Mel's Wheat Bread

Compliments of: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Yield 4-5 loaves

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12 to 15 cups wheat flour 
2 tbsp yeast  
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten 
1000 mg Vitamin C, crushed 
6 1/2 cups very warm water 
2/3 cup coconut oil 
2/3 cup honey 
2 tbsp salt

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In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix together 5 cups of wheat flour, yeast, gluten and Vitamin C.

Add the warm water and mix well. Add the oil and honey and mix again.

Cover the bowl and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.

Add the salt and start the mixer, adding the remaining flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl to form a soft dough. It might be slightly sticky but should hold it's shape.

Let the dough knead for about 7 minutes in the stand mixer. Form into 5 loaves (for the 8 1/2 X 4-inch loaf pans) and place into greased bread pans. Let rise until the bread is 2 inches above the top of the bread pan. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. 

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake

Compliments of: Heavenly Homemakers

Yield: 12-15 servings

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2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/3 cups sucanat
1/3 cup cocoa powder  

1 tsp baking powder  

1/2 tsp baking soda  

3 eggs  

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

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If you choose to soak your flour, mix the 2 cups of whole wheat flour with the 1 1/3 cups buttermilk. Cover and allow this mixture to soak overnight on the countertop. Add remaining ingredients and bake as directed. 

OR Mix dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, oil and buttermilk. Mix with beaters until batter is smooth and well mixed.

Butter two round cake pans or one 9×13 inch cake pan. 

Bake round cakes at 350° for 25-30 or a 9×13 inch cake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Allow the cakes to cool completely before removing them from the pans.

Best Granola EVER!

Yield: A LOT!!

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1/2 cup ground sucanat
1 cup honey
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
9 cups rolled oats 

1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup oat bran
1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup grape nuts
3 cups chopped nuts
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup coconut
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg

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Mix sucanat, honey, peanut better and coconut oil in small bowl.

 

Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour honey mixture over oat mixture and stir to combine.

 

Pour granola onto large baking pan and bake at 300° for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. 

 

Allow to cool in pan. Break into chunks when cool and store in ziplock bag or plastic container.

Salsa

Adapted from: Alton Brown

Yield: 6 cups

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12 Roma tomatoes, chopped 

8 garlic cloves, minced
1 can diced green chilies
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup dried cilantro or parsley, to taste
1/4 tsp cumin
Red pepper flakes

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Mix all ingredients and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to meld.

Waffles

Adapted from: Mel's Kitchen Café

I subbed 2 cups of Natural Yeast start for the almond milk and flour and added 1/2 cup rolled oats, ground to flour.  They turned out so soft and fluffy!

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2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups almond milk
4 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tbsp sucanat
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

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In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the eggs, almond milk, coconut oil, and vanilla.

 

In another bowl whisk together the dry ingredients; combine the wet and dry ingredients just until smooth.
 

For an 8-inch round waffle iron, use about 1/3 cup batter (my Belgium waffle maker uses 1 cup). Cook according to waffle iron directions.

Honey Ice Cream

Adapted from: Food Network

Yield: 1 quart

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1 cups heavy cream
3 cup whole milk
1/2 cup honey
2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise and scraped
4 large egg yolks
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

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Heat the cream, milk, honey and vanilla beans and seeds in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until hot, being careful not to let the mixture boil and curdle. 

 

Lightly whisk the egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl, then slowly drizzle 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into the yolks while whisking. Pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan of cream; heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a wooden spoon, again being careful not to let it boil and curdle.
 

Pour through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the vanilla beans and any bits of cooked egg yolk. Stir in the vanilla extract.

 

Cover the custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, about 6 hours. (You can speed this process dramatically by partially submerging the bowl of custard in a larger bowl of ice water to form an ice bath and stirring the custard occasionally until cold. The colder the custard is, the faster the machine will be able to freeze it for ice cream.)

 

Follow the directions on your ice cream maker to freeze. Once the mixture is frozen, put it into containers and allow it to "ripen" for at least 2 hours in the freezer.

Dairy-Free Sugar-Free Ice Cream

Adapted from: Food Network

Yield: 1 quart

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14.5 oz can coconut milk
about 2 cups almond milk
1/2 cup honey
2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise and scraped
4 large egg yolks
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

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Pour coconut cream into measuring cup.  Add almond milk to fill to 4 cups.

 

Heat the cream, milk, honey and vanilla beans and seeds in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until hot, being careful not to let the mixture boil and curdle. 

 

Lightly whisk the egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl, then slowly drizzle 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into the yolks while whisking. Pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan of cream; heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a wooden spoon, again being careful not to let it boil and curdle.
 

Pour through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the vanilla beans and any bits of cooked egg yolk. Stir in the vanilla extract.

 

Cover the custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, about 6 hours. (You can speed this process dramatically by partially submerging the bowl of custard in a larger bowl of ice water to form an ice bath and stirring the custard occasionally until cold. The colder the custard is, the faster the machine will be able to freeze it for ice cream.)

 

Follow the directions on your ice cream maker to freeze. Once the mixture is frozen, put it into containers and allow it to "ripen" for at least 2 hours in the freezer.

