Apple Dutch Baby (Primal/Paleo)

After an unexpected move and surviving the great floods of Colorado, I am back. I totally had recipes planned to post while I was unavailable, but it didn't quite pan out. We went on a 10-day road trip to Colorado and after 50 hours of driving we had lots of road snacks left over including some less than stellar (texture wise) apples. I wanted to bake them, but also wanted breakfast. After a couple tries, this grain-free dutch baby with apples was born.

Apple Dutch Baby

primal / paleo / grain-free / gluten-free 

Yield: 2-3 servings

2T butter or coconut oil

2 medium size apples

1 1/2t cinnamon, divided

3/4c milk of choice

3 eggs

1/2c blanched almond flour

1/4c tapioca flour

1 1/2T granulated sweetener

1t vanilla

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While it is warming, put the butter in a pie pan then put the pan into the oven. 

Peel, core, and somewhat thinly slice the apples. At this time the butter should be melted. Brush the butter up the sides of the pan, add the apple slices, sprinkle with 1/2t cinnamon and bake for 7-8 minutes.

Combine the milk, eggs, flours, sweetener, vanilla and remaining 1t cinnamon in a small bowl. Whisk together. When the apples are done, pour the batter over them and return to the oven for 25 minutes.

Enjoy the puffing before it falls and serve with a dusting of cinnamon and maple syrup if you choose.

Meat and Veggie Egg Muffins (Primal/Paleo)

In the real world I am part personal assistant. The family I work for are dealing with a loved one in the hospital, and are crazy busy trying to balance a good summer for the kiddos and being there for their loved one. This is where I come in; I've been cooking up all kinds of delicious easy foods for them to have on hand so they don't have to think about cooking. They eat low carb, but not paleo, but I've been successfully making tons of high fat, high protein, high veggie meals to give them lots of energy without them realizing they're eating grain free! Egg muffins, frittatas, and crustless quiches are big on my list of things to make during busy times. Not having to cook but still having a filling breakfast that gives you tons of support to start your day off right is the perfect combo for hectic times. I've started whipping up egg muffins once a week using anything available and got them totally addicted! I've done bacon, shallot, mushroom, spinach; tomato, basil, turkey; salami, peppers, onion, kale; and this week I used a Trader Joe's 8 veggie mix they had on hand (broccoli/carrot/cabbage/jicama/bell pepper/radish/celery), as well as some potatoes and tomatoes from their garden and an onion that was hanging out in the fridge. Combined with a little bacon and turkey, these egg muffins are perfect for a busy day. Here is the generalized recipe.

Meat and Veggie Egg Muffins

primal / paleo / grain-free / gluten-free

Yield: 24 muffins, about 12 servings

1T cooking fat of choice*

1/2 onion, diced (about 3/4c)

1/2 sweet potato, diced (about 3/4c)

1.5c meat, diced and cooked

1.5c veggies, small dice

18 eggs

S+P

1/2c milk**

1/2c cheese, optional

Tomato slices, green onions, or herbs, optional

*I use coconut oil

**Cow, coco, almond, whatever!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease two muffins tins.

If you need to cook your meat, do so first. Bacon works really well in combination with any leftovers in your fridge (ham, lunch meat, baked chicken, sausage, beef, whatever!). If you are cooking the meat now, instead of using oil, just use the meat drippings. If your meat is already cooked, start with oil in a large saute pan. 

Add the diced onion and sweet potato. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are cooked through and start to brown, about 10 minutes.

Add the diced vegetables. Any combination will do. Leftovers work great as well. Season again with salt and pepper. Cook until any raw veggies are just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, preferably with a spout, whip up the eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. 

Put one tablespoon of meat in each muffin cup, followed by two tablespoons of vegetables. Top with cheese, if desired, then divide the egg mixture evenly between all the muffin tins, not quite to the top. Top with tomato slices, green onions, or fresh herbs if desired.

Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes. Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. These also freeze well.

Eggs en Cocotte

This is a quick and easy breakfast that feels a little fancier than just mixing stuff together in a frying pan. It's very easily adapted to whatever you have on hand. Today I made it with bacon, collard greens, onion, and sweet potato - but feel free to use whatever you have on hand. I love it with kale! I think the sweet potato would go nicely with prosciutto. Fresh herbs are always a bonus, and varying types of cheeses, as well.

