Bless Her Heart

Banana Bread with Ginger (Gluten Free)

We had an eentsy weentsy little cold snap here in Central Texas over the weekend. It was enough to get soups cooking on the stovetop and quick-breads baking in the oven. Here's a hearty little banana bread...pretty simple but with enough goodness in it that you'll feel guilt-free about nibbling at it, no matter the hour. I did add chocolate chips to the latest loaf as an extra treat, but the consensus around here was that it didn't really need them. Do with that what you will...

*If you do not need or desire this recipe to be gluten free, simply replace the gluten free flour with all purpose flour, or 1 cup all purpose flour + 1/2 cup whole wheat flour.

Banana Bread with Ginger (Gluten Free)

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Grease a 4 1/2" x 8 1/2" loaf pan

Dry ingredients:

1 1/2 cups gluten free flour (I use Cup 4 Cup)

2/3 cup gluten free rolled oats (NOT the quick kind)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground caradamom

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

1/3 cup molasses

1/3 cup hot water

1 tsbp fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1/3 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of softened butter

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas 

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (optional)

In a small bowl, mix the molasses, ginger and hot water, and set aside to steep.

Mix the flour and the rest of the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl.  

In a larger bowl, beat the sugar and butter until creamy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Mix in the banana, yogurt and vanilla.  Mix in the molasses/ginger mixture that has been steeping. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients.  Stir until the batter is moist, but don't overbeat it. Fold in the (optional) chocolate chips.

Spoon into the loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour and 5 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when you test in the center.

Dear Brussels Sprouts Lovers: You were right, I was wrong...

I've spent my entire life loathing brussels sprouts. Every five years or so, I try a new recipe that someone 'highly recommended' but to no avail. They always end up bitter, soggy and too damned cabbagy. The Man and I would swallow down one, maybe two and our severe dislike would be reaffirmed and shelved for another five years.  I've been giving away the brussels sprouts that have been coming in our weekly produce delivery all month....but then a couple of things happened.  First, I kept hearing references to Paul Qui's brussels sprouts recipe at Uchiko.  I was captivated by his talents through the entire season of Top Chef, and was intrigued that so many of my friends, self-declared brussels sprouts haters, seemed to be swayed by the relative simplicity of the recipe at Uchiko.  Then, when we were in North Carolina, we were served a dish of hot, roasted brussels sprouts at my brother-in-law's house.  Our hostess that night, Erica, guided us to seek out the little crispy bits around the edges of the sprouts.  "That's the good stuff, right there...you don't know what you're missing!"  My interest was piqued, and I sought out a crispy-leaved sprout and popped it in my mouth.  I was converted that very second.  Didn't even take a moment to consider or think it over.  It was done.  I am a brussels sprouts lover. A brussels sprouts craver even.  I've realized that like most things, I just needed to leave them alone a bit and let them do their thing.  The simpler the treatment, the yummier the results.  A little salt, pepper and enough slow heat to caramalize the edges of the sprouts is really all you need. I've made them three times since we've been back, and I think I'll make them again tonight for with dinner.  I have a lifetime of sprout hate to make up for. 

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

(Adapted from watching Erica in the kitchen)

Preheat oven to 385 degrees

Trim the brussels sprouts and remove any yellow, damaged or discolored leaves.

Toss with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper

Place in a baking dish in a single layer

Bake for 30-45 minutes, removing from the oven every 10 minutes or so to turn the sprouts for even roasting. This can be achieved by simply shaking the baking dish. When they're ready the outermost leaves should be crispy and the sprouts should be tender but not mushy in the middle. Test with a knife at 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and add more salt and pepper to taste.

 

Gingerbread Stout Cake

This recipe creates a full-flavored, moist gingerbread cake that pairs perfectly with a cup of Irish Coffee, black tea or a glass of milk. Adapted from America's Test Kitchen.

Gingerbread Stout Cake

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Pre-grease and flour a 12 cup bundt cake pan

Cake:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

16 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp ground ginger

2 tsp groung cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

5 tsp peeled and grated fresh ginger

3/4 cup full flavored (not light) molasses

3/4 cup guinness stout

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter until just bubbling.  Add the ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and pepper.  Cook for one minute on low heat, stirring continually.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar and freshly grated ginger until thoroughly combined and a little frothy. Mix in melted butter mixture.  Make sure it is cool enough to not cook the eggs mixture.  Add molasses and the stout and mix thoroughly. Gradually add the flour mixture in batches, mixing after each addition.

Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Tap the pan around the edges to release any air bubbles.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in pan on a wire rack for 20-25 minutes.  Turn out on the wire rack and allow to cool completely before glazing.

Glaze:

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup ginger ale

1 1/4 tsp ground ginger powder

Place confectioner's sugar in a medium bowl.  With a fork, mix in the powdered ginger.  Gradually mix in the ginger ale until the icing reaches the consistency you would like for drizzling.  Using a large spoon, drizzle the icing along the top of the cake.  

 

Spicy Skillet Roasted Cauliflower

Spicy Skillet Roasted Cauliflower 

 Warning: This makes for some spicy cauliflower.  You can certainly alter the amount of red chiles and Sriracha to match your personal taste.  

Preheat oven to 500 degrees

 

Ingredients:

6 cups Cauliflower Florets (1"- 1 1/2" in size)

2 tbs minced garlic

3 tbs olive oil

2 tbs lemon juice

1/2 tsp Sriracha

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp salt

black pepper to taste

3 tbs crumbled cotija cheese or grated parmesan

 

Coat the bottom of a large cast iron skillet or baking dish with a bit of the olive oil.  

In a small bowl, whisk together the remainder of the olive oil, lemon juice, and Sriracha. Toss the cauliflower florets with this sauce and then arrange them in a single layer in the skillet.  Sprinkle with the crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper.  

Place the skillet on the top rack of the very hot oven.  Bake for 15 -20 minutes, removing from the oven and turning cauliflower every 5 minutes or so to roast evenly. 

When the cauliflower is nicely browned and cooked to your liking, remove from the oven and sprinkle with the cheese.  Serve warm.

Millet Muffins with Apple and Sliced Almonds

The one thing about having the kids home during summer break is feeling like they are looking for snack food constantly. My suggestions of "grab an apple" or "how about some nuts?" seem to only get me an eyeroll and a sigh. I realize that they are probably just bored, and are looking for a quick fix of chips or crackers so that they can return to their predictable summer ennui, but I'm feeling like we can't just go all day, every day eating packaged pantry food for snacks. This afternoon I decided that rather than have the constant "I don't feel like eating that" dialogue surrounding my suggestions, I would make muffins.  I know that everyone around here will eat muffins, and I know that I can add all sorts of ingredients so that I feel good about what they're eating. This recipe is amended from the Millet Muffins Recipe in Super Natural Every Day, the latest (superb) cookbook by Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks.  The recipe can also be found in a recipe sampler she published online here. I love the light crunchiness of the millet and the addition of sliced almonds allows me slip in a little extra protein. The amendments to Heidi Swanson's recipe yield about 6 additional muffins, so you'll need an additional pan or to bake in batches.

Millet Muffins with Apple and Sliced Almonds

Amended from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Pregrease muffin tins if not using muffin liners.

Makes 18 muffins

 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/3 cup millet

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup greek yogurt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten 

1/2 cup melted butter, cooled

2/3 cup honey

zest of one lemon

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup apple, peeled and diced

1/3 cup sliced almonds

 

In a large bowl, whisk the flours, millet, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a medium bowl, mix together the greek yogurt, eggs, melted butter, honey, lemon zest and lemon juice until thoroughly combined and smooth.  

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until all of the flour mixture has been incorporated. 

Gently fold the sliced almonds and diced apples into the batter.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tin, 1/4 cup at a time.  I use a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop and the batter is just thick enough that it works great.

Bake for about 15 minutes, rotating the pan/s about halfway through for even baking. Bake until the tops of the muffins are golden and starting to split a bit. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about five minutes in the pan. Turn out the muffins to finish cooling on a wire cooling rack. They are delicious eaten warm with (or without) butter and jam.

