Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Almond Butter Bread

I love almond butter. I spread it on toast, smear it on apples and bananas, add it to smoothies and oatmeal, and sometimes, eat it all by itself. It’s like heaven in a jar. And almonds are supposed to be good for you...

I found the recipe for this bread in Clean Eating magazine. It was originally called Honey Almond Sunflower Loaf, but I decided it should be called Almond Butter Bread. It seriously tastes like almond butter, at least, in my opinion. I don’t have any food allergies, and I’m not a vegetarian, but I still like that it’s also gluten-free, soy-free and dairy-free.

You should make it. Soon.


Almond Butter Bread
Adapted from the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Clean Eating Magazine.

1 cup almond meal
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1 1/4 cups quinoa flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
2 eggs whites
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/3 cup oil (I used coconut)
2 tablespoons raw organic honey
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted sunflower seeds
cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350℉.

Mix the first four ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the next five ingredients. Add the 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds to the wet ingredients. Then, combine the wet and dry ingredients.

Spray a 9-inch loaf pan. Then, pour batter into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

I’ve made this bread two times, and both times, it has split and risen in an odd way. It still tasted great and was very pretty! I ate this bread with butter and jam. It would go well with savoury things as well.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

My New Food Blog! (Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies)

I have always loved cooking and baking. Ever since I came across 17 and Baking a couple years ago, I have loved food blogs. When I got my camera and found out it was fun to take pictures of food, I decided I should HAVE a food blog. I have no idea what I'm doing, but somehow it'll work out.... I hope!

Yesterday was one of those days where you just have to bake something. I had a split shift at the pool where I work. I was done working for the morning and had nothing else to do, so I picked up a can of pumpkin and headed home to find the perfect recipe. I ended up making Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies.

These cookies are like a dense muffin in more of a cookie shape. They are not too sweet, not to dry, not too crumbly, not too cakey... they are quite perfect, if you ask me :) I left them on the cooling rack when I went back to work, and by the time I got home two hours later, my family had devoured almost every last one. I guess they were a hit!


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Hungry Meets Healthy's recipe here.

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg (I used Ener-G Egg Replacer)
3/4 cup Sucanat or brown sugar
5 tablespoons oil (I used coconut)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 360℉. Mix the first five ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Mix the next five ingredients in another bowl. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ones, mixing well. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Drop balls of dough (however big you want them, remember to adjust cooking time accordingly) onto a greased cookie sheet. They didn't spread for me, but they did puff up a bit. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown and firm to the touch. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. I don't know how these store because I didn't have to deal with leftovers :)

Enjoy!