Category Archives: Bread

Almond Bread

Posted on by

1

IMG_0817

Before I started my massive cookbook collection and before food blogs stormed the internet, my main source of recipes was Cooking Light Magazine. I used to carefully scour page after page of this monthly magazine and rip out recipes even when I was in grade school. I remember making their marshmallow peanut butter brownies for my 4th grade birthday treat (with a little help from my mom, of course). And here we are,15 years later and I am still a huge fan of Cooking Light. From easy dinner recipes to decadent (but healthy!) desserts, I am pretty much a lifelong fan. And this recipe for Almond Quick Bread is yet another Cooking Light Recipe. The bread tastes rich and decadent and is full of almond flavor, yet it is low in sugar, fat and calories. That’s a win-win in my book. I recently made this bread for “my big girlfriend” Alexandra, because she just had her adorable new baby, Alex…who by the way, is pretty much the cutest baby in the world. This recipe is great to give as a gift and a perfect feature at a Sunday Brunch. So next time, skip the decadent bakery bread and try out this recipe- you definitely will not regret it. Enjoy!

Ingredients: Makes 1 loaf, Recipe from Cooking Light

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 7oz package of almond paste
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup 2% milk
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Preparation:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine first 3 ingredients (flour through salt) and set aside
  2. In a large bowl, place cream sugar, butter and canola oil together until just combined
  3. Add almond paste to sugar mixture and beat until well combined (about 3 minutes)
  4. Beat in egg, one at a time
  5. Beat in vanilla extract
  6. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk into sugar mixture, beating well after each addition
  7. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and sprinkle with slivered almonds
  8. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes

IMG_0818

Mother’s Day Recipe Round Up

Posted on by

0

DSC00401

Mother’s Day is the day we get to celebrate the wonderful women in our lives, and I feel pretty blessed that all the “moms” in my life are definitely worth celebrating. I’m lucky to say that my mom is my best friend and my go to person for just about everything. (You may have noticed I talk about her a lot on this blog) My sweet Grandma Dolly is the best Grandma around, and I am so lucky to say that my future mother-in-law is absolutely wonderful as well. And since I’m sure you all have some fantastic ladies to celebrate next Sunday, I thought I would share a few of my favorite brunch recipes with all of you. Seeing as breakfast is my absolute favorite meal of the day, I realized I have quite a few recipes to share. From main dishes to sweet breakfast desserts, below you will find a delicious list of recipes that are sure to impress your mama next Sunday. Enjoy!

 

Breakfast “Main Dishes”

Cinnamon Raisin French Toast Casserole

Whole Wheat Pancakes with Peanut Butter Syrup

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

DSC00307

Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal

Banana Coconut Pancakes

Muffins and Breakfast Breads

Orange Blossom Muffins

DSC00382

Blueberry Crumble Muffins

Vegan Chocolate Muffins

Vegan Raspberry Muffins

101_1103

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Vanilla Bean Scones

Pumpkin Scones

Coconut Crusted Banana Bread

Coconut Lime Bread

101_1575

 

Breakfast “Desserts”

Apple Turnovers

101_1320

Baked Apple Cinnamon Donuts

Mini Blueberry Pastries

Lemon Blueberry Bars

My BFF Julie

My BFF Julie

Healthified Bob Evans Biscuits

Posted on by

0

IMG_0796

According to Eric, one of the things that he likes about me is that I am not a food snob. Although I certainly don’t mind eating at upscale restaurants when I can, I definitely do not turn my nose up at chain restaurants either.  I love the Asian Chicken Roll Up at Applebees and don’t even get me started on the Cornbread from Boston Market. And yet another one of my other favorite chain restaurant staples are the buttery, flaky biscuits from Bob Evans. And although I love these delicious biscuits, I know they are definitely more of a “now and then” food than something I should eat every weekend. So I was excited to find a lightened up recipe for flaky, homestyle biscuits in my latest issue of Cooking Light. This recipe uses a mixture of butter and canola oil to add moisture, whereas the Bob Evans classics most likely contain butter and *gulp* lard. And seeing as lard is not an ingredient I want to consume regularly, this Cooking Light recipe is a great one to have on hand. The result is a soft, slightly nutty tasting biscuit that is perfect when topped with a swirl of honey or jam. Serve with my Homemade Buffalo Wild Wings Naked Tenders and you’ve got yourself a dinner straight from chain restaurant heaven.

