Spinach Frozen Yogurt

Big news: Erik is requesting green smoothies.

Yes, that is my Midwestern, steak-loving, Honey-Bunches-of-Oats-traditionalist boyfriend loves my spinach concoctions so much, he’s asking for them, hopefully, in the morning. I’d like to think this is due to my mad blending skills, but this is probably due to my new secret ingredient: chocolate protein powder (it’s amazing.)

Turns out, he’s happy I’m dipping into his supply because, as I was tickled to learn, he’s worried about my protein intake! As he probably should be. I probably should be. The internet says I should be eating somewhere in the ballpark of 60-80 grams of protein a day. That…is not happening.

But I’m trying. My impressive consumption of Greek yogurt was even remarked upon the last time I exited Costco (oh, how I feel out of place as a single young professional amidst the middle-aged couples and Asian families that travel in packs) with my three large containers of Fage 0%. Yes, it’s true. I’ve turned into a yogurt fiend. After detoxing dairy out of my diet, I’m curious to see what this does to my body but for now, I’m going with the 23-grams-of-protein-per-cup flow and enjoying every last creamy second of it.

This frozen yogurt is essentially my latest favorite green smoothie (spinach, banana, milk, protein powder) with yogurt instead of milk. I follow the exact same steps of making a smoothie (blending all the ingredients in a blender), and then dump everything in a very cold ice cream maker for a few minutes. This is by far the easiest “ice cream” I’ve ever made and definitely the first with vegetables.

I prefer this over pure banana-only frozen yogurt because you get more volume (who has 10 frozen bananas lying around?!), a creamier texture, and WAY more protein. Which I need.

The result is something that looks like it should taste minty, but really just tastes like vanilla-y banana goodness with a hint of chocolate. The spinach is undetectable. If you hate bananas, you can leave the banana out. If you don’t have protein powder, you can try adding a tablespoon or two of unsweetened cocoa powder (taste the blended mixture and if it’s not sweet enough, add additional sweetener. But my vanilla yogurt was pretty sweet.) I’d like to try using unsweetened Greek yogurt next, but for now, this is some incredibly, incredibly easy frozen yogurt that you deserve to consume right. Now.

Yeah…things got a little melty in Erik’s hot little hands

Boyfriend rating: 7
Erik’s comments: “The texture is halfway in between froyo and ice cream..the flavor wasn’t too intense which made it refreshing! The chocolate chips were a nice bonus. Overall..very good for a healthy alternative to ice cream/froyo!”

Spinach Frozen Yogurt

Yield: a lot of yogurt. Maybe 3.5 cups?

Serving Size: 1/2 cup (no chocolate chips)

Calories per serving: 72

Fat per serving: .3g

This cool, creamy treat is loaded with protein from vanilla Greek yogurt and fiber from spinach--essentially my favorite green smoothie turned into frozen yogurt!

Ingredients

2 cups nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt
1 large frozen banana
2 cups spinach
½-1 scoop chocolate protein powder (After careful research, EAS is Erik's brand of choice]
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

In a blender or powerful food processor, blend together the yogurt, banana, spinach and protein powder until very smooth. I find it’s best to add the ingredients in the above order, otherwise the protein powder tends to get stuck on the sides of the blender.

Pour into your ice cream maker and freeze as directed*. Mine took between 10-15 minutes. Add the chocolate chips right before you remove the frozen yogurt and stir to distribute evenly. You can eat as is (mixture will be soft) or freeze for an hour or so to let it firm up a bit into a more scoop-able form. Enjoy your vegetable-packed treat!!

*If you don't have an ice cream maker, pour mixture into a freezer-safe container and stir with a spoon every half hour or so until it's at your desired texture (I'm guessing this would take about 2 hours to get an ice cream-like texture). Stirring the yogurt breaks up ice crystals so you don't end up with a frozen green block!

Notes

Inspired by here and here

http://www.thepancakeprincess.com/2013/06/12/spinach-frozen-yogurt/

Pancake Fridays: Musings on Whole Wheat Pancakes (with maple yogurt!)

24 Replies

For whatever reason, after weeks of messing around with oats and buckwheat and spelt, my body’s been really craving whole wheat. Get some gluten in me!

So two weekends ago, Erik and I had some un-amazing pancakes from Magnolia Café. It was disappointing, but I got over it because it was an awesome trip that included meeting up with the lovely Melissa of Sterling and Oats at my place of weakness! (She’s so bubbly and has this super talented artist boyfriend and this cute hipster Austin life (according to my subjective impressions) and dreams of selling cakes out of her house and I really want her to do it!! Also, I recently made her arepas and they.are.delicious.)

At Magnolia, Erik and I split three pancakes (purely for scientific sampling purposes): a buttermilk with strawberries and chocolate chips (tasted like a mix), a plain cornmeal (good flavor and nicely textured, but thin) and a plain whole wheat (grain-riddled, the thickest and cakiest of the three, but almost on the verge of chewy).

