A Bowl of Warm and Good

It's been awhile since I've posted a nice porridge recipe. Since my first post on weekend oatmeal, my porridge-making has definitely diversified. Millet, quinoa, barely and buckwheat, baked with fruits -- yup! All kinds of different porridge. I've also stopped using quick-cooking oats in favour of the old fashioned rolled oats, that don't take that much longer to cook and have a better flavour and texture.



Today I'm going to bring you a baked porridge recipe that combines spelt flakes and quinoa. I enjoyed a nice warm bowl earlier in the week for lunch after being out in -27 degree weather and it really hit the spot. It makes me long for lazy never-ending weeks as I'm about the head back to work. Working lunches are never this interesting, so I'm probably going to save this one for a wintery cold weekend -- you know, one of those days where you never change out of your pjs or step foot out of the house. Winter has been pretty calm here in Toronto, but I have a feeling that it's just biding it's time ... And when that time comes, I'll have this baked porridge.




You can use whatever fruits and flavourings you like, but I put apples, tahini, a pinch of cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg, and some chopped dates. Raisins would work just as well, as would dried cranberries, chopped banana, pear ... whatever you like. The quinoa really gives this porridge a great texture -- the little quinoa grains at the top get all crunchy and golden while the ones in the middle puff up and become chewy and toothsome. I had doubts about the spelt, since it tends to get mushy really quickly, but it baked up nice and fluffy. It's hearty, nutty and totally soothing on your tastebuds and tummy. And it's also great January food -- you know, comforting and warm because it's cold outside and you have to go back to work, but also wholesome and nutritious so you keep your healthy resolutions. Go on .. dig in!

Spelt and Quinoa Breakfast Bake
serves 3-4

1/4 cup of quinoa, rinsed well
1/2 cup of spelt flakes
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 little gratings of fresh nutmeg
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of soy milk
1 tablespoons of honey (reduce to 1/2 if your soy milk is sweetened)
2 tablespoons of tahini
4-5 chopped dates
1 large apple, grated

1. Put all your ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Pour into a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or when the top gets nice and brown and all the liquid has absorbed.

2. Serve warm, with toppings of your choice. Mine were: a dollop of yogurt, sunflower seeds and an extra drizzle of tahini.

Behind A Bit ..

I've been behind a bit ... behind a bit in marking, behind a bit in planning, behind a bit in my program .. and behind a bit in sharing this cake and these muffins with you. That's September for me: a bit of a blur. But the long weekend is here and it's time to catch up. I know everyone is posting yummy Thanksgiving (or at my school, it's referred to as Turkey Day) recipes with pumpkins and cranberries and stuffing and turkey. And I'm proud to say that I have a bag of Canadian cranberries and a beautiful sugar pumpkin all ready to be turned into tasty things. I promise a more festive and seasonal post very soon.

For now, I'd love to quickly share with you this very delicious treat -- two of them actually, depending on what you choose. Remember way back when Jacqui at So Good and Tasty made this apple and blackberry pie? Or when kickpleat at Everybody Likes Sandwiches made these blackberry and peach shortbread bars? It was right around the time that Meagan at A Sweet Spoonful was made a cake with fresh corn and raspberries while Heidi at 101 Cookbooks was making a nice berry pie. Summer was merging into fall. Mornings were getting crisper, berries were fading slowly and apples were beginning to show up. I thought I would get to pie-making this summer, but I didn't. Not even a tart. But that's alright. I made great use of the in-between fruits in these apple blackberry muffins / loaf with crisp topping. Let me explain.




I loved loved loved the apple blackberry pie that Jacqui made, so much that I almost -- yes almost got it together and rolled out the crust and everything. But for reasons that are beyond me and none too good, I didn't. I did use the very same fruits: the season's first apples --the ginger gold that obsessed over, and exiting season's last berries. I also used spelt flour and flakes, which gave these treats a very nutty, rich flavour. The muffins were perfect weekday take-to-work-pick-me-up-at-three-o-clock treats, but the loaf was really something special. Moist, fruit-studded, sweet and the crisp topping blew me away. It's something about that spelt ..

