Five Spice Bread

Caleb claims that this is the best bread he's ever eaten in his whole life, EVER! Better save the recipe then.

Five Spice Bread

• 3/4 c milk
• 1/2 c water
• 1.5 tsp yeast
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 c honey
• 1 tsp molasses
• 1 tsp Chinese 5 Spice
• 2 Tbs oil or melted butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1.5 c whole wheat white flour
• 1.5 c bread flour

Start by proofing the yeast in warm, but not hot water.  In a large bowl prepare the other wet ingredients with the whole wheat white flour, salt and spice.  Next add the yeast, water and milk and stir together. Add one cup of the bread flour, mix together. Add the last half cup of bread flour little by little as you knead the dough. Keep kneading and adding the flour until you have a soft texture that is tacky, but releases from your hands easily.

Cover with plastic wrap, sprayed with cooking spray, and let rise in a warm spot for about an hour.

Punch dough down and work into balls for rolls (I usually make 16, smaller sized rolls, but can make 12 good size rolls too). Place dough balls on a baking sheet with non-stick foil, cover again with the sprayed plastic wrap and let rise again for about 30 min-1 hour depending on warmth of rise location.

Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Will lightly brown on top and feel set when touched on the sides.  Cool on wire rack.

Cinnamon Apple Muffins (GF, Grain Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free)

This recipe was inspired from a GF zucchini loaf found here. Given the amount of changes I was making and the lack of success I've had with these kinds of recipes in the past my expectations were low.

Then I was blown away!  My kids and I could not stop popping these delicious bites in our mouths!  Absolute winners!

Cinnamon Apple Muffins

• 6 egg whites
• 2 cups shredded apples (approximately 3 large-med apples)
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup organic coconut oil, melted
• ¼ cup natural apple sauce (no sugar added)
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 ½ cups almond flour
• ½ cup coconut flour
• 1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. fresh lemon zest
• Optional – Cinnamon Sugar garnish of 3 Tbs coconut sugar + 1.5 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl; beat egg whites until they are fluffy. Add apple, vanilla extract and coconut sugar and lemon zest; mix well. Slowly add coconut oil and continue to mix.
3. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients; mix well to combine, then add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Stir well until wet and dry mixtures are combined and there are no lumps in the batter.  This will be like very wet cookie dough.
4. Prepare your mini muffin tin with oil, butter, or cooking spray, whatever you prefer. Drop batter into mini muffin tin cups using a rounded half tablespoon. Shape as desired, trying to keep the size even across all of the muffins. If using the optional sugar garnish, sprinkle that on top of the muffins at this point.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until they feel solid throughout when punctured.  Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
   

Sinless Banana Oat Cookies

A Sinless Banana Cookie recipe was going viral on Facebook last month.  I made it, but thought, "I can do better."  Here's that recipe but with some Kim touches. 

A play on baked oatmeal, but put into a cookie form.  Good as a snack, on the go breakfast or dessert, just be prepared for a very soft cookie.

Sinless Banana Oat Cookies

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup quick oats
• 1 heaping Tbs natural PB
• 1 Tbs coconut sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ c mini chocolate chips (optional but recommended)

Mash bananas well. Mix all ingredients with the bananas. Scoop by rounded ½ Tbs onto a lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about 12 mins.

Applesauce Granola

This granola was such a winner!  Whole grain, low fat, no refined sugars, and best of all, everyone in my family LOVED it!

Applesauce Granola (only slightly adapted from macaroniandcheesecake.com)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup dry sugar (I used coconut sugar, but brown would also be great here)
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (or canola would be fine)
1/4 tsp. salt
4 cups old fashioned oats
1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a large microwavable bowl, add the applesauce, sugar, honey, oil, and salt.  Stir together and heat until the mixture is just warm to the touch (about 30 seconds at my house).

Add to the bowl the oats and cinnamon, and stir it around until the mixture is fully incorporated.

Spread oat mixture evenly onto a 9 x 13 baking sheet.  Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.

ADD INS!!! Once the granola is made and cooled, I added some no-sugar added raisins and dates and ate it with milk like cereal. Some chopped nuts would be great too, and don't forget the potential for super parfaits with yogurt and fruit mixed in.

Fluffy Pumpkin Biscuits (Vegan)

If you're nervous about vegan food than this is a great place to start, because you'd never know these are "healthy."  I expected them to be over-the-top sweet, but they aren't. They'd go wonderfully alongside a winter stew or slather them with honey for an after-dinner treat.

Fluffy Pumpkin Biscuits (Vegan) (slightly adapted from An Opera Singer in the Kitchen)

• 2 cups whole wheat white flour  
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoon real maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 Tablespoon Earth Balance margarine (vegan margarine, it's WONDERFUL, but use what you have/like)
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup plain soy milk or another non-dairy milk (original recipe calls for So Delicious coconut milk)
• 2 Tablespoon honey

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, no stick foil, or another non-stick surface.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Blend in the margarine using a pastry blender, wisk, or other splitting tool (I used an avocado masher, he he).

In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin, coconut milk, maple syrup, and honey.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture holds together. Knead lightly on a floured surface and roll out to 1″ thickness. Using a 2″ biscuit cutter (or thin cup edge), cut the dough into circles.

Re-roll the scraps and cut out biscuits until you have used all of the dough. Place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Pie Granola

Wonderful granola & oil free. Tastes so good I'll eat it year round & not just in Fall.

Pumpkin Pie Granola  (adapted from twopeasintheirpod.com)

• 5 cups rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup applesauce
• ¼ cup real maple syrup (this adds great flavor, but if you don't have it you can probably sub honey or agave with a little molasses)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
   
• Additional add-ins if desired: 3/4 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick foil and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine oats, spices, and salt. Mix well.

In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, pumpkin puree, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Pour wet ingredients into oat mixture and stir until the oats are evenly coated. They will be moist. Evenly spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and stir. Bake for an additional 20 minutes. If the granola isn't quite crisp yet, stir & return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir in dried cranberries and pepitas if using (I didn't). Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Goes AMAZING on yogurt, mixed into cereal, with milk/soy milk, ice cream, or to top baked apples!

Banana & Berry Bread (Vegan)

Don't let the vegan name throw you, this banana bread is awesome.  Hubby and I stood around devouring it while it was still hot all the while saying, "It doesn't taste like health food!"

Banana & Berry Bread (Vegan) - from Chocolate Covered Katie.com, slightly altered by me

• 2 c spelt flour (I did a mix of 1.5 c all purpose & .5 c whole wheat white, but I'm going to play with the ratio & types of flours in the future)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt 
• 1/3 c nondairy milk (I used plain soy milk) 
• 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 T more sweetener (could be agave, honey, syrup, or sugar)
• 1 and 2/3 c tightly-packed, mashed banana (measured after mashing)
• 1/3 cup berries of choice, or more banana (I used the triple berry mix from Costco & some dark cherries as well - I first defrosted them, then pureed them in my food processor)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine dry ingredients, and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and mix into dry. (Mix by hand, and don’t over mix.) Pour into a greased loaf pan and cook for around 40-45 minutes. Check, if the top is getting dark, but the inside still feels mushy with a toothpick test, cover the bread with foil & bake another 10 minutes & test again (this method worked perfectly for my bread).

When it's done, remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack for ten minutes before slicing. Goes great with natural peanut butter!

After the first day, this bread is best stored in the fridge. You can also cut into slices and freeze for later.