Texanerin Baking

100% Whole Grain Strawberry Banana Muffins

Erin — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:10:25 +0000

Today I’m guest posting over at Carla’s Confections while she’s down in Orlando having fun.

I made strawberry banana muffins. With streusel. And I know y’all like your streusel. And they’re fruity and summer-y. Whole grain, too, if you want them to be. If you’re not into whole grains, you can use all white flour instead. These delicious muffins are for everyone! ;)

But before you go – did you know that today is Food Revolution Day? It’s all about bringing communities together to celebrate healthy eating and sharing the cooking skills needed to prepare real food. There are activities all around the world and you can check here to see if there’s anything going on in your area.

Also, if you want to learn a little bit more about me, Mommypage interviewed me recently. Go check it out! :)

I wish you all an amazing weekend!

100% Whole Spelt Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Erin — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:21:22 +0000

Good 100% whole grain bread recipes aren’t that easy to come by. And most of them can be a bit fussy. But this one? It’s just as easy as a recipe made with white flour!

I tried making this with whole wheat flour and it didn’t work out. When you use spelt, it makes things a little tricky. Spelt requires less moisture than wheat, but the question is exactly how much less to use. I’ve read that you should use 10 – 25% less less liquid when using spelt and I know a 15% differential doesn’t sound like that much, but in bread baking it seems to be. I sub whole spelt for whole wheat all the time in non-yeasted baked goods and haven’t had a problem. It’s just in yeasted bread that I have this issue.

So I was extremely excited when I found a recipe on Sonya’s page already calling for whole spelt. My changes were to add more cinnamon because I wanted more of a cinnamon taste and less of a spelt taste, and to give it a cinnamon swirl. You could leave that out if you really want to, but it makes the bread so much more fun and tasty. And whose morning doesn’t need some more excitement?!

I put some icing on top and then realized it was a pretty silly move. This bread is really best toasted and icing in the toaster isn’t the best idea. So ignore that! No comments about how you burned down your kitchen with toasting icing will be allowed. ;)

I don’t know what’s up with German dry yeast, but I haven’t had much luck with it. And neither have my American bread baking friends over here. For this loaf, and all my other yeast breads, I’ve been using a two pound bag of active Red Star Yeast I bought at Sam’s or Costco three years ago. It was only about $4 at the time so it was an amazing value.

And one important thing to note: With most of my recipes, you can’t tell that they’re whole grain. You can with this one but that’s not a bad thing if you actually like whole grain goodies! Just letting you know because this might be a difficult one to sell to the whole grain haters.

And I just realized that this is vegan. Bonus! And this here maple cinnamon almond butter would go perfect on it. It’s like eating spreadable maple cinnamon candy. :)

Some other cinnamon raisin goodness!

Cinnamon Raisin Honey Whole Wheat English Muffins – A Kitchen Addiction
Cinnamon Raisin Nazook – Barbara Bakes
Oatmeal Cookie Granola (gluten-free) – Cakes ‘N’ Bakes
Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Fritters – Scarletta Bakes

100% Whole Spelt Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Ready in: 2:25 h
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup (235ml) warm water
2 tablespoons honey or agave
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil or canola oil
3 to 3½ cups (450 - 525 grams) whole spelt flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
½ - 1 cup (70 - 140 grams) raisins
¼ cup (.6 dl) coconut or brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together the yeast, warm water and honey. Proof for 5 minutes.
Add the oil, 1½ cups flour, cinnamon, salt and raisins. Mix with a hand mixer until well combined.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 30 minutes or until doubled.
Add more flour, ¼ cup at a time, just until the dough comes together. I used about 1½ cups in this step, meaning I used 3 cups in the entire recipe.
Mix the dough on low for 3 minutes. The dough should be just slightly sticky, but not so sticky that you can't work with it.
Spray an 8 x 4" loaf pan with cooking spray.
On a floured clean surface or a Silpat, roll the dough into an eight inch square.
Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface.
Roll into a tight loaf and place in the prepared loaf pan.
Spray the plastic wrap you used to cover the bowl with cooking spray and use this to cover the loaf.
Let the dough rise for 30-60 minutes in a warm place or until doubled.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake the loaf for 30-40 minutes. It should be golden brown and when tapped, it should sound hollow.
Let the bread cool in its pan for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Arrowhead Mills as seen on Home Cooking with Sonya - Spelt Cinnamon Raisin Bread

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/05/100-whole-spelt-cinnamon-raisin-bread.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Grain-free Raw Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Erin — Sat, 11 May 2013 11:53:52 +0000

I’ve been trying to get pictures of these buggers since August. That means I’ve consumed about 7 pounds of peanut butter in dough form and more importantly – I’ve had some time to perfect the recipe!

My problem at the beginning was that my cookie dough was too greasy. I used homemade vanilla and really have no idea why this resulted in greasiness. So I left it out this final time and it worked. I also used a vanilla bean but I really didn’t taste any difference between pre and post vanilla bean. So save your vanilla beans for something else!

For the flour, I had to use something a little more neutral tasting than whole wheat flour. Almond flour worked wonderfully and you can’t taste it at all. So if you don’t like almonds, you can still make and enjoy these!

I have to admit that I wasn’t exactly sure about the yield. Because every time I make them, I roll a ball, eat a chuck of dough. Eat another piece of dough, roll a ball. Eat half of the ball and then repeat. So I just made 1/6 of the recipe and got 2 nice sized balls. That makes these the perfect solution for people with self-control issues. All you do is mix together the four ingredients and roll the dough into balls. So it’s not like you’re putting in a lot of time and effort for such a small yield. Woohoo!

If you store them in the refrigerator, they harden and get crumbly when you bite into them. So I left mine at room temperature and ate them up really quickly. I had no problem with this. :)

If you’re dealing with peanut allergies, stick around! I have some ideas for a few other nut butter variations.

Grain-free Raw Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

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Rated 5.0 by 3 readers

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 0 min
Ready in: 5 min
Yield: twelve 1.5" balls

Ingredients

¾ cup (192 grams) natural peanut butter (see notes)
2 tablespoons (40 grams) honey (agave for vegan - see notes)
70 grams almond flour (see notes)
6 tablespoons mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
a pinch of salt if your peanut butter is unsalted

Directions

Mix everything together and roll into 12 1.5" balls.
If it seems crumbly, let it sit for 10 minutes. If it doesn't seem doughy enough, add a teaspoon of water at a time until you like the consistency.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Notes

I haven't tried these with commercial peanut butter (Skippy, Jif, etc.) but I'm assuming that they would not work.
I used honey in these but agave would also work for a vegan version. Maple syrup also might work, but I'm thinking you might have to add a little extra almond flour.
70 grams almond flour is about ½ cup + 1 tablespoon but it's really better to weigh almond flour as most brands are different.