Anyway, I was supposed to keep it quick, so here's the recipe. I know that blackberries are gone now, but apples are in full swing. Frozen berries would be totally fine, or you could skip the berries and add another apple. You could even use a few chopped cranberries! Whatever you do, don't skip the spelt!





Apple Blackberry Spelt Muffins / Loaf
makes one small loaf and 12 mini muffins

For the muffins and loaf:

1 cup of spelt flakes
1/2 cup of milk (any kind .. I used soy)
1/4 cup of yogurt
1/4 cup of honey
2 tablespoons of canola oil
1 egg, beaten
1 large apple, grated
1 cup of spelt flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
a large handful of blackberries

For the crisp topping:
*I only put the crisp topping on the loaf, but if you wanted it for the muffins as well, just double

1/4 cup of spelt flakes
1/4 cup of whole wheat flour
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of canola oil

1. Make the topping by mixing together the spelt flakes, flour and sugar until well combine. Add the canola oil and, using a fork, work it into the mixture until it resembles a coarse meal. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the spelt flakes, milk, yogurt, honey, and canola oil. Let it stand for 10 minutes

3. Add in the beaten egg and grated apples and mix well. Sift in the flour and baking soda and mix until just combined. Carefully mix in the blackberries.

4. Fill your muffin tins with some of the mixture and pour the rest into a loaf pan. Sprinkle your crisp topping over top. Bake in a 350 degree oven. The muffins should only take about 15 minutes. The loaf should take about 45 minutes, or until the topping in a deep golden brown and a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

5. Let you loaf cool to room temperature before serving. If you try to cut it right away (like I did!), it will be too wet in the middle and you'll think it's not cooked -- but it is! Just be patient and let it rest. Enjoy!

Almost Autumn Cookies

I woke up yesterday and it was ... kind .. of ... chilly. There. I said it. It was kind of chilly and I had to put on a sweater. Although summer hasn't officially said good-bye (there are still watermelons and peaches and cherries and sweet corn galore!), we know that it's coming. Autumn is around the corner, whether we like it or not. And why shouldn't we? Fall means pumpkins and sweaters and leaves changing colour .. and it also means apples.

When I felt the chill yesterday morning, I thought it appropriate to bake up something with apples. I mentioned in an earlier post that I just discovered the ginger gold apple: a tart and slightly sweet, firm apple that's available in August -- possibly the first apples of the season. I bought a bunch the other day just because they reminded me of the Quebec pomme blanche, and today, I put a few of them to good use in this apple cranberry multi-grain cookie. It's delicious. It's totally addictive, and that's coming from a person with a good amount of will power. But addictive is good in this case because these little apple-y bits of love are packed with whole wheat flour, oatmeal and spelt flakes.


This is spelt. Ever used it? It's nutty and toasty and great in granola. You can also cook it up in porridge like oatmeal, but be careful because it turns mushy really quickly. And I discovered today that it's great in cookies. This cookie is kind of a combination of two oatmeal cookie recipes that I've tried. I liked one because it had fresh apples which you never find in cookies, and I like the other one because it was healthy and had cranberries and nuts. I smooshed the two recipes together and put them in the oven. 15 minutes later, I was in cookie heaven. The grated apples kept this cookie moist, which also let me reduce the amount of oil, and the walnuts and cranberries were the perfect match. But the spelt was really the star. It worked so well in these cookies, making them hearty and healthy enough for breakfast. Yup! Cookies for breakfast!



I can already see myself playing with different flavours. Cinnamon would have been an obvious addition, and I think I probably meant to add it but forgot (my migrain-wracked head was not on it's "A " game .. perhaps I shouldn't have exceeded the recommended maximum dosage of ibuprofen pills..). You can use maple syrup to replace some of all of the sugar -- I bet that would be awesome with the walnuts! You could even replace the oil with something like tahini or almond butter. My mouth is watering already...

