flavors are there, but it’s made in a casserole dish, so it makes it easy to feed a family of five and with leftovers no less!  Carrots were not a part of the stuffed potatoes, but I added them to this recipe in case we wanted a one dish meal.  We often eat it with a salad or other green, but if I’m lazy, I don’t feel bad because there are vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 medium potatoes
• 1 lb ground chuck or turkey (It also works well with leftover shredded beef or pork)
• 6 Tbsp butter
• salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
• 1/4- 3/4 c chicken broth
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 5-6 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 8 oz shredded cheddar jack cheese
• 1 bulb green onion, sliced
• 1- 18oz bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce

Peel and dice the potatoes.  Boil over medium high heat until tender.  Drain and set aside.  While the potatoes are boiling, brown the ground meat in  a large pan.  Add the chopped onions and carrots to the ground meat.  Add a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots are tender.

Add the butter and chicken stock to the drained potatoes and start to mash.  Add the chicken broth 1/4 c at a time.  You want the potatoes to be smooth, but thick enough to hold up the meat.  Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.  Add barbecue sauce to the cooked meat and carrots.  Stir to combine and remove from heat.  Now it’s time to assemble.

Layer the dish starting with the mashed potatoes.  Add a layer of the meat mixture and then top with cheese.  Repeat the layers a second time. Top the last layer of cheese with crumbled bacon and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

I have a little one that cannot eat cheese, so I either fill one casserole dish with one half with cheese and the other half without, or I make her a separate dish.  I’ve even made her a dish with soy cheese.

Garnish with the sliced green onion.  If you want an extra creamy tang, top with a dollop of sour cream or plain greek yogurt.  Stuffed potato taste in a casserole!  Enjoy… then take a walk.  😉