Chocolate Coconut Walnut Bread (Not too sweet)

What is it like?

- Wholesome & not too sweet

- Packed with goodies

- Filled with nutrient-dense amaranth flour

Recipe

At the time of writing this, this recipe is my favorite quick bread (or muffin). It calls for amaranth which has a deliciously nutty flavor and I find that the more I bake with it, the more I develop a taste for it. Amaranth is especially good when paired with walnuts and chocolate.

1 loaf, 12 muffins (6 large muffins)

Wet
1/4 cup (44g) olive oil
2 medium eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) apple sauce OR coconut milk
1/2 cup warm water, 100g
Scant 2/3 cup blueberries, 60g, frozen or fresh

Dry
1 cup gf flour mix, 128g
2/3 cup amaranth flour, 65g
2 tbsp sugar, 28g
1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 8g
1/8 tsp each: cloves and allspice
1/2 tsp salt, 3g

Additions (optional)
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, 26g
1/3 cup walnut pieces, 30g
Scant 1/3 cup raisins, 45g
1/3 cup chocolate chips (any kind), 50g

Directions:

1. Preheat oven o 350F/180C.

2. Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 bread pan or place 12 muffin liners in a muffin tin.

3. Whisk together the wet ingredients in a large bowl.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

5. Measure the chocolate chips, coconut flakes, walnuts, and raisins and set aside.

6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until there are just a couple streaks of flour in the batter. Then add the chocolate chips, coconut, walnuts and raisins and mix just until the chunks are mixed in.

7. Pour into the greased bread pan or muffin tin and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. For best results, allow the bread to cool for 30-60 minutes before slicing. Store the loaf in the fridge and before eating briefly heat up a slice or muffin in the toaster or microwave. Enjoy!
   

Amaranth "Polenta" Cakes (Vegan, Paleo)

What are they like?

-Browned on the outside

-Rich and creamy on the inside

-Flavored with caramelized onions, paprika, and cumin

The Amaranth Cakes look slightly different than the photo above, but equally satisfying :)

Recipe

This recipes is gluten free, vegan and can be made Paleo. They taste like real polenta cakes, but unlike polenta which is corn-based, these savory pancakes are packed with nutrients, whole grains, and fiber. If you like (like I do) you can also soak/sprout your amaranth prior to cooking.

Makes 9-12 cakes, prep 12 min, cook time 20 min

3 cups amaranth, cooked
1 cup chick peas (omit if paleo)
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs* (or for Paleo, substitute 1/3 cup coconut flour or two eggs)
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt or to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pan over medium heat, sauté the onion and bell pepper with 2 tsp olive oil until tender, about ten minutes. Stir occasionally and turn the burner down if necessary to prevent burning. (SEE NOTE)

2. While the vegetables sauté, combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Add the peppers and onions when they are done and allow the mixture to rest for about 5 minutes.

3. Heat the pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp olive oil and then scoop pancake-sized spoonfuls of mixture into the pan and flatten into round pancakes with the back of a spoon. I usually cook three at a time in a 10” cast iron pan. You can even cook with two pans simultaneously to make cooking faster. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, just until they brown on each side. Repeat with the rest of the mixture and serve immediately.

I love these pancakes with my homemade hummus recipe. They are also excellent with whole milk yogurt, sriracha sauce, or just on their own! I often make a yogurt sauce (dairy or vegan) by adding lime, salt, and an herb like cilantro or dill to the yogurt. It’s delightful with these savory cakes!

Notes:
Cooked amaranth is porridge-like, so breadcrumbs helps absorb liquid. You can try substituting 1/3 cup coconut flour for the oat flour, although I have not tested this substitution. Alternatively you can substitute two eggs for the oat flour and make slightly thinner pancakes. I have tested this recipe with eggs and it is delicious but not vegan!

*I tested this recipe substituting oat flour for the breadcrumbs. My porridge was fairly goopy and not dry enough so I added a lot of oat flour, 3/4 cup, and cooked them right away using two pans. However, using too much oat flour can make the texture sticky and you don’t want that! I recommend bread crumbs unless you don’t have any on hand!

Fluffy Blueberry-Lemon Pancakes - with Buckwheat (Vegan, Paleo)

What are they like?

-rich lemony aroma

-fluffy and full of blueberries

-filled with nutrient-dense buckwheat flour

Recipe

These pancakes are my favorite. The lemon and blueberry marry so well together that, like me, they may become your go-to pancake. The deeply nutty and aromatic qualities of buckwheat are as satisfying as they are healthy, offering ample nutrients compared to refined grains. Dig in and enjoy!

Makes 12 pancakes, prep 10 min, cook time ~12 min

dry
1 1/3 cups buckwheat flour, 179g
2 1/2 tbsp (30g) brown sugar (substitute maple syrup or date sugar for Paleo)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 tsp baking powder (substitute baking soda for Paleo)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp psyllium husk powder (omit if Paleo)
1/4 tsp salt

Scant 2/3 cup blueberries, 60g, frozen or fresh

wet
2 tbsp olive oil, 26g
1 1/2 (375g/375ml) cups nondairy milk (can use Paleo nondairy milk if you’re Paleo)
1/4 (60g) cup lemon juice, plus zest (about 2 lemons)

Directions:

1. Place two large skillets on the stove, so they are ready to use when needed (you can use one but I always prefer to cook pancakes with two skillets (see note). It makes it go more quickly and keeps them fluffier.

2. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients, except for the blueberries. Place the blueberries in a measuring cup and, if using frozen blueberries, sprinkle 2 tsp of the flour mixture over the berries. Jostle the blueberries to fully coat them.

3. Whisk together the wet ingredients (the nondairy milk, olive oil, and lemon juice) and using a spoon stir it into the dry ingredients. Once the flour is almost mixed in, add the blueberries, and stir just until the flour is all mixed in.

4. Turn the burners to medium and allow them to heat up for 1 minute before adding a teaspoon of oil to coat each pan. Place mounds of pancake mix into each pan and allow to cook until air bubbles start to pop and the edge starts to look cooked. Turn the burner down a little if necessary. Then flip the pancakes and cook for about 2-3 minutes until done.

These pancakes make excellent leftovers. Enjoy them with nut butter and maple syrup, sliced fruit, or plain.

Notes:

I prefer to turn the burners on right before I add the wet ingredients. This way the pans have 1 minute to heat up before the pancakes are mixed together and ready to cook. When the mixture spends time sitting in the bowl, especially for the paleo version, the baking soda reacts with the acid from the lemon juice causing air bubbles. You want this reaction to happen while they are cooking in the pan! This is another reason to use two pans, it keeps the pancakes fluffier because they spend less time sitting in the bowl.

Rich Walnut Almond Cake

What is it like?

-roasted almonds and walnuts

-a rich crumb

-delicately spicy

Recipe

This recipe was adapted to be gluten free and dairy free from David Leite’s recipe ‘“Russians” Nut Cake’ from The New Portuguese Table. It’s deliciously moist and has that unmistakable aroma of roasted almonds and walnuts. It’s simple to make and stays fresh for several days. It’s a go-to in my home. See note for Paleo.

dry
1/3 cup blanched almond flour, 43g
2/3 cup ground walnuts*, 85g OR grind 1 cup (100g) walnuts with 1 tbsp (23g) flour mix)
1/4 cup flour mix, 31g (OR cassava flour for Paleo)
1 tsp baking powder, 5g
1 tsp (3g) psyllium husk powder or xanthan gum (omit if Paleo)
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground coffee, optional

wet
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar, 63g (OR date sugar for Paleo)
1/4 cup (47g) olive oil (or preferred oil) OR 5 tbsp butter
3 large eggs
1 tbsp water, 12g

Buttercream
1 cup (225g) butter, at room temperature (or use 3/4 cup Earth Balance for dairy free)
2 3/4 (343g) cups powdered sugar, or to taste
dash of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Grease an 8x8 baking dish.

2. Grind 1 cup walnuts with 1 tbsp flour mix in the food processor. It’s fine if there are some stray walnut pieces left over as long as most of it is a flour. The walnut pieces are an excellent addition to the cake.

3. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.

4. In a medium bowl whisk together the wet ingredients.

5. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and whisk just until most of the lumps are gone. Pour the batter into your baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes or just until the middle springs back when pressed. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

6. While the cake bakes, prepare the buttercream. Stir together the powdered sugar and butter. If your powdered sugar has lumps you may want to sift it first. If you like your frosting light, you can use a mixture to whip it on high for a few minutes.

7. Frost a cake to a thickness you desire. Left over frosting can be frozen for several months.

8. If you like you can get creative with the frosting. I chose to cut this cake into small squares and then piped a rosette onto each square.

9. This cake will stay moist and fresh for three days if kept in the fridge.

   Note: If your food processor is large, I recommend grinding twice the amount of walnuts so that they grind finely. The ground walnuts that you don’t need can be frozen and used for another purpose. Or in may case, for another one of these cakes!

David Leite’s Orange Olive Oil Cake

What is it like?

-deliciously citrusy

-a rich crumb

Recipe

I adapted David Leite’s Orange Cake to be gluten free. It is from his wonderful cookbook, The New Portuguese Table. This recipe is quite similar to his original recipe. The flour is different and I added psyllium husk powder and more orange zest. The cake is also naturally dairy free and it’s a wonderful make-ahead dessert.

dry
3 1/2 cups flour mix, 448g
1 tbsp psyllium husk powder or 2 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp baking powder (generous)
3/4 tsp fine sea salt

wet
5 large eggs
3 cups sugar, 675g
1 1/2 cups olive oil, 330g
5 oranges

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Zest four oranges and then juice enough oranges to make 1 1/2 cups of juice. Set aside. Oil a 12-cup Bundt cake pan.

2. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.

3. In a large mixing bowl mix the eggs on medium speed, and slowly add the sugar. Then beat on high until the mixture is a pale yellow and luscious looking.

4. Add the olive oil and dry ingredients, alternating between the two just until the flour is blended in. Lastly, stir in the orange juice and zest.

5. Pour into the prepared Bundt cake pan and bake for about one hour, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a crumb or two attached. Allow to cool completely before serving.
   Optional: dust with powdered sugar.

   Note: This cake is best the next day and it will stay moist for several days. Once it is cooled, store it in an airtight container or cake stand with a lid.