Category Archives: Baked Goods

Whole Food Wheatberry Ginger Breakfast Bread (Sugar-Free)

by

4

I’m running out of preschool breakfast ideas so I’ve been making these easy “breakfast breads” because they’re so good and so easy to heat up on busy mornings. I usually serve them toasted with almond butter but since they do not allow any nuts at school, I’ve been serving it plain with sliced bananas topped with hemp seeds and unsweetened coconut. Our 15 month loves these too and I enjoy a few extra minutes in the morning to enjoy my cup of coffee instead of making my usual somewhat complicated breakfast menu. ;-)

Oh and your kids will NEVER notice there are lentils and zucchini in this bread!!!

Whole Food Wheatberry Ginger Breakfast Bread

Whole Food Wheatberry Ginger Breakfast Bread

The original recipe is from my FAVORITE chef Melody from Melomeals!! I’ve featured many of her recipes because they are staples in our house and I have to share them with you!! Please check out her blog and LIKE her on Facebook!!! 

I make this and her Coconut Ginger Carrot Breakfast Bread (Sugar, Soy & Wheat-Free). We love both of them and highly recommend trying them!! This are really the only “breads” we eat besides the occasional Ezekiel slice. 

Whole Food Wheatberry Ginger Breakfast Bread

  • 1 lb dry wheatberries ground into flour (around 3 ½ cups) – original recipe calls for barley but I bet anything would do. Rolled oats have worked for me in the past as well.
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons cinnamon
  • heaping ¼ teaspoon each nutmeg, cloves and cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kal Stevia Powder
  • 2 cups cooked lentils – I’ve also used the Organic Sprouted Trio mix from Costco I was talking about on Facebook :-)
  • 5 small, 3 medium or 2 large zucchinis
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce – I use the cinnamon flavor
  • 4-5 tablespoons fresh ginger
  • 2 teaspoons vinegar – I use apple cider vinegar 

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375
  2. Grind the flour (I use my VitaMix), place in large bowl with the dry ingredients
  3. In a large blender, add the rest of the ingredients and blend until totally smooth
  4. Make a well and pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
  5. Mix very well
  6. Grease a 9 by 13 pan and bake for 45 min – 1 hour, rotating pan halfway through
It is VERY important to let these cool completely before eating so the stevia flavor has a chance to settle down and mingle with the spices and moisture from the veggies/beans. The taste changes completely! 

 

Grind flour and place in large bowl. Blend the rest of the ingredients until smooth.

Add wet to dry and mix well

Smooth into 9″ x 13″ pan and bake for 45 min – 1 hour (I prefer 45 minutes, makes it a bit more chewy)

Allow to cool completely then cut and serve. Well…. I never get that far because I eat one small piece right when it comes out of the oven ;-)

Quick and easy breakfast!!

About these ads

Carrot Oatmeal Breakfast “Cookies”

by

6

 

I’m always looking for ways to pack a bunch of nutrition into my preschoolers tiny breakfast/lunch box all while keeping the mess to a minimum. It’s not easy packing whole food plant-based meals sometimes so anything in a muffin, bar or cookie form is perfect. I very rarely use flour or other processed foods so that poses a bit of a challenge when cooking such things. These breakfast “cookies” are made with leftover No-Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal and they are very good! I’m sure you could use regular leftover oatmeal but I don’t think they’d be as good as these.

Carrot Oatmeal Breakfast “Cookies”

Recipe from Melomeals!!! What would I do without her!?!?! She has mad skills when it comes to the recreation of leftovers!!

Leftover Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

½ batch ( around 1.5 cups ) No-Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
1 c dry rolled oats
2 carrots, pulsed really well in the food processor
½ c raisins or dried fruit
1/8 t Kal Stevia (optional)
¼ t baking powder
Around ¼ c liquid ( non dairy milk )

Method:
Mix well. Taste batter and add more spices if desired as well. Add to parchment paper.

Bake for 20 minutes  at 375 – I used an ice cream scoop to make bigger cookies and I found that 20 minutes was the right amount of baking time. The original recipe calls for 11 minutes so try that first if you’re making regular sized cookies.