Needless to say, Magnolia’s pancake was left slumping the shadows of other, greater pancake giants. And in my kitchen, I was more determined than ever to make a really good, restaurant-quality pancake. I’ve been making pancakes like it’s my job for nearly a year and I still haven’t attained that perfect restaurant-quality pancake. I’m sensing a pancake throwdown on the horizon.

But for now, I’m reading up on cornstarch. And apparently, cornstarch “adds structure while increasing tenderness” to baked goods and “helps contribute to light crust after frying.” It sounded like a promising application for pancakes, so I gave it a shot.

I followed Lindsay’s basic whole wheat pancake recipe and added a tablespoon of cornstarch to half the batter. Did it make a difference? Barely, but yes. These are very solid, hearty yet light pancakes that hold up well to toppings. Flavor-wise, I couldn’t taste a strong difference. However, in a blind-tasting, Erik immediately detected a corn flavor in the cornstarch pancake while dubbing the other one the “vanilla pancake” because he thought it was really vanilla-y (even though both pancakes had identical amounts of vanilla).

Texture-wise, the cornstarch pancake turned out slightly thicker, denser, and very slightly spongier while the original recipe pancake remained thinner and airier—almost lacey with air holes.

More pancake trials to follow, but moral of the story: if you want denser, slightly cakier pancakes, add cornstarch. The cornstarch pancakes were also cooked second, which allowed the batter to sit and thicken for longer, so if you want thicker pancakes, let the batter rest for a bit.

Also, do you SEE what is on those pancakes? Maple yogurt is the answer to everything. Dilute that sugary maple goodness and get some PROTEIN with your carbs! Delicious.

Boyfriend rating: 8.5
Erik’s comments: “I know you might not have been quite as in love with them..but I honestly don’t see how they could be much better…loved the twinge of vanilla!”

Easy Whole Wheat Pancakes with Maple Yogurt

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 6 pancakes

Serving Size: 1 pancake

Calories per serving: 160

Fat per serving: 6g

These basic whole wheat pancakes are fluffy and airy and can be made denser and cakier with the addition of cornstarch.

Ingredients

1 egg
2 tablespoons brown sugar
scant 1/2 cup yogurt + 1/2 cup milk (or 1 scant cup buttermilk)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch, optional (if you want cakier pancakes)
For the maple yogurt:
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1-4 tablespoons Greek yogurt
Combine syrup and yogurt: stir, stir, stir! It may look chunky at first, but will soon smooth into the most delicious, perfect pancake topping. I used a 1:4 ratio of syrup to yogurt, but use more syrup if you like it sweeter.

Instructions

Whisk together the egg, sugar, yogurt mixture, vanilla and oil. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and cornstarch, if using. Stir until just combined--a few lumps are good.

Let the batter stand for five minutes to thicken while you begin heating a skillet over medium heat. When pan is hot, lightly grease the pan with half a teaspoon or so of oil and drop batter into pan a 1/4 cup at a time. Once bubbles begin to rise to the surface and spatula easily slides under the bottom of the pancake, flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove and lower the heat to medium-low to cook remaining pancakes. Top with drippy spoonfuls of maple syrup and get yourself to pancake heaven!

Notes

Adapted from Pinch of Yum

http://www.thepancakeprincess.com/2013/06/07/pancake-fridays-musings-on-whole-wheat-pancakes/

Soft No-Bake Chocolate Granola Bars

28 Replies

It’s Monday and my back is cramping in two very precise spots in the middle of my back, my shoulders are slightly sunburnt, my feet are weary from walking and a blister on the side of my foot that has been rubbing against my work shoes all morning is threatening to burst in an ugly way.

It’s been a fantastic weekend.

First, there was the QUEEN (!!!) bed that landed in my life for free (and by landed, I mean: was wrestled from my friend’s house into a truck just inches too small and coerced into the corner of my room by virtue of an ew amount of sweat and bad words). I’m saying goodbye to the twin bed I’ve slept on for the past five years and it feels oh so luxurious.

Then an amazing vegan Tex-Mex meal where Erik hogged the raw taco stuffed with sprouts, cabbage and mushrooms (we hate mushrooms) and I just watched in amazement (for the two seconds I wasn’t busy shoving spinach and corn tamales in my face).

Then a run to our favorite Mexican bakery where we accidentally left with an overflowing sack of way too many sugar-encrusted pastries for any reasonable couple of people.

Then to the beach where sun, sea and sand culminated in raw pink shoulders, white cheddar popcorn overindulgence and a lazy afternoon nap before finally putting to use long-anticipated tickets to Houston’s greatest summer concert.

Psychedelic dance parties/light shows two nights in a row = no grocery shopping or serious cooking for me. My fridge is at its all-time emptiest, which made me so grateful for my stash of these no-bake granola bars made earlier in the week with the other half of date paste that hadn’t gone into these muffins.

