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Watermelon, Feta, and Blueberry Bites

June 27, 2017

Watermelon and feta are an unlikely pair, aren’t they? That juicy, sweet fruit with rich and salty feta. When you top them with a drizzle of tangy balsamic, it almost becomes the perfect bite of food!

I added a handful of blueberries to my balsamic reduction and to the top of the feta to really amp up the blue, making these little bites perfect for 4th of July!

HOW I MADE IT

I started by making the blueberry balsamic reduction. You could use a plain balsamic reduction (or buy a bottle of balsamic glaze from the grocery store) if you don’t feel like making thw blueberry variety.

But it’s actually pretty easy to make. I put some blueberries, balsamic, and agave (you could use honey, I just couldn’t find mine) in a sauce pan and then let it simmer until it had reduced by half. And viola! Blueberry balsamic reduction that you can impress your friends with. Just remember to say “blueberry balsamic reduction” in the snootiest way possible. 

For the watermelon part, of course you could just cut out cube, but where’s the fun in that? I had my star cookie cutter already out from making pie last week so I decided to make star shaped watermelon. Very patriotic!

Now comes the easy part! I stacked a cube of feta on top of the watermelon and skewered them with a toothpick and blueberry.

Then just drizzled on the balsamic reduction. 

Now these cuties are ready to be devoured! I have a feeling they will go quickly at any 4th of July party or Summer backyard barbecue! They are refreshing and satisfying all in one bite!

[yumprint-recipe id=’113′]

/ Filed In: Appetizers, Eat, Other Savories New
Tagged: 4th of July, appetizer, blueberries, feta, Summer, watermelon

Blueberry Quinoa Muffins

February 8, 2017

A couple years ago I posted this recipe for blueberry quinoa muffins. Even back then when I could count my blog readers on one hand, the recipe took off on Pinterest. Even today, it’s one of my most saved Pins. Who would have thought?

I have gotten some feedback on the old recipe from a few people. But since I haven’t made the recipe in a while, I didn’t really feel I could offer much advice (or come to my own defense!). It was time to go back to the drawing boards and retry the recipe! 

A couple people mentioned that the original recipe resulted in soggy muffins. Who wants a wants a soggy muffin? Definitely not this girl, so clearly something had to change. The first thing I thing I did differently was blend half the quinoa into a flour to mix with the rest of the dry ingredients. 


I cooked the rest of the quinoa, just like in the original recipe, but this time I used milk! While this also helped reduce the sogginess, it also had another unintended consequence. A good consequence, I should add! You know that distinct nutty flavor quinoa has? Well the milk really helped tame that flavor a bit. And let’s be honest, no one is out there craving a muffin that tastes like quinoa. 


Other than these couple steps, I didn’t change a whole lot else about the recipe. I mixed the quinoa flour with whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, sugar, and baking powder. To that I mixed in all the wet ingredients – the remaining milk, apple sauce, eggs, and coconut oil – until it formed a thick batter. That’s when I folded in the cooked quinoa. 


Now these blueberry quinoa muffins wouldn’t be blueberry quinoa muffins without blueberries. Actually, they don’t have to be blueberry muffins. They can be any berry you want, or no berry at all. But I wanted to go with the classic blueberry! So I mixed the clean blueberries into the batter until they were evenly dispersed throughout. I would recommend, however, that you toss the berries in a bit of flour before mixing in (unlike me). This will help prevent the berries from sinking to the bottom of your muffins. 

After a quick bake, these muffins were ready to be scrounged up. You might think from the photo above that I artistically arranged the muffin tin so that I could highlight both the blueberries and the quinoa. Nope. I just had some muffin tins to fill after eating a couple muffins before I could remember to take pictures. 

Self control has never been my strength. 

I am definitely a fan of the quinoa muffin recipe 2.0. The texture is much more like a traditional muffin – light, airy, and slightly moist. The quinoa flavor isn’t as distinct, which I think would turn a lot of people off to this recipe. But it is still super healthy!

There is much less sugar in this recipe compared to my traditional muffin recipes. Also, the quinoa adds some extra protein, which makes it a great, well-rounded breakfast!

I would love to hear from anyone who made the original recipe and how you think this recipe compares! Let me know which one you like better! I certainly know which recipe I would vote for!

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:125]

/ Filed In: Breakfast, Eat, Other Sweets New
Tagged: blueberries, breakfast, healthy, muffins, quinoa

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Hey There!

Hey there, I'm Lindsey. I'm a number cruncher by day and a home cook and baker by night. While I love to eat healthy and find fresh and healthy alternatives for my favorite foods, I will never turn down dessert! Life is all about moderation, right?

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