Dairy-Free Chocolate Chunk Vanilla Muffins with Cinnamon Crumb Topping

Awhile back, I marked a recipe for vanilla muffins with cinnamon crumb topping to try from the Heavenly Homemakers site, but I hadn't made them yet.  Yesterday, my son had a snow day from school, so I stayed home from work with the kids.  Carson wanted to make some muffins, so I went looking through some recipes I had marked to try and came across this one.  I made some changes to make it dairy free and we mixed up a double batch of batter (so we'd have plenty to eat some now and freeze lots for later).  I made one pan (12 muffins) with just the plain vanilla muffin and cinnamon crumb topping.  For the other half of the batter (12 muffins), I mixed in some cinnamon and dairy-free/soy-free/nut-free chocolate chunks.  Both versions turned out delicious!!  Carson likes the ones with chocolate chunks in them best.  I think they are both equally good.  They had a perfect consistency - airy and soft, yet super moist.  The vanilla muffins are a great base recipe and we've already been brainstorming different varieties of muffins we could make, so I expect we'll be trying some out in the near future.  :) 

Dairy-Free Vanilla Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sucanat/organic cane sugar/organic brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
3/4 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1 cup dairy-free/soy-free/nut-free chocolate chunks (optional)

Cinnamon Crumb Topping

6 Tablespoons organic cane sugar or brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons coconut oil, softened

Mix the flour, sucanat/sugar, baking powder and sea salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add egg, vanilla, coconut oil and almond milk.  Mix until ingredients are well combined.  Stir in cinnamon and/or chocolate chunks, if you are using them.  Scoop into paper lined muffin tins. 

Meanwhile, mix together Cinnamon Crumb Topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of each muffin. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove and let cool. 

Dairy-Free Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies

I've been wanting to make some dairy-free sugar cookies all month and finally had the chance to make some with my son yesterday.  He loves to cook with me, especially when we get to bake or make some of his favorite things.  I found a recipe online awhile back - but I don't know where I found it... I only saved the text.  It was for soft sugar cookies, which are my favorite kind of sugar cookies.  I'm not really a fan of crispy sugar cookies.  So I used that recipe as a base and subbed out ingredients a bit to bring them up to our standards.  These aren't super soft, but they're still really good.  You'd never guess they were whole wheat or dairy-free.  They have a crisp crust and a soft interior.  I want to try them again with some whole wheat pastry flour to see if that lends a softer cookie, but I didn't have any on hand yesterday.  We had planned to roll the dough and do Christmas cut-outs, but my infant daugther wasn't allowing for that yesterday morning.  :)  So we just used a cookie scoop and then flattened them a little with a glass.  They still taste just as good as they would as cut-outs... and they're way less work!  :)

Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies

1 cup palm shortening
1 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 cup almond milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat palm shortening, sugar, almond milk, eggs, and vanilla together in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add baking soda and salt.  Slowly beat flour mixture in to make a smooth dough.

Now you may either use a cookie scoop like we did, and flatten slightly with a flat-bottomed glass.  Or roll dough out 1/4-inch thick on a floured work surface and cut into shapes.  Arrange cookies on baking sheets.  Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are firm, about 8-10 minutes.  Let cool.  Frost and decorate once fully cooled.


Frosting

1/4 cup palm shortening
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or more to taste
4 tablespoons almond milk, or as neededBeat palm shortening, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and almond milk in a bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until frosting is spreadable and slightly fluffy.  Frost cooled cookies.  Add sprinkles or colored sugars if desired. 

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Here's another recipe that I've made quite a few times now.  I've made them as written below.  I've also substituted the blueberries with strawberries a couple of times, too.  Both are excellent!!  These are very quick and easy to throw together - perfect for making them with a child.  Carson loves to help make them!  He also loves to eat them and requests these often.  We all love them. 

This recipe comes from Nourished and Nurtured.  Be sure to check out her site for lots of GAPS-friendly recipes.  While we're not doing GAPS at our house, many GAPS recipes are also paleo and/or primal friendly, as well. 

