Recipes

Summer Squash Bread

~ Joy ~ 1 Comment
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Summer Squash Bread

Even though my family doesn’t have a garden, every year we are blessed with homegrown produce from friends.

Last year I traded homemade bread for bags of fresh tomatoes. Another year a kind neighbor gave us cucumbers and collard greens. And this year we were given a bounty of giant summer squash from a friend that was more than willing to share a bag or two.

After she sent me this picture, I was a little worried…

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As much as we enjoy squash ’round here, that would have been a bit much, but she only brought part of the bounty.  (Thanks Ash!) :)

One of my favorite things to make with squash is squash bread. Although I’ve tried another recipe in the past, this year I adjusted my grandma’s zucchini bread recipe and substituted squash instead of zucchini. The result was a delicious treat that the whole family enjoys.

I think it’s a new summer tradition.

Summer Squash Bread
 
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inspired by my grandma's zucchini bread
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Yield: 2 loaves
Ingredients
  • ½ cup applesauce
  • ½ cup coconut oil (heated just till warmed)
  • ¾ cup sucanat (or sugar)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 Tbs vanilla
  • 2 cups shredded summer sqaush
  • 3 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
Instructions
  1. Whisk together the applesauce, oil, sucanat, eggs, and vanilla.
  2. Stir in the squash.
  3. Add remaining ingredients and mix until combined.
  4. Grease two loaf pans and pour the batter into the pans.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Let cool for about 10 minutes before removing the bread from the pans. Serve warm (it's extra good with a slab of butter) or cooled. Enjoy! :)

What’s one of your favorite recipes for squash?

Strawberry Shortcake Muffins (Recipe)

~ Joy ~ 1 Comment

Strawberry Muffins

Strawberries hold many sweet memories for me.

One of my earliest strawberry memories goes back to when I was four years old. My great-uncle visited our home in Florida, bringing a bounty of fresh strawberries. We sat at the kitchen table and I feasted on plenty of those juicy red berries with him.

And then there’s the spring evening several years back when we invited some of our Alabama neighbors over for a cookout. We sat on the back porch and ate homemade strawberry shortcake topped with fresh whipped cream.

With strawberry shortcake on my mind once again, I made these muffins. They’re moist and slightly sweet with a hint of coconut.

They taste like memories.

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Strawberry Shortcake Muffins
 
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Moist, wheat-free strawberry muffins with a hint of coconut.
Author:
Yield: 18 Muffins
Ingredients
  • 4½ cups oat flour (see notes below)
  • 2 Tbs baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ cup coconut oil
  • ¼ cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
  • ⅔ cup honey
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • ½ tsp coconut extract
  • ⅓ cup flaked coconut
  • 2 cups chopped frozen strawberries.
Instructions
  1. Whisk together the oat flour, baking powder, and salt.
  2. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the coconut oil, sucanat, honey, and buttermilk. (It should be warm to the touch. This will keep the coconut oil from hardening when you mix it.)
  3. In a large bowl, mix the warmed coconut oil mixture with the eggs, vanilla, coconut extract, and flaked coconut.
  4. Blend in the dry ingredients. Stir in the chopped strawberries.
  5. Line 18 muffin cups with muffin liners (or grease each cup with coconut oil). Spoon the batter into the muffin cups.
  6. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-23 minutes, or until golden and cracked.
  7. These are delicious warm or cooled, but are better set after cooling.
Notes
Oat flour can be made by milling oats with a kitchen mill or by processing them in a food processor (or high-powered blender) until fine. I prefer to mill the oats with my kitchen mill, since that produces a finer flour, but either way will work.

Watermelon Smoothie

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Watermelon
A snapshot from four years ago by my brother Jay (dview.us)

Watermelon is one of my favorite summer treats. I just love it.

I also love smoothies. So why not combine the two? (Thanks Kathy for the inspiration.)

This one-serving smoothie is light and sweet. The maple syrup is optional, but definitely takes this smoothie to the next level.

Happy Summer!

Watermelon Smootihe

Watermelon Smoothie
 
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vegan, soy-free & dairy-free
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Yield: 1 Serving
Ingredients
  • ½ cup frozen cubed watermelon (see Notes below)
  • ½ ripe banana
  • ½ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1 Tbs maple syrup (optional)
  • pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Blend all ingredients together (I use a Nutri-Bullet, but a regular blender would work too). Enjoy!
Notes
I like to chop the watermelon into small cubes and freeze it in plastic bags. Make sure to pick out the black seeds before freezing.

Blueberry Banana Muffins

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I feel like I’ve posted too many muffin recipes on this blog.

