Peanut Butter Muffins

2 cups flour
1/2 cup oats
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup apple sauce
1 1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup peanut butter

Preheat oven to 400° f. Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the wet ingredients, excluding the peanut butter, and stir until just mixed. Let the batter sit for a minute or so, so the baking powder can start working it, then stir in the peanut butter. Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes. Makes 12.

These are like, the perfect muffins. The peanut flavor is not overpowering, nor is it grossly sweet. The texture is light and fluffy, and perfectly moist. They kept the moisture for a number of days after baking them (yeah, it took me a while to get through a dozen muffins). For a stronger peanut flavor, you can just add more peanut butter.

Variations:

Add 2 Tbls cocoa powder.
Use any nut butter you want, even nutella!
Use flavored apple sauce.

Sweet Potato Fries

A sweet potato/yam
olive oil
salt
pepper

Set the oven to 450.

Wash off the sweet potato and make sure you dry it very well. If it's wet the coating won't stick and the fries won't be delicious.

French the sweet potato and dump them all onto a baking sheet. You can peel it if you want but I usually don't. Sprinkle salt and pepper onto them, then a small amount of olive oil. Mix it all up so that all the fries are coated. Make sure to use all the coating mixture that puddles on the bottom of the sheet. You can use more olive oil just as long as the fries aren't sitting in a pool.

Space the fries out so they are not touching (this will make them more crispy) and bake for 15 minutes, flip them, and bake for 10 more minutes. (Cook them just a few minutes less on each side if you want them less dark and crispy.)

Apple Scones

2 cups flour (white wheat, whole wheat, or whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup - 1 cup finely chopped apple
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup sour cream
1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder
cinnamon and sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Stir together flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in butter until crumbly and there's no more dry powder. Stir in apple, honey, sour cream and egg until combined.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or grease the sheet. Use an ice cream scoop with one of those levers that helps remove the ice cream (or in this case, dough) to make round, small scones. Gently press down the tops of each scone to make them flat. Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar.

Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes until the bottoms of the scones are light brown.

Remove from oven, cool slightly on the sheet pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Variation: Use pears instead of apples, add 1/4 tsp dried rosemary to dough, and exclude the cinnamon sugar. 

 

 

Soft Flowerbread

2 cups warm herbal tea
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbls. yeast
4 cups white wheat flour
1 tps. salt
1-2 Tbls. edible flowers, dried or fresh

Dissolve the honey in the tea and sprinkle the yeast in. When the yeast is foamy, add it to 2 cups flour. Let rise until about doubled (big and spongey).

Add the rest of the flour, the salt, and the flowers. Knead for about 10 minutes, with more flour as necessary.

Coat the bowl and dough with a thin layer of oil and let rise, covered, in a warm place until about doubled again, but not for too long.

Form into a loaf. Spray the inside of your oven or put in a pan of water. Put loaf in oven while it's preheating to 350, and bake until for about 1 hour.

Edible flowers can sometimes be found at grocery stores in the refrigerated section with the fresh herbs. Also look for herbal teas that are made with flowers. Also check out herbs that are from the flowers of plants. Small, aromatic seeds such as fennel seeds are a good addition, or seeds from flowers like poppy seeds.

You can also harvest flowers and blossoms from you garden. Not all of them are sweet. I like chive flowers and squash flowers. Be sure you look each flower up to see if they are edible.

Info on edible flowers

Oat Bread & Nut Oat Bread

2 tsp yeast

2 tsp sugar, brown sugar, honey, molasses, or maple syrup

1 cup warm water

1 cup warm milk or nut milk

4 Tbls butter

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

3 tsp salt

3 cups flour

Ina large bowl, combine yeast, sugar, and warm water. 

 

When the yeast becomes foamy, stir in the warm milk and butter. Stir in the oats, then the nuts if using, then the salt. Stir in the flour one cup at a time. 

 

Knead the dough, using more flour as necessary, until the dough is relatively smooth, not sticky, and resistant. Coat the dough with oil, place in a large oiled bowl, and cover it with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes. 

 

Knead the dough gently and form into a smooth loaf. Place in a bread pan. Coat the top of the dough with oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise for 30-40 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 1 hour.

Melonade

 

1 pound watermelon flesh and juice (rind removed)

2 cups water

1/4 cup sugar

You can pick out the watermelon seeds if you wish to take the time, but it is not necessary, as they become blended into nothingness.

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend thoroughly until there is absolutely no pulp. Chill before serving.

Barley and Beet Soup with Corn Dumplings

 

3/4 cup hulled barley or rolled barley
16 cups vegetable stock
2 tsp olive oil
2 leeks, chopped
16 oz. white mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
3 fresh beets, chopped
1 large fennel bulb, chopped
2 Tbls chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup corn

Dumplings:
1 1/2 cup white wheat flour
1 1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup oil

For hulled barley pre-cook it in a rice cooker with 4 cups of water.

If you are using rolled barley, you can just add it to the soup with the vegetables.

Combine the ingredients for the dumplings in a medium bowl and mix with a fork until combined.

Bring the stock to a boil, then add barley, dill, olive oil, leeks, mushrooms, garlic, beets, fennel and corn, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.

Plop in the dumpling dough by the spoonful, cover the pot and let simmer for 10 minutes. Do not lift cover until dumplings have cooked for 10 minutes, but make sure it doesn't overflow. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve this soup garnished with dill sprigs.

Makes about 4 quarts

Creamy Vegetable Korma

 (Repost for tags)

1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp garlic powder

1-inch piece ginger root or 1 Tbls ginger paste
1/4 cup raw cashews

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup water or soup stock
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/4 cup canned coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 lb potato, diced
1 cup chopped fresh green beans

1/4 cup minced celery

Place the onion, garlic, ginger, cashews, tomatoes, and water/stock in a blender, blend until smooth.

Heat the coconut oil in a large pot set over medium heat. While the oil heats, measure out all of the spices (the curry powder through cardamom) and place in a small bowl.

Pour the pureed mixture into the pot. Stir in the pre-measured spices and allow to cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.

Uncover and cook a further 5 to 10 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.

 

Serve with cooked rice and naan bread.