gooey breakfast cakes

On the last day my mom was in town, I wanted to do something fun for breakfast.  I’ve been eyeing up all of the donut recipes lately, anxiously waiting to try one out.  In lieu of a donut pan, I used a mini bundt cake pan.  The pan has 12 molds, and there are holes in the middle, just like a large bundt pan.  I figured it’s practically the same thing.  Typically, the donut pans have 6 molds, so my little cakes were a mini version.

My mom and I both love mini-sized things, so this was perfect.

My goal was to make an edible, gluten free, donut-like mini cake, with flavors similar to our lemon blueberry pancake from Snooze.

Honestly, my main goal was hoping they were edible.

I looked at Michelle + Lori’s and Mama Pea’s donut recipes for a little inspiration.  I also looked at a few of my buckwheat bake recipes.  I wanted to make these a little more indulgent than the buckwheat bakes and lighter in texture.

I scratched down some notes on what I thought would work and got to mixing.  Recently I picked up sweet rice flour, because I saw a few GF recipes that called for it.  Sweet rice flour is very moist, adds a bit of sweetness, and helps to hold baked goods together.  Instead of mixing this with buckwheat flour, which I thought would be too dense, I chose oat flour.  Oat flour is a bit lighter and has a lovely slightly sweet flavor. 

To make oat flour, I grind whole oat groats [or steel cut oats] in my blender, until it becomes a fine powder.  When making fresh flour, it will turn rancid much more quickly than store bought.  You should use it within 1-2 weeks.

To also help hold these together, I used 2 eggs.  I’m hoping to experiment with a vegan version, but for the first try, I wanted to play it safe.  The eggs helped these rise and created a lovely cake-like texture.  Typically, I don’t add sugar to my breakfasts, except maybe a drizzle of honey.  But like I said, I wanted to create something a bit more indulgent, while still using healthy ingredients.  To sweeten these, I used sucanat, which is dehydrated sugar cane juice. 

These little cakes ended up being delicious.  They surpassed my expectations.  Pure luck!  The lemon was detectable, but not overpowering.  The blueberries added a nice juicy pop of flavor.  The texture was like a gooey, doughy cake-donut.  It was extremely moist, thick but light + cakey, and oh so addicting.  They held together perfectly and were not crumbly at all. 

My mom and I scarfed these down.

No icing needed. 

But maybe a dusting of powdered sugar for fun!

To pay a little more homage to the lemon blueberry pancakes we dined on a few days prior, I topped one of the cakes with Noosa honey yogurt, just as they did at the restaurant.  Noosa, is a local yogurt, made with dairy from Morning Fresh Farm.  It’s like no other yogurt I’ve ever tasted.  The texture is creamy, not too thick, and not too runny.  It’s slightly sweet and tastes a bit like cream cheese.

I was so excited to make my mom a memorable breakfast before she left town.  Chris ate one, and loved it, but my greedy paws snatched up the rest!  I can’t wait to make more flavor variations and try a few different things with the recipe. 

Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Cakes

• 2T coconut flour
• 1/2c oat flour
• 1/2c sweet rice flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3c mashed banana [~1 medium banana]
• 1c frozen or fresh blueberries
• 1/2c almond milk
• 1t baking powder
• 1/4t salt
• 1/3c sucanat
• 3T coconut oil, melted
• 1T lemon zest
• 2T fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. Thoroughly grease a 12 mold mini bundt pan.
3. In a large bowl combine coconut flour, oat flour, sweet rice flour, baking powder, sucanat, and salt.
4. In a medium bowl, mash the banana until egg-like.
5. Whisk the eggs in with the banana and then whisk in the milk + melted coconut oil.
6. Add wet to dry and stir until combined.
7. Stir in the blueberries, lemon zest + lemon juice until just combined.
8. Evenly scoop batter into the pan and bake for 20-25min. 
9. Toothpick test one of the cakes, and pull out when the toothpick is still very slightly wet.
10. Let cool for 10min and carefully, using a small silicone spatula or butter knife, remove each cake.

*I’m sure you can use a 6-12 mold donut pan, or a 12 mold muffin pan.  The cook time for the muffin pan will probably be a few minutes longer, since there is no hole in the middle of each muffin.  If you’re making them in a 6 mold donut pan, they will also take longer.  They should be golden brown on top and toothpick test for doneness.

*The banana is not detectable in this at all.  I don’t recommend using applesauce for a substitution, as it is too wet.

I hope you enjoy these as much as my mom + I did!

