Almond Apple Breakfast Cake

Hello friends, I have something very delicious to share with you... 

You know that saying, “if you cant stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”… well I was about to with this one. The heat almost got the best of me in my apartment that unfortunately lacks an air-conditioner. Ninety degree weather certainly does not set the mood for baking, but I was inspired so, I hoped and prayed for a delicious end product that would make the sweat and tears all worth it. And it was! 

Here’s what I got - a slightly savory, bread-like, breakfast cake that could easily be turned into a dessert cake with a simple scoop of ice cream. This recipe is superb since it is made with nutritious ingredients like almond meal and oats. I love it because if you choose to indulge in a slice for both breakfast and dessert you can be rest assured you’re starting and ending the day, the healthy way! Hip hip hooray!

Here’s how you do it… 

Ingredients:

2 cups almond meal 

3 eggs

1 cup rolled oats

3 large apples, peeled

1/2 cup milk 

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons cinnamon 

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons apple butter

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Wash, peel, and slice apples (very thinly).
3. Combine almond meal, oats, sugar, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add melted butter, milk, and oil. 
4. Whisk eggs and add to bowl. Add baking powder.
5. In a separate bowl, toss apple slices with almond butter. 
6. Coat a cake pan with nonstick spray. Pour in cake batter. 
7. Layer apple slices on top of the batter. Arrange so apples cover the top of the cake. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top. 
8. Place pan in the oven for approximately 50 minutes. (Cake should appear golden brown).

Dig in!

Strawberry Yogurt Cake

Yesterday, I celebrated my birthday with wonderful people and delicious food. This reminded me of how powerful a meal can be when spent with the right people. As part of my dietetic internship application, I wrote about food's role in bringing people together, bonding, and celebrating. Well, this recipe is meant to do just that. I strongly encourage you to share a slice of this Strawberry Yogurt Cake with someone you love.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 egg
1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1 cup fresh berries
1/4 cup hemp seeds

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs. Add to flour mix.
4. Stir in olive oil, maple syrup, yogurt, berries, and seeds. Mix.
5. Pour into a greased cake pan.
6. Bake for 40 minutes.

I like a to smear a little bit of jam on top and serve with fresh berries for breakfast.

{Recipe ReDux} Black Bean Brownies with Matcha Tea Frosting

I love a cup of tea. My day isn't complete unless I end it with a cup of green and an episode of Modern Family. I've been drinking tea for years, but cooking with it... never. So, when I found out this month's Recipe ReDux theme was "Cooking with Tea," I was intrigued.

As I began to brainstorm, I immediately thought GREEN TEA ICE CREAM. But, I wanted to be a little more creative so I turned to Pinterest for some ideas. A recipe for chocolate cupcakes with matcha green tea frosting sparked my imagination. Brownies sounded even better. But, black bean brownies sounded even healthier. A black bean brownie topped with matcha green tea frosting, now we're in business.

Black Bean Brownies with Matcha Green Tea Frosting

Ingredients:
For Brownies-
1 (15 ounce can) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips

For Frosting-
1 cup greek yogurt
2 tbsp matcha green tea powder
1 tbsp brown sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place all brownie ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth.
Pour brownie batter into a nonstick or greased 8x8 baking pan.
Bake for approximately 40 minutes.

While the brownies cool, combine the frosting ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Mix well until frosting becomes a light green color. Using a knife, spread onto the brownies. Serve!

Enjoy!

An InLinkz Link-up

{Recipe} Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup tapioca flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp finely ground coffee

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup coconut sugar

2 tbsp butter, softened

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 eggs, beaten

1 small banana, mashed

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine tapioca flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, coffee, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the coconut sugar, butter, coconut oil, beaten eggs, and mashed banana.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Mix until all wet ingredients are moist. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Spoon 1-2 inch balls of dough onto a greased or nonstick baking pan.
6. Bake for 15 minutes.

Serve with a cold glass of milk. Enjoy!

