Healthy Pizza Crust

I love the recipe I've been using for pizza crust, but I've been looking for a recipe that uses soaked flour to ensure better absorption of the nutrients. I was so excited to find this recipe on Passionate Homemaking (a fabulous blog!) This recipe is yummy and easy, too! I absolutely LOVE the fact that it makes four batches of dough and I rely on those frozen balls of dough whenever I need a dinner in a hurry. Making my own dough also makes pizza one of the cheapest meals for us! I also use the dough to make Garlic-cheese breadsticks and Cinnamon-Syrup Breadsticks

Homemade Pizza Crust

2 Tbls Yeast
3 1/2 cups water 110F, divided
3 Tablespoons acid medium, for soaking (whey, kefir, yogurt, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar)
1 tsp honey
¼ cup honey
1 Tbls salt
8-10 cups whole wheat flour (or combination with kamut flour)

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Soaking Step (optional, if you want to skip soaking, proceed with the instructions below the line)

To receive the full nutrients and break down the phytates, try soaking the whole wheat flour in advance, otherwise, skip this step.

Combine 10 cups of flour, 3 cups of water requested in the recipe, substituting some of the water with about 3 Tablespoons of whey, kefir, yogurt, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice (no need to be exact), and 1/4 cup honey. Allow to soak for 12-24 hours. After soaking, activate the yeast in a small container with the remaining 1/2 cup of warm water and 1 tsp of honey. Allow to foam up for about 5 minutes. Add the proofed yeast mixture to the soaked flour, along with the salt. Knead for 5-10 minutes. If recipe is still sticky, add a little more flour as needed until it is able to be kneaded. Continue with recipe below.

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Preheat over to 500 degrees (if you are baking right away). Combine yeast, 2 cups of warm water, and a teaspoon of sugar or honey in a bowl, cover and let sit for 7-10 minutes. Add water, honey, and salt. Mix thoroughly. After dissolved, add flour bit by bit, beating thoroughly. After all flour is beated in; knead 5-10 minutes. Let rise for thicker pizza dough. Divide into four sections for four crusts. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

This works wonderful with all whole wheat flour (hard white or red wheat) or with a combination with kamut flour (provides a lighter texture). Whole wheat pastry flour makes it very crumbly. Great easy recipe and tastes fabulous!

Here are some topping recommendations (these are my hubby’s favorites!): Pepperoni, cheese, Italian sausage, green peppers, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese

Enjoy!

For the Freezer

Mix dough completely as instructed and then divide into 4 portions. Freeze the dough in individual Ziploc bags. You do not have to pre-bake the dough – simply put the dough immediately into the freezer. When you are ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator for several hours, bring to a room temperature and then roll out and assemble as desired.

Healthy Breakfast Cookies

We made these cookies because Karis had been reading a book about making cookies and kept asking to make cookies. I don't make cookies often because my self control is seriously lacking in the cookie area and my toddler's is even worse :) Whenever we make a snack, she wants it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So I decided to search for a healthy cookie that I wouldn't mind her eating all the time to avoid the battle. I found this recipe at THIS blog. These are completely healthy, but definitely not as sweet as you would expect a cookie to be. My husband wasn't a huge fan, but they worked for Karis and I. And yes, she has been asking for them all day long!

I was out of milk, so I used a combination of yogurt and coconut milk instead. And I used coconut oil instead of butter. So the recipe is pretty flexible :)

Ingredients:
2 cups cracked oat groats (rolled oats work also)
1.5 cups freshly ground flour
1 cup butter
3/4 cup buttermilk/milk
3/4 cup honey

Directions: Melt the butter and honey, cool off some and then add the buttermilk, oats and flour. Cover and let sit for 12-24 hours. 24 hours being best, esp for the oats.

Add:
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
2 tsps cinnamon
1/2 tsp b soda
2 tsps vanilla
1/3 cup chocolate chips*

Mix well. Bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes.

This post is part of KK SUYL Breakfast Recipes!

