Bread Adventures!

I've been on a mission to make the perfect loaf of 100% whole wheat bread, but so far have not been entirely successful (the breads that I have made so far are yummy, but not quite what I am looking for.  I would also love to be able to make a recipe that uses sprouted wheat as I think that sprouting is beneficial for various reasons.  The first trial was a 100% whole wheat bread recipe from sprouted flour that I sprouted, dehydrated, and ground myself--which is really not that difficult of a process, I will have to post more on it later.  Anyway, the first trial didn't work so well, the bread was good and moist but squat and with a very dense crumb. 

Bread attempt 1: sprouted wheat--I will return to you

For trial two, I used an overnight soaked recipe--with a little kefir thrown in for the soak (except I didn't use my sprouted flour because I wasn't sure how well it would work).  This bread definitely rose much better; in fact, I had to throw it in the oven early because it rose above the pan--and then rose some more and overflowed in the oven.  This bread was good and slightly acidic, like a nice sourdough.  But it lacked a tender crumb--it was kind of chewy.  And though I did like it, the recipe wasn't awesome and I would probably modify it somewhat if I did it again. 

Look at all the nooks and crannies

 These first two trials weren't stellar (so I decided not to post them), but for the next trial I decided to do something slightly unconventional--do a non-yeasted 100% whole grain bread with baking powder as the leavening agent.  Although this definitely did not have the same texture as yeast bread--it was delicious! (and wheat free).  It didn't rise as high as yeast bread and was denser, but it also had an incredible moist but toothsome (and by this I mean chewy in a good way) texture and with an oaty, slightly sweet flavor.  And slice-able, especially after it was cooled and sat for a while.  I'd call this a "double-duty" bread--one of those breads that you can just eat a thick slice cut fresh off the loaf--no butter needed.  But you could also slice it thinner and toast it with butter/jam or make it into a sandwich (albeit smaller than a "normal" sandwich). 


Here's the recipe; it was modified from Cooking Light's Brown Soda Bread

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/brown-soda-bread-10000001963985/

Cut fresh when hot (because I just couldn't wait...), it's a little crumbly--but it slices cleaner when let sit a while

The dry ingredients--look at all the shades!

Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups spelt flour (wheat would probably work--I would like to try this with sprouted wheat flour eventually)
- 1.5 cups oat flour (make it yourself--grind rolled oats in the blender/food processor!)
- 2 tbsp oat fiber (this is a somewhat obscure ingredient; could simply use 2 more tbsp oat flour--oat fiber is an excellent source of fiber and helps absorb extra moisture in the batter)
- 1/2 cup oat bran
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar/brown sugar
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups buttermilk--I used skim (I made by measuring approximately 2 cups milk then adding 2 tbsp vinegar and letting sit for 5 minutes)
- 1 egg

1.) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Measure 2 cups of milk and add 2 tbsp vinegar; set aside.  Oil a loaf pan (9" by 5" I think; though 8" by 4" would also work) 
2.) In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (spelt flour through salt) and mix together.
3.) Beat the milk and egg together then add to the dry ingredients, mix till combined.
4.) Pour into oiled loaf pan then bake for approximately 1 hour (I don't remember how long it took me, but I think it took less than 1 hour.)
5.) Ideally, let cool at sit a couple of hours if you want bread to slice more neatly, but if you can't wait, dig in and enjoy!

Curried red lentils with kale

Here's a nice, cheap, yummy recipe that is great straight out of the pot, but even (potentially) better as leftovers.  The version I made is very mild; adjust the curry powder to your liking or add your favorite spices (I haven't experimented much with Indian spices--add in your favorites).  Also, this is a great recipe because it is pretty flexible and can be adjusted to whatever veggies you have around.  We ate at an Indian Restaurant for lunch on Mother's Day.  Coupled with the fact that Indian food is my favorite, I have had curry on the brain recently!

Look at the colors! (Before I added the peas)

Unfortunately red lentils aren't so beautiful once they are done cooking...  But I promise it tastes good! (and you wouldn't want to eat the lentils when they're orange and undercooked).  And my photography skills aren't exactly helping...

Recipe:
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp curry, 2 tbsp garam masala (add more if you like, or add different spices)
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 tomato, diced (would be good with more)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
 *Veggies note: you could add more or less of any of the veggies depending on what you have around.  I think this would also be great with diced carrots or sweet potatoes.

- 2 cups red lentils
- 1 can light coconut milk (approx 13.5 ounces, which is a little over 1.5 cups)
- 3 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar (could use brown sugar)

- 1 16oz pack frozen greens (I used blue curly kale, could use spinach or another chopped green)
- 1 16oz pack frozen peas (optional, but recommended.  Yay for tons of veggies!)

1.) Melt and heat the butter, add the curry and garam masala till slightly smoking (be careful, it burns really fast!).  Add in the veggies (onion, tomato, garlic) and sautee for a couple of minutes (5 or so)
2.) Add in the coconut milk, water, then lentils, salt, and coconut sugar.  Bring to a boil then simmer on low, covered, for about 20 minutes (until lentils are cooked and no longer have their beautiful, orange hue).  10 minutes in to this cooking time, add in the frozen greens. 
3.) Once cooked, stir in the frozen peas and cook for an extra three minutes, then turn off the heat (the peas will continue to cook in the lentils).
4.) Enjoy! (goes best with brown rice, maybe have some bread or even naan on the side--naan would be splendid!)

Victoria brown sugar sponge cake

This is another cake that I made from mother's day.  It is not a healthy recipe, per se; it's one of those soul food recipes that is a great combo of fresh, sweet, and creamy with a slightly chewy golden cake--the perfect way to usher in summer!  If you could bake summer into a cake...

