Evie's Banana Cookies / Breakfast Bites (Vegan)

2 ripe bananas

1 C. organic rolled oats

1/2 C. raisins or other dried fruit of choice (cranberries, dates, etc.)

Anything else you want to add*

1) Mash bananas in a bowl.

2) Stir in oats, dried fruit, and nuts. (Chopped dates with walnuts is my favorite!)

3) Plop tablespoon-sized dollops onto a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. (I cook mine probably 20 minutes in the end. I like them kind of crispy and not as soft in the middle.)

*NOTE from Evie: I often triple this recipe. You can add anything you want (chopped apple, nuts, stevia, vegan chocolate chips, cinnamon, etc.)

*NOTE from Laurie: You can't really press these flat and cook them and cut them up later, as they'll be too mushy and moist in the end. They need to be cooked individually to get to the right amount of doneness. These freeze beautifully. Just freeze them individually and then put them in a ziplock in the freezer and pull a few out to take on the go. They will be a bit crumblier once they've been frozen.

Evie's Oil-Free Granola (Vegan)

3 C. gluten-free rolled oats

1-2 C. raw nuts

1/2 desiccated or shredded unsweetened coconut

1 Tbsp. chia seeds

1/4 C. coconut sugar (or other dry sweetener of choice)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 C. aquafaba*

1/4 C. maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener of choice)

1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

1/4 C. dried blueberries or other dried fruit of choice

1) Preheat oven to 325 and line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2) Combine oats, nuts, coconut, chia seeds, coconut sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Stir well.

3) Add aquafaba (chickpea brine) to stand mixer and whip into loose peaks (usually 5-10 minutes). You can add a little cream of tartar to help the peaks form if it's not working well after 5 minutes.

4) Add maple syrup and vanilla (optional) to the aquafaba and beat for 30 seconds more. Fold the mixture into the dry ingredients to coat.

5) Spread the mixture evenly onto parchment-lined baking sheet(s) and bake for 25-35 minutes, until fragrant and deep golden brown. Stir halfway and rotate the pan to ensure even baking.

6) Let cool completely, then add dried fruit (optional) and toss.

7) In a container with an airtight seal, it should keep for 2-3 weeks at room temperature. You can store in the freezer for 3-4 months.

The original recipe if from the Minimalist Baker.

*Aquafaba is chickpea brine, or the liquid drained from a can of chickpeas.

Blueberry Oat Muffins (Vegan)

2 C. oat flour (I grind organic oats in the Vitamix)

1 C. blueberries

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 C. honey or real maple syrup

1 large banana

1/2 C. melted coconut oil

2 eggs (use substitution for vegan)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. lemon zest

1/3 C. old-fashioned organic oats

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9x5-in loaf pan with parchment paper.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, baking powder, and salt.

3) In a blender, place the honey, banana, coconut oil, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Blend on medium speed until smooth and frothy.

4) Pour the wet mixture into the dry and lightly whisk until combined. Stir in the oats and then gently fold in the blueberries.

5) Pour the batter into the pan and bake 45-55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Cover with foil after 30 minutes if it is getting too brown.)

6) Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting out the parchment paper and slicing the loaf.

FOR MUFFINS:

Spray muffin tins and fill 2/3 full. (No need for baking paper. They come out fine.) Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 18 minutes, until tops are golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.

Original recipe is from Laura Fuentes and appears here.

Olivia's Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

DOUGH:

550 g bread flour

45 g sugar

10 g salt

150 g water

150 g warm or room temp oat milk

1 stick melted butter (can use vegan)

75 g live sourdough starter

FILLING:

85 g softened vegan butter (or regular, 3/4 stick)

90 g brown sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

sprinkling of ground nutmeg

1 tsp. vanilla

METHOD:

1) Combine flour, salt, and sugar in large mixing bowl.

2) In a separate bowl, combine warm milk, warm water, melted butter, and starter.

3) Pour wet into dry and mix with dough hook until everything is incorporated and you have a shaggy ball.

4) Cover and let rest 45 minutes.

5) Perform four sets of "stretch and fold,"  once every 45 minutes for 3 hours.

NOTE: STRETCH AND FOLD = lift up dough, stretch, let stretch out thin, then fold over the ball of dough. Do this all the way around the ball of dough until all parts of circle have been stretched and folded in this way.

6) After last fold, let dough sit for three hours.