In fact, I’ve counted it up. This is the eighth one.

But there’s no such thing as too many muffins, right?

Blueberry Banana Muffins

I can’t help it after all. I love muffins, and this recipe is no exception–moist, diary free, oatmeal muffins flavored with banana and blueberries.

Yup. They make breakfast so much better.

Blueberry Banana Muffins
 
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moist, diary free, oatmeal muffins flavored with banana and blueberries.
Author:
Yield: 1 dozen
Ingredients
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • ¾ cup rolled oats
  • 2 Tbs ground flaxseed
  • 1 Tbs baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ½ cup vanilla almond milk
  • ¼ cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 large ripe banana
  • 1 cup frozen blueberries
  • ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts
  • 2 tsp sucanat (or brown sugar)
Instructions
  1. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. Stir together the flour, oats, flaxseed, baking powder, and salt.
  3. In a sauce pan, melt the coconut oil over medium low heat. Stir in the almond milk, honey, and sucanat. Heat until warm (not hot) and the sucanat had dissolved.
  4. In a separate bowl, mash the banana. Blend in the coconut oil mixture.
  5. Add the flour mixture and blend until combined.
  6. Fold in the frozen blueberries briefly (so that the blueberries don't stain the batter).
  7. Pour evenly into the muffin cups.
  8. Optional: sprinkle the tops with finely chopped walnuts and sucanat.
  9. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes, or until golden.
  10. Serve warm or cooled.

Basic Italian Croutons

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For some reason, croutons are a rarity around our house.

Basic Italian Croutons

But they’re so yummy and crunchy.

I should make them more often, especially when they’re so easy to make.

Here’s the gist:

Whole Wheat Bread (I use my Homemade Whole Wheat Bread)
Olive oil
Italian seasoning
Garlic salt

Toss the ingredients together, cook them until golden, and then toss them on a salad.

Yep, simple and yummy.

Crunch. Crunch.

Basic Italian Croutons

Basic Italian Croutons
 
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simple, dairy-free, Italian croutons
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Ingredients
  • 5 slices whole wheat bread, cubed (about 4 cups)
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp garlic salt
Instructions
  1. Cut the slices of bread into cubes.
  2. Drizzle with olive oil and and seasonings.
  3. Mix until evenly coated.
  4. Spread the croutons on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
  5. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Stir and then bake for 5 more minutes, or until golden. (Be careful not to burn.)
  6. Let cool; store in sealed container.

 

A Passover Treat: Matzo Candy

~ Joy ~ 2 Comments

A special treat for every Passover is matzo candy.

Matzo Candy

Another classic around here is the matzo song: 20 Things to Do With Matzah (Yeah, it’s silly.)

I have yet to try the matzo tea that the song suggests…

But I can vouch for this matzo candy.

Matzo Candy

This is a healthier version of the typical matzo candy recipe, but I like it more than any of my previous attempts. It features honey instead of sugar, and coconut oil instead of butter. It’s unleavened deliciousness for sure!

Matzo Candy
 
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An unleavened, dairy-free, and delicious Passover treat
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Ingredients
  • 3-4 salted matzo squares (I used 3½)
  • 2 Tbs coconut oil
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • ½ cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips, divided
  • ¼ cup roasted peanuts
Instructions
  1. Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Stir in the honey and vanilla until combined.
  2. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the matzo squares on the tray, breaking them as needed to fit.
  3. Coat both sides of each matzo piece in the honey mixture and place on the parchment paper.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. The caramel should be bubbling on the tray and the matzo golden. Be careful not to overcook.
  5. Sprinkle ¼ cup of chocolate chips (or more!) on the matzo pieces. Let sit for 5 minutes. Spread the melted chocolate evenly on the matzo.
  6. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips and peanuts if desired. (I like to spread the chocolate chips around a bit to coat them in the melted chocolate and then sprinkle on the peanuts.)
  7. Place in the freezer or refrigerator until the chocolate is hardened.
  8. Break in pieces and store in the refrigerator.