Completely Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

Mmmmm.... I love pumpkin muffins! But since I'm trying to feed my family more nutritious food, my favorite recipe had to go (too much white flour and sugar!) Luckily, Kimi at Nourishing Gourmet blog (I get sooo many healthy recipes from her blog!) posted this fabulous recipe. I made them yesterday and everyone loved them! They are yummy both with or without the struesel topping. She uses natural sweeteners and the grain is soaked, so I can eat as many as I want :) She uses pastry flour, which would be great, but I didn't have any and my kamut worked just fine! I also just used yogurt instead of the coconut milk tonic.

Spiced Pumpkin (or Squash) Muffins with a Streusel Topping -Makes 12

This recipe is soaked for better nutrition, read about it here and here. But it would be possible to skip that step. I have also included dairy options for those who prefer dairy, otherwise this recipe is dairy free.

1 3/4 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup of coconut milk tonic (for baked goods, I use the one just mixed with water)
2 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar (or, use 1/2 cup of buttermilk, thinned yogurt, or kefir, in place of the vinegar and coconut milk tonic)
1/3 cup of coconut oil or melted butter
1/3 cup of honey or maple syrup

1 egg
3/4 cup of pumpkin puree or roasted squash
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Streusel Topping
3 tablespoons of arrowroot powder, white flour, or sprouted flour
3 tablespoons of maple sugar, rapadura, or sucanat
3 tablespoons of cold coconut oil
n1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of salt
1/3 cup of chopped walnuts

1-The night before, in a saucepan, gently melt the coconut oil and the honey together until liquid.

2-In a large bowl, combine the flour, coconut milk, vinegar, and the honey/coconut oil in a bowl, stirring just until combined. Cover and leave out overnight.

3-12-24 hours later, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease with coconut oil 12 muffin tins.

4-In a small bowl combine the streusel ingredients, except for the chopped nuts, and cut in the coconut oil with a fork, until there are no big pieces left. Then stir in the chopped nuts.

5- In a small bowl combine the egg and pumpkin, and add it, with the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. If your house is cold, the coconut oil will have hardened, making the dough a bit stiff, but it will loosen up as you gently fold in the rest of the ingredients.

6-Using a spoon, or an ice cream scoop, evenly distribute the batter between the 12 tins. They should be about 2/3’s full. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of the streusel mixture over the top of each (you will have a bit extra leftover).

7-Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the middle. Let rest for ten minutes in tins, then remove from the pans (gentle! they are fragile when hot) and let cool on cooling racks.

Enjoy!

Falafel and Tahini sauce

This is the only vegetarian dish my husband approves of! He and my toddler both liked these fried, crunchy bites. Only make the tahini sauce if you know you like tahini, because the yogurt is equally good. I got this recipe from the healthiest cookbook ever, Nourishing Traditions.

Note: If you want more nutritional value, use dried chick peas and soak them as instructed. But if you are in a hurry, the canned ones work just fine :)

Falafel Ingredients:
2 cups dried chickpeas or 2 16oz cans
filtered water and 4 tbsp whey or lemon juice (if doing the healthy soaking step)
4 cups parsley leaves, loosely packed
4 medium onions, coarsely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 t cumin
1 t coriander
1 t pepper
1 t sea salt
1 t cayenne pepper
1 t baking powder
about 1 c EVOO or lard or palm oil or coconut oil

If soaking the beans: Bring a pot of water to boil and pour over chickpeas. Stir in 2 T whey and leave in warm place for 12 hours. Pour off excess water and add 2 T whey again. Leave for another 12 hours.

Directions: Place 1 c parsley in food processor and pulse until chopped. Add 1/4 chickpeas, 1 onion, 1 garlic, and 1/4 of the spice mixture. Pulse until it is a coarse paste. Repeat 3 more times and add the batches together. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Form into patties and saute in oil. Serve with plain yogurt or home-made tahini sauce.

Tahini sauce:
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions: process in the food processor until the consitency of heavy cream.