These granola bars have no refined or added sugar—just the pure, earthy goodness of dates. At their most basic, they’re essentially five ingredients–perfect for all you bare-fridge bloggers (i.e. none of you…) AND they taste kind of like brownies. Really grain-chewy, slightly fruity brownies. In the fridge, they condense into fudgy bars that rival my other favorite energy bars and you know that means business.

Boyfriend rating: 7/10
Erik’s comments: “These are perfect with apples. I can’t believe there’s no sugar in these! Make these again!!”

Soft No-Bake Chocolate Granola Bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes

These soft and chewy no-bake granola bars get their sweetness entirely from dates and a chocolate kick from antioxidant-rich cacao powder. They're great for a quick, fudgy on-the-go energy boost!

Ingredients

¾ cup dates
½ cup water
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup steel-cut oats*
1 tablespoon nut butter (I used almond)
2 tablespoons raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
¼ cup add-ins: chocolate chips, sliced or slivered almonds, dried fruit, etc.

Instructions

To make the date paste:

Add the dates and water to a small saucepan over high heat, uncovered. Once the water begins to boil, add the baking powder and stir, lowering the heat to medium or medium-high, so that the date mixture continues to foam and bubble. Continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until date mixture is completely broken down into an approximate paste. Remove from heat and let cool.

To assemble the granola bars:

Toss together the oats, cacao powder and add-ins of your choice (I added 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons of toasted, slivered almonds). Stir in cooled date paste and nut butter until the wet ingredients are evenly distributed.

Press oat mixture into a greased baking pan or, if you're lazy, rip off a large square of plastic wrap. If you press the oat mixture into a rough rectangle and then cover in plastic wrap, you can use a heavy cutting board to flatten it out into a prettier square.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting into bars, for prettiest cuts. But also eat it warm if you're impatient ;)

Notes

*You can sub additional rolled oats for these. I had steel-cut on hand; I think they add a bit more gritty texture, but any type of oats should be fine.

http://www.thepancakeprincess.com/2013/06/03/soft-no-bake-chocolate-granola-bars/

Avocado Banana Bread

29 Replies

I made this loaf purely from ingredients from my boyfriend’s kitchen.

What does that mean? You can EASILY make this!

Also, that we really like guacamole and therefore the stray avocado can occasionally be found languishing in his fridge, right in between chunks of Black Diamond sharp cheddar for wine and cheese nights and the hummus and Greek yogurt he keeps on hand for me (how sweet).

I have somewhat of an ugly history with avocados. My old roommate and I once made a pan of avocado sweet potato brownies that were eerily smooth on top and tasted of vaguely cocoa-flavored, not sweet avocados. Sometimes avocados and I can work it out, other times, not at all.

We worked it out this time and I’m ready to give thanks at the avocado-loving altar. There’s no fat in this aside from the naturally healthy-fats-filled avocado and combined with a generous amount of mashed banana, this makes for the most incredibly moist, sweet and tender banana bread I’ve ever made.

Shelby first uncovered this recipe and while I was a huge fan of the original recipe, I tweaked it for several reasons, mostly to fit what Erik had in his kitchen (tons of ripe bananas, no zucchini). Also, I don’t like using only egg whites if I don’t have to–especially ones from a carton (not that the original recipe creator did. I’m just going on a tangent).

“If eggs were meant to be eaten as mechanically-separated, low-fat, chemically-altered whites in a carton, the chickens would have done it by now. But an egg is a chick in the making. It’s rich in antioxidants, good fats, vitamins, and – for the calories – a lot of protein. Things like Egg Beaters are the result of food manufacturers exploiting fears based on grossly inaccurate health information. There’s nothing healthy about such unnatural products.” Spot on, Mark! (sourced from here.)

Anyhoo, no egg whites in this. Just an egg. And some honey instead of some of the sugar, which means you can cut down on the sugar since honey is sweeter than the granulated stuff. Also, oat flour because oat flour rocks! It makes everything tender and hello fiber!

Does this taste like avocado? I won’t lie to you—there is a faint taste of something different, but not in a strong or bad way. More like a totally luscious, what’s-up-with-this-deliciousness?! kind of loaf (see Erik’s comments below). Make sense? Oh, and I should note—the banana slices make the loaf look super cute in my opinion, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I think it made the loaf bake rather unevenly (note the sunken center). Stick with chocolate chips or an unadorned loaf. But please make this.

Boyfriend rating: 8/10
Erik’s comments: “The flavor was great and distinct in an “I don’t know what’s different, but I like it” kind of way. The only thing holding this back from being a 9 was that is was a little mushy in spots, but this was actually kind of a plus when you heated it up in the pan!”

Avocado Banana Bread

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

This relatively healthy loaf gets all of its fat from a very ripe avocado and most of its sweetness from tons of mashed banana. This luscious, banana-perfumed loaf is extremely moist and tender with a lovely soft crumb.

