Healthful Pumpkin Brownies (clear the cupboards style)

Pumpkin Time!

I moved this week, so last week I wanted to have one more crack at baking in order to get rid of a random 1.5 cups worth of garbanzo flour, tiny bit of oil, half can of cocoa powder, a packet of gelatin, and a lonely can of pureed organic pumpkin I had kickin' it in the kitchen.

So I jumped on the pumpkin bandwagon and tried out this recipe of my own invention to use up these baking odds and ends.  So be flexible with this recipe.  No need to go out and buy No Sugar Added Nesquik syrup—I just didn’t want to end up throwing away an entirely full bottle of it before I moved.  (My mom bought it…I really don’t know why…but at least a squirt of it finally got used!)

Maple syrup could nicely replace the honey.  Cornstarch or tapioca could also probably substitute for the gelatin powder.

This recipe is good because it uses a WHOLE can of pumpkin.  I had a can in my cupboard, and every recipe I saw online only uses like half a cup of pumpkin puree…and I wasn’t going to be able to use any remainder before I moved, so I slopped in the entire can.

Made in one 9x9 square baking dish.

Brownie Base

1 c pumpkin

1/3 c honey

2 t vanilla

¼ c melted coconut oil or other oil

1.5 c garbanzo or other flour

½ c cocoa

½ t sea salt

1 t baking soda

1/3 packet gelatin

½ c mini chocolate chips (optional)

Generous squirt of chocolate syrup (optional)

*Taste the batter!  There’s no eggs or anything, so you’re safe.  I prefer my sweets not that sweet.  But if you think yours needs a little more sweetness, by all means, add some more honey, maple syrup, agave, etc.  Personally, I find that people don’t miss when you knock a half cup of sugar or MORE from a standard dessert recipe!

*You could use this brownie base for really any swirled brownie.  Instead of a little pumpkin layer on top, you could top the brownie batter with sweetened cream cheese, caramel, and so forth.  The pumpkin in the brownie mix is not so overpowering as to demand a matching pumpkin topping.

Pumpkin Top Layer

1c pumpkin

2/3 packet gelatin

1 t vanilla

¼ c honey

1/3 c plain or vanilla kefir

2 t cinnamon, 1t ground ginger, dash or cloves and nutmeg

Directions:

·      Grease 9x9 dish, preheat oven to 350

·      Start with Brownie layer: blend wet ingredients together

·      Sift in dry brownie ingredients and combine

·      Pour into pan and smooth the surface

·      Combine all ingredients for the Pumpkin layer until smooth

·      Spoon Pumpkin layer over top of brownie layer

·      Swirl it around a bit, if you want

·      Bake at 350 until toothpick comes out clean of Brownie—the Pumpkin part will still be moist, even when it is done

·      Allow to cool

·      Cut into squares and refrigerate for at least an hour

All Natural Cherry Clafoutis

If anyone actually knows how to say the word clafoutis, they get a gold star.

I used a smaller sized (8 inch) cake pan for this recipe, since I had a smaller amount (about 1/2 to 2/3 pound) of cherries left.  If you have a full pound of cherries (a regular grocery store bag amount) then alter the ingredients to be about 1.5 times what I used.  (See quantities in parentheses in the INGREDIENTS section!)

The 8 inch pan version serves 4 quite generously, or 6 less generously.  Despite the fact that it is gluten free -- and I even used coarser almond meal-- the cake-y part still got nice and custardy, very smooth.  Lovely.

INGREDIENTS:
2t tablespoon grapeseed oil--or any kind of oil--  (1T) + some for greasing pan
2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk  (1 c)
2 large eggs (3)
2 T dark honey * (3T)
Dashes of ground cinnamon, ginger and clove
Dash of salt (1/4t)
1/3 cup packed almond meal/flour (1/2 c)
1.5tablespoon corn starch OR arrowroot starch (2T)
2/3 pound fresh cherries, pitted (1 lb)
 

DIRECTIONS
-Preheat oven to 375

-Grease your pie pan with oil or butter 

-Combine the oil, almond milk, eggs, sugar, spices, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth. 

-Add the almond meal and corn starch and blend until smooth.

-Pour the batter into the prepared pan and scatter the cherries on top (they will sink into the batter). 

-Bake for about 30 to 45 minutes until set in the center and it is all golden on top. 

