Cinnamon Raisin Breakfast Barley

Alright, alright. After giving a small break to those of you who read my blog religiously, I'm back with a few new recipes up my sleeve. For those of you who read every once in a while- shame on you, but thanks for reading this post. Hopefully you'll stick around for a little while, so as to not miss out on any more finger lickin' good food write-ups.

If you recall from my "Frisotto" recipe, I love barley because it's not only a whole grain, but also because it's packed with fiber and has a decent amount of protein. As someone who is quite fond of this grainy little pillow, I'm just as shocked as you are that I haven't eaten it for breakfast yet. I mean think about it... we eat whole grains for breakfast ALL the time, don't we? Oatmeal, toast, English muffins, cereal, but for some reason, barley's not on that list. Why?

So after having this epiphany that I should include this in my a.m feeding regimen, I decided to mess around in the kitchen and come up with something that was only slightly reminiscent of one of my favorite dinner side dishes. I decided to take the easy road and make a cinnamon raisin dish, and I'm so glad I did because it was so delicious. I ate it warm and poured about four ounces of almond coconut milk. I suggest you do the same.

Ingredients:

1 cup barley

5 cups water (Yes, this is more water than you would normally use, but I like my barley soft rather than chewy... especially when I'm eating it for breakfast)

4 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup raisins

3/4 tsp lemon juice

Method:

1. Bring water to a boil

2. Once water has begun to boil, add barley, brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and lemon juice. Reduce heat to low.

4. Cover and let simmer for about 45 minutes. Make sure you watch your simmering concoction because if you don't, the sugary water will boil over and you'll end up with the horrible smell of burnt sugar.

5. After about 45 minutes, turn the heat off and let sit until all water has been absorbed.

6. Serve alone or with milk poured over.

** By the way, this makes about four to six servings.

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Scones-- Sorry, no fun name this time!

Who doesn't love a good scone? What would I do for a tasty biscuit to enjoy with my morning tea or winter hot chocolate? I'd read a Goosebumps book and maybe prank call Cox Communications. This may not seem like much to you, but for someone like me, these are pretty big steps that may potentially lead to a week of nightmares or a criminal record that would bar me from any legit form of employment for the rest of my life.

I have tried my hand at many scone recipes, but they all have left little to be desired. I finally found one that is a a definite, no questions asked home run. The best thing about it is that it serves as a base and is just begging for a splashing of creative mix-ins. I'll admit, my cinnamon raisin ones weren't all that jazzy, nor were my lemon meringue wannabes, but creative or not, I still had a trickle of drool leading from the left corner of my mouth down to my chin.

I'll offer you this one very serious warning: Scones do take a bit of time due to the fact that they have to be cut out with either a glass or a cookie cutter. I prefer to make them heart-shaped, but that's just me. If you want to form them into a skull and crossbones, that's your deal, not mine. I won't even care if you make peepee shapes... just don't give me the credit (although, in all fairness, my blog did give you the idea, right?)

Ingredients:
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
4 cups flour (If you want to try your hand at making these healthier, you can sub 2 cups of wheat... but if you do any more than 1/2 wheat, 1/2 white, you're walking a fine line, my friend)
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder (If you're using wheat flour, it's in your best interest to increase this to 2.5 tsp)
1 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter (if you don't have unsalted butter, don't bother making this recipe... you'll ruin it!)
1 egg
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Egg wash (beaten egg+ water)
Possible additions: 1 cup raisins, 1 cup candied orange peel, 1/2 tsp cinnamon (to taste), 1 tsp orange extract, 1 cup dried cranberries, lemon zest... get your thinking cap on- the sky's the limit!

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350'. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. Combine sour cream and baking soda. Let set for a few minutes before the egg. Add any wet additions (juice, extracts) at this point.

3. In another bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients. Slowly add flour mixture to the sour cream mixture. As you're adding the flour, you can also add in the raisins, etc.

4. Knead the dough for a few minutes. Roll into a 3/4" slab. Use a cookie cutter to make these little buggars beautiful. Otherwise, use a glass. Or, if you want to take the SUPER easy way out, you can just cut wedges with a knife. Yawn... borrrrring!

5. Lightly brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, if desired.

6. Bake for 15 minutes. This is accurate if get about 12 biscuits. If you've cut them much smaller, check them at about 7 or 8 minutes.

If you'd like to make them and freeze them before baking, you can certainly do that. Just make sure that you freeze them on a cookie sheet. Once they're fully frozen, you can transfer them to a ziploc bag. Bake as normal, but for about 45 minutes, or as is necessary for the size. Size does matter. Pin It

100% Whole Wheat Banana-Oat Muffins

What can I say about these muffins other than the fact that they are simply aaa-maaaa-zing! I enjoy taking recipes that are tasty as written, but super unhealthy, and amping them up with nutrition and seriously bumping down the fat content. And not to come across as holy terror, but I'm pretty good at it, if I do say so myself.

So let's chat about bananas. I recently had a horrible experience with them, as I accidentally chomped down on what I believe to be a mass of spider eggs, which had hidden themselves in the bottom tip! Apparently, spiders lay their eggs in the tips of bananas and although they are sprayed before shipped to a grocery store near you, some can survive the chemical showdown. Anyway, the eggs caused my lips, tongue, and face to go numb, and also caused my right hand to twitch maniacally. Wanna talk about scary? I was so freaked out that I went to the emergency room, which probably made things worse, especially when I found out that the person next to me was infected with the black plague. No, she didn't really have the plague, but strep throat is equally as scary.

As someone who loves bananas, I wasn't sure how to deal with this experience. Then it hit me... don't eat the tips! So now when I eat bananas, I discard the first and last 1/2" of the fruit. Perfect- no problems since. I hope the fear of consuming spider eggs has not scared you away from eating bananas because then you'd be screwed out of the chance to make the following recipe. I made them yesterday and am happy to report a fully-functioning set of nerves in the craniofacial region.

