Chocolate Chip Patty Pan Bread

This week at work has been so busy! I wish I could say that a daily slice of this no-oil chocolate squash bread was my single indulgence to get me through, but...

let's talk about something else.

Patty pan squash.

I only used about a quarter of the squash in the ratatouille from last week and have brainstormed / Googled other ways to use it up (especially because I got another one in the most recent CSA delivery). One of the recipes I found was from The Harmonious Kitchen. I switched it up a bit by replacing oil with applesauce, reducing the sugar, using 50:50 whole wheat:white flour, and increasing the squash. The end result was a just-sweet-enough, chocolate-chips-in-every-bite, soft and awesome bread.

I made this last weekend when J was in town visiting and we had our first, tentative bites after a 5 mile run, which included an unplanned detour through Wiener Fest*. That's a festival of wiener dogs, in case you were wondering. In fact, a part of me wishes I had a wiener dog just so I could enter it into the races. They actually have a race for "wannabe wieners" that Newton would have qualified for, but let's be honest: watching dachshunds** run is much more entertaining than watching dogs with normal sized legs run.

And look what else we saw:

Isn't this thing so cool??! I think this was part of a "coolest dog house" competition or something, but I haven't done the research to see what exactly was going on. A bunch of really awesome doggie houses were all lined up along the sidewalk here, but this one really stood out. Amazing!

Here is your reference, non-Texas people: Gruene Hall is the most famous dance hall in the central lone star state that plays host to some of the best country music in the entire world (a la REK).

Between J's visit, randomly running (literally) into Wiener Fest at the park, seeing this dog house, and visiting with an old friend (well, she used to be my boss back in the day, but it's been a while...so we can be friends now, I think), last weekend was pretty great. And then the chocolate bread actually turned out pretty great, too, so luckily that just added to the overall greatness.

Chocolate Chip 
Patty Pan Bread

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 25 to 65 min (muffins vs loaf)

Yield about 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 eggs

¼ cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt (or sour cream)

½ cup white sugar

½ cup brown sugar, packed

¾ cup whole wheat flour

¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup cocoa powder

2 Tablespoons baking powder

2-2 ½ cups grated patty pan squash

1 cup chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9 x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper and grease the sides. Alternatively, grease a muffin tin (about 18 cups).

2. In a large bowl, mix wet ingredients (applesauce, eggs, and yogurt) and both sugars.  

3. Sift in the dry ingredients (both flours, cocoa, and baking powder). Mix until just combined.

4. Fold in the squash and the chocolate chips.

5. Spoon batter into the loaf pan or muffin tins.

6. Bake the loaf for 65-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If making muffins, bake for about 25 minutes.

7. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then run a butter knife around the edges (if necessary) and move the bread to a cooling rack.

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per serving):

Calories 232, Total Fat 6.2 g, Cholesterol 46 mg, Sodium: 266 mg, Protein 5.2 g, Fiber 3.1 g

Ordinarily, I'm all about substituting and using the things I actually have around the house, if at all possible. But, the chef's note on the original recipe warns against substituting other types of squash for the patty pan because of different water content.

I chose to fill a 6 muffin tin and then put the rest in a loaf pan. That made my own "servings" count a little weird. But the muffins will bake up much more quickly than the loaf, which is perfect for an impatient someone like me.

Do you see the colorful flowers in the periphery of those pictures? Those were from J -- his contribution to (me and) this recipe, making my photos look a little prettier.

*After writing this entire paragraph about Wiener Fest, I realized that I spelled wiener incorrectly. All of the wieners were wrong.
**This is officially the most I have ever used the word wiener. Ever. In a post that was supposed to primarily be about chocolate, even. 

Smoothie Bowl

Since my last post:

• I moved (a long way). 
• I started a new job (the "big kid" kind). 
• I took a huge exam (nailed it). 
• I joined a new CSA (deliveries start next week). 
• And I started a new fitness challenge (#100byHalloween). 

As for all that unpacking that was supposed to happen in August? Still only half finished. (But hey - we can't win 'em all.)

I'll be honest and say that I haven't really been adventurous in the kitchen in the past couple of months. Firstly, with only myself to cook for, I do tend to get a little lazy. And ya'll don't care about my lazy food. Second, I can't find my toaster. Do I use a toaster for many recipes, you ask? No. But I can't remember if I even packed it up or if I simply tossed it out in the heat of the crucial "I DON'T CARE WHAT COMES TO TEXAS ANYMORE" days of Ames.

So how 'bout some smoothies? No toaster required.

I have been on this "smoothie bowl" kick for a couple of weeks now. Mainly, the pictures of these beauties on Instagram are a huge inspiration factor. You should check them out (also try here). Gorgeous breakfast soup.