Add leftover oatmeal with carrots, raisins, oats, stevia (if using) and non-dairy milk and mix well

Spoon onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper – I used a larger ice cream scoop and flattened the cookies before baking

Flattened and shaped’ish

Allow them to cool completely. Ready to pack in our preschooler’s breakfast box!!!

 

 

 

 

Healthy Carrot Cake Donuts

by

5

 

I’ve been searching for easy’ish, healthy, plant-based, whole foods breakfast and lunch ideas to pack for our daughter to bring to preschool. It’s not easy, that’s for sure! I came across these donuts and had to try them! The school provides meals but I wasn’t too happy with the menu so I opted to send food with her. Donuts and chocolate milk were one of the breakfast options… yeah, um no thank you. THESE donuts she can eat!

These donuts are awesome! You can also make this batter into muffins if you don’t own a donut pan. I bought one from Amazon just to make these, I was so excited about the idea!

Carrot Cake Donuts

I found this recipe on Straight Up Food whole foods, plant-based food blog. She has a bunch of really great recipes, take some time to check out her site!!

Carrot Cake Donuts

Ingredients
5 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup water

1 3/4 cup rolled oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground clove

1/2 of a ripe banana, diced
1 cup rice milk or almond milk
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center position. In a small bowl, combine the 5 dates, 1/4 cup raisins and 1/2 cup water. Let soak while you prepare the other ingredients (at least 15 minutes).

2. Grind the rolled oats in a high-speed blender until it resembles flour; transfer to a large bowl. Add to this the baking powder, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, and mix with a fork.

3. Transfer the soaked dates, raisins and water to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth (about 30 seconds). Add the banana and non-dairy milk and blend further until everything is smooth. Add this wet mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and gently fold together using a big spoon; now fold in the carrots, raisins and walnuts. The batter should be somewhere between a cake batter and cookie batter in consistency.

4. Using a soup spoon, spoon batter into a non-stick donut pan, filling to the top and smoothing batter flat. Bake for 20-25 minutes (I like to bake mine for 20 because it produces a moister cake). If you press on the cake lightly and it bounces back a bit (instead of staying indented), it’s likely ready. These continue to set up as they cool.

5. Remove from oven and cool for 5-7 minutes before removing the donuts from pan (if left in too long it will be hard to get the donuts out). Using a plastic fork, gently go around the donuts (outside and inner circle) to loosen them from the pan. Even though we’re using a non-stick pan, we are not using any oil so we need to help them out a bit. After loosening the edges, invert onto a cutting board (shake a bit if still not coming out the first time) and let cool at least 5-10 minutes more before serving plain or with the below frosting.

Carrot Cake Frosting

I tried making this with all tofu (no cashews) and the tofu taste was too strong. When I tried it will just cashews (which are great soft nuts to use in gravies, dressings and desserts), the flavor was also too much, too cashew-y. But with the addition of just 2 tablespoons of tofu with the cashews, the flavor of traditional carrot cake frosting has been approximated (I think; you let me know what you think). Feel free to vary the nuts and tofu to your liking. Both add to the thickness and richness of the frosting.

Ingredients
5 dates, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup raw cashews (not salted or roasted)
3/4 cup water

3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons tofu (silken or firm)
1/4 cup water (plus 2-3 more tablespoons as needed)

Directions
Soak the dates and cashews in 3/4 cup water for 15-30 minutes. After soaking, drain off the soak water into a bowl. In a high-speed blender, combine all ingredients (measuring out the 1/4 cup water+ from the soak water) and blend until very smooth, adding more water as needed to reach desired consistency. Frost donuts or muffins just before serving them. (Since there is no oil or sugar in this frosting it will not harden up like regular frostings.) Frosting will keep refrigerated for 3-5 days.

