Calling All Test Kitchens!
As most of you know, I am not a big food person. But, I am a master when it comes to quick-breads (muffins, cookies, etc). And, I recently invented a new muffin recipe, but I think it needs a little bit of tweaking, so I'm inviting all of you to try it out.
It's based on tzatziki, which is a Greek dip/spread/condiment. If you're familiar with tzatziki, and know how it's supposed to taste, this will probably be easiest for you. If not, no big deal, you're still welcome to try it and give your input. ^_^
A warning: this is not a sweet breakfast-pastry type of muffin. It's a savory muffin, better suited to a dinner accompaniment or an afternoon snack. So don't go in expecting it to be sweet.
Kim's Tzatziki Kekakis
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 6 oz. cup plain Greek yogurt (or other unflavored yogurt)*
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup cucumber, shredded/grated/finely chopped**, seeds removed.
1 clove or 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon dill
*Originally, I wanted this to be 8 ounces of yogurt, but apparently around here, it only comes in either 6 oz cups or quarts of the stuff. Hence the 1/4 cup milk. You could also use cream or half-and-half instead of milk, but either way, get a full 8 ounces of dairy in there.
**Cucumber is evil and messy to work with. Basically, avoid any big chunks of the stuff--by the time I got done it looked more like cucumber soup, but do try to drain it if you can. Otherwise, it gets too much moisture and you'll need to extend your baking time.
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) Sift together first four ingredients.
3) Add egg, yogurt, milk, oil and juice and stir until blended. (This may be tough to do, especially with Greek yogurt because of the thickness--it'll be better once the cucumber is in.)
4) Fold in cucumber, garlic and dill.
5) Fill lined muffin tin with batter.
6) Bake approximately 20-30 minutes, or until muffins begin to brown on top. (This will partly depend on how well you've drained the cucumber. If your cucumber is pretty well-drained and nearly dry, twenty minutes should do. I didn't drain it at all, and was closer to the 30-minute mark.)
Makes 1 dozen.
The first batch of taste-testers overall thought they were pretty tasty, but this was also about 24 hours after the muffins were actually baked, so that might have made a difference. I had the first one fresh from the pan after 20 minutes of baking, and it was way too moist and a little bland, so I baked them almost an extra ten minutes and they were much better the next day.
Now, if you do want something sweet, I also have a dip recipe that I made to accompany coconut shrimp. To be honest, it was literally "toss stuff into a bowl and mix it up," so my proportions may not be exact, but you're also welcome to give it a shot:
Kim's Coconut Shrimp Dip
2 parts crushed pineapple (you may also substitute your favorite flavor of preserves if you don't want to open a whole can for just a little bit of sauce--I've used orange marmalade and had it come out just fine)
1 part light corn syrup
2 parts half-and-half
1 part coconut flakes
Mix together and enjoy!
When I make this, 1 part is about equal to 1 spoonful, and that's usually enough for about eight shrimp or so.
Anyway, enjoy the recipes, and let me know how they turn out for you!
It's based on tzatziki, which is a Greek dip/spread/condiment. If you're familiar with tzatziki, and know how it's supposed to taste, this will probably be easiest for you. If not, no big deal, you're still welcome to try it and give your input. ^_^
A warning: this is not a sweet breakfast-pastry type of muffin. It's a savory muffin, better suited to a dinner accompaniment or an afternoon snack. So don't go in expecting it to be sweet.
Kim's Tzatziki Kekakis
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 6 oz. cup plain Greek yogurt (or other unflavored yogurt)*
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup cucumber, shredded/grated/finely chopped**, seeds removed.
1 clove or 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon dill
*Originally, I wanted this to be 8 ounces of yogurt, but apparently around here, it only comes in either 6 oz cups or quarts of the stuff. Hence the 1/4 cup milk. You could also use cream or half-and-half instead of milk, but either way, get a full 8 ounces of dairy in there.
**Cucumber is evil and messy to work with. Basically, avoid any big chunks of the stuff--by the time I got done it looked more like cucumber soup, but do try to drain it if you can. Otherwise, it gets too much moisture and you'll need to extend your baking time.
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) Sift together first four ingredients.
3) Add egg, yogurt, milk, oil and juice and stir until blended. (This may be tough to do, especially with Greek yogurt because of the thickness--it'll be better once the cucumber is in.)
4) Fold in cucumber, garlic and dill.
5) Fill lined muffin tin with batter.
6) Bake approximately 20-30 minutes, or until muffins begin to brown on top. (This will partly depend on how well you've drained the cucumber. If your cucumber is pretty well-drained and nearly dry, twenty minutes should do. I didn't drain it at all, and was closer to the 30-minute mark.)
Makes 1 dozen.
The first batch of taste-testers overall thought they were pretty tasty, but this was also about 24 hours after the muffins were actually baked, so that might have made a difference. I had the first one fresh from the pan after 20 minutes of baking, and it was way too moist and a little bland, so I baked them almost an extra ten minutes and they were much better the next day.
Now, if you do want something sweet, I also have a dip recipe that I made to accompany coconut shrimp. To be honest, it was literally "toss stuff into a bowl and mix it up," so my proportions may not be exact, but you're also welcome to give it a shot:
Kim's Coconut Shrimp Dip
2 parts crushed pineapple (you may also substitute your favorite flavor of preserves if you don't want to open a whole can for just a little bit of sauce--I've used orange marmalade and had it come out just fine)
1 part light corn syrup
2 parts half-and-half
1 part coconut flakes
Mix together and enjoy!
When I make this, 1 part is about equal to 1 spoonful, and that's usually enough for about eight shrimp or so.
Anyway, enjoy the recipes, and let me know how they turn out for you!