Gluten Free or Nearly Gluten Free Big Batch of Sourdough Pancakes

Previously on this blog I posted a recipe called "Transitional Sourdough Pancakes", which I had created as a compromise for my family when they didn't like the taste of completely sourdough pancakes.  However, I have a new favorite pancake recipe for our family, and no compromise is required!  In fact, these pancakes are so good I can eat them as is, without any syrup or adornments at all.  However, you may want to try them with homemade fruit syrup (see below) or buttermilk syrup.

This recipe makes a large batch: big enough for our family of 6.  Even if your family is not this large, I would suggest making a big batch of pancakes because once they are cool you can freeze them (put parchment paper between each one and put in an air tight container).  Then when someone needs a quick snack, or you find yourself running late one morning, you can just grab them, pop them in the toaster & in a minute you'll have pancakes!

If you have a gluten free sourdough starter going, then these will be completely gluten free.  If you're like me and keep a wheat sourdough starter then these will be "nearly" gluten free (sourdough breaks down some of the gluten in wheat).  This recipe started out as one from the Cooking Traditional Foods Menu Mailer website.  I modified it slightly, made it a much bigger batch, and arranged the ingredients and instructions so it was easier for me (and hopefully you too).

Tip:  the night before you make these pancakes you want to make sure you have enough sourdough starter for the next morning.  I normally only keep about 1 cup of starter going on my counter, so what I do is get another jar (see my reused peanut butter jars in the photo?), divide my existing starter between the two jars, and then add another cup of flour and water to each.  Be aware that with such a big feeding your starter is going to get really excited and will grow quite a bit beyond where it starts; allow enough space for it to nearly double its size during the night.  I put my jars in a small bowl just in case they overflow- because that's a mess I have experienced a few times & it's not fun!

Big Batch Sourdough Pancakes
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup tapioca, bean, or other gluten free flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

4 cups sourdough starter
4 eggs
4 tablespoons honey
1 cup milk (or milk substitute)

1.  Put your frying pan on low heat and melt the butter or coconut oil in there while you complete the rest of the recipe.  Once melted set aside in a measuring cup to cool slightly.
2.  In a large bowl whisk together the flours, baking soda, and salt; removing all lumps.
3.  Add remaining ingredients (including melted butter or coconut oil) and whisk to combine.
4.  Turn heat up to medium on your frying pan.  Once pan is hot, place a desired amount of pancake mix on to cook.  If you prefer thinner pancakes (as we do) use your measuring cup to smooth/spread the batter on the pan.
5.  Flip once the bubbles on the surface begin to pop.  Cook an additional minute or two.  Keep warm on a plate in the oven (with the light on or just slightly warmed & turned off) while you cook the rest of the batter. 

Variations:  When you add in the wet ingredients you can also add 1 cup fruit or vegetable puree.  Such as smashed ripe bananas, applesauce, sweet potato, squash, etc.  Add a bit of cinnamon too if you do!

Fruit Syrup
3 cups frozen berries (such as:  blueberries, raspberries, or a mixture)
1/2 cup real maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a small pot over medium heat until berries are juicy.  You can put it in a blender if you want a thin syrup instead of with fruit bits.  Serve warm.  Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

*This syrup is also a great flavoring for homemade yogurt or cream cheese.  Yum!

Enjoy!
Lisa

Baked Oatmeal, Sourdough & non-Sourdough versions

Baked Oatmeal is a great meal to add to your breakfast line up.  It's almost like cake for breakfast!  In fact, the other day my 12 year old came home from school, saw a bit of leftover baked oatmeal and sliced herself a piece for a snack.  She commented to me, "Mom this is really good!"  To which I replied, "Yea, it's baked oatmeal."  This froze her in her steps, because she refuses to eat oatmeal in any form, so the joke was on her!  (And, no she still refuses to eat baked oatmeal even though she knows now that she likes it- kids!)

Baked Oatmeal can be enjoyed as is, or covered with milk or yogurt.  I actually like it better once it's been refrigerated.  Lately I've modified my recipe to add sourdough starter to the soaking stage of the oatmeal.  It doesn't make it sour at all, and although I'm not sure how much the sourdough starter benefits us by being in the oats- I'm sure it doesn't hurt & probably helps to make it more digestible.  Try some baked oatmeal- besides it's great taste, the spices in here will make your kitchen smell wonderful!  Perfect for fall mornings...

Baked Oatmeal
2 cups oats (for non-sourdough version use 2 1/2 cups oats)
1/2 cup sourdough starter
1 1/4 cup buttermilk (for non-sourdough version use 1 3/4 cup buttermilk)

The night before:  combine oats, sourdough starter (if using), and buttermilk in a stainless steel or glass mixing bowl (or do what I do- save dishes by mixing it in a glass 9x13 dish & covering with plastic wrap til morning).  Allow to soak on the counter (not in the refrigerator) overnight.

1/2 cup coconut oil or butter (softened)
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar or maple syrup (I use 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup unrefined sugar)

In the morning: preheat oven to 350.  Beat the oil or butter, eggs, and sweetener in a separate bowl until glossy (or if you're really lazy, like I am sometimes, just throw them on top of the soaked oats without beating first...).  Then add:

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
dash nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla
optional add ins: 2 cups raisins, 2 cups chopped apples or bananas, 2 cups chopped nuts (I like nuts for the extra protein & crunchy texture, but my son doesn't like it that way.)