Coconut Flour Pancakes

Coconut flour is incredibly good for you and gluten free. It has a high fiber and protein content and is naturally sweet so it doesn't require as much added sweetener. It also doesn't need to be soaked like grains, so its easy to cook with. I've been wanting to try it out and thought this great pancake recipe from Cheeseslave (an awesome blog for healthy recipes!) would be a great place to start. I love the fact that it contains lots of eggs because I'm always trying to get my family to eat more of that nutrient dense food. Coconut flour is pretty expensive but dense, so a little goes a long way -- you'll notice that this recipe only requires 3 Tbs of the flour. So I have plenty left for other recipes that I want to try out! We really liked the flavor of these pancakes, although the texture/consistency is a little different from normal flour pancakes.

Ingredients:

3 eggs (preferably pastured)
3 tablespoons butter (preferably butter from grass-fed cows; I use Kerrygold butter) or coconut oil, melted (plus extra butter or coconut oil for cooking the pancakes)
3 tablespoons coconut milk or whole milk (preferably raw, from grass-fed cows)
1 1/2 teaspoons rapadura ( I think you could also use raw honey or maple syrup)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons coconut flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (Bob’s Red Mill)

Instructions:

1. Using a wire whisk, mix together eggs, melted butter, milk, rapadura, and sea salt.

2. Continuing to whisk, add the baking powder and coconut flour until thoroughly mixed.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter (or coconut oil) in a skillet on a medium flame.

4. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of batter onto skillet making pancakes about 3-4 inches in diameter.

5. Serve with lots of butter and real maple syrup.

Home-made "Lara Bars"

Mark really needs filling snacks he can eat on the run at work. So I was excited to see these healthy bars on one of my favorite blogs. She gives 2 great varieties. My family loves them! And I didn't measure anything (I hardly ever do - it just makes too many dishes :) So I threw in a bunch of dates, almond butter, coconut oil, shredded unsweetened coconut, home-made granola, and yes, even a few organic chocolate chips :) YUMMY! I thought they were good enough without any sweetener. And they really do give me a boost when I need it. I call them my Power Balls because I actually shaped them into balls and froze them so I could grab one whenever I needed it. I eat them straight from the freezer! (I think they are actually better frozen because the coconut oil melts and gets greasy if I leave them at room temperature too long.) Oh, and the best part? My husband loves them as well! He takes them with him for some extra energy when he plays tennis. Here are the original recipes:

Better than Lara Bars

10-12 pitted dates
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (more may be necessary)
handful of raisins
1 cup of shredded coconut (plus more for coating)
1 TBS Raw Honey (or other liquid sweetener)]
Liquid Stevia to taste
handful of chopped crispy nuts (macadamia nuts or almonds are great)
1/3 cup of coconut oil or butter

1) Place dates into food processor and process until you have a paste.

2) Add raisins, peanut butter, honey, and coconut and process until mixture forms a big mass.

3) Add your coconut oil now, as well as the protein powder, if using. Mixture may seem a bit "wet" from the coconut oil. This is okay,but if it seems too runny, add more shredded coconut. Taste for sweetness, and add a few drops of stevia (or more honey) to acheive desired sweetness.

4) At this point, add the chopped nuts.

5) Form pastey mass into balls or bars and roll in shredded coconut (or rapadura or cocoa).

6) Place bars on parchment-lined baking sheet and chill in freezer for about 10 minutes.

Notes: This is a pretty forgiving and versatile recipe. Try subbing raisins for any dried fruit (apricots or cherries would be great!) The coconut oil is not absolutely essential to the texture, either. You can get by without it, but it adds some good nutritional properties! You also don't need nuts, the peanut butter is enough!

These are amazing! They are full of healthy fats, complex carbs, and protein! Enjoy for breakfast on the run or for dessert with a glass of milk!
http://oreganicthrifty.blogspot.com/2008/07/better-than-lara-bars.html


Cinnabun Lara Bars!
crispy nuts (I use almonds)
raisins (any dried fruit will do)
cinnamon
coconut oil
coconut
salt


Process:

1) Place about 2 cups of crispy almonds into the food processor. Add 1.5 - 2 cups of raisins and process until you have a paste. It should be sticky.

