Ingredients:
2 c warm water
1 pkg. yeast
2 c whole wheat flour
1/3 c honey
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
5 c white flour
Directions:
1. Combine water, honey, and yeast in small bowl. Stir. Let dissolve for a few minutes.
2. Measure out whole wheat flour into a bowl. Add yeast/honey mixture to flour and mix. Add oil and salt and mix well.
3. Begin adding white flour to mixture in bowl one cup at a time. As the dough becomes to dense to mix in the bowl, turn out onto the counter and knead in the rest of the flour until all 5 cups are incorporated.
4. Knead until dough is well-formed and place in a greased bowl and cover. Let sit 2 hours in a dark, warm space. (I put mine in the oven along with a pan of boiling water. It creates a wonderful, steamy environment to encourage those yeast to work their magic!)
5. After 2 hours, the dough should have doubled in size. Punch down dough and turn onto counter. Knead for a minute then divide dough into two loaf shaped balls and place in 2 well-greased bread pans. Allow to rise, covered, in pans for 1 hour or until the dough is 1 inch above top of pan.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake dough for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Super Peanut Butter Chocolate Oatmeal
Morning Glory Muffins
Makes 18 muffins (adapted from recipe from MyRecipes.com)
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup regular oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2)
1 large egg
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed (about 2 tablespoons whole)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.
3. Combine flours and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.
4. Combine yogurt, banana, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
5. Fold in raisins and walnuts.
6. Spoon batter into muffin tin. Sprinkle evenly with flaxseed.
7. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pans immediately; cool.
Enjoy just as they are or spread jam or peanut butter on top. :-)
Ingredients:
-2 eggs + 1 tsp Half and Half
-1 cup spinach
-1 tbsp olive oil
-2 oz goat cheese
-S+P to taste
Directions:
1. Combine eggs and H+H in small bowl with S+P. Pore in greased pan over medium-high heat and cook until well set. Then flip! (Trying not to tear...)
2. In another pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and warm. Next, add washed fresh spinach leaves. Toss to coat leaves in oil. Cover pot and cook until leaves are wilted. Sprinkle with pepper.
3. Dump eggs onto plate. Place spinach in middle center of eggs. Top spinach with goat cheese crumbles. Fold top half of omelet over spinach. Enjoy!
Easy-Peasy Balsamic Vinaigrette
I make this super easy vinaigrette almost every day for my salads at lunch. Recipe makes 1 serving.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp water
Dash of S+P
Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a small container and "shake, shake, shake"! Pour over salad.
(Complements of this recipe from eatliverun.com)
Ingredients:
-1 can sweetened condensed milk
-3 bananas
-CoolWhip
-Brown sugar and sea salt for sprinkling
For the pie crust:
-1/2 cup butter, chilled
-1 1/4 cups flour
-1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup ice water
Directions:
1. Place unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan. Fill the saucepan the majority of the way full with water (filling so the can is 3/4 of the way submerged). Place on stove and bring water to boil and cover. Let it boil on the stove for ~2 1/2 hours. (Yeah, that's right - 2 1/2 hours)
2. To make the pie crust, mix flour and salt in a bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to flour. Mix flour and butter (I used my fingers) until make crumbles. Add water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough forms a ball. Chill dough for 1-2 hrs. Then roll dough out on the counter and lay in a greased pie pan. Use a fork to make the edges look nice and to poke a few holes in the bottom of the crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes (until it begins to brown). If the pie crust starts to puff up in the oven, place something heavy (I used a small plate) in the pan to keep it flat.
3. Once your milk and crust have cooled a bit, spread a layer of toffee on bottom of crust, add sliced bananas and top with the rest of the toffee. When ready to serve, spread layer of whipped topping on top and sprinkle with brown sugar and sea salt. Voila! Prepare for a party in your mouth. This pie was sooo good!
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| Breakfast served with salad... to drink! |
1 cup skim milk
1 cup(ish) fresh spinach
1 banana
2 tsp ground flax seed
-Toss a few ice cubes into a tall glass
-Fill glass halfway with chilled brewed coffee
-Add 2 tbsp(ish) Half-and-Half
-Add 1/4(ish) cup skim milk
-Add a few drops of honey and/or vanilla
-Sprinkle with cinnamon
Stir together well. Then kick off your shoes, settle down on your couch, and enjoy! :-)
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| It's extra crumbly! But so delicious! |
Brown Butter Fresh Blueberry Muffins
(recipe from joythebaker.com)
Makes 12 scrumptious muffins!