Ingredients: Makes 12 biscuits

  • 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil

Preparation:

  1. Place dry ingredients (flours through baking soda) in a large bowl and mix until just combined
  2. Place butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute, or until butter has melted completely
  3. Add cold buttermilk into hot melted butter and stir until small clumps form
  4. Add canola oil to buttermilk mixture
  5. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until just combined (do NOT overmix, as it will dry out the biscuits)
  6. Drop batter in mounds of 2 tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 450 for 11 minutes

IMG_0799

Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Coconut Cinnamon Streusel

Posted on by

2

DSC00723

Every morning, I follow the same routine. I get up around 6, and after I go for a run and shower, I sit down with my coffee and read the 6 or 7 blogs that I follow.  It’s such a relaxing start to my work day. My favorite blogs consist mostly of “healthy living blogs” which typically revolve around healthy recipes, race recaps and stories from the lives of other 20-something girls. But there are a few blogs that I read that have no mentions of exercise, vegetables or health food of any kind. Food Blogs. And in my opinion, one of the best ones out there is How Sweet It Is. This blog features recipe after recipe of indulgent and mouthwatering dishes. But I should warn you, perusing this blog will most definitely make you hungry. Well the other day, Jessica of How Sweet It Is posted a classic Liz Lemon “I want to go to there” recipe that I knew I would have to make in the coming week. This moist, flavorful banana bread is topped with the most delicious coconut cinnamon streusel I have ever tasted. The bread itself actually uses coconut oil, rather than your typical butter, as a source of fat. If you’ve never used coconut oil before, I highly recommend it. It is solid at room temperature, but a few seconds in the microwave results in a syrupy, lightly flavored oil that is delicious on toast. I’ve also heard it can be used as a lip balm or a hair mask. Personally, I prefer it in my recipes. Especially this recipe. It is a perfect sweet treat and will make your whole house smell absolutely heavenly. Enjoy!

Ingredients: Recipe from How Sweet It Is

  • 1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup canned coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
  • 4 bananas, mashed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon coconut extract

Streusel

  • 2/3 cups brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
  • 2 teaspoons unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan thoroughly with nonstick spray.

2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, whisking thoroughly. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and brown sugar until smooth.

4. Add in coconut milk and coconut oil, whisking until combined.

5. Stir in mashed bananas, vanilla and coconut extracts until mixed.

6. Slowly stir in dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour batter in the greased loaf pan.

7. Combine all the streusel ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands until butter is well combined.  Evenly sprinkle on top of the banana bread batter.

8. Bake for 75-85 minutes, or until center is set. If the streusel begins to brown, tent the bread with aluminum foil.

9.Remove and let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting.

DSC00732

Classic Banana Bread with Brown Sugar Crust

Posted on by

0

DSC00645
This weekend was filled with butter, sugar and buttercream frosting. Because this was the weekend that my mom and I made dozens and dozens of Christmas cookies to share with our family and friends. Every December we spend an entire Saturday dusting the kitchen with flour and sugar while  watching White Christmas. And though I have quite a few new Christmas cookie recipes to share, I thought I would share one last healthy recipe before the December sugar coma ensues. This recipe for Classic Banana Bread comes from Cooking Light. It is low in calories and fat and is a perfect use for those few browned bananas you have lying around. I did jazz the original recipe up a bit by adding a brown sugar topping. The topping forms a sweet crust to the soft bread and adds an extra little punch of sweetness. This bread is great with a smear of peanut butter but is perfectly sweet just on its own.
Now let the holidays begin!
Ingredients: Makes 1 loaf, adapted slightly from Cooking Light
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • cinnamon
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
  • 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping:

  • 2 tablespoons cold butter
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar

Preparation:

  1. In a medium bowl, sift dry ingredients until just combined (flour through cinnamon)
  2. In a large bowl, beat sugar & butter together until creamy
  3. Beat in eggs, one at a time
  4. Add bananas, yogurt & vanilla to butter mixture and beat until well blended
  5. Add flour mixture slowly and mix until just combined
  6. Pour banana bread batter into a greased loaf pan
  7. For the topping, mix butter, flour & sugar together until crumbled and sprinkle over banana bread batter
  8. Bake at 350 for 1 hour

DSC00648

 

Pumpkin Cornbread

Posted on by

0

I’ll admit it. Come October, its a pretty good bet that I have already become completley obsessed with pumpkin. Pumpkin Oatmeal, Pumpkin Scones, Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I am all about this quintessential fall ingredient. But since I’m not always in the mood for a sweet baked good… Ok that’s a lie. Since I try not to have a diet that consists solely of sweet baked goods…I wanted to find a recipe that could incorporate my favorite fall baking ingredient into a more savory dish. And since adding pumpkin to baked goods is a great way to cut back on fat and cholesterol while maintaining a moist texture, I was delighted to find a savory and healthy baked good to appease my pumpkin craving. This recipe for Pumpkin Cornbread was found on one of my favorite food blogs, Daily Garnish, which is written by vegetarian chef Emily Malone. Her recipes feature simple and healthy ingredients that are great for the whole family. The pumpkin flavor of this bread is subtle enough to dunk in your favorite soup, but sweet enough to be eaten all on its own.
Ingredients: Makes 12 squares, From Daily Garnish
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole corn kernels, drained & rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
  • 1/4 cup almond milk
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 eggs

Preparation:

  1. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (cornmeal through cloves)
  2. In a smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients ( pumpkin through eggs) and whisk until smooth
  3. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until just combined
  4. Pour batter into greased 8×8 baking dish
  5. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes