Last weekend we volunteered at the Texas Craft Brewers’ Festival. We had a really nice time meeting brewers from all over the state, sampling some of the the unique beers on offer, and of course serving craft brews to the good people of Texas. In honor of another fantastic festival we wanted to post a delicious but healthy beer-related treat that will help get the rest of our week off to a good start.

Recently, we brewed a porter and used the spent grains to make some spent grain flour. This flour is a great high-fiber substitute for bran and a wonderful way to use the grains that are left over from brewing. These muffins use the spent grain flour with carrots, nuts, and other nutrient-dense foods to make a muffin that will help you get fueled for whatever fun you have planned for the day ahead.

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 cups spent grain flour
• 1 1/2 cups garbanzo flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pound carrots, grated
• 1 cup unsweetened grated coconut
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

1. In a medium bowl, combine almond milk, vegetable oil, applesauce, molasses, brown sugar, and flax. Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl combine spent grain flour, garbanzo flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Fold in carrots, coconut, raisins, and nuts.
4. Pour batter into greased muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
5. Allow to cool then store in a sealed container at room temperature for a few days or refrigerated for up to a week.

This recipe is inspired by the hash served by the excellent Broder in Portland.  If you have some kind of fancy dicing tool, I highly recommend using it because dicing all those root veggies by hand is quite a task!

Root Vegetable Hash with Sauteed Greens

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pound potatoes,  1/8-inch diced
• 1/2 pound mixed other root vegetables (celery root, beet, rutabaga, and/or turnip), peeled and 1/8-inch diced
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped
• 1 cup dandelion greens, shredded
• 1 cup dino kale, shredded
• 1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
• 5  tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup pickled beets, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1.  In a large soup pot, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add diced root vegetables and onions and saute uncovered. Stir occasionally until vegetables are caramelized and tender, about 30 minutes. Add sage, remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  If you don’t have a large enough pot, feel free to do the hash in smaller batches, then reheat after all the batches are cooked.
2. White the hash is cooking, heat remaining olive oil in a wok or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add shredded dandelion greens, kale, and cabbage.  Stir continuously until the greens reduce in volume by 2/3 and are tender, about 5 minutes. Finish with apple cider vinegar, remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
3. When the hash is finished, serve topped with greens and pickled beets.

This beet bread has a fantastic color and is great for dessert or a sweet breakfast.

Beet Bread (Photo by Gabriel Hasser)

Ingredients

• 2-3 red beets
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup turbinado sugar
• 2 portions egg replacer (such as Ener-G)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup raisins
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. First, boil beets until fork soft.  Run the cooked beets under cold water so you can peel them by hand, then grate until you have about 2 cups of grated beets.
2. In a large bowl, combine oil, sugar, and egg replacer.  Once combined, stir in vanilla, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
3. Add flour and mix until the flour is completely incorporated.  Fold grated beets, pecans, and raisins.
4. Thoroughly coat a loaf pan with cooking spray, then pour in batter.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Mini Allspice Dram Cakes with Mayfair Icing

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten-free flour, divided
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 2 teaspoons Allspice Dram, divided
• 3 tablespoons non-margarine butter substitute
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup light coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preparation

1. Combine 1/2 cup of gluten-free flour, brown sugar, chopped pecans, and 1 teaspoon Allspice Dram in a medium bowl. Cut non-margarine butter substitute into the mixture and set aside.
2. Combine coconut milk and vinegar in small bowl and let stand for 5 minutes.
3. Combine remaining flour, white sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Add the vegetable oil, remaining Allspice Dram, and coconut milk mixture.
4. Coat the cups of a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. put one table spoon of topping in the bottom of each cup. Top with 1/2 cup of cake batter.  Bake for 20-30 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until they pass the toothpick test.
5. Turn the cakes out on to a rack to cool.

Note: For a little extra kick, drizzle the cakes with Mayfair Icing.