Ingredients

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 cup banana, mashed (about 2.5 bananas)
1 avocado, mashed
1/4 cup honey
2-4 tablespoons brown sugar (adjust to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
chocolate chips, for topping (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a standard loaf pan.

In a large bowl combine flours, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, combine the egg, banana, avocado, honey, sugar and vanilla. Add banana mixture to flour mixture, stir until blended together.

Pour the batter into greased baking pan and top with chocolate chips if desired.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Notes

If your loaf begins to brown before the inside is done (the loaf will still feel mushy when you press down on top), turn the heat down to 325 and/or cover with aluminum foil for remaining baking time.

Adapted from here.

http://www.thepancakeprincess.com/2013/05/29/avocado-banana-bread/

Pancake Fridays: Oat and Yogurt Pancakes

34 Replies

If you google “best restaurant pancake recipe” like I do periodically (every other day or so—you know, whenever the pancake cravings become overwhelming) you’ll undoubtedly have come across several links touting one key ingredient to get restaurant-quality pancakes.

Malted milk powder. According to Wikipedia, malted milk powder is a “powdered gruel made from malted barley, wheat flour and whole milk, which is evaporated until it forms a powder.” Appetizing! Essentially, it seems as though it’s basically Ovaltine minus the chocolate. It lends that malty, toasty flavor to milk and anything else you add it to.

I bought some months ago (intending to use it in pancakes) and then got distracted by these cookies. It’s been waiting patiently ever since to make its debut in pancake form on the blog. But since a rather lifeless pancake test with the stuff turned me off the stuff, it’s only taken me about six months to try again.

Luckily, King Arthur hasn’t steered me wrong yet. I’ve been eying their oat and yogurt pancakes with malted milk powder for months and am so glad I finally went for it. They cook up in a perfect, thick puff—some of the most even-cooking, picturesque pancakes I’ve ever fried.

The malted milk powder serves as a mild sweetener and helps sop up some of the moisture from the yogurt, leading to an incredibly thick batter (thick batter = thick, fluffy pancakes. Runny batter = thinner pancakes). However, if you don’t feel like buying a special powder just for pancakes, sugar or an alternative sweetener also works (and would make these officially gluten-free).

I made these gluten-free by switching up the flours (buckwheat instead of whole wheat), but I’ve had a chat with these pancakes and they embrace flexibility. They liked being gluten-free, but gluten is okay too. A vegan almond milk or soy yogurt and vegan flax/chia egg would also be acceptable.

For some reason, although these pancakes are already seriously tangy from the generous amount of yogurt in the batter (there’s 4.4 grams of protein in each pancake!!), they seem perfectly balanced by more yogurt on top, along with a drizzle of maple syrup. I was eating these last night sandwiched with peanut butter and jelly while telling myself to go to the gym. Then went to sleep. And then woke up and realized: why am I not eating these with more yogurt?

So I did. And they were glorious.

*lately, I’ve been on a huge Greek yogurt kick. I finally realized the importance of protein in your diet (very.important. Epiphany #347: protein really does keep you fuller than carbs!) and realized that I am pretty consistently severely under my recommended protein intake. So I’ve been eating tons of yogurt for breakfast, lentils for lunch, and sometimes yogurt for/after dinner. These pancakes were a natural evolution in my severely non-vegan diet lately.

Oat and Yogurt Pancakes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: approximately 7 3\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" pancakes

Serving Size: per 1 pancake

Calories per serving: 100

Fat per serving: 4.3g

With 4.4 grams of protein per pancake, these incredibly fluffy and tangy pancakes are far from your typical carb-fest pancake. This version, packed with yogurt and oats, is gluten-free, but you can also make them vegan!

Ingredients

½ cup regular or Greek yogurt (regular will make for flatter pancakes. I used a nonfat Greek yogurt on the runny side. Any fat will work (nonfat, 2%, full-fat, etc.)
1 large egg
1.5 tablespoon vegetable oil
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons buckwheat flour
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons oat flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup malted milk powder or 1-2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

Whisk the yogurt, egg and oil together until combined (I do this in my glass measuring cup). In another bowl, combine the flours, salt, baking soda, baking powder and malted milk powder. Fold the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients until combined. Mixture should be thick, more like a muffin batter. If you prefer thinner pancakes, thin out the mixture with a few tablespoons of milk.

Begin heating a large skillet over medium heat. When a drop of water sizzles on the surface, grease the pan with cooking spray or a drop of oil. I used a scant quarter cup of batter per pancake to get 7 pancakes, cooked in three batches. Each pancake should need between 1-2 minutes before the top will begin to look dry and bubble will start to form. Flip and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute before removing from pan.

Serve with additional yogurt, maple syrup, berries, PB&J, etc.

Notes

Use certified gluten-free oats if you are strictly gluten-free. For a non gluten-free option, use whole wheat flour instead of buckwheat flour.