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/05/grain-free-raw-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Browned Butter and Sage Lemon Gnocchi – Even He Can Do It!

Erin — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:13:57 +0000

I know, I know. Another savory recipe. I’ll get back to the sweets later in the week! But for now, Mr. T wanted to share this with you. – Erin

Hey everyone, It has been a while since I last got around to making something for you and I am sorry for that! If you have been around in the last couple of days, you might know with what I have been busy this whole time… Thank you so much for all the positive feedback, it really made my day week!

Anyway, today is a special day for Erin and me and since I normally wake up a good while before Erin, I thought I’d make her breakfast. So I went to the recipe index and looked for something to sweeten her start to the day.

I decided to make her these tasty apple fritters. Everything went smoothly until I had fry them. Well, to cut a long story short: my breakfast surprise plan was thwarted by a malfunctioning thermometer. Instead of 375°F the oil was probably double that and so the fritters turned to charcoal within like five seconds. The light smoke rising from the pot should have warned me, but my trust in technology was bigger.

Since I didn’t want to ruin the whole batch, I decided it is best to consult with Erin. With a shriveled black wannabe fritter in my hands and repeatedly mumbling “I did them at 375, I followed your directions!” I woke her up. That certainly surprised her, just not the way I had intended it to. What a sad story, huh? Luckily I had not dumped all of the dough in the pot at once, so we were able to have a little fritter fest in the afternoon. I had enough of hot oil for one day though, so Erin made them herself.

In order to make up for a ruined breakfast surprise, I decided to do the unthinkable: attempting to make two recipes in one day! We’ve had these gnocchi a couple of times already and we both like them a lot. They are super quick (about five minutes) and easy to make — I like!!, they produce almost no dishes — I like!!!, and, most importantly, they just taste divine. :)

I used the potato version of gnocchi which come in nice little bags and should be available either fresh or frozen in almost every supermarket. One of these days we have to try and make gnocchi from scratch (recipes suggestions in the comments, please!) instead of using store-bought ones, but I can’t really imagine them being that much better than the fresh ones I got at Aldi.

Buon appetito and please let us know how you like the recipe!

Want gnocchi from scratch? Look here!

Buckwheat Gnocchi with Tomato and Butter Sauce (vegetarian) – London Bakes
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Bolognese (gluten-free) – Running to the Kitchen
Beet and Potato Gnocchi with Mint Hazelnut Pesto (gluten-free + vegetarian) – Tartine and Apron Strings
How to: Homemade Gnocchi – Tracey’s Culinary Adventures

Browned Butter and Sage Lemon Gnocchi

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 5 min
Ready in: 10 min
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

300 grams gnocchi
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons chopped sage
1 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 - 4 tablespoons Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
salt, to taste

Directions

Prepare the gnocchi according to the package's instructions.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sage and cook until the butter starts to turn brown and smells slightly nutty. Be careful that it doesn't burn.
Turn the heat down to medium and add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Add the gnocchi, stir them a little in the sauce, and then add 2 tablespoons of cheese. Add salt to taste, and more lemon juice and cheese, if desired.
Serve immediately.

Notes

These are really best when freshly prepared. We've tried leftovers in the microwave and they're not nearly as delicious.

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/05/browned-butter-and-sage-lemon-gnocchi.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Creamy Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas

Erin — Sat, 04 May 2013 21:34:09 +0000

I really did try to think of something sweet to bake for Cinco de Mayo. But my love for cheese and carbs won over! This quesadilla recipe uses the filling from a baked taquito recipe I adore. I posted this on Instagram and loved the quesaditos suggestion. Isn’t that cute?!

You take some spicy chicken, shred it, add some more spices and then some cheddar and cream cheese. And of course I left out the salsa and onions called for in the recipe, just because I don’t like them. Go check out the original recipe if you want a “fancier” version. ;)

These are more work than your usual slap-some-meat-and-cheese-in-there-quesadillas. But it’s still really quick. And you can make the mixture ahead of time and just pull it out of the fridge when you need it.

I used these homemade tortillas. You can make them 100% whole wheat if you like, and I do that sometimes, but to be honest… tortillas are just so much better with all all-purpose flour. So soft and pillowy and perfect.

If you’ve never made homemade tortillas, then you’re in for a treat. They’re so much better than what you can find at the store (at least the stores here in Germany!) and aren’t that difficult to make. And there’s no lard, either. Just two teaspoons of oil.

These quesadillas can also be made on the grill! Cook directly on the grates over high heat for about 2 minutes or until the bottoms start to brown. I don’t think I’d fire up the grill just for these, but if it’s on anyway, I’d definitely throw these on. That and some tortilla pizzas!

Some other fun looking quesadilla recipes:

Buffalo Chicken Dip Quesadillas – Chocolate Moosey
Brie & Brisket Quesadillas – Confections of a Foodie Bride
Grilled Corn Quesadillas – Taste and Tell
Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas – Very Culinary

Creamy Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 16 min
Ready in: 26 min
Yield: 4 quesadillas

Ingredients

2 cups shredded chicken
4 ounces (110 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (125 grams) grated cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons lime juice
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
8 small tortillas

Directions

Mix everything together except the tortillas in a medium bowl and set aside.
Over medium heat, heat a non-stick frying pan or cast iron pan that's slightly larger than you tortillas.
While the pan is heating up, spread the chicken mixture over four tortillas. Place the remaining four tortillas on top of the filling.
One by one, cook the quesadillas until the bottom or the tortilla is browned in several spots and the filling is halfway melted. Flip over, and brown the other side of the tortilla.
Cut into four pieces and serve hot.

Notes

If you don't have any shredded chicken on hand, butterfly 13 ounces (380 grams) chicken breasts, rub with 1 teaspoon of Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning (or whatever spices you like!) and pan fry until no longer pink in the middle. Shred the meat by pulling apart with two forks.
If these cool too quickly, you can reheat them in the microwave at half power for 10-15 seconds or until warm.

Adapted from Our Best Bites - Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos, as seen on The Comfort of Cooking - Baked Chicken Taquitos

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/05/creamy-cheesy-chicken-quesadillas.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Site Redesign!

