Elisa's Eye on the World

Applesauce Mini Chocolate Chip Protein Powder Bread

For years I have made Mollie Katzen's pumpkin and banana breads with protein powder and assorted add-ins. I finally noticed her third option with applesauce and gave it a try in the new KAF bread pan.  It's not shown in the on line recipe from her site but it's an exchange of the banana for the same amount of unsweetened applesauce, and adding a tsp. of Cinnamon.

Yogurt Strawberry and Blueberry Muffins (no nuts)

Nice rise!

This time I remembered to let them cool before removing from the tin to the rack.

Success! See an earlier post of this recipe.

Yogurt-Blueberry-Strawberry-Walnuts Muffins

Liquids and fruit: milk and plain yogurt mixed well, then canola oil slowly added. I let the fruit soak while the dry ingredients were finalized. The receipe called for only 1/2 cup of fruit but I used about 1-1/4 cups and 1/2 cup of waluts.

It's a little tedious, but strawberries cut into eighths work better than quarters.

Organized muffin making. Liquids and fruit, cup of chopped walnut standing by. I add the baking soda/powder at the very last minute, based on a tip I read about maximizing their effectiveness. Be sure to stir the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, soda, powder, salt) at this point - as once the wet and dry are combined the objective is minimal mixing.

There was plenty of batter and instead of filling the cups 2/3 full, I went for the top, taking some care to evenly distribute and try to making a mound which makes a pretty product.

I was about to test one and remembered to get a picture of the finished product. Some "fell-in" because I rememoved them from the baking tin too soon. Especially with fresh fruit muffins, it's best to wait till they are cooled/solidified a bit.

The recipe was found on-line, there's no egg, no vanilla but they came out great and can't wait to try again.

Busy Baking Bee

Yikes! I'm taking advantage of the cool July days and catching up on baking. Already done:

• Pizza Dough (1 used, 1 stowed)
• Pizza (gone already)
• Strawberry Muffins II (mostly stashed in freezer)
• Granola (stowed in air tight glass in the fridge, with a scoop)
• Blueberry Bread (sliced and stowed in fridge)

• Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for Sunday's bike ride/party

On deck baking and cooking projects:

• Burritos for dinner tonight
• Orzo salad with lots of our ready to eat peas
• Macaroni and cheese because it's all gone
• Caramalized onions, to have as a condiments

Fruit from the Freezer in February

While roasting vegetables for dinner last night, I pulled the ingredients for Blueberry Cake...with fruit I got at the farmer market and froze...it's February and time to make sure it's all gone before freezer burn sets in.

Here's an extreme close up of the finished cake which took the grey and cold out of the dark and stormy night.

Blueberry and Cherry Bread

Oh boy the house smells great, as the blueberry and cherry bread is minutes from doneness.

The berries were frozen in the summer and pulled out this morning. Perfect on a grey, wet and cold January morning.

Here it is cooling on the rack...unlike a deep loaf pan I'm going to let it cool "as is" as cut small cubes and put them in an air tight container. That way all the topping won't fall off!

This is one of my adaptations of the  Lemon Blueberry Bread in the well regarded "New Basics Cookbook."

Whole Wheat Sour Dough Muffins

Before dinner last night, Hubs baked a batch of muffins which came out exceptionally well: moist, airy, tasty. Parchment muffin tin liners are highly recommended both for ease of taking the finished muffin out and clean up ease. The recipe came from this cookbook.

Mollie's Very Crunchy Granola

This is my favorite granola recipe, though it's been ages since I made it. From Mollie's "breakfast book" Sunlight Cafe. This reminded me to have some with plain yogurt for lunch...all this posting is making me hungry!

Mollie's Pumpkin, Protein Powder 'n Chocolate Chip Bread

 
In Glass Bowl: eggs, pumpkin, canola, vanilla

In Big Bowl: flour, protein powder, sugar, baking powder, salt, semi-sweet chocolate chips

One of the keys to quick breads is thoroughly mixing the wet and dry ingredients before they are combined. This big wood spatula worked great; the dry stuff is more of a toss. Be careful not to be too enthusastic as ingredients will fly out of the bowl.

