Indian flatbread

Found a new recipe for an Indian flatbread in a food magazine. The process and ingredients seemed very simple. I enjoy the naan bread recipe that I blogged about a year ago.

This recipe was pretty much 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp salt 1/2 cup warm water knead it 5 minutes, let it sit 30 minutes, divide into 6 pieces, roll out to about 9 inches and cook 1-2 minutes each side on a flat grill pan. Easy enough, right?

The first few flats of bread were kind of crunchy, it took a few tries before I got the hang of it. I must say I prefer the other recipe that did require more time though this one was tasty. I added some fresh rosemary and thyme.

In the small print of this post, I need to make a confession. We have friends from visiting from out of town. Every year we get together a tradition has developed, Shady Maple for the breakfast buffet. Today I had a bit of .... well, that is not important. What is important is the company for friends... over an oreo cookies 'n cream filled doughnut or maybe or the comfort in knowing though I ate loads of stuff my body does not need I did not eat a sampling of everything.

pumpkin muffins

This is a favorite recipe that freezes well and is perfect for this season or if you have a dusty can of Libby's in the pantry. I might have shared that I love to buy pumpkin or squash, this time of year, cook it and freeze for later. This year I grew some of my own buttercup squash and picked up some local butternut to freeze.

This recipe substitutes the oil with applesauce. Here are the baskets of apples from Dick and Donna! I was so excited when I first saw these beauties. I shared many, made loads of sauce, 2 huge pies and I still have a small basket of them staring at me from the corner of the kitchen.

This recipe can be adapted with ingredients that you like. Some creative and yummy additions could be choco chips, shredded coconut, raisins, oatmeal, pecans and so on. Here is a thought that just came to me while editing . . . wonder if these could be made as a savory muffin. . . add goat cheese, cheddar, maybe and herb instead on the cinnamon and spice . . . in that case you may want to use the oil and not applesauce (too sweet??) Let me know if you experiment and find success.

preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prepare muffin tin

• 2 1/4c flour, spelt or your choice of healthy, unrefined flour
• 3/4c agave or 1 cup raw sugar **** if using agave mix with the wet ingredients, if using sugar blend with these dry ingredients****
• 1 1/2tsp cinnamon
• 1/2tsp nutmeg
• 1/2tsp cloves
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

in a large bowl whisk these dry ingredients, set aside

• 1 c pumpkin/squash, pureed
• 1/2 c banana, mashed or 2 eggs
• 3/4 c applesauce or oil

whiz these 3 ingredients in a food processor then add to the dry ingredients (don't mix yet). Add the remaining ingredients to the dry and mix by hand until just blended.

• 1/3 c buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk make your own using by adding 1/2 tsp vinegar, blend and set aside for about 5minutes, works with non-dairy milk too)
• 3 T molasses
• 1 c dried cranberries or your mix!

fill each muffin at least 3/4 full and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The recipe will make approximately 12 regular muffins or 24 minis.

warm cherry tart

this is a wonderful and crazy easy recipe for a tart that is great to make in a pinch.

I use whole spelt flour and oatmeal to boost the fiber and protein content. The cherries are from http://www.weaversorchard.com/. I think I picked over 18 pounds last summer!! Freeze them for up to a year to enjoy year round.

Cherries and blueberries are a wonderful superfood and are loaded with antioxidants, phytonutrients, are high in water and fiber so they fill you up and satisfy that sweet tooth. Did you know that the antioxidants in 1 serving of berries is = that of 5 servings carrots, broccoli, apples or squash... superfood. eat more cherries, blueberries, raspberries. . . . . a healthy snack for children too!

so, this cake is best when warm or let it sit a day. I served it with vanilla yogurt from http://www.cozycorner.org/ To jazz it up add some vanilla bean. I also made a syrup from the same cherries that were blended with agave. I added some get creative notes at the bottom.

warm cherry tart

• 8 T (1 stick butter / 1/2 cup) unsalted organic butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup spelt flour, and a bit for pan
• 1/3 cup organic, rolled oats
• ½ tsp baking powder, aluminum free
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ cup organic agave or ¾ cup raw sugar
• 1/3 cup water & 2 tsp meringue powder or powdered flax seed, whipped with a whisk between your palms in measuring cup until fluffy
  OR
  2 egg whites
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 1 cup frozen pitted cherries, thawed and drained in sieve, reserve juice & add to sparkling water or wine - yum!
• ½ cup slivered almonds
  

Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare 4 cup pan (tart pan, pie dish or 8x8) with butter and dust with flour.

Use an electric mixer to beat the butter then add the sugar until smooth. While beating, add the “eggs” until well blended. Add the almond extract. With the blender on low add the flour in 2 scoops. Only mix until blended, do not over mix! Spelt’s gluten is fragile you do not want to break it down.

Scoop the mixture into your prepared pan, the texture should be similar to a loose shortbread so you will need to spread it in the pan. Gently press the cherries into the batter and sprinkle with the almonds.

Bake for approximately 30 - 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Serves 12 : nutritional info based on use of agave instead of “sugar”
cal. 156 – fat 11g - sat fat 5g– carb 13 – fiber 3g – sugar 3g – protein 4 g

** get creative and try: apples, cinnamon and walnuts - pear, ginger and macadamia - dried figs - blueberry and orange zest ....

Persian Naan

I was snowed in last week and had the run of the house (coco does not need to know). I wanted to make focaccia and after searching through a majority of my cookbooks I could not find a recipe similar to a fool proof one I use to make a few years back. Some recipes require that you make it a day in advance which results in a light dough and others call for too much pomp and circumstance. I found this little gem in Baking with Julia. Focaccia it is not but a snap it is.

2 1/2 cups tepid water (80 to 90 degrees F)

2 tsp active dry yeast

5 to 6 cups bread flour (I used 1/2 bread flour and 86 golden)

1 T salt

mix the yeast and water in large bowl, stir to blend

add 3 cups flour, about a cup at a time, stirring in one direction with a wooden spoon

beat for 1 minute to develop the gluten

sprinkle with the salt and gradually add the remaining flour, one cup at a time, until it is stiff

knead the dough on a floured board until it is elastic and smooth. transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temp until it has doubled, about 2 hours.

preheat oven to 500 degrees.

deflate the dough on a floured work surface, divide into 4 pieces. flatten the pieces to an oval shape about 6" x 8". cover with plastic wrap and let rest about 5 minutes. have a bowl with water set aside. dipping your finger tips begin to work the dough dimpling and stretching at the same time. it may get messy but it is all good. then lift and stretch the dough by hand until you have an 18" x 5" shape or whatever shape you like.

season with : garlic, sea salt, rosemary, sesame seeds (black/white), onions... get creative

Place on a baking stone or pan. I used cornmeal to "flour" the surface. Bake for at least 5 minutes or just until the edges get golden. enjoy!