Blueberry Banana Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
1/2 cup butter or unrefined coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
3/4 tsp celtic sea salt
6 eggs, preferably pasture-raised
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
3/4 cup coconut flour
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 heaping cup frozen blueberries
Melt butter or coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Turn off heat and allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, combine the eggs, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a large bowl. If using an immersion blender, pulse a few times to combine. Otherwise, mix to combine with a whisk or mixer.

Add the honey to the butter (or coconut oil) and stir slightly. Pour this mixture into the wet ingredients and blend well with immersion blender or mixer.

Pour the coconut flour into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Use an immersion blender or mixer to thoroughly combine all ingredients, making sure there are no lumps.
Add mashed banana and mix to combine.

Line a muffin tin with paper cups. Scoop the muffin batter into the paper cups.
Add about 8-10 blueberries to the top of each muffin. Push them down slightly into the batter. If you try to fold the blueberries into the batter, they tend to sink to the bottom of the muffins during baking, making everything a bit soggy.

Bake muffins in 325 degree oven for about 40-50 minutes, until muffins are set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If you are in a time-crunch, you could bake them at 350 degrees initially, but you'll need to reduce the heat after a bit so they won't burn before being set in the middle.

Remove from oven and cool.

Grain-Free Fudgy Brownies

I saw these grain-free brownies on Health Bent and knew at once that I had to try them. I looooove fudgy brownies and these looked and sounded amazing. So Carson and I mixed some up a couple of weeks ago.  We used homemade almond butter, substituted half of the cocoa powder with carob powder, only added half of the optional sweetener, and did not add the nuts (for Kevin's sake). They were very quick and easy to mix together.  The raw batter was awesome (Carson and I both enjoyed cleaning out the bowl and spoons after we had the brownies in the oven :), so I knew the brownies would be, too.  And were they ever!  Yum!  These things are soooo good!  Very addicting!  They don't look done in the middle when you take them out of the oven - they're still quite jiggly - but they set up as they cool.  They are very fudgy and soft, which we all loved, but I can see how it wouldn't be ideal for some people.  But like I said, we thought they were pretty amazing.  :)

Grain-Free Fudgy Brownies

1 cup almond butter
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder (I used half cocoa powder and half carob powder)
1/4 cup sucanat (optional... I added about 1/8 cup)
1/3 cup chocolate chips (use the highest % cocoa you can find)
1/3 cup chopped nuts (I left these off)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish.

In a bowl whisk together the almond butter, coconut milk, eggs, vanilla extract and salt. Then add the cocoa powder, sugar, and chocolate chips.

Pour into the prepared baking dish and top with chopped nuts.

Bake for approximately 18 minutes.  The brownies will still be jiggly in the center, but they will set up as they cool down.  Wait until they have cooled completely before serving.  Store in the refrigerator.

This post is linked to:

Simple Lives Thursday at GNOWFGLINS

Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet

Foodies Follow Fridays at Hella Delicious

Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade

Soaked Raisin Pecan Oat Bread

I made this last month, but am just getting around to posting it. I'm still terribly behind on posting. I'll get there someday, I figure. So anyway, we went to my SIL's house for dinner one night last month. She asked me to bring some kind of bread. I had recently come across a recipe for Cranberry-Pecan Bread on The Nourishing Home and thought I'd make it to take. The original recipe calls for cranberries, but I didn't have any on hand, so I substituted with raisins.  I really liked it with raisins.  Maybe someday I'll try the original recipe with the cranberries, but I rarely buy them, so I'll more likely always use raisins or other dried fruit. This was a very good bread - very moist and flavorful. And I like that it is soaked. I will definitely make this again!  The recipe below makes one loaf.  I doubled it to make a second loaf to have at home since we were taking one to Grand Rapids.

