Muffins–a variation

We wanted blueberry muffins this morning. I had a “Forest Berry” or something mix of dark berries in the freezer, so we used those. My original muffin recipe is here. I had to change things up a little.

• 1 1/2 Cups whole wheat flour 2 Cups
• 1 1/2 Cup raw sugar 3/4 Cup honey
• 1 Cup old fashioned oats
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt (Real Salt ®)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 Cups applesauce (no sugar added)
• 3/4 Cup melted butter 3/4 Cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 Cups frozen (or fresh) berries – I soaked mine in some warm water and then strained them.

These came out delicious. Because I was using a liquid sweetener I figured I would need to increase the dry ingredients to compensate. I used the eggs as written instead of substituting flax + water (as noted in the original recipe) to give the muffins more substance.

Those big berries were so sweet and wonderful. It was a terrific way to spend my Sunday morning. Yum!

No pictures. They were too good.

Baked Oatmeal

Adapted from the recipe found here.

Baked Oatmeal has a soft, chewy consistency, similar to a fluffy oatmeal cookie.  Recipe has been adjusted to add in more beneficial fats and reduce sugar.  Our kids love this.  Next time I make this I will try to prep it the night before with a little vinegar to soak.  You can substitute quite a lot in here and could even grind some flax seed to sprinkle on top after it has been baked. 

This version of baked oatmeal comes out more like a breakfast cake.  It’s fluffy with a great consistency.  Oh!  And this is a gluten-free and potentially dairy-free  recipe.  (I used olive oil today.)  I’d be interested to see how it comes out with leaving out the eggs.

• 1/2 Cup very warm water
• 1/2 Cup demerera sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 Cup unsweetened, finely shredded coconut
• 1/2 Cup butter (melted)/coconut oil/olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 3/4 Cup raisins or other un-sweetened dried fruit

Mix ingredients in order, pour into 9x9 baking dish and bake for 50-60 minutes.  Middle should spring back when touched to indicate that it is done.  Serve hot with warmed milk on top, or plain. 

Cream of Chicken Soup

• 2 Cups homemade chicken stock
• 2 Cups cream or whole milk
• 2 Tablespoons white flour
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves (~1 teaspoon) roasted garlic
• 2 Cups finely chopped chicken
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Real salt

1. Make a white sauce of milk or cream, flour, and butter. Add chicken. Add salt, pepper, and garlic (may use more or less as desired). Mix well and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat.

2. If soup is not as thick as desired, mix a small amount of cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) with a small amount of water and add to soup. Simmer for 10 minutes.

A new mouth to feed

Little brother got here on Labor Day. 

I’ll be back in the swing of things soon, but I thought I’d share that I found a local source for Organic Soft White Wheat, Raw Sugar, and Redmond Real Salt in bulk – PCC Natural Market.  There’s one in Kirkland, not too far from me.  If you check around major cities in your area, you can find bulk suppliers too.  I’ll site some online sources soon.

For your viewing pleasure:

Fresh Apricot Crisp

Sorry if I’m a little late on this, but we had a box of apricots a couple of weeks ago.  They were fantastic in this:

(Original recipe found here.)

• 1/2  cup  butter
• 1/2  cup  ww flour
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/2  teaspoon  ginger
• 1/2  teaspoon  nutmeg
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground cloves
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/3  cup  raw sugar
• 2/3  cup  old-fashioned oats
• 1/3  cup  golden raisins (optional)
• 1/3  cup  chopped pecans (or other nuts you like)
• 5  cups  pitted and halved fresh apricots
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
• 1/4  cup  raw sugar OR a little less of agave or honey

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease an 8- by 8-in. baking pan with cold butter (because it’s easier that way). Melt butter and let cool. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and sugar. Stir in oats, raisins (if using), and pecans, then stir in melted butter.

2. Toss apricots with lemon juice and sugar and spread in baking pan. Squeeze topping into shaggy chunks and scatter over apricots. Bake until bubbling, 40 to 50 minutes; cool at least 30 minutes, and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Oozy goodness required.  Mmm…

Banana Coconut Almond Bread / Muffins

(Original recipe found here.)

• 2 2/3 Cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (or allspice)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 Tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 Cups raw sugar
• 2 large eggs (or 2 Tablespoons ground flax seed & 6 Tablespoons water)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 Cup canned unsweetened coconut milk (or sour milk)
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 cups)
• 1 Cup shredded coconut (I use unsweetened)
• 3/4 Cup coarsely chopped almonds (I substitute almond meal or almond pulp.)

Preheat oven to 350*. 

If you are mixing this by hand, mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl, mix the butter, sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla and almond extract in another, mix together, add everything else.

I use a stand mixer:  Mix butter, sugar, eggs, milk and extracts until creamy, dump in everything else (I don’t even smash my bananas) and mix until it looks consistent. 

This makes 2 loaves or 24 muffins.  I’m a muffin fan.

Almond Milk

(Recipe source.)

(I thought that I had posted how to do this, but I couldn’t find it.)

• 1 Cup raw almonds

Cover by a few inches with water, soak overnight.  In the morning, rinse and drain the almonds.  They will be fat and a little squishy.  Put almonds in blender with:

• 3 Cups cold water

Puree until the almonds are very fine.  Strain the mixture through a very fine sieve or cheesecloth.  The solids (almond meal/ almond pulp) can be saved for later use in recipes.  The liquid is your almond milk.  Additionally, you can add:

• 3-5 soft pitted dates
• vanilla extract or scooped seeds from a vanilla bean

Blend well.  This last 3-5 days refrigerated.  Shake well before using.