Weekly Rewind~Top 5 Recipes Edition

This week’s rewind is all about FOOD! These are the top 5 most viewed recipes on my site.

5th Place: Kitchen Scraps Homemade Vegetable Broth-I eat a lot of veggies and end up with a lot of vegetable scraps. I like to save money every way I can and I also like to have homemade versions of convenience items as much as possible. It is super easy and economical to make your own broth. I like to use veggie broth when I cook, either because the recipe calls for it, or to add nutritional value to things like pasta, rice, and other grains.

4th Place: Meyer Lemon Blueberry Muffins-The Meyer lemon in these muffins give them an incredible lemon fragrance and flavor that is unbelievable. This recipe would be great with raspberries as well.

3rd Place: Strawberry-Goji Muffins with Mini-chocolate chips-The recipe for these muffins came from Let Them Eat Vegan by Dreena Burton. The goji berries are used in a creative way and lend a depth of flavor to this healthy muffins while the mini-chocolate chips add a delicious hint of sweetness and indulgence.

2nd Place: Soft Pretzel Bites with Sesame Seeds-These pretzel bites are reminiscent of the big soft pretzels that you can find at the mall. They are super easy to make and highly customizable.

1st Place: Cookie Butter Banana Bread-It comes as no surprise to me that this is the most viewed recipe on my blog by a landslide! In my opinion, cookie butter makes everything better and this bread is no exception. If you haven’t made it yet, I highly encourage you to make it as soon as possible!

What’s your favorite recipe on my blog? What recipes would you like to see in the future?

Cookie Butter Banana Bread {vegan}

Cookie Butter aka Speculoos aka Biscoff Spread is quite possibly the most amazing “butter” ever invented. Slathering some cookie butter on bananas is a scrumptious snack. Banana bread is the best quick bread as far as I’m concerned. So, cookie butter banana bread was an obvious choice for me. This is the.best.banana.bread.EVER! Not even kidding.

** Edited to add: It was brought to my attention by a reader that Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter is NOT vegan. However, Biscoff Spread IS vegan, I suggest using Biscoff for this and any other “cookie butter” recipe.**

Trader Joe’s also has a list of all their vegan products here.

Cookie Butter Banana Bread
Adapted from Better Banana Bread by neverhomemaker

Ingredients:

•  3 brown spotted bananas, medium
  
• 2 tablespoons flax meal
• 1/2 cup plain almond milk, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup cookie butter (I used Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup unbleached bread flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• Pinch salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray a loaf pan and set aside.
2. Mash the bananas and set aside.
3. Mix together the flax meal with almond milk, set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, cookie butter, applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Add in the flax meal mixture and bananas.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet using a spatula and mix until just combined. Do not over mix!
7. Pour mixture into prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.
8. Remove loaf from oven and check for doneness. If needed, return to oven for up to 15 minutes.
9. Let cool in loaf pan, then transfer to a wire rack to finish.
10. Slice and enjoy with a pat of vegan butter such as Earth Balance.

Have you tried cookie butter yet? What’s your favorite way to enjoy cookie butter? I like mine pretty much anyway I can get it, preferably right from the jar on a spoon into my mouth!

Soft Pretzel Bites with Sesame Seeds

I’m a huge fan of the big soft pretzels sold at the mall. I like to tear chunks off my pretzel and dip it into good ole yellow mustard. The chewiness of the pretzel and those big flakes of salt make my mouth and belly very happy.

I recently came across a copy cat recipe to Auntie Anne’s pretzels and thought, “Hey I could make those!” The recipe does take some time and planning due to the dough having to rise two times, but the wait is worth it. I decided to make pretzel bites rather than traditional pretzels.

I dunked mine in my homemade Hot Pepper Mustard, but yellow mustard would be perfect as well. I made mine savory this time around, using sesame seeds and kosher salt for the topping. These versatile little bites would be delicious as garlic, sour cream & onion, or jalapeno flavors as well. Dip them in cheese, marinara sauce or sweet mustard for a fun twist.

These pretzel bites could easily be made sweet using a cinnamon sugar blend on top, crushed almonds, powdered sugar, or add raisins to the dough! Then dunking them in caramel, fudge, or cream cheese dip.

