Dairy Free Breakfast Cookies

Today, I finally tried the soaked version of a recipe I've made quite a few times... Just never the soaked version.  Breakfast Cookies!  I found the recipe many years ago on Heavenly Homemakers, and I've adapted the recipe slightly (since I don't bake with dairy to allow my daughter to enjoy everything) based off my sister-in-law's version at Homemade Dutch Apple Pie.  And yes, you read that right... A cookie for breakfast.  Who's kid wouldn't love that?!  :) 

These cookies are cakey and filling.  You can load them up with all sorts of add-ins, dried fruit, nuts, shredded coconut, mini chocolate chips, etc.  We don't eat nuts at our house (my daughter is allergic), so we skip the nuts, but they'd be a delicious and nutritious addition.  

I think we all agreed that we prefer the soaked version, as it lends a softer, moister cookie.  Not to mention, soaking the grains allows your body to digest them much more easily.  

I love that this recipe makes quite a few breakfast cookies, so I can make a batch and freeze lots for future breakfasts.  Considering we've been really slacking on nutritious breakfasts lately, I can't even tell you how excited I am to have a stash of these in the freezer now! 

Dairy Free Giant Breakfast Cookies

1 cup coconut oil, melted
¾ cup honey (can sub some for maple syrup)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup water + 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups whole rolled oats
1 1/2 cups dried fruit, mini chocolate chips (the Enjoy Life brand is free of allergens), nuts, shredded coconut, etc.

Melt coconut oil on the stovetop. In a glass bowl, stir together flour, oats, coconut oil and water/lemon juice.  Be sure all of the grains are moistened.  If not, add another tablespoon of water at a time until everything is moistened.  Cover and let the grains soak overnight, or at least for 8 hours. 

In the morning, stir in the remaining ingredients.  Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Allow cookies to cool 3-4 minutes on cookie sheet before removing cookies to cool on a wire rack.  

Blueberry-Banana Baked Oatmeal (dairy/nut/soy/egg/wheat-free)

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted.  Do any of my old followers still even read my blog?  I've just been so busy with keeping up with my family, my day-job, and my photography business that I just do not have time to blog about recipes I try anymore.  I'm making a quick exception today because I don't want to lose this recipe.  :)

I've made many different baked oatmeals in the past, but this one is probably our favorite.  And it something we all can eat safely.  For those that don't know, my daughter was diagnosed with several food allergies a couple of months ago - peanuts, dairy, soy, eggs, and wheat.  Breakfasts have been our biggest challenge for her.  She used to love having eggs for breakfast, but that's not an option anymore, unfortunately.  We usually all eat different things for breakfast, so its a treat (for me) to just make one thing that we all eat (and like).  Everyone loved this baked oatmeal.  Even my husband, who generally refuses to even try any type of oatmeal.

I had pinned a recipe from So How's It Taste awhile back, which served as the base recipe for my version.  Being that her recipe contains walnuts, eggs, milk and butter, you wouldn't think we could even think about eating it.  But I made some substitutions to make it safe for all of us.  I've not tried the original version, but I do not think taste suffered at all with my substitutions.  I think it may have made it even better, to be honest.  ;)

Blueberry-Banana Baked Oatmeal 

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup coconut milk
2 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ripe bananas, peeled & sliced
1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 375.  Lightly grease a glass 2-quart baking dish.

In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients (oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt).  Stir to combine.

In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the maple syrup, coconut milk, and vanilla.  Heat the coconut oil to melt it.  Set aside (if you add it to the cold ingredients now, it will solidify again).

Spread the sliced bananas over the bottom of the baking dish in a single layer.  Sprinkle half of the blueberries over the bananas.

Next, pour the dry oat mixture over the bananas and blueberries.

Now, add the coconut oil to the liquid ingredients and immediately pour over the oats.  The coconut oil will start to solidify with the cold ingredients, but its ok, it will melt again as you bake it.

Sprinkle the remaining blueberries over the top.

Bake for 35 minutes, until slightly browned and the oats have set.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

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. 

Paleo Pancake and Sausage Muffins

Pancake and sausage muffins - sounds strange, don't they?  According to my husband, they remind him of a sausage McGriddle from McDonalds.  I've never had one, so I couldn't tell you if they do, or not.  But I can tell you that they're really good.  And really easy and simple.  My sister-in-law posted a non-paleo version on her blog, Homemade Dutch Apple Pie, a while back.  I wanted to make them paleo, though.  So I figured I'd use our favorite paleo pancake recipe from Urban Poser (with a few tweaks) and give them a shot.  They turned out great!  I'll definitely be making these again soon.  These were very nice to have the leftovers on hand for quick breakfasts on work mornings. 

