Wheat free Fruit Crumble

Fruit crumbles are probably one of the easiest desserts you'll ever make, and a fantastic way to use up leftover fruit. What drew me to them initially was that I've never been a fan of pastry, so a traditional pie has never been my thing-not to mention that pastry making was kind of my nemesis for awhile as I learned and practiced how to make it.

Years ago we used to go to a little restaurant that would have all kinds of crumble choices; peach and raspberry, pear and cranberry, apple, and more. Feel free to play around with whatever fillings you want to create with this recipe-it's pretty open to whatever your heart desires! In the pictures I made plain apple and then apple and blueberry, because I had berries to use up but not enough for a solid blueberry on it's own. You can change the amount of sugar in the filling (more if you want, less if you want, none if that's how you roll), and even the thickening agent. Some fruit needs a little help to not become watery, such as frozen blueberries. Some is pretty thick from natural pectin all on it's own.

The amounts for the filling is also open to interpretation. Generally, I fill up my dish nearly to the top before piling the topping over the fruit, making sure to cover every little space. It may look completely overfilled and impossible at the time, but remember that the fruit will cook down. I love to have a good amount of fruit to hold up against the oatmealy topping.

Fruit crumble is fantastic not only as dessert topped with creamy vanilla ice cream, but I am known to eat it for breakfast with a dollop of thick Greek yogurt. Hey, it's fruit and oatmeal, why not?

Yield: a 9x9 inch baking dish (or about 6 servings)

Ingredients:

Crumble Topping:

1/2 cup whole barley flour (if gluten free sub the barley and sunflower flours for gluten free flour)
1/4 cup sunflower flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup rolled oats

Filling: 

Blueberry
5-6 cups of fresh blueberries
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp barley flour, all purpose flour, or 2 tsp tapioca starch (gluten free)

Apple, peach, or pear

4-6 medium/large apples OR peaches, OR pears (try a combination!), peeled, cored, and sliced
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2-3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp barley flour, all purpose flour, or 2 tsp tapioca starch (gluten free)

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Find a 9x9 inch ceramic dish, or you can use two smaller dishes and make 2 different kinds of crumbles if you like.


2. In a large bowl, stir together the flours, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the oatmeal and then, using your hands, squeeze clumps of the mixture together to make some chunks of topping. You want there to be some so that when it cooks you'll have chunks of filling that become almost cookie-like. Put the bowl in the fridge so that the clumps harden up a little.



3. Next, prep your filling while the topping chills. Toss it all together and fill up your baking dish.


4. Pull the chilled topping out of the fridge and pile the oatmeal goodness over the fruit, covering it all to the edges. Place the dish on a pan so that it catches any overflow and  place in the center of your hot oven.

5. Bake the fruit crisp about 50-60 minutes, until the topping is browned and the fruit is bubbling and soft. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 15 minutes before serving.


6. Try not to eat it all one go.

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Spiced Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cups

Last week I was missing in action, mostly the result of some nasty allergy experiences. When I have a bad one it usually sets me back for a few days or up to a week, and instead of playing catch up I decided to let things go. You were fine, right? Of course you were.

Anyway, moving on!


Being diagnosed as allergic to wheat, corn, soy, and rice really limited the snacks I could eat, and sometimes a girl just needs something, you know? Enter these oatmeal cups. Not really a true muffin, they kind of are like a cross between a granola bar and a muffin - a little more toothsome and more texture than a muffin, but not as chewy as a granola bar. I tuck them into my bag for a snack when I need a pick me up, and both my guys kept raiding the freezer and eating my stash as soon as they discovered how good they were. I eat them after the gym, as a grab and go breakfast with some sausage patties, or will likely tuck them into my bag once school starts as a midday pick me up. 

Don't get scared when you make these. They look totally impossible, like there's too much liquid and there's no possible way that they will turn out, but they always do. You can sprinkle the tops with some mini chocolate chips if you like, or leave them plain.

Yield:12-15

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats-not quick or minute oats  (Only Oats if you are gluten free)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder (wheat or corn free if you need)
2 mashed ripe bananas
2 Tbsp light tasting olive oil
1 tsp vanilla (optional: skip if you are corn free)
2 cups of 2% or whole milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Prep your muffin tins with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the rolled oats, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder.

3. In a different bowl or large measuring cup (I like to use a big 4 cup Pyrex one), whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, oil, milk and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana.

4. Pour the works into the bowl of oatmeal and give it a good stir. It's going to be weird and liquidy.

5. Divide the mixture among the muffins cups. I use my cookie scoop to make it easier, so an ice cream scoop would likely help. The mixture should fill about 15 of them or so. You want to make sure that they have lots of oats along with liquid, because the oats will suck up the liquid and become soft.


6. Sprinkle the tops with mini chocolate chips if you like,  and bake 15-20 minutes until lightly browned and set. Let the cups cool for about 5 minutes before removing them from the pans and cooling completely on a wire rack.

7. Once they are fully cooled, you can freeze them in a sealable freezer bag for about a month and pop into lunch bags or defrost in the microwave as needed.