-Serve warm, preferably with vanilla ice cream! 

Be sure to save some for tomorrow's breakfast.  Mine was divine with low fat cottage cheese, drizzled with Smartweed Honey.  Excellent!

*I am moving soon, so I haven't bothered to restock my supply of Vanilla.  Instead, I have been using boldly flavored natural sweeteners.  My favorite it dark, full-bodied honey like Buckwheat or Smartweed honey.  100% maple syrup or molasses are also good options.

Purple Potato-Crusted Kale and Egg Breakfast Pie

I got such a good laugh recently out of an article in a magazine that had a baked egg & cheese pie with a potato crust, because the article was entitled "Slice of Heaven."  Are you kidding me?  So cheesy.  All I could think of was this so-bad-it's-good Youtube video.  Its this dude's Christmas List in a rap and one of the items is described as follows:

"Item number 7, its like a bite of heaven, I could prob'ly eat like ten or eleven.  Checked up in my stocking, and guess what I found?  A brand new box of Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies!"

Yep, that's Froggy Fresh for you :)


Anyway, when I recovered from laughing and tried to take the recipe seriously, I decided to make my own version for me and Jack's weekend bruncheon.  Here's what happened--

INGREDIENTS

  1/2 a bunch of red or dinosaur Kale- washed, patted-dry, stems removed, chopped
  1/4 c chopped Herbs- parsley or rosemary would probably be the most logical, but we used cilantro which was tasty too!
  2/3 a little mesh bag of Purple Potatoes (about half a pound or 1 cup)- scrubbed and sliced thin on a mandolin...otherwise they won't cook through!
  4 Eggs
  1/2c Egg Whites
  1/4 c Dairy-- we used plain kefir, you could also use milk or heavy cream
  1/4 c (more or less) of Feta Cheese or Goat Cheese
  Desired seasoning, including a splash or Sriracha chili sauce and Minced Garlic


DIRECTIONS

• Preheat over to 375, use coconut oil or another oil to grease a medium-sized gratin dish.
• If you use larger potatoes, overlap them around the edges and bottom of the dishes.  Or, if your potatoes are small and/or you have a life, just spread them around and make sure you can't see the bottom of the pan.
• Season potatoes with a little salt & pepper.

• Press the washed/trimmed/chopped kale into the dish, it should be pretty darn full of kale.

• In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, and milk.
• Season this mixture with herbs and spices, as you desire-- I used 1/4 c chopped cilantro, 3T minced garlic, a generous splash of Sriracha chili sauce, 1/2t cumin, 1/2t curry powder, and dashes of salt/pepper/cayenne powder.
• Pour over the kale and potatoes already in the dish.  You make not use ALL of the egg mixture, but use as much as you can.
• Dollop the cheese evenly over the top.

• Bake about 40 minutes, until the center does not wobble when you move the dish.
• Allow to rest a few minutes, slice and serve.

I used a medium-sized gratin dish, which produced about 4 good servings.  If you double the recipe, use a dutch oven.  The original recipe called for goat cheese, which would probably have been better, but I only had feta on hand, plus it kinda went with my Middle Eastern seasonings.

Deviled Avocado Eggs

I cannot claim to have made this one up, although it has me written all over it!  This recipe and image has been WIDELY shared on Facebook, and I am saving it here for reference because my sweetie wants me to make them for him :)  He's only just coming around to eating egg yolks... so I'm happy to encourage him!

Hard boil and cool 6 eggs.

Mash 1 large, ripe avocado with 3 egg yolks from 6 hard boiled eggs (use the other three yolks for something else...). 

Add 1 tsp. cilantro, 3 tsp lime juice, 1 tbsp red onion, and a pinch of salt and pepper. 

Top with a sprinkle of chili or paprika.

Serve on a lovely platter.

Strawberry Lemon Curd

Oh, this is a good one.  I can't stop putting it on EVERYTHING!  Toast, Coco Pop Cakes (pictured), plain Greek yogurt, kefir, crackers, on a very large spoon...

INGREDIENTS

• 6T unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 lemons, zested & juiced
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
• 5 large egg yolks

DIRECTIONS 

In a bowl combine the butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Beat with an electric mixer until well combined and fluffy.

 

Combine the lemon juice and strawberries in a blender until smooth. Add the lemon juice to the sugar mixture and beat until just combined. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time.