Ingredients:
-7 Tablespoons unsalted butter
-1/3 cup whole milk
-1 large egg
-1 large egg yolk
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-3/4 cup sugar
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-3/4 teaspoon salt
-2 cups fresh blueberries
For the Topping
-3 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
-3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
-I also added about a tbsp of flax to the topping :-)
Directions:
1. Put a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Keep an eye on the butter. Melt and cook down the butter until little brown bits appear in the pan. The crackling will subside and butter will begin to brown fairly quickly after that. Keep a close eye. Remove from heat.
3.Whisk milk, egg, yolk and vanilla until combined. Add the brown butter and stir to combine.
4.Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl Add milk and butter mixture all at once and stir gently to combine. Gently but thoroughly fold in the blueberries.
5.Divide the batter among muffin cups and spread evenly.
6.To make the topping combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the cups.
Bake until golden and crisp and a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes then remove from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
(recipe from joythebaker.com)
Makes 12 scrumptious muffins!
Ingredients:
-7 Tablespoons unsalted butter
-1/3 cup whole milk
-1 large egg
-1 large egg yolk
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-3/4 cup sugar
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-3/4 teaspoon salt
-2 cups fresh blueberries
For the Topping
-3 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
-3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
-I also added about a tbsp of flax to the topping :-)
Directions:
1. Put a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Keep an eye on the butter. Melt and cook down the butter until little brown bits appear in the pan. The crackling will subside and butter will begin to brown fairly quickly after that. Keep a close eye. Remove from heat.
3.Whisk milk, egg, yolk and vanilla until combined. Add the brown butter and stir to combine.
4.Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl Add milk and butter mixture all at once and stir gently to combine. Gently but thoroughly fold in the blueberries.
5.Divide the batter among muffin cups and spread evenly.
6.To make the topping combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the cups.
Bake until golden and crisp and a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes then remove from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Fiberlicious Muffins
(Adapted from a recipe by Bob's RedMill)
Makes ~16 muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup flaxseed meal
3/4 cup white flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 c. shredded carrots
3/4 c. shredded coconut (mine happened to be sweetened)
1/2 c. raisins
3/4 c. milk2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, mix the flours (white and wheat), flaxseed, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
2. Stir in carrots, raisins, and coconut.
3. In a small bowl, combine milk, eggs, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture everything is incorporated and moistened.
4. Spray muffin pan cups with non-stick cooking spray. Fill cups 3/4 full with muffin dough. Then bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
I like to enjoy mine "as is" or heated just a bit in the microwave/toaster oven with a bit of peanut butter or jam. Yum! :-)
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| You should totally make these. Today. |
(recipe from joythebaker.com)
Makes ~3 dozen cookies (don't worry, they won't last long!)
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and browned to about 3/4 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt (depending on how salty you like things)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup toasted coconut (I used unsweetened, but sweetened will work as well)
1 cup dark chocolate chunks
Directions:
1. Preheat to 350 degrees F. Spread out shredded coconut onto a cookie sheet and toast coconut for about 6 minutes, until browned and fragrant. Remove from the oven, place in a small bowl and let cool.
2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. The butter will begin to foam. Once the foaming calms down, keep an eye on the butter. The butter solids will begin to brown (and it'll start smelling absolutely delicious!).Once well browned, immediately remove the butter from the flame and place in a small bowl to stop the cooking. Allow to cool for a bit.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
4. In the bowl large bowl, measure granulated and brown sugar. Add the brown butter and beat together, with a mixer on medium speed, for about 2 minutes.
5. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. The mixture should be very smooth. Add vanilla extract and beat.
5. With mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients. Beat until just incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula to fold in the toasted coconut and chocolate chips. This dough will be thick!
6. Spoon balls by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets (or freeze balls of dough for later use).
7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown but still slightly soft in the center. Remove from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes, before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Ingredients:
-3 eggs
-1 cup vegetable Oil
-2 cupsGranulated Sugar
-1 TablespoonVanilla
-2 cups Shredded Zucchini
-1 ½ cups All-purpose Flour
-1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
-½ cupBaking Cocoa
-1 teaspoon Salt
-1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
-¼ teaspoons Baking Powder
-1 teaspoon Baking Soda
-1 cup Chocolate Chips
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Stir in zucchini. In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and add it to the zucchini/egg mixture. Mix well. Pour into 2 well-greased loaf pans. Bake at 350F for 1 hour or until bread tests done.
In this bowl:
-1/4 cup of shredded carrots
-1/4 cup yogurt
-1/4 cup skim milk
-1/2 cup oats
-A few raisins
-A sprinkle of cinnamon
-A bit of honey swirled on top!
