Baked Oatmeal

1.5 cups quick cooking oats (or gluten free oats)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup milk (or milk alternative)
1/4 cup melted butter (or margarine or dairy free margarine)
1 egg
1/2 cup peanut butter or almond butter
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8x8 pan. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Spread evenly into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until edges are golden brown. Serve warm out of the oven or let it cool completely and cut into bars.

Note: Mix in raisins, chocolate chips, or whatever sounds good.

{Recipe from: A Few Shortcuts}

Turkey Sausage Gravy

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp ghee or butter, divided
1 pound ground turkey
1 1/2 tsp ground sage
1 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp allspice
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp arrowroot powder
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 can coconut milk
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper
Flat-leaf parsley, chopped (optional)

Add 1 tsp ghee to a skillet over high heat. Add ground turkey and sage, chili powder, 1 tsp salt, and allspice. Brown, breaking meat apart. Once browned, remove meat with a slotted spoon and set aside. Drain juices from pan. Return to burner, over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp ghee and onion. Saute until translucent, tender, and golden, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and arrowroot. Whisk and cook for about 1 minute, or until bubbly. Whisk in chicken stock, ensuring there are no lumps. Cook for an additional minute, until thickened and bubbly. Add coconut milk, remaining spices, and cooked turkey. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in parsley if using.

Serve over roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, or cauliflower florets.

If you don't care about cooking paleo, you can use dairy milk instead of coconut milk and corn starch instead of arrowroot. Just don't use arrowroot with dairy milk or it will get gummy. Serve over biscuits for a special treat!

Very kid-friendly, just watch the amount of cayenne!

Serves 3-4.

Bran Muffins

3 cups All-Bran cereal
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400. In large mixing bowl combine cereal and boiling water. Stir in oil and eggs. Add remaining ingredients until well mixed. Spoon batter into desired number of greased muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
(Baking time is for 12 muffins)

Batter can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 6-8 weeks.
Makes 2 1/2 dozen muffins.

Baked Pumpkin Donuts

{note} You will need a donut pan for this recipe, or you could make muffins

Donuts

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée (canned pumpkin)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, or 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus heaping 1/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Coating

• 3 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two standard doughnut pans. If you don't have doughnut pans, you can bake these in a standard muffin tin; they just won't be doughnuts.

2) Beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder until smooth.

3) Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.

4) Fill the wells of the doughnut pans about 3/4 full; use a scant 1/4 cup of batter in each well. If you're making muffins, fill each well about 3/4 full; the recipe makes about 15, so you'll need to bake in two batches (unless you have two muffin pans).

6) Bake the doughnuts for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. If you're making muffins, they'll need to bake for 23 to 25 minutes.

7) Remove the doughnuts from the oven, and after about 5 minutes, loosen their edges, and transfer them to a rack to cool.

8) While the doughnuts are still warm (but no longer fragile), gently shake them in a bag with the cinnamon-sugar. If you've made muffins, sprinkle their tops heavily with cinnamon-sugar.

9) Cool completely, and wrap airtight; store at room temperature for several days.

Yield: 12 standard or 24 mini doughnuts (or 15 muffins) {original recipe from: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/PrintRecipe?RID=4281&radio=1}

The Perfect Bloody Mary

5 1/2 oz. V8 hot & spicy tomato juice
1 1/2 oz. gin or vodka
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. worcestershire
fresh ground black pepper
celery salt
olive or pickle juice
tobasco sauce

Combine tomato juice, gin (or vodka), lemon juice and worcestershire in a glass with ice. Add a few twists of pepper, a few shakes of celery salt, a dash of olive or pickle juice, and a dash of tobasco. Stir. Adjust to taste. Garnish with pickle, lemon, salami, cheeses and olives.

This can easily be made non-alcoholic by omitting the gin.

High Protien Pancakes

We eat these with strawberries and syrup (or Levi likes them rolled up with jam). Any way you make them, they're good and good for you. Makes about 20 pancakes.