Transfer it all to a small/medium, heavy-bottomed pot. Cook over LOW-MED heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens, about 10 or 15 minutes.

Ladle the curd into little glass jars that you've swished hot water in (so they won't shatter with the hot curd), screw the lids on and allow to cool in the fridge, where the jars should get a nice seal due to the temperature change.

Fills 2 little jars, so makes approximately 2.5 cups worth.  

Promptly eat on everything.

Simple Vanilla Pudding

My mom was in town visiting me and, in anticipation, I had a carton of almond milk and a whole glass bottle of milk...both of which remained untouched throughout the duration of her visit.  I also noticed some ancient, lonely packets of gelatin kickin' it in the cupboard.  So as my mom was preparing to leave, I began prying her (and the internet) for tips on making pudding and mousse.  There are a lot of complicated, old school methods out there.  There are also a lot of recipes that cal for loads of heavy cream and the most disturbing of all additions... Cool Whip.  Have you ever looked at the ingredient label on that stuff?  (shudder)

So I followed my mom's advice and experimented.  What I came up with was a dense vanilla pudding topped with a little layer of vanilla custard-like mousse.  Almost like its own little mini layer of whipped cream on top.

I'm a chocolate girl, but my sweetie likes vanilla, so that's what we got!

INGREDIENTS:

2t gelatin (one packet)

1 1/2  c skim milk, very cold

1/3c egg whites

1T sugar (or Splenda baking mix)

4oz Neufchatel cheese or fat free cream cheese (1/2 a standard sized block)

1 1/2 T high quality vanilla extract, or a vanilla bean innards if you can manage it

Freshly ground nutmeg for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

In a standup mixer, use a whisk to beat egg whites and sugar to soft peaks.

Add cream cheese & vanilla and beat with the mixer instead of the whisk until it is all well incorporated.  Just let this sit in the mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, add packet of gelatin to chilled milk in a medium/small saucepan, allow to bloom 1 minute.

Cook milk over MED heat about 1 minute stirring with a fork, until gelatin is dissolved.

Beat everything together in the mixer. 


Pour into cups and freshly grate a pinch of nutmeg on top of each cup.  Mine went into 2 larger serving cups (pictured) plus 2 smaller cups.  So I would say the recipe serves 5.

Refrigerate for a couple hours or overnight. 

SERVING NOTE:  It has a very mild, vanilla flavor that pairs well with boldness.  To that end, I topped it with rich Buckwheat honey (if you've only had Orange Blossom and Clover honey, you are seriously missing out!) and strawberries marinated overnight in Orange Balsamic Vinegar.  A perfect pairing!   

Poached Pears for My Valentine

 We had plenty of desserts lined up for our fancy Saint Valentine's meal-in, so although these make a great dessert, we actually had them as an appetizer!

Ingredients:

3 cups all natural apple juice

2 cups water

1/2 cup Splenda baking mix
1 cinnamon stick, broken in 1/2
2 tablespoons honey
1 (3/4-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled, and finely chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla

3 small, firm, ripe Bosc pears, peeled (or other pears)

Directions:

In a saucepan large enough to hold all the pears, combine all ingredients except the pears.  Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the honey has melted. Add the pears and simmer for 20 minutes more, turning occasionally, until the pears are a little tender but not mush. Remove the pears from the liquid and allow to cool.  Refrigerate in a closed container if you are making this in advance.

Continue to simmer the liquid until it thickens and is reduced by half, about more 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Remove the cinnamon stick halves.  Pour into a glass jar and save for drizzling.  You may want to strain the ginger bits out, I did not.

Place each pear on a small serving plate wand drizzle with the syrup. Serve immediately.

Mine were served on a puddle of plain kefir, with the extra reduced juice/syrup drizzled generously on top.  Vanilla bean ice cream would also be a lovely addition.

Idea taken loosely from Giada.

Lobster Mac and Cheese

Because Lobster is for Lovers!

This is a little more bad than my usual dinner entrees, but it was for Valentine's Day and my sweetie had been telling me all about his Mama's homemade mac and cheese growing up.  I told him how once when I was very young my mother asked me "What should we have for dinner?"  My immediate response was "MACARONI AND CHEESE!"  meaning the kind from the box with questionable powdered cheese.  Her response to let me down as gently as possible was, "Well...your dad doesn't like that, so we'll have something else..." I was appalled at my dad's utter lack of taste.  My opinion of him was lessened forever (Not really; love you, Papa!).

