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

Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies or Scones

I found some information about the benefits of sourdough at this post on the Simple Bites blog and you may want to check that out if you're interested in sourdough.  In previous posts I have talked about why I am using more sourdough in my baking.  I have also been exploring a lot of sourdough recipes, including the somewhat unexpected "dessert" category. 

these cookies were a batch I made without raisins, but I like them much better with raisins

Sometimes I find recipes that include sourdough starter, but do not include a "souring" or "soaking" stage- which means the sourdough is only there for flavoring?  I have been adjusting some of these recipes to include a souring stage, thus getting the most health benefits out of using sourdough.  This recipe was one of those & I was pleased with how nicely it turned out (I also reduced the amount of sugar & substituted honey for half of the sugar).  The texture is very similar to a scone, but you can also enjoy it as a dense cookie, or even a snack cake (the first time I made it I was too lazy to do anything other than pour it into a pan & it turned out great, just extend your cooking time).

my scone version

Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies or Scones 

2 cups sourdough starter

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup coconut oil

3 cups rolled oats

2 cups flour
1/2 cup unrefined sugar

Thoroughly combine above ingredients & allow to rest (covered) for 6 hours.

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves*

1/2 teaspoon allspice*

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4-1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 375.  Mix the spices and baking soda in a separate bowl.  Add to oats mixture along with raisins (you may have to "knead" the dough to get everything well combined).  *I did not have cloves or allspice, you could also try ginger and a dash of nutmeg.

Roll into small or large balls, depending on if you want cookies or scones (for scones I made them the size of biscuits).  Bake on greased cookie sheet for about 12 minutes (longer for scones).  Makes 12 scones or 36 small cookies.

Enjoy!

Lisa

P.S. for those of you who follow this blog, despite my long silence, I am still here!  The last month and a half (and more) have been spent working on finalizing our oldest daughter's adoption, as well as getting ready to come back to the states for summer vacation.  Busy!

This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday
Pennywise Platter Thursday
Fight Back Fridays

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 Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

Here is a recipe that originally called for no "soaking" or "souring" stage for the dough, but I have modified the recipe to include that stage so we get the most sourdough benefit (if the starter doesn't have time to work on the flour it seems pretty pointless to me to use sourdough starter at all- but you'll find those recipes out there).  I also modified the amount of sugar by replacing more than half with honey.  This is a lightly sweet cookie that my family gobbles up, but if you want it sweeter you may add a sprinkle of sugar to the finished cookies before baking them.  The cocoa is also optional (you can just make them peanut butter cookies) but we like it with the cocoa!

Sourdough Peanut Butter (Chocolate) Cookies
1 cup sourdough starter
1 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour (whole wheat or otherwise)

In a medium bowl mix the above ingredients well, cover, & allow to rest for 6 hours.  When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 and add the remaining ingredients to the sourdough mixture:

1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 to 4 Tablespoons cocoa powder (optional)

Mix well.  The dough may be very sticky at this point (if it's too sticky you can refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to make it easier to handle, but I don't...)  Drop by spoonfulls onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet (space at least 1" apart).  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Enjoy!
Lisa

This post is a part of Kitchen Stewardship's Soaking Grains Gallery, Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade, and Pennywise Platter Thursday at Nourishing Gourmet.

"Soaked" Snickerdoodle Cake

The other day I was having a serious craving for snickerdoodle cookies.  Some of you may not know about these sugar cookies with a cinnamon crust on the outside, but if you like cinnamon then "snickerdoodles" should be on your radar!  I searched & searched the web for a recipe that involved soaking the flour (see the tab above for "why soak").  What I did finally find was a recipe for a snickerdoodle cupcake that included buttermilk in the ingredients (perfect medium for soaking flour).  I modified the recipe to soak the flour and reduced the sugar as well.  This produces a tender cake that will hopfully hit that "snickerdoodle craving" when you may have it!

"Soaked" Snickerdoodle Cake
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, softened
1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk + 1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar, could also substitute yogurt or other soaking medium)

In a small bowl combine these ingredients thoroughly, cover, and allow to rest at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours.  When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350, and add to the flour mixture:

2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix well, then add in the remaining ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unrefined sugar

When well combined, pour into a greased pan (I used a 10x10, you could use 9x9 for a thicker cake, or 9x13 for a thinner cake). 

For the topping, stir together in a seperate bowl:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Sprinkle on top of cake.  Bake in oven for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Allow to cool.

Enjoy!
Lisa

This recipe is linked up to Kitchen Stewardship's Soaking Grains Gallery and Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist.