Spiced Green Tomato Cupcakes

With the onslaught of darkness and cold, most of us gardeners out there have likely spent the last few weeks turning our gardens from summer wonderlands of bountiful fruit into leaf-covered, compost piles that will yield happy soil come spring. Picking the last of the green tomatoes is always a favorite time of year for me as I use the opportunity to come up with spiffy new recipes for using them up. No wasting around here!

This time around I decided to make a batch of cupcakes with my green tomatoes. Using two recipes as a starting point, I eeked out a delicious cupcake akin to carrot cake. To top things off, I opted for a low-fat cream cheese frosting which made the cupcakes outstanding.

Hands down, these babies have been the most popular baked good I've made all year. As with most of the tasty recipes, I had to gift away as many cupcakes as possible to prevent devouring them all. I think I stopped myself after I had consumed six cupcakes in a row...

Now, I highly encourage all of you to grab those last few green tomatoes laying around the house or yard and make a batch of these for the upcoming holiday. As you sit there, licking your sticky fingers, smiling at the delicious goodness of these cupcakes...you can thank me. Enjoy! 

Spiced Green Tomato Cupcakes 
Inspired by: Spiced Green Tomato Cake 

• 2 1/2 cups pureed green tomatoes
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Puree the green tomatoes in a food processor. Blend until smooth.

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

Cream together butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes in a mixing bowl, until well incorporated. Add eggs and beat until creamy. Next add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix. Finally, add the pureed tomato mixture and mix.

Sift together flour, spices, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a separate bowl. Then add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, followed by the raisins and walnuts.

Pour the batter evenly into the cupcake pan, using 2/3 of a cookie scooper often works well.

Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to completely cool before frosting.


Low Fat Cream Cheese Frosting
Inspired by: Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe 

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 
• 1 8-oz package of low fat cream cheese, room temperature 
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

Add the vanilla extract and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness and thickness.

Either spread on with a blunt knife or spatula, or spoon into a piping bag to decorate each cupcake. Refrigerate any leftover frosting for up to 4 days. It tastes especially delicious eaten by the spoon. 

Quinoa Salad & More Hiking

Hiking is keeping me going this gray, rainy winter season. Seriously, the blues would have likely taken me long ago if not for these hikes. If you haven't spent at least an hour outdoors in the past week, I urge you to do so... like now. Go. Get off the computer.

We did the South Willamette Trail this week, and while not as awesome as last week's Larison Trail, it was still great. More like a cloud rain forest, with the misty woods and showers passing over.

And now on to the food! A week or two ago I made a long-time favorite and staple - Quinoa Salad.  Great for vegetarians and vegans, provides lots of protein, and it is always a wonderful summer dish addition.

The recipe is super simple, and can be modified in a lot of ways. Enjoy!

Quinoa Salad

• 1/4 cup red onion, diced 
• 1 1/2 cup quinoa, cooked and cooled (I make mine with vegetable stock and/or Braggs for flavor)
• 1-2 tomatoes, seeded and diced 
• 1/4 cup cilantro or italian parsley 
• 1 cucumber, seeded and diced 
• juice of 1 lime 
• 3-4 tbsp lite vinaigrette dressing
• splash of peanut oil
• splash of rice wine vinegar

Cook the quinoa as directed, and remember you can change the flavor of the quinoa by using vegetable stock, Braggs, or something flavorful. Set aside and let cool.

In a large bowl, add tomatoes, cilantro, and cucumbers together with the cooked quinoa. Toss until well incorporated. If you wish to add herbs, now is the time to do so.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, vinaigrette dressing, peanut oil, and rice wine vinegar. Add to the quinoa and toss until everything is well coated. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or let it sit in the fridge for a few hours for fuller flavor.

Variations include using medetarrian cheeses and vegetables, tweaking the dressing for flavor preference, or making the flavors more asian inspired.