whole wheat power pancakes

I made these for my daughter this morning and she loved them! I like mine topped with plain yogurt, my husband likes
maple syrup and Ellie takes both.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup thick cut oats
1 1/2-2 cups water
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp nutmeg
1 mashed banana
1 egg
2 Tbs. flaxseeds

The batter is pretty thick, so you don't need a lot. Makes about 8 nice sized pancakes.

Citrus Coconut Layer Cake

I went on a run the other day. I ran 7.5 miles in the rain and almost collapsed from exhaustion. However, not before I devoured a piece of this completely decedent cake that my husband and I baked. There is nothing healthy about this cake, I didn't use whole wheat flour or cut out the processed sugar as I usually do. However, the taste and texture of this little piece of heaven was well worth it.

That said, there are some things I would change: I would not make the butter-cream icing again. It was much too rich for my tastes.


Citrus Coconut Layer Cake

The Layers:
1 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
6 eggs
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 Tbs orange rind
1 tsp. lemon rind
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 c shredded coconut

The Citrus Curd: 
2 Tbs. tapioca flour (or cornstarch)
cold water
2 eggs
rind of one lemon
fresh orange juice
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
6 Tbs. butter (softened)

For the Frosting:
1/2 c unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup confectioner's sugar
rind of 1 lemon
6-8 Tbs of fresh orange juice
1/2-1 c shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour three cake pans. Sift flour and salt together and set aside.

Place 6 eggs in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Beat with an electric mixer until frothy, then add 3/4 cup granulated sugar and beat until mixture doubles in volume (about 10 minutes).

Remove from sauce pan, fold in orange rind, lemon rind, lemon juice and coconut. Fold in the sifted flour until mixture is smooth. Divide among the three cake pans and bake until it pulls away from the sides, about 20 minutes. Let stand and then transfer to a cooling rack.

In a medium mixing bowl, blend the tapioca flour and a little cold water to dissolve. Whisk in 2 eggs and set aside.

Combine lemon rind, orange juice, water, sugar and butter. Bring mixture to a boil and whisk in the egg/tapioca flour mixture. Whisk until thick, five minutes. Remove from heat and cover.

In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Stir in the lemon rind and orange juice until you obtain a thick, spreadable icing.

Arrange the layers, spreading the citrus curd in between each layer. Cover the cake with the frosting and lightly press the shredded coconut onto the tops and sides.

Yummy Naan bread

2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
4 Tbs melted butter or oil
1 1/2 kefir, yogurt or buttermilk
2 Tbs water

Mix by hand or in mixer for 10 minutes. Allow to rise until doubled more than 1 1/2 hrs. Punch down and divide into 16 pieces, roll out into pancake shapes, brush with melted butter and bake at 475 for 6-8 minutes.

Whole wheat French Bread

It worked! Got a French bread loaf that was healthy and full of whole wheat, but light and crusty like French bread. Here it is:

1 c whole wheat flour
1 c white whole wheat flour
1 c Unbleached flour
4 tsp vital wheat gluten
1 3/4 c warm water
1 Tbs yeast
1 tsp salt
3 Tbs oil


Dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix in half of flour, salt and oil until well blended. Gradually add remaining flour. Knead by hand or in mixer for ten minutes. Allow to rise in an oiled dish covered, until doubled. Punch down and allow to rise again. Punch down and form two small loaves or one large loaf. Leave to rise on parchment paper sprinkled well with cornmeal. Preheat oven and baking stone to 500 degrees. Place a pan underneath stone. Once risen and preheated, carefully slide bread to stone, throw a cup of water in the pan and close the oven door. Turn heat down to 425 and bake for 30 or until golden brown on top and hollow when tapped on bottom.

Healthier Banana Muffins

I had a bunch of bananas past their prime and so i set out to make a healthy alternative to banana bread. I took King Arthur Flour's Heavenly Healthy Banana Bread and cut out the -gasp!- stick of butter, then added some other tasty treats and baked muffins instead of bread. I was pretty happy how these muffins turned out and Ellie ate four of them in a few hours, so I think I scored! Here's the recipe:

Ellie's Banana Muffins

2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs veg oil
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
2 cups King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried fruit (I used raisins and cranberries)
1/4 cup wheat germ

Baked in muffin pan at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until baked through and browned at the top.

Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce

I love cranberry sauce and this super easy recipe gives a fun (and healthy) twist to traditional cranberry sauce.

1 12oz bag cranberries
2 cups pomegranate juice
1/2-1 1/2 c sugar, depending on taste
1 heaping cup of pomegranate seeds

Keep the cranberries, juice and sugar at a lite boil for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, stir in the Pom seeds.... Wonderful!

Perfect Rye bread

The last rye bread I made was dense and flat. It was great for hummus and spreads, but it didn't have the springy texture that I love in slicing bread. So I took a recipe for Eastern European rye bread and modified it to ensure I'd get the proper rise, thus texture I was looking for. It was super easy and really enjoyable.


Rye Bread Recipe

2 Tbs active dry yeast
2 3/4 cup of warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon of salt
1/4 cup of softened butter
3 cups of rye flour
2 tablespoons of finely ground caraway seeds (use a coffee grinder)
1 1/2 tablespoons of caraway seeds
5 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
8 tsp vital wheat gluten

Take a large bowl and coat the sides with butter. Combine water, yeast and sugar. Let stand for about 5 mins. Add salt, butter and stir in the 3 cups of rye flour, the ground caraway seeds and the whole caraway seeds. Then add the regular flour 1/2 cup at a time. Knead for 15 mins in mixer.

First Rise: Form the dough into a ball and coat with a light layer of olive oil. Then place the dough back into the mixing bowl and oiled plastic wrap. Let rise for until twice the volume (about 1.5 hours).

Second Rise: Deflate and turn it over and form into a ball and let it rise again for 1 hour or until it doubles in volume.

Shaping and Final Rise :

I shaped mine into two large boules.
Cover with a lightly oiled plastic wrap and allow to rest till dough doubles in volume. (30 mins)

Glaze
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon of cold water
Caraway Seeds (optional)
Coarse Sea Salt (optional)

Mix the eggwhite and water and using a pastry brush, coat the top sides of the dough. Sprinkle with caraway seeds or salt. Then take a sharp knife and make 4-5 slashes across the top.

Baking The Bread
Heat oven to 425. Place a shallow pan on the bottom shelf of your oven.

1) Open and place the baking sheet with the bread dough into the oven and close the door.
2) Quickly pour the water into the pan and close the oven door to trap the steam.

Bake at 425F for 30 mins, then reduce the temp to 375F and bake for 10-15mins longer or until the internal temp is 200F. Allow to cool for 20 mins before enjoying. For long term storage, allow to cool a few hours ,then seal in a ziplock bag and freeze.