7) Roll to 18 x 12 inches on floured surface.

8) Spread filling over entire dough.

9) Roll longways and cut into 2-inch pieces to make 9 rolls.

10) Place in greased 8 x 8 inch tin. Cover and move to fridge overnight.

11) In the morning, remove from fridge and let sit for 3-4 hours at room temp.

12) Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower to 350 degrees and bake for 30-40 more minutes.

13) Top with lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting.

Original recipe is from @earths.feast on Instagram.

Best Blueberry Muffins

These are the blueberry muffins we make and serve for our Airbnb breakfasts—originally dubbed as "Frank's Blueberry Muffins" on the Trader Joe's website.

Elanore accidentally made one half dozen "wrong" one day—by putting them in our Breville Smart Oven Pro toaster oven with the oven rack in the middle position instead of the bottom ("bake") position—and they turned out very different: flat-topped, and with the top kinda crispy and the bottom the texture of fresh-out-of-the-oven pound cake. We found that we prefer them this way!

The "wrong" (really yummy!) one is pictured in the lower right corner of the photo to the left.

I'll update this if I ever figure out how to reliably duplicate the "mistake" in the regular oven!

4 C. all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 C. sugar, plus more for sprinkling

3 large eggs, beaten

2 C. milk

2 sticks butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

2 C. blueberries (if frozen, do NOT thaw)

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease muffin tins with cooking spray and set aside.

2) In a large bowl, combine first four ingredients and set aside.

3) In another large bowl, combine next four ingredients.

4) Add one-third of dry mixture to wet ingredients and stir to combine. Repeat until all is incorporated.

5) Gently fold in blueberries.

6) Scoop muffin batter into greased muffin pans. 

NOTE: If you make 12 muffins—like the original recipe says to—the cups will be very full, almost overflowing, but this is okay! It will work, but those muffins will be huge. We make 24 muffins out of this recipe, with the muffin tins filled 2/3-3/4 full. This makes "normal" sized muffins (see photo).

7) Lightly sprinkle muffin batter with sugar. (This recipe is not super sweet, so this sprinkling of sugar is a nice touch, and almost necessary to make the muffins sweet enough.)

8) Place pan on center rack of oven and bake 20-25 minutes, until muffins are golden.

9) Let cool 10 minutes, then gently removed muffins from tins.

10) Enjoy warm, with a generous slathering of butter. (This was the original recommendation. We like them plain, without any additional butter.)

Kohupiima Korp (Estonian Cream Cheese Sheet Cake)

Traditional Estonian recipes for this cake vary wildly, but this is the version the Muursepp family has made over the years. Dear Helde (my husband's grandmother) and Emi (his mother) made this lightly sweetened cake for our family at most holidays, and our kids love it!

FOR THE DOUGH:

1 box cream cheese

2 sticks butter

4 cups flour

Knead well and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to use, let it stand out to become room temperature, then roll out to 1/4 inch and place on a large cookie sheet.

FOR THE FILLING:

3 Tbsp sour cream

1 lb cottage cheese

3 eggs

3/4 C. sugar

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp vanilla

lemon zest

Mix filling by hand. Pour over dough and flip edges over toward the center of the cake. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

Basic Biscuits (from the More-with-Less Cookbook)

This is the recipe we always use for classic, basic biscuits. 

The first measurements will make 12 biscuits and the amount in parentheses will make 24.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Sift together in a bowl:

2 C. sifted flour (4 C.)

3 tsp. baking powder (2 Tbsp.)

1/2 tsp. salt (1 tsp.)

Cut in:

1/4 C. shortening (1/2 C.)

Add all at once, stirring until soft ball is formed:

3/4 C. milk (1 1/2 C.)

Turn dough onto a floured board; knead lightly 20-25 times. 

Roll or pat dough to 1/2" thick. 

Cut with a floured biscuit cutter or glass.

Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes.

Serve hot with butter and jelly, jam, honey, or molasses.

Original recipe is from Miriam LeFever published in the More With Less cookbook, copyright 1976, 39th edition from May 1991.

Best Sourdough Pancakes (Gluten-Free or Regular) (Vegan)

We've tried several, and these are the easiest, best GF sourdough* pancakes we've found. First, they use a ton of spent sourdough starter at one time, which I like. Second, they're light and fluffy, with crispy edges—the test of a good pancake to me. Don't skip the baking soda step, and do it separately like the recipe says. Yum!

