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dani california cooks

homegrown and homemade in CA

Blueberry Zucchini Muffins

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Let me just say that these muffins are one of my best recipes yet and I can’t wait to make another batch this week - they were gone so fast. These are a twist on the classic blueberry muffin, being gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, with the bonus of vegetables and healthy fats!

Blueberry2 What to do when you’re gifted three quarts of hand-picked blueberries, carefully brought as carry-on luggage all the way from Virginia? Well…bake a pie first of all. But secondly, bake muffins of course! Blueberry Zucchini Muffins | danicaliforniacooks.com Since I’ve been incorporating more carbohydrates and healthy fats into my diet, I feel like I’ve had a whole new world of recipes open up to me. I used to only have one snack in the afternoon - usually a protein bar or an apple with nut butter - but now that I’m eating snacks throughout the day I’ve been excited about all of the opportunities to try and make and EAT new snack recipes. Blueberry Zucchini Muffins | danicaliforniacooks.com Where have I been these last several years, just eating sad protein bars as a snack? My previous eating habits baffle me sometimes. It’s like the same feeling as reading my diaries from middle school - “I hope Jeremy invites me to his bar mitzvah and we slow dance!” *palm in face* Blueberry Zucchini Muffins | danicaliforniacooks.com I’m really glad to be moving in a more normal direction with my relationship with food. As for still being like my 13-year-old self…well let’s just say that no one is seeing those journals except for me Blueberry Zucchini Muffins | danicaliforniacooks.com You should really see my Pinterest boards - the only thing I’ve been pinning recently have been muffins and bars and snack balls and healthy brownies and cookies and all of this stuff that I used to think was “off limits” but now I can happily incorporate into my day-to-day. You can probably expect to see lots of recipes like that around here in the future, starting with this gem of a muffin recipe! Blueberry Zucchini Muffins | danicaliforniacooks.com

These muffins were gone in a flash. I think I’m going to make them again this weekend. There’s something magical about the mix of almond and oat flours. The flavors are nutty and complex, but the texture is not too dense or anything. And there’s nothing better than fresh blueberries in every bite.

I hope you have a great weekend, and enjoy the food you love with the people who you love to be with!

5.0 from 1 reviews
Blueberry Zucchini Muffins
 
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Your classic blueberry muffin - but with a gluten free, vegetable twist! Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen.
Author:
Serves: 9
Ingredients
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 1 cup almond meal/flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil, softened
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 zucchini, grated
  • Sprinkling of rolled oats, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
  2. In a large bowl, mix the flours, salt, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon
  3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg with the maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla extract
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and add the zucchini
  5. Fold in the walnuts and the blueberries
  6. In lined muffin tin (or unlined but sprayed with oil) spoon til about ¾ of the way to the top
  7. Sprinkle rolled oats and lightly press into the muffins to stick to the top (optional)
  8. Bake for 20-25 minutes
  9. Remove, and enjoy!
  10. Store in the fridge
If you like this, you’ll love: Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Muffins

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Muffins | danicaliforniacooks.com

Cornmeal Almond Raspberry Bars (gluten free, dairy free)

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These naturally gluten free treats have an awesomely unique flavor due to the mix of almond flours and cornmeal. There are fresh raspberries studded in every bite!

corn92

So I arrived home after my business trip to Harrisburg all out of sorts - it was 6pm PST/9pm EST, and I hadn’t had dinner yet so I was SO HANGRY and I grabbed dinner on my way home and wolfed it sitting at our breakfast bar. And then I was like, “oh, should I unpack, or take a shower?” No, I decided to VACUUM AND BAKE. Because those are my priorities. And then I met Nate and some friends out for rum drinks at Smuggler’s Cove. Well…at least I woke up to these beauties sitting on my counter in the morning. I’m sure all of you food bloggers can relate to the fact that sometimes when an idea strikes for a recipe, you just need to go for it…and hold off on that shower.

