Three Worth Keeping

As a food writer, I am always dealing with new recipes. Cooking an old favorite is a luxury; there are only so many hours in a week, and only so much that I can eat. But no matter what, I won’t forsake my three favorite recipes from 1994: chunky apple muffins, layered burrito casserole and blueberry-lemon bundt cake.

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Diced apples, rather than a lot of fat, make these muffins moist. They are as suitable for tea or dessert as for breakfast. Any extra muffins can be placed single-layer on a baking sheet after they have cooled and frozen. Once frozen solid, place in a plastic food bag, securely tied. Then pop this bag inside another plastic food bag (also securely tied) to keep out freezer odors. Thaw the muffins in the plastic food bag before reheating.

CHUNKY APPLE MUFFINS

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 large egg

2 large egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/3-inch dice to equal about 2 cups diced apples

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Use electric mixer to combine sugar and oil until smooth. Add buttermilk, egg, egg whites and vanilla to sugar mixture. Mix until smooth.

Put apples in small mixing bowl. Toss with 1/2 cup of flour.

Add remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt to mixer. Combine well. Stir apples into batter.

Spoon batter into 15 greased muffin tins or muffin tins lined with muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.

Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown and wood pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Serve warm.

Muffins can be reheated in microwave oven on MEDIUM power (50%) or at 300 degrees in oven until warm, about 10 minutes. Makes 15 medium muffins.

Each muffin contains about:

133 calories; 115 mg sodium; 14 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.13 gram fiber.

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This delicious casserole is served rolled up in warm tortillas and garnished with dollops of salsa, guacamole, light sour cream and more Chihuahua cheese (if you dare). It’s really messy to eat but well worth it. If you keep frozen spinach very moist, you won’t have to cook 16 cups of fresh spinach leaves. This casserole can be set up a day in advance of serving and baked at the last minute.

BURRITO CASSEROLE WITH SPINACH, BLACK BEANS AND NEON RICE

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen leaf lettuce, thawed, do not squeeze dry

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

Water

Neon Rice

1 cup shredded Chihuahua or Monterey Jack cheese

4 large flour tortillas

Cilantro leaves

Light sour cream

Tomato salsa

Guacamole

In bowl toss beans with chili powder. Set aside.

Heat oil in 10-inch non-stick skillet over high heat. When hot, add garlic, spinach, salt, pepper to taste and 2 tablespoons water. Cook, stirring often, until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add more water to keep spinach moist. Use fork to fluff up.

Transfer 1/2 of spinach to bottom of 2-quart casserole. Layer Neon Rice on top, then beans, then remaining spinach and cheese. Bake at 375 degrees, covered, until sizzling, about 45 minutes.

To serve, sprinkle tortillas with hot water, wrap in foil and heat 10 to 12 minutes at 375 degrees. Garnish casserole with cilantro leaves. Place casserole on table, accompanied by tortillas, sour cream, salsa and Guacamole in separate serving dishes. Spoon casserole mixture onto tortillas, garnish as desired and roll up. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

764 calories; 1,135 mg sodium; 25 mg cholesterol; 29 grams fat; 101 grams carbohydrates; 29 grams protein; 5.21 grams fiber.

Neon Rice

1 tablespoon oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

3/4 cup long grain rice

3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 1/2 cups chicken broth, boiling hot

1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in 2-quart saucepan over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion, rice and turmeric. Cook, stirring often, until onion is tender. Add chicken broth and salt.

Mix well. Simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.

Guacamole

1 ripe medium avocado, peeled and seeded

1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon lime juice

1 tablespoon tomato salsa

2 teaspoons chopped cilantro

Dash salt

Dash cayenne

Mash avocado in small bowl with fork. Stir in garlic, lime juice, salsa, cilantro, salt and cayenne.

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This is one of those old-fashioned bundt cakes where one slice is never enough. Luckily, blueberries are available frozen; they do not need to be thawed before mixing into the batter. It just may take a little longer for the cake to bake.

BLUEBERRY-LEMON BUNDT CAKE

3 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

Zest 2 large lemons

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 1/2 cups blueberries

Tart Lemon Glaze

Sift 3 1/4 cups flour, baking soda and salt onto sheet of wax paper. Set aside.

Use mixer to cream butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add eggs and lemon extract. Beat until thick and smooth, 3 minutes. Add sifted flour and buttermilk. Mix well.

Toss blueberries with 3 tablespoons flour to coat. Stir into batter, using wooden spoon. Batter will be very thick.

Transfer batter to greased and floured 12-cup bundt cake pan. Bang pan on counter to settle batter. Smooth surface with spatula. Bake on center oven rack at 350 degrees until wood pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes.

Remove cake from oven and let cool on rack 10 minutes. Gently invert cake onto wire rack and remove pan. Set wire rack on baking sheet to catch glaze drippings. Brush warm cake with Tart Lemon Glaze, reapplying glaze as it drips onto baking sheet.

Let cake cool completely. Can be made day ahead. Store at room temperature, covered airtight. This cake does not freeze well. Makes 16 servings.

Each serving contains about:

266 calories; 210 mg sodium; 63 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.31 gram fiber.

Tart Lemon Glaze

Zest 1 lemon

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup butter, melted

Dash salt

Combine lemon zest and sugar in blender or food processor and process until zest is finely minced. Add lemon juice, butter and salt. Blend until smooth. Set aside at room temperature until ready to use. Makes 1/2 cup.