2 C. sourdough starter, room temp (straight out of the fridge will work)

1/4 C. milk if starter is very thick (use nut milk for vegan)

2 Tbsp. sugar (I use coconut sugar)

1 egg (or flax egg for vegan)

4 Tbsp. oil (I use aapplesauce)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda (reserve for later)

1 Tbsp. warm water

1) In a large mixing bowl, combine sourdough starter, sugar, egg, olive oil, and salt. Mix well. If batter is very thick, add 1/4 milk or to desired consistency. Set aside.

2) In a small bowl, dilute 1 tsp. baking soda in 1 Tbsp. warm water. Set aside until ready to cook your pancakes.

NOTE: Only add the baking soda/water mixture to the pancake batter just before you are ready to cook the pancakes. Make certain everything is ready to go and the griddle is hot, so the pancakes can be cooked while the air is still working in the batter. This will produce lighter, fluffier pancakes.

3) When ready to cook your pancakes, fold the baking soda/water mixture gently into the prepared pancake batter. (Do not beat it!) This will cause a gentle foaming and rising action in the batter. Let the mixture bubble and foam a minute before using.

4) Ladle batter onto hot griddle. (We cook them in butter!)

5) Cook as you usually do pancakes: 1-2 minutes per side, flipping once you see bubbles beginning to form on the top side. Remove from heat and serve immediately (or keep them in a warm oven until ready to serve). Enjoy!

* If you don't have a GF sourdough starter—and don't have a GF sourdough friend who can give you some—you can start your own! Follow the directions here.

This recipe is adapted from this original wheat sourdough pancake recipe, which is delicious and is our very favorite! The regular wheat sourdough starter makes thinner pancakes, almost like crepes. Yum!

Breakfast Danish

This recipe has been a classic birthday breakfast treat in the Sitterding house for as long as I can remember. Its name on the index card recipe is "Crescent Roll - Cheese Snacks," but we always just called it "danish." (I've edited it here to reflect some of the changes it's undergone through the years.)

Ingredients:
- 2 eight-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
- 2 packages of crescent rolls (use baking sheets!)
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 egg, separated
- cinnamon sugar
- sliced almonds

Unroll one of the crescent rolls in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Beat together the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Spread this mixture evenly over the crescent roll. Unroll the second crescent roll on top of the cream cheese mixture.

Optional: Beat the egg white until thick and no longer bubbly, but not stiff. Spread over the top layer of crescent roll.

Sprinkle cinnamon sugar and almonds on top of the crescent roll, as much as you'd like.

Bake in the oven on 375 for about 30 min. Let cool for a bit so that the filling has time to set and doesn't scald your mouth. We usually serve it by cutting it into wedges, taking care that the "edges" and "middles" are evenly distributed.

This treat is also delicious cold and leftover, so don't feel any pressure to eat it all at once, nor even to reheat it! It's super rich.

Baby Teddy's Pancakes

Auntie Elsh found this recipe for Teddy one morning after a sleepover! This recipe serves Teddy plus the rest of the family, but the original recipe was a quarter of this and I generally half it unless I'm cooking a bunch and want to save them. I have found that measurements are flexible and you can definitely experiment; for example, if you're using flax seed you can cut out an egg and add a little water, or if you prefer a more "bready" texture, you can add a few more oats. I have also not noticed a difference between using fresh or frozen banana.

Ingredients:
- 8 eggs
- 2 bananas
- 1 cup oats
Optional Additions:
- flax seeds
- nuts (almonds or walnuts)
- spinach

Directions:
Blend together in the blender. Fry up in some coconut oil. Teddy likes his best with blueberries and almond butter. Enjoy! :)

Olivia's Fat and Fluffy Pancakes

1/4 C. sugar
2 1/2 C. whole wheat flour, freshly ground
1 1.2 C. old-fashioned oats
2 Tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt

Combine above ingredients.

2 eggs
3 C. milk (Olivia used 1 1/2 C.buttermilk, 1 1/2 C. water, and a splash of cream)
1/3 C. oil

Combine above ingredients, then stir into dry mixture until just moistened. Cook on hot griddle.

Mary's Super Chunky Granola

This recipe is from our friend Mary. It is definitely our favorite granola recipe at this point! The quantities in parentheses are so I can use one whole bag of Costco Quaker oats, which is about 25 cups.