Eggs en Cocotte
primal / paleo option / grain-free / gluten-free

Yield: 2 servings

3 slices bacon

1/2-3/4c sweet potato, 1/4in dice

1/4 onion, 1/2in dice

1c greens, chopped

1T butter, softened

2T cheese, grated*

4 eggs

2T cream**

S+P

Herbs

*Omit for paleo
**Coconut cream/milk for paleo

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and butter up your ramekins or mini cocottes.

Begin by cooking the bacon in a 12 inch skilled over medium-low to medium heat until it reaches desired doneness. Meanwhile, add the sweet potatoes to a small skilled with 1T water; season with salt and pepper then cover and cook on low. Drain the bacon on paper and set aside. Drain bacon drippings from the pan except 2-3T. 

When the sweet potato is nearly done, transfer it to the large skillet. Add the onion. Saute over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until the onion is softened, and the sweet potato browns a bit. Season with desired herbs (I used thyme and also added cumin) and add the greens. Saute for 1 minute, until the greens soften a bit and turn bright green, then kill the heat. 

Chop the bacon and add it back to the pan. Mix everything together. Divide the hash evenly amongst the ramekins/cocottes. Top each with a tablespoon each of milk and cheese. Crack two eggs over the top, being careful not to break the yolk, and set the cocottes on a rimmed baking dish. 

Bake for 12-17 minutes depending on how you like your eggs and how deep your dishes are. Mine are the Le Creuset Mini Cocottes and it took 17 minutes to get the whites completely cooked.

Season with salt and freshly cracked pepper; serve and enjoy.

What's your favorite thing to eat with eggs? Bacon? Hehe.

Morning Glory Muffins (Primal/Paleo)

For my sister's birthday she didn't want cake. She wanted me to primalize my Morning Glory muffin recipe. Little did she know I was already making her a (Log Lady) cake anyway for her surprise party...  So I didn't have a ton of time to work on tweaking an existing recipe, but, luckily someone did the work for me and I came across a morning glory muffin recipe that was primal and super close to my own recipe! Yay! Of course, I tweaked it just a touch. They turned out amazing. Just as good as the grainy original, just slightly denser, and less sweet. Perfect! As always, you can use various fruits and veggies such as sweet potato, zucchini, parsnip, etc. You can also use any combination of add-ins for the 1c of raisins and walnuts I used. A favorite is 1/2c walnuts, heaping 1/2c dark chocolate chips.

Morning Glory Muffins
primal / paleo / grain-free / gluten-free

Yield: 12 muffins

Adapted from Paleo Comfort Foods

2.5c almond flour

1.5T cinnamon, ground

1t nutmeg, ground

2t baking soda

3/4t salt

2c carrots, grated

1 large apple, grated

1c coconut, unsweetened shredded or flaked

Heaping 1/2c raisins

Heaping 1/2c walnuts, chopped

3 large eggs

2T honey

1/2c coconut oil, melted

1t vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and line a muffin pan (I recommend silicone liners).

In a large bowl combine the first 5 ingredients. Stir together and add the carrots, apple, coconut, raisins, and walnuts.

In a small bowl combine the honey with the coconut oil. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. The batter will be very, very thick.

Using a 3T disher or scoop (I use this one) to portion the batter. Use your hands to shape each ball of batter slightly smaller at the bottom and place in the muffin tin, pushing and shaping to the hole.

Bake for 35-45 minutes. Cool slightly in pan, then cool fully on a rack. 

Store in an airtight container in the fridge, or freeze for up to 6 months for optimal flavor.

What's your favorite kind of muffin?

Fiesta Frittata/Holy Taco Pie

 So I had all these leftover onions from cooking fajitas and made this delicious frittata. Seriously - it's amazing. I want it all the time. The onions that I had were already cooked and definitely had flavor from the meat they were cooked with, but I'm writing the recipe how I'd make it without the leftover onions.

Fiesta Frittata/Holy Taco Pie
primal / paleo option / grain-free / gluten-free

Yield: 8 servings

1 yellow onion, crescents

1-1.25 lb ground chorizo sausage

4-6 mushrooms, sliced thin

1-2 bell peppers, sliced

1-2 c greens, I used kale

10 eggs whisked with

1/2-3/4c whole milk*

S+P

Cooking fat of choice (coconut oil, bacon fat, olive oil)

1/4c cheese of choice (cotija!)**
*Coconut for paleo
**Omit for paleo

Topping ideas:

Green onions

Cilantro

Jalapeno

More cotija

Fresh diced tomatoes

Cabbage

Pico de gallo

Sour cream/yogurt

Heat your oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add 1T cooking fat of choice to the pan, followed by the onions, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until translucent (you could add some spices here if you want, but the chorizo from our butcher is super flavorful. If you do, I'd do a dash of cumin, maybe a touch of paprika). When the onions are soft and translucent, remove from the pan. 