Adapted slightly from The Merchant Baker

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Everyday Allergy Friendly Granola

Date and cranberry granola

When I originally wrote about granola here, I claimed that I didn't eat it much because it can be high in fat and sugar. That was true until I learned how to make my own-and wow, was it delicious! I used to eat it often, but when allergies reared their ugly heads, granola was put on the back burner for awhile.

In the last few months, I have figured out how to make granola for myself that is nut, soy, corn, rice, sulphite, and wheat free-which is pretty fantastic. (Note: the 'free-ness' of this granola depends on the products you use. I am okay with things that are labeled "may contain" or produced on the same lines as my allergens, but if you are not you have to do your own research) It has become my go-to breakfast, replacing the peanut butter toast that I ate almost daily for many years. Instead I now shuffle down to the kitchen, put about 1/4 cup of granola in a bowl, add another few tablespoons of puffed quinoa for good measure, top with about 1/3 cup of plain Greek yogurt, a drizzle of honey, and then a sliced banana or some fresh blueberries.

It's a great way to start the day. You should try it!

This recipe is super easy and pretty forgiving. Don't have hemp hearts? No biggie. Just add more sunflower or pumpkin seeds. Basically I need 1 cup of nutty/seedy things and 1 cup of dried fruit in there, so you can adjust things to your heart's content. The original recipe calls for pecans, but I mixed it up and tried whatever I happened to have on hand. I like hemp hearts (pictured below) because they are nutritious and add some great flavour. Mine are from Bob's Red Mill, and they are produced in a dedicated gluten free facility. 

Hemp hearts from Bob's Red Mill

Besides breakfast the granola makes a super tasty munchie snack late at night if you toss in some mini chocolate chips, too.

Yield: Approximately 6 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled ONLY OATS  (this brand is certified gluten free)
1/2 cup shelled unsalted pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup shelled unsalted sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp hemp hearts
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp flax seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut (sulphite alert: be sure to get one that has NOT been processed with sulphur dioxide)
3 Tbsp packed brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger (check for sulphites!)
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup honey
2 tbsp light tasting olive oil
1/2 cup chopped dates (did you know dates are sulphite free?)
1/2 cup dried cranberries (Craisins, to be specific, if you want sulphite/nut/gluten free)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 300 F, and line a really large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, sesame seeds, flax, coconut, and brown sugar.

3. In a small sauce pan, warm up the honey, olive oil, salt, ginger, and cinnamon until it's all liquidy and combined.

4. Slowly drizzle the honey/oil mixture over your giant bowl of oats and stuff, mixing as you go. Try not to spill it all over the counter, like I occasionally do.

Tip: put a damp washcloth under the bowl while you toss this so that the bowl doesn't move.

5. Once you've tossed the oats and seeds in your honey and oil spice mix, give it a good stir to make sure things are coated and then tip the works out onto your lined sheet pan. Spread it out.

6. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes, taking the pan out EVERY TEN MINUTES to stir it around. Don't forget to do this, or your granola will be half cooked in some spots and burned in others (I've done it. Trust me). The granola is done when it's a deep golden brown. Set the pan on your stove top and let it cool.


7. Stir in dried dates and craisins and toss them around before transferring everything to a big plastic container (or a bunch of Mason jars, if you like them better). The granola should keep for quite awhile, but honestly I eat most of the batch by about 3 weeks or so.

I have a hard time not eating it right off the pan when it's warm.

Note: I have not received any compensation or encouragement to mention particular products in this post. I have done so because they work for me and my health needs, and I would like to share the information with others who may have similar challenges.You should always read packages and contact companies if you are unsure that a product is safe for you. DO NOT TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. Products will differ from country to country (I'm in Canada) and what is safe here may not be where you are. Always read the label.

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Pork Sausage Patties With Apple and Sage

This recipe is totally inspired by Chef Michael Smith's Homemade Breakfast Sausage in Real Food, Real Good. When I first discovered I had allergies, I was really discouraged by the fact that almost every brand of sausage has corn syrup, corn flour, or soy flour as fillers. Making your own patties from scratch definitely is the way to go. Why bother shaping them into actual sausage? Patties are easier anyway.

I've tried these with pork and with turkey, and then with a combination of the two. My favourite tends to be pure pork. Make them ahead and tuck into the freezer so that on busy mornings all you have to do is thaw one in the microwave. Eat them cold, tuck them into biscuits, sandwich them between pancakes, you know what to do. Either way they are just plain awesome.




Yield: 8-10 patties

Ingredients:

1 lb of ground pork, turkey thigh, or a mixture of each

1 green onion, finely minced

1 small apple, skin on, grated

1 tsp of fresh sage, finely minced

2 Tbsp honey (or maple syrup)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp thyme

pinch of hot pepper flakes (optional)

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Gently grate your apple using a box grater, then grab handfuls of the apple and holding it over a sink, squeeze out the juice. Do this with all the apple so you get most of the moisture out. Add it to a large bowl, along with all the other ingredients. With your hands, gently mix everything together.