Combine with oats (if you haven't already just thrown it all together) and pour into a 9x13 baking dish (if it's not already in one).  Bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!
Lisa

This recipe is linked to Monday Mania,
Traditional Tuesdays
Real Food Wednesdays
Simple Thursdays

French Toast with Chocolate Whipped Cream and Raspberry Sauce

Sometimes it's fun to make a special breakfast.  Whether it's "just because" or for a birthday or to celebrate an accomplishment, here is a recipe for an extra-special breakfast.  This would be great for Valentine's Day too!

Note:  make the whipped cream & raspberry sauce before you make the french toast.

Do I need to give you a recipe for french toast?  The technique we have in our house I learned from my husband: use one more egg than you have people to feed (this works for up to about 6 people, after that you may want to add a few more).  Whip the eggs thoroughly in a dish or pan that is wider than your bread slices (day old or not too soft bread works best).  Add milk- a little less than the amount of eggs you see.  Add a dash of cinnamon and a dash of vanilla.  Whip it all up.  Pre-heat your pan over medium heat with a tablespoon of butter or coconut oil in it.  Quickly dunk a slice of bread in the egg mixture, flip it if neccessary, then place it on the hot pan (my husband uses a fork for dunking the bread, I prefer to use my fingers so the bread doesn't rip as easily).  After a couple of minutes check the bread to see if the bottom side is browned.  Flip to cook the other side.  Repeat.  You can place the french toast on a try in the oven with the light on to keep them warm while you finish cooking the rest of the slices.

Now for the fun part.  (Yes, it melts quickly!)

Chocolate Whipped Cream
3 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup sucanat or other raw sugar (this makes a "dark" chocolate, if your family needs more sweetness, add to taste)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

With your mixer, beat the cream until it starts to get thicker (but not stiff yet).  Add the sucanat, cocoa powder, and vanilla.  Taste & add more sucanat if needed.  Beat until stiff peaks form.  Will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.

Raspberry Sauce
3 cups frozen unsweetened raspberries
1/2 cup real maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Place all the ingredients in a pan over medium heat.  Cook until berries are juicy & sauce is steaming hot.  Allow to cool slightly.

These recipes are enough for about 4 or 5 people.  You will have leftover whipped cream (unless your crew really likes whipped cream)!  Oh, but there are so many good things to do with leftover chocolate whipped cream...  add it to your coffee, mmm, use it for a fresh fruit dip, or let it freeze for some "faux" ice cream!  (Stir every 30 minutes to break up the ice crystals.)  I also had about a 1/2 cup of leftover raspberry sauce.  I would suggest that after an hour of freezing, when you are stirring up those ice crystals, add in the raspberry sauce so you will have some awesome chocolate raspberry ice cream!

Enjoy!
Lisa

Buttermilk Syrup

This recipe originally came to me from Millie over at Real Food for Less Money blog but I have changed a few things about it (less sweetener, less butter) for our tastes.  This syrup is a nice change of pace from the traditional maple.  I've also made it with honey instead of sugar, but the honey in Rwanda has a very strong flavor that I am not a fan of, so I use a mix of honey & sugar.
 
The other day I made this buttermilk syrup & I think it's rich flavor is almost carmel- like.  Try this on other foods besides pancakes & waffles.  We give two thumbs up to pouring it over oatmeal!  Millie suggests it on ice cream & I think that idea sounds great.  For ease, store any leftovers in a glass container.  The butter will seperate & solidify in the fridge.  When you want to use the syrup you'll just want to place the glass container in a pot of very hot water to make it liquid again.

Buttermilk Syrup
1/4 cup unrefined sugar
1/8 cup honey (if you have a mild honey you can try this with 1/4 c. honey & no sugar)
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine all ingredients except vanilla in a medium pot (this mixture will get foamy & expand from the baking soda, so don't use a small pot).  Bring to a boil over medium high heat and boil for 8 to 9 minutes or until thickened.

Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Pour into serving container & serve.

Enjoy!
Lisa

This recipe is a part of Real Food Wednesdays

Transitional Sourdough Pancakes

I would like to share this recipe that I came up with as a compromise for my family, because I am sure there are other families out there who, like mine, are not complete fans of sourdough. I have shared with you why I use sourdough for most of my baking now, and although some families may like sourdough pancakes, mine were not totally sold on it. So I came up with this compromise that is satisfactory for all of us. I call them “Transitional Pancakes” because they are for families who are transitioning to healthier choices.

If you have pancakes leftover simply freeze them (either in a plastic ziploc bag, or in a plastic container, separated by parchment paper. When you need a quick breakfast or snack, you can heat them quickly in the toaster, or for a minute or less on each side in a hot pan (works better with thinner pancakes, obviously, because they will reheat quicker).

Transitional Sourdough Pancakes
(serves 6 to 8)
6 Tablespoons butter or coconut oil
2 teaspoons baking soda
¾ cup water
1 ½ cups white flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (whole wheat) sourdough starter, fed the night before & stirred down
1 cup milk (or water- use less if you like a thick pancake)
2 Tablespoons honey
2 eggs

Place your pan on the stove over low heat and put the butter or coconut oil in the pan to melt. Get ¾ cup water (I use a one cup measure with a ¾ cup line) and mix in the baking soda. Set aside. In a large bowl use a fork to stir together the flour and the salt. Make an indentation in the flour mixture and add the sourdough starter, up to 1 cup milk, honey, and eggs. Using the fork still, mix completely, but do not overmix.  While stirring, pour in the melted butter/oil from the warm pan.  Increase stove temperature to medium.