Erin — Wed, 01 May 2013 07:24:43 +0000

Mr. Texanerin has been working very hard behind the scenes. If you don’t realize what he’s done, this is what my page looked like a few hours ago:

But it’s not just a redesign! You can find recipes so much easier now. If you go to the recipe index, you have a visual index of categories like cake, fall recipes, and vegan as well as the most important ingredients like chocolate, pumpkin and peanut butter.

And since so many of you have told me that you’re mainly interested in my gluten-free recipes, there’s a label just for that. I also added a label called naturally GF. I know that some blogs label everything as GF if it doesn’t contain any gluten, but do potatoes, smoothies and ice cream recipes really need that label? For me, if I’m looking for gluten-free recipes, I want to see recipes that were developed in a special way to be gluten free and not just stuff that happens to be gluten-free.

Below the visual index, you’ll find the complete index by recipe category. Further down, you can also browse recipes by ingredient, which is really nice if you don’t know how to use up that bucket of expiring Greek yogurt that was on sale.

It’s now also easier to comment. With just your name and email address (which isn’t displayed), you can leave a comment. So you no longer have an excuse to not leave a comment. ;)

And because it’s now way easier for me to reply to your comments, I can go back to replying to them. It was just a huge pain in the butt with Blogger! And if you select the checkbox that says Notify me of replies to my comment via e-mail, you’ll get an email when I or someone else replies to your comment. Woohoo!

You can also now rate the recipes. But you get to select hearts instead of boring stars. That was totally Mr. T’s idea. He was very proud of himself. :D

The About section now has more than a few sentences about me. And it was a great excuse to post some pictures of baby animals.

The Ingredients section has been totally redone and you can find out where to get some of the more unusual ingredients I use and explanations about flours. And if you live in Germany, you definitely need to go check it out.

And finally, if your puppy is ever walking across the keyboard, or maybe he’s looking for something and he’s just not that good of a typer, an entertaining animal friend will be there to help console him. See for yourself!

Some of the recipes aren’t in their pretty recipe boxes quite yet. I should get that finished in a few days but I couldn’t wait any longer to share my new look!

If you see anything that’s not working or that looks wrong, please leave a comment to let me know. We don’t actually know what we’re doing with this web design thing. Thank you. :)

And if you see a lot of my posts all at once in your newsfeed or by email – sorry for the inconvenience! It should just happen this one time (it was because of the switchover).

100% Whole Grain German Chocolate Inspired Brownies

Erin — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:06:00 +0000

These are hands down the best brownies I’ve ever made. Healthy or not. It could have something to do with the fact that I used way more sugar than usual but I’ll just try to ignore that.

I developed this recipe in hopes of winning a contest that an oil company is running. The challenge was to re-imagine a recipe that generally uses butter or vegetable. That just screamed brownies to me! Only on the final batch did I whip out the precious bottle of grapeseed oil that I’d been hoarding. And it worked out beautifully! Definitely give grapeseed oil a try if you haven’t already. It was nice and light and I’m looking forward to using it more in my baking.

You can absolutely make these as plain brownies and they’re really amazing that way. And much quicker to make! But I wanted to make these brownies pretty. So I went to Facebook and asked you guys what to do with them and tried to combine as many suggestions as possible. That’s where the caramel + coconut + pecan / walnuts combination came from.

I fully intended on making these as real German chocolate brownies and not just inspired but then I read what German chocolate filling is made of. It didn’t really appeal so much to me so I just made a simple chocolate ganache and spread this over the brownies. And then I added toasted coconut and pecans and drizzled on some caramel.

I baked the brownies and then put on the toppings but next time, I think I’ll just add some chocolate chips, caramel bits, nuts and shredded coconut right into the batter. Much easier and quicker! And that way, you can leave out the cream. Which means saved calories and that of course means you can eat more brownies. :)

If you do make these and you want to reduce the sugar, please note that they won’t be as gooey and they’ll be more cakey. These brownies really aren’t greasy, even if pictures kind of make them look that way.

I kept my brownies refrigerated but they’re fine at room temperature, as well. They just seem better cold!

100% Whole Grain German Chocolate Inspired Brownies

♥♥♥♥♥

Rated 5.0 by 2 readers

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 27 min
Ready in: 42 min
Yield: 24 servings

Ingredients

Brownies:

1⅓ cups sugar
½ cup grapeseed oil
3 large eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla
1⅓ cups (175 grams) whole wheat flour
½ cup dark cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Topping:

⅔ cups shredded coconut
⅔ cups pecans or walnuts
2½ ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons caramel bits
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place a sheet of parchment paper over an 8x8 inch pan and press it around the edges. This makes it easier to remove the brownies once baked. Or you can spray the pan with non-stick baking spray.
In a large bowl with a wooden spoon, mix together the sugar and grapeseed oil. Let it sit for 5 minutes to help dissolve the sugar.
Add in the eggs and vanilla, all at once, and stir until thoroughly combined.
Add in the whole wheat flour, cocoa powder and salt all at once and stir *just* until combined. If you overstir, the texture might be affected.
Bake for 17 minutes. If you stick a toothpick in the middle, it will come out wet and this is okay! They continue to cook after you remove them from the oven. Do not bake until the toothpick comes out clean!
Let the brownies cool in the pan.

Topping:

Toast the coconut and pecans for 5 - 10 minutes at 350 degrees F or until they smell toasted. Check after 5 minutes to stir the coconut, if needed.
Place chopped chocolate in a small mixing bowl and heat ¼ cup heavy cream in a small pot over medium heat, just until it starts to simmer. Pour this over the chopped chocolate. Stir until smooth and set this aside.
In the small pot you just used, over medium heat, add the caramel bits and another tablespoon of heavy cream. Stir together and continue stirring until combined.
To assemble brownies: Spread on the chocolate layer. It will be very thin. Then add the toasted coconut and pecans and finally the caramel. You can either use a spoon to drizzle it over the brownies or pipe it.

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/04/100-whole-grain-german-chocolate-inspired-brownies.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Whole Grain Baking Tips

Erin — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:54:00 +0000

After 1 3/4 years of blogging on this whole grain baking blog (which is now half gluten-free it seems!) I’ve never posted any tips for how to get started with whole wheat baking. It’s kind of ridiculous, right?