2) Add about 2 TBS (or more) of coconut oil and process until smooth.

3) Add salt (to taste) and about 2 tsp of cinnamon (add more if you need to). Ginger and cloves add a nice flavor too.

4) Add about 1-1.5 cups of shredded coconut until you have more of a thick, dry paste. You are looking for a rounded, "doughnut-shape" in your food processor.

5) Remove dough, press into parchment-lined jelly roll pan. Place in freezer for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!!!
http://oreganicthrifty.blogspot.com/2008/11/cinnabun-lara-bars.html

Healthy Chocolate Breakfast Cake

Did someone say "chocolate for breakfast?" Count me in! I was excited to find this on one of my favorite blogs. Its not tooo chocolatety or sweet, but perfect for fixing that chocolate craving first thing in the morning :) My toddler loves muffins and they freeze well, so thats what I made. The recipe doesn't make too much, so I'm going to double the recipe from now on and freeze a bunch for a quick breakfast.

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 - 1 cup natural sweetener
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil (or combination of both), in its solid state
1-2 Tbsp cocoa powder (as desired, we use 2 Tbsp)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
dash of cloves
1/2 cup nuts, if desired
1 cup cultured buttermilk, kefir, whey, yogurt (or your preferred acid medium for soaking)

SOAKING STEP: In a large bowl, combine flour and acid medium (buttermilk, kefir, whey or yogurt, as desired). Cover and allow to soak for 12-24 hours.

After soaking, combine remaining ingredients. Pour into a greased 8 x 8 pan and cover with chopped nuts, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

If you want to skip out on the soaking, follow these directions:

In a large bowl, combine the flour and sugar; cut in the butter/coconut oil until crumbly. Add cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, salt and cloves; mix well. Make a well in the center; pour in the buttermilk and stir until moistened. Transfer to a greased 8 x8 baking pan and sprinkle with nuts. Bake as instructed above.

Recipe found at: http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2009/03/chocolate-coffee-cake.html

This post is part of KK's SUYL breakfasts!

Peanut Butter Squash Brownies

1 egg
1 cup peanut butter or sunbutter, smooth or chunky
½ cup honey
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup frozen butternut or winter squash puree, thawed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 square pan and set aside. In a bowl, beat the egg with a whisk and then add the peanut butter and honey. Beat until smooth. Add the baking soda and squash and whisk until mixed. Pour into pan and bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

You can increase the sweetener if your family hasn’t weaned down on their sugar intake yet.

If you’d rather make your own puree instead of buying the boxed puree, cut a butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place cut-side down in a greased roasting pan or 9x13 and pour in a little water. Bake at 350 degrees until tender. Cool, cut off skin and puree in a food processor.

http://www.tfrecipes.com/forum/showthread.php?p=524

(Mostly) Healthy Chocolate Candy!

I was super excited to find this easy, yummy, and even (mostly) healthy candy recipe from Kelly ! I tried it several different ways, so please read the notes at the bottom for add-ins and tips :) And it definitely melts in your hand, so keep them stored in the freezer til you are ready to eat them :) I call them "mostly" healthy because they do have maple syrup in them, (so you don't want to eat them in excess) but at least it contains all natural ingredients instead of refined sugar or HFCS!

• 1/2 c. coconut oil
• 1/2 c. real maple syrup (use less to make them healthier, but they tasted too dark for me without more maple syrup!)
• 1/2 c. organic cocoa powder
• 1 t. organic vanilla
• 1/2 t. sea salt

Melt together gently in a saucepan over low-ish heat until it’s all mixed together. I kept it super easy and instead of using molds or ice cube trays, I just put some parchment paper on a couple cookie sheets and dropped quarter-sized candies onto that. (Makes about 7 dozen.) Freeze for a little while to cool them down. Freeze leftovers (if there are any:) for a quick, yummy treat.

*We made some with sunflower butter (Karis is allergic to P.B.) instead of cocoa powder and my family actually preferred those! But the best mix was 1/4 cup sunflower butter and 1/4 cup cocoa powder. We tried out all kinds of different add-ins like coconut, raisins, and slivered almonds! They were all yummy, especially the combination of all three!