Right before cooking the pancakes, add the water/baking soda mixture and stir in. (The batter will expand slightly as the baking soda and sourdough react.) Use your cup measure to pour out the desired size pancakes on the warm pan. When bubbles on the surface are just beginning to pop, they’re ready to flip.

You can keep finished pancakes warm until you’re ready to serve by placing them on a metal tray in the oven on the lowest setting (or just with the light on if your oven doesn’t go below 200).

My favorite way to enjoy these pancakes is with peanut butter, sliced bananas, and either real maple syrup, or homemade syrup. The syrup pictured above is homemade buttermilk syrup (recipe to follow soon).

Enjoy!
Lisa

 

This post is a part of Monday Mania

Real Food Wednesday

Fight Back Friday

Sourdough Bagels

If you've been following this blog you know I am baking a lot with sourdough now, as I talked about it in this post and why.  I am actually keeping two sourdough starters right now: both a whole wheat and a white flour one.  The white flour one I made to give to someone who works for us and was asking me how to make this "bread without yeast" that I make all the time.  She never took her starter home, but I have maintained it & use it for two reasons.

One: my kids, especially the Rwandan ones, are not huge fans of whole wheat (ok, the Rwandan kids don't like it at all- it's not used here).  So, I usually go half & half with whole wheat and white flour in my baking, just to compromise.  I need the white flour starter to do this when I make sourdough pancakes & also because of reason number Two: whole wheat flour is not sold in stores here.  I get mine (lucky for me) from a friend who gets it directly from the flour mill in bulk.  But sometimes I run out before I can get more from her.

You will notice in the picture that these bagels are all white flour- this is one of those weeks when I was completely out of whole wheat flour for several days.  Oh, how my kids loved having all white bread, but that's over now, I've got my whole wheat flour again- ha!

Back to the bagels- bagels really are easy to make- just as easy as bread, with only one extra step and that is to boil them before you bake them.  Simple & yummy!  The depth of "sourness" in these will depend on how long you let the dough rest.  The minimum of 6 hours will not be near as sour as say the 10 or so hours mine had.  Mine had a defnite "San Francisco sourdough" twang to them.  We had ours with fried eggs for breakfast, sandwich style.  Yum!

I cruised the internet quite a bit looking for a bagel recipe which did not require me to measure flour in grams & such, and finally found this recipe archived at a cute blog called WillowTreeCreek Farm which now has moved to http://www.eggsandherbs.com/.

Sourdough Bagels

1 cup sourdough starter
1/4 cup oil (I used olive)
1/4 cup warm water
2 teaspoons salt
2 to 2 1/2 cups flour
1 egg
optional: spices or seeds for topping
1/8 cup salt for boiling water

In a medium mixing bowl stir together the starter, oil, water, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 2 cups of flour.  Add more flour if needed to make a smooth, not sticky, dough.  Knead dough for a few minutes.  Place dough back in bowl & cover well.  Allow dough to rest for 6 or more hours (note: my dough did not rise very much, so yours may not either).

Prepare your work area: either dust your counter with flour or lay out a piece of parchment paper.  Divide your dough in half, each half in half again, and each of those in half again.  Now you have 8 equal pieces of dough to shape into bagels.  If you prefer bigger bagels you may want to only make 6.  Roll each piece of dough into a ball.  Poke your finger into the middle & work it around to make the size of hole you want. Set on the flour dusted counter top or parchment paper.  Once all bagels are formed, cover with an oiled piece of plastic wrap (or damp towel?) and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425 and put water into a large pot to boil.  You may also get out toppings if you're using any.  Once water has come to a rapid boil, add 1/8 cup salt & stir to combine.  Gently drop the bagels into the bowling water, up to 4 at a time if your pot is big enough.  Boil for about 2 minutes and remove to a rack using a slotted spatula (I don't have a rack, so I just placed them on the clean counter).  Repeat with remaining bagels.

In a small bowl whisk an egg.  You can either brush the egg on top of the bagels, or do what I did: pick up the bagel & dip the top half into the egg.  If using toppings, dip your bagels into those.  Place on a baking sheet lined with cornmeal or parchment paper (or a Silpat in my case).  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden in color.

Enjoy!
Lisa

This recipe is a part of Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist
GNOWFGLIN's Tuesday Twister.
Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop
Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade

Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Bread

A few weeks ago I decided I should start baking some pumpkin recipes to try to get myself into the "season" more.  You see although I come from Washington state, where winter has been in full swing, in Rwanda everyday is pretty much the same weather: 70 to 80 degrees and sunny except when the rainstorms come in.  It's been hard for me to convince myself that the holiday season is fully here, because my surroundings keep telling me it's summer!

I found out they do grow pumpkin here, so I decided to make my own puree to bake with.  Of course nothing is exactly the same as what we're used to: the pumpkins are green (other things that are green even when ripe here: mandarins, lemons, apples, and starchy bananas called matoke).  The flesh of the pumpkin was very pale & did not have as strong of a flavor as what we get from our pumpkins in the US, but it still worked.  One of the recipes I tried with my puree was this Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls recipe from the Coconut Mama blog. 

Instead of the cinnamon & pumpkin pie spices recommended in the recipe I used something that's sold in every store here: it's called tea masala.  It's a spice blend they use to make African tea (a spiced milk tea that we would call Chai).  The tea masala ingredients are: ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, black pepper, and nutmeg.  I love it & it worked great in this recipe! 

Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Bread
3/4 cup sourdough starter
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3 3/4 - 4 cup flour
5 Tablespoons coconut oil or butter, softened
3 Tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
filling:
2 Tablespoons coconut oil or butter, softened
2 Tablespoons raw sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice or chai spices* or a combination!


Combine flour, salt, and spices in a large bowl.  Add 5 Tablespoons coconut oil or butter, honey, pumpkin and sourdough starter and mix well.  Knead dough for 10 minutes (add more flour as needed to make a smooth dough).  Cover bowl and let dough rest for 6 to 8 hours. 

Knead dough for 5 minutes then roll out into a rectangle shape of about 1/2" thickness (thinner for more rolls, thicker for less).  Spread with 2 Tablespoons coconut oil or butter.  Mix together sugar & spices and sprinkle on top. 

Starting at one of the short ends of the rectangle, roll the dough up with the spices inside.  Using a sharp knife or plain dental floss*, cut through the dough about every 1 to 2 ".  Place in an oiled or buttered pan (I used two bread pans to make cinnamon roll pull-apart bread).  Rolls should be just gently touching each other.  Cover and allow to rise for another 2 or 3 hours.

After the dough is done rising preheat the oven to 375.  Bake for about 20 minutes.

My family enjoyed just pulling off a roll when we wanted a snack.  Because it was a snack food & not a sweet dessert I didn't feel the need to add any frosting.  If you want frosting, The Coconut Mama recommends 8 ounces of soft cream cheese mixed with 4 Tablespoons of honey.

*Did you know dental floss works great for cutting rolls?  Just take a piece about 8 inches long, slide it under the log of dough, pull the ends across to the opposite side like you're going to tie it, and pull until the floss cuts all the way through.  I always make sure I use unflavored floss though!

*To make your own Chai (tea masala) spice mix, combine:
1/2 teaspoon cardamom (ground)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (ground)
1/2 teaspoon ginger (ground)
1/4 teaspoon allspice (ground) and/or nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves (ground)
pinch black pepper (ground)

Mix well & store in an airtight container.  Besides adding to your tea or coffee, try using it in baking wherever you would use cinnamon, and even in your oatmeal!
Enjoy--
Lisa

This post is a part of Monday Mania.

Flourless Blender Pancakes

In my last post I shared about my adventure with sprouting wheat & making it into bread.  With the sprouted wheat berries I had left, I decided to make blender pancakes for the next morning.  Normally I make this with wheat berries (unsprouted) and oatmeal.  This recipe is easy & I love it.  Using sprouted wheat made it a little different, but I still want to share it with you.

This recipe comes from Sue Gregg's Breakfasts Cookbook.

Flourless Blender Pancakes (or Waffles)
1 cup cultured milk (buttermilk, or yogurt diluted with milk) 
*use 1 1/4 cup milk if making waffles
1 Tablespoon melted butter, coconut oil, or olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup raw brown rice, corn, buckwheat, or wheat berries
1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats

Place these ingredients in a blender & blend at highest speed for 3 to 5 minutes.  Let stand (in mixer) in warm place for 12 - 24 hours.

1 egg
1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat waffle iron or griddle.  Add egg to the batter in the blender and blend on highest speed for 1-3 minutes.  Add in flax seeds, baking soda, and salt and blend to combine (scrape down sides if needed). Grease waffle iron or griddle & pour pancakes (so easy from the blender).  Cook until bubbles on surface pop & then flip.

The batter I got using (over) sprouted wheat berries was very thin (the berries had already absorbed water during the sprouting stage).  At first I had a very rough time cooking them as they were more crepe like.  You can see they were making a mess there.  But then I learned that cooking them at a lower temp & longer would work.

Mmmm- yummy!  Tried & true even with my crazy wheat berries this recipe came through.  However, when I decided to throw some blueberries into the last part of the batch I discovered these are way too fragile to support that!

You may not be able to tell in this picture, but this is after the flip & they were sticking & making a horrible mess, all tore up inside.  I'm thinking to myself, "Things I do for my daughter!"  (My daughter loves blueberry pancakes.) 

Try out this recipe with raw wheat berries.  I've tried it with brown rice, but definitely prefer it with wheat.

Enjoy!
Lisa

This post is a part of Tuesday Twister.

Camping & Palm Plate Review

I was so excited when the UPS man brought my sample of disposable palm plates & bowls from Marx Foods the morning before we left for our camping trip.  Excited because this is the first real product review on my blog, and excited because what better way to test them out than while we were camping?

Every year we go camping with two other families, and we have been doing this for almost a decade now!  We go for 4 days/3 nights and we share the cooking duties.  It works great because each family cooks one breakfast and one dinner, and then we all do lunches on our own.  It is so nice to not have to cook or clean dishes every meal!

Back to the plates: Marx Foods makes these plates from palm leaves (read how they are made here) and they are both disposable and biodegradable.  They have a wood grain look to them & my first thought was how great they would be for a large function: like a charity dinner, wedding reception, large party, etc.  When we were planning our a banquet for our ministry last year I looked into disposable plates that were supposed to mimic china, but were in fact plastic (and there just was no denying that).  These would look so much better & be a great conversation piece too.  As a matter of fact, even though they are disposable, my daughter liked them so much that she insisted on washing & reusing them (more about that later)!