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

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Oatmeal Raisin Muffins
Moist, dairy-free, oatmeal raisin muffins topped with cinnamon sugar and finely chopped walnuts.
Oatmeal Raisin Muffins
 
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Moist, dairy-free, oatmeal raisin muffins topped with cinnamon sugar and finely chopped walnuts.
Author:
Yield: 1 dozen
Ingredients
  • 1 cup quick cooking oats (or a heaping cup of rolled oats chopped a bit in a food processor)
  • ¾ cup whole wheat flour
  • ¼ cup ground flaxseed
  • 1 Tbs baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup coconut oil
  • ½ cup almond milk
  • ¼ cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ½ cup applesauce
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts
  • 2 Tbs sucanat (or brown sugar)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Stir together the oats, flour, flaxseed, baking powder, and salt.
  2. In a saucepan melt the coconut oil, add the almond milk, ¼ cup sucanat, and honey; stir until combined. (The mixture should be warm to the touch but not hot.)
  3. In a separate bowl combine the coconut oil mixture and applesauce.
  4. Mix in the flour mixture; stir in the raisins.
  5. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. Pour the batter evenly into the cups.
  6. Combine the chopped walnuts, 2 Tbs sucanat, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
  7. Sprinkle over the tops of muffins. Press the topping gently into the muffins.
  8. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

My Green Smoothie

~ Joy ~ 2 Comments

A day without a green smoothie is like a day without sunshine.

Thus a green smoothie greets me almost every morning.

My Green Smoothie

What’s even better is listening to Josh Garrels music while I’m sipping my morning smoothie.

Now that’s a recipe for success.

My Green Smoothie
 
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Prep time
Total time
 
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Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients
  • Handful fresh kale or spinach leaves (about ½ cup packed)
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 Tbs coconut oil
  • 1 scoop dietary fiber or protein powder (optional)
  • ¼ cup vanilla yogurt (optional but delicious)
  • ½ cup + 2 Tbs vanilla almond milk (It's a odd amount because that's what fits in my small Nutri-Bullet cup, but you can use as much has you'd like)
  • 2 ice cubes (to chill the smoothie a bit)
Instructions
  1. Place the ingredients in a blender (I use a Nutri-Bullet) and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Frozen Strawberry Crumb Bars

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This scrumptious dessert features strawberries, homemade whipped cream, and a nutty crumb topping. Frozen Strawberry Crumb Bars It tastes similar to strawberry ice cream. But even my mom who happens to not like strawberry ice cream likes it. So maybe that makes it better than strawberry ice cream.

Whatever the case, it’s a sweet and refreshing spring treat.

Frozen Strawberry Crumb Bars
 
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Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • ½ cup finely chopped walnuts
  • 2 Tbs sucnanat (or brown sugar)
  • 6 Tbs softened butter
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups frozen strawberries, partly thawed and sliced in half
  • 1 cup honey granules (or sugar)
  • 1 Tbs lemon juice
Instructions
  1. Stir together the flour, finely chopped walnuts, and sucanat. Mix in the butter 2 Tbs at a time. (I do this with my hands.) Spread loosely on a jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes (be careful not to burn). Stir and let cool.
  2. Whip the heavy cream and vanilla until fluffy. Set aside.
  3. Beat the strawberries, honey granules, and lemon juice until mostly smooth (about 5 minutes). Fold in the whipped cream.
  4. Spread half the crumb mixture on the base of a 9" by 13" dish. Pour on the strawberry filling, and top with the remaining crumb mixture. Freeze and serve.

Light Lemon Cheesecake

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Spring is coming.

Are you as excited as I am? I hardly have the right to complain about cold weather. But even in Alabama, this winter has been quite cold. We got a few inches of snow altogether here in our little town (that’s quite a bit for us).

Two Inches of Snow (1/28/14)
Two Inches of Snow (1/28/14)

Winter has its advantages–cute jackets, boots, scarves, occasional snowstorms, etc. But I’m looking forward to spring. Daffodils are blooming, the grass is slowly turning green, days are growing longer, and the weather is turning blissful once again.

Life is good.

And so is this lemon cheesecake. It tastes of spring–sweet, tangy, and light all mixed together. I imagine you could substitute lime juice for the lemon juice to create a scrumptious key-lime cheesecake. (I’ve got to try that sometime!)

Thankfulness #1,874: Light Lemon Cheesecake
Thankfulness #1,874: Light Lemon Cheesecake

Light Lemon Cheesecake
 
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Author:
Ingredients
  • ½ cup whole almonds
  • ½ cup flaked coconut
  • ½ cup graham cracker crumbs (about 4 graham crackers)
  • 2 Tbs honey granules (or sugar)
  • 2 Tbs maple syrup
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 12 oz cream cheese, softened and cut into pieces
  • ⅔ cup honey granules (or sugar)
  • Juice of 2 lemons (about ½ cup)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
  1. Place the almonds and coconut in a food processor and chop until fine.
  2. Add graham cracker crumbs, 2 Tbs honey granules, maple syrup, and salt; process until combined.
  3. Press into the base of a 8″ by 8″ dish.
  4. Whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer until fluffy.
  5. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
  6. Pour over the crust and chill for several hours before serving.