Friday, December 11, 2009

like a squirrel

Rainy/snowy gross day+ paper I don’t want to do= insatiable need to bake!

The inspiration?

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Seeds! I bought these huge unhusked sunflower seeds without really paying attention and apparently you are supposed to husk ‘em with your teeth and spit out the shells and have a super duper fun snacking experience.

Like a squirrel.

That does not sound fun to me x_x

So I set up a little “shell station” (yeah thanks I’ll be here all week) to get the shells off those little suckers and get them in useful form.

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This took FOREVS. DON’T DO THIS. BUY PRE-HULLED SEEDS.

Once I had ‘em all shell-less and soft, I tried to grind them up in my blender. Unfortunately, as you can see by the first picture, the bag yielded up a scant half cup of hulled seeds. So I supplemented with the other seeds I have on hand:

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Pepitas, courtesy of the butternut squash I’ve been eating like a fiend!

Grindey grindey and then put through a strainer to get rid of the softer pepita husks yielded this:

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Which was about the texture of FLAXSEED MEAL and I used as the inspiration for my MUFFIN RECIPE!

I know, such a saga.

Squirrel Muffins

1/2 c ground sunflower seeds (I have to believe flaxseed meal, almond meal, etc. would work just as well!)

3/4 c whole wheat flour

1/4 c turbinado sugar

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t baking powder

sprinkling of cinnamon

1 egg

2 T Oikos

2 T milk

1 T canola oil

1/2 smallish banana, mashed

1/4 c water

Preheat oven to 350*.

Toss together dry ingredients (ground seeds through cinnamon). Combine wet ingredients. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add wet, and stir to combine.

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Scoop into a greased muffin tin (makes 6 muffins)

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Bake for 25 minutes, til they look all browned and gorgey!

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Check out the CRUMB:

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The sunflower seed flavor was rockin’. They could’ve been a little moister and more flavorful. I’m thinking next time APPLESAUCE! Apple flava, get a little more aggressive with some cinnamon, a little moister. Bam.

7 comments:

Food Makes Fun Fuel said...

That's a really good idea for sunflower seeds. But yeah, no, definitely wouldn't shell them myself haha

Genesis said...

you and i are a kindred soul, we bake to avoid homework. i have a paper due in about 13 hrs and i have a few more pages left but i am putting it off like the plague!

Anonymous said...

wow, I'm pooped just thinking about shelling all of those sunflower seeds! The muffins look incredible though!

Anonymous said...

Mmm yummy muffins.

Taylor

Anonymous said...

omg! i did the same thign with pumpkin seeds during thanksgiving! damn! that took a long time! how did you shell it? i shelled using a watermelon seed sheller.

Olga said...

omg, sometimes when I eat sunflower seeds, I set up little stations too: I thought I was the only one :)

Unplanned Cooking said...

I am so laughing.. that must have taken forever to shell them!