Recipe Category Archives: Breakfast

Date Nut Bread Recipe. Muffin Variation

By on March 19, 2017 in

adapted from Levana Cooks, using Vanilla Bean Levana Nourishments

date nut bread

This date nut bread sounds too good-for-you to be good-good, doesn’t it?

But wait till you taste it: Plump and moist and chock-full of good-for-you goodies. Plus, this is a quick bread, meaning, no yeast and no kneading. It rises with baking powder and baking soda, so you might decide to make it at the drop of a hat.

I make my date nut bread with spelt flour too, so it’s a win-win.

In my latest cookbook, all sugars and sweeteners are “under investigation” in each of the book’s recipes. So, whenever possible (which turns out to be quite often, I am pleased to report!) I use natural sweeteners. But here is the beautiful thing:

This date nut bread gets naturally sweetened with dried fruit and nothing else!

If you love dried figs or apricots, as I do, you can substitute them for, or use them in combination with, the dates.

Great for breakfast too, as is or toasted, alone or topped with a little nut butter or butter.

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Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread Recipe

By on March 19, 2017 in

adapted from Levana Cooks, using Cocoa Coffee Levana Nourishments

zucchini chocolate chip bread

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread!

You must try mine. I love the idea of quickbreads, whipped up at the drop of a hat, ready for guests and us on short notice, no kneading and no rising time.

The added bonus is that quickbreads are very moderately sweet.

This little trivia about them places them in the category of real foods rather than desserts, even though they taste delicious enough to be dessert.

The flavor combination in this Zucchini Chocolate Chip bread is unbeatable!

And you will eat your veggies, I guarantee it! It helps a lot that zucchini is naturally bland, in a good way, and is equally at home in sweet and savory dishes.

No problem making muffins with this batter:

Your children will love you for the perfect Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins snack!

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No Yeast Gluten-Free Rolls Recipe

By on March 19, 2017 in

adapted from Levana Cooks, using Garden Vegetable Levana Nourishments

gluten-free rolls

Gluten-free rolls is something I am constantly tinkering with.

I’m terribly sorry to say:

Commercial gluten-free bread and gluten free rolls are really subpar, on every level:

Let’s see: The ingredient selection (First ingredient: potato starch, corn starch?!?), the unjustified high price (again: for potato starch, corn starch?), the poor flavor and texture, and above all the way it ignores all health guidelines. Poor gluten-free shoppers pay through the nose for something they have equated with healthy because it boasts a gluten-free certification, and for what? Gluten free junk!

Although making yeasted bread is nowhere near as hard or time consuming as some people imagine, the daunting idea of multi step bread baking, and all things yeasted for that matter, dies hard for many of us. Making yeasted gluten-free rolls follows pretty much the same rules as regular bread baking, albeit with different ingredient ratios. So I decided to explore with no yeast Gluten-free rolls. Much like muffins, except they are savory enough to be bread.

These gluten-free rolls have the advantage of consisting in a single-step process.

And because they are yeast-free, they are much less perishable than yeasted gluten-free bread rolls. I store them in the freezer, and whip out just the number I need.

Here is a large batch recipe of my no yeast gluten-free rolls I was very happy with. No trace of the offending worthless starch; only the very best and healthiest ingredients, and super nutritious. My gluten-allergic grandson loved them, and he is a certified bread aficionado, so his verdict rules.

 

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Blueberry Scones Recipe

By on March 19, 2017 in

adapted from Levana Cooks, using Mixed Berry Levana Nourishments

blueberry scones

Blueberry scones and all scones are wonderful year-round!

Whipped up in minutes and full of flavor. I make them with spelt, my grain of choice for baking absolutely everything, but you will find them totally adaptable to Gluten-Free.

All the ingredients that go in my blueberry scones are so healthy it is OK even to have them for breakfast without any guilt!

If you happen, as I always do, to have frequent unseasonable and uncontrollable yens for blueberry scones, cake or muffins, simply use frozen blueberries!

Frozen blueberries rule!

Look for the blueberries marked IQF (individually quick frozen) or IFF (individually flash frozen). This means that the berries (or any other fruit, or vegetable, whole small fruit or larger fruit cut in chunks) are first frozen very briefly in one layer, then conditioned into their final packaging. The step of freezing them individually before freezing them en masse affords you the opportunity of taking out only the amount of berries you need (perfect for smoothies and fruit sauces), saving the rest for next time; it also means they won’t make a mess and turn your whole batter purple. Simply leave them in the freezer until the minute you need to fold them into your batter; they have ample time to thaw during baking.

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Crepes Recipe. All Fillings, Savory and Sweet

By on March 18, 2017 in

adapted from Levana Cooks, using Vanilla Bean Levana Nourishments

crepes

You say Pancakes, I say Crepes!

Jut one bite and you’ll understand why these French crepes gems are so popular with children big and small!

How will we ever know how wonderful crêpes can be if all we’ve been doing so far is opening a commercial muffin mix box—and the worst part is, we haven’t saved more than a minute or two on the whole thing— and missed out on a great treat, so was it worth it? Of course you know the answer, so I won’t rub it in. My children grew up on crêpes—we just had to have them at least once a week. They are so much fun no one will ever know they are actually eating healthy food. There is only a small ratio principle to keep in mind for perfect, ethereal paper-thin crêpes: 4 eggs or egg substitute (see below), 2 cups flour, 2½ cups liquid. That’s the whole thing. Play with this, and get different and exciting results each time. My granddaughter Musia (above) is always clamoring for them, and enjoys them egg-free.

Crêpes are a wonderful choice when you have company. (Only your kids? That’s company, and of the best kind!) Make them while you are talking to your family or guests, and have a good time. You will be amazed at the great selection of flours you will find at health food stores. And the fillings are a terrific way to recycle leftover chicken or vegetables.

The crêpes mixture can be made even a couple days in advance.

Don’t worry if the batter settles and starts looking somewhat unappealing—just give it a few more turns in the blender before using, and it will look and taste like new. If the mixture thickens while it sits, thin it with a little liquid.

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