Baking with whole wheat flour and other whole grain flours is nothing to be afraid of but it’s a little easier with some guidance at the beginning. A few years ago, I would have scoffed at anything made with whole wheat flour. I think the problem was just that all the whole grain goodies that I had tried tasted like cardboard. And they also tasted healthy. I just can’t enjoy something if it tastes healthy. But that’s the thing – whole grain goodies don’t have to (and shouldn’t, in my opinion) taste healthy. :)

Mosey on over to Good Life Eats: Tips for Whole Grain Baking to read all about how to start the conversion to whole grains!

I know you’re here for the sweets but learning about whole grains is a good thing. So go check it out! I’ll be back on Monday with something gooey. And sweet. And chocolatey. I think you’ll be happy with it.

100% Whole Grain Chocolate Peanut Butter Macaroons

Erin — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 22:14:00 +0000

Lauren is the queen of macaroons. The only other macaroon recipe I’ve posted was also adapted from her recipe. Why go elsewhere when she’s got in down?!

She recently posted some double chocolate macaroons and I just had to get some peanut butter involved in there. So I replaced half of the coconut butter with peanut butter. And they were awesome. I just had to make them the next day to see if using all peanut butter would work, and it did. So there you go. No need to buy expensive coconut butter or make it yourself. Just please, use natural peanut butter. These will not come out well if you use the regular stuff!

Don’t like peanut butter or have allergies? Go check out the original. It’s peanut butter free! And I’m not so sure about using other nut butters here but now that I think about it, I’m so trying these with hazelnut butter.

I used 1/2 cup of maple syrup and it was enough for me, but I imagine these would be even tastier with the 3/4 cup called for in Lauren’s recipe. And because I recently found a few bags of peanut butter chips in my cupboard, I threw some of those in, too. So I guess I basically added the sugar back in peanut butter chip form, but that’s so much more exciting than in maple syrup form, right? I suppose you could leave them out, but that’d just be plain silly. And plus the peanut butter flavor isn’t strong enough without them.

I just realized that these are 100% whole grain, gluten-free and vegan if you leave out the peanut butter chips. But don’t let these labels deter you from making these. They just taste like little balls of happiness.

Oh, and another thing. I promise to stop posting chocolate + peanut butter + coconut recipes for a while. I didn’t want to post this today, but everything else I’ve tried lately hasn’t been blog-worthy. Or it just totally failed. So bear with me I try to come up with something a little different!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Macaroons

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 12 min
Ready in: 17 min
Yield: 24 cookies

Ingredients

8 ounces (225 grams) natural peanut butter
½ cup - ¾ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup dark cocoa powder
1 cup shredded or desiccated coconut
1 cup old-fashioned / rolled oats, non-contaminated for gluten-free
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼ cup peanut butter chips, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet with a Silpat or a piece of parchment paper.
Using a hand mixer, mix all the ingredients through salt together in a large bowl. Add in the chocolate and peanut butter chips.
Using a 1 tbsp measuring spoon, scoop out tablespoons of dough and place about 1 centimeter apart on the prepared baking sheet. They will not spread very much.
Bake for 12 minutes and let cool until set. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Adapted from Healthy Food for Living - Double Chocolate Macaroons (thanks Lauren!)

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/04/chocolate-peanut-butter-macaroons.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

100% Whole Grain Cheddar Bacon Beer Bread

Erin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:07:00 +0000

When Kelly posted her fully loaded beer bread last year, I made it almost immediately. I don’t like beer but beer bread is another thing. And as if it weren’t enough that it was beer bread, it had cheese and bacon. How could I not make it?

I took it to a BBQ and it was pretty much all I wanted to eat. I love cheese and carbs like nothing else.

The original is a bit fancier with garlic, onion and bell peppers but I was too lazy to deal with the garlic and don’t like the other two things. So look at Kelly’s version if you want that stuff. :)

Okay. That picture makes the bread look pretty unappetizing, but really, it’s just the picture. And you can just ignore that chip on the plate. But as someone who always wants to see the texture of something before making it, I’m forcing myself to post this picture. So there you go.

I went with 100% whole wheat and with all the beer, cheese, and bacon in there… I don’t think anyone will mind, even if they don’t like whole wheat bread. I’ve made this with white flour and half white flour before and the texture was just the same as when using 100% whole wheat. Nice and moist and a little dense (but in a nice way!)

The second time I made this, I only made half the recipe, and that’s what you’ll find below. The entire recipe is just too much for two people, especially when one has a cheese + carb addiction that just won’t quit. If you don’t have a small loaf pan, you could bake these as muffins for what I’m guessing would be about 15 minutes. Or if you have more than one person to share with, definitely go with the whole recipe!

100% Whole Grain Cheddar Bacon Beer Bread

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 35 min
Ready in: 45 min
Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

3.5 ounces (100 grams) bacon
1¼ cup + 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
½ cup (120ml) beer
¼ cup (60ml) buttermilk
2 tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil
2 tablespoons (40 grams) honey
¾ cup (85 grams) sharp cheddar cheese, divided
¼ cup green onions, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and spray a 3" x 7" (8cm x 17cm) loaf pan very well with baking spray or simply place a piece of parchment paper in the pan.
Cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium heat until crisp. Let the bacon cool on a paper towel lined plate and then using your fingers, crumble the bacon into ½" pieces.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cayenne powder.
In a medium bowl, stir together the beer, buttermilk, butter, honey, bacon, ½ cup of the cheddar cheese and chopped green oninos.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes. Take the bread out of the oven and add the remaining ¼ cup of cheese to the top of the loaf.
Bake for another 15 minutes and then let cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool.
Best enjoyed immediately or on the same day of baking, but it stays moist for days.

Adapted from Fully Loaded Beer Bread - Evil Shenanigans

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/04/100-whole-grain-cheddar-bacon-beer-bread.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Gnocchi with Lighter Tomato Cream Sauce

Erin — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 17:38:00 +0000

I’ll get back to actual baked stuff next week, but for now, I just had to share this gnocchi with you.

Gnocchi is something I only discovered recently and I love it. What I do not love is my failed attempt at making it. So many people say it’s really easy, but mine was just a disaster. So this recipe uses the kind you find in the refrigerated or frozen section. Hooray!

This recipe is so quick and easy that Mr. Texanerin made it for me. This was actually supposed to be one of his Even He Can Do It! posts but he’s a bit tied up. Hopefully next week, you’ll find out why. ;)

I saw this recipe on Prevention RD and sent it to Mr. Texanerin. Kind of as a joke. Kind of not. But he actually made it for me a few days later. You think if I send him my “chore list,” he’ll do that, too? Because I really hate cleaning up. In general, tidiness is not my forte.