For a vegan option, use vegan yogurt and substitute 1 tablespoon of flaxseed or chia seeds for the egg. Add an additional few tablespoons of milk if batter is too thick.

Adapted from King Arthur

http://www.thepancakeprincess.com/2013/05/24/pancake-fridays-oat-yogurt-pancakes/

Vegan Chocolate Mini Muffins (no sugar!)

37 Replies

So, I’m really excited about these muffins. (!!!) Remember when I gave up sugar for a week? And then tried to switch over to only natural sweeteners?

Obviously I fell off the wagon a little.

Well, I’m finally back on track with these muffins. There’s no sugar in these—-not even a liquid natural sweeteners. No honey, agave, brown rice syrup, or maple syrup. The best part? The first bite made me want to dance around my kitchen. They are AMAZING.

These luscious little healthy chocolate muffins are sweetened solely with dates. DATES!

Speaking of dates, I need to go on one. Erik is finally done with his wretchedly difficult first year of grad school and it sounds like he killed his qualifying exams (fingerscrossed!). So we meant to celebrate with a nice dinner last Saturday. Um, instead we spent a lot of the day on the floor of my air-conditioned bedroom trying to work up the will to brave the hot air of the pool, then hauled out our rusty bikes and worked up ridiculous sweats biking approximately a mile to get fro yo as a pre-dinner snack…and then passed the new taco place in Rice Village…and caved to the siren call of shrimp tacos.

This also makes excellent loaves.

Which were delicious, but this man deserves steak. And I am a vegetarian. I don’t advocate meat. But I am willing to support the consumption of steak here—that’s how hard he’s worked. I welcome any other ideas of how to spoil the guy if you have any suggestions!

Now that I’ve distracted you with talk of steak, let’s muffin talk. You know those giant double chocolate muffins at Costco? These are better. My favorite combo of whole wheat flour and oat flour makes these irresistibly plush. You can puree your date paste for a smoother texture, but I left mine rustically chunky, which meant my muffins were threaded with warm, sugary chunks of dates. Heaven.

(I’ve really been feeling the mini muffins lately, though this is equally good in loaf form.)

Moist, not too sweet, and studded with melty chocolate chips, these muffins feel like the definition of decadence. They’re so easy. Just one extra step past a typical muffin recipe–making the date paste–is so worth the end result. Once you make your first date paste, you’ll be asking yourself where it’s been all your life (Erik thought it looked disgusting, but did agree that it’s delicious!) Get yo’self some healthy muffins. Right now!

Vegan Chocolate Mini Muffins (no sugar!)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 33 minutes

Yield: approximately 26 mini muffins or 1 standard loaf

Serving Size: 1 mini muffin

Calories per serving: 82

Fat per serving: 2.3g

Vegan double chocolate muffins are moist and tender from a combination of whole grain flours and healthy fats. Sweetened only with date paste, they're rich but not too sweet.

Ingredients

1.5 cups dates, chopped and pitted
1 cup water
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup oat flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup almond milk
2 large, very ripe bananas, mashed
2 tablespoons oil
1.5 tablespoons peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional <--this adds sugar.)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a mini muffin tin or standard loaf pan with nonstick spray.

Place the dates and water in a small saucepan, uncovered, over high heat. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, add the baking soda. Mixture will foam up; reduce the heat to medium or medium high if mixture starts to foam over. After a minute or two, the dates should begin to break down. Use a wooden spoon to stir/mash up the dates a little. Let simmer for another five minutes or so until the dates break down into a paste-like mixture. Add an additional splash of water if the mixture starts to look dry before the dates have completely broken down. Once dates are a stir-able mass, set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the date paste, vanilla, milk, bananas, oil and peanut butter and stir until well combined. Do not overmix. Fold in chocolate chips.

Place about a heaping tablespoon of batter into each mini muffin well or pour batter in prepared loaf pan. Bake for 12-13 minutes for mini muffins or about 40-45 minutes for a loaf. Muffins are done when the tops feel firm to the touch.

Notes

Adapted from The Muffin Myth.

http://www.thepancakeprincess.com/2013/05/21/vegan-chocolate-mini-muffins-no-sugar/

Banana Yogurt Cookies

30 Replies

Goodbyes are the worst.

I do this thing where sometimes I yell “bye!” over my shoulder and hotfoot it away like I don’t care whether I’ll ever see person in question again. I’m rude. This happens very rarely.

In most incidents of serious goodbyes when it’s essential that things get huggy, soul-twinging and verging on teary, I can follow all the social conventions, but that mopey, sluggish feeling of soul-sucking depression afterwards? Sometimes I’d rather just be rude then have to contemplate actual FEELINGS. How passé.

My roommate of this past year moved out today to spend a few weeks at home before jetting off to get her ~~Masters~~ doctorate! (shows how well I listen..) in physical therapy at her prestigious California school. In the midst of packing up boxes Saturday evening, we both came to the realization that yes. She was actually. Moving.