Prep time: 25 minutes (donuts), 15 minutes (frosting)
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes (donuts)
Makes: 10-12 donuts or muffins; 1 cup frosting

Soak dates and raisins

Grind oats into flour

Combine flour and spices together with fork

Process dates/raisins with flour mixture – add banana and milk

Fold in carrots, walnuts and raisins

Spoon into donut tin

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan

Let cool on rack before frosting

Add soaked dates and nuts, lemon juice and other frosting ingredients until smooth

Yummy frosting!

Frost and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

by

15

I haven’t made any sweets for A LONG TIME (as you’ve noticed on the blog) so I figured it might be time to dabble in a little sweetness. These cookies are really good and really easy to make. I think they taste best when warm so make sure to warm up the leftovers before eating, if you prefer. I tried to bribe our daughter to go on the potty with these cookies and it worked! Well… it worked one time anyways. Potty training is rough!

These are grain-free, gluten-free, white sugar free, oil-free, flour free…. all sorts of FREE!!!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

I found this recipe on Texanerin Baking site. I can’t wait to see what else she has in store!

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 cups canned or cooked chickpeas, well-rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup honey OR 1/8-1/4 cup agave, if you prefer
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • a pinch of salt if your peanut butter doesn’t have salt in it
  • 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Combine all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a food processor and process until very smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and the top to get the little chunks of chickpeas and process again until they’re combined. Put in the chocolate chips and stir it if you can, or pulse it once or twice. The mixture will be very thick and sticky. With wet hands, form into 1 1/2″ balls. Place onto a Silpat or a piece of parchment paper. Bake for 10-15 minutes. If you want them to look more like normal cookies, press down slightly before baking

Process ingredients until smooth, scrape sides along the way

Add chocolate chips, pulse a few times to combine

Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet to bake

Yummy!

Banana Walnut Pancakes

by

3

These are really good and easy to make, plus this batch makes a bunch of leftovers – great when you’ve been up all night with your 4-month old and you need a quick breakfast for your toddler! That’s my story lately so I really appreciate these kind of easy recipes. My toddler loves these pancakes! I top them with peanut butter and bananas for her… pure maple syrup for me. I put the leftovers in the fridge and toast them the next day.

Banana Walnut Pancakes

This is another… wait for it… Melomeals recipe! I used applesauce instead of oil because I’m really trying to cut down on my oil consumption, you can use oil if you wish.

Banana Walnut Pancakes 
* 2 c white whole wheat flour

* 1 T baking powder

* 1 t cinnamon

* 1/4 c brown sugar

* pinch salt

* 2 c soymilk – I used my homemade hemp milk

* 1 T vinegar

* 1/3 c olive oil – I used about 1/2 cup applesauce instead

* 1 t vanilla

* 1 large banana, mashed

* 1/2 c walnuts 

Method:

  1. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl
  2. Mix wet ingredients together along with the walnuts and add to the dry
  3. Cook in a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat for around 3 minutes a side 

Mix dry ingredients together

Mix wet ingredients together

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients with walnuts

Spoon out batter, cook until brown on each side. Enjoy with maple syrup!

Related articles

Scallion Flatbread

by

2

I made these with our Easy Red Lentils tonight and they were really good AND easy to make!

Scallion Flatbread

This is a Melomeals recipe (as you know by now one of my favorite food blogs!), I found it on the WholeSoy Yogurt website.

Ingredients

  • 2 c. flour (plus extra for kneading and rolling dough) – I used bread flour since I have a ton of it from Costco
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/4 t. baking soda
  • 1/2 t. cumin seeds
  • 1/4 c. plain WholeSoy yogurt
  • 1/3 c. water
  • 1 Tbs. toasted sesame oil
  • 1 Tbs. olive oil
  • ¼ c. scallions

Directions

In a mixing bowl add the flour, salt , soda and cumin; whisk well. Make a well in the dry mixture and add the rest of the ingredients. Knead dough for several minutes. Let dough rest for 30 minutes.

Divide into 8 pieces, roll them into desired shapes adding more flour if needed.

Heat a cast iron skillet to medium, brush with oil and cook for 5 minutes on the first side, flip and cook for 1-2 minutes more.

Served these with Easy Red Lentils

Easy Red Lentils with Scallion Flatbread

by

0

There’s a theme here lately… easy! I have a few recipes waiting for me to make them but I haven’t had much time lately so I’ve been powering through my SUPER easy recipes first! I’ve made this one several times, it’s really good and pretty basic. My toddler loves these lentils and so does my hubby. You can find the Scallion Flatbread recipe here.

Easy Red Lentils with Scallion Flatbread

  • Lentils (Dal)
    • 1 cup red lentils, picked through for stones
    • 2 cups water
    • 1 onion, diced
    • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
    • 1 (1/2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and minced
    • 2 medium tomatoes, diced
    • 1 serrano chile, sliced in 1/2, optional (I omitted to make it toddler friendly)
  • Tempering oil (bagaar)
    • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
    • Generous 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon paprika or bafaat powder (I’ve used both, bafaat powder is pretty good with it!)
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • Handful chopped fresh cilantro leaves
    • INSTRUCTIONS
        1. Put the lentils in a strainer and rinse them under running water. Add them to a bowl, cover with water and let soak for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.
        2. In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of water, the onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, chile (if using) and the lentils. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim any scum from the surface. DO NOT ADD SALT YET; it will toughen the lentils, thereby lengthening their cooking time. Lower the heat, cover the pot with a lid and gently simmer until the lentils are tender, almost translucent, and almost falling apart, about 30 to 40 minutes.
        3. Whisk the lentils, releasing its natural starch, and mash some of them so the mixture becomes thick. Add salt, to taste.
        4. Tempering oil (bagaar): In a small bowl, combine the cumin and mustard seeds. In another bowl, combine the spice powders. Have all the ingredients ready because this will move very fast!
        5. In a small skillet, over a medium-high flame, warm 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add seeds and immediately cover so you don’t get covered in spluttering oil and seeds! Add the spices. They should sizzle and bubble a little – that’s the blooming and it’s exactly what you want. Don’t let them burn. The mixture should bloom for about 30 seconds, no more.
        6. Pour the oil mixture into the lentils, standing back so you don’t get hurt when the mixture splutters again. Stir to combine. Transfer the lentils to a serving dish and garnish with cilantro.

Per Serving: Calories: 237; Fat: 5 grams (Saturated Fat: 0 grams); Protein: 14g; Carbohydrates: 35g; Sugar: 4g; Fiber: 9g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 23mg

Simple Coconut, Ginger, Carrot Breakfast Bread (Sugar, Soy & Wheat Free)

by

5

Since both my kids decided to nap at the same time today, I had a chance to make this breakfast bread recipe I’ve had my eye on for a few weeks. I’m always on the lookout for healthy but fast breakfast options for busy mornings and this works perfectly! I had leftover shredded carrots from making the Healthy Veggie Muffins a couple of days ago and Chipotle Split Pea Soup last night so this was a perfect way to use them up!

Breakfast bread with peanut butter, orange slices and a glass of almond milk… Yummy!! Toddler and hubby loved this and ate it throughout the day!

The original recipe is from… you guessed it! Melomeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day, my all-time favorite recipe source and vegan food blog. I changed it up a bit over the past year, I make it often because it’s really good! If you haven’t explored her blog, PLEASE do so!!!

  • 2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon Kal Stevia Powder (I use 1/4 tsp)
  • ¼ teaspoon cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons fresh ginger
  • ¾ cup dried unsweetened coconut
  • 2 large carrots
  • 1 – 15 oz can of white beans and their liquid
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons psyllium husk
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce – I like to use cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar – I used apple cider vinegar
Pre-heat Oven to 375
1.       In a food processor, process oats into flour; place in mixing bowl with the rest of the dry ingredients.
2.       Next, pulse the ginger and carrots in the food processor until really broken up
3.       Add the beans, water, psyllium, applesauce and vinegar and puree until smooth
4.       Add to the dry ingredients
5.       Grease an 8 by 8 square pan and bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
6.       Let cool completely before serving
Oat “Flour”
Ginger & Carrots
Dry Mix
Putting it all together
Add wet to dry
Pour into pan and flatten

Easy Breakfast Bread!

Lemongrass Coconut Cake/Bars (Gluten-Free)

by

2

Let me start by saying, I am NOT a baker! I attempt it now and then but I am not very good at it. We don’t eat many sweets so that’s okay. Every now and then I get a craving for something sweet so I attempt to bake. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. This cake turned out really tasty so I’m glad I attempted it. I’m new to gluten-free baking so this cake may not look the way it’s supposed to but it sure is good! They’re really more like bars with their thick texture. Ah, whatever you want to call them is fine because I call them DELICIOUS!!

I received a bunch of lemongrass in my CSA box last week and I’ve been looking for new recipes that call for lemongrass. I usually make Thai Food but I wanted to make something new. I’ve been cooking my way through my favorite vegan food blog, Melomeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day – she had this recipe on her site so I had to try it! I love anything with lemon too so this was a perfect match!

Here’s her recipe:

Lemongrass Cake with Coconut Frosting
·         ½ c golden flax meal
·         ¼  c Vegenaise (vegan mayo – found at Sprouts)
·         1 c sugar
·         1 t vanilla
·         1 t coconut extract
·         Juice and zest of 1 lemon
·         2 T lemongrass (sold at Sprouts)
·         ½ c light-colored oil – I used vegetable oil
·         1.5 c Bob’s All Purpose Gluten-Free flour (I suppose you could use regular flour too)
·         2 t baking powder
·         1 t baking soda
·         ½  t salt
Method:  Pre-heat oven to 350
1.       Mix flax, mayo, sugar, extracts, lemon juice, zest , lemongrass and oil together very well until everything is totally incorporated
2.       Sift together the flour, powder, soda and salt into the wet mixture and mix together completely. You don’t have to worry about over working this dough. Mix super well!
3.       Spray a 9 by 9 cake pan with cooking spray, pour batter into pan and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
4.       Cool cake completely on a wire rack
5.       Frost!
Frosting:
·         1.5 c unsweetened coconut shreds
·         ¼ c nondairy milk
·         3 – 4 c powdered sugar
·         Juice and Zest of 1 lemon
·         Pinch salt
1.       In a food processor, process the coconut and milk if needed until coconut turns into butter like substance. This will take around 4 minutes
2.       Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest,  salt and process until it comes together like frosting  adding milk as needed
Fresh Lemongrass Whole and Chopped
Remove the tough outer layer and chop the softer part
Coconut Lemon Frosting!

May not look pretty but tastes pretty darn good!!

Healthy Low-Fat Veggie Muffins

by

3

Need a way to sneak a couple servings of veggies into your daily diet? These healthy muffins are really easy to make and they taste awesome! You can eat these for breakfast or for a quick snack.

I found this recipe on the Veg News website, they always have a ton of great recipes.

Low-Fat Veggie Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

What You Need:

1/3 cup hot water
1⁄4 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup grated carrot
1 grated apple
1-3⁄4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small cup, add water and ground flaxseed, stirring with a fork. Let it sit for 5 minutes, until mixture thickens. (This is your “egg” mixture)

2. In a small bowl, combine agave nectar, maple syrup, vanilla, and applesauce. Add in zucchini, carrot, and apple. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. To agave mixture, add flaxseed mixture and stir to combine. Mix dry ingredients to wet, and stir to combine.

3. Divide batter evenly into muffin tins and top with walnuts, if using. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Bread Machine Pesto Bread

by

0

I’m not afraid of carbs and I enjoy fresh bread from my bread machine every now and then. I made this for the first time tonight and it was really good!

Bread Machine - Pesto Bread

For a 2lb loaf:

Add ingredients, in order listed.

*  1 1/4 cups water, room temperature

* 2 Tbsp olive oil

* 1/3 cup pesto (I make mine with avocado instead of cheese)

* 1 tsp sea salt

* 4 2/3 cups bread flour

* 1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar

* 2 tsp yeast – active dry, instant or bread machine

Cook on Bread/White cycle until machine is done!