3. Divide the mixture into 8-10 balls and flatten them to about 1/2 inch thickness. It's easier to do this if your hands are slightly wet. Place the formed patties onto the lined baking sheet.

4. Bake the patties for approximately 15-20 minutes until cooked through. You will notice that they will release a lot of liquid and not necessarily crisp up a lot. If you want them to have a little bit of a crust and brown up, heat up a little oil in a non stick fry pan and quickly give the outsides a quick browning before setting them aside to cool.

5. Once the patties are fully cooled, you can serve them or pop them in a sealed freezer bag and put them in the freezer. Then on a busy morning just grab one out of the freezer, thaw on the defrost setting in your microwave, and you're good to go!

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Michael Smith's Weekend Pancakes with Strawberry Compote

Cooking with kids, especially ones who aren't your own, is always a bit of a challenge. You never know what their previous experience with food is; do they have issues with textures? Are they used to only eating white food? Will they have a meltdown if you cut out sugar? I feel like everything is always a gamble-and that's totally okay, I'm up for the challenge.

Back in 2013 I sat in a hotel lobby with Chef Michael Smith and he lit up as he told me about his family's weekly pancake ritual; how his daughter fishes around the bowl for the egg yolks and has become the expert egg cracker. This stayed with me for so long that when I was asked to put together a cooking program from my students at work, the first thing I had to make (as an homage to my inspiration, of course) was his pancakes from Family Meals.

I'll admit, I wasn't sure how they'd go over with the kids. Would they revolt at whole wheat pancakes? Besides THAT, I had greatly reduced their beloved syrup and made a strawberry compote to top the hot pancakes with. Would that be something to cause a mutiny?  Well. if anything, I've been reminded this week that kids will surprise you, especially if you just throw stuff out there and let them decide for themselves. Never assume they won't like something-one day they wanted to eat a Meyer lemon!

Pancake cooked and plated by one of my lovely 10 yr olds

We mixed and flipped and the kids were so into it and excited (and took it so seriously!) that when it came time to eat, they sat around the table and each gobbled no less than THREE pancakes each, declaring them delicious. Not just that but they took giant spoonfuls of strawberries and begged for more. They couldn't believe that the sweet compote was just berries with a little sugar.

"That's it? Just berries? They are YUMMY."  I'm quite sure they would've eaten it by the spoonful.

Calling our introduction into cooking a giant success doesn't even come close to the happiness that was in the kitchen that morning.

Thank you so much for the inspiration, Michael. I can't think of a better way to kick off our twice weekly cooking adventures. (and for the rest of you, buy Family Meals. It's a GREAT cookbook)

Ingredients for the pancakes:

1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup quick cooking oatmeal
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp salt

2 cups milk (I like buttermilk but regular milk will do)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp vanilla

Ingredients for the strawberry compote:

4 cups frozen strawberries
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp sugar (more or less to taste)


Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.

2. In a different bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, honey and vanilla.

3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

4. On  a hot, greased griddle, drop 1/4 cupfuls of the batter, spreading it out a little. These pancakes cook up nice and thick. Wait until you see some little bubbles forming on the pancake before checking the underside to see if it's browned. When it is, flip the pancake over and cook the other side.

5. Keep your pancakes warm on a baking sheet in a 200 F oven until you are finished cooking them all, or give them to the kids hot off the griddle. Serve with the berry compote, fresh bananas, and real maple syrup.


Strawberry Compote:

1. Thaw the strawberries. Pour them and the juice in a medium sized pot over medium low heat and bring them to a simmer. Mash them up with a potato masher, leaving some chunks. Add in the sugar to taste. If you want to get all fancy, you could add a little lemon juice and zest, too. Simmer the strawberries for about 5 minutes, stirring.

2. In a small dish combine the cornstarch and cold water. Stirring, pour it into the strawberries and continue to cook them until they thicken slightly . Remove from the heat and let them cool.

**make ahead** you can make the strawberry compote with just about any kind of frozen berry, let it cool, and store in an airtight container in the fridge to be used the next day. When you want to use it just heat it up on low, stirring.

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The Easiest Whole Wheat Pancakes

I love pancakes. Years ago, pancakes were a family ritual on the weekend, and I'd whip up a  batch for lazy dinner. Sometimes we'd douse them with syrup or top them with eggs and if it was a really special day I'd add bacon. Pancakes were king in our house for awhile, and then gradually they stopped. I'm not really sure why.

Back in June, a conversation with Michael Smith got me thinking about pancakes again. He relayed how his family makes pancakes just like ours used to, and shared that he thinks "every family should have a pancake day." He's right, too. All that mixing and pouring is something kids can do, the warm scent of them cooking, the syrups and toppings and gathering around the table. Even when I was growing up, we had a pancake day of sorts. Mom would be at work, and Dad would make his special "thin pancakes", or crepes.

As I wrote up a recipe over at BC Eggs on Sunday morning, I began craving pancakes in earnest and remembered this book that I reviewed, and how there was a whole wheat pancake recipe in there I wanted to try.

Mmm.... pancakes. Maple syrup. Eggs. Hot crispy bacon.