Adapted very slightly from A Beautiful Mess

Ingredients:

Makes approximately 48-60 bites

Dough:

• 1 and 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 and 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 and 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup bread flour
• 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour

For dipping bites:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon baking soda

Topping:

• 3-4 tablespoons melted butter
• Coarse salt
• Toasted Sesame Seeds

Method:

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water, allow to sit for about 10 minutes.
2. Stir sugar and salt into the yeast mixture.
3. In a medium sized bowl, combine bread flour, all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. Add the yeast mixture. Knead for 4-6 minutes, adding flour if the dough seems very sticky. The dough should feel elastic, soft and smooth.
4. Place dough ball in a greased bowl (use butter or non-stick spray), cover with dish towel and allow to rise for 45 minutes to an hour in a warm place. (I like to turn the oven to 200° F, then turn it off and place the bowl in the oven.)
5. When dough has doubled in size, turn out onto counter dusted with flour.
6. Cut dough into 8-12 portions. Roll portions one at a time into a rope, about 12 inches long and one inch in diameter. Cut the rope into 8-12 pieces, depending on how big you want each pretzel bite.
7. In a shallow bowl, mix 1 cup warm water with 1 tablespoon baking soda.
8. Dip each pretzel bite quickly into the water & baking soda solution then transfer to a parchment lined baking pan.
9. Place pans of pretzel bites back into a warm place and allow to rise another 45 minutes to an hour.
10. Preheat oven to 375° F
11. Brush pretzel bites with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt and toasted sesame seeds.
12. Bake pretzel bites for 12-14 minutes, until slightly golden on top.
13. Remove pretzel bites from oven and allow to cool (although they were pretty damn tasty warm from the oven!)
14. Store in a sealed container for 3-4 days.

Weekly Rewind~Back to Work Edition

It’s been a very busy week for me since I’ve returned to work full time this week after my nice long holiday vacation! As always, Friday means weekly rewind,here’s what happened this week.

Winter Session I of spin classes started this week and the sadistic duo instructors don’t ease us back into things but rather plow ahead full force.

Half marathon training is in full swing as well with each Sunday’s run session getting gradually longer. I’m not running a predetermined number of miles but rather a length of time, this week the plan is to run for 1 hour, 25 minutes. I’m expecting this to be around 10 miles or so.

Although I don’t necessary feel the need to make New Year’s resolutions per say, I do feel like I need to clean up my eating a bit after enjoying a bit of freedom food wise during the holidays.

I’ve been planning my meals again, which is essential for work days and I tend to eat better if I plan ahead. Every day I’ve made myself a huge salad for lunch. My salads typically include spinach, arugula and kale, about 2-3 cups worth. I add cucumbers, tomatoes, sprouts, beans (black beans, chickpeas, etc.), hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, goji berries, cranberries, and banana peppers. For the dressing my current fave is Marzetti Simply Dressed Light Raspberry Acai Salad Dressing.

Check out Somer’s Green Smoothie Challenge, talk about inspirational! She has graciously provided a Google document for anyone who would like to join in the challenge. All the work has been done for you, no excuses!

Megan from Country Cleaver has started a great how-to series. First up, a fabulous looking multigrain bread, picture perfect and waiting to be made into a great sandwich, or simply toasted and slathered with some nut butter, sunflower butter or even cookie butter. Yum!

Angela from Oh She Glows started a Vegan How To Series which I think is fantastic for anyone wanting to eat more plant-based whole foods. I wish she had done this series a year ago when I embarked into the world of veganism. Lots of great tips, tricks, and helpful information is being covered not only in the posts themselves but also in discussions in the comments section. Topics covered so far include; Introduction to the Series, How To Make The Transition, Replacing Dairy Milk, Carrageenan in Our Food, and Homemade Oat Milk.

I’m sick and tired of the music I currently have on my playlist and am looking for new, motivating songs for my upcoming Polar Bear Series 10K, which is quickly approaching. Eeek! It’ll be the longest race I’ve ever done.

Swedish Lucia Day

I was born in Linköping, Sweden and moved to Rochester, New York when I was eight years old. Growing up my parents continued Swedish Christmas Traditions, many of which I continue in my own family with my kids. One of my very favorite Swedish traditions is December 13th, St. Lucia Day.