Add the chorizo and cook until done. Remove from the pan. Add a touch more oil, and throw in the mushrooms. Salt and pepper them. Let them soak up all the fat/flavor that rendered out of the sausage. Add the peppers (and any other veggies besides greens), give them some S+P, and stir fry for a minute. 

Add the onions and chorizo back in the pan, followed by the greens. Stir everything together. At this point I added a touch of butter to melt along the bottom of the pan because the particular pan I was using sometimes sticks in crucial situations. 

Pour in the eggs and milk evenly over the top of the fiesta in the pan. Top with some cheese. Cotija preferably, but cheddar or colby jack would suffice if necessary. 

Cook for 20 minutes, or until the eggs are completely set but not overcooked! Top with anything and everything and devour.

Store leftovers in the fridge. Reheat in a 350 degree oven wrapped in foil for 15-20 minutes. Or eat cold. Whatevz.

Oh hey cell phone photo. Oh hey Grandma plates.

Do you like frittata or quiche better?

Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti, or Christmas Biscotti

I have this recipe scrawled in a notebook from who knows when... I've been making it for years, after searching for the perfect replica of the biscotti I remember growing up. It's delicious, and we make it for our friends and family every Christmas, along with other goodies, and sometimes throughout the year by special request :)
It's extremely simple to make biscotti and once I made the first batch years ago I kicked myself for waiting so long. It was one of those things (yet another) that I had on my to do list for so long, but waited out of lack of knowledge or intimidation, only to find it was so simple (I'm looking at you, pie crust)!
As with all simple recipes, the quality of your results depends greatly on the quality of your ingredients. Use good quality extracts and extra virgin olive oil, as well as fresh eggs (can I insert how excited I am to not be buying eggs and being able to depend solely on our backyard ladies?!), berries and nuts.

Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti

Yield: 30-36 depending on your cut

1/4 c olive oil

3/4 c granulated sugar

2 t vanilla extract

1/4 t almond extract

2 eggs

1 3/4 c AP flour

1/4 t salt

1 t baking powder

1/2 c dried cranberries

1 1/2 c shelled pistachios

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees then combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl (flour, salt and baking powder).

In a stand mixer, combine the wet (olive oil, sugar, extracts). Blend and then add in the eggs. Add the dry to the wet gradually. Mix until combined and then fold in the cranberries and pistachios.

Divide the dough in half (it will be sticky) and use wet hands to form 12x2 inch logs on a silicone baking mat lined cookie sheet (or parchment). 

Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, lower the temperature to 275 degrees, and let the biscotti cool for 10 minutes before slicing on the diagonal into 3/4 inch slices. Lay the slices on their sides and bake 8-10 minutes longer. 

Cool on a wire rack, and store in an air tight container. These keep for a long time, and freeze beautifully, but I doubt they'll last that long :) 

Enjoy.

Biscuits (Primal/Paleo)

This morning, I woke up thinking about attempting samoa cookies primally. I was going to do some preliminary research to concoct my own recipe, but a quick google search yielded a recipe on Pinterest. Then I spent way too much time looking at Primal recipes on Pinterest. I really wanted to make some fig newtons for hubs, but didn't have one of the ingredients. Things evolved and I decided satisfying my baking urge at 10am would be better (somehow) if it could at least be called breakfast. Then I spent a long time looking at more recipes of scones and muffins. I came across a few biscuit recipes and decided biscuit sandwiches with runny eggs and crisp bacon sounded good. It didn't quite turn out that way... but delicious, nonetheless. I used a recipe from Elana's Pantry. The only things I changed were halving it, using almond meal instead of flour, maple syrup instead of agave nectar, and real butter.

Primal Biscuits


1 1/4 c blanched almond meal (make your own)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons butter, cold
1 egg

1 teaspoon maple syrup or sweetener of choice

I made some almond meal in the food processor (and woke hubs up), then whisked it together with the salt and baking soda. I mixed the egg up in a separate bowl, plopped the egg and syrup in, then added the dry ingredients. I used a fork to mash the butter into the almond meal until things were combined, but specks of butter were still visible. 