corny9

I love experimenting with naturally gluten free flours. I’m all for using the one-for-one gluten free blends, with their mix of rice flours and tapioca starches, but I’d rather get the whole grain and whole foods goodness from other flours. Oat flour is one of my favorites - I love it’s hearty flavor and texture. Almond meal is another one of my favorite substitutes, but it is very dense and caloric. So I often combine almond meal with another flour, and that’s when I thought about joining its forces with cornmeal! A couple of years ago, when I found out that corn was actually a whole grain, it was one of those foodie facts that blew my mind. I guess I just always assumed it was part of the squash category.

corn2

This recipe is quick enough to whip up right when you land from a plane, but pretty and delicious enough to serve at a party. I took a whole case of raspberries and delicately placed them in between layers of this batter. Oh - and you can’t forget almond extract. I LOVE almond extract! The only way to accurately describe it is that it completely elevates a basic baked good into something that people go “what exactly is that?” Well, it’s just a teaspoon of almond extract, friends.

cofrn

Anyways, I’m pumped to have these in my fridge over the weekend for a dessert or a more hefty snack. I may have one this afternoon served with a spoonful of vanilla greek yogurt on top - now that sounds tasty! I’m glad I had the wherewithal to bake these and write down the ingredients so I can share them with you, despite my travel crazed behavior.

corn921

5.0 from 1 reviews
Cornmeal Almond Raspberry Bars (gluten free, dairy free)
 
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These naturally gluten free treats have an awesomely unique flavor due to the mix of almond flours and cornmeal. There are fresh raspberries studded in every bite!
Author:
Serves: 16
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup cornmeal
  • ½ cup almond flour
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup almond milk
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1 cup fresh raspberries
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
  2. Mix all ingredients but the raspberries together in a medium mixing bowl
  3. Line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper, or grease it well
  4. Pour ¾ of the batter into the bottom of the pan
  5. Cover the batter with a row of fresh raspberries
  6. Pour the rest of the batter over the row of raspberries - it's ok if it does not fully cover the row of raspberries! The batter will puff up around it and it's beautiful to have some raspberries poking through
  7. Bake for 25 minutes
  8. Remove from pan and let cool
  9. Cut into bars
  10. Store in the fridge!

If you like these, you’ll love: Red, White, and Blondies

Red, White, and Blondies | danicaliforniacooks.com

Paleo Peach & Ginger Muffins

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These nutty, spicy, and slightly sweet muffins use flax meal and almond flour as their base. Fresh peaches and ginger add bright flavor and color! It’s healthy baking using summer’s finest.

muffin3 Everyone has one or two great stories of childhood summers and eating wayyy too much ripe fruit and (usually) loving every minute. My dad, to this day, refuses to eat watermelon because once he ate an.entire.watermelon. I have visions of my childhood where Mom picked up the juiciest fruits from the farmer’s market in late summer and you could only eat the peaches either standing over a sink or at the beach, and then dive right into the ocean afterwards you were so covered with sticky sweetness. Or when I studied abroad in Panama in high school and we peeled and ate this local tropical fruit next to the dirt soccer field and all came down with some mysterious illness. Or when our plum tree decided to overproduce like crazy and we had to fend off the squirrels from eating our beloved homegrown fruit! muffin4 Well sometimes we prefer to eat our summer fruit in a little more civilized of fashions - or it’s just so, so ripe the only thing to do is bake! I thought that my soon-to-be-overripe peaches would be the perfect thing to experiment with some paleo muffins since they are so naturally sweet and juicy, there wouldn’t be a need for much added sugar at all. These are a great grab-and-go breakfast or snack while you’re sailing. Packed full with healthy and filling almond and flax flours, mixed with some spicy ginger (great for digestion!) and ripe peaches and topped off with some crunchy pecans - it’s a winning summer combo that won’t leave you using a whole roll of paper towels to clean your entire face off.
muffin The peach and ginger flavors are a classic, spicy/sweet combo that’s just adult enough to feel like you’re enjoying a sophisticated treat but the fact that each muffin is so chock full of roasted peaches bring back serious summer memories. I used a significant amount of ginger and cinnamon because I love it, but feel free to use a bit less if you’re less interested int the spice. If you want these to be overflowing with peachy goodness, you could easily add in another diced peach. I think topping them off with pecans adds the perfect amount of crunch and prettiness (important!!), but you could certainly leave it out if you don’t have a quarter cup of pecans lying around. Last but not least - don’t forget to store in the fridge!

muffin5 Hope you enjoy these as much as we did. I can’t wait to experiment with all of the fruit my CSA box is going to bring me this summer!