Variations are shown at the bottom. I almost always make the banana bread version, replacing vanilla for the almond extract.

The on line recipe is different from my first edition Sunlight with Menu. Most of the loaf is on the way to a trail work party with Hubs up north. I hope the gang (esp. Healin' L.) enjoys it!

Hub's Sourdough Blueberry Hotcakes

On the griddle.

 
On my plate with real maple syrup.

On cooling racks.

Fresh Blueberry Cake with Crunchy Topping

  

Another box from the blueberry haul went into the making of this delicious quick bread. The crunchy topping is modified from the recipe: a bit of canola, some flour, a bit of sugar and some cinnamon.

 
The moment of truth with quick breads is getting them out of the pan. Success! Use your hands if it's flopping over and re-form it into a nice rectangular loaf while warm if necessary.

Original recipe from The New Basics Cookbook. I use canola instead of butter, usually forget the lemon zest because I am lazy, and modify the icky sweet and fatty topping using the same ingredients, same amount of flour but much less of everything else.

Yogurt with Blueberries, Cherries and Crunchy Cereal

The cherry pitter was put to use again to make these sundaes with plain non fat Nancy's Yogurt . The cereal is wholesome and super crunchy so the combination with soft fresh fruit is wonderful on a hot summer day. 

With tiny Bunny Cookies on top. They were actually cuter than good - gluten free but too sweet. Strange but we ate them anyway!

Strawberry Muffins

Ingredients

• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled (I used Canola)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/4 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen unsweetened strawberries

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine the first four ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, yogurt, butter and vanilla. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in strawberries.
• Fill muffin cups coated with cooking spray or lined with paper liners two-thirds full. Bake at 375° for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm. Yield: 1 dozen.

Recipe Source

Fantastic recipe, the only modification was replacing the butter with Canola oil. Highly recommended if you have a box of fresh berries on hand.

Hub's Hotcakes

Hubs made hotcakes while I headed to the Farmer Market; I came home to these stacks cooling on the counter.

Yum! Once cooled small stacks were slipped into zip lock bags and stowed in the freezer. They reheat quickly in the toaster oven and form the basis of a good healthy snack on busy summer days.

Airline Lounge at Prague Airport

Early Friday morning Prague time, I patiently waited to check into my volcano-eruption-rescheduled-from-Monday-award-ticket-return-flight in business class. It was a splendid treat to pass the time before boarding in the airline lounge the ticket entitled me to visit.

There was passable orange juice (fresh squeezed is rare in Czech Republic) in a glass pitcher the obscured fridge. I loved the nice glassware and china plates. No plastic except for some utensils. Classy and very clean.

To the right there was another counter with cereal, granola and pastries. As the flight was delayed 2 hours and the plane wasn't at the gate it was the perfect time for a good breakfast to start my 24 hours of travel back to the States.

After two cups of black tea, a small bowl of mixed up cereal, a tiny open face baguette sandwich (tuna with a thin slice of egg white) and cocoa with milk prepared by the sleek machine I found a nice wing back chair by the window to hang out. 

While the prominently placed open bar was tempting, it was a wee bit early for me. Two bottles were the locally produced Bbecherovka, a liquor that's also an herbal remedy known to assist with digestion. An acquired taste I'd yet to warm up to.

There was cold Pilsner in cans in the fridge along with litre bottles of mineral water. Nice set up! There was also individual plastic tubs of local side dishes with cabbage and carrots. We finally boarded around noon and when the attendant offered "orange juice or champagne?" it was an easy choice.

Despite the delays, Delta was most accommodating and even passing through J.F.K. where I was met by another day wasn't that bad. By 11:30 pm Pacific Time I was home.