 

Peach Bundt Cake with Peach Glaze

Auntie, The Girl and I ventured out into the Texas heat yesterday to make a trip to the Farmers' Market. The market feels so abundant right now.  Every booth is overflowing with all manners of leafy green veggies, summer squash, peppers, tomatoes, herbs and flowers.  I had two main motivators for this trip: 1. Bread and Butter Pickles from Dai Due and 2. Peaches! We're going through Texas peaches over here faster than I can actually catch up with.  Every time I go to bake something up, the bushel on the counter has been depleted.  So, we went the market to try and find some peaches that we could bake up into a cake in the afternoon.  Lucky for us we found baskets of perfectly ripened peaches at the Lightsey Farms booth, where our friend Debi always greets us with her beautiful, beaming smile. We went straight home from the market and got to peeling those peaches.  The girl did most of the peeling, chopping and mixing, which gave me the opportunity to watch her work and take some pictures.  I just can't put into words how much I love watching her confidence in the kitchen.  I take entirely too many pictures of her hands, I think because I'm amazed at how deftly they move through their tasks when we're cooking.  She learns so quickly, and it translates directly to how her hands work...with purpose...I don't know why, but I just find that to be so beautiful.

 


Peach Bundt Cake with Peach Glaze

Pre-butter and sprinkle with flour, One 10" bundt cake pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cake Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup of unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

6 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1/2 cup peach puree (1-2 peaches pureed in blender or food processor)

2 cups peaches, peeled and diced (about 6 peaches)

Glaze Ingredients:

2 cups confectioner's sugar

3-4 tbsp peach juice (strained of any pulp)

1. In a medium bowl, combine sifted flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, lightly beating after the addition of each egg.

3. Add the vanilla and almond exracts and beat.

4. Add the yogurt and peach puree and lightly beat to incorporate.

5. Add the flour mixture in three separate batches, mixing after each addition. 

6. Gently fold in the peaches

7. Pour batter into pre-greased bundt pan, and smooth the top.

8. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake, rotating the sheet about two-thirds of the way through the baking time, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.  Invert the pan on the rack to turn the cake out; let cool completely on the rack.

9.To make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk the peach juice into the confectioners' sugar, adding the juice gradually, so that the glaze is just liquid enough to pour easily but still opaque.  Place a sheet pan under the cooling rack.  Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake, allowing the excess to drip onto the baking sheet.  Allow the glaze to cool completely for 30 minutes, then serve.

Baked Summer Squash and Tomatoes with Pesto

Last week's basket from Farmhouse Delivery was chocked full of delectable summer vegetables but truthfully, I was feeling a little uninspired by another round of zukes and yellow summer squash. However, one night several of my friends (who also received similar baskets) started Facebook talking about what they were going to do with theirs.  Their dishes sounded so good! Nothing like a little food talk to get re-inspired. I had a little pesto in the fridge and a hunk of gruyere...simple flavors that layer nicely with squashed when baked up together.

Baked Summer Squash and Tomatoes with Pesto

Serves 4 as a side

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Ingredients

1 large zucchini

1 large yellow summer squash

2 medium tomatoes (ripe)

1/3 cup basil pesto

1 cup gruyere - shredded

salt and pepper

Pre-grease the bottom and sides of a 3 quart baking dish with oil, butter or pesto.  Slice the zucchini, yellow summer squash and tomatoes in 1/4" rounds.  Fill the baking dish in single layer, overlapping each row a little bit. Once the baking dish is full brush the tops of the vegetables with pesto. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Spread the gruyere evenly over the vegetables.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until the juices are bubbling at the edges and the cheese is a crisp golden brown.  Serve warm.

Blackberry Lemon Crumble

We're smack dab in the middle of the spring/summer fruit season around these parts, which means it's time for easy fruit-based desserts like crumbles, crisps, buckles, and cobblers.  These are the kind of desserts that are so delicious that it seems like you must have spent forever on them, and yet they're so simple that the majority of the time spent on them is the time it takes to bake in the oven.  I love a Crumble when the berries have warmed to the point of bursting and topped with a sweet, buttery, crumbly crust and loosely whipped cream. This recipe makes a large crumble and is great for family gatherings and potlucks. If I'm being honest though, we usually just keep nibbling away at it until it's gone. A scoop of it over yogurt would make a special breakfast treat after the kids are off to school...not that I know about that or anything....

Blackberry Lemon Crumble

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Coat a 3 quart baking dish with canola oil or melted butter and set aside.

Berry filling:

6 cups fresh blackberries, rinsed and dried

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp lemon zest

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

Crumble Topping:

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup of sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger (optional)

1 cup of butter, cubed and chilled

Gently mix together the blackberries, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar. Sprinkle the cornstarch in at the end and mix to incorporate.