In sum, because we had talked a lot about macaroni, I have a few healthy mac and cheese tricks up my sleeve, and because my pumpkin LOVES seafood, I decided that Lobster Macaroni and Cheese would be the perfect wintertime comfort food for a Valentine's dinner in.

WARNING-- true to the holiday for which it was prepared, this dish was really a labor of love...ie pretty time-consuming.  Valentine's was a Snow Day for me (hooray!), otherwise I would never have had time to do this on a week nigh.  Good luck. 

INGREDIENTS:

-1 small  (or ½ of a large) butternut squash, peeled & cubed

-4 cloves garlic, minced
-1 pound veggie or whole wheat elbow macaroni
-1 ½ c skim milk, warmed up but NOT boiled

-2c low sodium chicken stock
-5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

-1/4 cup organic, unbleached flour
-2c Gruyere cheese, grated
-2c extra-sharp Cheddar, grated 

-1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

-½ teaspoon cayenne

-Generous dashes of salt & pepper, to taste

-2 lobster tails, steamed, peeled and roughly chopped

-2/3 c Panko breadcrumbs

-Parsley, finely chopped for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

-Add the squash cubes to a large saucepan or small Dutch oven with the chicken stock.

-Heat pot over medium heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 10 or 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

-When squash is soft, use a stick blender and puree until pretty smooth.  (Or allow to cool and then puree in a blender)

-Meanwhile, cook pasta al dente, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

-In a separate saucepan make a rue: melt 3T butter and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. Still whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more.  (Yeah, having the squash mixture, the butter mixture, and the warming milk all in separate pans will mean lots of dishes…sorry.)  Whisk until smooth.

-Now, add the rue to the squash/stock in a small saucepan and heat it up, but don't boil it. Add garlic and spices. Cook over low heat for a few minutes, stirring with a whisk until thickened and smooth.

-Turn off the heat and add the cheese.  Add the cooked macaroni and lobster and stir well. Place the mixture in gratin dishes.

-Melt 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the Panko & some extra spices, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

-Garnish with parsley

I combined a few different recipes and techniques for this particular recipe.  As I said earlier, because it was Valentine’s and I didn’t want my sweetie to feel cheated, I made it a little more decadent than my regular baked mac & cheese (recipe here).  But believe me, this recipe is MUCH less artery-clogging than the Ina Garden recipe (here) that I also looked to for inspiration.

Isn't he handsome?  Well worth the effort :)  And that was a lovely sparkling pomegranate drink, yum!

 

Super Cookies!

They're not so much cookies as much as they are energy bar nuggets.  

No flour.  No sugar.  No butter.  No bad stuff at all!

I've seem a lot of "cookie" recipes floating around where you use banana and oats and chocolate chips.  But that just wasn't good enough for me.  I've been focusing on eating more plant-based fat (helps with hair and skin cells and satiety, etc.) and so I pulled out all the stops for these tasty little guys.

And my man LOVES them.  I put a bunch on a plate to take a photo and I kept having to stay, "No!  Don't eat them yet!  Wait for the photo!"  Within about 60 seconds of the photo above, they were demolished :)

--1 cup oats

--1/3 c unsweetened shredded coconut

--¼ t salt

--Generous dashes of (in order of descending quantity) ground cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves

--½ c of Almond Meal/Flour (Bob’s Red Mill)

--1 T roasted sesame seeds

--2 T sunflower seeds

--1T chia seeds

--3 T raw cacao nibs (available at Whole Foods)

Stir together.

In a small bowl microwave these together for about a minute and pour over the dry ingredients:

--¼ c coconut oil

--1 T almond butter

--2 bananas

Have these pre-mashed and immediately add to everything above (before the coconut oil solidifies again...)

This should be enough so everything is just incorporated, it will take some serious stirring.  If you think you need more liquid, even after a diligent effort, don't be ashamed to  add:

--1-2 T milk

Use a teaspoon to make tiny cookies and place on a cookie sheet over parchement paper.

Bake at 350 until golden brown on the bottom and edges, maybe 15 minutes.

