A Better Breakfast

So I'm back on the wards again. Which means showing up at 6:30, which means no time to sit down in the morning with some coffee and toast. I've gone on before about my search for the perfect breakfast, one that is quick and portable, while packing a nutritional and protein-packed punch to get me through the entire morning. This time, I turned to banana bread.

I always have a problem with bananas - it seems I never have them when I want them. Sometimes I buy a bunch, and we don't eat them, and then they get spotted, but before I get around to baking bread they've gone black. And kinda fermented. Or the opposite, I feel like baking banana bread and there are no bananas, and the store only has green and not overripe ones. Then I realized...
YOU CAN FREEZE BANANAS!
Truth be told, they look pretty disgusting after they've been sitting in the freezer, brown juice somehow seeping out of the fruit and freezing on its own in the bag. But trust me, once thawed and incorporated into a batter, you won't be able to tell the difference.
Problem. Solved.

I also used this opportunity to experiment with some healthier grains. Spelt flour seems to be all the rage these days. According to the internet, it's an ancient grain with many nutrients. Ancient foods are always better for you, right? The concensus seems to be that overall it is similar to whole wheat in protein, fat and fiber (maybe a little more fat and fiber, which also makes it more filling), but some people finds its flavor a little closer to white flour. I find it overall to be a little bit nuttier and grittier so wouldn't necessarily use in a cake, but it has a good flavor for this bread.

For added protein and fullness, I threw in some chia seeds, and finally tossed in some blueberries for a little sweetness. Spelt, chia, and blueberries - I feel like a health food store!

First day on the wards, consumed my hearty slice at 7am. Didn't get hungry again til lunchtime. Another breakfast, conquered.

Banana blueberry bread with spelt flour and chia seeds
makes 1 loaf

1/2 c. oil (I used sunflower oil)
1 c. mashed bananas
1/3 c. milk (almond milk or other non-dairy works too)
1 large egg
2-4 tbsp agave nectar or sugar, depending on ripeness of bananas
1 1/2 c. spelt flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup blueberries
2 tbsp chia seeds

1. Combine wet (first 5) ingredients.
2. In a mixing cup, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Pour into wet mixture and stir until just combined.
3. Fold in blueberries and chia seeds.
4. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs but not gooey.

Tastes good as is, leftover the next day, or toasted and served with butter. Store in refrigerator so berries don't spoil.

Pumpkin season once again

Working nights is hard. Even with a few days off, I still find myself wide awake the middle of the night, then unable to drag myself out of bed the next day.

My slothful tendencies of late are only amplified by my husband's annoying love - no, need - for running. He's training for another race right now, so when I rolled over and hit snooze yet again he jumped out of bed and headed off for a little 16-mile trot.

Finally I decided enough was enough. But I didn't want to actually do anything with the day, like go for a run myself or write the research protocol I've been avoiding for a week. So naturally, I decided to cook something.

If you've read this blog before you know that pumpkin and pumpkin spice are flavors I'll never tire of. This good old pancake recipe from Martha Stewart turned out to be perfect for the waffle iron. And with whole wheat substituted for white, eating them feels pretty virtuous. Almost as if I'd run for two hours myself.

Pumpkin spice waffles

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

2 tbsp oil or melted butter

3-4 tbsp sugar (or more, depending on how sweet you like your waffles)

6 tbsp pumpkin purée

1 egg

1 cup skim milk 

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour 

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Pumpkin pie spice: 1 tsp cinnamon, dashes of ginger, nutmeg, and allspice or ground cloves, to taste

Turn on waffle iron to preheat. Whisk first four ingredients. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and spices in a mixing cup. Alternate pours of milk and flour, whisking as you go, until all ingredients combined.

Spoon 1/3-1/2 cup of batter onto waffle iron (amount pictured made a thick fluffy waffle, also pictured) and cook until browned. 

Can be frozen and reheated in the toaster for another lazy day. 

Ode to Gluten

Passover was rough this year. Fortunately we pulled through and now I love bread more than ever. After a wildly productive week, I decided the best way to spend the final days of my April staycation was definitely baking. And faced with another two months of inpatient rotations, kicking it off with a week of nights, I decided I'd better bake something hearty. And portable.