MARY'S ORIGINAL RECIPE, as she wrote it to me:
The granola recipe is below. I always double it (makes a ton, but we eat it a lot, and it keeps well), and reduce the sugar. The version you had did not use dried fruit and had coconut, almonds, and pecans. I bake it on two cookie sheets. Pressing it firmly into the pan is key. I find that the temperature in the original recipe tends to burn the edges, so use a lower temperature and check often. You can use this technique and even lower temperature with more time, if you have it.

1/3 C. maple syrup (3/4 C.)
1/3 C. brown sugar (3/4 C.)
2 Tbsp. vanilla extract (1/4 C.)
1 tsp. salt (1 scant Tbsp.)
1 C. oil (2 1/2 C.)
10 C. old-fashioned rolled oats (25 C. = large Costco Quaker bag)
2 C. raw almonds or pecans, whole (5ish C.)
1 C. coconut (or more, if you prefer!) (3 C.)

1) Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.

2) Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

3) Whisk maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in large bowl. Whisk in oil until it is fully incorporated.

4) Fold in oats and almonds until thoroughly coated.

5) Transfer oat mixture to prepared baking sheet and spread across sheet into thin, even layer (about 3/8 inch thick).

6) Using stiff metal spatula, compress oat mixture until very compact.

7) Bake until lightly browned, 30 to 45 minutes, rotating pan once half way through baking.

8) Remove granola from oven and cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 1 hour.

9) Break cooled granola into pieces of desired size.

Granola can be stored in airtight container for several weeks.

Everything-Free Waffles (Vegan)

Again, these are not everything-free, but they're free of enough things that are usually in waffles that I'm surprised they work and are delicious... but they are! We were all pretty happy to eat these this morning, as we've had nothing this delicious for breakfast since starting the Elimination Diet!
2 1/2 C. non-dairy milk (almond, soy, rice will all work)
2 tsp. lime juice (white or cider vinegar would be better)
1/3 C. olive oil
1/3 C. liquid sweetener (maple syrup, agave nectar, honey)
1 Tbsp. ground flax seeds, soaked in a bit of boiling water to make semi-gelatinous (optional)
1 egg white (optional--omit if vegan)
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
2 C. gluten-free flour blend
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 C. gluten-free oats (optional)

1) Combine milk and lime juice and set aside.

2) In the meantime, combine all dry ingredients except oats in a large mixing bowl and sift together well. Stir in the oats after other dry ingredients are blended well.

3)  Add semi-gelatinous flax (if using) to soured milk mixture. Add other liquid ingredients to the milk mixture and whisk to combine.

4) Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix gently just until combined.

5) Let batter rest while waffle iron preheats.

NOTE: Our Belgian waffle maker cooks these deliciously crispy but splits them down the middle every time. (The two halves of the waffle each stick to the sides of the waffle maker when you open it after cooking. Since we like them this way--crispy on one side and soft on the other, plus you're only eating half a waffle at a time but it feels like a whole one!-- we cook them in that instead of a regular waffle iron. Cook yours according to your equipment and preferences. (The almost-burned-looking waffle on the bottom of the pile in the picture below didn't split, but you have to cook them so long to get them not to split that they're too crispy and brown in the end. We just let it split them and enjoy them crispy-soft. With fruit on top, pictured above, is my favorite!)

If you prefer them to look and feel traditional, just stack the two halves together and serve. Yum!

NOTE: We have discovered that the best combination for getting them not to stick badly to the waffle iron involves omitting the optional flax, oats, and egg--and using homemade quick soy milk and maple syrup as the liquids.

Pumpkin Quinoa Porridge

1 C. dry quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 C. homemade almond milk
1/2 C. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. sea salt

1) In a pot, combine 1 C. water and 1 C. almond milk.

2) Bring to a boil, then add add above ingredients. Turn down heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until liquid has evaporated.

3) Remove from heat and stir in 2 Tbsp. ground flaxseeds.

4) Top with any of the items listed below. Enjoy.


Top with any of the following, according to personal preferences and/or allergens you're avoiding:

1/4 C. chopped walnuts or pecans
1 Tbsp. hemp hearts
2-3 Tbsp. raw honey or maple syrup
2 Tbsp. coconut flakes

NOTE: I have no idea why the quinoa needed a rinse. I did it anyway!