Two of our favorite vendors at the Barton Creek Farmers’ Market (other than Johnson’s Backyard Garden, of course) are Dad’s Granola and Rinkon Farm’s Preserves. This recipe combines their marvelous products into one delicious recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 cups (1 package) your favorite type of Dad’s Granola, divided
• 1/2 cup dry unsweetened coconut
• 2 tablespoons ground flax
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup egg replacer
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup garbanzo flour
• 1 jar (11 ounces) of your favorite Rinkon Flume Creek Preserves
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preparation

1. Combine 3 cups granola, coconut, flax, salt, egg replacer, sugar, oil, almond milk, and flour in a large bowl. 
2. Transfer the granola mixture to a greased rectangular baking sheet and press into an even layer.
3. Spread the jam evenly over the layer of granola. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of granola evenly over the jam and spray lightly with a vegetable oil-based cooking spray.
4. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
5. Cut granola squares with a sharp knife and allow to cool before serving.

Molletes – a hearty breakfast!

The first time we had molletes I thought that our hostess was being creative on behalf of the vegetarians, but it turns out that this is an easy, tasty breakfast common around central Mexico. We have had them made with traditional bolillo bread which we can get hot and fresh at our local Hispanic supermarket, Fiesta. Bolillo are a lot like french bread rolls so I would recommend a hearty and crusty bread if you cannot find bolillos locally.

Ingredients

• 2 bolillos, halved (or four thick slices of french bread)
• 2 cups refried beans
• 1/2 cup fresh cheese or grated Monterrey jack (optional)

Preparation

1. Spread the refried beans evenly among the four slices of bread and top with the cheese. 
2. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the cheese is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
3. Serve hot with guacamole, pico de gallo, or a salsa of your choice.

Chilaquiles with Salsa Verde

Chilaquiles are a traditional Mexican breakfast that use leftover or stale corn tortillas. There are hundreds of different ways to make chilaquiles in as many different sauces –  our recipe cuts down on some of the oil that may typically be used and boosts the flavor with a fresh, tangy salsa verde.

Ingredients

• 1 pound tomatillos, husked, washed, and halved
• 2 key limes, juiced
• 1 dozen stale corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground cumin
• 1/2 jalapeno, diced
• 1/8 cup cilantro, chopped
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. To make the sauce, place the halved tomatillos on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until the skin of the tomatillos is starts to brown, about 20 minutes. Scrape the entire contents of the baking sheet including any juices into a blender and puree with the lime juice. Season with salt to taste then set this salsa verde aside.
2. In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Saute the tortilla pieces, stirring constantly, until they begin to crisp, about two minutes. Add onion, cumin, and jalapeno to the fried tortillas and continue to saute until the onions are tender, about three minutes.
3. Stir the salsa verde and cilantro into the saute and bring to a simmer.
4. Serve immediately with avocado slices, refried beans, additional salsa, or a sprinkle of cheese.

Black Bean Muffins

Sweetened bean dishes are unusual in Western cuisine but they are quite popular in Asia. We had some black bean pudding left over after making frejol colado and this little experiment is what happened. Turned out pretty well!

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked black beans
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/2 cup raw sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preparation

1. Combine beans, almond milk, vegetable oil, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and eggs in a blender. Blend until thoroughly combined and the beans have been pureed.
2. Pour black bean mixture into a large bowl and stir in sugar, salt, salt, cloves, cinnamon, flour, and coconut.
3. Scoop batter into muffin cups and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
4. If you’d like, top with an icing of your choice.  We made this simple icing, but flavored it with ground cloves: http://www.thekitchn.com/simple-solutions-how-to-make-a-94001

If you need extra protein this is a good way to go.

Ingredients

Preparation

1. In a large bowl combine oats, soy flour, flax seed, blueberries, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and milk alternative. The resulting dough should be similar to oatmeal cookie dough.

2. Spread the mixture evenly in a greased baking dish and score the dough into 12 similarly sized bars.

3. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before storing in an airtight container.

Nutrition Information

12 servings

234 calories per serving

13.5 grams of protein

36 grams of carbohydrates

5 grams of fat

This recipe is our vegan adaptation of a BBQed Egg.

Grilled Bell Pepper with Tofu Scramble (Gabriel Hasser)

Ingredients

• 1 block tofu, drained, pressed, and sliced into small cubes
• 2 green onion, sliced
• 2 cups spinach, washed and chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 rounded tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 large red bell peppers, washed, halved, and seeded
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Preparation