Tag: treat

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Whole Wheat Sourdough Scones with Goat Cheese and Rosemary

Whole Wheat Sourdough Scones with Goat Cheese and Rosemary

I am a superfan of Paisley Fig‘s scones at Room 11 (soon to have its own storefront in Mt. Pleasant DC as well). I’ve sampled scones far and wide but no pastry elsewhere holds a candle to these shaggy pillows of flour and butter. While I am no Paisley Fig, I do love baking bread and recently got back into the rhythm with a sourdough starter from Cultures for Health. After lovingly feeding and growing my starter for a week and building it up for use over the course of another few days, I now have a robust living culture for all my sour baking dreams. Rejoice!

I baked my first loaf last week only to realize I needed to knead it more. Edible, but not ideal. This week, I attempted their gluten-free sourdough oat and buckwheat scones – only I made it not gluten-free, probiotic and savory 🙂 Check out my adaptation below – they are delicious!

 

Whole Wheat Sourdough Scones with Goat Cheese and Rosemary

Whole Wheat Sourdough Scones with Goat Cheese and Rosemary

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 2 cups whole wheat bread flour
  • 6 Tbs cold butter
  • 1/2 cup sourdough starter
  • 1/2 cup plain kefir (low-fat or whole milk)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
  • 2 Tbs rosemary leaves, minced

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine oats and flour. Cut in cold butter, cubed, until flour texture becomes crumbly (note: you can use two forks, a dough blender, or pinch the butter into the flour with your fingertips). Pour in sourdough starter and kefir and mix with your hand or cutting utensils until the dough begins to come together. Knead a few times in the bowl to ensure that everything is well-mixed.
  2. Cover with a dry cloth and let sour 8 to 12 hours at room temperature (ideally 68-85°F).
  3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425°F.
  4. In a small bowl, beat eggs. In a separate small bowl combine baking soda, salt, and baking powder with a fork until well combined.
  5. Add the eggs and dry mixture to the soured dough and mix together, using a utensil or your hands – I like to use my hands personally. Fold in the goat cheese and rosemary until  the ingredients come together well and the goodies look evenly distributed.
  6. Line a baking sheet. Use your hands or a large soup spoon to make shaggy triangles of dough on the prepared baking sheet. Leave at least 1 inch of space between scones. I did one baking sheet with 12 scones from this recipe, but you could definitely make them smaller and do two batches.
  7. Once pan is full, transfer scones to preheated oven and bake 14-16 minutes or until set on top and golden brown on the bottom. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving or transferring to cooling rack.
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Maple-Apple Cake Donuts

Sure, pumpkin anything is bringing sexy back this fall (and all the falls) but apples have been an autumnal all-star far longer. We could do a comparison table here showcasing everything you can do with apples versus pumpkin and I bet these two tasty ingredients would be neck-and-neck, but that is too much formatting and work for me to handle before my next yoga class (truth be told). So instead, I’m going to tell you about how I turned this delicious Pumpkin Cake Donut recipe from King Arthur Flour into a Maple-Apple Cake Donut using apples I picked from my local Waters Orchard.

Growing up in Massachusetts, my favorite donuts were those powdered cake donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts which inevitably left more sugary dust on your chin and clothes than made it into your mouth. I loved the fluffy texture and sweet remnants you got to lick off your lips after the treat was done. As a nutrition coach, I tend not to eat or recommend too many donuts these days but if you’re going to do it, do it good.

The following Maple-Apple Cake Donut recipe was inspired by sweet apples and a small jar of granulated maple sugar from my parents up in New England. The ingredients did the talking, King Arthur helped me with the baseline, and my creative mind made swaps to cut back on added sugar and fuse these fluffy Os with fall flavor.