I made 28 small cookies, which my math says to be:

70cal, 5 fat, 2 protein, 1 sugar (from the bananas)

You can, of course, use mini chocolate chips instead of cacao nibs, but I love the intense dark chocolate flavor of the nibs and since cacao nibs are a whole food, there is no added sugar or sugar substitutes.

Blueberry Wheat Germ Muffins

Jack and I like to have nice, healthy Saturday morning brunches at home together before we work out.  He has been on the hunt for a Vitamix(!) for us to go crazy with, but in the meanwhile, I decided to make some muffins.

 Ingredients

• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (again, I use unbleached organic to help mitigate white-flour-guilt)
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons wheat germ
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• Dashes of cinnamon and ground ginger
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup plain fat free kefir
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/4 cup rolled oats

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. I like to spritz both the tin and the inside of the muffin cups with olive oil.  

1. In a bowl whisk together whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ, baking powder, salt, spices, and 2/3 cup brown sugar. Make a well in center of bowl and add milk/kefir, melted coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Gently mix until just combined. Fold in blueberries.
   
   
2. Divide batter among muffin cups. Combine 2 Tbsp. toasted wheat germ, 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, and rolled oats in a small bowl. Sprinkle over tops of muffins.
   
   Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes. Let sit in pan 10 minutes. Transfer muffins to a rack to cool.
   
   
   We each ate 4...immediately.  Very tasty!
   
   
   You could honestly go with half of the crumb topping, but hey, why not be decadent with your crumb topping now and again?
   
   Adapted from a recipe in Whole Living magazine, which I love.  Martha, you've done it again!
   

Apples Galore

I bought a giant bag of granny smith's and I don't believe in wasting food.  In this chilly season of wassail and cloved oranges, I made these dishes with some extra spice-iness.

Very Spiced Apple Sauce
Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger (about a 2-inch piece)
8 Granny Smith apples, mostly peeled (I like a little peel in my life), cored and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses (hence the applesauce's rich, dark color)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1t freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 T Disaronno (or almond extract) (optional)

Directions:

In a saucepan, melt oil/butter and saute ginger for 1 minute. Add Disaronno and cook the alcohol out for a couple minutes.  Add apples, molasses, and spices.  Simmer uncovered until apples are very tender, about 45 minutes.

If desired put a stick blender in the bowl until a little smoother.  I do like to leave some chunks in, though.

I then used some as an ingredient in the Apple Bread recipe below and it was just perfect.

I saved the rest in glass jars.  My favorite trick is to put it in the jars while its still warm and then pop the closed jars in the fridge.  They will develop a canning-like suction and, presumably, stay fresh longer.

Emeril helped inspire this recipe.


SCRUMPTIOUS APPLE SPICE BREAD

Ingredients:
-2 c white whole wheat flour
-2t baking powder
-1/2t salt
-1t cinnamon
-1/2t freshly ground nutmeg
 -1/8t ground cloves
-1/8t ground allspice

-6T coconut oil
-1/4 c molasses (I use blackstrap for extra oomph)
-1/4c brown sugar
-2 eggs
-1 t vanilla extract
-1/4c applesauce (from the recipe above!)
-2 apples, chopped small

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and grease a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan.
   
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
   
3. Use an electric mixer to beat together coconut oil and light brown sugar until somewhat fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add molasses; beat until combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, plus vanilla, and beat until incorporated.
   
4. With the mixer on low, add half the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Beat in applesauce; add remaining flour mixture until just incorporated.
   
5. Peel and core apples. Cut apple into 1/4-inch cubes, and fold into the batter. Transfer to pan, and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour, 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, let cool completely, slice.
   

Probably more of a fall recipe, but whatever.

The texture is really nice-- very smooth with the baked apple bits.

I kept noticing little pieces being taken away from the leftover slices I had wrapped in plastic wrap on the kitchen counter...  The whole loaf disappeared incredibly fast.  I know that Jack wanted the last piece, but he graciously said I could take it to work for lunch.  And that, my friends, is love.  ;)

Inspiration from Whole Living, yet again!

Extra Moist, Sky-High Sweet Cornbread

I was so incredibly happy with how this recipe turned out.  It comes out very tall and impressive.  The texture is superb.  Honestly, its better than eating cake- and that's saying something.