See? Fall isn't all that bad.. you just need cookies.

Multigrain Apple Cranberry Walnut Cookies
inspired by Joy the Baker and kickpleat's post on Poppytalk
makes about 2 dozen

2 small apples, grated
1 egg
1/2 cup of brown sugar
3 tablespoons of canola oil
2/3 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of spelt flakes
1/2 cup of rolled oats
1/3 cup of dried cranberries, roughly chopped
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts

1. In a large bowl, beat the egg with the sugar and canola oil. Add the apples and mix well.

2. Sift in the flour and baking soda and mix. Add the spelt and oats, cranberries and walnuts and mix well.

3. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a prepared cookie sheet. These cookies don't hold together too well before baking, so do your best to shape them up on the cookie sheet. Once they come out of the oven, they'll be fine.

4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until the tops get nice and brown.

5. Enjoy a few with your morning coffee. I dare you!

The Baking Days

I'm speaking of the baking days like they were a thing of the past ... They're not. Really, they're not. I'm being a little over-dramatic. It's been a long week. I wanted to bake, but stuff got in the way. Lots of stuff. Lots of stressful, last-minute stuff.

On Wednesday, right smack in the middle of all the stressful action, I longed for one of these muffins. Apple tahini muffins to be exact. I made them awhile ago when I wanted to bake up some wholesome treats to help ease me through report card writing. And they really hit the spot -- incredibly moist and flavourful with a big, rich tahini punch that rounded out the tart, sweet grated apples that just about melted into the muffin. Along with the whole wheat flour, and wheat bran, these little mini-muffin-gems were also a much-needed energy booster just as my batteries were running low.


Darn. I should have planned ahead and made a batch of these last weekend before the madness started. Oh well. I have a big long-weekend to look forward to, and you can bet that I'll be back in the kitchen, covered in flour, working through a batch of something warm and fragrant.

Apple Tahini Muffins
makes 24 mini muffins

1 egg
1 tablespoon of canola oil
2 tablespoons of tahini
1/4 cup of yogurt
1/4 cup of honey
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup wheat bran
3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
2 little apples, grated

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, tahini, yogurt, honey and milk until well-combined.

2. Sift in the flour and baking soda and powder. Add the wheat bran and give everything a big but gentle stir. Add in the grated apples and mix until just combined.

3. Spoon the batter into lined mini-muffin tins and sprinkle a few sesame seeds on top of each one. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

It's a SNOW DAY!

OH MY! It's a SNOW DAY! That never happens for me .. EVER! I walked into the school this morning to find out that it was closed. I almost jumped for joy.

So what did I do on my snow day? Reports .. reports ... marking ... reports. In between,


I drank cup after cup of jasmine green tea -- my latest obsession when it's not a coffee day,


and made this beautiful carrot apple loaf, packed full of yummy things like spices, raisins, coconut and whole wheat. I was inspired by this wonderful recipe from Poppy Talk posted by kickpleat, and a big beautiful bag of multi-coloured carrots purchased in Rowe Farms.

Happy Snow Day! (now, back to the grind ..)

Carrot Apple Spice Loaf
adapted from Poppy Talk

1/3 cup of canola oil
1/3 cup of plain yogurt
1 egg
1/4 cup of white sugar
1/4 cup of brown sugar
a splash of vanilla extract
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom
a small pinch of grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 cup of shredded coconut
1/4 cup of raisins
1 medium carrot, grated
1 small apple, grated

1. Whisk together the oil, yogurt, egg, sugars and vanilla until well blended.

2. Sift in the flour, spices and baking powder. Stir until just combined.

3. Stir in the carrot, apple, raisins and coconut. Pour into a loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until the top gets nice and golden brown and a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

4. Enjoy with your tea and have a happy snow day.

A New Breakfast

I love breakfast. Are you a breakfast skipper? Please don't skip breakfast -- it's the best meal, totally the best. Haven't you heard of people eating cereal and french toast and pancakes for supper because all they really want is breakfast? I've eaten oatmeal for dinner many .. many .. many times. It's the best! You could love breakfast too ..

Ok, this is a harder question. Do you like porridge? Yup .. porridge? Definitely harder, but my answer would be a big YES. I know some of you are groaning, but .. but .. didn't we already talk about the wonders of oatmeal in the morning? If you're a porridge lover like me, I've got a really great recipe for you. If you're a porridge hater, I'll understand if you navigate away, but keep this post in mind when you're ready to come over to the porridge-loving side.


Like I mentioned, I love oatmeal on weekend mornings. It's wholesome and warm and really hits the spot, especially in the winter time. Lately, I've been wanting to try new grains in the morning and a few weeks ago, we picked up some kasha (or toasted buckwheat) at the bulk store. After we cooked some up in vegetable broth to go with our dinner one night, we kind of decided that it would probably be better as a breakfast food. The flavour was really intense and earthy, a bit too strong to be a neutral grain served at supper. I spent the week flipping through this great book called "A Cook's Guide to Grains" by Jenni Muir" for some inspiration before dreaming up this little recipe. It's a porridge made from a combination of kasha and barley that's baked in the oven with honey, raisins, apples and spices. It's super super delicious with an extra splash of soy milk, and a little spoonful each of yogurt and marmalade. It's the kind of breakfast that makes you feel like you're having a treat, even though you've just eaten some wholesome whole grains and fruit.


It would be even more delicious topped with a citrus fruit salad, like this one or this one. The citrusyness might cut through the strong taste of the kasha and balance it out a bit. If buckwheat really isn't your thing, you could probably do a combination of barley and wheat berries -- still nutty and flavourful, but less pungent and earthy. How about a gluten-free porridge? No sweat. Replace the barley with quinoa, millet, or even brown rice. Try replacing the water with apple or cranberry juice and reducing the sweeteners, or even coconut water .. I'm totally trying that one next. Whatever you do, make sure you check on it while it's in the oven to see if it needs extra liquid. It needs quite a bit of time in the oven -- about 45 minutes -- but the wait was definitely worth it.

Ok, porridge haters. I'll be back next week with something else, I promise!

Buckwheat and Barley Porridge
inspired by "A Cook's Guide to Grains" by Jenni Muir
serves 2-3

1/4 cup of pearled barley, rinsed well
1/4 cup of kasha (toasted buckwheat groats), rinsed well
3/4 cup of water
3/4 cup of soy milk
1 tablespoon each of honey and maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
a pinch of nutmeg
a splash of vanilla extract
a handful each of raisins and unsweetened shredded coconut
1 small Macintosh apple, diced

1. Mix up all the ingredients except the apple in an oven proof baking dish. Bake in a 350 degree oven.

2. About 20 minutes into the baking, add the diced apple and additional liquid if things are looking a little dry.

3. Bake for another 25 minutes or so, or until the barley becomes tender and some of the buckwheat has broken down, but some are still in chewy.

4. Serve with an extra splash of soy milk and toppings of your choice.

Peanut Butter + Fruit Part 1

Did we ever discuss my love for peanut butter? It's not just a love. It more like a dependency. Kind of like with coffee. Yup, I have peanut butter days. Yup, it's that bad. Weekends are usually when I get to eat peanut butter, and while I love it stirred into bowls of oatmeal, baked into a cookie, worked into granola or in a classic or super special PBJ, my favourite way to eat peanut butter has always been and always will be, on a spoon. That being said, I'm forever looking for ways to add peanut butter to different things. I've been known to substitute peanut butter for butter, mostly because I like the taste, partly because it's a healthier alternative.

