Waffles

Expectation: To make a delicious, healthier waffle!

Winning Box Recipe: Kodiak Cakes Flapjack and Waffle Mix

Winning Homemade Recipe: Cinnamon Sweet Potato Waffles

Kodiak Cakes 

Always on the lookout for quick and easy whole grains, I stumbled upon Kodiak Cakes Whole Grain Frontier Flapjack and Waffle Mix on a recent trip with friends to Oregon. This mix contains all-natural ingredients: whole wheat flour, whole oat flour, milk, honey, leavening, egg whites and salt. Although I haven't made the flapjacks yet, the waffles were excellent: crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. We happened to add bacon to the batter, which definitely didn't hurt, but I know the waffles would be great without it!

Cinnamon and Walnut Sweet Potato Waffles

For Christmas this past year, I received a great new cookbook, The Frugal Foodie, by Alanna Kaufman and Alex Small, authors of the blog TwoFatAls.com. This recipe caught my eye from the very beginning.

Along with whole grains, I love using vegetables in my baking because they add nutrients to otherwise empty-calorie foods. These waffles contain several healthy ingredients; whole wheat flour, cinnamon, sweet potato (or yams, in my case), walnuts and bananas (depending on your choice of toppings). Another bonus about this recipe is that it only contains a quarter cup of brown sugar, as the waffles are sweetened mostly by the sweet potato. I used a yam because yams are a bit sweeter and have that great orange color. 

These waffles are really fun. They have a rich, brown color, and offer layers of flavor from the spices, orange zest and yam. Although they are not particularly crispy, the texture is solid and holds up well to toppings. 

For this recipe (and more), click here: Cinnamon Sweet Potato Waffles

While on the topic of waffles, don't miss one of my all time favorite blogs, Waffleizer.

Banana-Oat Pancakes

Expectation: To whip up something quick and tasty on National Pancake Day!

Winning Recipe: Banana-Oat Pancakes

I woke up this morning to find out that March 1st is National Pancake Day. So, clearly, I had to make some pancakes! I didn't have many ingredients (no whole wheat flour), and I also didn't have time to run to the store. Lucky for me, my King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book had a recipe for Banana-Oat pancakes that I had all the ingredients for!

I can say with confidence that these pancakes are some of the best I have ever had. They are incredibly delicious on their own: completely moist, light and fluffy, with none of that weird baking soda taste and a truly amazing flavor. I couldn't stop saying "Wow. These are SO good."

The best part is that they are pretty healthy! They are mostly bananas, with only oat flour (no white flour), eggs and just a touch of sugar and spices. Nutrition-wise, the are pretty much like eating a bowl of oatmeal.

The recipe is straight out of the book, so I can't take any credit for it, but I just had to post them. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 small (or 2 large) bananas, mashed

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar

2 eggs

1 cup oat flour (just throw some oats in a blender!)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preparations:

In a medium bowl, mash the bananas and add the butter, lemon juice and sugar. Beat in the eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oat flour, baking soda, salt and spices. 

Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir the batter just until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened. Check to be sure the batter is thin enough; you may need to add a touch of milk or water (I added a bit of milk). Let the batter sit for 10 minutes.

Heat a nonstick griddle or heavy skillet (If the surface is NOT nonstick, brush or spray it with vegetable oil). When the surface is hot enough that a drop of water sputters across it, spoon the batter on 1/4 cupful at a time. Let the pancakes cook on the first side until bubbles form around the edges, 3-4 minutes. When the cakes are just beginning to set, flip them and let them finish cooking on the second side, about 1 1/2 minutes more. Serve immediately!

Yields about 10 small pancakes.

Nutrition facts for one pancake:

101 calories

4g fat

13g carbohydrate

2g fiber

GI 51

GL 7

About the grains:

Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats are oat groats that have been steamed and flattened by a roller.  Rolled oats cannot be eaten raw, but are the main ingredient in minimally cooked recipes, like granola. Oat flour is made by blending oats in a blender until they reach the consistency of flour. I bought a two pound bag of Bob's Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats at Whole Foods for $4.39. Rolled Oats have a GI of 58. See how I used them in coffeecake and brownies.

Brownies

Expectation: That I would never find a winning whole grain brownie recipe.

