Corn Bread

I have been trying to make my favorite Corn Bread recipe wheat-free, but until now hadn't gotten the texture I really wanted. The oat flour and yogurt give it a very nice, soft texture while adding a bit of extra flavor to the recipe. And this cornbread doesn't fall apart and make a mess!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oat flour
• 3/4 cup finely ground cornmeal
• 1 Tbs sugar
• 1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh, or frozen and thawed)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Grease mini-loaf pans or baking dish* (I like Spectrum Canola Oil Baking Spray)

2. Combine oat flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

3. Whisk eggs, milk, yogurt, and oil until smooth

4. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until moistened through. Add corn kernels and fold to combine.

5. Pour batter into prepared baking pans.

6. Bake 15 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

*You can also bake the cornbread in a cast iron pan. Just melt 1 Tbs of butter in the pan in the oven. Remove from oven, add batter, and return to oven to bake.

Peanut Butter Chocolate/Carob Chip Cookies

Starting to believe that cookies are a wonderful after-school snack....and of course I have to make protein-packed, healthy versions. The kids devoured these and never knew there were carob chips in them (I ran out of chocolate chips)! This recipe was adapted from this one: 

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sugar (or replace with 1/4 cup honey and reduce milk to 2 Tbs)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup dry milk powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 c. chocolate chips (or carob chips or raisins)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cream together peanut butter, egg, milk, sugar, and vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, combine oat flour, dry milk powder, baking soda and salt.
• Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until well combined.
• Fold in chocolate chips.
• Scoop dough out by heaping spoonful and place on a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cookies are set and lightly browned.  Allow to cool for one minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

Try this version - cashew butter, almond extract, honey, chocolate chips and dried cherries. Wouldn't mind some coconut in there somewhere, too....

Strawberry and Raspberry Parfait

Fresh, sweet, nourishing parfait for breakfast.... or for snack....or for dessert!



Ingredients:

• An inspiring and beautiful drinking glass
• Yogurt of your choice (my kids prefer Old Chatham Sheep Company sheep milk yogurt)
• Sliced fruit of your choice, kept separate: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, bananas, peaches, etc.
• Honey

Directions:

Put a spoonful of yogurt in the bottom of the glass. Add slices of one type of fruit. Drizzle a little honey. Add another spoonful or two into the glass. Add slices of another type of fruit. Drizzle honey. Continue until you have filled the glass with layers of yogurt, fruit and honey. Finish with a top layer of fruit and honey and add a sprig of mint or another garnish (try sliced almonds, chocolate chips or something else inspiring!)

Wild Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup wild Maine blueberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup wild blueberry preserves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°.  Grease muffin tins. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in milk and vanilla until combined. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and frozen blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not overmix.)

Use large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Spoon teaspoon of blueberry preserves into center of each mound of batter. Using skewer, gently swirl preserves filling into batter using figure-eight motion. Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, about 15 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

Makes: 12 muffins

Adapted from: http://www.bonnemaman.us/breakfast/wild-blueberry-muffins/, which uses frozen berries, buttermilk and a lemon-sugar topping.