*I also tried out 3 different ways of freezing them: dollops on wax paper, mini-muffin tins, and filling up a wax-paper-lined cookie sheet completely with the melted candy and breaking it into "candy bark" after freezing. The last method was the easiest because the melted form is pretty runny til frozen.

Healthy Breakfast "cake"

I'm always looking for a healthy breakfast for my family, and we really like this one. We love muffins, so I make these and freeze them for a quick breakfast. It can be a little crumbly, but I usually douse it with coconut oil or serve it with milk like a warm cereal for Karis and its so yummy! I most recently made it with chopped dates and we all really liked it. I often make these into muffins and freeze them for a quick breakfast :)

1 cup butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups whole rolled oats
¾ cup honey
2 eggs
1 t. sea salt
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla
1 cup raisins, chocolate chips or other dried fruit

Stir together butter, buttermilk, flour and oats in a glass bowl. Cover with a cloth and allow the grains to soak on your counter overnight or for at least 8 hours.

Stir in honey, eggs, salt, baking soda and vanilla. Fold in raisins, chocolate chips or dried fruit. Pour into a buttered 9×9 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/blog/mom-is-great-she-gives-us-breakfast-cake

Healthy Hint: Soaking Nuts

Nuts are one of the healthiest snacks available. My family loves them; even my toddler will beg for almonds :) But the truth is, for them to be completely healthy, you need to soak and dehydrate them. Why? Well, THIS link explains it better than I ever could! And the best part is, they taste so much better as well. Before I started soaking my almonds for us, my husband tried some at a friend's house and came home begging me to do it! After reading about the benefits, I decided to go ahead and try it and now we never eat nuts that aren't soaked and dehydrated. They just taste so much better! And its really easy, too.

This is how I do my almonds and for directions on other nuts, please check out THIS link.

Almonds

4 cups almonds, preferably skinless- SF notes “Skinless almonds will still sprout, indicating that the process of removing their skins has not destroyed the enzymes….[they] are easier to digest and more satisfactory in many recipes. However, you may also use almonds with the skins on. “
1 tablespoon sea salt
filtered water

Soaking time: At least 7 hours, or overnight
Dehydrating Time:12 -24 hours, until completely dry and crisp

* You can also use almond slivers

Healthy graham crackers

I got this recipe from my friend Hollie's blog. These are now one of my favorite snacks when I just feel like munching on something a little sweet :) I actually soaked my flour in a little buttermilk and water overnight to make it healthier, so I had to cook it longer, but they still turned out yummy!

Graham Crackers

Preheat oven to 375

Ingredients:
• 1/2 stick softened butter
• 1/3 cup 100% pure maple syrup
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon (preference)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 Tbsp cream


1.Blend the first two ingredients (for a while)

2. Add the other ingredients, but just moisten (do not overbeat)

3. Press down into 13 x 9 pan and an 8 x8 pan if you want thinner crackers. If you want the crackers to be thicker, use just the 13 x 9 or one slightly bigger.

4. Cut before baking and prick each cracker.

5. Bake for 10 minutes (Next time I'll bake longer to make them crispier.)

Easy, healthy chocolate ice cream

I'm taking a break from cow's milk because I think it might be bothering my baby's tummy. So I was excited to find this super healthy and rich chocolate ice cream recipe. The canned coconut milk can be found in the Asian section of just about any grocery store (I got mine at Walmart). Just make sure you don't get the "Light" or "low fat" kind. That coconut cream is super healthy for ya! I didn't have agave syrup, so I just used about 3/4 cup of maple syrup, but I'm sure honey would work well, too. I also don't have an ice cream maker, so I just froze it in a container. It was more of an icy dessert than creamy because I did that, but it was still yummy and satisfied my ice cream craving. You just have to take it out of the freezer ahead of time so its not too hard. I'm probably going to add in some peanut butter next time :)

Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream

3 cups of unsweetened coconut milk (about two cans)
2/3 cup of cocoa powder
6 tablespoons agave syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk cocoa powder in a small amount of coconut milk, until smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until well combined. Or dump all ingredients together and blend with a stick blender. Make according to your machines instructions.