This recipe was modified from the Victoria Sponge Cake found on the blog, Eat, Live, Run

http://www.eatliverun.com/victoria-sponge-cake/

Look at the nice, chewy, crust.  Along with that little slice of summer out the window.

Part of this slice might also be in my tummy.

Here's the recipe:
- A little butter for greasing pan + cornmeal (if you have cornbread mix, even better--gives a nice crumb and chewy, slightly salted exterior)
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1 cup minus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour.  Sifted.  (here's how to do it: add 2 tbsp cornstarch to a 1 cup measure then fill the rest of the 1 cup with flour)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp grated lemon rind (I did not add this, but I'm pretty convinced it would be awesome--do it!! Totally optional, it tastes just fine without.)

- Strawberry jam/jelly/preserves, about 1/2 cup (but you could do more or less)
- 1/2 cup of whipping cream, whipped with 1 tbsp powdered sugar (I didn't have whipping cream but I had coconut cream skimmed from the top of a can of coconut milk--so I whipped that up and it worked well)
- Quartered strawberries (I used about 2 cups, but I would recommend stuffing as many strawberries as possible into the middle, so go for more)

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and butter two 9" circle pans. Sprinkle the butter generously (you don't want any cake sticking to the pan) with cornmeal/cornbread mix and shake to distribute a fine coating on each pan.
2.) Cream the butter, sugar, then add eggs (it's ideal to use a beater or stand mixer for this).  Mixture might look a bit soupy and curdled, but that's okay.
3.) Add vanilla
4.) Fold in the sifted flour/cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and lemon rind until just mixed. 
5.) Divide into the two pans (the layers will be pretty thin, no worries!)
6.) Bake for 20-25 minutes (more around 20).
7.) Let cool, remove from pan, and spread about 1/4 cup of jam on one side of each layer.  On one layer, place a generous layer of strawberries then dollop cream on top.  Top with the other cake layer, jam side down.  Enjoy!!

Chocolate Chia Cake

This is a recipe I have made for a little while, it is probably my favorite healthy chocolate cake recipe, and its pretty amazing for all that is in it!!  I made this cake for mother's day last weekend.  I topped it with a healthy date frosting, but you could top it with a variety of frostings, or do without (but, I would never/could never do this...Cake is just a vehicle for the frosting, right?)The recipe is modified from a recipe from a blog I love, Healthy Indulgences--here is the link for the recipe that I modified:

http://healthyindulgences.net/2009/05/healthy-chocolate-cake-with-a-secret/

Enjoy! And here is the recipe (important note--a food processor/blended is highly recommended; you could probably do without but would have to do some serious bean mashing):

The missing slice that is is my tummy

The finished cake and frosting waiting to be spread!

- 1 (15oz) can black beans (any beans including white beans will work, I prefer black beans though for this recipe)
- 5 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp chia gel (prepare by soaking 2 tbsp chia seeds in 4 tbsp water)
- 1/2 cup truvia (or use 1/2 cup honey, or 1/2 cup of another sweetener--though you might want a little more than 1/2 cup if you use a dry sweetener like coconut sugar or granulated sugar--they are a little less sweet than truvia or honey)
- 6 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Oil your pan of choice: muffin tin, 9-inch circle pan, 8-inch square pan
2.) Mix everything in blender/food processor, in the order given in the recipe.  First put in the beans and eggs for a minute or so, until very smooth and no bean bits hanging around--you don't really want those in your cake.
3.) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, approximately*
*Depends on pan and probably sweetener as well (liquid vs dry).  I don't remember how long it took to bake when I made these in cupcake form, but I would check them at 15-20 minutes.  Will be ready when a toothpick--or knife--or whatever you stab it with--comes out clean.

Date Frosting:
So, I don't have a specific recipe, but here are the ingredient approximates.  The beauty of this recipe is that you can adjust the different parts to how you like it

- 1-1.5 cups of dates + 1 cup of boiling water (pour the boiling water over the dates and let stand for 10-15 minutes to soften)
- 1 tbsp melted coconut oil (optional, helps frosting harden when chilled)
- 1/2 cup cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat--maybe you could even use really thick Greek yogurt?)
- A good amount of cocoa powder--as in at least 1/2 cup, depends on how thick you want your frosting
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp of salt (it enhances the chocolate flavor, but is optional)

1.) Place softened dates in food processor and process till smooth.  Add coconut oil, then cream cheese.  Add cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt and process till smooth.  spread on cake and enjoy!!!

Welcome to the blog!!!

So, I have wanted to start a food blog for a while because I am mildly obsessed with cooking and I love to try and experiment with recipes.  I am a 20 year old, rising college junior who loves to cook with her friends and thought I would love to try some recipes, make some recipes, and just have fun experimenting in the kitchen. 
I believe in eating in moderation; healthy is good--but no food is off limits; that leads to unhealthy eating patterns for me.  Besides, a little buttercream frosting (which I might be slightly addicted to) is necessary at times and nourishes the soul!  I am passionate about taking recipes and using creative ways to make them healthier.  I love discovering the intersection between delicious and nutritious!
Since I am pretty busy, I don't know how often I will get to post.  The photography will be a challenge; I always manage to make food look much less appetizing than it actually is when I try to take pictures of it... 
I also hope to post on other things food-related.  I am interested in nutrition and find that it's a tough world to navigate out there; information seems to be so conflicting sometimes; I just want to honestly look at stuff. Anyway, that's it for now! Enjoy!