5.0 from 2 reviews
Paleo Peach & Ginger Muffins
 
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These nutty, spicy, and slightly sweet muffins use flax meal and almond flour as their base. Fresh peaches and ginger add bright flavor and color!
Author:
Serves: 10 muffins
Ingredients
  • 1¾ cup almond flour
  • ¼ cup flax seed meal
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup almond milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil, softened
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 fresh peaches, diced
  • Optional: ¼ cup chopped pecans, for topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Whisk all ingredients (but peaches) together thoroughly
  3. Fold in peaches
  4. In a lined or greased muffin tin, spoon in mixture until a little more than ¾ of the way full
  5. If topping with the crushed pecans, sprinkle evenly over the muffins and press lightly into batter
  6. Bake for about 250 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean
  7. Allow to cool before eating - they will be soft!
  8. Store in the refridgerator

If you like these, you’ll love: Green Eggs (no ham) Muffins

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Chewy Multigrain Chocolate Protein Bars

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Make your own portable protein bars using six ingredients - coming in at 195 calories, 12g of protein, and only 3g of sugar each, and no food processor required!

In the first couple of months that I traveled weekly for work after I graduated college, my nutrition was all out of whack. I remember there were some days that I woke up early to work out but not enough time for breakfast so I scarfed down a protein bar on the way to the client site, and then didn’t have time to pick up a real food dinner on my flight home so there was another overly processed protein bar for dinner - sometimes two. Gosh, that grosses me out just to write about it! Nowadays, I am MUCH more prepared and have learned how to eat healthy on the road. I recapped a travel day’s daily eats yesterday to prove it.

Chewy Multigrain Chocolate Protein Bars | danicaliforniacooks.com My early morning Monday flights used to leave me in a conundrum for what I would do for breakfast. Sometimes I would hold off until I landed on my layover to grab some eggs in the airport, just to grow crazy hungry and drinking terrible plane coffee on an empty stomach. It would affect my energy all day. Nowadays, I am so much more prepared and I always arrive on my first flight Monday morning with a healthy, homemade, portable breakfast. Developing breakfast foods that don’t need to be heated or cooked (so no scrambled eggs) and is compliant with TSA liquid standards (no yogurt or smoothies) have been a fun task for this food blogger!

Chewy Multigrain Chocolate Protein Bars | danicaliforniacooks.com So, finally introducing these awesome protein bars. Made with only six ingredients - oats, quinoa, protein powder, peanut butter, eggs, and almond milk - they travel beautifully, have a great chewy texture, and couldn’t be a better combo of healthy fats, whole grains, and protein to get your day started off right. And I can attest to their staying power - I ate one of these on Monday with a banana and some blueberries, and it held me over until I was able to grab lunch at 2pm!

Chewy Multigrain Chocolate Protein Bars | danicaliforniacooks.com I find that a lot of homemade protein bars or energy bars either fall apart in your bag when not kept in the fridge, or are held together with a bunch of brown rice syrup or honey. There’s none of any of that going on here. While Nate thought they weren’t sweet enough, and as I raced out the door to catch my Uber, he yelled after me that he was going to nuke one of these and then “cover it in maple syrup”. But I thought they were just sweet enough! You certainly don’t want something too sweet to trigger a sweet tooth craving too early in the day, especially if yours is extra sensitive like me.

Chewy Multigrain Chocolate Protein Bars | danicaliforniacooks.com These protein bars require no food processor, and just one bowl and a baking dish. You probably have all of these ingredients on-hand already - I know I did. No rushing to the grocery store because you forgot the green onion - not for these babies! I’m looking forward to sharing more of my homemade, travel eats with you on the blog over the next couple of months. Whether you’re on a road trip or an international flight, these protein bars are a fantastic option to have around!