I rolled it out to about an inch thickness between two silicone baking mats, then cut the biscuits. Be careful when you transfer them, they are pretty delicate with the meal. Into a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. 

This only made about 3 biscuits for me. They were pretty delicate, and not suitable for my original intention of using them to make little breakfast sandwiches. Instead, we had them alongside eggs and bacon. They were delicious! I think next time I'd try using maybe 1/2 cup of coconut flour in lieu of some of the almond meal. They seemed kind of scone-like, which was the best of both worlds for me.

Whole Wheat and Spelt Buttermilk Pancakes

This morning husbandface slept in, after a late night at work last night, which means I didn't eat breakfast. Instead, I started a strawberry rhubarb pie for my friend's birthday (recipe coming soon), then went to the fruit stand, the library, and an antique store. When I came home, he was just waking up. It was around 12:30pm and a good time for a hearty brunch. I offered to make him pancakes while he made scrambled eggs. I threw some bacon from our local butcher in the oven to bake while we cooked.

This recipe is adapted from Deliciously Organic. My experience with whole wheat pancakes has been less than satisfactory. They always seem to be heavy, dense, and overly chewy. This is not the case with this recipe. Carrie describes them as being "light and fluffy with delicious crispy edges." I couldn't agree more. In fact, they are probably the best pancakes I've ever had. They are light, fluffy, and elastic, but with depth and substance; topped with some freshly ground peanut butter, and a dash of maple syrup, they're incredible.

I didn't have buttermilk on hand, so instead I put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (vinegar works, too) in a 1 cup measuring cup, and added milk to the top. You'll need to do this twice, plus a scant 1/4 cup milk plus a dash of lemon juice or vinegar, for this recipe.

Whole Wheat and Spelt Buttermilk Pancakes

adapted from Deliciously Organic

24 3-inch pancakes

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup spelt flour (you can omit the spelt flour by using 3 cups ww pastry flour)

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 1/4 cup buttermilk (see above for substitution)

3/4 cup whole milk

3 eggs, separated

6 tablespoons unsalted melted butter

coconut oil, for frying (you may use butter instead)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, baking soda and powder, and the cinnamon. In a separate bowl, combine the milks with the egg whites. In yet another smaller bowl, combine the melted butter with the egg yolks (you may want to temper the egg yolks before hand if your butter is freshly melted and still hot to avoid cooking the egg).

Add the yolk/butter mixture to the egg white/milk mixture and whisk. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry, stir until just combined (lumps are okay), and let stand for five minutes.

In a pan between medium and medium-high, add a teaspoon of coconut oil. Coat the pan with it once it melts. Cook the pancakes by dropping 1/4 cup ladle fulls onto the hot pan (3 at a time works well). Cook until bubbling, and the bottom is golden brown, then flip and continue cooking until golden brown. Transfer each batch to a warm oven while you cook the remaining pancakes. 

Serve with butter or peanut butter, and maple syrup. They would also be lovely with a berry compote. Any leftovers can be easily frozen, separated by parchment paper, in a ziploc or tupperware. To reheat, simply toast, or put in a 350 degree oven for ten minutes.

Poached Egg atop Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

Our real food pledge is going so well! This morning I woke up and did an hour or two of recipe researching. Then, I woke Mikey up and made him a yummy breakfast of parmesan roasted asparagus topped with a poached egg off of For the Love of Cooking. I think sometime, for a treat, we'll wrap par-cooked bacon around the asparagus before roasting, too:)
[update continues below recipe]

Poached Egg atop Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

Serves 2

10 spears of asparagus, woody ends snapped off

Olive oil spray (mist your own!)

2 tablespoons grated parmesan

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the asparagus on a oiled baking sheet. Spray them with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with cheese. Set aside. 

Bring a pot of water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Spray silicone or glass prep bowls with oil. Put an egg in each bowl, set atop the water, and cover.

Put the asparagus in the oven. Cook both for about 5-7 minutes, depending on the size of your asparagus, and how well done you like your egg. We like our whites cooked, and the yolk runny. 