Normally, I like to liquefy my smoothies to a point where they are more like juice. The Nutribullet lets me do that fairly quickly with the addition of water. The smoothie bowl, however, should probably be of thicker consistency so that you can spoon it up without having to slurp it. Unless slurping is your thing.

The first bowl I invented was a twist on my "Everyday Breakfast Smoothie" which is fresh kale blended with frozen fruit (pineapple, peach, mango, and strawberry) and water. I topped this with fresh mango, unsweetened (dried) coconut, rolled oats, and chia seeds.

The second edition was this frozen fruit smoothie (same blend as above) topped with something called "chia pudding" and fresh raspberries. Chia pudding is basically just soaked chia seeds. Remember those "ch-ch-ch CHIA! Pets" from the 80s? Same seeds. I soaked 1/4 cup chia seeds in 1 cup regular almond milk with a dash of cinnamon overnight. You have to stir it up a bit so it doesn't clump, but I find this to be a nice, weird textural addition to the smoothie bowl. And, most importantly, it looks cool.

Finally, my post-SundayRunday smoothie from this morning. Here, I have a new frozen fruit blend (pineapple, cantaloupe, grapes, peach, and strawberry), layered with the rest of the chia pudding and topped with fresh raspberries and unsweetened coconut.

I actually made some green smoothie with spinach to layer into today's breakfast, but I was afraid the colors would run.... and that wouldn't be so pretty. So I drank it separately! How's that for taking one for the team?

Anyone else out there on the smoothie bowl bus?

Blackberry Clementine Oatmeal Muffins

I wish I were a morning person. There is something extravagant about the quiet moments before most of the world wakes up - stealing them all for yourself, pretending you are all alone. That's the introvert in me, I suppose.

Buuuutttt.... the introvert half of me sleeps late and walks in to work five minutes after the hour. Routinely.

(We can't be winners all of the time.)

This recipe might make up for some of that non-winnerness, though. I made a variety of different oatmeal muffins a few weeks back using the same clementine-bannana base.... some with fresh blackberry, some chocolate chip, toasted coconut and walnut, raisin and dried dates. Hands down, the blackberry ones were our favorite. (Well.. and the chocolate chip ones.. always chocolate).

Blackberry Clementine

Oatmeal Muffins

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 30 min

Yield: 18 muffins

INGREDIENTS:

1 small clementine (whole)

2 ripe bananas

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup honey

5 cups old fashioned rolled oats

2 tablespoons flaxseed meal

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2¼ cups almond milk

36 fresh blackberries

Cupcake liners

Non-stick spray

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Chop clementine into quarters (skin and all) and puree in a high power blender or food processor.

3. Mash bananas in a large bowl. Mix in the pureed clementine, eggs, vanilla, and honey.

4. Add oats, flax, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt to the bowl and mix well with wet ingredients.

5. Pour in milk and combine.

6. Line muffin tin with paper liners and spray each with cooking spray.

7. Push two blackberries into each muffin.

8. Bake muffins for 30 minutes and cool before serving.

Once cooled to room temperature, muffins may be frozen in gallon-sized bags.  Then, defrost them overnight in the refrigerator or microwave for 1-2 minutes. Enjoy a healthy breakfast on the go!

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per serving, 2 muffins):

Calories 301, Total Fat 5.7 g, Cholesterol 41 mg, Sodium: 476 mg, Protein 8.1 g, Fiber 7.2 g

This "batter" has the best orangey flavor. I used one small clementine (of the Halo variety), but would have used two if I'd had another in the house. If you want, substitute one of the bananas for a second small clementine... I bet that would be awesome. Now, these muffins may or may not get me out of bed a bit earlier, but either way, I can pull one from the freezer as I rush out the door. And I don't have to sacrifice breakfast to make it to work on time!

Please let me know how yours turn out if you try them!

Basic Crêpes

Sunday Brunch!

Happy Sunday, friends!

After falling victim to an eight-hour Bravo binge yesterday, it sure feels good to be a little more productive today. And by productive.. I mean that I am no longer wearing a robe and I made something for breakfast. In other words, I did something (arguably) worth sharing!

My first taste of crêpes (aka creepies) obviously materialized at the International House of Pancakes. I haven't been to an IHOP since I lived in College Station, but that doesn't mean I haven't had ample opportunity to eat those thin and delicious skinny pancakes! The first recipe I found was in a cookbook that Greg gave me for Christmas several years ago -- and it's the only recipe I've ever needed! Just like regular pancake batter, the ingredient list for creepies is refreshingly short and relatively cheap. Crêpe batter is characteristically very thin and it easily spreads across the pan. My favorite part about the finished product is that they are oh-so-open to a variety of flavors (both sweet and savory), but in real life according to Lindsey the best fillings are fresh fruit and cream cheese.