Looking at the ingredients, you’d probably never figure that this is so delicious. But it really is! The red pepper flakes add just a little spiciness and the cream cheese… man. I wish I would have known about this cream cheese in pasta sauce business sooner! I’ve been missing out.

Don’t like or can’t find or don’t want to make gnocchi? Use pasta! 8 ounces will do it.

And congratulations to Cathy K. on winning the coconut oil! Go check your email, Cathy. :)

Gnocchi with Lighter Tomato Cream Sauce

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Ready in: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

22 ounces (600 grams) gnocchi
1½ teaspoons olive oil
4 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 28-oz (800 grams) can of crushed tomatoes
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 ounces (125 grams) cream cheese
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
4 tablespoons Parmesan or Pecorino Romano

Directions

Prepare the gnocchi according to the instructions on the package. For the kind I buy, all you do is put them in boiling water and let them boil about 2 minutes until they're floating.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Then add the garlic and stirring occasionally, cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
Stir in the can of crushed tomatoes, salt, and red pepper flakes and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the cream cheese and basil, stir, and then add in the prepared gnocchi. Top with Parmesan and serve.

Adapted from Cooking Light, as seen on Prevention RD

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/04/gnocchi-with-lighter-tomato-cream-sauce.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Chocolate Avocado Smoothie

Erin — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:17:00 +0000

So for about 6 weeks, no matter where I went shopping, all I could find were rock hard, awful, turned-rotten-before-ripening avocados. As soon as the good ones returned, I just had to go and buy six of them. A few days later and, “Oh… I have a lot of ripe avocados that need to be used immediately. Whoops.” But it didn’t turn out to be a problem because I just love throwing avocados into random things. It’s an art form that I’m continually trying to master. ;)

About a year ago, I was extremely dubious of this whole avocado in sweets thing. I thought those people eating avocado pudding were a bit daft, to put it quite nicely, but they had just seen the light before I had. Avocados in smoothies and desserts just works. If you haven’t tried it, you definitely should!

I’ve been making a lot of smoothies lately, and always with frozen berries. They’re just so cheap and it’s a quick way to get in a few servings of fruit. But I’ve started to get sick of them and that’s why I just had to come up with something different. I wanted something chocolatey. And with banana. I am allergic to bananas but recently I’ve discovered that I can eat some and not others. It’s incredibly odd. But I like this banana allergy rebellion thing. It’s fun. :)

This is almost on the verge of being pudding. Actually, if you want pudding, just leave out the milk. And if you want this more liquidy like smoothies normally are, just add more milk and it’ll be thinner.

I sometimes see smoothie recipes with ice called for, but I never use it in my smoothies because I don’t like my smoothies icy. I like them like slightly runny yogurt. And creamy! This is super creamy with a banana and half an avocado in it. You can leave out the banana and have it just chocolate and avocado, but the problem with this is that you need a lot more added sugar to make up for the banana. Those suckers are just full of natural sweetness!

Oh, and you can’t taste the avocado in this. It’s all chocolate. And banana. I found it sweet enough without any added sweetener at all, but you can add honey or any other sweetener if you want. But the way the recipe is, I feel like I’m eating dessert when I’m actually eating something that’s completely guilt-free and totally healthy. Yes, a chocolate milkshake is tastier, but for those times when you don’t feel like consuming 500 calories and loads of sugar and unhealthy fat, there’s this. :)

And if you haven’t already, go check out the coconut oil giveaway ending on Thursday!

Chocolate Avocado Smoothie

Prep Time: 3 min
Cook Time: 0 min
Ready in: 3 min
Yield: 1 large smoothie

Ingredients

85 grams cold avocado flesh (~ ½ avocado)
2 tablespoons Dutch-process / dark cocoa powder
1 medium cold banana (mine was 120 grams without the peel)
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular yogurt - just leave out the milk or use less)
2 tablespoons milk

Directions

Blend everything together in a food processor (or a blender if you have a very good one - mine requires too much liquid for a thick smoothie like this) until it's very creamy. Add more milk until it's the desired thickness.
Serve immediately or keep covered in the refrigerator for up to one day.

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/04/chocolate-avocado-smoothie.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Asian Inspired Drumsticks

Erin — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Let’s be honest here. My interest in March Madness is solely in the food. I currently live in Germany and having a basketball viewing party just wouldn’t fly. I can imagine it now: “March Madness? Who is mad and why? Why have a party for this?” But that’s all right. I can make my party food and eat it myself! More for me.

It seems like most people like chicken wings, but those things have so little meat on them. They’re mostly just skin and bones, you know. Not only that, but you have to eat a dozen just to feel the slightest bit full. That’s where these wings come in! Also, it’s easy to rip off the skin. So if you have people like myself at your party who shudder at the thought of eating that part of the chicken, they can just take it off.

These leg and thigh pieces are meaty, and if you can find them, they’re usually pretty cheap. When I’m entertaining a large group of people, I certainly appreciate being able to save a dollar or two here and there. When I make them for a party, people generally manage to eat one, or perhaps two if they’ve starved themselves in anticipation of the yummy party food. Yeah, it happens. And if you can’t find this cut, normal drumsticks will do just fine!

Now I know people love Buffalo chicken, especially at game day parties, but I thought it’d be fun to change things up a little! So I went for something slightly Asian-inspired. There’s honey, soy sauce and ginger in these, but the flavors are subtle. If someone doesn’t like Asian food, I’m betting that they’d still love these.

When I’m hosting a party, I’m usually a frantic mess. I rely on dishes like this one to help reduce the insanity. You let the chicken sit in the marinade overnight, and then pop them in the oven shortly before your guests arrive. Baste once, and that’s it. I can easily fit 30 of these legs + thighs in a few pans in my oven at once, and that will keep a lot of people at bay for a while.

In the past, I’d make something like these spicy potato wedges thinking, “People LOVE wedges! Best idea ever.” Literally five minutes out of the oven, the wedges would all be gone, then I’d sulk because I didn’t get any. Definitely not a problem here!

As an added bonus, these are great even at room temperature. Some dishes just need to be hot, and luckily this is not one of them.