Now normally I wouldn't gravitate towards a recipe from The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook, but this one is so simple and delicious. And chock-full of whole wheat, fruit, and nuts, it fits right into my ever-expanding repertoire of healthy breakfast baked goods. Its popularity is fast spreading throughout my whole family, and after an impromptu cocktails-and-bread night last night, my friends as well. The recipe is so huge it makes two loaves, and I find the second makes a perfect housewarming or thank-you gift.

This time around I decided to get fancy, creating a cinnamon-raisin swirl instead of just kneading them into the dough. The result was a bit messier, but once the sugar had cooled and set, it promotes the bread from everyday loaf to special weekend breakfast. Or late-night snack, if you ask my friends.

Whole Wheat Raisin-Nut Bread

1 package (5 tsp) yeast

1/2 c. warm (110-degree) water

1 1/2 c. warm (110-degree) milk

1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter
1/3 c. honey

2 eggs

3 c. whole wheat flour

3 1/2 c. white flour

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

2 c. raisins, soaked in warm water

1 c. chopped walnuts

extra cinnamon and sugar, for the swirl
egg white and water, for the glaze

1. Combine yeast, warm water, and a pinch of sugar. Let stand. A layer of foam should appear on top; this means the yeast is alive and excited about the sugar, which it is starting to ferment. The fermentation process is what will produce all those wonderful carbon dioxide bubbles and make the bread rise.

2. Combine flour and rest of dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

3. Attach a dough hook to your mixer. Combine yeast/water, butter, and eggs (I saved a tiny bit of egg white to use for glaze later). Add dry ingredients. As I mentioned, this is a HUGE recipe so add flour slowly unless you want a mini blizzard in your kitchen (as you can see from the picture, I did not add it slowly enough).

If you don't have a stand mixer, or just want a real hands-on breadmaking experience, just combine all the ingredients in a bowl and knead away.

4. Lightly oil a large bowl (or use cooking spray). Drop the ball of dough, and turn once to coat. Cover with a moist towel and let sit in a warm place for 1-2 hours.

5. Divide dough in half. Turn onto a clean workspace. I love this Tupperware mat. If you're not into the fancy swirl, skip this step and just knead the nuts and raisins in.

6. Flatten each ball into a rectangle (-ish) with your hands. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar, then nuts, then raisins (I used golden and regular in the photos shown here).

7. Roll into a loaf, tucking the raisins and nuts inside. Pinch the ends closed and tuck under so the contents don't fall out. (See pictures at end for example). The sugar gets very syrupy and sticky as it heats up, and if there are open ends it will spill out of the bread. Which could be delicious. But messy.

8. Beat egg white with a little cold water to make a glaze, and brush the top of each loaf. Place in lightly oiled loaf pans.

9. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes. You'll know the bread is done when you knock on the top and it sounds hollow. If you like a crispier crust you can remove from the pan and put straight on the oven rack or on a baking sheet for another 5-10 minutes.
10. Let cool. Slice, butter, and devour. Give the other one to a friend.

Step 7: Sprinkle cinnamon sugar, raisins and nuts on dough, then jelly-roll and pinch ends to prevent liquid sugar from leaking out.

In Search of the Perfect Muffin

When your day starts at 6am and doesn't involve much sitting down, a hearty breakfast is important. I consider it one of my life's missions to come up with the perfect breakfast pastry – healthy, full of slow-burning protein and fiber, and easy to consume while running/driving to work (or concealable in the pocket of a white coat).

In my quest for The Perfect Muffin, I came across this one on epicurious. With a few modifications of my own (oats, whole wheat, and less sugar) I feel pretty confident that I’ve found The One. Chock-full of apples, raisins, walnuts, and pumpkiny goodness, it’s one of my favorite ways to start the day. A few lucky coworkers agree.