Ingredients

• 1 c. cornmeal
• 1 c. all-purpose flour (I used unbleached organic to help me feel better for using white flour)
• 2 c. white whole wheat flour
• 2/3 c. Splenda baking mix
• 2 Tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Dashes of cayenne & cinnamon (to kick it up a [little] notch!)
• ⅔ cup coconut oil
• 5 Tablespoon melted butter
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 c liquid egg whites (or 3 egg whites)
• 2 cups whole milk (yes, I know, its bad-- but its the secret ingredient!)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with additional coconut oil.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, microwave the coconut oil & butter for a few seconds until melted
4. Use a spatula and pour into flour mixture
5. Add the honey, beaten egg, egg whites, and milk, and stir just until moistened.
6. Pour the batter into the greased baking dish and bake in 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes. Watch the cornbread towards the end, you want it to be turning golden and starting to show some cracks.  

          It will be very moist, so don't think its not done cooking, just because it feels so dense and moist compared to most cornbreads.  Bake until a tester comes out clean.  It took mine nearly an hour before I was satisfied with its doneness.

        No joke, this recipe is a keeper.



Adapted (and changed significantly) from a recipe on the blog Daily Dish.

Lemon Poppyseed Soda Bread (& a salad)

So a while back I was at a bulk natural foods store, the kind where they just have the products in nondescript 1/2 pound and 1 pound clear plastic bags.  In the odds & ends section, where you never really know what they are gonna have bagged up, I found a whole big bag of chia seeds (one of my favorites!) for super cheap!  I couldn't believe my luck!  I hurried up and purchased them before the store could decide they had been priced so low by mistake-- those litter buggers are pricey!

 Then I got home I realized I'd just bought a pound of poppyseeds.

(sigh)

In the spirit of my Irishness and because today was a snow and I'm just looking for anything to celebrate at this point in the dreariness of winter, I decided to put a twist on good old Irish Soda Bread.  Secretly, this was all inspired by the lonely 3/4 cup of buttermilk I had in my fridge, just begging to be used.  I made pancakes for Sunday breakfast, and I hate to see good buttermilk (or anything, for that matter --poppyseeds included-- go to waste).

I based my clear-the-cupboards creation (very) loosely on Ina Garten's Soda Bread recipe--

Ingredients
 
~2 cups white whole wheat flour  (in retrospect, it would have tasted better if I used 1/2 regular white pastry dough.  Unfortunately, white flour is just not my style outside of my own birthday cake.)
~1/2 teaspoon baking soda  --> I've always thought something called "Soda Bread" really ought to have more baking soda than that!
~3/4 teaspoons kosher salt

 ~2 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced into tiny pieces

~3/4 cups cold buttermilk, well-shaken
~1 egg white, lightly beaten
~Juice & grated orange zest from 2 lemons
~3 tablespoons honey

 
Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil & rub down the center with coconut oil.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in the bowl and whisk together. Add the butter and mix with a fork, pastry cutter, and/or your fingers until the butter is mixed into the flour in little split pea-sized pieces.

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup.  Slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture with a spatula. 

 My consistency was normal enough that I skipped the whole usual "roll out on floured board" situation.  I just plopped it right onto the prepared sheet.  You can gently make score marks on the top if you're feeling fancy.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. According to Ina, when you tap the loaf, it should have a hollow sound.  But I go for golden brownness myself to determine when to pull the plug.

Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature-- mine was good in a bowl drizzled with kefir and honey.
~~~~

Continuing with my impossible task of using a pound of poppy seeds before I die, I also made this nice little salad...

INGREDIENTS

-2 Granny Smith apples, cut into long, thin slices
-2 heads of radicchio,  roughly chopped
-2 T crumbled fat free feta cheese

-1 lemon, zested & juiced
-1 leftover jar of marinated artichoke hearts (all the hearts were gone, I was just using the jar for mixing and the residual marinade as a dressing base.  You can also just use from water, oil, and vinegar + mild spices of your choice)
-Splash of extra apple cider vinegar
-1-2 T Splenda making mix
-1-2 T poppy seeds
-Salt & pepper


DIRECTIONS 

The main ingredients--green apples, radicchio, lemon-- are all bitter.  So I made a nice sweet dressing to go over the top and temper it.  Shake together all the dressing ingredients in a jar, to taste.  It should be sweet.  Drizzle just enough on the salad and gently mix together.

I brought mine to work for lunch in a tupperware lined with parchment.  Even though it was pre-dressed, it held up very well.  Not wilty at all.  Yum!