Place 5 spears of asparagus on each plate, and top each bundle with a poached egg. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy :)

After breakfast, we went out to Central Market and bought a bunch of real food baking supplies. Spelt flour, whole wheat flour, oat flour, brown rice flour, sucanat, raw unrefined sugar, raw sesame seeds, raw peanuts, pine nuts, etc, etc, etc. We headed over to Yakima Fruit Stand afterwards and stocked up on produce! We came back home, moved our patio table onto the sunny grass, and ate lunch by the creek. We've been loving local turkey with havarti, Vegenaise and lettuce on Dave's Killer Bread. Then, I made chocolate-peanut granola! Now, I'm editing photos while hubsface takes a bath before work. Tonight, we will be making roasted vegetables with orzo. WHEW.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Today my husband woke up at 11 am. To me jumping on the bed. Obviously, I had been up for hours. But, true to myself, I still had not eaten breakfast. I'm a horrible breakfast eater. Meaning, I rarely ever eat breakfast if I'm left to my own devices. That is why I usually whip up a batch of muffins once a week... more on that later. We've been eating oatmeal lately. We go on breakfast kicks--scrambles, sandwiches, quiche, omelets, you name it, we've eaten it for a month straight for breakfast. We perfected each of these. Now they are all in our regular rotation. Back to the story line--husband wants oatmeal for breakfast. I, in one of my random clicks of inspiration, ask him if he's ever had peanut butter oatmeal. I remember trying this maybe once as a teenager, then forgetting all about it. Today I recreated it for him, but just a little better.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 3/4 cup milk (whole, preferably)

4 tablespoons peanut butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine the milk and the peanut butter over low heat. Stir until peanut butter is incorporated. Add the oats, then bring it up to medium heat. Stir in the cinnamon and the brown sugar. Bring to a boil, and boil one minute for creamy, soupy oatmeal. Boil 3-4 minutes for creamy, but chunky oatmeal (how we like it).

 Basically, if you've made oatmeal (duh) you know the drill. Cook longer for more absorption, or add less liquid to begin with, to reach your desired consistency. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and enjoy:)

You should definitely mix in raisins, nuts, or jam. And then top with banana or berries. YUMMMM.

Collaborative Zucchini Bread

Pages from our recipe book from our wedding shower :)

I promised that I'd post my latest favorite zucchini bread recipe so here it is!

At our wedding shower, my sister had everyone bring a recipe, put it on a page that they decorated, and then assembled a recipe book for me with my friends and families' favorite recipes. It's hilarious, filled with gnome stickers, drawings, collages, beauty, and tons of love. I love making something out of it, because each page is so drastically different and reminiscent of the person whose recipe I'm about to make.

On the very last page, below the words "EASY SWEETS", in a beautiful envelope, is a copy of a cracked and barely legible recipe card. "Zucchini Bread...From the kitchen of: Erna & Brand" (& Brand is scrawled in by my sister, of course). The recipe was given to Brand's mother, Hazel, by a friend, when she was pregnant with Brand. Side note: The bottom says "Good luck and happy eating, Hazel! Your baby girl will soon be here!!!" Candace has added "= BRAND" above baby girl :) Hahaha.

It was adapted by Hazel, then Candace and Brand, and now me. It's now my go-to recipe for late summer, when Candace goes down to Portland to visit Brand, and comes back with several two foot long zucchinis from Hazel's garden...

Collaborative Zucchini Bread

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups grated zucchini

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/2-1 cup add ins: raisins or chocolate chips--I love mini chocolate chips **optional**

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and cinnamon sugar two large loaf pans.

Beat together the oil, applesauce, eggs, and sugar. Add in the zucchini and vanilla.

Combine the dry ingredients. Add the dry to the wet and stir until combined.

Divide into loaf pans evenly and bake for one hour and ten minutes.

Remove onto cooling rack.

Enjoy :)

Wrap in aluminum foil and store at room temperature.

Pie pumpkin

Pumpkin Puree

(Better than canned!)

Start off with a pie pumpkin, or any type of baking pumpkin. Don't use a jack-o-lantern type pumpkin; the meat inside is pretty dry, and does not really have a good flavor. Pie pumpkins are about the size of a cantaloupe, although mine was a tad bigger. For recipe purposes, a 15 ounce can of pumpkin is about 1 3/4 cup densely packed pulp.

Wash the pumpkin off, and trim to stem as short as you can get it. Take your largest (and sharpest!) knife, and cut the pumpkin in half. I like to start close to the stem, go down one side, and back up the other side, just to be safe. The stem will be the hardest to cut through so take your time and be careful.