Asian Inspired Drumsticks

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 50 min
Ready in: 1:05 h
Yield: 9 servings

Ingredients

½ cup dark balsamic vinegar
⅔ cup honey
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
⅓ cup soy sauce (make sure to get a GF sauce, if needed)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger
¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
9 chicken legs + thighs or 16 drumsticks
up to 2 teaspoons cornstarch, if needed

Optional garnish:

1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

For the marinade, combine all the ingredients (balsamic vinegar through red pepper flakes) in a large enough bag to fit the chicken pieces. Place the chicken in the bag, being careful not to poke any holes in the bag. Seal the bag and let the chicken marinade in the refrigerator overnight.
Thirty minutes before baking, remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and line your largest baking tray with foil or a piece of parchment paper. Reserving the marinade, arrange the chicken, leaving a tiny bit of room between each piece to make sure you'll be able to baste them properly later on.
While the oven finishes preheating, prepare the glaze by boiling the marinade in a small pan or pot over medium heat until thickened. This should take 10 - 15 minutes. It if doesn't become thick enough for your liking, add ½ a teaspoon of cornstarch at a time, up to two teaspoons. Be careful not to add too much cornstarch as the glaze will thicken a little as it cools. Set the glaze aside until later.
Bake the chicken for 35 minutes (25 minutes for drumsticks) and then remove it from the oven. Spoon on or brush the marinade on the chicken and then return the chicken to the oven. Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until a nice, dark crust has formed and the internal temperature in the thickest part of the chicken piece has reached 165 degrees F.
Sprinkle the sesame seeds and parsley on the chicken just before serving.

Notes

This post is part of BlogHer's March Madness Game Day Eats editorial series, made possible by Kettle Brand Chips.

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/04/asian-inspired-drumsticks.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Gluten-Free Coconut Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars + Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Giveaway

Erin — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:47:00 +0000

Coconut oil has been my preferred fat of choice since I found out about its existence about a year ago. You guys have asked me before where to buy coconut oil, and being as I’ve never bought any in the US, I didn’t have an answer for you. But now I do!

The lovely people at Tropical Traditions sent me a quart of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil to review. Because I’ve never found unrefined coconut oil in Germany, I’ve just always used the refined kind and I was content with that. But you guys, this is really so much better. It does taste of coconut, unlike the refined kind, and is so much creamier.

I made the bars you see above with it and it was a dream! I can’t wait to try it out in some more recipes. I’m definitely going to order some to bring back with me after my visit in the US this summer!

You can win a quart of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil by using the Rafflecopter below! You have up until April 12 at 11:59pm to enter. :)

If you can’t wait to win the giveaway, you can buy it here. They have a buy one quart, get one free deal going on until April 7th and they often have other great offers.

Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now on to the recipe!

It’s another one of my healthier, no-bake, just-melt-a-bunch-of-stuff-together recipes. It worked out wonderfully! These are basically candy bars using healthier ingredients.

They also happen to be gluten-free.

You can leave out the peanut butter chips if you like and use peanuts instead. But that would be kind of boring. The peanut butter chips make these more peanut butter-y and that’s a good thing. You can taste the peanut butter in the bars, but I’d say the dominant flavors are chocolate and coconut.

You can also use more or less oats or coconut depending on what you want. You could also add in other healthy stuff like nuts or dried berries but I really don’t like *those* kind of add-ins so I kept it at peanut butter chips. :)

Gluten-Free Coconut Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

♥♥♥♥♥

Rated 4.0 by 1 reader

Prep Time: 3 min
Cook Time: 2 min
Ready in: 5 min
Yield: 24 bars

Ingredients

¼ cup (56 grams) coconut oil
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (234 grams) natural peanut butter
3 tablespoons (60 grams) honey
1 cup (180 grams) dark chocolate chips
1 cup (2.4dl) shredded or desiccated coconut
1¾ cups (164 grams) traditional or rolled oats (non-contaminated for gluten-free)
½ cup (1.2dl) peanut butter chips or peanuts

To sprinkle over the top:

3 tablespoons peanut butter chips
2+ tablespoons desiccated shredded coconut

Directions

Melt the coconut oil in a medium pan or pot over medium-low heat. Add in the peanut butter and honey and when thoroughly combined, add in the chocolate chips.
When melted, add in the coconut and oats. Let cool for 5 minutes and then stir in the peanut butter chips or peanuts.
Line an 8" x 8" pan with a piece of parchment paper or wax paper. Press the candy into the pan and top with the extra peanut butter chips and coconut, if desired.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The bars will stay good for several weeks.

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/04/gluten-free-coconut-peanut-butter-bars.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you.

Whole Wheat Espresso Chocolate Chip Scones

Erin — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:37:00 +0000

These scones are what I would call perfect. They’re not too muffin-like and not too dry, which is sometimes difficult to achieve with scones. And the espresso flavor is there without being too strong, but is still strong enough to cover up the taste of the whole wheat flour.

They also have this nice, crunchy crusty thing going on. I think I’ll definitely use this base in the future with other flavor combinations!

And that glaze?! Yeah. I never want a glazeless scone again. It would be like leaving out 70% of the fun!

For the recipe, click on over here: Espresso Chocolate Chip Scones!

Oh, and even if you’re not interested in my scones, go check out my friend Erin’s blog, Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts because it’s awesome and has lots of sweets and non-sweets alike! Back when she asked me to guest post for her, I didn’t even think about Easter so I thought these scones sounded just dandy. Well, they’re not very Easter-y and for that I apologize.

If you need something last minute for Easter, there’s always these super quick and easy eggs. And they taste just as good as the real thing! They use honey, natural peanut butter and coconut oil.

Healthier Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs

Or if you’re feeling a bit more ambitious and want to make a cake, this is one of my absolute favorites:

100% Whole Grain Carrot Cake

It’s pretty simple and not very fussy as you don’t have to ice the sides. That saves SO much time. And you can use the food processor to grate the carrots! That means hidden carrots. You all know I just couldn’t have visible carrots in my food.

I hope you all have a great Easter! :)

Peanut Butter Butterscotch Drops

Erin — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:08:00 +0000

I really had no idea what to call these so I went to Facebook and asked. I got loads of nice suggestions (thanks everyone!), but my favorite is a mishmash of the ideas: three ingredient little crunchy baskets of hope. Doesn’t that sound delightful? ;) It really sums it up. They consist of just three ingredients, they’re little, they’re crunchy, and the baskets of hope was just too amazing not to include.

This is the for sure the easiest recipe I’ve ever posted. You melt peanut butter and butterscotch chips and add cornflakes. That’s the whole recipe.

It’s true that these aren’t exactly, or really at all, healthy, but hey… I used natural peanut butter! That should count for something. And if you want, you could use whole grain cereal flakes. I found some from Kashi but I’ve never tried them myself.