The first night we had spaghetti for dinner.  Perfect test: spaghetti sauce is one thing that can really soak through a paper plate.

It is amazing how plates just made from baked palm leaves can be so sturdy.  No weakening at all from this dinner.  Afterwards my daughter washed her plate & although the plate was stained from the sauce it was ready for the next meal.

In the morning it was our turn to make breakfast.  I decided making sausage, egg, & cheese breakfast muffins would be easy to make for a group.  I think it makes camping so much easier if you do as much prep & cooking ahead of time as you can.  I found a "natural" pork sausage at the store, but then I realized that plain "natural" ground pork was only .99/lb (a savings of about $3/lb), so I bought several pounds and used this recipe to make my own seasoned sausage (the only thing I changed in the recipe was to reduce the nutmeg).  I then formed them into patties & pre-cooked all of them.  That sausage was so yummy!

The only thing we had to do in the morning was cook the eggs, butter & warm the muffins (I have a camp oven that goes on the cook stove), and warm the sausage.  The other great thing about going with other families is we share our cooking appliances & cookware.  So, while my husband's cooking eggs on one cook stove, I'm warming the muffins on the other, and we use our propane camp grill to reheat the sausage. 

This was a fairly dry breakfast so we washed the plates under running water & reused them for lunch (and those breakfast sandwiches were so good that I reheated a leftover one for lunch).  For dinner that night we were making taco salad.  I cooked the meat & beans before we left, using this recipe, so I only had to reheat it at dinner time.  Chop some veggies while that's heating & dinner was done!  We had all the fixings laid out so everyone could build their salad in their way. 

These stood up so well to heavy and wet foods, washing (not immersing), and being reused, that I thought they must have some kind of resin in them, but it's palm leaves & nothing else.  Pretty cool, huh?  Now, you may be thinking, "When I'm camping I get to just toss my paper plates into the fire, I'm not going to wash them, so how do these work for that?"  Well, I thought you might wonder that, and even if you didn't, here's our fire test.

The plate is just beginning to catch fire & burning like wood: producing heat & not turning all ashy (like paper plates do).  A minute later it really took off:

Woo hoo!  (Your inner pyro delights in this, I know!)  When it was done burning there was some ash left, but it just stayed in the fire pit & incorporated into the wood ash.

Now back at home, I thought we should give the bowls one more test: a bowl of my granola with kefir, honey, and milk.  I even let it sit while I got ready in the morning.

It held up great.  I even rinsed it off so it can be reused.  You may be able to tell in this picture that washing the plates or bowls will make them lose their shape slightly, but once they air dry they can be reused!

A side note:  we made lots of "real food" compromises this weekend.  Like, you'll notice the english muffins are store bought, not the homemade sourdough ones I've made in the past.  My husband told me, in his sweet way, that I could not subject our friends to any "wierd" food.  Which is probably just as well, because I still spent hours in the kitchen getting ready for our trip.

So, after a weekend liberally sprinkled with sweets and preservatives we found ourselves waking up Monday morning totally exhausted & groggy.  Could we blame it all on not sleeping as well while camping?  I don't think so.  I think we've got junk food hangovers.  A few more days of good sleep, kefir & healthy foods, and we should be recovered!

If you would like to find out more about these plates and bowls (they have 10 different styles) you can visit the website for Marx Foods here.  Marx Foods sent me these plates & bowls for free to sample and review, but I was not required or obligated in any way to give them a positive review.  I just think they're super cool, that's all!


Enjoy!
Lisa

This post is a part of Tuesday Twister and Real Food Wednesday.

Tuesday Twister: Highs & Lows

I tried several different recipes this week.  Some were hits, and some were misses!  I tried a recipe for buckwheat flour pancakes.  Most buckwheat pancake recipes I have seen use a mixture of buckwheat and wheat flours, but this was all buckwheat.  Have you seen buckwheat flour before?  When it was in the soaking stage it looked like refried black beans.  Buckwheat has a very strong flavor, somewhat "earthy" I guess you could say.  It was way too strong for us.  I even tried adding syrup and vanilla to the batter, but this was definitely not for us. 

I also made a homemade syrup to stretch our real maple syrup, using this recipe here.  I adjusted the recipe a little- I only used 1 cup of (turbinado) sugar to 1 cup of water, plus 1/4 cup of honey, and a tablespoon of maple extract.  I ended up with about 1 1/2 cups of a nice syrup that I mixed with a slightly larger amount of maple syrup.  100% pure maple syrup is still the better choice health wise, but this is a budget-friendlier compromise.

Another first for me was making homemade chocolate chips.  My son was begging for chocolate chip cookies. However, I learned that homemade chocolate chips (chunks) can not be used in chocolate chip cookies!  Keep in mind that the homemade chocolate chunks were made only of cocoa, sugar, and butter/coconut oil.  I used the soaked oatmeal cookie recipe, here they are before going in the oven:

And, this is what they looked like coming out of the oven- my son wouldn't even try them.  Poor guy!  All that oil from the chocolate just melted like crazy & made these a crumbly mess.  Better keep the homemade chocolate for things like no-bake granola bars.