Raisin Pecan Oat Bread

Step One: Soaking

1 cup organic whole spelt flour
1/4 cup Rapadura (or Sucanat)
1/2 cup organic thick-cut rolled oats (not quick-cook)
1/2 cup organic plain whole milk kefir (or cultured buttermilk)
1/4 cup filtered water

Add above ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Add kefir (or cultured buttermilk) and water and thoroughly combine. The mixture will be a very sticky, wet dough.  Cover the bowl and place it in a warm area of your kitchen for 12-24 hours.

Step Two: Baking
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons pure organic maple syrup
1 large egg
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped crispy pecans

After soaking for 12-24 hours, get ready to bake your bread.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add melted butter to the batter and fold into the batter, just until incorporated. Then, add maple syrup, egg, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Thoroughly combine by folding into the batter. Then, fold in the cranberries and pecans.

Place the batter into a well-oiled loaf pan. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until the bread is a rich brown color and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

This post is linked to Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist and Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Simple Lives Thursday at GNOWFGLINS, and Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

* This is a re-post of a recipe I originally posted in April 2010... I've just updated it to use a healthy oil and updated the instructions to add a little more detail.* 

I have made this bread many times in the last year.  For awhile there, I was making it weekly.  Then I got into sourdough and other breads, so it has been quite a while since I've made this.  I decided to re-visit it this morning and bake a couple loaves.  I switched out the canola oil for a healthy oil (coconut oil), but otherwise this was a great recipe.  It turned out just as delicious with the coconut oil, too.  This is seriously such a soft, yummy bread and is our overall favorite bread. 

I'd like to do some more testing with this recipe since it's our favorite.  I want to try soaking the grains.  I will update and re-post if I'm successful in the coming weeks. 

* Here is the original post.*
I tried out a new bread recipe a couple of weeks ago and made it again this morning. I just haven't gotten around to posting the recipe yet. This comes from Two Peas and Their Pod and it is sooooo good! This is by far our favorite bread so far... and will be our "regular" bread for awhile now. This makes a great sandwich bread. And it is so simple to make. I really liked that it has all whole wheat flour. So many recipes seem to just have partial whole wheat flour in addition to the highly processed all-purpose or bread flour. But not this recipe! Anyway, like I said, this is a delicious bread. This makes 2 loaves, which is nice because you can either freeze the second loaf, or present it as a gift to someone. Perfect!

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 T vital wheat gluten
2 packets of yeast (or 4 1/2 teaspoons)
2 1/2 cups warm water

In a large mixing bowl (preferably a KitchenAid), add the 3 cups flour, wheat gluten, and yeast. Stir. Add in warm water and stir until combined. Let sit for 10 minutes.

1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup honey
1 1/2 T lemon juice
1 T sea salt
3 1/2-4 cups whole wheat flour

Mix the oil, honey, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl. Add to flour mixture after the 10 minutes. Mix until combined. Add in the additional flour and mix.  I usually switch to my dough hook when I'm adding this flour.  Add in the first 3 cups of flour first, continue to mix.  Then, add in about 1/4 cup of flour at a time until the dough is no longer sticking to the bowl.  You don't want the dough to be too wet so that it sticks to the bowl or your hands.  Dough that is too wet makes a dense bread.  You don't want it to be too dry, either... else you'll get dry bread.  If you stop adding flour once the dough is pulling away from the sides of the bowl, you'll end up with a perfect loaf of bread... not dense, not dry, but moist and soft and airy. 

Next, knead the dough for ten minutes with the dough hook. When it is done divide the dough into two loaves. Make sure they are even. Shape them into loaf form. Place the dough into 2 loaf pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with a clean towel and let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. After the loaves have risen, bake them for 30 minutes. They should be golden brown. Let cool before slicing, if you can wait. You can freeze one of the loaves if you wish.

This post is re-posted as part of Monday Mania at Healthy Home Economist and Tuesday Twister at GNOWFGLINS.