I’m going to miss her for a million reasons including but not limited to: her boundless positivity, health and work out expertise, penchant for gossip and love for healthy eating. But let’s be real: the number one reason she wins the roommate of the year award is because she not only put up with my constant monopoly of the kitchen but also ate everything I made. And I mean EVERYTHING. No matter how hideous my healthy alterations turned out in a recipe, she was always willing to taste test and give me an honest opinion.

So when we realized she was in fact moving, we a) freaked out and then b) pulled out the cookie sheets. I made another batch of these (at her request), black bean brownies and a version of these cookies my roommate had made awhile back that I was completely obsessed with: they are the fluffiest, cakiest banana cookies EVER. My roommate loves anything doughy, so they are basically our ideal cookies.

But since we also both prize health, I tried to make them slightly more ideal by adding Greek yogurt, coconut oil and whole grain flours. And so we sat on our darkening balcony in the dreamy Houston heat listening to this song on repeat and talking about our ideal men while eating our ideal cookies. And that is how I think goodbye should be said from now on.

Banana Yogurt Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: ~3 dozen cookies

Serving Size: 1 cookie

Calories per serving: 88 calories

Fat per serving: 3.7g

Banana Yogurt Cookies

Soft, doughy banana cookies get chew from Greek yogurt and whole-grain flours but stay fluffy and rich with coconut oil.

Ingredients

1.5 cup all-purpose, whole wheat, or white whole wheat flour
½ cup spelt flour (can sub other flours--see notes)
½ cup oat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2-3 large)
1/2 – 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the flours, baking powder, salt, baking soda in a bowl.

In a measuring cup or other bowl, combine the coconut oil, sugar, yogurt, egg, vanilla and mashed banana. Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Use a rounded tablespoon of dough per cookie and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown around the edges.

Notes

I used a mess of flours based on what I had lying around--any combination of virtually any flour (spelt, buckwheat, oat, AP, whole wheat, white whole wheat) should work. If you go heavy on the oat flour, make sure you counterbalance with a good amount of a sturdier wheat-based flour or spelt flour.

I thought it was worth mentioning that the recipe I modified to make these called for a full cup of sugar. I would have reduced this to 3/4 cup, but it turns out my roommate had made these with only 1/2 cup of sugar originally. I thought it was the perfect amount for a breakfast-appropriate cookie--the bananas add tons of natural sweetness on their own. I think you could probably sub 1/3-1/2 cup of a natural sweetener instead of sugar.

You may sub butter for coconut oil if you wish.

Adapted from here and here

http://www.thepancakeprincess.com/2013/05/13/banana-yogurt-cookies/

Spent Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan)

22 Replies

I am not a beer person.

I can count the number of beers that I’ve actually enjoyed on one hand—beer is tolerable, but generally not enjoyable. Which is why I was bewildered to find myself fixating on Love and Olive Oil’s Chocolate Stout beer and finally asked my master brewing friend if he’d be willing to try it.

Since Trevor is amazing and always down for beer, he took me on a field trip to the grain store where we picked out pounds of grain, yeast, hops and lactose in a musty, farm-like warehouse. And then we spent three hours brewing the darn thing. Which I’m not even sure I’m going to like. Trevor accidentally had the wrong type of yeast on hand during the process, so we’re apparently making a Belgian chocolate stout instead of a normal stout, which he’s never done before. Whatever. I just want the chocolate part.

The brewing process is basically this:

a) Boil a TON of grain in a lot of water and let it sit to extract sugars from the grain

b) Take the sugar-water and boil it with other components to make the beer: hops (for bitterness and balance), flavoring (we used cocoa) and lactose (for sweetness–it’s a sugar that isn’t fermented by the yeast).

c) Add yeast and let ferment.

It’s a process heavy on the heating and cooling and sitting and waiting. The beer is currently sitting pretty in a large vat and my fridge is currently occupied with pounds of spent grain, which is the term for the pounds of leftover boiled grain.

Spent grain isn’t the prettiest thing: it kind of looks like horse food and smells vaguely barn-like when ground into flour. However, that grainy, prickly, soggy mass has had most of the starch boiled out and is essentially a pile of protein and fiber—woohoo! It can be used for animal feed, but you can also stuff it into tons of other things—granola, flour, bread, waffles, biscotti, muffins, etc.

My first attempts to chip away at my mountain of spent grain included spent grain granola and spent grain flour, neither of which blew me away. The granola burned and flour smelled ultra-grainy. Then I attempted these cookies with several modifications and was disappointed—they were crumbly and prickly with the grain.

Just when I was wringing my hands once again and considering trashing the rest of the grain, I tried the cookies again with different modifications, and they were AMAZING. Soft and peanut buttery with a yielding crumb and studded with chewy grains—completely addicting. It’s like the thickest oatmeal cookie you’ve ever had with a crazy grainy texture. (You could probably sub oats for the spent grain and add a few more tablespoons of milk. Or Omnomicon suggests that any cooked grain might work—I’m dreaming about these with cooked quinoa!) They were apparently a big hit with my roommate’s coworkers.