So let's finish with some good news, because that's how I always like it!  Friday was my birthday and my daughter (age 11) knows that my favorite breakfast is cream cheese stuffed french toast.  I helped her out by setting some yogurt to drain the night before so she had yogurt "cream cheese" to work with in the morning.  Daddy made us some french toast and then she sandwiched mine with some cream cheese and blueberries, top it off with maple syrup & it was a great birthday breakfast!

I have more recipes to share with you this week.   Next I'll share my birthday cake: a "soaked" carrot yeast cake adventure!

This post is a part of Tuesday Twister at GNOWFGLINS.

Enjoy!
Lisa

The Granola of My Dreams

Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a little- but maybe not!  This granola is so good, I really do think about it during the day. "I didn't have granola this morning, when can I have it?  Dinner?  Late night snack?"  Seriously!  I love some good granola, mixed with plain whole milk yogurt and raw honey= bliss!

Do you remember the last time I posted about granola?  My failure then is typical of my experience making granola- but this time I had success!  The recipe comes from Passionate Homemaking.  I only changed it a little when I made it, based on what I had on hand.  The ingredients here are half of what the original recipe calls for.  I'm the only one who eats granola in my house so this was the perfect amount for me. 

"Soaked" Granola
4 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup buttermilk or kefir
1/2 to 1 cup water (as needed for moisture- I used kefir instead)

**combine above ingredients in a bowl, cover & allow to soak for 24 hours**

1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla (I was out of vanilla so I used maple extract)

**Pre-heat oven to 200.  Combine honey, syrup, salt, cinnamon and vanilla (I just put this in a small pot, original directions say to place in glass measuring cup inside pot of water). Warm gently until thin & then add to oat mixture.

Spread on parchment paper covered cookie sheets.  This batch filled one and a half of my cookie sheets.  I tried to spread it as thin as possible, without leaving any holes.

Bake for 2 to 4 hours.  Cool in oven.  I baked mine for 6 hours, which was a little too long.  I thought the granola needed to be dry before I removed it from the oven, but it really does crisp more as it cools.  

Add ins:
1/2 cup shredded coconut (I used closer to a whole cup)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds (I had neither)
1/2 cup nuts (I used pecan pieces)
1/2 cup dried fruit (I just added more raisins)

Mix it all together & store.

When you are baking this your house will be filled with amazing smells.  I went outside & could even smell it outside the house.  It was torture!  It's like when people burn candles that smell like food (apple pie, sugar cookie, etc.).  Why would you do that?  It just makes me hungry!  But, if you can wait 'til it cools (don't burn your mouth!) this granola is worth it.

Do you like my photo background- the yellow with red & pink ladybugs?  That is my mom's sleeved apron from the 1970's.  I used to wear it as a kid, and now my kids get to wear it too.  I just thought the picture needed a little "something" so I threw that in there for fun.  And a little nostalgia.  

Enjoy!
Lisa

This post is a part of Pennywise Platter Thursday.

When Life Gives You Bad Apples...

My kids have absolutely no interest in apples that are soft, puckered skin, or with blemishes- oh, how we are spoiled now aren't we?  We are so used to the "perfect" food presented in the grocery store that we really will tolerate nothing less. But I digress!  When life gives you bad apples... make applesauce!  It really was so easy- you should try it!

Applesauce
makes about 4 cups of applesauce, you can adjust to recipe to make more or less!
about 6 apples
1/4 c. water
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 - 1 Tbsp. maple syrup (depending on how sweet your apples are, or how sweet you like it)
sprinkle of cinnamon

Put water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cinnamon in your cooking pot, stir.  Chop the apples into about 1" pieces (I did not peel them, you may, but you might be surprised how easily those peels blend into the finished sauce- so try it without).  As you chop each apple, toss it into the cooking pot & stir to coat the pieces (the lemon juice will keep them from turning brown as you chop more).
Heat to boiling, them reduce to simmer for a few hours, or until very, very soft.  (Yummy smells in your kitchen!)  Remove from heat & allow to cool slightly.  Toss it all into your food processor (or blender) and blend to desired texture.

Can you see any apple peel in there?  Nope! 

I found a few more apples that were less-than-perfect and I decided to make Apple Oven Pancakes.  I am not sure where I printed this recipe from, but I have adjusted it to include soaking of the flour.  If you want to shorten your morning prep time (like I did) and don't mind heating your oven twice, you can cook the apples the day before.  I also combined the remaining batter ingredients in a jar, shook it up to mix, and put it in the fridge to make my morning even quicker!

Apple Oven Pancakes

about 6 servings

1 c. buttermilk (or plain yogurt thinned with milk)

2/3 c. whole wheat flour

*12-24 hours before baking, combine buttermilk & flour in blender (gently).  Let soak til ready to cook.

4 Tbsp. butter

2 apples, sliced very thin (peeling optional)

Preheat oven to 425.  While oven is heating place butter in 9x13 pan & put in oven to melt.  Once melted, place apple slices evenly across bottom of pan.  Bake in oven for about 10 minutes.

4 large eggs

2 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. raw sugar (if using tart apples)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Add these ingredients to the flour/buttermilk mixture in the blender and blend to combine.  Pour over apples in dish.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Pancake will be very tall & puffed up when you first remove it from the oven, but will collapse back down after cooling slightly.  Slice & serve with applesauce or maple syrup.

Hmm, not the most flattering picture, but we were headed on a train trip that day & I didn't have time to make a pretty picture!  If you plan ahead you only need to spend 5 minutes in the morning on this (plus oven preheat time & bake time- but you can be getting ready then) plus you get more protein than a regular pancake too.

