Strawberry mint muffins with apple.

So I love cooking for folks and rarely get to do it.  We had friends over and they brought a gorgeous plate of strawberries and mint.  From which I used to top the cherimoya pies but there was still bounty so from that I got the notion to toss together some more lovelies for the next day.  These are a wonderful treat.  The tiny mint leaves cooked throughout add the tiniest bit of class to this other wise tasty, but in a more regular way, muffins.  Cracking these open and having them with some warm fennel, rooibos and lemon balm tea is sinfully relaxing.

Preheat oven to 350

• 1 heaping Cup oat flour  (Rolled oats blended in a food processor do wonders in lieu of buying "specialized" flour which is the same thing)
• 1 shallow Cup Whole wheat flour
• A few small tender mint leaves cut chiffonade (Spearmint was used in this)
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• pinch salt
• 1 granny smith apple peeled, cored, diced
• 1 Cup strawberries washed and sliced well

Toss the fruit with the already soft blended dry ingredients.

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup loose light brown sugar

Beat the eggs, sugar, oil and applesauce together. Pour into the dry,  fold and blend everything gently until silky and scoopable.  Scoop into a muffin tin. Bake for 22 minutes.  This makes one dozen deliciously light muffins and the oat flour helps sustain you by being metabolized very slowly.  EXCELLENT for hiking, workout breakfasts, and for when you may miss a meal later. 

Potato pancake

These little guys are quite lovely and can be made tiny for fancy dinner or larger for house-ing among casual company.  You need a very warm skillet before you pour these in and they'll flip like a charm. If your pan is too cool then the cake heats up with the pan and then it melds itself to the cooking surface.  If you like you can oil your pan lightly.  I recommend safflower oil or grapeseed oil -- something suitable for high heat.  Olive oil when heating to the point of popping, smoking or stinking becomes riddled with nasty things that you don't want to feed the family with.

Batter:

• 3 eggs
• 1 small russet or yukon gold (you can halve a larger one and stuff the rest in the fridge)
• 2-4 TBSP olive oil
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
• 1 medium leek washed and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 red pepper diced or minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Pepper to taste

Chop potato and boil until tender.  Reserve a little water from boiling the potato, enough to mash the potato into it, and add your oil.  Blend until smooth.  In another bowl put flour, baking soda, veg, salt, pepper and egg and lightly whisk until combined.  Add the potato mixture once it is cooled to tepid and beat senseless until silky.  Heat pan and pour to size you wish.  Bubbles may appear like you see in breakfast pancakes, edges will dry a touch and you should without much effort get your flipper in there and flip.  I heat the oven to 150 just to keep the cakes warm until all are finished.

Horseradish sauce:
For this, the horseradish is a little acidic and acids plus protein makes the breakdown so I recommend making and eating this fresh and do not add citrus like so many recipes call for you'll feel better for it.

• 1 Cup whole milk Yogurt (I use Fage Whole Milk Greek Yogurt, and this will make A LOT for a family for 2 or fewer I recommend halving or quartering)
• 1 inch chunk of horseradish, cleaned and peeled then grated finely (be a little cautious because it makes you cry like watching a Paulie Shore film)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Blend all together and put into the fridge.  If horseradish is not your thing, you can make the dish both lovely and spicy by adding cayenne pepper, chili powder, or for a real kick, chipotle pepper, etc.  The pancakes are also great without any sauce at all.

I served these with sauteed spinach and applesauce on the side.  Maybe I'm crazy, but I LOVE horseradish sauce with applesauce.  It makes it seem more potent yet calms the heat.

I use Solana Gold Organic applesauce because it is JUST APPLES. The way applesauce is supposed to be.  (The link is meant to show you how it looks not to trick you into buying it. )