The Swedish celebration begins very early on Lucia Day when the eldest daughter becomes “Lucia”. Dressed in white and wearing a crown of lingonberries, or myrten, with lighted candles, she sings the Lucia Song-an old Italian air known as “Santa Lucia”. She then serves her family freshly baked lussekatter (saffron buns), pepparkakor (ginger cookies) and steaming hot coffee.

{Source}

This celebration is dear to my heart. It is not only celebrated in homes, but offices, schools, hospitals, churches and public places where Lucia, “Queen of Lights”, appears. Oftentimes Lucia is followed by a procession of young girls dressed in white also, wearing halos of tinsel and carrying a lighted candle. Boys take part in the procession as well, playing different roles associated with Christmas. Some may be dressed in the same kind of white robe, but with a cone-shaped hat decorated with golden stars, called stjärngossar (star boys).

Lussekatter (Lucia Buns)

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. active dry yeast
• 1/4 c water, warm
• 3/4 c milk
• 1/2 c butter or margarine
• 1/2 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp powdered saffron
• 4 c flour

For brushing: 1 egg & 2 T water

Method:

Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. Warm milk, add butter to melt. Place all above ingredients in a mixing bowl using 2 cups of the flour. Mix for 3 minutes using mixer. Add rest of flour and bet with wooden spoon. Work dough on board, adding a little flour for easy handling. When smooth and shiny put in a bowl and let rise to double in bulk. Turn out on floured board and shape into Lussekatter. Let rise on cookie sheet and brush with egg and water mixture before baking. Put a raisin in each curl and bake at 450° for 10 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen rolls.

{Source}

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

I love cranberries, fresh or dried, they’re both delicious! I found a recipe for Orange Cranberry Muffins over at The Post Punk Kitchen in the spring. These are my very favorite kind of muffins. I used to be able to buy an orange cranberry mega-muffin with turbinado sugar on top at my local Tops grocery store. Then they stopped making them! <gasp> The horror! I asked the bakery why they longer carried this delicious muffin and was informed that it wasn’t very popular so they stopped baking it.

So obviously when I found the recipe on the PPK, I felt a need to make these muffins immediately! But the recipe calls for fresh cranberries which apparently stores don’t carry in the spring! So I searched for frozen cranberries, which again, the grocery store doesn’t carry! It’s a “seasonal” item I was told. <sigh> The muffins had to wait until cranberries returned to the grocery store.

Well, the cranberries have returned to the stores! I bought a bag to freeze and a bag to use for baking and cooking. (I make an awesome cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, make sure to stop back for the recipe!) I made a batch of the orange cranberry muffins and I can honestly say they were worth the wait! Oh my yumminess!

After making a batch of muffins I still had half a bag of cranberries left, so I searched the internet for other baked goods using fresh cranberries. Sure, I could have chosen to make an orange cranberry bread but that was too much like the muffins, so I kept searching. Then I stumbled upon this recipe. A Pumpkin Cranberry Bread. Pumpkin is also “seasonal” around here and I’ve been stock piling cans in my pantry! It was perfect. I love pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, pumpkin anything!

The original recipe from epicurious is not vegan, but easily veganized by using flax eggs instead of chicken eggs. I also decided to lower the fat content by using applesauce instead of the 1/4 cup oil the original recipe called for.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

Adapted from recipe on epicurious

• 1 cup canned pumpkin (I used Libby’s, make sure it’s not pumpkin pie filing!)
• 1 cup sugar (I used Florida Crystals, they’re vegan approved!)
• 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flax + 6 tbsp warm water, mix together in small cup and let stand)
• 1/4 water
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1 cup fresh cranberries, rinsed & picked over

Using a hand blender, beat together pumpkin, flax eggs, sugar, water, and applesauce.
Sift in flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and spices until smooth.
Fold in fresh cranberries.

Pour into greased loaf pan (I use Baker’s Joy spray) and bake at 350°F for 1 hour, 15 min.
Remove from oven and place loaf pan on cookie rack for 10 min. Then gently take bread out of pan and allow to cool completely on cookie rack.

This would make a great addition to your Thanksgiving meal. Or eat a slice with some Earth Balance for breakfast. Or as dessert.

What’s your favorite kind of muffin or bread?