Can we utter, “comfort food” and “healthful,” in the same breath?
Well, not if comfort food means cans of sweetened condensed milk or oceans of gravy on mounds of biscuits.
However, as fall in the northern hemisphere brings on images of pots of soups and – for me – yet another iteration on gluten-free muffin mix – then yes, there are tons of healthful benefits to be had in comfort food.
When I had enough energy to throw some ingredients into a soup pot while recovering from Covid, there were anti-inflammatories and healing elements galore. I ramped up a recipe gleaned from Facebook that reminded me of ones I had used before.
Thanks to my friend, Rox, I had all the ingredients after she picked up my online order from the local grocery store!
Not only did I use the bag of peas, but I threw in a bag of frozen, mixed vegetables as well.
Having some leftover cornbread on hand, I placed a square of it in the center of the bowl and ladled the steaming soup on top.
Even with our diminished sense of taste, this was very yummy.
On to my never-ending quest for the perfect no-hassle, gluten-free muffin mix enhancement.
This could be the ONE!
Using my favorite mix – King Arthur Brand Gluten-Free Muffin Mix – I filled the 1 1/2 cup add-in option to include:
1 banana – mashed
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1 cup gluten-free oatmeal – maybe 1/2 cup more
Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
*And my six muffins also contained chopped prunes – yum!
My sweetheart refuses to entertain prunes in any disguise, so his six were without.
These extra ingredients resulted in 12 generous muffins, plus a small 3” x 3” muffin cake.
What a joy it is to simply heat up a moist, fiber-filled muffin for breakfast and some healing soup for lunch or dinner when you need to take it easy, feel comforted, and still know you are getting some healing nutrition on board.
In health –
Deidre
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