Homemade Lipbalm

Something a little different, but fun and easy!

2 tablespoons beeswax

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons shea butter

1/4 tsp vitamin E

Optional: 5-10 drops of your favorite essential oil

Melt beeswax in a small pan over low heat. Add coconut oil and shea butter, melting the ingredients together. Add essential oils. 

Using a small medicine dropper, pour the melted liquid into your lip balm containers. Add a few extra drops to the top after filling each container as the ingredients will shrink as they cool.

Cool completely to harden.

Baked Oatmeal Cups

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sucanat or honey
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup melted butter
Topping choices:  mini chocolate chips, raisins, other dried fruit, coconut flakes, apple chunks

Mix together oats, sucanat, salt and baking powder.  Stir in eggs, milk, and melted butter.

Scoop batter into 12 paper lined muffin cups.  Sprinkle toppings of choice into the center of each cup.

Bake in a 350° for about 30 minutes, or until the oats are golden brown.

Pepperoni

2 lbs lean ground beef (85% lean or leaner)
2 tsp liquid smoke flavoring
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp mustard seed
1 1/2 or 2 tsp crushed fennel seed
1 or 2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp sugar
2 heaping tsp Morton's Tender Quick curing salt

Combine seasonings and meat and mix thoroughly, using hands. Cover and refrigerate for 48-72 hours.

Form meat into two long logs or rolls. Place a rack (or pan/sheet with drainage) on a cookie sheet and put the logs onto rack. Bake at 200 degrees for 8 hours, rotating logs every 2 hours.

Logs will be a bright pink when they are finished, and should be fairly dry and firm. Wipe off excess grease and allow meat to cool. Chill and then slice thinly. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for longer storage.

Best Marinara Sauce Ever

2 14.5 oz cans stewed tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
6 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup finely diced onion

In a food processor, blender or in a pot using a stick blender, place Italian tomatoes, tomato paste, chopped parsley, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.

In a large skillet over medium heat saute the finely chopped onion in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the blended tomato sauce.

Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pizza Rolls

1 recipe pizza crust
Marinara sauce
Pepperoni
Shredded Mozzarella cheese (I actually do make mozzarella, but I just don't have the recipe posted, yet.) :)

Prepare pizza crust and divide into walnut-sized balls (about 2 tablespoons). Roll out each ball and place a bit of cheese, about a teaspoon of sauce and a slice of pepperoni on each crust. Bring up edges and pinch together to make a ball. Place pinched sides down on baking tray.

Preheat oven to 375F and bake for about 10 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

For a freezer mreal, place unbaked pizza rolls onto baking tray and freeze. Put rolls in a freezer bag until ready to use. Place frozen rolls on a baking sheet in the oven while it's preheating to allow them to thaw a bit. Then bake about 12-15 minutes.

Golden Bars of Happiness

3/4 cup peanut butter or sunbutter
3/4 cup honey
1 cup oats
1 cup brown rice cereal
2 cups total of any combination of:  chopped nuts, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, mini chocolate chips, etc.

In a medium sized saucepan, melt together peanut butter and honey.

Remove from heat and add oats and cereal.  Mix in chosen nuts/fruits.

Line 9x13 or quarter sheet baking pan with wax or parchment paper.  Spread and press mixture into pan.

Chill for two hours, then cut into bars.

Wrap in plastic wrap for a quick grab and go snack!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

3 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sucanat
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh, frozen or freeze dried

Mix dry ingredients together well.  Add eggs, butter and buttermilk, stirring until all ingredients are mixed.  Gently stir in blueberries.

Scoop batter into 24 paper lined muffin tins.

Bake in a 400° for 20 minutes.

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil
2 cups mashed bananas
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sucanat
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mix eggs, milk, butter and bananas in a medium bowl.  Add flour, sucanat, baking powder, and salt.  Stir just until moistened.

Spoon batter into 24 greased or paper lined muffin tins.

Bake at 400* for 20 minutes.

Zucchini Tots

Makes 12 tasty tots

1 cup zucchini, grated
1 egg
1/4 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup cheese
1 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick spray, set aside.

Grate the zucchini and then place in a dish towel to squeeze out the excess water. (If you skip this part, the middle of the zucchini tots will be really soggy while the outside gets crispy and no one wants that.)

In a bowl combine all ingredients. Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, fill the muffin cups to the top.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until tops are browned and set.

Experimental Brownies - Part 2

I think I've discovered a solution to my brownie "problem". My past attempts have been alright, but there is room for improvement. I think my new baking buddy is oat flour. It has a higher gluten percentage and higher moisture content than wheat flour, so my theory is that combining a small portion of oat flour with wheat flour will give a less crumbly and more moist result. The use of white bean puree is just to lower the fat content and hopefully give the brownies a fudgier texture.

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup white bean puree
1 cup sucanat, powdered
3 eggs
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup oat flour
3/4 cup wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 deg.  Grease bottom of 9"x13" baking pan.

Mix butter and sucanat in a mixing bowl.  Add bean puree, eggs and vanilla and mix throughly.  Add remaining ingredients and mix for two minutes on high.