6-Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars
 
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Make your own portable protein bars using six ingredients - coming in at 195 calories. 12g of protein, and 3g sugar each - no food processor required! Gluten free too.
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 cup rolled oats, uncooked
  • ½ cup quinoa, cooked
  • ½ cup chocolate protein powder
  • ⅓ cup peanut butter, room temperature
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • Dash of salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F
  2. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
  3. In a greased baking dish, pour in the batter evenly
  4. Bake for 20 minutes
  5. Let cool, and cut into bars
  6. Wrap individually in plastic wrap for easy grab-and-go!
  7. Store in the fridge
Notes
I used a 6-cup baking dish, but double the recipe if using a 9x13!
Nutrition Information
Calories: 195 Fat: 10g Sugar: 3g Protein: 12g

If you like this, you’ll love: Coconut Almond Energy Bars

Coconut Almond Energy Bars | danicaliforniacooks.com

Goat Cheese Deviled Eggs

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Swap mayo for goat cheese for a fun twist on the classic deviled egg. Perfect for healthy game day snacking!

Goat Cheese Deviled Eggs | danicaliforniacooks.com Things I care about: food. Things I that give me the zzzz’s: sports. Things I care about: entertaining and getting family and friends together. You see where I’m going with this? Dare I say it? Eeek…things that give me the zzzz’s: the Superbowl.

So now that you’ve gotten to know me a little better, it’s quite obvious that the food/party aspect of Game Day is my favorite part. (And the halftime show, of course). It’s been a running joke on a lot of my project teams at how inept I am at even talking about sports - I think one time I asked when “tee off” was at a baseball game. Still not sure why that wasn’t the right language. However, I love any reason to cook for people and the Superbowl is an awesome time for appetizer taste testers. Insert, these goat cheese deviled eggs! They are the perfect healthy game day snack, and a fun take on the classic that everyone will be surprised by and enjoy. Goat Cheese Deviled Eggs | danicaliforniacooks.com Deviled eggs are kind of like that song in high school that no one likes to admit they rock out to in their car but everyone loves. Does anyone like to admit that they love deviled eggs? Original recipes have great flavors and textures, and they are really easy to make. My twist on deviled eggs definitely elevates them from the classic recipe, and the goat cheese adds the perfect amount of tangy-ness and is essentially the substitute for any mayo. I know, I know - mayo-less deviled eggs?! I’m not scoffing at your tried-and-true recipe by any means - I’m just saying, give these a try. You won’t be disappointed, neither will your guests, and it will certainly distract you from all that football going on in the background.

Goat Cheese Deviled Eggs | danicaliforniacooks.com You can easily scoop the goat cheese mixture directly into the white halves, but it’s more fun to put it in a plastic bag, cut off the corner, and swirl it into the eggs for a little extra decoration and presentation value. Similar technique that bakers use for icing, I believe. Top with smoked paprika, chopped chives, and they are good to serve! Another great thing about these is that you can easily make ahead and have them stored in your fridge for when the game starts (or when you get bored at min 5 and need something to do, i.e. eat). To be perfectly honest with y’all, I made these on a Saturday afternoon and ate them for a Sunday morning breakfast. So that’s another option.

Goat Cheese Deviled Eggs | danicaliforniacooks.com

All of separate parts of this recipe can be made in the morning and assembled right before “tee off”!

Goat Cheese Deviled Eggs
 
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Swap mayo for goat cheese to make these new twist on the deviled egg.
Author:
Serves: 8 deviled eggs
Ingredients
  • 4 hardboiled eggs (12 minutes)
  • 2 tbsp soft goat cheese
  • 1 tbsp warm water
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp chives, chopped
  • Paprika
Instructions
  1. Peel your hardboiled eggs and cut them in half, lengthwise
  2. Take out the yokes while keeping the white halves in tact
  3. Mix the goat cheese, warm water, and 3 of the yolks in a small mixing bowl until whipped
  4. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired
  5. Spoon mixture into a ziplock bag, and cut off the corner to leave a 1 cm hole
  6. Squeeze mixture into each individual egg, filling the hole of the egg left by the yoke and some swirly decorations on top
  7. Sprinkle paprika and chives
  8. Serve!
Notes
You can easily double or triple this recipe for larger groups!