Ashley

lemony gingery goodness

Obviously, by now, the chocolate coconut balls have completely vanished.  Also something to note.  Yesterday it was 50* and right now there is a blizzard outside.  Ohhhhh Colorado!

As much as I liked that version, I wanted to try something new.  Being on a bit of a lemon kick, with this detox that I’m on, I figured incorporating lemon into a date + nut bar was the obvious thing to do.  I don’t think the lemon in this will work like the lemon in warm lemon water, but I’m sure it will still do you some good!  I’ve also incorporated another tummy pleaser, ginger.  My favorite Larabar is the Lemon flavor, but I wanted to spice things up a bit with a gingery bite.

Things to note about dates:

1. You must use medjool dates!!  I’ve used other dates before and they just don’t work the same or taste as good.  Specifically, Deglet dates, look somewhat the same but are not nearly as sticky and don’t taste too great.
2. To pit a date, carefully slice down the center of the date, until you hit the pit.  Peel back with your fingers and pluck out the date.
3. Store your dates in an airtight container in the fridge if you plan on having them around for a few weeks or more.
4. If your dates were kept in the cupboard and seem a bit dry, you’ll just need to add a few more.
5. If your mixture is not holding together, once you’ve pulsed it all together, you need more dates.  Empty the contents and process 2-3 more dates.  Then add the mixture back in and pulse a few more times.  If it sticks together, you’re good to go!
6. Medjool dates are super ooey gooey and almost taste pumpkiny in a way.
7. They remind me of cockroaches which I try not to let gross me out!

Processed dates.

Mixture fully processed.

The mixture should be sticky enough that you can form into 1 large ball.

Place a large piece of saran under the ball, flip saran over the top and flatten + shape with your hand + fingers.

I formed a nice rectangle by flattening and pressing the sides with my hands, so the thickness would remain even.  A rolling pin may help but is not necessary.

Ready to cut!

It’s about 1/3-1/2” in thickness.

Lemon Ginger Date Bars [yields ~10, 1” x 3” x 1/2” bars]

• 1c ground almonds
• 2/3c lightly packed ground medjool dates [~10-14, depending on size and dryness]
• 1/2t powdered ginger [optional]
• 2t lemon zest [the bright yellow part only]
• 1T fresh squeezed lemon juice

1. Grind almonds with a food processor, until mealy, and measure out 1c.  Roughly a little over 1c whole almonds will yield 1c ground.
2. Empty into a bowl.
3. Process dates until very small sticky pieces are left.  See photo above.
4. Combine nuts with dates, add ginger + lemon zest.
5. Pulse until well combined. ~10-15 pulses
6. Add lemon juice + pulse again, until combined.
7. If the mixture can hold together if you try to form a ball, it’s done.  If not pulse a few more time and test again.  If it’s still not working, you probably need a few more dates.  Start with 2-3.  Empty the contents of the food processor and processed 2-3 dates.  Add combined mixture back in and pulse.  Test again to see if it holds together.
8. Form into a large ball and place on a large sheet of saran wrap.
9. Cover the top of the ball with the saran and start to press out, shaping with your hands.
10. Flatten and shape into desired shape.
11. Cut, wrap in saran, and store in the fridge.

It can be a little tricky getting the ratio of dates correct.  Once you do, the mixture should be able to form a large ball without falling apart, as pictured above.

I couldn’t stop taking little bites of these when they were finished!  The lemon is super refreshing and they’re nice and sweet from the dates.  The almonds give it a great crunch and the ginger gives it a nice little warming kick.

If you don’t feel like forming into bars, feel free to roll into balls.

Wrap + store in the fridge or even the freezer.

Happy tastebuds!  Enjoy!

Ashley

Don’t forget about the yoga giveaway on this morning’s post!  It closes at Noon – MST tomorrow!

detox day 7 – it’s been a week!

I can’t believe a full week has already gone by since I started this detox plan.  It’s flown!  Breakfast this morning started with steel cut oats.  I’m getting a bit sick of the texture of regular rolled oats. so I thought this would be a nice change of pace.  I love the slight crunchiness of steel cut. 

I thought to mix in some blueberries, so it wouldn’t be quite so plain tasting.  It worked!  This bowl was awesome.

With some vanilla cinnamon tea brewed on the side.

In the mix:

• 1/3c steel cut oats
• 1T ground flax
• 3/4c water
• 3/4c unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 banana
• 1t cinnamon
• splash vanilla
• topped with: raw almond butter + coconut butter 

Not much happened between breakfast and lunch.  It was a nice relaxing morning on the couch doing some computer work. 