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

1 c. vegetable or corn oil
1 c. canned pumpkin
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. Instant oats
1 T pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 t ground ginger, 1/2 t nutmeg, optional 1/4 t allspice)
1 1/4 t baking powder

1. Combined wet (first 4) ingredients.
2. Combine dry ingredients, add to wet.
3. Fold in apples and raisins, and walnuts if you like (that extra hit of protein might help you make it to lunch).
4. Pour into greased muffin tin. For huge, 300-calorie, overflowing muffins (with the nice tops) divide among 12 cups; for smaller (260-cal) bites divide among 18 cups. Sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar, or streusel topping (4 T butter, 2 T flour, 1/2 t cinnamon, and 1/2 c. brown sugar) for a fancier muffin.
5. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until muffin tops are springy.
6. Let cool 5-10 mins in pan, then on cooling rack until room temp (or as long as you can wait).

Every Season is Pumpkin Season

When the weather turns chilly and the leaves start to turn, so do the seasonal menus become inundated with pumpkin concoctions of every kind – soups, cakes, lattes, beers, even ravioli gets a delightful new twist with the addition of everyone’s favorite gourd. I secretly believe that no one actually is that nuts over actual pumpkin flavor, but rather the almost-synonymous pumpkin spice bouquet: a sumptuous blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and sometimes clove or allspice that conjures up fall scenes, no matter how warm the weather.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not knocking the pumpkin craze. In fact, I’m taking it one step further. Why limit this fantastic vegetable and its associated flavors to one season? Pumpkin is actually a wonderfully versatile ingredient, adding moisture and color to any baked good, often resulting in less fat/butter/oil. The flavor (combined with pumpkin pie spice) is also bold enough to hold its own against whole wheat flour, once again upping the healthy factor.
I came across this recipe on the King Arthur Flour blog (a solid test kitchen, by the way). It seems kinda fancy but it turns out even donut newbies like me can tackle it. Show up one Saturday morning with a box full of these puppies and your coworkers will love you forever. By the way, this donut pan is my favorite new baking tool. No sticking, no mess, and only $10.

Pumpkin Spice Donuts

1/2 c. Vegetable or corn oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. canned pumpkin
1 3/4 c. + 2 T flour (white or wheat)
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice*
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
Additional cinnamon sugar for dusting

*pumpkin pie spice = roughly 2 parts cinnamon : 1 part ground ginger : 1 nutmeg : 1/2 allspice (optional), I often err on the side of more cinnamon

1. Mix wet (first four) ingredients.

2. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. My mom always saves on time (and dishes) by using a large measuring cup:

3. Fold dry ingredients into wet.

4. Pour into greased donut pan and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

5. Let cool for 5 min, then shake in a plastic bag (or dip onto a plate) filled with cinnamon sugar. NOTE: the sugar tends to get absorbed and makes the donuts sticky, so I recommend dusting the day of and covering only lightly until ready to serve.

Bananarama

I have been making these muffins since college. While they are not my magnum opus of muffins (that post is yet to come) they are simple crowd-pleasers and can be whipped up in a snap. There’s plenty of room to play with ingredients should you be in the market for a more wholesome, filling muffin (suggestions posted along the way) or make as is for a wonderful breakfast indulgence or even dessert.

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

2-3 large ripe bananas, the more spots the better
2 T sugar, or to taste (if your bananas are ripe enough you’ll hardly need sugar at all. I am usually satisfied with a few teaspoons. Adding chocolate chips also helps me get away with a less sweet batter)
1 egg
1/2 c. oil (oil makes a crispier muffin, but yogurt can be used instead for a fat-free but slightly chewier muffin – just don’t use Greek yogurt as it makes the muffins kind of sour.)
1 t. vanilla extract (optional)
1 1/2 c. flour (I used whole wheat here, slightly nuttier taste but contributes to that wholesome breakfast goal)
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3/4 c. chocolate chips (optional) – or walnuts, or whatever you fancy in a banana muffin

1. Mash bananas with a fork.




2. Combine the rest of the wet ingredients (egg, oil/yogurt, vanilla) and sugar.

3. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. I find recipes always say to use a separate bowl but all you really need is a big enough measuring cup : )  

4. Fold flour mixture into wet ingredients.


5. Add chocolate chips.


6. Pour into greased muffin pan. Fill about 3/4 full, or more for bigger muffin tops.



7. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until edges are golden-brown and tops spring back when lightly pressed.
7.