Muffin Tin Monday: Birds and Nests, recipes

This week's Muffin Tin theme was BIRDS & NESTS. To see more bird/nest meals, visit Muffin Tin Mom.

NEST: lettuce drizzled with olive oil and salt, grated carrots, and grape "eggs"
NEST: shredded wheat nest and cream cheese "eggs" (I used Tofutti soy cream cheese.)



Directions for NEST (this is close to the recipe I used - I sort of guessed and added to taste):

Crumbled 3 Barbara's Bakery brand shredded wheat biscuits in a bowl

Added 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes AND 1 1/2 TBS. brown sugar

Stirred in between 1/4-1/2 cup melted Earth Balance (margarine)...just poured it in until it seemed moistened just enough

Pressed the mixture into muffin cup and baked at 350 for about 8 minutes (or until just starting to brown and get crispy).

This was my favorite part - they were SO tasty, and I loved the way they came out of the pan all formed. (These that I took out of the pan I let sit for a bit because if you take them out too soon they will fall apart.) I'm going to make them again sometime - fill them with pudding or fruit, etc. mini fruit kebobs because...well, fruit just seems spring-y...on a "nest' of almonds and walnuts

TWIGS

In food processor, finely grind 1/2 cup plain cashews and 1/2 cup walnuts. I also added 2 TBS. ground flax seed. I added 3/4 cup dates, about 1 TBS cocoa powder, and a little squirt of agave nectar.

(This mixture does not have to be cooked; we usually just eat it raw at this point...Dash made me leave him some raw to eat. It actually tastes better that way, but I wanted the sticks to stand up so I baked them.)

I put them in the oven at about 250 until they were just starting to feel baked then let them sit on the pan until they were firm before I tried to remove them.

I had to make several refills on the kebobs.

It was a hit.