Blueberry Crunch Bread

If there's one food I know my family would be lost without, it's bread. It's a component of at least one meal or snack every day, from the outside of breakfast egg sandwiches to a base for late night cinnamon toast, mid-morning coffee break fare and even in-a-pinch salad toppers. Granted, most of the family are dedicated to the storebought, white and in my opinion spongy loaves out there - why, I'm not quite sure - but my mom and I are longtime converts of homemade, hearty and ever-variable breads that hold their own without needed pomp and circumstance. 

Even the healthiest bread is no good on our table without a good dose of flavour going for it, though. For mom and I, that usually means one (or more) of three things: natural sweetness (from honey or maple syrup), fruit or crunchy bits like grains, seeds and nuts.When my mom was pining for a crusty,  artisan-style loaf with the fruitiness of my Multigrain Spelt and Blueberry Sourdough but a slightly richer crumb, I thought immediately of a recipe I had bookmarked from Flavored Breads: Recipes from Mark Miller's Coyote Cafe. A few slight modifications later (based purely on what I had available) and I had a perfectly workable dough stuffed with fruit and begging for just a little something more. A handful of Gingerbread Love Crunch from Nature's Path added subtle crunch and flavour perfect for offsetting the tenderness of the bread.

Shared with YeastSpotting

Pumpkin Apple Tart (It's Pi(e) Day!)

Happy Pi(e) Day, everyone! Now, I have never been a fan of math, but pastry? I can get behind that!

Because this year marks a truly epic Pi phenomenon (today is 3.1415!), I wanted to share an epically delicious tart with you that both the adults and kids I served it to adored. Coincidentally, the recipe also looks long enough to have it's own 3-hour movie - but luckily each component can be made in advance without an issue, and any leftovers of the finished pie can be frozen too. I actually made a double batch of the filling in preparation for a Home Ec pastry lesson, which almost didn't make it to this tart because my kids were in love with it!

Now, I know neither apples nor pumpkin are overly "in season" right now - so you have two options if the idea of this combination of a buckwheat sablé-style crust, sweet and spicy custard filling and just tender roasted apple with a sprinkle of raw sugar turns your crank:

1. Wait until September / October and try again
2. Buy a bag of local "storage" apples and either a buttercup or kabocha squash and get baking!

In fact, you will likely get better results with one of the two "alternate" squashes I mentioned than with a run-of-the-mill pie pumpkin - neither is as watery and both (to me) taste a bit sweeter and well rounded. When I make apple-pumpkin butter in the Fall after apple picking (same recipe as below, minus the starches and eggs), I usually pick up one of those instead!

Now, since the whole recipe takes a bit of time to complete, it's great that you can also effectively make both components at once. After the filling goes into the oven, make, chill and roll out the crust, fitting it into the tart pan and re-refrigerating - up to 3 days, if wrapped! Then, while the filling cools, crank that already-hot oven up and blind bake the base, which gives you time to clean up, make the custard and slice the apple. After that, it's all assembly, baby... and waiting one last hour and a half for it to bake and cool enough so you don't scald your mouth.

A lot of work? Yes. But if you have anyone to impress (even if it's just yourself), it's a winner.

Sautéed Bananas on Pain Perdu

One of the things I love teaching my kids about in Home Ec is that you can have delicious, decadent and even exotic food at home for less money and time than a restaurant. While the majority of their parents cook at least some meals at home, a lot of the time the food is your standard "in a rush, feed the kids what they like" fare. I like to take my hour of time each week to challenge them, even in a small way, to think of food outside the supermarket "box".

This week we made French toast - one of the simplest and cheapest things you can make for any meal of the day. It's also one of the fastest and most variable dishes I know of, and one I learned very early on at my mother's hop. Of course, over the years I've learned a few tricks and tips along the way to jazz up my version - thoroughly drying out the bread (to a "crouton" texture) so that it soaks up the maximum amount of custard possible is my standard practice now, because it makes even whole grain bread (like what I used today) a perfect base. By adding just a smidge of sugar along with vanilla and nutmeg to the eggs and whole milk, and whisking in my most recent "secret ingredient" - a scoop of custard powder - turns everything into a decadent, creamy sop for the bread and cooks to a crisp exterior while maintaining that "bread pudding" mouthfeel inside.

Finally, there's the topping. While maple syrup is perfectly acceptable (and wholly supported by me, especially when the dark, grade B version is available), I opted to take my French toast to New Orleans and go a Bananas Foster route. A whack of butter, brown sugar and bananas caramelized slowly before finishing with more vanilla and a touch of lemon juice, making a perfect topping for the Pain Perdu as well as a crepe filling and crown for an open-face peanut butter and banana sandwich. The dregs of banana that were left after 3 days of cooking (the photo showed the batch I made for 30 kids, with 12 bananas!), I pureed into luxurious banana "butter" and baked into some of the richest banana bread I've ever made - Heaven!

Salted Caramel Corn

I love popcorn. I'm sure I'm not alone in that statement, but I adore it even in it's simplest form, hot from the air-popper without even a kiss of salt. That said, a little adornment on occasion never hurts - and if you're fortunate enough to have the sweet, salty and "nutty" flavours of a freshly made caramel corn on hand... well, lets just say picnics, road trips and baseball games just won't be the same without it!