Sausage Cheese Balls

We had to travel two hours west for one of our Christmas parties.  I wanted to find something to take that was portable, tasty, and fairly good for you.  I couldn't decide what to bring, so I scoured the Whole Foods for the Holidays posts.  I came across these Sausage Cheese Balls on Titus2Homemaker.  They sounded very easy and portable.  So I tried them out.  I used our pastured, naturally-seasoned sausage, a mixture of whole wheat and spelt flours, my homemade cultured butter, and raw cheddar cheese.  They are more dough-y than I guess I expected and they didn't blow me away, but they were okay.  They taste like a biscuit with a slight cheese and sausage flavoring.  The naturally flavored sausage doesn't have as much spice as conventional sausage does, so maybe they'd have more flavor with conventional sausage... I didn't think about it in advance, or I'd have probably added a few spices. 

Sausage Cheese Balls

3 cups whole wheat flour (I used 2 cups whole wheat and 1 cup spelt)
1-1/2 Tablespoons aluminum-free baking powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 lb. butter (I used homemade cultured butter)
1 lb. breakfast sausage, raw (I used pastured pork sausage with natural seasonings)
8 oz. grated cheddar (I used raw cheddar, a mixture of mild and sharp)

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter. With your hands, mix in sausage and cheddar, adding a tad bit of water to make a dough. Form into 1″ balls (I used my 1-inch cookie scoop) and bake on a baking sheet at 375 for 20 minutes.

Yummy Yummy Coffee Cake - made healthy(er)

I have been wanting to try making the Yummy Yummy Coffee Cake a little healthier for awhile now.  I figured why not make it for a breakfast during the holidays?  So I made it to have for breakfast on Friday morning.  I used whole wheat and spelt flours and I soaked them in homemade buttermilk.  I also used homemade cultured butter, half sucanat and half cane sugar, farm-fresh pastured eggs, homemade vanilla, sea salt, and aluminum-free baking soda for the cake.  I used sucanat and cane sugar, plus cinnamon for the filling.  And I used unbleached powdered sugar and raw milk for the glaze.  Everything was organic and local where possible.  Its still not a healthy dish, but making it this way is much better for you than making it with processed, conventional ingredients. 

Yummy Yummy Coffee Cake

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup spelt flour
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar (I used half sucanat and half cane sugar)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling:
1/3 cup sucanat
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup nuts (optional)

Glaze:
1 cup unbleached powdered sugar
2-3 Tablespoons milk

If you are soaking the flours, mix flours and buttermilk together in a small bowl.  You may need to add an extra 1/4 cup of buttermilk.  You want to have just enough moisture to cover all of the flour.  Cover the bowl with a plate or kitchen towel and let sit at least 8 hours or overnight. 

When you are ready to bake, heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan with coconut oil or butter.

Beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together. Add baking soda and salt.  Then add the soaked flour mixture.  Stir well. 

Mix filling ingredients in a separate bowl.

Put half of the dough in the prepared pan. Top with half of filling. Spread the remaining dough on top. Then remaining filling.

Bake 35-40 minutes.

While still warm, mix glaze and drizzle over top.



This recipe was shared in the Kitchen Stewardship Soaked Grain Recipe Carnival.

Sourdough - Bucket Method

Last week I tried out some new things we've been learning in the GNOWFGLINS Sourdough E-Course. This was a lesson a few weeks back and I've been anxious to try it. This is based off of the methodology presented in Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day (ABin5). I've made several different recipes and types of bread from ABin5 and I love the method. Its so easy. Just mix up the dough one day, stick it in a food-grade bucket or bowl with lid, and pop it in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake some bread. This works great for my busy, working and commuting mom life and I have missed the ease of this method for the last 9 or 10 months. I've wondered about modifying the recipes to make them healthier, but never devoted the time to thinking about it, let alone trying it out.

I was so excited when I read about the lesson a few weeks ago! Wardeh's friend Christina had done the trial and error and had modified the recipe to make sourdough bread with whole grain flours! Yeah! So of course, I had to try it. I mixed up a bucket of dough last week and had intentions of trying a few different ways of baking it... english muffins, cinnamon rolls, and a loaf of bread. I decided part way through the week that I'd actually just make one big batch of rustic english muffins since I didn't have the time for the other two on other nights like I'd hoped. So that's what I did and now I have a good supply of delicious sourdough english muffins in the freezer and for eating fresh. We love them!