These are the easiest pancakes you'll ever make. Don't tell me that from a box is better because you don't have time; if you can make pancakes from a box you can make these, because they have hardly any ingredients. Plus when pancakes are from scratch they are so much better and have no weird preservatives, etc. You can add nuts, chocolate chips, fruit, or just cook them up as is and then add toppings. To make mornings easier, you can even do up the dry mix in a ziplock baggie ahead of time, and write the measurements for eggs and milk right on it with a sharpie. Then all you need to do is dump the dry mix in a bowl, add the wet mix, and voila! Pancakes.

Mornings should always be this easy.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Directions: 

Set a cookie sheet in the oven and turn it on to about 170 F.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set it aside.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Dump the milk and eggs into the flour mixture, stirring until just combined. You want to leave a few lumps; if you stir the batter too much, the pancakes won't be as light and fluffy.

Get a non stick pan hot over medium high heat, and melt about 1 tsp of butter in it. The trick is to let the butter melt, but not burn. When it's liquified and you've swirled it around the pan, scoop about 1/4 cup of batter into it. Let the pancake cook until there are tiny bubbles around the edges and it's golden, then flip and cook the other side. Between cooking the pancakes, wipe the pan and add more bits of butter, letting them melt before you add more batter. The reason you wipe the pan is so that the butter doesn't burn and make the pancakes taste funky. When the pancakes are cooked, remove them to the cookie sheet sitting in the oven in a single layer.

Repeat until you've used up all the batter, and enjoy!

Makes about 10 pancakes

Adapted from How to Feed a Family

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Maple Oat Waffles

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack, waffles are a favourite in my house. When these were cooking away in my new Krups waffle maker (read about how well that baby cooks up waffles), both John and Kevin came wandering into the kitchen and took a sniff. Sweet and bread-like, this is an extremely tasty recipe.

Oat flour may be a bit difficult to find in a typical grocery store. I found oat flour at Anita's Organic Mill here in Chilliwack on Yale Road. You can actually find a lot of specialty flours at the store, along with all kinds of other things such as beans, lentils, and baking supplies. Anita's products are also carried in retail locations in Western Canada and online. I love using different flours and experimenting with the various tastes and textures. Oat gives a slightly nutty flavour to these waffles, and combined with the oat bran, they really are somewhat healthy.



Ingredients:

1/2 cup oat bran
1 cup oat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups whole milk
4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp sugar

1. Heat 1 cup of the milk until steaming hot. Pour over the oat bran and let it sit while you continue with the recipe.

2. In a large bowl, sift and then whisk together the oat flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. If you get a few little bits of grains left behind in the sifter, be sure to add them back into the mixture. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla, and maple syrup.

4. Stir 1 cup of cold milk into the oat bran and warm milk. The cold milk will bring the temperature down. Whisk the milk and oat bran mixture with the egg yolks and maple syrup.

5. Using an electric mixer, beat your egg whites. At first, they will be frothy but then will begin to become thick, like pictured below. Add 1 tbsp of sugar.


Continue beating the egg whites until fluffy, like cotton candy. It takes approximately three minutes.


Once the egg whites look like this, stop beating them. You don't want to over beat them. If you do, they'll crack and look mealy.

6. Stir the egg and milk mixture into the flour mixture until blended. Don't worry if there are a few lumps still throughout the batter. Fold half of the egg whites into the batter. You don't want to deflate the egg whites so be extra gentle. Add the other half of the egg whites and fold them in as well, being very careful to completely incorporate them but still being careful not to deflate them.

7. The batter will be fluffy and should be cooked right away, or the batter will deflate as it sits. Brush the waffle maker with melted butter, then ladle out about 1/2 cup of the batter at a time (per waffle) into a pre-heated waffle maker. Close the lid and cook the waffles for about 4 minutes.



8. Eat those babies right out of the waffle maker, while they are hot. We liked them topped with yogurt and then drizzled with blueberry syrup. The yogurt is a much nicer (and less fattening) substitute for whipping cream or ice cream. I found a fantastic yogurt from Ridgecrest Dairy at Abbotsford's Lepp Farm Market. Sometimes people find natural yogurt to be a little sour, but this one is really fantastic.


Makes about 12 waffles

 Adapted from Good to the Grain

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Strawberry Filled Crepes

If you are looking for something to make for Mother's Day that is easy but also looks elegant and tastes delicious, this is absolutely for you. Crepes are very easy to make, they just take a little practise. You can also buy them already made if you like.  I grew up with a Dad that didn't cook often but he was a master at whipping up a batch of crepes on Saturday evenings, which we would slather with jam or peanut butter, roll, and eat. Sometimes we just sprinkled a little sugar inside!  I like to fill these with fresh strawberries and, instead of whipping cream, thick Greek yogurt.

1 1/3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp butter

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.  Set aside.  In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and butter. Whisk the milk mixture into the flour until smooth.  Cover the bowl with plastic film and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.  When you remove the batter from the fridge, strain it through a fine sieve to get rid of any lumpy bits of flour.  You'll notice that there will be a lot of sediment, but don't worry-that's perfectly normal and your crepes will be okay.