And just for fun, here's a picture from our trip to Seattle that day.  My son trying to get a good view from the top of the Space Needle- using the telescope backwards of course. ;)

Enjoy!

Lisa

This post is a part of The Nourishing Gourmet's Pennywise Platter Thursday.

Butternut Squash

I know this is May, and it is spring (although here in the NW it is not being very spring-like!)  But I have had a butternut squash sitting on top of my fridge for at least a month now, waiting for me to use it.  Butternut squash is something new to me- I don't think we ever ate it growing up.

I was trying out some recipes from the Traditional Foods Menu Mailer and one of them is Veggie-Heavy Chili, which includes half of a butternut squash.  I was actually surprised when my family liked this recipe!  (We are not ones to be fans of "different" ways of using food- like sweet potatoes in burritos for example.)  So, then the question is, what to do with the other half of the squash?  The menu mailer suggests squash oven fries, but I tried it & that falls under the not fans of "different" ways of using food category.  Instead, I felt like having some squash pancakes for breakfast.

And now here is some exciting news for me- I tried & successfully adapted a recipe to "soaking" for the first time!  I have preferred to let others test & try converting recipes before this, but I got brave & it worked!  (I think pancakes are probably a pretty safe bet for converting to soaking.)  I found this pumpkin pancake recipe and modified a few things.  The pancakes were great & even my 6 year old liked them!

First I took my peeled & cut up butternut squash, put it in a covered pan on the stove with a little bit of water & about a tablespoon of coconut oil. I boiled the water to steam the squash for several minutes (until very soft), then drained the remaining water & pureed the squash in the blender.  This makes 2 c. of puree, set aside 1 c. for another recipe (like muffins).

Squash (or Pumpkin) Pancakes
2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
*12-24 hours beforehand, combine these two ingredients & cover

1 c. squash or pumpkin puree
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/8 t. nutmeg
2 T. raw sugar, honey, or maple syrup
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 egg
2 T. melted coconut oil

When you're ready to make the pancakes stir in all remaining ingredients to the soaked flour/buttermilk mixture.  Our family likes thin pancakes (not fluffy) so I added about 1/2 c. water and 1/2 c. milk to greatly thin out this batter.  Heat additional coconut oil in a skillet over medium low heat (you want these to cook all the way through) flipping when bubbles pop.

Serve with maple syrup or Pear Sauce.  This makes a lot, so freeze the extras for quick breakfasts on other days (just pop them in the toaster).

With the other 1 c. of squash puree I decided to try Kitchen Stewardship's Pumpkin Muffin recipe.  I modifed the amount of sugar & the spices a little bit.  First, 24 hours beforehand I combined:
1 2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
1 c. pureed squash
3/4 c. water + 2 Tbs plain yogurt
1/2 c. melted butter

The next day I added:
1/2 c. sugar (original recipe called for 1 c. but that is more than I like for muffins)
2 eggs
1/4 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
1/8 t. ground cloves (original recipe calls for 1/2 t.)
1 t. cinnamon (original recipe calls for 1/2 t.)
1/4 t. nutmeg (original recipe calls for 1/2 t.)
I also sprinkled additional cinnamon sugar on top of the muffins.

I baked them at 325 for 45 minutes.  Makes about 16 muffins (filling cups very full).  They taste great, but they did fall in the middle.  I think it might have something to do with reducing the sugar in the recipe. 

Still worth a try though- these are getting gobbled up in my house!

Enjoy!
Lisa

This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday
and Pennywise Platter Thursday.

Success with Muffins!

One of the first things I attempted to bake by "soaking" my flour was the muffin recipe from Nourishing Traditions.  I don't know if it was user error, or what exactly happened, but what I ended up with were flat, dry, tasteless muffins.  Yuck.  I am not a picky eater at all, but I couldn't even eat them.  Of course the silver lining in this little story is that in my desire to use those muffins for something (rather than throw them out) I discovered my bread pudding recipe.  That recipe has become a staple in my kitchen (partly because it's so good & easy, and partly because I have had so many failed bread attempts!).

Not being one to give up so easy, I decided to try muffins again when I saw Wardeh's recipe for Basic Soaked Muffins.  I saw the pictures and the comments, and this made me feel confident that these might work out- and they did!  You start by combining 1 1/2 c. flour (it says pastry flour, but all I had was regular whole wheat), 1/2 c. rolled oats, 1 c. milk, and 2 Tbsp. vinegar (I actually used whey, because I have so much after making yogurt cream cheese.)

I let it soak for about 20 hours.  To melt the 1/2 c. coconut oil I needed, I placed it in a glass jar inside a pot of water on the stove.  In a bowl separate from the flour mixture I whisked together 2 eggs, 1/2 c. turbinado sugar, and 1 t. vanilla.  Then I slowly poured in the melted coconut oil, whisking continuously.  I added in 1 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons baking powder.  I also added in Wardeh's suggested spices of 2 t. cinnamon, 1 t. ginger, and 1/4 t. nutmeg.  At this point I also began preheating the oven to 375.

Now it's time to add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture.  Here is what my flour mixture looked like:

Can you see the discoloration that is on the surface?  This darkening seems to happen when I soak using cultured dairy (kefir, whey, yogurt, buttermilk) but it doesn't affect the finished product.  When I was adding in the egg mixture to the flour, I had a "lightbulb" moment.  I decided to finely chop some organic crystallized ginger & add it to the dough.  I took two squares (example below) and mixed it in.