I really like to plan ahead for cooking (especially over the weekend), but I almost always forget one or two things at the store. This weekend, those things were broccoli (for dinner tonight) and fresh berries for breakfast.... Nevermind that, though, because I have J and he brought half a brick of cream cheese to use up. (He will also probably end up going out to get broccoli very shortly..). What a guy.

Rather than making fresh fruit compote, I mixed 4 oz cream cheese, 3 Tbs blackberry jam (my last jar from Diane at Hickory Hill Farm!), and just a pinch of ground cinnamon and cardamom. Smear a little of that on one side, fold or roll (we don't judge here), and dig in. Perfect.

Basic Crêpes

 

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 20 min

Servings: 4

 INGREDIENTS:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1.5 cup milk

2 eggs

2 Tbs butter, melted

¼ tsp salt

 INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pulse all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth with little or no lumps.

2. For each crêpe, pour ¼ cup batter into a hot, non-stick skillet (10”) over medium heat. Quickly swirl the batter around the skillet until it covers the surface.

3. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the top of the crêpe begins to look dry and the edges pull away from the pan.  Using a spatula or your fingers, flip the crêpe and cook for 1-2 minutes more.

Makes about 9 crêpes

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per crêpe*): 

Calories 78; Total Fat 3.1 g; Cholesterol 6.9 mg; Protein 1.6 g, Fiber 0.5 g

*as prepared with unsweetened almond milk and real butter

I doubled the recipe and used two skillets to cut down on cook time. Keep a little extra melted butter on hand just in case your crêpes begin sticking to the pan (but I don't usually need it). I will also drip a little extra batter in the pan if my swirl technique leaves any holes in the crêpe. The edges should cook up lacy and crisp while the middle is flexible and tender.

Reading through several different recipes, you'll notice that most call for variable amounts chillin', restin', and relaxation for the batter. Both raw batter and cooked crêpes should last a few days in the fridge. In fact, some gurus even claim that the batter improves if you make it a day ahead of time. This time is recommended so that the gluten has a chance to relax and the flour particles become fully hydrated prior to cooking in order to make a more delicate crêpe. This relaxation time is much more important if you plan to substitute wheat or other types of flour. I consider this step optional, however, with white flour and have personally never allowed the batter to relax beyond 20-30 minutes. 

I hope you enjoy! If you have made these, let me know what your favorite fillings are. :) 

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Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

Sunday mornings are my favorite mornings.
(excluding those immediately following a deliciously inappropriate Saturday night)

I like sleeping until the sun rises to the second floor. Newton generally agrees. He settles in with a tiny groan and lifts his head only if there's a legitimate chance that it's time to go downstairs.

Meanwhile, it's cold again in Iowa - they even predict late snow showers tonight. For now, only one stubborn little patch of ice remains frozen in the back yard. Almost everything else has melted in the past two weeks, but maybe that just makes room for more. Even though it is technically spring, this particular Sunday morning calls for something that warms both the kitchen and the soul despite the 21 degree temperature.

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal.
 oh snap. Did she just work cake into breakfast??
That's right. But also - carrots. 

J and I have actually tested several different baked oatmeal recipes over the last year, and I love that they tend to make enough for a few extra breakfasts during the week. This new recipe is no exception. I originally found the idea published by Angela over at Oh She Glows, which is one of my favorite blogs to find healthy, plant-based recipes to test out on J. This oatmeal is free of refined sugars, contains no oil, and is packed with carrots. Win Win Win. I tweaked the original recipe to use ingredients that I already had on hand.

This recipe is going to be adaptable to all sorts of modifications. Angela serves hers topped with whipped coconut cream. I think the addition of crushed pineapple might be delicious. I also made our oatmeal dairy-free, but you can substitute whatever type of milk you like. Let me know if you try it out!

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Servings: 6

INGREDIENTS:

2 ¼ C old-fashioned rolled oats

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 ½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

1 ½ cups lightly packed shredded carrot (about 5 medium)

2 ½ cups unsweetened soy milk

⅓ C pure maple syrup

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 ½ teaspoons freshly grated ginger

¼ C raisins

¼ C chopped, toasted pecans

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients (oats, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg and salt).

3. In a medium bowl, mix wet ingredients (carrots, milk, syrup, vanilla, and ginger).

4. Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry until the oats are coated.

5. Pour mixture into a greased 9 x 9 inch baking dish.

6. Sprinkle raisins and pecans on top and gently press into the oatmeal mixture.

7. Bake for 35 minutes and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

8. Top with extra pecans, syrup, or raisins, if desired.

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per serving):

Calories 278; Total Fat 7.3 g; Cholesterol 0 mg; Protein 8.6 g; Dietary Fiber 5.8 g