Chocolate Sourdough Cake

I've mentioned before that I'm taking the GNOWFGLINS Sourdough E-Course, but I haven't posted anything yet that I've made as a result of the e-course. I made this chocolate sourdough cake before we left for vacation. The recipes for the e-course that week included this chocolate cake and also a spice cake. I'm planning to make the spice cake very soon and I think this will be my go-to chocolate cake recipe from now on. This is SO good! Its so moist and flavorful and just delicious! I ended up making the cream/yogurt cheese frosting rather than the chocolate coconut cream frosting because I was having trouble finding coconut butter. I'll have to order some and try it again with the chocolate frosting. But it was very tasty with the cream/yogurt cheese frosting!

Zucchini Brownies

I tried out the recipe for zucchini brownies from Heavenly Homemakers the other morning, as well. I made a couple changes... substituted carob powder for the cocoa and added some chocolate chips that I needed to use up in my pantry. These were so easy to throw together, they literally took less than 15 minutes... from the start of getting all the ingredients out, shredding the zucchini, stirring up the brownies, and getting them in the oven. I love quick recipes like this! They also taste really good! We all really liked them a lot. My mother-in-law also got to taste them when I sent one with Carson for a snack and she thought they were awesome (and has asked for the recipe). Definitely a hit! I have the same thoughts I had when making the bread... wishing I had a grain mill so I could use sprouted flour, or wondering if I could modify this to be soaked in the future. Maybe I'll have to do some experimenting.

I'll update soon with a picture.

Zucchini Brownies

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sucanat or rapadura (I used sucanat)
1/3 cup cocoa (I used carob)
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 egg
2 cups whole wheat flour
(I also added a few handfuls of chocolate chips... milk chocolate and white chocolate... that I had in my pantry)

Mix butter, sucanat and cocoa. Stir in zucchini and egg. Gradually mix in flour until well combined. Pour batter into a 9×13 inch pan. Bake in a 350° oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Honey Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

I'm trying to use up some zucchini, as its at its peak production in the garden right now, so I've been looking for new recipes to try. I've been wanting to try the Heavenly Homemakers recipe for honey whole wheat zucchini bread for awhile. So I gave it a go the other morning. This is very good! I love that it uses all whole wheat flour and honey for sweetener, rather than sugar. I'll definitely make this again. I'm really wishing I had a grain mill right now so that I could sprout some wheat and use sprouted flour to make this bread, or soak it or something. I'm really trying to get more into the traditional methods of preparing things, but I just made this recipe as-is. Its still a much healthier version than my normal zucchini bread, so that's an improvement. You can make this recipe into loaves of bread, or into muffins... I've included both below from the Heavenly Homemakders site.

Whole Wheat and Honey Zucchini Bread

3 cups whole wheat flour
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. baking powder
1 cup honey
2 cups shredded zucchini (I use my food processor to shred zucchini, skin and all)
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs

In a large mixing bowl (I used my stand mixer) combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, sea salt, nutmeg and baking powder. Stir in honey, zucchini, eggs and melted butter. Mix ingredients until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into two well buttered loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Whole Wheat and Honey Zucchini Muffins

Prepare as above, except scoop dough into 24 paper-lined muffin tins. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes.

Minimal Knead Sourdough Sandwich Bread

I have made this recipe twice now and I think it will be my regular sourdough recipe. I do have a couple others I want to try, but they make a more typical, more crusty loaf. Which is great when that's what you want. But we like our normal bread to be of sandwich quality, too. So when I found this recipe over at Real Food For Less Money, I knew it was the sourdough I wanted to make.

This recipe makes light and fluffy loaves of bread, with only about 15-20 minutes hands-on time. Yes, there are long periods of rise time, but those are easy enough. I mix mine up in the evening, let it do its first rise while we're sleeping. Then punch it and shape it into loaves in the morning and let it sit all day for its second rise. Then I bake it and we're able to have a couple slices with dinner that night. Perfect!