In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, flour, sugar, salt and ginger powder (if desired).  Cut the butter into your flour mixture until it has a kind of chunky, sand texture. Try not to overwork it as you don't want the butter to begin to melt.

Spread the berry mixture in the bottom of the pre-greased baking dish.  Sprinkle the crumble topping along the top of the berries, making a nice even crust.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the berry juice is bubbling and the crumble topping has a nice golden color.

Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. 

Apple-Cinnamon Breakfast Bread

I'm often up late, working at my desk.  It's nice to take a break and throw something in the oven to bake while I'm doing data entry. I love baking up a loaf of breakfast bread, filling the house with the aroma of apples and cinnamon.  It somehow feels like the morning has to start out in a good way. Who could wake up crabby with such loveliness in the air, right?  So far my theory holds true and midnight baking equals agreeable children in the morning...even The Teenager.

This bread has all sorts of goodness in it: Apples, spices, yogurt, applesauce. You could add nuts and/or flax oil to bump up the healthy even more. I like to serve it warm, slathered in butter though so that could cancel out some of the healthy, I suppose.  Maybe I should add some shredded carrots or something next time...

 

Apple-Cinnamon Breakfast Bread

Makes One Loaf

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Pre-grease one loaf pan

 

In a medium bowl mix up all of the dry ingredients:

1 cup unbleached flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

2/3 cup rolled oats

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

 

Wet Ingredients:

1/2 cup of sugar 

6 tbsp softened unsalted butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1 cup apple sauce

1 cup apples that have been peeled and diced

In a large bowl, mix together the softened butter and sugar until whipped and creamy.  Beat the eggs in one at a time.  Add the vanilla and mix.  Add the yogurt and apple sauce, mixing well.  

Slowly, add the dry ingredients from the medium bowl. Do not over-beat. Add the diced apples and mix just until incorporated.  Pour into pre-greased loaf pan.

Baking time is about 1 hour and 5 minutes, but start checking at an hour.  Your bread is ready when a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the center of the loaf.

 

 

 

Brownie Mix add-ins? Heck yes!

The boy Teenager has been complaining of an upset stomach on and off for the last couple of months.  Given my gut's general dislike for all things gluten, he agreed to go gluten-free for the next few weeks to see if this might help him feel better.  I wanted to whip him up a yummy dessert to show him that we would have to be mindful, but not necessarily sacrifice some of his favorite things in this little experiment.  I had some Bob's Red Mill GF Brownie Mix in the pantry as it's already a favorite around here.  They are delicious brownies whether you are GF or not. I followed the instructions on the package and then folded in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips and 1 1/4 cups of frozen blackberries at the end.  I whipped up a quick cream cheese mixture (recipe below) and swirled it in.  I needed to add about 7-8 minutes on to the end of my usual baking time for these brownies, I'm presuming because of the moisture given up by the blackberries.  I'm guessing you could throw these add-ins into any brownie recipe/mix, but I think it works particularly well with the more 'cakey' type rather than 'fudgy' type of brownie.  This makes them porous enough to absorb the blackberry juice.  The added chocolate chips contribute a fudge-like quality without making the brownies so dense that they can't absorb the liquid. These brownies are so yummy, that they're still being talked about around here a couple of days later. Success!

Blackberry Cream Cheese Brownies

preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9" x 13" baking dish

Make your cream cheese swirl mixture:

8 oz. cream cheese

1 egg

1/4 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat all ingredients and set aside while you mix up the brownie batter.

(1) package Bob's Red Mill GF Brownie mix or your favorite brownie recipe/mix plus the ingredients to make the batter. In this case it was 1 egg, 1 1/2 sticks of butter, 2 tsp vanilla, 3/4 cup warm water.

Mix all ingredients to make batter.  

Gently fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips and 1 1/4 cups of frozen blackberries.

Pour the brownie batter into the pre-greased baking dish.

Using a large spoon, drop the cream cheese mixture into the brownie batter. Drag a butter knife through the cream cheese and brownie mix to create the cream cheese swirls.

Bake until a toothpick poked into the center of the brownie pan comes out clean.  With this mix that's 25-35 minutes.