Makes 10-12 cookies

{Recipe Redux} Coconut Cashew Cookies

This month, Recipe Redux members were asked to share a story of classic cookware, as well as a recipe to go along with it. A thousand food memories and stories rushed into my mind. My childhood memories with food are just some of the reasons I have chosen this food-focused path to become a dietitian. There's a lot of love that goes into cooking, especially when you cook with others. 

One of my fondest memories involves the simplest cookware of all, a mixing spoon. When I was young, my mom, twin sister, Brittany, and I would bake all the time - brownies, cakes, cookies, etc. The colorful Pillsbury Funfetti cake was always the most popular choice. Together, we would follow the recipe directions word for word. Brittany and I would fight over who got to mix the batter or dough. Once our concoction was placed in the oven,  things really got heated over who got to lick the spoon. So, my mom would jump in and assign one of us to the spoon and the other to the bowl. This made us both very, very happy.

And now for a recipe that requires the beloved, mixing spoon.

Coconut Cashew Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups oat flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup cashew pieces

1 egg

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup milk (skim, soy, coconut, almond)

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking pan with oil.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients: flour, oats, cashews, coconut, cinnamon, and baking powder.

3. Add the milk, egg,  oil, and maple syrup to the bowl. Mix well.

4. Portion 1-2 inch balls of dough onto a baking sheet.

5. Place in the oven for 25 minutes. 

Makes 12 Cookies

An InLinkz Link-up

{BAKED} Raspberry + Coconut Oatmeal Cups

My cravings were calling and I needed something sweet. But, I didn't really feel like going food shopping since my parents are coming to visit tomorrow and I won't really be home this week. So, I went on a scavenger hunt through my fridge and pantry in search of anything that could possibly be transformed into some kind of dessert.

So, I found some frozen raspberries. And then some oats and figured OK, I can bake this! 

These Baked Raspberry + Coconut Oatmeal Cups popped out of the oven. 

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

2 cups frozen raspberries (or fresh)

½ cup coconut milk

¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.

3. Coat muffin tins with oil or nonstick spray.

4. Spoon oat and raspberry mixture into muffin tins. Make sure they are packed well.

5. Place tins in the oven and let bake for 30 minutes. 

Serves 6

Oven Baked Banana Split Oatmeal

Welcome to the first day of summer!

Meet my sister, my other half...

Hear that? The incredibly repetitive and annoying song that is ever so inviting and charming coming down the street? Yup, you guessed right. It’s the ice cream truck filled with everything that is equally as terrible and appealing as its music: Fireworks, Creamsicles, Flinstone’s Push-ups, Fudge Bars, and my personal favorite, chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches.  

It’s the first day of summer and I feel like I am 5 years old again, ready to run out my front door and dart into the street to catch the ice cream man’s attention. Only this time, I trip - metaphorically speaking.  Is an ice cream sandwich worth the immense amount of calories? Yes…what! No! What tastes better than ice cream pressed between two chocolate chip cookies? Brittany, stop.  Skip dinner? Yeah, right. I will continue this conversation with myself for a minute or so until my mouth stops drooling, and I can once again function as a reasonable human being.

If only ice cream could be healthy. Summer is just looking like a tease to me – a reminder of everything I can’t enjoy. Well, isn’t that an awful way to enjoy the few months of being a beach bum and a student without a care in the world? So, to really have it all, I proposed a challenge to my fancy dietitian of a sister, Jaime.

Challenge accepted.

She did it, and she did it well.  She made the most delicious and nutritious frozen yogurt. Man, am I done tripping over the ice cream man. Take it from a kid and give this recipe a shot:

Oven Baked Banana Split Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1/2 cup oats
3/4 cup skim milk
1 ripe banana
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 (1/2 cup) scoop greek frozen yogurt
1 tsp. honey

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, mash banana.
3. In a separate bowl, combine oats, milk and walnuts.
4. Spoon half the oatmeal mixture into a ramekin.  Fill the ramekin with the mashed banana.  Then, top it off with the rest of the oatmeal.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
6. Top it off with frozen yogurt and honey.

Serve up a sweet breakfast or scrumptious summer dessert. Enjoy!