Found at: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/05/chocolate-coconut-milk-ice-cream-2.html

Beth's Sweet Potato Dollars

These are a yummy, healthy, and easy way to make sweet potatoes that everyone will love!
Ingredients:
Sweet potatoes
3 Tbs. melted butter
3 Tbs. olive oil
pinch of sea salt
1 Tbs maple syrup

Directions: Peel sweet potatoes; slice into 1/4 inch dollars. Mix butter, olive oil, sea salt, and maple syrup together. Brush pan with mixture. Put dollars on pan; brush dollars with mixture. Bake at 350 for close to an hour

This post is a part of Kelly's SUYL side dishes!

Coconut Granola

I LOVE granola, but the stuff at the store really isn't good for you at all. (Click HERE and HERE to read why) So I was excited to find this recipe in THIS book. We eat this healthy granola often as cereal or with yogurt. It is also good plain as a snack, especially with carob chips :)

Ingredients:

8 cups rolled oats

1 tsp. sea salt

½ cup melted butter

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ cup melted coconut oil

1 cup freeze dried fine-cut coconut

1 ½ cups whole yogurt

2 cups chopped soaked and dehydrated nuts

2 cups water

1 cup raisins

½ cup raw honey (I’ve used 1 cup maple syrup with success as well)

Directions: Mix oats, butter, coconut oil, yogurt, and water together in a large bowl. Pat down, cover with a plate, and leave on the counter for 1-2 days (depending on your climate). Preheat oven to 200degrees. Place honey, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl and set in a small pot of simmering water until honey warms and becomes thin. Mix honey with oat mixture. Place on 2 parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake for several hours, until completely dry and crisp. Mix with coconut, chopped nuts, and raisins. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Serve with whole raw milk or cream diluted with a little water.

This recipe is part of KK's SUYL Breakfasts!

Healthy blender waffles/pancakes

These are similar to the blender pancake recipe I shared earlier, but make much better waffles :) Plus, I liked that she gave so many grain options so I can use whatever is on hand.


Amount: 2 (2 1/2-3 waffles) or 4 (4-5 waffles) or 20-24 pancakes

1. Place in blender; blend at highest speed for 3 minutes.
(3/4) 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups butter,milk, or kefir (or non-dairy alternative)
(1) 2 Tbls olive oil
(1/2) 1 tsp vanilla extract
(2/3) 1 1/2 cups brown rice or uncooked rolled oats (or other grain variations, see below) 2/3 cup grain = 1 cup flour or 1 1/2 cups grain =2 cups flour

The batter should always swirl about a vortex in the blender. If it doesn’t, slowly add more liquid until the hole reappears. This is the secret to light and tender waffles. Batter for pancakes may be thicker, but keep batter relatively thin and keep it churning.

2. Cover blender; let stand at room temperature overnight or 12-24 hours.

3. Pre-heat waffle iron at highest temperature, or griddle on medium high.

4. Just before baking, add and reblend on highest speed for 1 minute:
1 egg, optional additional liquid (if batter needs thinning for vortex or churning)

5. Blend in thoroughly, but briefly (assisted with rubber spatula, if needed):
(1) 2 tsp baking powder
(1/4) 1/2 tsp. baking soda
(1/2) 1 tsp salt, to taste

6. Pour batter onto hot waffle iron, sprayed with olive oil. Bake about 3 1/2 to 4 minutes in waffle iron until crispy.

GRAIN VARIATIONS
brown rice or millet - equal parts of each grain
kamut, spelt, wheat - kamut is a favorite! Combining with kamut and oats is our favorite!
buckwheat - reduce to 1 cup (4 servings). It expands.
barley -hulled, not pearled. Reduce to 1 cup (for 4 servings). It expands
Quinoa - Thoroughly rinse quinoa in strainer the night before 1-2 minutes; let stand in bowl of water overnight; drain and rinse about 1 more minute. This removes bitter flavor. Batter will be very thin. Fill waffle iron almost completely to the edges.
Oats - uncooked rolled oats or oat groats
I use oats in combination with other grains. I use 1/2 cup (in recipe for 4) oats, and 1 cup kamut, or half and half in serving 2.
Other additions - throw in some flax seeds!
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2007/12/tuesday-recipes-wafflespancakes.html