Maple-Apple Cake Donuts

MAPLE-APPLE CAKE DONUTS

Makes 12 donuts

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/2 stick of butter (or 1/4 cup), melted
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup cane sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 Tbs maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 cups 15-minutes homemade apple sauce (recipe follows)
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 ts ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, level
  • Granulated maple sugar for dusting

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two donut pans. 
  2. In a large mixer, use the flat beater attachment to combine the oil, butter, eggs, sugars, maple syrup, apple sauce, spices, salt, and baking powder until smooth. (You can also do this by hand with a little elbow grease and a whisk). 
  3. Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.
  4. Fill the wells of the donut pans about  to the top but be careful they don’t overflow.
  5. Bake for ~18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. 
  6. Remove from the oven, let cool a few minutes, loosen the edges (if need be) with a butter knife, and gently flip onto a rack to cool. 
  7. While the doughnuts are still warm generously dust them with granulated maple sugar (or cinnamon sugar).
  8. Let cool completely and store at room temperature for several days. I like to place them on a plate, stick them with toothpicks, and tent them with plastic wrap so they have room to breath.

 

HOMEMADE APPLE SAUCE

Ingredients:

  • 2 extra large or 3 large apples – peeled, cored and chopped
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

 

Directions:

  1. In a medium microwavable mixing bowl, combine prepped apples with sugar and cinnamon.
  2. Microwave for 3 minutes, stir, and microwave again another 3-4 minutes until apples are soft (not mushy) when pricked with a fork.
  3. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blender until mostly smooth (any little chunks will taste delicious when you bite into them).

 

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MOAR’s Healthy GB Fries w/ Lemon Aioli

Inspired by a recent article in the NYT by one of my food idols, Mark Bittman, I decided to break open my glass jar of garbanzo bean (GB) flour and make something out of the ordinary. I purchased the flour a while back because I loved the idea of using it as an alternative to white or wheat. GB flour is not only gluten-free but has 21% of your DV for dietary fiber, 10% of your iron, and 6g of protein per serving. Compare that to whole wheat flour’s 12%, 8%, and 4g respectively (white flour doesn’t even hold a candle), and GB flour takes the perverbial cake.

Don’t get my wrong, these babies are still fried (though grapeseed oil keeps them light and crispy) but they’re an excellent nutritional alternative to the golden arches or BK. Give them a try and I promise you won’t want anything to do with the French kind.

Garbanzo Bean Fries w/ Lemon Aioli

IMG_4051

What You’ll Need:

  • 1 1/2 cups garbanzo bean (GB) flour
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 2 tbs Herbes de Provence
  • Salt & pepper (to taste)
  • Grapeseed oil (amount depends on pan size, for frying)

How to Make Them:

  1. Grease an 8-by-8 baking dish with some oil or spray.
  2. Boil 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan.
  3. Put the GB flour in a large bowl and when the water comes to a boil, slowly add it to the bowl. Whisk constantly as you pour to prevent lumps. (Tip: you can also do this in a KitchenAid standing mixer if you have one. If you do it by hand–as I did in the featured photo–the batter will inevitably have a lump or two.)
  4. Scrape the mixture back into the same saucepan you used, add a little salt and pepper, and bring it to a boil (it should take just a couple minutes). Reduce it to a gentle simmer, add in the 2 tbs of olive oil, and cook for one more minute.
  5. Scoop your doughy mix into the baking dish and spread it into an even layer, which should be about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Let it cool all the way then cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour or as long as a day.
  6. Heat at least 1/4 inch of grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium. Let it heat until a drop of water makes the oil hiss and spit (stand back!).
  7. Slide the chilled dough out onto a cutting board (this is why you greased the pan) and slice the GB mixture into the shape of fries. These don’t have to look perfect–think handcut or as my Italian familia would say, al rustico! Pat dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
  8. Working in batches, gently sliding them into the hot oil. Nudge them around occasionally until they’re golden all over, cooking for about 4 to 5 minutes.
  9. Transfer your fries to paper towels (removing the excess oil) and immediately sprinkle with salt, pepper and Herbes de Provence. Serve immediately for the tastiest results.

Lemon Aioli

What You’ll Need:

  • 1 cup organic mayonaise (you can go reduced fat here if you like)
  • Zest of one lemon
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 2 cloves of garlic

How to Make It:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the garlic is well-blended. If you don’t have a food processor, you can easily do this by hand–just mince the garlic before mixing.
  2. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

My GB Fries and Lemon Aioli make for a great appetizer or side dish to my homemade Quinoa Black Bean Zucchini Burgers. Enjoy these tasty bites with no guilt and maybe even your favorite icy brew. A wise woman once said: “everything in moderation, including moderation.”