My favorite version of these cookies is the following one as written. I hate to be an advocate for beer, but I really find spent grain fascinating and these cookies are definitely worth a try! Weekend mission: find spent grain.

Spent Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: ~30 cookies

Serving Size: 1 cookie

Calories per serving: 104

Fat per serving: 3.1g

Soft, cakey whole-grain cookies are studded with spent grain, the protein- and fiber-packed by-product of brewing beer.

Ingredients

1/3 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon coconut oil (can sub vegetable oil)
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup milk (I used homemade walnut milk and it was FANTASTIC)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup spent grain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 cups spent grains (wet)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Combine the peanut butter, oil, sugar, milk and vanilla. Add the flour(s), baking soda and salt. Fold in the spent grain and chocolate chips.

Roll cookies into balls using about a tablespoon of dough per cookie. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350F for 12-14 minutes until the tops begin to brown and look dry. Cookies should feel firm-ish to the touch—slightly soft in the center, but not gooey.

These are absolutely the best the day they are made, but will keep in a sealed container at room temperature or in the fridge for a few days (up to a week in the fridge).

Notes

If you don't have spent grain flour on hand, sub more whole wheat flour or any type of flour (spelt, buckwheat, all-purpose, etc.)

I've tried subbing almond butter for the peanut butter and they just weren't as good. I've also tried subbing oat flour for the whole wheat flour and while they were again soft and cakey, I think they were more delicate, which made the grain stand out more.

Adapted from here

http://www.thepancakeprincess.com/2013/05/09/spent-grain-chocolate-chip-cookies-vegan/

Banana Bread French Toast Parfaits (with the best vegan, GF banana bread ever)

23 Replies

In lieu of pancakes, I bring you something else breakfasty!

Last night, I started to make a cake for someone. I had grand plans of spreading pliable, freshly made ice cream across thick banana bread French toast cake layers coated in magic chocolate-coconut oil shell, chocolate chips, nuts, etc.

…this isn’t my first banana bread French toast rodeo, but this time, unfortunately, I used the most tender, crumbliest vegan gluten-free banana bread recipe known to man and half of my egg-sogged, meant-to-be-French-toasted* layers instantly crumbled.

So then I was like “ugh” freak out *huff huff* wring hands “ugh!” *roll eyes*smash bread with spatula before I was like duh!

Are you picking up what I’m putting down?

French toast banana bread was instantly chunked, layered with cinnamon coconut cream, sliced bananas and chocolate chips and a way-too-involved parfait was born. Or would this be trifle? According to google, this is perhaps not a trifle because there is no custard. Just cake, cream and fruit.

Good ‘nuff for me.

For the sake of ease, I could recommend that you use a sturdier banana bread that won’t fall apart during the French toast process, like this one. But truthfully, this vegan, gluten-free banana bread recipe from Babycakes is so amazingly plush and spiced (no, that tablespoon of vanilla is not a typo) and just all around delicious that I really hope you make it despite its nightmarish reaction to French toast batter. These parfaits could be just as good with simple cubes of banana bread.

You don’t even have to make the parfaits if you just make the banana bread. But seriously, these parfaits are perfect spring party food. Something about blooming flowers and towering sunshine just screams a need for piles of cool, sweet cream over lush cake chunks studded with chocolate chips and banans, no?

*today, I request that French toast become a verb. Thanks.

Banana Bread French Toast Parfaits

Ingredients

For Babycakes' banana bread:
3/4 cup spelt flour
3/4 cup oat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon chia seeds (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon good quality vanilla
1 1/4 cups mashed bananas (about 3 large)
Cinnamon French toast batter
For the coconut cream:
1 can full-fat coconut milk
2-4 tablespoons powdered sugar
dash of vanilla
dash of cinnamon

Instructions

For the banana bread:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a standard 13x18" cookie sheet (or loaf pan) well and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, chia seeds (if using), salt and cinnamon. Add oil, maple syrup, almond milk and vanilla directly to the dry ingredients and mix again. Fold in bananas (the smoother the mash, the better).

Pour batter into sheet pan and spread evenly. Bake for 14-17 (40-45 if using a loaf pan) minutes, or until banana bread springs back under your finger (it will feel a tad spongy). Remove from oven and cool completely.

Once the banana bread has cooled, prepare the French toast batter. Cut off squares of banana bread, dip in French toast batter, and fry for two minutes on each side in a lightly greased, preheated skillet over medium heat, until golden.

For the coconut cream:

Place the coconut milk in the fridge overnight (do NOT use milk that has not been thoroughly chilled).

Remove the milk from the fridge and turn the can upside down. Remove the lid. Use a spoon to scrape off the solid coconut mass at the top (reserve the liquid at the bottom for another use).