If you don’t like the whole Easter egg cuteness thing, then just make them without. Then they’re just blobs of awesomeness but I’m sure you can cope. :)

You can make these with regular peanut butter if you like and keep them at room temperature. But with natural peanut butter, they need to be kept refrigerated. At room temperature, they got a little gooey and starting falling apart.

And as for how long they keep, I have to admit that I ate them all on the first day. I even told myself, “I’ll bring these to a friend instead of eating them all myself!” My mistake was not emailing this friend to tell her to expect some goodies. They just sat in the fridge, calling my name, and one after another, they all got eaten within a few hours. Luckily, I only made half the batch. If you have portion control issues, I’d suggest even only doing a fourth of the recipe.

After raspberry white chocolate, butterscotch is probably my favorite flavor. And I’ve never posted anything with butterscotch because it seems almost impossible to make anything even slightly healthy with butterscotch and still have it taste amazingly… butterscotch-y. What are your favorite recipes with butterscotch?

Peanut Butter Butterscotch Drops

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 0 min
Ready in: 5 min
Yield: 16 - 20 drops

Ingredients

½ cup (128 grams) natural peanut butter
4.5 ounces (~ ½ cup / 128 grams) butterscotch chips
3 cups (7dl) corn flakes
16- 20 Easter egg candies

Directions

Melt the peanut butter and butterscotch chips together in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Carefully stir in the corn flakes and stir until all the corn flakes are coated in the peanut butter butterscotch mixture.
Drop spoonfuls of the candy onto a Silpat or piece of parchment paper or wax paper. Let sit for about 15 - 20 minutes in the refrigerator and then gently press your Easter egg candy firmly into the center of each nest. I had one nest that fell apart so be careful!
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/03/peanut-butter-butterscotch-drops.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Grain-free Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Whipped Cream

Erin — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 22:24:00 +0000

I had some Swedish bread thingies to post today, but I’m sure we’re all in agreement that this blog needed a little sweetness. And Easter fun!

These are really coconut-y. That’s because they’re made mostly from desiccated coconut. You’d think that they’d be crumbly or somehow unpleasant, what with all the dried coconut, but the texture was great. It reminded me of my mother’s coconut bundt cake which is full of white flour, several cups of white sugar and Crisco. It’s a tasty cake but, yeah, perhaps a little unhealthy? ;)

These cupcakes aren’t fluffy at all, but dense. But as always, they’re dense in a nice way!

I’m not normally a fan of coconut but there was something about these that I couldn’t resist. And once they were out of the oven, I said, “I don’t want that whipped coconut whipped cream frosting! Ewww.” Typical me. But then it was awesome.

For the coconut frosting, you just take a can of coconut milk, let it sit overnight in the fridge, whip it and add a tiny bit of powdered sugar. It sounds unspectacular but it just works. It is kind of annoying that you have to let it sit overnight but at least it’s easy. :)

Something neat about these — they taste even better than whole grain versions. It’s true! It sounds crazy but when it’s made mostly of coconut and not grainy flour that tastes healthy, it kind of does make sense. Not only did Mr. T and friends not realize that these were healthy, but they had no idea that they were grain-free. But you know, they’re not very schooled on baking, so perhaps that doesn’t mean much.

As far as I know, we don’t have shredded coconut over here so I use desiccated to top them off. But if you have shredded, use shredded! I’m sure it’d look a lot better. My poor little birdies have sad little nests. But what’s annoying is that I have a bag of shredded coconut I brought with me from the US and I can’t find it. Only in situations like this does my disorganization bother me. I mean, how do you lose an entire bag of coconut? And I swear — it exists!

I do realize that this uses a ridiculously small amount of coconut flour, but you can’t leave it out or try to sub it with something else. It is expensive but I use mine quite often and have had my little container for about a year now. So really, it’s not that expensive when you consider how little you use at a time!

Grain-free Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Whipped Cream

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Ready in: 30 min
Yield: 8 cupcakes

Ingredients

Coconut Cupcakes:

1½ cups (120 grams) desiccated (not shredded!) coconut
45 grams (~about ½ cup but weigh it!) blanched almond flour
2 teaspoons (6 grams) coconut flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
⅓ cup (106 grams) honey
⅓ cup (80ml) canned, shaken coconut milk
3 tablespoons (42 grams) coconut oil, melted
1½ teaspoons coconut or vanilla extract

Coconut Whipped Cream:

1 13.5 ounce (400ml) can of coconut milk
1 - 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Garnish:

⅓ cup toasted coconut
Easter egg candies

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 8 muffin cups with liners.
In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients and set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together the wet ingredients (eggs through extract) and combine this with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined!
Fill the cupcake liners so that they're almost full and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, let the cupcakes cool for 2 minutes in the tins, and then turn the cupcakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely before cooling.
For the coconut whipped cream, put a can of coconut milk in the refrigerator, being careful not to shake it. Let it sit overnight. Take the can out of the refrigerator and pour the liquid (it should be watery) into another container to use later (perhaps in a smoothie!).
Place the remaining thick cream in a medium bowl and whip with a hand mixer until it's the consistency of regular whipped cream. Add powdered sugar to your liking, starting off with a tablespoon.
Spread on the cupcakes and add toasted coconut (I just toasted it about 5 minutes after I took out the cupcakes). Add the Easter candies right before serving.

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/03/grain-free-coconut-cupcakes-with-coconut-whipped-cream.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Gluten-free Swedish Meatballs

Erin — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:48:00 +0000

I was in Sweden for a long weekend and I returned last night. I love everything about that place, but most of all – the people and the culture. I have an extremely soft spot in my heart for Sweden and Swedes and if I could live anywhere I wanted, I’d live in a small Swedish village in a cute red house overlooking a lake. But alas – there are high taxes to pay, jobs to be had, etc. But I have hope for the future. :)

I love Sweden so much that I chose to be an exchange student there in both high school and college. The first time, I was 16 and lived with a crazy family who happened to be vegetarian. It wasn’t a happy situation food-wise. When I knew they’d be gone, I’d go and buy a bag of frozen meatballs, prepare them really quickly and run away to my room and just devour them. It was great fun.

Then the second time I was in Sweden (which is where I met Mr. T, by the way) I decided I didn’t like Swedish meatballs and didn’t eat any of them. I’m weird like that. At least with food. Only recently was my passion for Swedish meatballs reignited and luckily, I no longer have to hide my meat eating.