I felt like winging it for lunch, which worked out really well!

In the bowl:

• 3c raw spinach
• 2 farm fresh eggs
• 1/3c avocado
• pepitas
• 3/4c millet
• cashew nacho cheeze sauce
• sprinkle of salt
• black pepper

The 2nd egg is hiding under the millet.  :)  I loved every bite of this!!  A perfect mix of flavors + textures.  This was an awesome 1 bowl meal.

Didn’t get the best photos of dinner with the light box, but I had to talk about this meal.  I came up with a vegan lemony cream sauce that turned out way better than expected!!  It was bursting with flavor and great mixed with brown rice pasta + tons of veggies.

Herbed Lemon Cream Sauce [makes about 2c]

• 2c unsweetened almond milk
• 1/3c chopped shallot
• 1 chopped garlic clove
• zest + juice of 2 lemons
• 2T nutritional yeast
• 1/2c raw cashew pieces
• 1T arrowroot starch
• 1T olive oil
• 1/4-1/2t salt
• black pepper
• 2t oregano
• 2t basil

1. In a small pan, over med-low heat, heat 1T olive oil.
2. Add chopped shallot to the pan and stir frequently for 2-3min. 
3. Add garlic, oregano + basil, stir 1 more minute.  Set aside.
4. In a medium size pot, whisk arrowroot starch into almond milk, until no lumps are left.
5. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then reduce heat to simmer.
6. Simmer, stirring frequently, for 5-7min until slightly thickened.
7. While simmering, in a blender or food processor, blend cashews + nutritional yeast until powdery.
8. Add in shallot/herb mixture and milk mixture after it’s finished cooking.
9. Blend, starting on low and moving higher, until smooth.
10. Add the mixture back to the pot and heat over low to med-low until thickened. [~10min, but can keep on low for longer while pasta and/or veggies are cooking]
11. Stir frequently to avoid lumps.

*While the sauce is thickening you can boil water for pasta and steamed veggies.  Steam veggies until just tender and follow pasta package directions for cook time.  Drain pasta, add back to the pot.  Mix in veggies and desired amount of sauce to coat.

I added 1c frozen organic lima beans [full of fiber + protein!], 3/4c organic frozen broccoli florets + 3c organic fresh spinach.  The frozen brocc + lima beans steamed perfectly.  I saved a lot of money buying frozen organic broccoli then fresh and for this meal, you couldn’t tell the difference.  I also toasted pepitas for a little crunch!

We both really enjoyed the lemony cream sauce.  The only thing that was just “okay” was the brown rice pasta.  It tasted great, but became quite gummy.  We used Lundberg Organic Spaghetti, which was the same brand that we used the other night.  However, we both liked the penne pasta much more.  It didn’t stick together nearly as much. 

Detox Day 7 – overview

• 1 week? Really!? 
• Today I felt great.  Nothing interesting to report really.  No crazy cravings or mood swings. :) 
• I walked the dogs for a little over an hour and then did 20min of yogadownload. 

Pretty boring, no?

Originally, my plan was to take out gluten/dairy/soy/caffeine/alcohol + greatly reduce sugar/sodium for 1 full week.  I ended up taking those foods out, reducing my sodium to under 1/4t total per day, and not eating any sugar [except fruit].  My stomach has been much better, but I still have a ways to go.  As I’ve read and heard from others, to really figure out which foods are bothering you, it’s best to take them out for at least 3 weeks, before reintroducing them back into your diet.  I want to try at least another full week with no gluten, dairy, and soy. 

I’m excited to keep up with this, to hopefully find a real answer in a few weeks.  I’m in no way planning on keeping these things out of my diet for the long term, unless I find one that is causing me problems.  I’m going to keep the salt to the under 1/4t a day for the time being.  I think that’s helped me feel better as well, because I’m not retaining as much water.  I’m keeping sugar out of my diet a bit longer too, until my cravings aren’t as intense.  Once that happens, I’ll bring honey, brown rice syrup, and maple syrup back in, in very small amounts.  As far as coffee + alcohol go, I’m holding off for 1 more week.

Will keep you posted of course!

Early wake up call…off to pack for mountain day breakfast + lunch and then get to bed! 

Ashley

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pre-toxing

detox day 1 – part 1, part 2

detox day 2 – part 1, part 2

detox day 3 – part 1, part 2 [dry brushing + swimming]

detox day 4 – getting creative

detox day 5 – juiced!

detox day 6 – balls save the day