Super Tasty Carrot "Cake" Muffins

So these little tasty things are like an amazing carrot spice cake WITHOUT the oil and refined sugars. Let the recipe commence for 24 medium/large cupcake size muffins (you can easily spread out the batter and get 30-32 regular size muffins or get a ton of mini ones, just make sure you remember to cut down the baking time if you go mini) This recipe invention comes with thanks to this great recipe I found on muffintinmania.com. I tweeked it according to what ingredients I had on hand and changed it up only a bit. I think the spices they used were perfect so don't change something that's good, eh? :)

Dry Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups fine wheat flour
1/2 cup flax seed flour (take flax seeds and grind them up in a processor or blender until it turns to flour)
1/2 cup multi grain mix (see this recipe for how to make it)
1tsp ground ginger
1tsp ground nutmeg
1tsp ground cinnamon
2tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup shredded coconut (I used sweetened because it's what I had :)
1/4 cup chopped almonds

Wet Ingredients:

1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 small zuchinni finely shredded (about 1/2 cup)
4 large carrots finely shredded (about 3 1/2 cups)

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Wisk together the wet ingredients, except shredded carrots, and then mix together with dry ingredients. The batter will not be a runny batter, it will be thick. Once the wet ingredients are almost all incorporated in with the dry, fold in the shredded carrots until you get a batter that looks thick, gooey, and full of carrots :) I'll post a pic of what the batter should look like in the next day or two. I'm having techinical difficulties for the moment and will try to rememdy them soon.

Now scoop batter into pre greased (or paper lined) cupcake pans filling each slot 3/4 to full (the finished muffins seem to hold the dome shape that the batter was in before being cooked, I don't know what would happen in you leveled them off ???). Bake in pre heated 350 degree oven for 15-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack and enjoy their fluffy spicy carroty goodness!



 

Super Grain Granola Bars

So I LOVE this recipe for granola bars! I found the base for it on another blog years ago. It's pretty much amazing and so versatile! The "base" is oats, brown sugar, honey, and coconut oil (butter totally works too). Once you have those goodies you get to choose what other grains, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or chocolate (warning chocolate chips will likely melt, just to warn ya, but that is not necessarily a bad thing ;) you put in them.

Recipe yields 18 regular size bars (bars that are about the size of quaker granola bars in the silver packages :)

Ingredients:

2 cups of Rolled Oats- toasted*
1 cup Other Grain(s) - toasted (I've used quinoa, wheat germ, and flax seed. Look for the nutrients, proteins, fiber in the grains you need and put those grains in the mix!)
1/2-3/4 cup Nuts or Seeds chopped/sliced/whole and roasted* (sunflower, almond, peanut, pumpkin, cashew, whatever makes your taste buds happy :)
1/2-3/4 cup Dried Fruit (raisens, craisens, apricots, banans, dates, blueberries, cherries or whatever makes your taste buds happy :)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Honey
3 tbs Coconut Oil (or butter)
1 tsp Vanilla

*toast/roast = put item in a dry skillet on the medium-high by moving the grain or nut around the pan until they turn a more brown color and you can start to smell the "toasty" smell. If you don't know what the "toasty" smell is... stick with looking for a more brown color and error on the side caution so you don't get a batch of burnt stuff. You can also do this in the oven, but I like to be able to watch it happen... I error on the side of caution since I've burnt stuff in the oven. haha.

Directions:

Prep your mold pan (I use a 15x9 glass dish resulting in wider width, but thinner height bars. If you use a 13x9 they'll be thinner width, but more height) by placing greased wax paper, greased side up, in the bottom of the dish and having another piece of greased wax paper ready for putting on top.

In a large bowl mix together oats, grains, nuts/seeds, and dried fruit(s). In a medium sauce pan on medium high heat place honey, brown sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla. Stir them together until all the brown sugar is absorbed into the honey and your mixture comes to "firm" ball stage. (follow the link if you would like to know the details of what temp that is :) As the sugary goodness mixture gets to temp it will start to steadily build really small bubbles that stack onto each other. There's your sign to pour it into your bowl of dry ingredients. Mix them all really well  until all the dry ingredients are evenly covered in syrup.