Yum, yum, yum!
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| Dinner is Served! |
Ingredients:
-2 small cucumbers, chopped
-2 heirloom tomatoes, chopped
-2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
-1/2 cup quinoa, cooked
-3 tbsp. balsamic vinaigrette
-2 tbsp. olive oil
-1 clove garlic, chopped
-3-4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
-Salt and pepper
Directions:
Combine all the ingredients well in a bit happy salad bowl and enjoy! It gets even better the next day after everything has had time to marinate together in the fridge. :-0
Now, I have a super easy lunch ready-to-go for me all week! Boo-yah!
Peanut Butter Yogurt Fruit Dip/Sauce
Ingredients:
-1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
-1-2 tbsp powdered sugar
-1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whip together with a whisk. Dip bananas, strawberries, apples, or whatever fruit you have on hand!
Shakshuka
(Inspired by this recipe from Smitten Kitchen)
Ingredients:
-4 medium-sized heirloom tomatoes
-1 medium yellow onion, chopped
-2-3 cloves garlic, diced
-2 tbsp butter
-2-4 dried adobo peppers (per your spicy-preferences)
-A few tsps of curry powder, paprika, adobo pepper powder, S+P (per your taste preferences)
-2-4 eggs
-Goat feta and fresh chopped basil for topping
Directions:
1. For the tomatoes, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Cut out the tough top/middle of the tomato. Next, make 2 slits in the shape of an "X" on the bottom of the tomato with your knife. Plop your tomatoes in the pot of boiling water. Fish them out when the skins start to peel back from the cuts you had made. Place them in a bowl of ice water to chill a minute. Drain the water, then peel the skins from the tomatoes. Now, the fun part! Squish the tomatoes between your fingers until they become a soupy-like mess. Set aside.
2. While you are boiling water for the tomatoes, heat a cast iron dutch oven over medium heat. Melt the butter in the pot. Add the chopped onion, garlic, and assorted spices. Cook until the onion is translucent/tender.
3. Add the tomato "mess" to the onion mixture in the pot. Simmer until it begins to thicken.
4. Once the sauce has been simmering/boiling for a bit and is seasoned to your liking, grab an egg. Crack the egg and gingerly drop it onto the surface of the sauce. Repeat with all of the eggs. Continue to simmer until the eggs start to poach on top of your sauce.
5. Once the eggs have "poached" - grab a bowl and a spoon and enjoy!! We topped ours with a bit of goat feta and chopped basil. So delicious!
Adapted from Mark Bittman's recipe in his book How to Cook Everything
Ingredients:
-1 medium eggplant
-4 small/medium tomatoes
-3-4 small summer squash
-1/2 large purple onion
-1 green bell pepper
-A couple of leaves of basil, chopped
-About 1/2 cup of olive oil
-Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place cast iron stock pot in oven to warm. Use a mandolin or your awesome knife skills to thinly slice all the vegetables so they are all about the same size.
2. Pull the warmed stock pot out of the oven and swirl a couple tablespoons of olive oil on the bottom. Add the veggies in layers (whichever order you like!).
3. Press the veggies down in the pot. Add the chopped basil, S+P, and the rest of the olive oil. Bake for up to an hour until the veggies are softened and nice and bubbly.
We served ours up with toasted pita spread with goat cheese. Yum!
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| It doesn't look like much... but it's good! |
(Adapted from recipe from this blog)
Ingredients:
-2 tablespoons flour
-1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
-2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
-1/4 teaspoon baking powder
-1 teaspoon leftover brewed coffee
-Pinch salt
-2 tablespoons milk
-1 teaspoon oil (I've been using canola)
-Drop of vanilla extract
Directions:
1. In your favorite mug combine the flour, Splenda, cocoa powder, baking powder, coffee crystals and salt until no lumps remain. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
2. Bake in the microwave on high for 35 seconds. It should look "set" on top and will still be gooey on the bottom. :-)
Top with whatever your little heart desires. I picked peanut butter (shocker! lol) and soaked it in a bit of milk. (I am so obsessed with soaking baked things in milk lately!) It's not going to taste exactly like a carefully prepared cake... it's kind of a cross between a cake and a brownie... but regardless, it still hits the chocolate-spot!
(Adapted from this recipe)
Ingredients:
-1/2 cup whole wheat rotelli pasta
-1 veggie sausage link
-1/2 sliced zucchini
-Handful of cherry tomatoes
-1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-Few leaves of basil, chopped
-1 tbsp olive oil
-Generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, spray a saute pan with oil and brown the sausage. Once sausage is browned, set aside. In the same oiled pan, add the sliced zucchini and oil. Saute the zucchini until it begins to soften. When the zucchini is nearly done, add the garlic, basil, and cherry tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are just warmed and garlic becomes fragrant.
3. Slice the sausage and toss with vegetables in pan. Toss in the pasta and mix it all together well. Sprinkle it all with salt and pepper and parmesan cheese. Enjoy! :-)
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| Perfect for cool fall evenings! |
Serves ~4?
Ingredients:
-3 small sweet potatoes
-2 small turnips
-1 acorn squash
-2 cloves garlic
-3 1/2 cups vegetable broth (approximately...)
-Salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Halve the acorn squash, scoop the seeds out with a spoon and microwave for 2-3 minutes until softened. Let squash chill in the microwave until it's no longer too hot to handle.
2. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes. Cube the potatoes and turnips. Bring 2 cups of the broth to simmer (uncovered) on stove. Add the chopped potatoes and turnips. Scoop the flesh out of the skin of the acorn squash and add to the pot.
3. As that begins to simmer, mince the garlic and add to the pot. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are softened. Add the S+P and red pepper.
4. Bring out your blender (dust it if it hasn't seen the light of day in a while!) and puree the soup in batches (adding the rest of the vegetable broth to achieve desired consistency).
Usually I pair this soup with a grilled cheese sandwich for dipping. I topped mine with a bit of spicy black beans and goat cheese. Delish!
Soy Seitan Veggie Stir-Fry
Ingredients:
-1 package seitan
-1 zucchini, sliced
-1 yellow summer squash, sliced
-1/2 head broccoli, chopped
-1-2 cloves garlic, minced
-2 tbsp vegetable oil
-2-3 tbsp soy sauce
-1/4 cup vegetable broth
-Dash red pepper, salt, and pepper
Directions:
1. Heat oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add vegetables and garlic. Cook until just starting to soften (~5-7 minutes).
(recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything)
Ingredients
-1/2 c. butter
-1/4 c. brown sugar
-1/2 c. sugar
-1 egg
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 1/2 cup flour
-3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
-1 tsp. baking powder
-1/4 tsp salt
-2 king-size Hershey's bars
-1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff (approximately a 7.5 oz jar)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients (flour thru salt). Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter/egg mixture until well combined. Dough will be slightly crumbly.
3. Press half of the dough into the bottom of the pan. Lay the chocolate bars on top of the dough in the pan. Spread the fluff over the chocolate layer. Sprinkle the rest of the cookie dough over the top.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly browned. Allow to cool thoroughly before cutting. (You may even want to freeze it a few minutes to make cutting easier. They are very gooey!)
These were so delicious!!!! They totally tasted just like s'mores.
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| The ingredients... |
Ingredients:
-1 small onion, chopped
-1 tbsp butter or olive oil
-3-4 carrots
-1/2 quart mushrooms
-Handful of cherry tomatoes
-1 bunch bok choy
-1/2 head broccoli
-5-6 red skinned potatoes
-3 cups of mustard greens
-1 qt vegetable broth (add more for a more "brothy" soup)
Directions:
1. Heat oil/butter in a large stockpot. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Add broth. Add the carrots, potatoes, bok choy stems, and broccoli (chopped into equal size pieces). Heat until simmering and cook for about 10 minutes. Next add chopped bok choy leaves, mushrooms, tomatoes, and greens. Simmer until the harder veggies are fork tender (ie. the carrots and potatoes). Add salt, pepper, and additional spices to taste.
(Adapted from Joy the Baker's recipe)
Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cup water
-1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
-Dash of salt
-2 Tbsp milk
-2 Tbsp maple syrup (less or more according to taste!)
-Dash of cinnamon
-1/2 tbsp butter
-1 banana
-2 tbsp raisins
Directions:
1. Boil water in a small saucepan. Once water has started to boil add a dash of salt and lower heat to simmer. Whisk in the cornmeal making sure it doesn't clump. Stir until mixture begins to thicken.
2. Add milk, cinnamon, syrup, and butter. Continue to stir until well mixed and butter is melted. Remove from heat.
3. Spoon into bowl. Top with chopped banana, raisins, and maybe a little more syrup (live a little!).
4. Devour!
This is a breakfast that is sure to warm up your belly! Feel free to try any other sort of toppings - pears? apples? craisins? Go crazy! It's not healthiest breakfast, but hey, it's the weekend! :-)