This recipe is supposed to make three loaves. I have only made half the recipe posted below each time and have gotten two medium-sized loaves out of it. That's perfect for us. Maybe I'll do the whole recipe and freeze more someday.

Sourdough Sandwich Bread

2 cups starter
3 1/2 cups buttermilk, kefir or combination of the two (I've used buttermilk both times, but would like to try it with kefir sometime)
1 1/2 Tablespoons Sea Salt
1/3 cup Sucanat or other natural sweetener (I used sucanat the first time and honey the second... honey was our favorite)
3 Tablespoons melted butter
8 cups whole wheat flour

In a large bowl (I use my stand mixer), mix starter and buttermilk. Add salt, sweetener and butter. Mix well. Add flour 2 cups at a time. Once all the flour is in (switch to your dough hook if using a stand mixer) give the dough a quick knead for a couple of minutes. The dough will be quite sticky. Butter the top of the dough, flip it over and butter the other side. Cover with a cloth. Let set in a warm spot for 12-15 hours, it should rise quite a bit during this time.

Prepare three loaf pans by buttering generously. Punch down dough and divide into thirds. Take one piece at a time and work it in your hands. Push the bread into one of your buttered bread pans. Once you have squished the dough into the pan, flip it over. This will butter the dough. Repeat with each piece of dough. Cover your pans with a cloth and return to your warm spot allowing the bread a second rise. This could take 6-12 hours depending on your starter and the warmth in your home. On cold days, you can put the oven on to warm to a low temp. When it has preheated, turn it off and put the bread in there to rise. Just be careful removing the bread from the oven before baking and don't deflate it and don't forget that it's in there and accidentally turn the oven on to make something else.

To Bake: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Let bread bake at 425 for 15 minutes then turn down to 325. Continue baking for 35-45 minutes until the bread is done. If you turn the bread out and thump the bottom it should sound hollow when fully baked.

Sourdough Starter

I've had sourdough bread many, many times in the past and I never really liked it. Until I had some good, homemade sourdough bread that a colleague brought into work a while back. I thought at that point that it might be fun to try making sometime, but I had no interest in the process with making a sourdough starter... it sounded too complicated. So I never tried it.

Recently, my SIL, Mary, gave it a try and said it wasn't too hard at all. So I decided to give it a try afterall. And guess what? Mary was right! It wasn't hard or complicated at all! You just have to switch to a clean, sterile bowl and add equal parts flour and water each day for a week. Just make sure you use non-plastic and non-metallic utensils and bowls. Then you can use it to make bread, muffins, pancakes, crepes, crackers, and so much more! A sourdough starter can last for generations if you keep it going, feeding it once a week.

So here's what I did... I basically followed the same method my SIL did... with one variation, noted below, based on the recipe and method in Nourishing Traditions.

Sourdough Starter

2 sterilized jars or bowls (not metal)
A non metallic spoon
A coffee filter or thin fabric (I used cheesecloth folded in half)
Rubber band
Whole wheat flour, spelt, rye (I used dark rye, which I've read will produce the best starter)
Water (if you have city water you must boil and let cool or aerate with a blender to rid it of chlorine)

The ratio of water to flour is 1:1 when starting a new sourdough starter. (I used 1 cup flour and 1 cup water to get started, then used only 1/2 cup of each for each feeding. I decided to do this based on the recipe in Nourishing Traditions, which starts with 2 cups and proceeds with 1 cup each day thereafter... but I didn't want to make that large of a starter.)

Day One
Place a 1:1 ratio of flour and water into a clean and sterilized jar (or bowl) and stir well. Cover with the filter or thin towel and set in an open area so it can start collecting natural yeast. (It is also recommended that you keep away from other lacto-fermenting or sprouting things.)

Day Two
Transfer the starter to a clean jar/bowl and feed your new pet another 1:1 ratio of flour and water in the same amount you used for day one (I used half the amount based on Nourishing Traditions' recipe). So if you used 1/2 cup for each, you'll use 1/2 cup again. Stir well, cover, and set back out.