Paleo Pancake and Sausage Muffins

1 pound bulk sausage
1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 large eggs from pastured chickens
4-5 Tablespoons almond milk or coconut milk (they're great both ways!)
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cook sausage in a cast iron or stainless steel skillet until cooked through.  Remove from heat and let cool for a bit.

Meanwhile, mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, eggs, almond or coconut milk, honey, maple syrup, and vanilla in a large bowl. 

Once the sausage has cooled some, mix into the pancake mixture. 

Divide mixture evenly between 12 muffin cups.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and cooked through. 


 

Zucchini Pancakes

I have a huge back-log of posts that I hope to get on the blog soon.  We'll see how successful I am at getting everything posted.  I kind of have a lot going on right now to keep me pretty busy.  Between being a mom of two now (one of which is 3-months old), being a wife, going to class at church one night a week, spending time with friends and family, starting up a small business, and commuting and working about 30 hours per week at work... I have been keeping myself quite busy.  :)  But I have still been trying to get healthful meals on the table everyday.  These paleo zucchini pancakes were a weekly item on menu this summer, while we were getting so many zucchini in our CSA.  They have continued to show up occasionally, as we are still getting zucchini in our weekly CSA share.  These are based off of the Barefoot Contessa's recipe.  They are delicious and so fast and easy to make.  We all love them. 

Zucchini Pancakes

2 medium zucchini (about 3/4 pound)

2 tablespoons grated red onion (or use a teaspoon of onion powder)

2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

6 to 8 tablespoons almond flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Unsalted butter

Grate the zucchini into a bowl.  Immediately stir in the onion and eggs.  Stir in 6 tablespoons of the flour, the baking powder, salt, and pepper. (If the batter gets too thin from the liquid in the zucchini, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour.)

Heat a large (10 to 12-inch) saute pan over medium heat and melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in the pan.  When the butter is hot, but not smoking, lower the heat to medium-low and drop heaping soup spoons of batter into the pan.  Cook the pancakes about 2 minutes on each side, until browned.


This post is shared at:

Egg in a Basket (with Zucchini)

Have you ever heard of Egg in a Basket, or Hole in the Heads, or One-Eyed Jacks?  It usually refers to the idea of cutting a round hole in a slice of toast, placing it in a frypan, and cracking an egg in the center to cook.  I always called them Hole in the Heads, but I figured Egg in a Basket was a more appropriate reference.  Since we're not eating bread at our house these days, I decided to try them with zucchini and summer squash since we are getting so much of it from our garden.  It's a good use for those zucchini or squash that get ginormous overnight when you don't think they're quite ready to pick the day prior.  We really enjoyed these.  And you really can't have a simpler breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

Zucchini Eggs in a Basket

1 large zucchini or summer squash
eggs
coconut oil or butter for frying
celtic sea salt

Grease your pan with coconut oil or butter.  Let it heat up. 

Slice your zucchini or summer squash into about 1/2"-3/4" slices.  Use a sharp knife to cut the seeds out of the middle, leaving a hole. 

Fry up both sides of the zucchini until tender.  Then crack an egg into the center.  Flip over after the egg has cooked on the first side.  Sprinkle with celtic sea salt, serve, and enjoy! 


This post is linked to:
Traditional Tuesdays @ Delicious Obsessions
Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
Simple Lives Thursday @ GNOWFGLINS

Grain-Free Dutch Baby Pancakes

I have made dutch baby pancakes many times. They're a quick, easy, and tasty breakfast. I haven't made them since we've been avoiding grains, though. So when I saw a recipe for grain-free dutch baby pancakes on Nourishing Days, I knew we had to try them. So I made them yesterday morning for breakfast with some scrambled eggs and bacon. They were a hit! We couldn't tell they were not made with wheat flour at all. They tasted just like the ones I've made in the past. This is definitely going to be a regular breakfast for us. I served them with sliced banana and nectarine. Kevin and Carson also had some maple syrup on theirs. And I did modify the recipe slightly, with the addition of vanilla.

Grain-Free Dutch Baby Pancakes

3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons almond meal
2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon + extra for serving generous pinch of nutmeg pinch of sea salt
3 tablespoons butter or ghee
fruit/honey/maple syrup/yogurt for serving

Place a 12" cast-iron skillet or 9x13" glass baking dish in your oven and preheat to 475 degrees.

In a medium-sized bowl whisk the eggs. Whisk in milk and then flours, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt until completely combined.

Once the oven is preheated, very carefully remove the skillet or baking dish from the oven and immediately place butter in skillet. Rotate skillet and allow butter to melt all over and coat skillet. It will sizzle, the pan is so hot.