I've always loved the idea of brownies, but find that I am often disappointed at picnics and parties when I taste a not-worth-the-calories brownie that is too sweet or too cake-y or too hard. Therefore, I never anticipated finding a blog-worthy brownie recipe. But, after a brief whole grain hiatus over the holidays (there was plenty of baking, just not of the whole grain variety), I stumbled upon this recipe. "Rosie" promises "the best, richest brownies" and describes them as "fudgy" and "deep(ly) chocolate(y)". And, they use oat flour! So, I had to try them out. I made the oat flour myself by popping a cup of oats into a blender. Overall, these were super easy to make, and as good as Rosie promised!

One ingredient to pay attention to is dutch cocoa. There are two different kinds of unsweetened cocoa out there: natural and dutch-processed. It turns out that using the correct kind is important, as you can read about below.

Another alteration that I made was adding chocolate chips and walnuts. I firmly believe that brownies should always have chocolate chips in them, so I never make them without. And, as you know, I love nuts. This recipe will hold up with the added chips and nuts or without.


Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1/2 cup dutch cocoa
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup finely ground oat flour
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preparations:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 inch pan.

If making your own oat flour, put a heaping cup of oats into the blender and blend until fine. Measure out a cup of the oat flour and set aside.

Combine the melted butter with the dutch cocoa. Add the sugar and allow the butter to cool for a bit (you don't want to cook the eggs!). Once the bowl feels cool to the touch, beat in the eggs one at a time.

Next, add espresso powder, vanilla, salt and oat flour and combine. Last, toss in the chocolate chips and walnuts (if you'd like). Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Allow the brownies to cool in the pan before devouring (this is seriously the hardest part). 

About the grains and ingredients:

Dutch Cocoa Powder is cocoa that has been processed with alkali to neutralize acidity, increase solubility and remove bitter flavor. Some people believe it is important to use the cocoa specified in a recipe because the different types of cocoa react differently to baking powder and baking soda. Unfortunately, the dutch-process also reduces the amount of antioxidants in the cocoa, and it can be pricey. For more information, check out this write up by David LeBovitz. I purchased a box of Droste Dutch processed cocoa at QFC for $14.99.

Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats are oat groats that have been steamed and flattened by a roller. Rolled oats cannot be eaten raw, but are the main ingredient in minimally cooked recipes, like granola. I bought a two pound bag of Bob's Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats at Whole Foods for $4.39. Rolled Oats have a GI of 58. See how I used them in coffeecake and peach apricot bread. 

Bran Flax Muffins

Expectation: That the recipe on the bag wouldn't be anything to write home about.

Winning Recipe: Bran Flax Muffins

This recipe is an old favorite. Years ago, my mom and I bought some flaxseed meal because we had heard about it's health benefits, and wanted to see what we could do with it. So, we tried the recipe on the Bob's Red Mill bag, and were blown away! These muffins are fantastic. They are full of great things: two whole grains (including healthy flaxseed), carrots, apples, raisins and nuts! And they are a perfect on-the-go breakfast, as they are quite filling.

I can't take any credit for these, but I just had to post them. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups white flour
3/4 cup flaxseed meal
3/4 cup oat bran
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded
2 apples, peeled and shredded (any consistency from chunks to applesauce will work)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup nuts, chopped (I use walnuts)
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparations:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease muffin tins or line with paper baking cups; set aside. Mix together flour, flaxseed meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in carrots, apples, raisins and nuts. Combine milk, beaten eggs and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Yields 15 medium muffins.

Nutrition facts for one muffin:
178 calories
2.4g fat
37g carbohydrate
4g fiber
GI 90
GL 33

About the grains:

Flaxseed is a great source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. The grain has a tough outer coating that must be crushed or ground in order to unlock the nutritional benefits, including large amounts of fiber as well as natural antioxidants. Flaxseed Meal is ground up flaxseed. It can be used in most recipes as a substitute for white flour, eggs (1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal plus three tablespoons of water = 1 egg), and oil or butter (3 tablespoons = 1 tablespoon of butter, margarine or oil). 

Oat Bran is the outer coating of oats, which contains the bulk of the soluble fiber and other nutrients. Oat bran is a good source of iron, potassium and thiamin. The carbohydrate content of oat bran is even lower than that of whole oats. It is a safe bet to substitute 1/3 of white or all-purpose flour with oat bran in many recipes. It can be found at most supermarkets, and it has a GI value of 55. 