Brush an 8-inch skillet, non stick skillet, or crepe pan with butter. Heat over medium until good and hot.  Ladle 1/4 cup of batter into the middle of the skillet, swirling  the pan as you go. Cook until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side for about a minute. Remove to a plate and set aside. Continue with the remaining batter. 

To make ahead: once the crepes have cooled, store on a plate, with waxed paper between each crepe, and the plate wrapped in plastic film. You can also freeze the crepes, with waxed paper between them and wrapped in plastic film (then over wrapped in foil) for about a month.  Thaw before using.

To fill these, you can spread a table spoon of Greek yogurt down the middle, top with strawberries, then drizzle with a bit of honey. Fold over and serve.

Like this recipe?  Check out this savoury version for brunch, stuffed with ham and asparagus, then topped with a light sauce that I wrote up for Yummy Mummy Club.  We absolutely loved this, and it would make a nice dish for a crowd that looks like you did a pile of work when in fact it's really easy and easily prepped in advance.

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Peanut Butter Maple Granola

Some time ago, I tried my hand at making home made granola.  I'm not the kind of person to eat granola for breakfast; rather, I love spooning it over thick Greek yogurt drizzled with honey and topped with fat slices of banana.  My body has had a love hate relationship with nuts the last 10 years, ever since I discovered that I could have Oral Allergy syndrome.  At one time, particular fresh fruits and nuts would make my mouth itch and burn but these days, as my reactions to apples have waned, so have my reactions to nuts.

There really is much rejoicing, because I love almonds, and now it seems I can eat them.

I was inspired to try this granola when I was searching the internet for recipes using maple, since a lovely twitter follower of mine so kindly sent me a jug of the darkest of dark maple syrup from a sugar shack just down the road from her house.  I was (am!) thrilled to pieces to have syrup this decadent and rich to use in baking.  This recipe seemed to call a little from the recesses of the internet, daring me to try it.  Peanut butter and dried fruit add a sweet/salty element that I couldn't ignore, so last weekend I whipped up a batch.

My entire family loves it.  From Kevin, who eats it by the handful to John, who prefers his in a bowl with milk, we've been nibbling on it all week.  I daresay that you need to make this, and that it would make a great gift if you were inclined to give some away. Personally, I think I would have a mutiny on my hands should any leave my house. Feel free to mix it up when it comes to the nuts and/or fruit, using whatever kinds appeal to you.  I love cashews and pecans in my granola, and I think a mixture of them in this would be delicious.  I also used a combination of dried berries, but you could use dried apple and/or apricots if that suited you. Have fun!

Adapted from Dinner with Julie

4 cups old fashioned / large flake oats
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 cups nuts-I used 1 cup of chopped pecans, 3/4 cup chopped almonds, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup (dark, if you can find it)
1 cup of dried fruit (I like cranberries, cherries, blueberries)

Pre-heat oven to 325 F.

Stir the peanut butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup together in a medium sauce pan over medium low heat until melted and smooth.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, coconut, nuts, and salt.  Drizzle over the peanut butter/maple mixture, stirring as you go, until all the oats and nuts are all well coated. Spread out onto a large rimmed baking sheet, and bake for about 30-35 minutes until golden.  If you like your granola clumpy, only stir it once, but if you don't mind that there aren't many clumps, stir it a few times as it bakes.

Let the mixture cool before adding the dried fruit.  

Store in an airtight container, or in large Mason jars, as I do. Makes about six cups.

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Sun Maid Raisin French Toast

A little while ago, Sun Maid asked if I wanted to try a loaf of their raisin bread.  I know that Hubs loves raisin bread so I said yes, and the package soon arrived at my front door. I plunked that little baby in the freezer and went about my week, plotting to have my way with it later and make something delicious.

Only, I had forgotten about how much Hubs loves his raisin bread and when I pulled it out of the freezer last night, it was almost all gone!  What's a girl to do? I didn't even get to enjoy a slice!

A friend of mine suggested that I bake some raisin bread, but the truth is, it's too much work. There are many things that I will make from scratch, but raisin bread is not one of them.  I buy it, and Sun Maid makes some really great bread!

The recipe I had was for waffle toast, but since I don't have a waffle iron and just fried the bread up in a skillet and made french toast for Kevin's Sunday breakfast.  He said it was really good, and asked if I can make it again on Easter.  I think I just might! (but of course I'll hide the bread from Hubs so we have some)





3 eggs
3 tbsp milk
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
6-8 slices slightly stale Sun Maid Raisin bread

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Mix the eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla together in a shallow dish or pie plate with a fork.  Set aside.

Get your skillet warmed up, and add a little butter.  You don't want too much to make the French toast soggy, but enough for it to brown in.  I used about 2 tsp.  Dip the bread pieces in the egg mixture, letting each side sit for about 30 seconds so they can soak up the moisture.  Hold over the dish and allow the excess to drip off before placing the bread pieces on the hot griddle.

Cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes or so per side, before flipping over and browning the other side. When finished, place on a baking sheet in the oven for about 2 minutes while you cook the rest of the pieces.