Days Three Through Six
Again, each day you'll feed your starter a 1:1 ratio of flour and water (in a clean jar/bowl). It will start to get bubbly (and will start to smell like wine) and you'll also notice it separate a bit and get a watery layer. Don't worry, this is totally normal.

Day Seven
Your starter should now have gone through the bubbly stage and smell somewhat 'sour'. Transfer to a clean jar and feed it one more time.

At this point it is ready to use! You can now do one of 2 things.

1. Test out some new recipes! Just make sure you feed it again before you put it in the fridge to store.

OR

2. Cover and pop it right in the fridge for use later.

Care and Feeding of your Starter:
Upkeep on a starter is very simple. If you do not use your starter for one week, transfer to a new jar or bowl, feed it a 1:1 ratio of flour and water, and set it back in the fridge. OR, after you use it for a recipe, feed it the same 1:1 ratio and let it sit out again for just a couple hours before storing in the fridge.

If your starter starts getting a bit to thin, go ahead and pour out the watery layer that settles at the top.

Rhubarb Banana Rosemary Muffins

I tried a new muffin recipe from Simply Fresh over the weekend. I had ordered some organic rhubarb from my online CSA and wanted to try some new things with it. So I thought these sounded great. And they were so good! They're pretty dense, but they are very good and filling.. a wonderful breakfast muffin! I made 12 rhubarb banana rosemary regular muffins, 24 strawberry rhubarb banana rosemary mini muffins, and 6 strawberry rhubarb banana rosemary regular muffins with this recipe.

Rhubarb Banana Rosemary Muffin

7 - 8 stalks of Rhubarb
1 cup sugar
2 TBSP maple syrup
2 ripe bananas peeled and mashed
1 egg
1 TBSP baking powder
1 TSP baking soda
1/4 TSP salt
1 TBSP dried rosemary
3 cups whole grain flour
1 cup water

Wash and cut rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces. Add to a small pot with sugar and 1/2 cup water. Boil until rhubarb has broken down into almost a jam like texture. Let cool.

In a large mixing bowl add the cooled rhubarb mixture to all other ingredients. Add the cup of water slowly until you reach your desired muffin batter consistency. Depending on the moisture level of the rhubarb mixture you may need to add more or less water at this stage.

Bake in a lined or oiled muffin tin at 350 for 25 minutes or until a fork inserted into the centre of the muffin comes out clean.

Dutch Baby Pancakes

I decided to give soaking grains a try. I figured I'd start with something simple and easy - dutch baby pancakes. I used the recipe from Passionate Homemaking. It just sounded a little easier to me, being cooked entirely in the oven, than the one in Nourishing Traditions. This was super easy to make and so yummy! I soaked my flour for only about 18 hours because my kitchen was so hot from having a broken a/c. Even soaking 18 hours, they got pretty sour. We had them with strawberry syrup and they were just delicious! All three of us really liked the a lot. They come together so quickly, this is something I can actually make on work days, too. I think these will definitely be a regular breakfast for us. I've got another breakfast or two in the freezer now, too! That's always great!

Dutch Baby/German Pancakes

1 cup acid medium - whole milk kefir, yogurt, or combination of water and lemon juice (for dairy intolerant)
1 cup whole wheat flour, spelt or kamut, as desired
4-5 large eggs, free range/pastured is our preference, as desired (I used 5)
1/3 cup coconut oil and butter, any combination (I used butter
dash of vanilla extract

Combine acid medium and whole wheat flour. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours.

When you are ready to serve, heat oven to 425 degrees. Place oil/butter in small chunks in an 8×11 inch glass baking pan. Place pan in oven to melt. Meanwhile, beat eggs in a blender (or food processor) for 1 minute. Add soaked flour mixture and beat (or process) again for 1 minute. Add dash of vanilla extract.