The original recipe appeared on Food Babe.

Rise and Shine Baked Avocado

My husband sent me this recipe and asked me to post it here. I'm sure it was originally from a website, but I'm not sure which one. I found it posted here and here with a Google search, and who knows how many other places it's posted. Hope that's sufficient acknowledgement.

1 avocado, cut in half with pit removed

2 eggs
1/2 tsp Mexican seasoning (cumin, garlic, oregano, chili powder)
1/4 C. grated cheddar
crumbled bacon (optional)
diced green onion or chives (optional)
salsa
SPG, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Place avocado halves into a baking dish and stabilize them with a little foil if needed.

3. Crack one egg into each empty pit of your avocado halves. You can scoop out a bit of the avocado if you need more room for the egg. (Pop the yolk if you don't desire to have it bake whole.)

4. Season with a bit of SPG. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp. of Mexican seasoning on each egg-filled avocado.

5. Top each seasoned half with shredded cheese (and optional crumbled bacon, if using) and bake for 10-15minutes.

6. Remove from the oven, top with salsa (and optional green onions or chives, if using), and enjoy.

Ham and Cheese Egg Cups with Hash Brown Crust

These were served at Evie's wedding on the table with the finger sandwiches and the hot hors d'oeuvres. They were cooked in those stand-alone silver muffin cups that allow you to cook muffins without a muffin pan. That enabled us to do the quantity we needed that day on large cookie sheets. 

We cooked them ahead of time, froze them, and reheated them the morning of the wedding. (They can be reheated from frozen or thawed. Reheat, covered, until thermometer inserted in center reads 160 degrees.) 

They're good if cooked, frozen, and reheated once. They are not good if frozen a second time and again reheated!

Ingredients

• 3 C. frozen shredded hash browns
• 1/4 C. butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1- 1 1/2 C. finely chopped ham
• 1/4 C. finely chopped onion
• 1/4 C. finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 3/4 C. eggs
• 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line regular muffin cup pan with foil muffin liners and spray with oil. In medium bowl combine potatoes, butter and salt; mix well. It works well to let them defrost 15 min or so.  Scoop ¼ cup hash browns into each muffin cup. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

2. Sautee onion and pepper in a little olive oil.  Cook until tender. Mix with the ham and fill each cup equally with meat and veg mixture.

3. Stir eggs as if to scramble. Pour over meat mixture, filling each muffin cup equally. Sprinkle with cheese and a bit of Italian seasoning. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cheri's Breakfast Meatballs

These were served at Evie's wedding on the table with the finger sandwiches and the hot hors d'oeuvres. They are naturally gluten-free, so they didn't have to be modified for our gluten-free guests.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 lbs. breakfast sausage
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 1/4 tsp. dried sage
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 3 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. instant minced onion
• 1/2-1 C. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Thoroughly mix together breakfast sausage with all 7 dry seasoning ingredients listed beneath "breakfast sausage" (above).
3. In a bowl, combine sausage mixture with ground beef, eggs, onion, and cheese; mix thoroughly.
4. Roll into 1.5" balls or drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake 18-20 minutes.
5. To freeze extra meatballs for up to 6 months: Cool, and then place the amounts you will use at one time on cookie sheets and freeze.  Place in a Ziploc bag until needed.
6. To reheat: Place defrosted meatballs in preheated 350°F oven, covered, and bake until hot (30-40 minutes).

Chocolate Star Bread

Their dad is working from home today, so the girls decided to make this special treat for our breakfast this morning. It is beautiful and absolutely delicious! They took pictures of each stage so you could make it without having to watch the video over and over. (We will say that it is worth one watch, however, even if just to hear to speaker's cool accent and to cement in your head how you must forevermore pronounce "Chocolate Star Bread.")

Elanore started with a pretty involved brioche recipe. It was a bit of a pain, but very worth it. Click the link to make that recipe, which will take a while. (She started it one day ahead of the planned "CHOC oh lut STAH bread" baking day.)

Here are the steps, illustrated for you in order:

1) Divide the brioche recipe into two even lumps. (This will make two CHOC oh lut STAH breads.)

2) Divide one of the lumps into four even sections.

3) Roll out the first quarter of the dough into a round a bit larger than the size of a large dinner plate. Cut around the edge of your dinner plate with a knife to create a perfect circle.

4) Cover the first round with a thin layer of Nutella.