As soon as butter is melted pour in batter, making sure it is evenly distributed. Place the pan back in preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes or until the pancake is puffed up in the middle and golden brown all the way around.  (Note that the puffiness will deflate quickly once you remove the pan from the oven and let the pancakes cool... at least mine did.  I took this picture a couple minutes after I had pulled it out of the oven and it had already mostly deflated.)

Meanwhile, chop fruit (banana, apple, pear, peaches, nectarines, blueberries, etc) into bite-sized pieces.

Cut the pancake into slices and serve topped with fruit, maple syrup, honey, and/or some plain whole milk yogurt.

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.

Primal Egg Casserole

This is just a basic egg casserole recipe.  I almost didn't even post it, but figured since I've made it about 5 times now, I might as well.  Each time I've made it, the casserole has been slightly different - switching out the greens or adding a vegetable.  This is very simple and fast to make.  And it's very good.  I will bake it on Sunday evening, slice it, and store it in the refrigerator for fast, easy breakfasts on our busy work mornings.  This is great straight out of the fridge, or warmed a little in the oven. 

I know my pictures show the casserole with cheese, but I've listed it as an optional ingredient below.  The first time I made it, I used cheese (and took pictures).  But I don't generally add the cheese anymore.  It's great without! 

Primal Egg Casserole

2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 pound naturally seasoned sausage
1 bunch greens - spinach, kale, swiss chard, beet greens, etc.8-10 eggs
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms, optional
6-8 eggs
a small bunch of parsley or other fresh herb... chives are great in this, too
1/4 cup shredded cheese, optional

Preheat the oven to 375.   Heat a pan on medium.  Add butter and swirl around pan.  Add the sausage.  Meanwhile, slice the greens into thin strips.  Add the greens to the sausage and saute until sausage is cooked through and greens are tender.  If you are adding any extra vegetables (we like mushrooms in ours... but its great without, too... my pictures show it without), add them to the pan while things are cooking. 

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs.  Mix in the fresh herbs.  Then add the greens and sausage mixture.  Pour into a greased 8×8 pan.  If you are using cheese, sprinkle on top of egg mixture.  You don't need cheese.  My pictures show the casserole with cheese, but I don't generally add it anymore. 

Bake 20-25 minutes or until middle of casserole is set.  Let it cool slightly before slicing into squares. 

This post is linked to:
Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist
Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade
Fresh Bites Friday at Read Food Whole Health
Traditional Tuesdays at Delicious Obsessions
Grain Free Tuesday at Hella Delicious

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.

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.

Homemade Yogurt

Ok, I've had this post saved in my drafts for much too long now.  So even though I'm still updating it and adding pictures along the way, I figured I'd just go ahead and post it.  Be sure to check back for updates as I post them every now and then.

I've been making my own homemade yogurt for a few months now.  I've tried quite a few different ways of making yogurt and mostly follow the method described on Kitchen Stewardship.  I've posted about my flop using the crockpot.  I'm not going to go into detailed posts about other ways I've tried, rather I'll tell you the way that works best for me and maybe mention a few things I've tried along the way.  I'm sure I'll also try some different things along the way, so I'll come back to this post and update if/when I do.

Making homemade yogurt may seem daunting, but it is actually so very easy to do.  Everyone should try it.  It may sound like it takes a long time to make it, but very little of that time is active time and you don't have to be home for most of it. You can expect about 15 minutes of active time and you'll need to plan a time when you're home for about an hour and a half to two hours.  We eat a lot of yogurt in our house.  We all love it.  Carson and I love it plain or with a slight honey or vanilla flavor.  Kevin likes to stir homemade jam into his.  And we all love it with fresh fruit and granola.  And I love knowing that its so good for us, feeding our guts with healthy probiotics!

Homemade Yogurt in the Crockpot

I made homemade yogurt a couple of weeks ago. I have been wanting to try making it for a really long time. I even had a yogurt maker on my Christmas list last year. I didn't get it, so I am trying out some different methods using appliances and other items I already have. I decided to try making yogurt in the crockpot first. It sounded very easy - too easy, really. So I gave it a go. I followed the recipe/method on A Year of Slow Cooking. It was as easy as it sounded. It is time consuming, but it involves very little active time. Unfortunately, my batch didn't turn out as thick as I'd like. I know homemade yogurt is often thinner than the store-bought stuff, but this was way too thin... it was thicker than milk, but much thinner than yogurt... it was like buttermilk. It had a good flavor, though, so I saved it (some in the fridge and froze some) and will be using it like buttermilk. After doing some reading after-the-fact, I think my heating/cooling/incubating was just off. I've since read that many people have found that turning the crock on low for 10 minutes or so every hour or two during the incubation time will help keep it warm enough so it thickens up better. Maybe I'll give that a try sometime. Anyway, I wanted to post this method, even though it was sort of a flop, for future reference if I ever do try it again.