Peach Apricot Oatmeal Bread

Expectation: To use up some freshly picked apricots in tasty whole grain breakfast bread!

Winning Recipe: Peach Apricot Oatmeal Bread

I was looking for something to make for breakfast over 4th of July weekend, and this recipe stuck out because it seemed perfect for the family gathering, yet also completely fresh and new. Once again, I found the recipe in my King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book. I intended to make the bread with only peaches from the farmers market, but on a walk the morning of July 3rd, we stumbled upon three gorgeous trees overflowing with bright orange apricots. We picked as many as we could stuff in our pockets, and I decided to make the bread with half peaches and half apricots. It was such a hit that I went back to the tree for more apricots and made three more loaves a few days later. 

I experimented with a couple things. First, the flour. The first time, I used only white whole wheat flour. The second time, I used half white whole wheat flour and half traditional whole wheat flour. The white whole wheat flour was amazing. I didn't taste a hint of whole grain. The second batch was also really light and moist, but with a slight "whole wheat" taste. If you don't mind this taste, then don't be afraid to use regular whole wheat flour. If you're trying to hide the whole grains, white whole wheat is the way to go. 

My other experiment was leaving the skins on the apricots in the second batch. The bread had a nice tangy taste, and the fruit had a more central role. Once again, if you're trying to hide the fruit, then definitely remove the skins. If you like a tangy, fruity taste, leave them on. Plus, you get more fiber and nutrients that way! The end result in either case is a light and moist, slightly sweet and tangy bread with a hint of almond. It definitely exceeded my expectations, and will fit right in with pumpkin bread and banana bread as another one of my favorite breakfast breads. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sliced peaches and/or apricots (peeled or not, depending on taste)
• 2 cups traditional whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour (how to measure flour)
• 3/4 cup unbleached bread flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• If you like nuts (which I do!), 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preparations:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Cut the peaches and/or apricots into small pieces and place in a strainer or paper towel to drain. Stir together the flours, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl.

Add the oats, fruit and walnuts; stir to coat the fruit. Beat together the eggs, milk, oil and almond extract in a separate bowl. Add to the flour mixture, stirring just until evenly moistened.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Test the loaf for doneness; if a toothpick inserted in the center doesn't come out clean, cover the top of the bread with foil and bake in 5-10 minute increments until it does. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, if the bread does not come out of the pan easily, run a table knife around the edges of the loaf, then turn it out of the pan and return it to the rack to cool completely before slicing. 

I highly recommend using a non-stick pan for this bread. I had a slight disaster when, even though I had sprayed it with non-stick cooking spray, the bread stuck to the bottom of the old (not non-stick) pan I was using. 

Nutrition facts for one slice:

198 calories

5g fat

35g carbohydrate

3g fiber

GI 64

GL 27

About the grains:

White Whole Wheat Flour is produced from a hard, white variety of the wheat plant. It tastes and appears more like refined flour, even though it has almost the same nutrient content as red whole wheat. You can substitute 25 to 50% (depending on your taste) of the all-purpose flour in cookie, brownie and pancake recipes. I purchased a five pound bag of King Arthur Flour Organic White Whole Wheat Flour for $7.99 at Whole Foods). See how I also used it in coffeecake.

Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats are oat groats that have been steamed and flattened by a roller.  Rolled oats cannot be eaten raw, but are the main ingredient in minimally cooked recipes, like granola.  I bought a two pound bag of Bob's Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats at Whole Foods for $4.39. Rolled Oats have a GI of 58. See how I used them in coffeecake.

Blueberry Buckle Coffeecake

Expectation: To make an amazing whole-grain coffeecake.

Winning Recipe: Blueberry Buckle Coffeecake

I decided to take on this coffeecake because we were looking for a way to use some blueberries that came in our veggie box. The King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Book, where I found the recipe, made some pretty hefty claims about it, promising that "Blueberry Buckle Coffeecake is rarely still around for more than an hour out of the oven, but should you have admirable restraint, it will still be just as delicious later for dessert, under a scoop of ice cream." It certainly lived up to my expectation, and I couldn't taste even a hint of whole wheat. I can't say that the cake is particularly "healthy", but you can feel a little better about it knowing you are getting the extra nutrients and health benefits of whole grains. 

