tomato soup insanity

I made some beauteous spice muffins today.

Normal baking ingredients:

Bizarre baking ingredient:

Okay but let me explain.

Are people familiar with tomato soup cake? It was a stalwart of the Great Depression- things like butter and milk and eggs were in short supply, so people used condensed tomato soup to make baked goods. Then of course they became attached to their thrifty ingredient and the goods it produced and now it’s a classic.

Well, I didn’t have tomato soup but I did have V8! It’s been driving me crazy taking up space in my fridge. I somewhat feel guilty using it because I think it’s the only vegetable intake my little sister gets, ever (unless, as I have been lately, I make her lunch before driving her to work and make sure to sneak something plant-y in) but she’s been ignoring it.

So. I invented this beauty.

V8 Muffins

1 1/2 cups (12 fluid ounces) V8, original or low sodium, as I used
1 flax egg (1 T flax, 3 T water, stirred together and let sit)
2 T vegetable oil
2 T molasses
1/2 cup sweetener (I used NuNaturals NuStevia Baking mix, which they sent me to sample)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

In a small saucepan, bring V8 to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes (juice should be reduced to 1 1/4 cups). Set aside and let cool.

Combine wet ingredients (“egg” through molasses) and stir thoroughly. Add dry ingredients (stevia through cinnamon) and stir in.

Fold in pecans until just combined.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Let cool and enjoy!

I had my doubts about this recipe but started to get excited once the batter came together and it looked, smelled, and tasted (no raw egg, no fear of salmonella!) amazing.

   

Be forewarned, this recipe will leave your house smelling like a Christmas ham from the cloves.

I let my little muffins cool…

Then grabbed myself one…

Opened ‘im up…

 

And WOW IT WAS REALLY REALLY GOOD!

I am absolutely ASTONISHED at the amazing velvety moist light and fluffy texture the V8 gave! Obviously it gave moisture but I’m wondering, too, if the acid in the tomato also didn’t have tenderizing effects (I know that can happen with buttermilk).

As for the flavor, there was nothing remotely “healthy tasting” about it. It was a spice muffin! I could’ve been eating a traditional gingerbread muffin with scads of melted butter and not known the difference.

Huge success. Go me!

Amusingly enough, I had already consumed both tomato soup and muffin earlier today. Apparently I cannot get enough.

Lunch:

The last of the carrot-applesauce muffins, more of the gazpacho…

And my faaaaaaaavorite lunch component, the last of my latest round of the farmer’s market local Greek yogurt (<3<3<3<3) with fresh apricot on top oh blissssssss.

In Greek, apricot is an exceptionally beautiful word: βερύκοκκο (pronounced verIcoco). I love Greek food words. And Greek curse words, but that’s a different blog.