Pull out the baking pan from oven and rotate around to spread the melted butter/oil around to cover the entire bottom of pan. Slowly pour the pancake batter into the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly brown and fluffy. Enjoy!

Yield: 4-6 servings.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

I made another recipe from Heavenly Homemakers. This time for blueberry coffee cake. This is another super yummy recipe! We all loved it, it was so delicious!
A wonderful treat for breakfast! Its not as sweet as most coffee cakes have been that I've made, but this is still very good.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup rapadura or sucanat (or cane sugar)
3 T. arrowroot powder
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 cup rapadura (or cane sugar)
3/4 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 t. vanilla

In a medium saucepan, cook blueberries and water together until boiling. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer for about five minutes. Stir together rapadura and arrowroot powder in a bowl. Slowly pour rapadura mixture into the blueberries, stirring while you pour. It should very quickly become bubbly and thick. Remove from heat. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and rapadura. Make a "well" in the center and pour in malted butter, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir well. Pour half of the cake batter into a 9" x 13" baking dish. Spread blueberry mixture over the batter. Drop remaining batter by spoonfuls on top of the blueberry mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.

Strawberry Bread

I made a batch of strawberry bread this morning. The recipe comes from Heavenly Homemakers and my SIL also made a variation of this bread recipe with peaches. This was simple and fairly fast to mix together. I made 3 mini loaves and two small loaves from this. We'll keep one out for breakfasts and snacks this week and I'll freeze the rest. I love having sweet bread in the freezer. It makes for a fast and easy breakfast and its great to have on hand if you head over to a party or something and have no time to make something. We couldn't resist and had to try the bread after just cooling a bit. It is so moist and delicious! Yum!

Strawberry Bread

2 cups fresh (or frozen) strawberries
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups rapadura or sucanat or cane sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup melted butter
3 eggs

First, you can do one of two things with your strawberries. If they're fresh, you can slice them and stir them into your dry ingredients. Or, if you don't think your family will like chunks of strawberries in their bread. Blend them all up in the blender, then mix in. If you're using frozen strawberries, thaw, then blend in blender. Mix dry ingredients together. Stir in butter, eggs and strawberries. Pour into two buttered loaf pans. Bake in a 350° oven for 45-50 minutes.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

We all love pizza at our house, but we're trying to cut back on ordering it. For two main reasons - to cut out some junk since we don't know what the stuff from our local pizza joint really contains... and to save money. I saw this in one of my Rachael Ray magazines and thought it might be something we'd like and would satisfy the cravings that Kevin and Carson have for pizza. Don't get me wrong, I love pizza, too, but I don't get hungry for it like the boys in my house do. So anyway, these were very quick and simple to make and they taste pretty good, too. And they're better for you than the local pizza joint, though still not the best for you.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
4 ounces pepperoni, cut into small cubes (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup pizza sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1 red bell pepper, sliced

Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through, then stir in 1 tablespoon basil. Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining 1 tablespoon basil. Serve the puffs and red pepper slices with the pizza sauce for dipping.

You can also freeze the baked puffs (I did) in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. To reheat, bake the frozen puffs on a baking sheet in a 350° oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Butterscotch Bars

Today is Administrative Professional's Day. Our office always brings in treats on special days like today and we present the treats, a card, and a gift to the administrative professional in our office in thanks for everything she does for us throughout the year. I ended up getting home late after my Zumba class because I stayed late with a couple of old friends to catch up after class, so I needed to think of something quick and easy to make. I thought of these butterscotch bars which I had originally seen posted on Heavenly Homemakers and my SIL, Mary, had made a couple of weeks ago. These were so fast and easy to throw together. It literally took Carson and I less than 5 minutes to mix everything together and pop them in the oven to bake. These are very tasty and will definitely be a great recipe to have on hand for another night that I'm pressed for time and need to make something quick. And they were a total hit with everyone in my office!

Butterscotch Bars

1 cup melted butter
1 3/4 cups sucanat
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Stir melted butter and sucanat together. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Stir in flour and mix until well combined. Pour batter into a 9×13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.