Serve warm with maple syrup, or dusted with icing sugar.

Makes 6-8 slices

Disclosure:  I was not paid for this post, but I did receive a loaf of bread to cook with  and a few coupons for free product. Since we love the bread so much, I thought it would be nice to share the recipe with all of you!

Giveaway:  Since I have some extra free product coupons, tell me what you love to do with raisin bread in your kitchen in the comments!  I'll randomly choose someone and send them to you.   

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Bacon Maple Pecan Roasted Chickpeas

Beans for breakfast? You bet.  This recipe caught my eye when I flipped through Spilling the Beans, and I quickly resolved to make it Christmas morning.  Served with buttery croissants, oranges, and hot cups of coffee, it was delicious.  I also made some a light dinner with a salad a few days later when I discovered the leftovers in the fridge.  Sweet, salty, and so delicious, this recipe makes a decadent snack.

I chose to double the original recipe because I'm a little greedy.

Adapted from Spilling the Beans

One 19 oz can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
6 slices of bacon
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 handfuls of broken pecans

Pre-heat oven to 325 F

On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, roast the chick peas and bacon for 30 minutes, or until bacon starts to brown a bit.  Increase the oven temperature to 400 F.  Add the pecans and stir, then put the pan back into the oven for about 5 minutes more.  Drizzle the maple syrup over all, stirring.  Don't worry if it looks like a lot, it will be tasty. Trust me!

Put the pan back in the oven and let the maple syrup bubble and glaze the bacon, pecans, and chick peas, which should take about 5-8 minutes.  Remove from the oven, stir, and let cool a little before you serve.

Makes about 3 cups

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Cheddar and Chive Buttermilk Biscuits

When I was a kid, biscuits were a Sunday evening light supper. Mom would bake up a batch and set out a spread of lunch meats, cheeses, veggies, pickles, and we could make up a little plate of warm, fresh biscuits and fixings.

These cheesy, light bits of heaven are one of Kevin's favorites. He gobbled them down with soup and chili, then pleaded with me to make more so that he could take them in his lunch. These would be delicious with a salad, ham dinner, soups, and stews and are easy enough that you could get your older children to make them. Now, if you don't have buttermilk, you could use the trick of adding a little lemon juice or vinegar to regular milk to sour it, but I find that real buttermilk adds a lot more flavor. The buttermilk that I buy is so thick and delicious, I can't replicate the flavor with the substitution but in a pinch, I suppose it would work. (see below for the directions on how to sub milk for buttermilk)

Adapted from Canadian Living

2 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold salted butter, cubed (if you use unsalted butter, increase salt by 1/4 tsp)
1 cup shredded extra old Cheddar
3 tbsp finely chopped chives (I used green onions)
1 cup buttermilk

Pre-heat your oven to 425 F

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Toss in the cubes of butter and using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the cheese and chives with a fork.

Dump in the buttermilk and stir until the mixture forms a raggy-like dough, then turn out the dough onto a lightly floured counter. Knead gently-only enough to make the dough come together, really. You want there to be little pockets of butter in there to make them light and fluffy. Pat the dough out to about 3/4 inch thickness, then cut rounds out using a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. (I have no idea what diameter mine was. In fact, it broke. I have to buy a new one this week)

Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes, until the bottoms are browned and they are golden. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack, then store in an airtight container for about 24 hours. I usually freeze mine to use later in the week.

Makes about 12

Note: To sour milk to substitute for Buttermilk, measure 1 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice into a 1 cup measure, and then fill with milk and let stand for 5-10 minutes. (source: Joy of Baking.com)

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Bittman Vegan Spiced Coconut Pancakes with Tropical Fruit

I don't usually cook vegan things, but these pancakes caught my attention with their coconutty, tropical flavors. We skipped the pistachios because of my sensitivity to nuts, but I think they would be a delicious addition, along with a scoop of Greek yogurt. Kevin thought they were good, but added that he doesn't think he could go vegan. The coconut added a nice texture, they were fluffy, light, and full of flavor. The tropical salad was amazing and we snarfed it down the next day in school lunches! We have heard a lot about Mark Bittman, and while I haven't really made any of his food, we thought these were good. I think I'll have to check out more of his books now.

Adapted from Bon Appetit January 2011

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup unsweetened coconut
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp baking soda
one 13 1/2 oz can light unsweetened coconut milk (about 1 2/3 cup)
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp vanilla

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, coconut, baking powder, nutmeg, allspice, and baking soda. Set aside.

Using a smaller bowl, mix together the coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and 1 1/4 cups of warm water. Pour into the dry mixture, stirring as you go, until you get a pourable mixture.

I use a non stick electric griddle-just grease it with a little oil and turn it on, and when it's hot pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto it and smooth them out into pancakes about 4 inches around. Let them cook until browned on the bottom and bubbly on top, then flip and cook the other side until golden.

Put your finished pancakes on a cookie sheet in the oven, set at it's lowest setting to keep them warm.

Serve with tropical fruit salad (below), maple syrup, and sprinkle with pistachios.