Using a hand mixer, beat the coconut cream until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, cinnamon and vanilla and continue to whip until combined.

To assemble:

Cut banana bread French toast slices into cubes. Layer cubes with coconut cream, sliced bananas, chocolate chips and repeat as desired. I layered some into glass mason jars and some into a 6" springform pan. With the pan version, I layered the banana bread, bananas and chocolate chips and popped it into a preheated 350 oven for about 10-15 minutes to get everything warm and melty, then topped it with the coconut cream like frosting. Delish.

Notes

The original Babycakes recipe called for 1.5 cups of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour, specifically. I used half whole spelt flour and half oat flour (ground from rolled oats) and was perfectly happy with my results. I also subbed chia seeds for xantham gum and maple syrup for the agave, with delicious results.

I originally baked the banana bread in a cookie sheet in order to make flat cake layers of French toast. This method will take much less baking time, but you will end up with thin layers that crumble easily if you try to make French toast with them. As an alternative, you can bake the banana bread in a loaf pan, which will take longer, but yield thicker slices that may stand up better to being dipped and fried.

http://www.thepancakeprincess.com/2013/05/03/banana-bread-french-toast-parfaits-with-the-best-vegan-gf-banana-bread-ever/

Almond Butter Quinoa Oat Mini Muffins

32 Replies

So yesterday: I’m in my car, sweating slightly as I loop around my old college campus, at a loss for parking ideas and in a rush to get to an on-campus dinner for which I’m late. Phone is at my side, two rejected calls to Erik flash on the screen (he’s busy studying, but I need his parking pass). Radio up; mini muffins are sweating beside me in a shallow Tupperware that I forgot to crack open.

I run into a friend coming from the gym and we chat through my open window for a good three minutes—causing cars to squeeze around us—and I force muffins on her, thinking that if I don’t see Erik, I will be stuck with yet another full batch of irresistible carbs (she only takes two, politely). Ten minutes later, parking crisis has been averted (slightly less-than-full Tupperware of muffins have been swapped for the parking pass) and I am happily sucking down pasta and salad and lemon bars with some of the people I love best from college.

I’d contemplated bringing several things to the dinner, but the muffins, thrown together just before I left the house, were not present because I just wasn’t sure whether they were objectively delicious (i.e. blog-worthy and shareable) or just me-delicious. But when I get a smiley text from Erik saying “Muffins are already gone J” and a request from the muffin-foisted friend for the recipe within a few hours of each other, I figure this is one worth sharing, even though it’s kind of already been done.

These muffins are glorified piles of oats garnished with quinoa and chocolate chips. The quinoa adds barely distinguishable specks of chewy texture that I adore and the combination of oats and oat flour keep these textured but light. Moistened with almond butter, sweeteners and oil, they have a slightly higher fat profile than my typical muffins, but they are SO incredibly tender and fluffy—it’s worth it. They’re downright crowd-pleasing and I hereby regret not bringing these to share (because wahh, now my roommate and I are faced with the rest of the batch). Next time!

Almond Butter Quinoa Oat Mini Muffins

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 30 mini muffins

Serving Size: 1 muffin

Calories per serving: 68 cal

Fat per serving: 3.2g

These fluffy, textured, protein-packed muffins can be made gluten-free by using GF oats. Packed with wholesome oats, quinoa and almond butter, these make a great breakfast on the go!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons almond butter
1 egg
1.5 cups oat flour
1/2 cup oats, instant or rolled
1 teaspoon baking powder
scant ½ teaspoon salt
1/2 cup almond milk
1/3 cup quinoa, cooked and cooled
1/4 cup chocolate chips (more to taste)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) and grease a mini muffin tin or line with wrappers.

If you don’t have cooked quinoa already on hand, put 1/4-1/2 cup (depending on the amount of leftover you want) dry quinoa in a small pot with double the amount of water. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, covered, until all water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Refrigerate any leftover quinoa.

Stir together oil, sugar, honey and peanut butter.

Beat in the egg. Combine the oat flour, oats, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.

Add the oat mixture and almond milk in five additions, starting and ending with oat flour.

Fold in the cooked quinoa and chocolate chips.

Bake at 425 degrees for four minutes, and then reduce the temperature to 350 (180 C) for 10 minutes. (Alternatively, you can bake these at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes if you're baking something else at the same time that calls for 350.)

For regular-size muffins, bake for 5 minutes at 425 degrees, then 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Notes

Use gluten-free oats if you are strictly gluten-free.

These can be made vegan by substituting 1 tablespoon of flaxseed or chia seeds + 3 tablespoons almond milk in place of the egg; I just preferred the egg version.

I always make my own oat flour by grinding whole oats in a food processor. You can also grind down the added whole oats if you want a less pronounced texture from the oats.

http://www.thepancakeprincess.com/2013/04/29/almond-butter-quinoa-oat-mini-muffins/