Yummy, healthy home-made cereal

After reading several books and articles about how processed cereal really isn't good for you at all, (click HERE and HERE for an example) I've tried to cook other things for my family for breakfast. Giving up cereal has been really hard for me, because I absolutely love it. I would eat it for several meals a day in college just because it was so yummy and quick :) So I was super excited to find a very healthy recipe for home-made cereal that my toddler, hubby, and I all enjoy! Its from THIS book. Its very crunchy and I prefer to let it sit in the milk for a couple of minutes before eating it. I also love eating it with raisins and bananas :)

Ingredients:
6 cups freshly ground whole wheat or spelt flour
3 cups whole milk, preferably unpasteurized
1 cup water
1/4 cup whey, buttermilk, yogurt, or keifer
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup melted coconut oil or butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pure organic maple syrup

Directions:
I a large bowl, mix flour with milk, water, and whey, cover and leave at room temp. overnight. In the morning add the remaining ingredients and more water, if needed, to make a pourable batter. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare two 9x13 baking pans with coconut oil and pour half the batter into each. Bake for 35-45 min, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and lower temp. to 200. Allow cereal to cool and then crumble up onto baking sheets. Bake until completely dry and hard, about an hour (I found that it took several hours to get as crunchy as I wanted it :) To get a uniform size, process briefly in batches in a food processor. Store in airtight containers at room temp.

Sweet potato Pancakes (without flour)

My sweet toddler is going through another picky eating phase. Normally, mashed sweet potatoes are among her favorite foods, but this week she would have none of it! So I tied this and she loved them!

Ingredients:
mashed sweet potatoes
an egg
Butter or coconut oil

Directions: Melt butter or coconut oil in frying pan. Add egg to mashed sweet potatoes, stir, and drop by spoonfuls in frying pan. Fry just like a pancake :) They are kinda mushy in the middle, but she loved them anyways. You can serve with some organic maple syrup, but my toddler ate them fine without it :)

Using soaked grain in normal recipes....

...it just doesn't seem to work well. Any recipe that calls for soaked grain turns out beautifully, but any normal recipe turns out the wrong consistency. Generally, its too dense. But using soaked flour is so much better for ya! I've been pretty bummed that I can't make my favorite breads and cakes and cookies the healthy way, so I was really excited to find this tutorial on Nourishing Gourmet on how to sprout grain and then dehydrate it so it can be ground up and used in all my favorite recipes. Plus, it seems pretty easy. Just thought I'd share :)

Healthy Blender Pancakes

My friend Beth gave me this recipe for easy pancakes in the morning and Mark, Karis, and I all love them. They are especially great for people who want to use healthy grain but don't have a grain mill, because you soak the whole grains overnight and then a handy blender does all the work :) My toddler eats these for breakfast with some butter and organic maple syrup, and we also use leftovers for little cheese or almond butter sandwiches!

Ingredients:
1 cup grain (I'd recommend kamut, spelt, prairie gold, or even better, a combo of those :)
1 cup warm water
2 Tbs. whey, lemon juice, or vinegar
1/2 cup buttermilk or fresh cream or milk
1 egg
2 Tbs. oil
1 Tbs. honey
pinch of salt (sea salt is best)
1 Tbs.baking powder

The night before you are going to make them, put 1 c. grain in a bowl with 1 c. warm water and a little bit of whey, lemon juice or vinegar. I use whey that I make from our kefir. Put is somewhere warm overnight. The next morning, pour that into the blender with either 1/2 c. buttermilk or cream or even milk. Bblend on high for three minutes. Then add 1 egg, 2 T oil, 1 T honey and a pinch of salt. Blend for another minute. Then add 1 T baking powder and pulse the blender 3 times.