5) Repeat with the next three quarters of dough, so that you have four rounds and three layers of Nutella by the end.

NOTE: At this point, you are supposed to move the entire thing to the parchment paper on the cookie sheet before cutting. The girls forgot to move it at this point, and didn't move it until the very end, which worked fine, too.

6) Place a small juice glass in the center of your stack of rounds, and cut the outer portion into sixteen even, pie-shaped wedges.

(Cut into fourths, then cut those in half again, then repeat, to make it easier.)

7) Take two of the wedges that are next to one another and twist them over twice to reveal the lovely inside pattern. At this point, just lay them down once they're twisted.

8) Repeat for all of the sections.

9) Pinch each of the two "star points" together.

10) Transfer the whole thing to parchment paper using a large spatula.

11) Brush with egg white.

12) Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.










Once the star bread is baked, each pinched point of the star will just pull out and be its own individual piece. It makes eight identical pieces, plus the small, gooey center piece left at the end. You can see it in all its video glory here.

Oven-Puffed German Pancake ("Dutch Baby")

3 Tbsp unsalted butter (salted was fine)
3/4 C. all-purpose flour (freshly ground whole wheat was fine)
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 C. milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 C. fruit (see note below)
powdered sugar, for sprinkling

NOTE: Olivia made this delicious treat for us this morning. She used apple, unpeeled and chopped into small chunks, because that's what we had on hand and because our friend Susan, who had posted the recipe on Facebook, had done so successfully.  It was delicious, and not at all dry. The original recipe calls for any combination of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, fresh or frozen.

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the butter in a cast-iron skillet and place it in the oven.

2. Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add this to the dry ingredients and whisk until combined and smooth.

3. Wearing an oven mitt, remove the hot skillet from the oven (the butter should be bubbling) and pour in the batter all at once. Sprinkle the fruit evenly over the top and return the skillet to the oven. Bake until the pancake is nicely browned and puffed around the edges, usually 12-15 minutes.

4. Remove the pancake from the oven--don't forget that oven mitt!--and carefully transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

This recipe originally appeared in Hay Day Country Market Cookbook, and we found it on the yummy food blog two tarts, via a Facebook post from our friend Susan D., to whom belongs the photo credit. (That's hers, not ours, pictured above!)

  
The one on the left was made by Aunt Kaarin, and the one on the right was made by Olivia. 

It really is quick, easy, and yummy... low sugar and high protein... perfect for breakfast today!

Banana Bread Muffin Tops (SF, GF, Vegan)

Banana Bread Muffin Tops

Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, sugar-free

Ultra dense and chewy, these banana bread muffin tops make a great running-out-the-door breakfast or snack. Sweetened with banana and dates, there are no added sugars (and the chocolate chips can be easily swapped for walnuts). Try them warm served with a pat of vegan butter, nut butter, or coconut oil.

Yield
9 large cookies

Prep Time
10 Minutes

Cook time
18 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 large ripe bananas, peeled (230 grams banana without peel)
• 1/2 cup packed pitted Medjool dates (125 grams pitted dates)*
• 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil (applesauce works fine)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats, divided
• 3-4 tablespoons non-dairy chocolate chips (or chopped dark chocolate)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Add the peeled bananas, pitted dates, coconut oil or applesauce, and vanilla into a food processor. Process until smooth. I let it run for a minute or so.
3. Add in the cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and process again until combined.
4. Add in 1.5 cups of the rolled oats and process for only 4-5 seconds, just long enough to roughly chop the oats.
5. Remove processor from the base and then remove the blade and set aside. Carefully stir in the remaining 1/2 cup rolled oats and the chocolate chips.
6. Spoon a large portion of dough (about 3-4 tablespoons or so for each) onto the parchment. Do not press down on the dough to flatten - simply leave it in a mound on the baking sheet.
7. Bake cookies for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 7-9 minutes until golden brown on the bottom.
8. Immediately transfer the baking sheet onto a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then lift off muffins and place on the rack to cool completely.

Note: Make sure you use very soft Medjool dates. If you are using firm dates, be sure to soak them in water until softened before proceeding with recipe. (NOTE: This is probably kind to your food processor, but it works fine if you use firm dates without soaking them.)

Read more: http://ohsheglows.com/2014/01/17/banana-bread-muffin-tops/#ixzz2rVltt13f