Once they are mixed pour the mixture into your prepared dish and press down with your mixing spoon until the mixture starts to compress. Once the majority is compressed pretty well, place the other piece of greased wax paper, greased side on granola bars, and start to compress even further using something that has weight. I use a drinking glass that I can roll around like a rolling pin on top of it, but anything will really work as long as you work with even pressure and move around the pan as you're going.

Let the bars cool (about 2hrs) and then take off wax paper, and flip onto a cutting board. Cut them into the desired size. I keep them in a tupperware in the fridge for longer life. If you eat them cold they might be a little hard, but let them get to room temp and you have a chewy granola bar!

Enjoy!



The recipe in the picture is 2 cups toasted oats, 1 cup toasted quinoa, 3/4 cup raisens, 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds :)

WOW 9 Grain Whole Wheat Bread

I always wondered how wheat could be filling until I made this bread. Holy momma, two regular size slices with a little butter and a yogurt in the morning has me full until lunch time! Oh how I love whole grains!

Recipe:

3-3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup multi grain mix {see what I combine below}
1/4 cup roasted unsalted sunflower seeds
2 tsp kosher salt
2 packets rapid rise yeast (or 2 1/2 table spoons of regular active works too)
1 3/4-2 cups water
3 tsp powdered milk (or use 1/4 cup real milk and use 1/4 less water)
3 tbs butter (or coconut lard or any oil you prefer)
1/4 cup honey or other sweetener (you can opt out of using any sweetener if you'd like)

(For an even softer bread you can "soak" wheat for a few hours to as long as overnight in the water the recipe calls for. You'll need to activate the yeast with a few tbs warm water and add all the other ingredients to the soaked wheat as recipe says)

In a large bowl put in 2 cups of flour, salt and both packets of yeast. On the stove heat up and stir together water, milk powder, butter, and honey until it reaches 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit. (error on the side of caution and use a thermometer :) With an electric mixer on medium speed add the liquid to the dry ingredients. Beat on medium for 2 minutes... the liquid will start to absorb and your dough should start to thicken. Then add the 1 cup of multi grain mix and sunflower seeds and mix on high for 1 minute. This should start to form into more of a ball shape. Once it's too thick to mix with hand mixer, pull out the trusty wooden spoon (our your hands) and add the other 1 cup of whole wheat flour. (Living in the desert I find that sometimes I don't use as much flour as recipes call for, it's like it's dry out here or something?) Anywho, fold in the remaining flour until you get a dough that holds the shape of a loaf (about 2 minutes worth of constant kneading does the trick). Take formed loaf and place into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Cover and let rise until double, about an hour give or take. Place in a pre heated 375 degree oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. Turn out the amazingness that is your homemade 9 grain whole wheat bread onto a wire rack. Eat warm, or let it cool and enjoy! I am a HUGE fan of this bread as toast or the bread for a grilled cheese/veggie sandwich! I hope you try it and like it as much as me :)

{Multi Grain Mix}
*This makes 7 cups of mix and each loaf calls for 1 cup, so I keep the mix I'm not using in a container in my fridge so I'm at the ready for making a loaf at any time
**all the "flour" was made by taking whole grains and putting them in my blender until they turn to powder :)

1 cup flax seed flour
1 cup oat flour
1 cup barley flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup hulled millet flour
1 cup quinoa (rinsed, soaked, then re dried)
1 cup corn meal

Vegetarian For A While

So...

I am not against eating meat, I'm just trying for the time being not to eat it *grin*.

I will try out vegetarian recipes and try to remember to post them. Sorry for it being FOREVER since I've posted anything. That will hopefully change in the next week!

Love,
Sarah