I hope the two gals from SLC and SF I chatted with made it home safe and in time for their friend's party.

Typical Czech Breakfast

Here's a "typical" Czech breakfast, as served at the pension we stayed at last night. Kind of strange but a nice change from eggs eggs eggs. Not shown is the basket of rolls and bread and steaming pots of coffee and tea.

Double Batch of Blueberry Bread

Four cups of my own frozen blueberries from the farmer's market in August; a mixture of little and plump gems to mix into a double batch recipe of quick bread.

Wet ingredients in the big bowl: egg, canola, milk and sugar.  Dry ingredients mixed together in glass bowl: flour, salt, soda. Once everything is measured it really is a quick bread.

Topping of canola, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon was added to this traditional loaf and a rectangular shallow pan of batter.  Extra yummy on a damp January day with a glass of milk.

Preferred Brands: Food and Beverage

Thinking about the foods I missed the most when traveling inspired this first in a series of lists:

• My favorite cereal are the Shredded Oats from Barbara's Cereals
• A preferred sandwich spread is strangely named Tofu Pate (original variety), with the consistency of egg salad without the eggs
• A regular bread favorite in loaf and English Muffins varieties comes from Rudy's Bakery
• Yogurt and cottage cheese from Nancy's is especially cool since it is produced by members of (Ken) Kesey's family in Orgeon
• Ever since Odwalla was purchased by Coke (or was it Pepsi?) we switched to Organic Valley for orange juice
• Pie crust without too much fat or any disgusting ingredients from Wholly Wholesome is a great choice for all occassion 

Blueberry Bread in November

This morning I pulled some plump blueberries from the freezer and made this "unusual" blueberry quick bread.

This recipe is usually baked in a tall loaf pan - but I decided to try it in a square shallow pan since frozen berries often result in a too doughy center. I also replaced 1/2 cup of flour with semolina flour to add more texture and flavor. The sugary topping suggested in the Silver Palate Cookbook was omitted - just because.

Double Batch of Carrot Muffins

Fresh from the oven, a double batch of Mollie Katzen "Carrot" muffins - although I substituted a mix of raisins and chopped pecans for the currants; and mixed OJ with fresh lemon juice so there was enough.

Blueberry Bread with Protein Powder

Instead of 2 cups all purpose flour, this loaf has 1 cup protein powder, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup bread flour, because that's what was on hand. The results were excellent with these "Jersey" blueberries.

Blueberry Bread with Small Berries

The first slice, the heel or baker's cut awaiting testing approval. The berries were from a small stand in front of Szmania's restaurant, an adjunct to the formal farmer's market. The berries are a small variety that reminds us of wild varieties from Maine. The recipe is from The Silver Palate's "New Basic" cookbook although I choose to lighten up the topping and omitted the lemon. The rest of the loaf was given a proper time for cooling before slicing and stowing

Starting over with Sourdough Starter

The last batch of prepared Sour Dough Starter was lost when the stoneware crock fell from the fridge, spilling the contents on the floor. So back to square one. The "starter" arrives as shown, the "feeding" refers to the addition of flour and water over a short period of time. We hope to have waffles for our out of town visitors on Sunday morning. Please check back for updates.

Melon Salad and Yogurt with Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

The melon salad was honey dew and cantaloupe; the yogurt plain non-fat and sauce a homemade concoction of strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and orange juice - topped with chopped walnuts.

Fresh Baked Strawberry Muffin and Milk

Over the weekend I tried a recipe from a cooking magazine we are receiving as a gift subscription. Strawberry muffins with the first of the California berries, with ground almond topping. The batter is a nice combination of white and wheat flour and the canola oil keeps them light.

Shrimp with Squash, Corn, Onion and Refried Beans. And More.