I garnered inspiration for this vegan, (naturally) gluten free treat from a bag of "Fit" Sea Salt Popcorn from Popcorn, Indiana. I reviewed both the Fit line and their Movie Theatre-style popcorn back in December, and was back for more with another bag! This time, though, I was on track to make treats for a few friends of mine, one who avoids dairy and wheat due to skin inflammation and another whose child has celiac as well as dairy and tree nut allergies. By using coconut oil and eliminating the nuts that are so common in caramel corn recipes, I effectively rendered the pan of goodness dairy free, and with the merest sprinkle of Kosher salt it had the addictive combination of flavours I was going for.

While a bag of this caramel corn looks like it took a host of complicated steps to put together, it really was all of about 15 minutes from the time I opened the bag of popcorn until it was baking to crispy, dark amber perfection in the oven. Another 25 minutes (and a stir) later I had a tray of gorgeous, crunchy and just sweet enough caramel corn that would last me, my co-workers and my friends a good long movie's worth of munching!

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays and Waste Not Want Not Wednesday 

Soy Awesome Cookies 2.0: A Beantastic #SundaySupper

As someone who grew up holding her mother's chocolate chip cookies up as the pinnacle of childhood cookie perfection (don't we all?), it's kind of amazing to me that I have been given the title of CCC Queen in the household. The status was far from being passed down, though - I still can't copycat my mom's cookies, even though they originate from the back of the Chipits package and have undoubtedly been made by thousands of people over the years. No, there are two different cookie recipes that my whole family - mom and picky sister included - declare better than "the originals": the incredibly decadent "My Way" Chewy Choccy Chippers and the sneakily health(ier) Soy Awesome Cookies. I make the soy version over and over throughout the year thanks to their incredible overall potential - the original recipe makes a lot of cookies (perfect for bake sales!), the dough is one of the most freezer-friendly ones I know of, and being eggless it makes a perfect addition to ice cream or chocolate-covered "truffles" (or just eating off the spoon).

Of course, if you know me at all, you know I am absolutely incapable of repeating a recipe for too long. In my mind, there's always room for variation and improvement, whether it's by swapping a different flour in for a flavour twist, adding a superfood or two or (as the case is here) veganizing the works so that a wider audience can partake in the deliciousness that is a well-make cookie. For #SundaySupper's "beany" theme, I took my soy-laden treats and thoroughly updated them while scaling back the yield (I was running out of freezer space!). These vegan cookies are filled with flavour and texture on all angles: tenderizing custard powder, butterscotchy maca powder, nutty barley flour and fruity coconut oil all find a home somewhere in the mix, and using a mix of melted and solid fats as well as chocolate chip sizes just boost the overall appeal even more. They are a hit with everyone (especially kids), and the tofu will still be a secret - unless of course you tell!

Here's what other beany goodness is on the menu today:

Beantastic Beginners:

• Avocado Hummus by Our Good Life
• Bean Ragoût and Crisped Mushrooms by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Black Bean Chili Nachos by Brunch with Joy
• Chickpea Fries (Panisse) by Curious Cuisiniere
• Five Layer Greek Hummus Dip by Food Done Light
• Pizza Roasted Chickpeas by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• White Bean and Basil Spread by Peaceful Cooking

Bean-a-rific Soups and Stews:

• Butternut Squash White Bean Soup by Magnolia Days
• Chickpea and Bean Soup by Momma’s Meals
• Classic Cassoulet by Food Lust People Love
• Navy Bean & Kale Soup by An Appealing Plan
• Navy Bean Soup by The Messy Baker
• Slow Cooker Pork and Bean Stew by Nosh My Way
• Kielbasa and White Bean Soup by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Spicy Sausage, White Bean and Spinach Soup by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen

Bean-a-licious Sides:

• Bean and Cornbread Salad by MealDiva
• Clams with Black Beans by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole by Gluten Free Crumbley
• Gold Rush Baked Beans by Lifestyle Food Artistry
• Maple Brown Sugar Baked Beans by Carrie’s Experimental Kitchen
• Pinto Beans With Cornbread Croutons by Nik Snacks
• Whiskey Bacon Baked Beans by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Incredi-bean Main Meals:

• Arugula Tomato and Beans Flatbread by Family Foodie
• Bean and Bacon Tacos by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Beefy Lima Bean Casserole by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Colombian Red beans – Frisoles Antioquenos by Palatable Pastime
• Italian Beans and Greens by Simply Healthy Family
• Honey-Lime Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos by The Chunky Chef
• One Pot Tuscan Style Garlic Herb Pork Chops by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Orecchiette with White Beans and Swiss Chard by Delaware Girl Eats
• Skillet Black Beans and Pork by Cooking Chat
• Ultimate Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes by Pancake Warriors
• White Bean Ragout, Frisèe, and a Fried Egg by The Wimpy Vegetarian

Amaze-beans Sweet Endings:

• Chocolate Covered Espresso Bean Bark by Love and Confections
• Flourless Almond Joy Cookie Dough Ball by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Flourless Mocha Brownies by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies by Wallflour Girl
• Gluten-Free Donuts by NinjaBaker
• Pecan Praline Black Bean Brownies by Rhubarb and Honey
• Soy Awesome Cookies 2.0 by What Smells So Good?
• Strawberry Coco-Cacao Bean Smoothie by Dandelion Greens
• Sweet Bean Pie by Shockingly Delicious
• Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee by Noshing With The Nolands

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