Lemon Cranberry Muffins

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/3 cup canola oil
1 large egg
3 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal, preferably medium or fine stone-ground
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen (thawed), coarsely chopped (see Tip)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.

Whisk 1/2 cup sugar, yogurt, oil, egg, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla in a medium bowl.

Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the yogurt mixture and fold until almost blended. Gently fold in cranberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and remaining l teaspoon lemon zest in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the tops of the muffins.

Bake the muffins until golden brown and they spring back lightly to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Tips & Notes
Make Ahead Tip: Individually wrap in plastic and freeze in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. To reheat frozen muffins, remove plastic, wrap muffin in a paper towel and microwave on High for 30 to 60 seconds.

Tip: To make quick work of chopping cranberries, place whole berries in a food processor and pulse a few times until the berries are coarsely chopped

Nutrition Per muffin: 187 calories; 7 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono); 18 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrates; 10 g added sugars; 4 g protein; 3 g fiber; 255 mg sodium; 96 mg potassium.

Orange Kissed Caramel Corn

Makes 6 servings

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
salt
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 quarts popped popcorn


Melt butter in large saucepan; stir in sugar, honey and salt. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; boil without stirring about three minutes to 265°F. Remove from heat; stir in orange peel and soda. Place popcorn in large oven-safe bowl; slowly pour syrup over popcorn while stirring. Turn onto greased 15-1/4x10-1/4x1/4-inch baking pan. Bake at 250°F for 45 minutes; stir every 15 minutes. Cool. Break into serving-sized pieces. Store in airtight container. Makes three quarts (six servings of two cups each).

Chopping Fresh Herbs

A great tip from The Kitchn:

Ashley, Paule's kitchen assistant, took a moment to demonstrate this ultra-simple tip. It's so easy I wondered why I had never thought of it! (Classic sign of a good tip, right?)

She put a handful of tarragon leaves in a tall glass, then used kitchen shears to snip the leaves until they were minced fine. The glass held the leaves compressed in a small space, so it was easy to cut them up. The sharp scissors also did a much better job of cutting the herbs finely than a rougher knife would have.

It was quick, easy, and no-mess. All the herbs went straight from the jar into the poultry we were stuffing. Simple!

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I tried this with fresh rosemary and it worked amazingly well. Woo-hoo!

Cornbread Chili Casserole

prep time: 15 min
total time: 50 min

1 pkg (8.5oz) cornbread mix
2 eggs
1 can whole kernal corn with red and green peppers, drained
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 can (15 oz) lean Beef and Bean chili
1 cup chredded reduced fat cheddar jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Stir together cornbread mix, eggs, corn and sour cream in a large bowl. Spread in the bottom of the prepared pan. Spoon the chili evenly over the top of the cornbread mixture, staying within 1/2" of the sides. Sprinkle with the cheese.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until bubbly and starting to brown.

The original recipe claims 8 servings, but we usually get about 6 out of it.

To make ahead, prepare to just before baking. Cover and refrigerate up to one day. Bake as directed.

Hilary's Granola

from The Wholesome Junk Food Cookbook by Laura Trice
Yield: 6 cups

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds (use a variety of nuts/seeds, combining to 2c)
2 tsp sea salt
2/3 cup honey (can substitute maple syrup)
1/2 cup oil (olive, canola, whatever)

Preheat oven to 325. Grease shallow 14 x 11 inch pan. Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately and then mix well. Spoon into prepared pan, firmly patting the mixture to the edges. Bake for 30 minutes, turning the pan and stirring every 10 minutes or until golden brown.

{notes} When I made this, I added a tsp each of vanilla and cinnamon to the honey/oil mixture. I also added 1.5-2 cups of dried fruit (cherries, currants and cranberries) Super yummy!