5.13.2012

Gluten Free Almond Blueberry Muffin - (culinary exhibit of Tzu)

I am always in need of a good gluten/grain free breakfast that I can make ahead and eat through out the week.  These mini muffins is the perfect answer.   There is no additional sweetener too!

Before - I did not top off the muffin after adding the blueberries

After - Notice that the blueberries are on top of the muffin.  Next time I think I will top of the muffin to ensure all the blueberries juices are captured in muffins.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup almond butter
  • 2 small bananas (the riper the bananas, the sweeter and more pronounce the banana flavor)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • About 1 cup blueberries
Directions
  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Spray with cooking spray or grease mini muffin pan.
  2. Mix almond butter and bananas in a blender until pureed and smooth.
  3. Add the eggs, baking soda, and vinegar, and blend well.
  4. Place about 1 tablespoon of batter in each muffin cup. Top each one with about three blueberries. Divide the remaining batter between the muffin cups, about 1 tablespoon more on each.
  5. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
  6. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan to cool on a rack.

5.09.2012

Olfactory - (beauty exhibit of Tzu)

Inside Balboa Park in San Diego, there is a dedicated rose garden.  It is filled with various kinds of roses.  When you walk through the garden, there is no escaping the wonderful scent.  I've been searching for a perfume that would transport me back to that garden.  


I have tried many perfumes out there but they when they dried on my skin it was too musky, too much citrus, too much vanilla.  It wasn't until I tried Jo Malone's Red Rose Perfume that I found out I was looking for.  The scent dried perfectly.  No musky, citrus or vanilla under notes. Just pure rose.  I feel like I'm back in the park on a warm spring day.  






5.08.2012

Gluten Free Cinnamon Donut Muffin - (culinary exhibit of Tzu)


This is a somewhat paleo/primal friendly sweet treat!  You can even make a filled donut muffin by inserting dark chocolate, fruit, jams, and etc into the middle of the muffin. I used dark chocolate in the picture above.  By processing the almond flour in the blender, the texture of the muffin was lighter.  It not overly sweet so your blood sugar level will thank you!

[Ingredients] 
1 1/4 cup of almond flour 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon nutmeg 
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
3 eggs 
1/4 cup of coconut oil 
3 tablespoons honey 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

[Instructions]
Preheat oven to 350 F. 
Combine all dry ingredients into blender, blend until all dry ingredients are mixed through. 
Add all wet ingredients and blend until mixed thoroughly. 
Bake for 15 minutes. Do not over bake or it will dry out.
Yields: 16 of 24 ct muffin pan