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup (a little less) old fashioned oats
3 very ripe bananas, mashed to smithereens (discard the tips!)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt (I know it sounds like a trivial amount, but salt is a very important ingredient because it draws out the flavor)
1 egg
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (Make sure they're mini. If you use the regular-sized ones, they'll sink to the bottom, and you'll lose all credibility as a baker!)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350'. Grease or line muffin tins.

2. On a large plate, mash the bananas with a fork until they resemble baby food.

3. In  large bowl, combine egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and applesauce. Once all ingredients are incorporated, stir in the banana.

4. To the bowl, add salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix.

5. Slowly add flour. Once the flour has been added, mix in the oats.

6. Add in the mini chocolate chips.

7. Fill each muffin cup with 1/4 cup batter. I filled 17.

8. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Mine baked for 15 minutes and were perfect.

Enjoy them... they're wonderfully delicious and actually pretty darn good for you! Pin It

Risotto-Style Barley and Sauz-eege

For years now, I’ve been wanting to make risotto, but a) I don’t have the patience to stand over a fire like a chest-banging cavewoman so that I can constantly stir a pot of rice until it eventually takes on a creamy texture and b) I prefer whole grains over anything that Uncle Ben may or may not have promoted in an orange box. Don’t get me wrong, I adore white rice, but due to the excess poundage that has recently taken up residence on my body, I need to reduce the white and increase the tan. This is why I love, love, love barley-  because it can act as a chubby stand-in for rice, and more importantly, it’s a whole grain that’s packed with fiber. This is how I came to make “Frisotto”.

The first time I made this recipe, it was over 90 degrees outside, and let me tell you- I was miserable standing over that open flame, but after it was finally time to wipe the sweat mustache from off my face and serve the meal, I gave a deep sigh of relief and soaked up all the yumminess! This is definitely more of a cool-weather meal, but I’m a loon and tend to think that every day is an appropriate day to spark up a heat-emitting appliance, just like the way I feel that ballet flats with legit soft leather soles are appropriate footwear to sport during a weather channel-worthy snow storm. You may think I’m kidding, but I can assure you on every level that this is entirely true and the reason that my left second toe was numb for the majority of the winter season.  

The next time I make this, I will use my crock pot, which has been a Godsend.

So anyway, crank of your AC, strip down to your skivvies, and make this dish tonight. It’s definitely worth it.

Ingredients:

¾ pound chicken sausage (or you can try ground turkey and add more seasonings such as 2 cloves garlic, salt, pepper, basil)

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small boiling onion, finely chopped
1 cup barley
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used the absolute cheapest bottle I could find)
5 cups water
1 red bell pepper
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 bag baby spinach (usually comes in 6-ounce bags)
Parmesan Cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Remove casings from sausage.

2. In a large stock pot, combine the sausage, onions, red pepper, olive oil, fennel seeds and garlic. With a wooden spoon, break up the sausage. Allow the sausage to cook and the onions, garlic, and red pepper get soft.

3. After a few minutes, add white wine.  A few minutes later, add the barley, undrained tomatoes (yup... just dump the whole can in), and water.

4. Allow to simmer for about 45 minutes.  Add spinach, stir in, and cover. Allow the spinach to wilt for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Just before serving, sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. As usual, shredded is best, but grated will work just fine!

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100% Whole Wheat Pumpkin Banana Muffins

I am in love with these muffins! They are moist and have a lovely pumpkin flavor. Pumpkin is one of those things that I could eat every day, regardless of how many strange looks I get when loading my cart up with Libby's in July. That's right I said it... Libby's. While I'm sure fresh pumpkin is a zillion times better than the canned stuff, I'm not denying myself of the orange sphere of wonder when the only thing currently in season is sunscreen. I'll admit that even in the autumn, though, I cheat and jump aboard the aluminum express. It's just too labor intensive to cook and scoop a pumpkin for a dozen muffins. Who knows... maybe if I get enough angry hippie comments, I'll buy a pumpkin this coming October and become a believer.


Anyway, I've been making these muffins for a while now and do not see myself stopping anytime in the near future. Although, I might recruit my awesome boooyfran to whip up a second batch tonight... maybe? We've got a bunch of severely speckled bananas that need to be used or tossed ASAP (Not Ay-Sap... AY, ES, AY, PEE).


So the recipe below looks like it has a lot of ingredients, but hold onto your hat because it's not that bad! It should all be stuff that you have in your cabinets, so please... don't worry.

Sorry this picture is kind of blurry! It was taken with my cell phone, which despite its brick-like appearance, actually has a camera in it. This is what .5 mp looks like.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (Rhode Islanders- it's okay to get this at Job Lot)
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup very ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/3 cup buttermilk (I usually use 1 tsp vinegar + enough milk to equal 1/3 cup)
2 eggs
1/2 cup raisins (I usually let these soak in water for about half an hour before adding to my batter
Old fashioned oats
Sugar

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400'.

2. Grease or line 12 muffin tins.

3. Combine wet ingredients in one bowl. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients. You know what I mean.
*** Read if you're making your own buttermilk: Measure 1 tsp vinegar. Pour it into the measuring cup that you'll use to portion out your milk. Add enough milk to reach 1/3 cup. Let sit for 5 minutes before using.

4. Add raisins to batter.

5. Pour batter into muffins cups and sprinkle with sugar and oats.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

I usually let these sit in their tins for 5 minutes before transferring to a container with a tightly fitting lid. I know this probably promotes mold growth, but I've never had a problem. This helps lock in the moisture, which is important when you're working with whole wheat flour. Pin It