Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Gluten Free Banana Muffins (Still in progress...)

I am absolutely obsessed with banana bread, so I've been working on adapting my favorite recipe to be paleo. However, I don't want to mess with every ingredient all at once, so I'm still working on it. However, my last try worked out great so enjoy!

1 3/4 cups almond flour 
3/4 cup gluten free baking mix
1/3 coconut sugar cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
teaspoon baking powder
teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I like things spicy, my measurements tend towards the heaping 1/2 teaspoon side)
1/4 
teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup buttermilk (NO SUBSTITUTIONS)
1 small container of applesauce and then whatever is left of 2/3 coconut oil
1
teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
1 large egg
2-3 large bananas, very ripe (like, black, it makes the muffins sweeter with all the caramelize-y banana sugar)
1 cup chopped walnuts (or more)

at least 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375º

1. In 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup or another high sided bowl, combine egg, buttermilk, oil and vanilla and mashed bananas. 
With your stick blender, or real blender, blend until smooth. 

2. In a large bowl combine the flours, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt then mix thoroughly.


3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold gently. DO NOT OVER MIX, or your will have TOUGH MUFFINS!


4. Generously spray muffin tins with coconut oil cooking spray, including the top surface, so when the muffin top rolls over it won't stick.  

5. Use a 2 ounce ice cream scoop to measure out the batter into muffin cups to the top or even more. Then your muffins will be big and beautiful. 


6. 25-30 minutes or until muffins are pretty browned and a toothpick comes out mostly dry. Rotate mid-way through the cooking time. 

Let rest in the pan five minutes if you can possibly wait that long. If you don't, you may burn your fingers getting them out. Slather with butter and eat them all immediately like I did. 

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Sweet Onion Poppy Dressing

Makes approximately 1.5 cups - Use within 3-4 days

1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable or avocado oil
1/4 cup honey, or less - depending on how sweet you like it
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 tsp kosher salt
black pepper to taste

1/2 medium white onion, chopped

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1. Put the first six ingredients (vinegar through pepper) in a blender or small food processor. (We use the smoothie cup on our Ninja and it works great!) Blend 15 seconds.

2. Add the chopped white onion and blend another 30-45 seconds, or until the dressing is smooth and no onion chunks remain.

3. Add the poppy seeds and shake, then transfer to a clean glass jar.

This would also be great as a slaw dressing.

My favorite combination makes quite the beauty of a salad:

watermelon radishes, 
rainbow carrots, 
a little radicchio, 
beets, 
fresh snap peas, 
hard boiled egg, 
spinach, 
butter lettuce. 

Friday, April 15, 2016

My (David Lebovitz's [Josey Baker's]) Adventure Bread

This has been my first foray into modifying recipes. Now, all due respect to Mr. Lebovitz and Mr. Baker (that probably isn't his name but I'm trying), making this nutty, dense, gluten-free bread from the blog was not as successful as I would have hoped. Only after buying Mr. Baker's bread from The Mill did I see what the problems in the published recipe were. As it is, I am using Mr. Lebovitz's recipe with a few tweaks of my own, explained throughout. Also, I made a sweet version. Here goes.


Savory Adventure Bread

2 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup sunflower seeds (hulled)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (hulled)
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
3/8 cup toasted poppy seeds
3/4 cup toasted almonds [I used about half tamari roasted almonds, bought at Rainbow Grocery, to add to make it a little more savory.]
1/3 cup psyllium husks [This is the binder for the bread, when liquid is added, they turn gelatinous. These can also be found at Rainbow Grocery.]
3 tablespoons chia seeds
2 teaspoons sea salt [You may want to add more, according to taste.]

2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cups water


Sweet Adventure Bread 

2 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup sunflower seeds (hulled)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (hulled)
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
3/8 cup toasted poppy seeds
3/4 cup toasted almonds
1/3 cup psyllium husks
2 teaspoons sea salt 
3 teaspoons cinnamon

4 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cups water

Three 5 3/4 x 3 x 2 pans [This is smaller than the recipe calls for but it closer to the size of the bread Mr. Baker sells, it bakes up a lot nicer with more surface area and less interior.]

[You may notice there is no flax in this version. I simply don't like the flavor, and have substituted poppy and sesame seeds, instead. Additionally, I prefer honey to maple syrup.]



[The instructions are the same for both sets of ingredients, you're all good.]

1. Toast the seeds. Heat your oven to 350º and spread sunflower and pumpkin seeds on a baking tray. If your almonds need toasting you can scatter them in, as well. Toast until they start to brown, probably 6-10 minutes depending on your oven, stirring halfway through baking. 

2. Mix everything in a bowl together. Generally in baking, one would have to measure out dry and then pour in the wet ingredients but that isn't super necessary for this one, just mix thoroughly. 

3. Oil pans, and then scoop your mixture in, smoothing the top because this bread does not change while it bakes. Then let them chill in the refrigerator for at few hours, or up to a whole day. Before baking, take it out and let it come to room temperature, this will take a while. 

4. Bake it. Preheat your oven to 400º and bake for about forty five minutes, gingerly removing from pan to cool when they are done. They should be left alone for at least 2 hours. This is a very long process, I know. 



This bread is best toasted, and if eaten with toppings, probably best sliced thin. However, a thick piece of the sweeter bread for breakfast is very tasty and satisfying.