Makes about 20 pancakes.

Tropical Fruit Salad:

1 cup diced pineapple
1 cup diced mango
1 cup diced banana
2 tbsp maple syrup

Mix everything in a bowl and serve immediately. If you are going to serve it later, add the banana just before serving so it doesn't turn brown.

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Blueberry Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

When @vinoluci began tweeting about this French toast recipe, I knew exactly what I was making Christmas morning. Not only did it look just amazing, but the make ahead factor completely sold it to me. Prep the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight? The BEST idea ever.

Eggy bread, loads of rich cream cheese and smothered with blueberry sauce, this is our favorite breakfast recipe ever. Try switching up the fruit with different kinds of berries, peeled and sliced peaches, pitted cherries, or whatever strikes your fancy. This recipe halves well too for smaller families like ours-and the leftovers are great from the microwave the next day.

Adapted from Vino Luci

French Toast:

1 loaf french bread, cubed (I allowed my bread to get somewhat stale first)
two 8 oz packages of cream cheese, cubed
1 cup blueberries (I used frozen, they worked fine)
12 large eggs
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 cups milk

Grease a 9x13 inch pyrex pan with butter. Scatter 1/2 of the bread cubes over the bottom. Top with the cream cheese, then the blueberries, and the remaining bread cubes. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, and milk. Pour evenly over all the bread cubes. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, pre-heat your oven to 350 F. Take off the cling film and cover the pan with foil. (I would grease the side that is touching the bread, as some stuck when I pulled it off). Bake for 1/2 hour, then remove the foil and bake 1/2 hour longer until puffed and browned on top.

Makes 8 good sized servings. Serve with blueberry sauce below.

Blueberry Sauce:

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup blueberries, rinsed and drained (I used frozen)
1 tbsp butter

Heat the sugar, water, and cornstarch over medium heat until boiling and thickened. Add the blueberries and stir. They will pop and meld into the sauce. I didn't think mine was quite thick enough, so I stirred about 1 tbsp more cornstarch into some cold water and then stirred that in. When your sauce is thick enough, remove from the heat and add the butter, stirring until it's melted. Serve with the French toast.

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Baked Potato Pancakes

An interesting take on potato pancakes, these have an eggy bit to bind them, and potato to give them bulk. We like them as a snack with apple sauce. Baked instead of deep fried, they are far less greasy than their hashbrown counterparts. Kevin used to love them as snacks.

2 Tbsp diced onion
1/2 garlic clove, minced
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 medium potatoes, peeled and grated
1/4 cup crushed corn flakes
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Pre-heat oven to 450 F

In a food processor (or with a good sharp knife), process the onion and garlic until it's very finely chopped. Place in a large bowl with the eggs, salt, and pepper.

Grate the potatoes, then grab the grated bits and squeeze them in handfuls over the sink to get out all the liquid. You'll be surprised at how much juice is in potatoes! Add to the bowl with the onion and egg mixture.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cornflake crumbs, and baking powder together. Add to the potato mixture and stir well.

Spray a cookie sheet with non stick spray, then spoon out 1/4 cup of the mixture onto the sheets, flattening them slightly. Bake for about 12 minutes, flipping part way through.

Serve with applesauce.

Makes about 12

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Bacon Broccoli Crustless Quiches

Twitter has a strange love for bacon. Mention bacon, and you will likely have a zillion people shout back about how they love the stuff. Some will say they would love to roll it it, make sweet love to it, and have salty little bacon babies. Some will talk about it dipped in chocolate. Still others will reminisce about the literal mounds of it at Blissdom Canada, and some will say they would eat it three times a day if they could.

Kevin says it's "Man food." Me, I just like to eat it.

This recipe for crustless quiche actually didn't originally contain bacon. It was just sharp cheddar and boring broccoli, which didn't sound that amazing to me, so I added bacon. Of course, EVERYTHING is better with bacon.

Adapted from Martha Stewart

1 ten ounce package of frozen broccoli
6 large eggs
5 pieces of bacon
1/2 cup of half and half
ground pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
butter

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

This recipe is versatile. If you are into doing little single serving dishes of crustless quiche, butter four 8 oz ramekins. If you'd rather skip the cutesy little individual portion thing, butter a 9 inch pie plate. Set aside.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and dump in the broccoli for about a minute. Drain and rinse until cool water, then blot with paper towel to dry. Chop coarsely.

Meanwhile, fry up your bacon and drain on paper towels. Chop.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, nutmeg, pepper, and cheese. Stir in your bacon and broccoli. Divide the mixture between your teeny ramekins, or just dump the whole lot into the greased pie plate.

Place the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet so they don't slide around, or off and onto the bottom of your oven, and bake them (or the pie plate of quiche) for about 35-40 minutes until cooked through and golden.

Serve with crusty bread and a tossed salad.

Makes four servings.

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Peanut Butter Pancakes

If you like peanut butter cookies, make sure to check out these pancakes. A bit softer than regular pancakes, they are pretty tasty topped with bananas and maple syrup. If you want to get a little of that salty/sweet thing going on, serve them with sausages and let the rave reviews come in! Jake commented that he thought they would be delicious with chocolate chips for a special occasion.