Once you have halved your pumpkin, scoop out the stringy "guts" (save the seeds!) Since pie pumpkins are denser, their "guts" are a little different than jack-o-lantern pumpkins. It can be harder to separate the seeds. They are kind of like little pods of fibrous guts surrounding pockets of seeds. I like to be near the sink (with a strainer in place), and the trash can or compost bin. Then I pull out handfuls of guts, squeeze the seeds into the strainer, and toss the remains in the trash or compost. Once you've done this, use a spoon and a paring knife if needed to clean up the inside of the pumpkin.

Melt some butter (a tablespoon or two) and brush butter along the cut side of pumpkin halves, and inside. Put cut side down onto a baking sheet that has been prepped with either foil, parchment paper, or a silicone baking mat (I prefer silicone--less waste).

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour, depending on the size of your pumpkin. Basically until your pumpkin is completely soft. Not baked potato soft, think baked apple soft. Let cool, then peel the skin off and pop off the stem. 

Once you have the pumpkin flesh separated, either food process, blend, or use your stand up mixer to puree it. You can also add the pan drippings to get to the desired consistency. You just made pumpkin puree! You can refrigerate for a few days (I wouldn't go more than 3-5), can it, freeze it, or use it right now to make pumpkin loaf!

Pumpkin Loaf

1 3/4 cups densely packed pumpkin puree, or a 15oz can

1/2 cup coconut oil, or whatever you prefer

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

4 eggs

2 1/2 cups unrefined cane sugar

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour 

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Up to 1 cup additions: walnut pieces, dark chocolate chips, raisins, etc

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Oil up the pans*, then instead of flouring them, cinnamon-sugar them. 

Blend together pumpkin, oil, apple sauce, eggs and sugar until creamy and smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together all dry ingredients and spices. Add all at once to wet mixture. Mix until just combined. Stir in walnut pieces.

Divide into pans evenly. For 3-7x3 pans, bake for about 50 minutes (or until tester comes out clean). I bake a 9x5 for about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Be sure to start checking at 45 minutes for loaves, regardless. Remove from pan and onto a cooling rack. 

Store at room temperature wrapped in foil. Also freezes well; let cool, wrap in foil, and put in a dated freezer bag.

*Recipe works in 3-7x3s, or 2-9x5s. You can also use muffins tins, but I'm not sure on quantity and baking time.

 

Pumpkin Seeds

One bowling ball sized pumpkin's seeds

2 T melted butter

1 T garlic salt

1 t onion salt

1/4-1/2 t paprika (to taste)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

After separating your seeds from the pulp, rinse under warm water. Pick out any remaining pulp. Shake off excess water, place on a towel, and roll up. Let dry for a couple hours, in a warm location. You can also spread out and let dry overnight.

In a bowl mix together pumpkin seeds with a couple tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle on the salt and spice. Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring part way through, until golden and crisp. Let cool and store in an airtight container (but they taste amazing warm, too).

Chocolate Peanut Granola

the granola gave us enough energy to do this! ^^

So, I've been following this awesome blog for a while, and want to make every single one of her recipes. The other day I decided to make her Chocolate Peanut Granola to take with us on a 9-day beach cabin vacation.

Oh. My. Gosh. It's the best granola I've ever had. Along with everyone who has tried it.

The great thing is that it's not too sweet to enjoy in the morning. It's a perfect balance of salty and sweet, and satisfyingly crunchy. I absolutely love it for breakfast, a snack, and dessert, in a bit of whole milk. You could enjoy it in yogurt, on ice cream, with fruit, or just plain, though. It's fantastic. It's also made with coconut oil, plenty of seeds, nuts, and maple syrup, so you know you're not ingesting crap :)

And, for once, I made the recipe exactly as directed, and have absolutely no reasons to change it. (Weird!)

Here's the recipe, if you're too lazy to click over to her blog; you should seriously look, though, she's got some awesome recipes.

Chocolate Peanut Granola

(from Deliciously Organic, adapted from Food Network)

1/4 cup cocoa powder
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup sunflower seeds

3/4 cup white sesame seeds

2/3 cup coconut oil, melted

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup sucanat, you may substitute organic whole cane sugar
2 cups raw peanuts

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 300°F and adjust rack to middle position. Mix everything together very well in a large mixing bowl.

Spread the mixture evenly on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper (I used my silicone baking mats) and bake for 45 minutes, turning over half-way through baking. Cool completely before serving. Crumble and store in an airtight container. (Your house is going to smell AMAZING.)