We eat a lot of yogurt and the cost savings of making your own is just too huge for me not to try it again. A quart of homemade costs less than half of a quart of organic yogurt at the store. So I wanted to try again... so I decided to try the cooler method the day after I tried the crockpot method. I'll post again soon with my second attempt (which worked very well, by the way).

Yogurt in the Crockpot

8 cups (half-gallon) of whole milk, pasteurized and homogenized is fine, but do NOT use ultra-pasteurized (I used pasteurized, non-homogenized milk)

1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt (I used Stoneyfield Farms Organic Cream Top Plain)

frozen/fresh fruit for flavoring (optional)

thick bath towel

This takes a while. Make your yogurt on a weekend day when you are home to monitor. I used a 4 quart crockpot.

Plug in your crockpot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.

Unplug your crockpot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.

When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crockpot. Stir to combine.

Put the lid back on your crockpot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation.

Go to bed, or let it sit for 8 hours.

In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened---it's not as thick as store-bought yogurt, but has the consistency of low-fat plain yogurt.

You can blend in batches with your favorite fruit. When you blend in the fruit, bubbles will form and might bother you. They aren't a big deal, and will settle eventually.

Chill in a plastic container(s) in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch.

Sourdough Pancakes

I made my second sourdough product this morning (I baked bread this weekend, also... post to come). This recipe is from GNOWFGLINS. I thought these sounded pretty easy and didn't require any prep ahead the night before... I knew we'd be getting home late from the open houses, so I didn't want to have to deal with much prep last night. Anyway, these were super simple and taste great! A definite keeper recipe! I just did a half recipe this morning.

Oh-So-Fluffy Cast Iron Sourdough Pancakes

4 tablespoons melted butter, coconut oil, or olive oil (not too hot)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons sweetener - honey, maple syrup, sucanat (I used honey)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla or vanilla/almond combo
a generous sprinkle of spice, see below for example blend (I just used cinnamon and nutmeg)
2 cups of sourdough starter, fed the night before
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon water
fresh or frozen fruit (optional)
yogurt and maple syrup for serving (optional)

Begin by heating your cast iron skillet (I used stainless steel, a big one and a little one). You want your pan hot, but not too hot or the bottom of the pancake will burn. If you don’t get a perfect golden brown the first time you try this method, take note of what you did and make a change the next time. A golden fluffy-beyond-your-wildest-dreams pancake is worth every effort!

While the skillet is heating, take a medium size bowl and whisk together melted coconut oil/butter or olive oil, egg, salt, sweetener of choice, extract of choice, and spices of choice. Pour sourdough starter that has been fed the night before you want to make the pancakes. Stir well with whisk. Set aside.

In a small cup combine 1 tablespoon of water with 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Set aside.

Take a bit of butter or coconut oil and grease the bottom and sides of your hot skillet.

Pour the water/soda mixture into your waiting pancake batter. Quickly stir to incorporate.

Pour the batter into your waiting skillet, about 1/2 to 1 inch thick.

Do not let unused batter sit while you wait for your skillet pancake to finish. You might want to make one skillet pancake and finish the rest of the batter off as regular pancakes on a griddle.

Now, watch for bubbles, after about 4-5 minutes on the stove.

If you choose, now is the time to add fresh or frozen fruit. Give the fruit a little push to sink them down into the batter.

Toward the end of this initial cook time, turn on the broiler. Finish your pancake off by placing it in the oven. Do not use the very top shelf; the second or third shelf will work best. Remember, your pancake bottom will continue to cook while the top cooks and browns.

Remove from oven once tops are golden, and flip out onto a cooling rack. They are ready to dress, serve, and enjoy!

Mixed Spice Blend
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves

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.

Crockpot Breakfast Risotto

I made another recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking. This time for a breakfast risotto. This was pretty good. It was kind of strange eating rice for breakfast, but it was tasty, at least. We all liked it. I'll make it again sometime and I'd like to try out some other variations.

I forgot to take a picture.

Crockpot Breakfast Risotto

1/4 cup butter
3 little apples
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg
1/8 t cloves
1/4 t kosher salt
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 cups of liquid. I used a tiny can of apple juice, and half and half for the rest (I used non-homogenized whole milk)
(I added a splash of vanilla)

Turn your crock to high and add the butter so it can start melting. Wash and cut up your apples while it begins to melt. Add the rice to the butter, and stir it around to coat it nicely. If the butter isn't completely melted, don't worry. Add the apples, and spices. Stir in the juice/milk. Cover and cook on high for 3-5 hours, or on low for 6 or so.

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.