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I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas Vegan Muffins

4/25/2020

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Does anyone remember that silly song, I like to eat apples and bananas?” Creating these muffins brought me back to those fun lyrics, and truly made me miss my students even more! I always sing this song for my 1st graders around this time of the year, and now with the distance learning taking place, I am really truly missing seeing their faces light up when we do fun silly songs such as this one. Anyway, back to the world of food. These VEGAN muffins are stuffed with plant based goodness and are easy to make and a fun breakfast treat you can enjoy throughout the week. I also snuck in some protein  with the addition of the oat flour, which, if you haven’t tried making oat flour before, is VERY easy. You simply add whole oats to a blender and blend until it looks like flour!  I use oat flour in pancakes too, so I always make a bunch and store it in a large airtight container for easy use! I hope you enjoy these muffins! If you make them tag us on social media! 
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​Ingredients (makes 12 muffins)
1 flax egg (1T ground flax + 1.5T water) - you can also use 1 chicken egg if not vegan

2 overripe bananas mashed 
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup avocado oil 
½ tsp vanilla
2T unsweetened plain almond milk (or any other non dairy milk) 
½ cup oat flour (oats ground up in high speed blender into flour)
​1
 cup all purpose flour
1+1/2 tsp baking powder
1tsp cinnamon
1 heaping cup of peeled green apples diced very small 
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Directions (updated 05/05/20)
  1. In a medium sized bowl make your flax egg by combining 1T of ground flaxseed with 1.5 T of water. Stir and let it sit until the mixture resembles an egg. 
  2. While you are waiting for the flax egg, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a non-stick muffin pan with a little bit of non-stick oil.
  3. Add the mashed banana, brown sugar, avocado oil, vanilla and almond milk to the flax egg mixture and stir to combine.
  4. In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients: oat flour, all purpose flour, baking powder and cinnamon and whisk to combine.
  5. Pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and gently stir to incorporate. Do not over mix. 
  6. Gently fold in the apple pieces
  7. Scoop the batter into muffin tins and fill to the top. You should have enough batter for 11-12 muffins. 
  8. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Test after 20 with a toothpick inserted into the center. If it comes out clean then the muffins are done. 
  9. Let the muffins sit for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.  
  10. Store uneaten muffins on the counter in an air-tight container for 2-3 days. After than transfer to the fridge. 
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Red wine Marinara Sauce

4/18/2020

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For those of you who don’t know, I come from an amazing and rather large extended Italian family. My great grandma, Nana, and grandma, whom we call Mima, along with my mom and all of her five brothers are amazing cooks! When I was growing up we used to gather at Mima and Papa’s house for weekly Sunday dinners where we almost always had pasta. I loved Spaghetti dinners so much and these dinners have always been some of my favorite childhood memories.  Before I left for college many years ago, I asked my Mima to show me how to make her marinara sauce. She told me that fennel was the KEY to the tanginess, and that red wine really added depth of flavor. I hope you enjoy this simple Red Wine Marinara sauce that is even BETTER the next day and therefore perfect for your Make Ahead of Monday needs! Bon Appetit!
Ingredients

½ yellow onion chopped 
2 cloves of garlic minced
1T olive oil
4 - 16oz cans of organic tomato sauce
2 tsp crushed fennel seed (or more for taste)
2 - 3 T of dry red wine
2 tsp dried basil or 4 tsp chopped fresh basil
Dash of salt

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Directions

  1. Heat medium saucepan on medium high heat
  2. Add olive oil, onion and garlic and saute until fragrant and translucent making sure not to brown or burn
  3. Slightly reduce heat and add cans of tomato sauce, crushed fennel, red wine, basil and a dash of salt.
  4. Stir to incorporate, cover and simmer for 20 minutes on low. 
  5. Adjust seasoning as needed. 
  6. Use right away or let sauce cool and add to a freezer safe container. Sauce can be refrigerated to use later in the week or can be frozen for up to 5 months. ​
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Roasted rosemary vegetables

4/11/2020

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Growing up I used to dislike vegetable sides at dinner. I think during most of the 90’s people were eating vegetables out of a can and they lacked flavor, crunch and pazazz. Fast forward to Easter a few years ago when I was asked to bring a veggie side dish. Ugh.  So I decided to try something new. I knew that I liked roasted vegetables such as potatoes and carrots and onions, but I wanted them to have more warmth and flavor so I decided to open the spice cabinet and smell all of the spices until I decided on rosemary. This was one of the first recipes I created and I loved how it turned out. Since then I have eaten it as a side, or have even made it my main with the addition of pesto and a cut up veggie sausage.  These roasted veggies are perfect for a healthy side dish with lunch or dinner, they last a week in the fridge and can be enjoyed throughout the week! 

Ingredients

5 red potatoes peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
4 large carrots peeled and diced into coins
½ red onion sliced into ½ inch slices
Olive oil
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2T chopped fresh rosemary or use 1T of chopped dried rosemary 
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Directions 3-4 servings

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
  2. Add the veggies to a roasting pan or cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil and add salt, pepper and rosemary. Toss to coat
  3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until veggies are fork tender. Toss halfway through.
  4. Let veggies cool before storing in an airtight glass container for all of your make ahead needs! ​
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Mexican Tofu Scramble

4/4/2020

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When my husband and I first decided to go vegan, one of the first breakfast recipes we sought was something that resembled eggs. We tried several tofu based recipes that we liked and then decided to add some Mexican flavors!  What we came up with was one of our favorites and one that CAN be made ahead and enjoyed for days in a variety of ways. We hope you enjoy this Mexican Tofu Scramble this week for breakfast!! 

Ingredients (make 4-5 servings)

2 tsp nutritional yeast
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp smoked paprika
⅛ tsp black pepper
2 T water
1 T olive oil
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 block of extra firm tofu pressed to release moisture
2-3 T taco seasoning
Salt to taste
2 T chopped cilantro

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Directions

  1. Mix the nutritional yeast, turmeric, smoked paprika, black pepper and water in a small bowl until incorporated. Set to the side. 
  2. Heat a large skillet on medium high and add the olive oil
  3. Once the pan is hot add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Do not let it burn or brown.
  4. Crumble the tofu with your hands and add to the skillet. The texture should resemble eggs. Stir to incorporate and saute for about one minute.
  5. Add the seasoning mixture from before and stir to coat the tofu. 
  6. Add the taco seasonings, adding more or less for taste preferences. 
  7. Saute for about 3-4 minutes 
  8. Add salt to taste along with the chopped cilantro. 
  9. Serve in a breakfast burrito or in a burrito bowl with salsa, sliced avocado and chopped kale.
  10. This scramble lasts for 5 days in the fridge, reheats in the microwave (or can be eaten cold) and is perfect for easy make ahead breakfasts!
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    Author

    I am a music teacher, professional musician and a vegetarian. I created this site with the mission to share recipes that make life a little more organized, and enjoyable!  ​

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