This appetizer will store well for several days in your refrigerator.
Goat Cheese Deviled Eggs | danicaliforniacooks.com

Garlic White Bean Spread

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White beans, garlic, fresh herbs and olive oil are brought together for a (vegan and gluten-free) protein-packed spread inspired by Chef Chloe. Could not be more versatile, and perfect for Awards season and game day party snacks!
Garlic White Bean Dip | danicaliforniacooks.com So..I apologize. I realize that this week I have posted two recipes that pretty much look the same - this and my go-to Mashed Crockpot Cauliflower. We can now call this blog the food blog of white mushy foods. Lots of laughs, especially since I just went on a rant about how we all need to “eat the rainbow” last week. But anyways, I promise that I am eating plenty of colors (lots of brown, you know, dark chocolate) and that both of these recipes were so good, so healthy, and so VERSATILE that I needed to share.

Moving on. I have discovered the food processor and WOW WHERE HAVE I BEEN?! That thing is a frickin miracle!! I cannot wait to make my own hummus, energy bites, etc from now on. I think I’ve just been intimidated by the multiple blades and the thing that sticks up but I was determined to make this dip and I knew a food processor was the only way. Anyways, the inspiration for the recipe is based heavily off of Chef Chloe’s white bean puree that goes on her pretty amazing vegan pizza. My most recent of roommates (not including my parents…lol) Paige, whipped up that pizza for her birthday last year and it was a major hit. Check us out at Paige’s birthday all dressed up last year. Great catching up with her this past weekend too!

1393760_10152023453627277_1345961396_n And as we were making the puree which acts like the marinara sauce for this pizza, we both thought it would make an amazing dip! And when I made it again - it was so easy. I wasn’t paying attention when Paige made the similar puree that night because I was too busy glamming it up in the mirror with my vampy dark lipstick (see photo above). Anyways, I officially feel like I have conquered this food appliance. Next up is the broiler (it even sounds scary). Anyways, back to the spread. It’s just a few simple and fresh ingredients.

Garlic White Bean Dip | danicaliforniacooks.com

I love that the food processor just blends these pretty basic ingredients into an extremely interesting and flavorful dip. All you need are some rinsed ccanned white beans, some cloves of garlic (still working through my Paradox Farms garlic!) some thyme, and some good olive oil. Pulse to perfection. Add in some salt, pepper, and red chili flakes to add depth to the dip. Pulse some more. Add more of all of the above based on your taste preferences!

Garlic White Bean Dip | danicaliforniacooks.com The thing that I am most excited about this dip thinking about its versatility. I am looking forward to serving it before dinner as an appetizer with crust bread. I’m looking forward to serving it at game day or at parties with some carrots, celery and whole wheat crackers. I’m looking forward to spreading it on toast and topping with tons of veggies for an awesome open-faced sandwich. It is high in protein and healthy fats, and will make a great snack or addition to a vegetarian meal. I’m already picturing this at my Academy Awards viewing party, or maybe bringing it to a Superbowl soiree? Garlic White Bean Dip | danicaliforniacooks.com

And it’s also oh-so-cute. It will store in your fridge for about a week, but I’m guessing that it won’t last that long. Besides the excitement about all of the options that I have to use with this dip, I can’t wait to put together more recipes for you all using this handy dandy appliance.

Garlic White Bean Spread
 
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Only a few ingredients are needed to make this flavorful white bean spread - perfect for parties, game day, or as a protein-packed sandwich addition. It's vegan, gluten free, and based of Chef Chloe's puree recipe!
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 can white kidney beans, rinsed
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp thyme leaves, off the stem
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried chili red chili flakes
  • Crusty bread, baby carrots or whole wheat crackers to serve!
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in a food processor
  2. Pulse until puree consistency
  3. Garnish with additional thyme in your serving bowl
  4. Lay out with whole wheat crackers, crusty bread, or baby carrots!
Notes
This would also be fantastic as a hummus substitute on a veggie-packed sandwich!
Garlic White Bean Dip | danicaliforniacooks.com