8 eggs
16 oz cottage cheese (low-fat is fine)
1/2 c oatmeal
1/2 c oat bran (I usually use flax meal or wheat germ)
2 T canola oil

Put all ingredients ina blender and process until smooth. Cook 1/4 cup at a time in a griddle 1-2 minutes per side.

{per pancake}
Calories: 68.1
Fat: 3.8g
Carbs: 2.8g
Protein: 5.7g

Lemon Cranberry Muffins

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/3 cup canola oil
1 large egg
3 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal, preferably medium or fine stone-ground
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen (thawed), coarsely chopped (see Tip)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.

Whisk 1/2 cup sugar, yogurt, oil, egg, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla in a medium bowl.

Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the yogurt mixture and fold until almost blended. Gently fold in cranberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and remaining l teaspoon lemon zest in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the tops of the muffins.

Bake the muffins until golden brown and they spring back lightly to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Tips & Notes
Make Ahead Tip: Individually wrap in plastic and freeze in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. To reheat frozen muffins, remove plastic, wrap muffin in a paper towel and microwave on High for 30 to 60 seconds.

Tip: To make quick work of chopping cranberries, place whole berries in a food processor and pulse a few times until the berries are coarsely chopped

Nutrition Per muffin: 187 calories; 7 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono); 18 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrates; 10 g added sugars; 4 g protein; 3 g fiber; 255 mg sodium; 96 mg potassium.

Hilary's Granola

from The Wholesome Junk Food Cookbook by Laura Trice
Yield: 6 cups

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds (use a variety of nuts/seeds, combining to 2c)
2 tsp sea salt
2/3 cup honey (can substitute maple syrup)
1/2 cup oil (olive, canola, whatever)

Preheat oven to 325. Grease shallow 14 x 11 inch pan. Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately and then mix well. Spoon into prepared pan, firmly patting the mixture to the edges. Bake for 30 minutes, turning the pan and stirring every 10 minutes or until golden brown.

{notes} When I made this, I added a tsp each of vanilla and cinnamon to the honey/oil mixture. I also added 1.5-2 cups of dried fruit (cherries, currants and cranberries) Super yummy!

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups flour (AP or whole wheat)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

1.In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

2.Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Vanilla Bean Yogurt

4 cups skim milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split
1/4-1/3 cup honey (to taste)
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1 Tbs plain yogurt

Heat milk, vanilla bean and honey in a large sauce pan until bubble start to form at sides- nearly simmering. Cover, and let cool to 110 degrees F. Scrape the insides of the vanilla bean into the milk mixture and disgaurd the pod. Add the dry milk and stir throughly. Mix in the yogurt until no lumps remain. Pour into a yogurt maker and let it "cook" for 3-4 hours, or until thick. Stir and refrigerate.

Biscuits

from The National Honey Board

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons honey

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl, combine milk and 2 Tablespoons honey. Add milk mixture all at once to dry ingredients and stir 20 to 30 strokes with a fork. Form into ball on a lightly floured surface. Gently knead dough 15 times. Divide dough in half. Roll out to 3/4-inch thickness. Using a bench knife, cut each round into 4 pieces (or cut out using a 3.5" biscuit cutter) and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 425°F 10to 12 minutes or until tops brown. Makes 8.

These also work well for strawberry shortcake.

Second-Best Currant Cream Scones

INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 tablespoons white sugar
• 2/3 cup cream
• 1/2 cup currants
• Cream for brushing
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with baking parchment.
2. Sift flour and baking powder into a medium bowl. Rub butter and sugar into flour to form a fine crumble. Make a well in center, and add milk and currants. Knead gently together, being careful not to over mix. Dough will be sticky.
3. Form dough into a flat round, about 3/4” thick. Cut like a pie into six triangles. Transfer to prepared pan, brush tops with cream, and sprinkle with vanilla sugar if desired. Allow to stand for 15 minutes.
4. Bake in preheated oven until risen and lightly golden on top, about 18 minutes minutes. Remove to a rack to cool.