First, a little explanation. I had no idea what a buckle coffeecake was, and I thought for sure that it would be explained here at ochef.com, where they describe the difference between betty, clafoutis, cobbler, crisp, crumble, grunt, pandowdy, and slump (I promise these are all baked goods and not diseases). But, alas, the buckle was left out. I did find a bit of an explanation at cooks.com, which states that "a classic buckle is made by covering a layer of fruit with a cake batter and sweet crumbs. A coffeecake made 'buckle fashion' will buckle and crack as it bakes." The cake we ended up with might be better described as a crisp, but I am certainly not complaining.

I made the recipe exactly as written in the book, and it was pretty easy to do. I did have to go out and buy some white whole wheat flour, which I will explain further below.

Ingredients:

Streusel

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (how to measure flour)
• 1/4 cup unbleached (preferably) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Buckle

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen- I used fresh)

Preparations:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan.

To make the Streusel: Whisk together the sugar, flours, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter and mix to make medium-size crumbs. (Here I am pictured grinding fresh nutmeg - yummy!) We found it works best to cut the butter up into small pieces before adding it to the dry ingredients, then cut it in with a pastry knife or two butter knives.

To make the Buckle: Whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, then add the eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions.

Stir in half the dry ingredients, then the milk and vanilla, scraping down the sides. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients, then gently fold in the blueberries. Spread the batter in the prepared pan, and sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top. 

Bake the buckle until a cake tester (in other words: toothpick) inserted in the center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Remove it from the oven and let it cool, in the pan, on a rack. The book also says that this recipe can be made with any berry you like, or cherries, or diced stone fruits, such as peaches, plums or nectarines. 

Nutrition facts for one serving (one 2 1/4 inch square):

252 calories

8g fat

43g carbohydrate

3g fiber

GI 68

GL 27

About the grains and ingredients:

Unbleached Flour comes from exactly the same thing as bleached flour, only it is bleached naturally as it ages instead of being mixed with a bleaching agent. A bleaching agent is typically added to flour to give it a whiter appearance, and to oxidize the surface of the flour grains. Known bleaching agents include benzoyl peroxide, calcium peroxide, nitrogen dioxide, and chlorine dioxide (which, incidentally, produces alloxan, a contaminant that has been identified as a possible cause of type-1 diabetes). Unbleached flour is supposedly best for yeast breads and pastries, whereas bleached is best for more typical baked goods like cookies and pancakes, because it gives foods more volume and finer grain. 

White Whole Wheat Flour is produced from a hard, white (instead of red) variety of the wheat plant. It tastes and appears more like refined flour, even though it has almost the same nutrient content as red whole wheat. It can be found at most health food grocery stores (I found it at Whole Foods). 

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour comes from the same grain as regular whole wheat flour, but is made from a softer variety and milled to a finer texture. It has a higher starch content, but is lower in gluten and protein. The end product is lighter and more tender than that of regular whole wheat flour. Whole wheat pastry flour can be found at most health food grocery stores (I found it at Whole Foods).

Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats are oat groats that have been steamed and flattened by a roller. Oat grains have an outer husk when they come off the plant which must be removed to uncover the whole oat kernel called groats. Rolled oats cannot be eaten raw, but are the main ingredient in minimally cooked recipes, like granola. Oats are a top source of soluble fiber, which can help lower cholesterol levels. Oat bran also contains beta glucan, which has been shown to enhance the immune system's response to bacterial infection. They also contain a large amount of protein and healthy fats.

Quaker Oats Oatmeal Pancake Mix

The other day at Safeway I stumbled upon a new product, Quaker Oats Oatmeal Pancake Mix. The mix is 100% whole grain, containing oat flour and whole wheat flour. On the back of the box there are recipes for Heart Healthy Pancakes and Waffles (with skim milk and egg white) and Traditional Pancakes and Waffles (with 2% milk, a whole egg, and oil.)

I made the traditional pancakes and was quite pleased! They were very easy to make, and the final product was light, fluffy, moist and had great flavor.

The recipe said it would make 7-9 pancakes, but I ended up with 4 (mine were each 4-5 inches large, not dollar pancakes). After eating two (with tasty banana topping and eggs on the side), I felt like I had eaten a substantial meal, without feeling tired or too full. I definitely recommend this mix as an easy way to add whole grain to your weekend breakfast, without sacrificing flavor!

The nutrition facts for 1/3 cup mix (each of my pancakes were 1/4 cup) are:
150 Calories
2 g Fat
31g Carbohydrates
4g Fiber