Click on over for the recipe....

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Granola Girl

I really don't eat a lot of granola, for various reasons. Firstly, the store bought stuff is packed with fat and sugar, and I don't need or like loads of fat and sugar. Secondly, most store bought granolas are made with almonds.

Almonds, my friends, don't like me. Or I don't like them. Or something like that.

I have Oral Allergy Syndrome, which means that while ingesting almonds will not kill me like a true nut allergy, they make me extremely uncomfortable. Usually it depends on a variety of factors; the time of year, how many I eat, how processed they've been, etc. I find it easiest to just avoid them altogether.

So the beauty of making my own granola is that I control what goes in, and I can eat it. YUM.

The June 2010 issue of Bon Appetit has a great recipe for granola, and it was my first attempt. I used some pecans, dried apricots, dried sour cherries, and then a bunch of leftover President's Choice dried berry mix. It was delicious! My favorite way to eat this has been to sprinkle it on my yogurt, but you could eat it by itself with milk, on your cereal, or as a snack. The best thing is that it's not very sweet, nor does it have a lot of oil. Win, win!

Adapted from Bon Appetit June 2010

3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
3 Tbsp packed brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup honey
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup of assorted dried fruit

Pre-heat your oven to 300 F. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, pecans, coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Set aside. In a small saucepan on low-ish heat, warm the honey and oil together, stirring, until smooth. Pour over the oat mixture and toss.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment, then spread out the oat mixture onto it. Bake, but stir it around every 10 minutes or so, until it's beautiful golden brown (about 40 minutes total, maybe). Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool, then stir in the dried fruit. It lasts about a week, and you can store it in an airtight container. I just put it in a huge mason jar with a good lid, in my cupboard.

Makes about 5 cups

**According to the article you can tweak this all you want, by varying the different kinds of nuts, spices, or fruit. I would like to try using maple syrup instead of honey, with cashews instead of the pecans. I'll let you know how those turn out. In the meantime, this is decidedly my new favorite treat.

**OH! And before I forget, this makes a really super gift if you portion it out into pretty mason jars, then tie a cute ribbon around the top and add a nice tag.

**Edited to add: We have made this twice so far. The maple syrup/cashew version was amazing, and we practically scarfed down the whole batch as fast as we could. I highly recommend it!

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Jamie Oliver's Omlettes

The TV show Food Revolution might be over, but Jamie Oliver is still going strong. On Friday he posted a quick omlette recipe in his Twitter stream and challenged followers to try it. We didn't get a chance on Friday, but it was all I could think about all weekend. Omlettes? Easy. Even Jake made one in Foods class and he got an 'A'. I could make one...and the thing about omlettes is you can have fun filling them. The one pictured here has turkey bacon, sharp Cheddar, and diced green onions.

We switched to turkey bacon awhile ago. At first Jake protested a little, but once he got used to it, he now declares that he prefers it to pork. There's far less fat and calories, so it's healthier. Our favorite brand is Butterball. I cook it up in a little olive oil to make it extra crispy.

So, how do you make yourself an omlette? You will need:

2 eggs
pat of butter (about a tbsp)
salt and pepper
small bit of shredded cheese
1/2 scallion, minced finely
2 slices of turkey bacon

In a skillet over medium heat, gently cook the turkey bacon in a small amount of olive oil until they are lightly browned. Remove to paper towel and blot. Chop into smallish pieces.

Either wipe the skillet clean, or get a different skillet and melt the butter over low heat until bubbling. Pour in your eggs and move the pan around so that they spread out. Continue to cook on low, moving the egg a little bit to allow the raw egg to run underneath and cook. Once the egg is pretty much cooked through, sprinkle your cheese, scallion bits, and bacon in the center. Gently fold in half with a spatula. Don't worry if yours falls apart a bit, it takes some practice!

Slide onto a plate, garnish with any leftover bits of bacon, cheese, or scallions, and eat!

Makes one omlette.

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Jamie Oliver's 1 Cup Pancakes

This morning Jamie Oliver tweeted that "if you do anything this weekend, make these pancakes with your kids." He's so right! They are SO easy. Kids could make them almost by themselves! Also it doesn't make a lot so you aren't left with a pile of uneaten pancakes. I made these this week after a really busy day and served them with frittata and turkey sausages. They were delicious!

1 egg
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
2 tbsp butter

Whisk the egg and milk together in a small bowl. Set aside. In a medium sized bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together. Dump the milk mixture into the flour mixture and whisk it all until you get a nice smooth batter.

Melt 1 tbsp of the butter in a non stick pan, then when you are sure it's good and hot, ladle the batter into the pan. If you are going to make blueberry pancakes, this is when I dot the top with blueberries (fresh or frozen). Flip the pancakes over when they are golden brown and the top begins to get bubbles. Cook the other side until nicely browned. Continue, adding more butter if you need to.

On Jamie's site, he offers a fantastic way to eat them with mangoes, bananas, lime, and a coconut yogurt. I highly recommend you try it!

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