That's exactly what happened here: a peanut butter apple crumble/crisp. Don't get me wrong; I love the classic no-fail apple crumble, and it will probably remain my partner's favourite, but let me tell you, this peanut butter version is going to steal your heart. In the past year, I've realized that natural peanut butter is so much better than the commercial version, so that's what I used in this recipe. It makes the apples get sticky and gooey and creamy -- a perfect match to the toasty crumble/crisp topping that gets sprinkled over top. And since realizing that honey and peanut butter so hand-in-hand, there's a generous spoon of it added to the filling and the topping. Peanut butter + fruit = happiness. Can you guess what the next combination will be?? And can anyone tell me what's the difference between a crumble and a crisp?


Peanut Butter Apple Crumble/Crisp

Filling

2-3 apples, peeled cored and diced (I used Empires)
a pinch of cinnamon
a splash of water
2 teaspoons of honey
1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter

Topping

1/2 cup of oats
1/3 cup of whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of honey
3 tablespoons of natural peanut butter

1. Put all the ingredients for the filling in a small saucepan. Heat on medium, stirring for the first few minutes, until the peanut butter melds with the rest of the ingredients. Turn it down to low and cook until the apples get tender -- about 7-10 minutes.

2. In the meantime, make the crumble by first mixing together the oats, flour and brown sugar until well combined. All the honey and peanut butter and work it into the dry mixture slowly, until a crumble forms.

3. Pour the apple mixture into a baking dish and sprinkle over the crumble topping. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until the top gets nice and golden brown. Get ready for a bit of peanut butter heaven .. and you don't even have to feel guilty!

The No-Fail Gift

Do you remember that crazy, silver spray-painted macaroni wreathe that you made in kindergarten and presented proudly to your parents as soon as you got home? Ever wonder why your mom keeps it hung up on the wall after all these years, talks about it to every guest, and yet that beautiful angora sweater that you bought her for her birthday last year hasn't been worn even once? Well, it's because what your kindergarten teacher told you was true: the best gifts are the ones you make. The mixed tapes (or CDs .. or mp3 playlists now a days??), home-made cards, the photo frames with favourite memory pictures ... and the jar of cookies with the bow tied to it. Gifts that come from the heart are almost always ones that you put your love and sweat into by making.
When I want to make a special treat for the ones that I love, I always look to my "no-fail" recipes. They're different for different people. For my Dad, it would be "fluffy cake" (a plain butter and sour cream pound cake), for my sister and best friend, probably chocolate chip cookies, for my cousin it would be peanut butter cookies. For my love, it's got to be apple crumble.

I first made apple crumble with my sister. We guessed at the ingredients and method, and made it quite a few times before writing the measurements down.I remember her saying "So how do you think we get the butter and flour and sugar to be crumbly." And I said, quickly recalling a foodTV episode "Anna Olsen says you rub the butter into the flour and sugar until it looks likes peas." We did just that, and it worked perfectly. Over the years, I've tried fiddling with the recipe, adding oats, cinnamon, or using whole wheat flour. But the original version always gets the best reviews. I made it the other night as a special request and it was, as always, very well received. So please try this recipe -- even if you're like my apple-hating best friend (yeah, she hates apples! Who hates apples?!), I'm confident that you'll take a second bite.

No-Fail-I-Love-You Apple Crumble

2-3 apples (my favourite is Empire), peeled, cored and cut into small chunks
1/2 + 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
a pinch of cinnamon
1/2 cup of butter, cold, cut into small cube, + 1 tablespoon for the apples
3/4 cup of all purpose flour

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place your apple chunks, cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar in a pot and cook on low, stirring occasionally.

3. While the apples are cooking, make your crumble. Put the flour and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir around until mixed together. Add the butter and rub it against the flour until the mixture has lumps the size of peas (just like Anna Olsen said!). Put half of this mixture in the bottom of a pie plate or cake pan and bake for about 15 minutes or until it gets golden and fragrant. Remove from the oven.

4. When the apples have softened, spread them out on top. Add the remaining crumble mixture and put the whole thing back in the oven for 20 minutes or until the top gets brown and you can smell cinnamon and apples coming from your oven.

5. Present it to the love of your life with pride.