These are super easy to make and relatively quick, too. Just mix everything together, bake the meatballs in the oven, and then pan fry a little so that they’re nice and crunchy. If you want, you can just bake them, but they won’t have that crust which I think is totally necessary for Swedish meatballs. Or you can just fry them in the pan without baking them first, but this will take a long time and you’ll need to stand over the meatballs to turn them every so often. The meatballs are spiced with both allspice and nutmeg so that they actually taste like something, which is something I’ve missed in other recipes.

This recipe was born out of a need to get rid of some ricotta. And it worked! The ricotta took the place of breadcrumbs and they unintentionally became gluten-free.

Another bonus with these meatballs – they’re not made from horsemeat! Yeah! :D

I know that Swedish meatball recipes usually have gravy recipes included, but I have never seen sauce served with meatballs in Sweden. It could just be who I’m hanging around with or have lived with, but I’ve always been served meatballs alongside mashed potatoes or buttered macaroni. And not only that, but I don’t like sauce and therefore can’t judge what’s good. ;) So here you are – just the meatballs!

Gluten-free Swedish Meatballs

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Ready in: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

½ cup (1.2dl) onion, minced
1 egg, room temperature
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound (455 grams) ground pork and beef mix (mine was about 60% pork and 40% beef)
⅔ cup (160 grams) Ricotta
1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Get out a 9" x 13" baking dish or another pan large enough for the meatballs.
In a large bowl, mix together the first seven ingredients (onion through Worcestershire sauce). Then add in the meat and mix together, just until combined. Add in the Ricotta. You can add more or less if you like.
Form into tablespoon sized balls, place in the baking dish, and bake for 10 minutes.
The last two minutes of baking, melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Then fry the meatballs in the butter until nicely browned, about 5 - 10 minutes, and serve.

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/03/gluten-free-swedish-meatballs.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Whole Grain Baked Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts

Erin — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 19:44:00 +0000

So after the drab brown bread, I’m back with something more exciting: doughnuts! And they’re full of cinnamon and sugar. The perfect way to start the morning, am I right?

You know how I make everything 100% whole grain? Well this time I went with 66.6%. It’s good enough, right? ;) They’re still healthier. After all, the doughnuts have Greek yogurt and we know all that this instantly transforms anything into health food.

They’re super quick and easy to make as there’s no yeast, no rising time and no kneading. I love my fried doughnuts but they can be quite the pain to make and then two days later, you’re 4 pounds heavier. But with these, you only have six!

Oh, and you guys, I’m headed to Stockholm tomorrow for a long weekend! I’m going to visit an old friend of mine whom I met the first time I was an exchange student in Sweden. Yup. I was an exchange student in Sweden twice. I kind of love it there. But I’ll share more about that when I come back. And when I return, I’ll have some Swedish recipes to post.

For the recipe, head on over to Good Life Eats: Whole Wheat Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts

100% Whole Grain Brown Soda Bread

Erin — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:51:00 +0000

I’m pretty sure that this will be the most boring recipe I’ll ever post here. It’s not gooey, not sweet, and it’s not the least bit pretty. But I was torn – do I want to post something dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day or something that’s actually Irish? Being as I’m all Irish, on both sides, I decided to represent. ;)

I’ve been to Ireland twice. The first trip was with my family and we drove around the countryside and visited our distant cousins on their farm. They fed us with about eight different potato dishes, and this was after we had called them to tell them that we weren’t hungry and had just eaten. Not only do Irish people (in general) appear to love their potatoes, but they’re so incredibly friendly.

Yes. Irish people are awesome. And my second trip to Ireland was with Mr. Texanerin and our pictures from this trip were horrible so I won’t post any. Instead, I bring you lambs!

Photo by Tim Pokorny

If you rent a car and drive aimlessly around the Irish countryside, you are sure to come across some sheep action.

It’s almost spring so I thought I’d get us in the mood with some cute little lambs. I hope you don’t mind. I mean, it’s the perfect excuse for me to post cute animal pictures.

Photo by the sea the sea

So. This bread. I think it’s an acquired taste. I quite enjoyed it but I don’t think it’s something I’d want every day. If you don’t like whole wheat bread and molasses, don’t make this. But if you do enjoy a good loaf of hearty and healthy bread, then here you go!

There’s no yeast involved and no rising time, so this is a great last minute bread to go alongside your (lambless!) stew.

Be careful not to overbake this! It’ll be crumbly if you do so. It had a nice, soft texture and is better on the day of baking (but isn’t all bread?)

There’s something very important that you have to do which I didn’t do very well. You see in that first picture how there’s an X in the bread? You absolutely must do this in order to allow the fairies to escape. It’s true! I forgot my X up until I heard something which sounded like screaming, about 30 seconds into baking, and immediately removed the loaf from the oven to cut the X. No more screams were to be heard. ;)

I didn’t come up with this fairy theory, okay? I just followed it.

When I look at pictures of Irish soda bread online, it appears that the loaves are usually thicker. If you want it thicker, just don’t flatten out the dough so thin (mine was about 1 1/4″) and adjust the baking time.

I had an Irish colleague over recently and she introduced me to Kerrygold. It was my first time trying it and it’s SO good! So I recommend using Kerrygold in this recipe. You could also use coconut oil if you prefer.

Photo by Su-May

Now be like these good little lambs and go run off to the kitchen to make some bread.

100% Whole Grain Brown Soda Bread

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 18 min
Ready in: 28 min
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

3¼ cups (400 grams) whole wheat flour
½ cup (45 grams) rolled or traditional oats
¼ cup (.6dl) oat bran or more oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
2 tablespoons (44 grams) molasses
1½ cups (355ml) buttermilk
⅓ cup (76 grams) melted butter

To top the loaf:

1 tablespoon (14 grams) butter
2 tablespoons oat bran or oats

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and butter a 9" cast iron skillet or a 9" cake pan that has 2" sides.
Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour through baking soda) and set this bowl aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients (egg through ⅓ cup melted butter). Add this to the dry mixture and stir. It will be sticky but you don't need to add more flour and you don't not need to knead the dough.
Scoop the dough into the prepared skillet or pan. I formed mine in a circle so that it was about 1¼" thick. You can make it thinner or thicker, depending on your preference. Just remember to adjust the baking time.
Brush the top with the tablespoon of melted butter and using a bread knife, cut an X, about ¾" deep, into the loaf. Sprinkle the two tablespoons of oat bran or oats over the loaf.
Bake for 18 - 23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then remove the bread and let it cool on a cooling rack until ready to serve. Best when served warm!

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/03/100-whole-grain-brown-soda-bread.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com