I made this up, so yes there are more ingredients: baby spinach torn flour tortilla shells, grated Colby Jack Cheese along with Oregon shrimpmeat, squash and corn (from the freezer) that were sauteed along with the onion. Torn shells lined the bottom of the dish, followed by a layer of refried beans. Then the layer of vegetables (quite lovely in color), topped with cheese, then shells, then cheese (but not too much). ' After baking 30 minutes it was ready, and we had the leftovers for Christmas breakfast.

Sourdough Hotcakes by Guest Chef Hubs

Check out the rise on those cakes! Also, two kinds of syrup.

Waffle Friday

Fresh from the griddle waffles, New England Maple Syrup, milk and English Breakfast tea. Friday holiday breakfast.

Waffles

I finally had a chance to try out a waffle recipe sent to me by CRF; they came out really good. Enjoyed one at once with real maple syrup (heated) and a glass of milk. Photo note, I slightly undercooked the rest, since they are going to be re-heated.

Daddy "Oh Boy" Waffles

This waffle recipe was given to me by a friend who loves to serve his family an eye opening and tummy filing breakfast on Sundays. The lore is when his children are told he's making waffles they scream with "Oh Boy." I'm sure you will too.

• 2-1/2 cups sifted flour
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1-1/2 tbsp. sugar
• 3 beaten eggs (lightly whip too for extra fluff)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2-1/4 cups milk
• ¾ cups cooking oil

1.  Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl
2. Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl
3. Combine together in large bowl and mix, leaving a few lumps
4. Bake according to your waffle iron's directions

Tip: Let them cook until the steam stops to achieve a golden crispy delight. Serve with Real Maple Syrup.

Pancakes on the Griddle

The right tools make the job easy:  a large glass bowl for mixing ingredients; a 1 cup measure which simplifies pouring 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake and a pre-heated griddle prepared with a Canola non-stick spray.

"Pancake Syrup" vs. Actual Maple Syrup

INGREDIENTS: CORN SYRUP, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WATER, CELLULOSE GUM, CARAMEL COLOR, SALT, SODIUM BENZOATE AND SORBIC ACID (PRESERVATIVES), ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLAVORS, SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE.

Listed above are the ingredients of a commonly available pancake syrup. Ewww.

What really disturbs me how Pepsi attempts to present something special, when it's really cola without carbonation:

"Give your pancakes what they deserve and top them with the classic taste of Aunt Jemima® Original Syrup. Our rich and thick syrup is the perfect way to top your family’s favorite pancakes and waffles."

The alternative is actual Maple Syrup which comes from trees. More expensive yes, but since it's the real thing it tastes incredible and a little goes a long way.

Hub's Made from Scratch Pancakes

The oatmeal variety straight from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. The key as always is the bestest ingredients: canola, eggs, milk, flour, honey (instead of sugar), unbleached flour and quick (not instant) oats.

Don't skimp and the taste will amaze you.

If you did not know this, most "mixes" rely on hydrogentated products that ensure super long shelf life, low production cost and big profits for manufacturers who use cozy names to sell their junk food. Read the label and put it back on the shelf.

Pancakes can be frozen, after cooling by stacking them in zip lock bags. Reheat in toaster or oven when you want a hearty meal on short notice.

Very Crunchy Granola

Making your own granola is fun, and it's easy to customize the ingredients to your taste. I bake a batch every 2 months or so of the Mollie Katzen variety from her "Sunlight Cafe" book. We put most of it in the freezer, the rest in the fridge and use a few tablespoons on top of cereal in the morning. The most expensive ingredients are soy protein powder and almonds, but there's only a cup of each required. Both are incredibly good for you too. It's handy to have a food processor to cut the oats and chop the almonds. Make sure you have a really big bowl to mix everything and a jelly roll type pan for baking, as shown in the photo. I usually have to vacuum the kitchen floor afterwards as ingredients will fly around in the process of mixing and turning. Her estimate of 10 minutes prep is low, it takes me about 30 minutes to get everything together. Then, 45 minutes to bake - turning it once half-way through. Also allow time for it to cool on the counter before putting in containers and storing in the fridge/freezer.