NOTE: These scones are a bit more tender than some might prefer (if you like to load your scones up with lots of lemon curd and clotted crème), but they have a really delicious flavor. When Dana and I tested the recipe we doubled it and had no trouble eating the resultant dozen scones. ;>)

Also, we discovered that it works well to prepare the dough, shape the scones, and then wrap and freeze them. When you want fresh scones you can pull out what you need, brush with cream and sprinkle with sugar, let sit 15 minutes while the oven heats, then bake. They are delicious!

Oatmeal Pancakes

2 eggs
2.25 C buttermilk
1/4 C oil
1 C old fashioned oats
1 C whole wheat flour
1/4 C wheat germ
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2-1 tsp cinnamon (I usually use 1 tsp)
1 Tbs honey

Beat together first 3 ingredients. Add remaining ingredients and stir until just well blended. Fry on a hot griddle.

Convert recipe for waffles by using 1/2 cup of oil (as opposed to the 1/4 C)

Makes 20 four inch pancakes (1/4 C batter per pancake), generally serves 3-4 people if it's there isn't much additional food.

note: I find that the batter makes better pancakes if it's allowed to sit for a few min. before cooking- that gives the oats some time to absorb some of the liquid. Otherwise, the batter is too thin. If you're in a rush, you can get away with adding a little more flour.



Nutrition Facts (per pancake)
Serving Size 56 g

Amount Per Serving
Calories 81
Calories from Fat 34

Total Fat 3.8g-6%
Saturated Fat 0.7g-4%
Cholesterol 20mg-7%
Sodium 162mg-7%
Total Carbohydrates 9.1g-3%
Dietary Fiber 0.6g-3%
Sugars 2.4g
Protein 2.8g

Vitamin A 2% • Vitamin C 1%
Calcium 5% • Iron 7%

Nutrition Grade B+

Coconut Scones

from King Arthur Flour
makes 16 scones

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup AP flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, cold
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 large egg
1.25 cups (10 oz) coconut milk, well stirred
1/2 tsp coconut extract (or vanilla)
3/4 cup chocolate chunks (optional)
milk, for brushing
1/4 cup sweetened coconut (or unsweetened plus a couple tsp sugar), for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line with parchment.

Whisk together flours, sugars, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Stir in coconut.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, coconut milk and extract.

Add wet ingredients to dry and stir gently with a fork until dough is evenly moistened. Stir in chocolate chunks, if using.

Turn dough onto a floured work surface and knead 2-3 times. Divide dough in half and pat each half into a circle about 1/2" thick and 6" across. Divide each circle into 8 wedges.

Transfer scones to the prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with the sweetened coconut (or with the sugar and unsweetened coconut), pressing it in gently. Bake until the scones are puffed and golden brown, 20-25 min. Serve warm.


Variation: drizzle with melted chocolate instead of using the chocolate chunks.

Nutritional information (per scone):
Calories: 288
Fat: 20g
Protein: 4g
Carbohydrate: 19g
sugar: 7g
fiber: 4g
Cholesterol: 30mg
Sodium: 150mg
Potassium: 211 mg

Mom Warwick's Buttermilk Waffles

4 eggs
4 C buttermilk
4 C flour
1/2 C oil
2 tsp baking soda
2 T boiling water

Separate the eggs. Put whites in a small bowl. Put yolks in a large bowl and add the flour and buttermilk. Set aside. Beat egg whites until stiff. Set aside. Transfer beaters to the other bowl and beat until smooth. Add oil and mix thoroughly. Add soda to boiling water and stir. Add to main mixture. Blend well. Fold in egg whites carefully. Proceed to waffle.

NOTES:
We make it with all whole wheat flour.
To reduce recipe figure 1 C flour per person.