And here is what the dough looks like when it is all mixed together (I added 1/2 c. raisins in later to part of the batter).

I didn't have enough muffin liners, so part of the pan I just rubbed generous amounts of coconut oil inside (one of the great things about using coconut oil when you bake is if you get it on your hands you just rub it in!  Great moisturizer!)  The ones that have no liner are without raisins.  I used my cookie scoop to drop a few scoops of batter into each cup.

After baking for 20 minutes I stuck a toothpick in one of them & they were still very wet inside.  About another 8 minutes & they were perfect.  Everyone in the family liked these.  They have a nice risen shape, good flavor (I really liked the ginger), and moist.

This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

Enjoy!
Lisa

Cookies... for breakfast?

If you're of my generation that line may bring back memories of Saturday morning commercials for a certain sugar filled cereal...  but what we've got going here is a whole different animal!  Last week I had some soured milk that I needed to use up and I felt like making something different for breakfast.  I decided to try out the recipe for Breakfast Cookies at Heavenly Homemakers.

Since I started cooking with soaked grains I have been missing cookies something terrible!  The only cookie recipes I have found either require sprouted flour or are macaroons (nothing against macaroons, but it's not quite the cookie experience I was craving).  The first time I made this recipe I soaked it for 12 hours, the second time was closer to 24 (which is much better for you).

"Soaked" Oatmeal Cookies
Makes about 50 cookies (unless you make giant ones)

The recipe calls for 1 c. melted butter, but I melted 1/2 c. butter with 1/2 c. coconut oil.  Stir that together with 2 c. flour and 2 c. oats, then add in about 1/2 to 3/4 c. of  buttermilk (I added a tablespoon of kefir to my soured milk to make sure it was cultured).  You want to mix well so that everything is moistened & you will have something that is a very thick oatmeal consistency.

Cover and let sit for 12 to 24 hours.  For the next step you better get ready, because you are going to get a good arm workout!  What was oatmeal consistency has now become much more cement-like!  Use a sturdy spoon to start breaking it up.  I added the 2 eggs & 1 t. vanilla at this point, as well as 1/2 c. honey (the recipe calls for 3/4 c., but because these were for breakfast I didn't want them too sweet) & I began to work that moisture into the dough.

Eventually it will begin to get smooth and you can add a teaspoon each of salt, cinnamon, and baking soda.  Once that is thoroughly mixed in add 1 c. raisins (my raisins were low so I only had 1/2 c.).  Preheat your oven to 350 and get out your cookie sheets & parchment paper (optional).  I was using a cookie scoop, so my cookies were not "giant" like the original recipe.  I filled two very large cookie sheets and baked them one sheet at a time for 15 minutes each.

Oh, my cookie scoop, how I missed you!  You have no idea how delighted I was to make cookies again!

If you use the full 3/4 c. honey your cookies will not be as firmly rolled as these are (and when I made almond butter ones they were much looser & spread much more).  When they are done you get a light & fluffy cookie.  But the real fun was when my daughter (who did not know what was for breakfast) got a whiff of them baking and said, "What is that smell?"  When I got to tell her, "Breakfast Cookies," her whole face lit up!  Priceless.

These are healthy so if you want to serve them for breakfast, go ahead, but I would use them as a side with some other protein item (bacon & egg, whole milk yogurt, etc.) to really start your day right.

Now we get to have cookies again- hurray!  I even made almond butter cookies (with the full 3/4 c. honey) for my husband's birthday celebration & they were well liked.  Even with 3/4 c. honey they are still not overly sweet, which is great for us.  These are handy for dessert, after school, or as a quick on-the-go snack.

Almond Butter or Peanut Butter Variation: substitute 1 c. almond or peanut butter for the 1 c. butter/coconut oil, omit cinnamon, optional: add 1/2 c. chopped almonds or peanuts
 In case you're wondering, I did include the almond butter with the oats & flour that "soaked" for 24 hours.  I did not try almond extract instead of vanilla, but you might want to if you're using almond butter.  This batter will spread more, so make sure to space them 2" apart on your cookie sheet.

(Suggested) Apple Spice Variation: subsitute 1 c. finely chopped apples for the raisins, add 1/8 to 1/4 t. ground nutmeg (I have not tried this yet but I think it would work great!  I'll let you know soon!)

Chocolate or Carob Chip Cookies: this is the one my son can't wait for- use chocolate or carob chips instead of raisins, omit cinnamon (or leave in depending on preference)

Do you have any other ideas for variations on this cookie?  How about a tropical version- use 1/2 c. shredded coconut & 1/2 c. tropical dried fruit, instead of raisins, and a different extract instead of vanilla?  Have some fun!

Tomorrow will be my post on making homemade pear sauce (or syrup) in the crockpot.
This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday.

Enjoy,
Lisa

P.S.  Have you seen Food, Inc?  Did you know it is premiering on TV tonight on PBS?  Check your local listings, in my area it is on at 9pm.  Then watch it, record it, DVR it, or Tivo it.  Tweet about it, update your facebook status, email your friends, talk about it and get people watching & learning!  If you want to talk about it after you watch it you can visit my Food, Inc. post to comment & discuss there.  I am sure that change can happen if people learn & begin to care about what they feed themselves!