Pour batter into baking pan and bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Perfect Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

UPDATE 6/14:  I subbed coconut oil for the butter, and made adjustments to amounts.

I've been on a quest since changing to a healthier lifestyle for a good chocolate chip cookie.  For those of you who use whole wheat flour, you'll know that it doesn't turn out the same results as all purpose flour does.  Whole wheat flour still contains the bran and germ so it's heavier and doesn't always lend itself well to light and fluffy results.  So my cookies were always flat.  I typically add a cup or two of a different grain to my whole wheat bread and a few weeks ago I tried adding oatmeal and was shocked at how moist and fluffy the bread turned out!

In my search for a better version of whole wheat cookies I came across a recipe on Pinterest. The picture showed perfectly fluffy cookies. It has equal portions of oatmeal and whole wheat flour so I guess technically it's an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. But next time I make them I am going to measure out the oatmeal and then grind it for oat flour.  My theory is that the oatmeal has a higher % of gluten thereby giving the cookies the needed structure.  And the higher moisture content keeps them moist and fluffy.  The dough was a little on the "gooey" side and I was tempted to add more flour.  I'm so glad I didn't! They came out perfectly!

One change I made was to substitute half the butter for white bean puree.  Bean puree is similar in consistency to creamed butter, but without all the fat.  You shouldn't substitute puree for all the butter, because some fat is needed or the result will be crumbly and dry.  No good for cookies!  Next time I'm going to try subbing coconut oil for the butter half and see how that turns out.

The other change I made was using Sucanat for the white and brown sugars.  Sucanat is very minimally processed so it still contains lots of good vitamins and minerals.  So all-in-all these cookies are pretty healthy but they don't taste like it.  I'm loving this!

3/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup white bean puree
1 cup ground sucanat
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups rolled oats, ground to flour
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Cream coconut oil and bean puree for 2 minutes.  Add sucanat.  Beat in eggs and extract.

Stir in dry ingredients and then chocolate chips.

Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on rack.

Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Serves: 18-20

1 3/4 cups almond flour
1/4 cup natural cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup ground sucanat (measure, the grind)
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
3 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, place the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar, and whisk to combine well.  Add the eggs, oil and vanilla, and mix to combine well.  Continue mixing until the batter is smooth.  It will be pourable, and you won’t be able to shape it like you would biscotti made with all-purpose flour.

In a separate small bowl, combine the chips and corn starch, and toss to combine.  Scrape the dough into a biscotti pan or a greased rectangular tart pan of similar size (I used a quarter sheet baking pan).  Shake the pan back and forth until the batter is in an even layer.  Smack the flat bottom of the pan on the counter a few times to release any trapped air bubbles.

Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven, and bake until relatively firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes.  It will not be hard.  Turn the oven temperature down to 300 degrees F.

Allow to cool in the pan at least 10 minutes on a cooling rack before running a scratch-proof knife or thin spatula along the side of the pan to ensure it will come out.  Once almost completely cool, turn out onto a cutting board.  Slice in cross-section along the short side of the rectangle into 18 to 20 pieces.  Place the biscotti about 2 inches apart on a rimmed baking sheet, and return to the oven.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until relatively crunchy and dried.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Healthier Sugar Cookies

These were surprisingly delicious!!  I've tried healthy versions before and wasn't impressed.  As usual, I blended my sucanat in my MagicBullet.  Otherwise it doesn't "melt" and is grainy.  I didn't have cake flour so I put 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch in a 1/2 cup measure then added white flour to fill, then added the remaining 1/4 cup white flour.  This dough is VERY sticky.  I hesitated in adding more flour to the mix as I didn't want the cookies to come out hard.  But you will need to keep sprinkling flour on your work surface and the dough to keep from sticking.  The recipe states using small cookie cutters.  I wasn't sure if that was just to get a count for yield or if it would effect baking time.  I used all sizes and baked for 6 minutes.  They are so soft and have a good chew and big crumb.  But they aren't crumbly.  I don't know if you need to spray the pan, but with how sticky the dough was, I didn't want to risk it.  I am very impressed and will use this recipe again!  I totally ignored the "healthy" frosting idea and used canned frosting.  I do have a recipe for Sucanat Frosting, but I didn't want to bother with it today.  The cookies are sprinkled with colored sugar for heavens sake!  Any little changes I can make though is good for me.


Adapted from: EatingWell

3/4 cup soft whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup unsifted cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup sucanat
2 tbsp oil
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Set a rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat to 350°F.  Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray.

Whisk whole-wheat flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat.  Cook, swirling the pan, until the butter turns a nutty brown, about 1 minute, and pour into a mixing bowl.  Add sucanat and oil; beat with an electric mixer until smooth.  Mix in egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.  Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.  Divide the dough in half and press each piece into a disk.

Working with one disk at a time, roll dough on a floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch.  Cut out cookies with small (about 2- to 2 1/2-inch) cookie cutters.  Place the cookies about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake the cookies in the upper third of the oven, 1 sheet at a time, until slightly golden on the edges, 5 to 7 minutes.  Do not overbake.  Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Make Ahead Tip: Prepare the dough through Step 3; wrap well and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month. (If frozen, return to room temperature before rolling out.) Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.