This morning I felt so good.  I did my 30 min. run on the treadmill.  My chest and bicep workout went great with weights even though my shoulder is still painful from my fall yesterday.  I decided to take Shane on a run.  We ended up doing over 4 miles on this gorgeous Monday morning.  Calm, cool, and clear road.  Total miles today:  7.68.

The rest of the week in exercise:  

What does your week in exercise look like?

As promised, the Vegan version of a deliciously healthy grain muffin.  This muffin is sweet.

In my recipe, I use  Turbinado sugar. 

 Turbinado sugar differs from refined white sugar in that it is obtained or crystallized from the initial pressing of sugar cane.

Turbinado sugar has a slight molasses flavor.  The reason some people believe it is “healthier” than granulated or table sugar is because it is processed slightly less. However, sugar is sugar and no matter which one you choose, it should be moderated in the diet.

The other point to mention about these muffins is that they don’t contain eggs.  I used Hulled Hemp Seed to substitute for the egg protein.  If you don’t like the “seediness” of the hemp seed, you can substitute ground flaxseed.  I’ll tell you about healthy Hemp seed tomorrow in another Vegan recipe.

Blue Cornmeal Whole Wheat Spice Muffins:  Makes 12 Large muffins and 12 Standard muffins

• 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Blue cornmeal
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups Turbinado sugar
• 4 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2/3 cup 100% canned pumpkin
• 3 TBS apple cider vinegar
• 1 TBS vanilla extract
• 3 TBS Bob’s Red Mill Hulled Hemp Seed mixed with 1/3 cup warm water

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line muffin tins with paper or foil muffin/cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients from the cornmeal through the nutmeg.  In another bowl, mix all the ingredients from the water through the hemp seed *add both the hemp and the water to the lemon/pumpkin mix. 

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Stir together ONLY until incorporated.  Distribute the batter among the muffin tins and bake from 20 – 25 minutes.  Do not over bake.  If you are unsure of your ovens temperature accuracy, check after 15 minutes.  If the middle of the muffin is springy (not sticky), the muffin is done. Check with a knife to make sure it comes out clean.

For a simple glaze:  Mix powdered sugar (about 1/2 cup) + water (about 1 TBS) to desired consistency. 

Some time ago, the folks at Bob’s Red Mill were kind enough to send a number of samples of various healthy products.  One of these was Blue Cornmeal.  Tonight’s recipe features this unique product.

A bit about the Blue Meal….

The blue corn is a variety of “flint” corn, also called “Hopi Corn”.  It is a dark bluish to red color and when ground for meal or flours it retains a blue color.  It is grown mainly in the Southwestern part of the United States, hence “Hopi Corn”.  For the Hopi Indians, this type of corn has spiritual significance:  Rising Sun. Beginning of Life. Wisdom. Understanding.  It is slightly courser in texture, not harvested in the quantities of other corn varieties due to some harvesting problems it may cause, therefore producing a lower yield.  It has a unique nutty flavor.

Maybe you are familiar with it because of Blue Corn Tortilla Chips?  The blue corn is also used to make hominy which is used for tamales or pozole.

Blue Corn Crepes with Cajun Shrimp

The ingredients for tonight’s recipe, which will serve 2, are as follows:

The Crepes:

• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2/3 cup soy milk
• 1/2 TBS olive oil – for cooking
• 1/3 cup blue cornmeal
• 2 Tbs flour
• 1/2 tsp sugar

The Filling:

• 1/2 lb fresh shrimp
• 1 /2 TBS Cajun Seasoning
• 1 TBS melted Smart Balance (or butter)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 TBS soft cheese (such as Goat cheese, or ricotta, or cream cheese)
• 1/4 cup diced tomatoes seasoned with salt and pepper.
• 1 TBS yogurt

To prepare the crepes:  Whisk the egg, sugar and milk into the cornmeal and flour. Cover and let stand 30 – 45 minutes.

Lightly oil a non stick pan and place on medium high heat.  Pour two tablespoons of crepe batter onto pan, keeping them thin. Cook until edges are slightly brown (1 – 2 minute). Flip and cook other side, 1/2 a minute. They are delicate due to thinness and the cornmeal as opposed to cornFLOUR.

To prepare the filling:  Peel and devein shrimp.  Season with the cajun seasoning.  Heat the smart balance in a saucepan on medium and when hot, add shrimp.  Let cook 1 minute. Add the wine. Let cook 2 more minutes. Add the tomatoes, cheese and the yogurt. Stir to mix and melt.  Let simmer 5 minutes or until heated and shrimp are cooked. Taste sauce and add salt if necessary.

To serve:

Place the crepe on a plate, add about 2 shrimp inside crepe, roll up and turn so fold is underneath (so it won’t unwrap).  Continue with rest of crepes. Reserve some shrimp and sauce to put on top of filled crepe.  Makes 2 servings.

Our crepes were served with Cajun spiced oven roasted zucchini logs.

That’s all for tonight.  Everyone out there, take care and enjoy the evening.