Tag Archives: whole wheat

Olive Oil and Herb Drop Biscuits

Olive Oil and Herb Drop Biscuits
It seems like every time it snows here in the Northeast, I get this urge to make something homey and comforting. Yesterday was no exception. We had a really pretty snowfall. Just enough to make every surface bright and glittery like a Christmas card. I made a big pot of this soup and whipped up these super easy biscuits. When I tell you super easy…truly…they could not be easier.

Olive Oil and Herb Drop Biscuits

1 C. buttermilk or 1 C. milk + 1 t. cider vinegar
1 C. whole wheat flour
1 C. cake flour
2 T. golden flaxseed meal (optional)
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper
1 T. Parmesan, grated
1 T. finely chopped fresh herbs
2 T. cold butter, cut into small cubes
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
If you do not have buttermilk, combine the milk and vinegar in a measuring cup and allow to sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flours through the herbs. Using either a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter and olive oil into the flour until it resembles course crumbs.
Make a well in the center of the flour and add the buttermilk or milk mixture. Stir just to combine. Don’t overwork it. It’s fine if you see some specks of flour.
I like to let the dough sit for a few minutes, then using a 1/4 C. measuring cup, scoop the dough out onto a parchment lined baking sheet spacing them out about 2 inches apart.
Bake for about 12 minutes. Check them early…they should be just golden on top.

Notes:

  • I like to serve these with extra virgin olive oil for dipping instead of butter. Just crack some pepper and a few pinches of chopped herbs!
  • The herbs I used in my biscuits were: parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (I feel a song coming on!)
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Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze

Pumpkin Scone with Spiced Glaze

Everyone has their own strategy for handling all of the Thanksgiving gluttony. Some of us may think that skipping breakfast and lunch and diving into the festivities with reckless abandon is our best bet. Not so! The good news is that you shouldn’t starve all day.  It will just lead to even more overeating later. You may be able to skip lunch, after all, so many of us eat an early dinner on Thanksgiving, but a good breakfast will serve you well!

These pumpkin scones are a great option for Thanksgiving morning! They are special enough to feel like a treat, but with some tricks, they are a much lighter version of regular scones. I use about fifty percent less butter than most scone recipes, half of the flour is whole wheat and they still taste like coffee house scones!

So, treat yourself on Thanksgiving morning, guiltlessly, and enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner and time with your family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Scones

1 C. whole wheat flour
1 C. all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 C. granulated sugar
1/4 C. dark brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. cloves
1/4 t. ginger
1/2 C. pumpkin
3 T. vanilla yogurt
1 egg
3 T. cold butter, cut into cubes
3 T. canola oil

Spiced Glaze

3/4 C. confectioner’s sugar
1 T. + 1 t. milk
1 t. vanilla
1/4 t. cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of clove
pinch of ginger
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper sprinkled with a healthy dose of flour.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients through the ginger.
In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin, yogurt and egg. Set aside.
Add the butter and the canola to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter and oil into the flour mixture until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. This takes a few minutes and some muscle. Add the pumpkin mixture and using a spoon or rubber spatula, fold the wet into the dry just until combined.
Spoon the mixture on top of the floured parchment in one blob. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a good dose of flour. Using your hands, shape the dough into a  9″ circle. It should be about 1″ high. With a pastry wheel or pizza cutter, cut through the dough creating 8 wedges.
Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake the scones for 15 minutes.
While the scones are baking, make the glaze by combining all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Remove the scones from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet.
When cooled, cut through the scored lines and separate the scones. Drizzle each scone with glaze. Eat. Enjoy. Be thankful.

Notes:

  • Delicious things to add to these scones:  dried cranberries, raisins, walnuts or pecans. I’d start with a half cup.
  • I use almond or coconut milk a lot. So, that’s what I use in the glaze. Regular milk works fine too.

 

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Blueberry Banana Muffins

Blueberry Banana Muffins

I’ve attempted to bake low fat, lower sugar, healthy muffins more times than I’d ever be able to count. I’ve got to tell you, they’ve all been pretty terrible. The texture always seems kind of weird, they tend to be dry, rubbery and they lacked taste.

These were a huge surprise for me…for a few reasons. First, when I initially tasted them, kind of warm…out of the oven, I thought they were sort of dry. Disappointed again. They sat on the counter until completely cooled when my daughter came in from school. As soon as she tried one she commented on how moist it was! I just thought she was being nice. Then my husband tried one and said the same. What? I had to have another! It was moist. Really moist!

My next surprise came when I went to type out the recipe from my notes. I thought I had put three tablespoons of oil in them, but my daughter said I told her there was no added fat. So, I broke out the muffin tins and started all over again. I prepared them with no added fat at all and sure enough, they were still moist!

So, make these muffins…they are really delicious and so healthy. But promise….do not eat them until they are completely cooled!

 

Blueberry Banana Muffins

2 C. whole wheat flour
1 t. baking soda
1/8 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 C. apple sauce
3/4 C. firmly packed dark brown sugar
4 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 T. golden flaxseed meal (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
1/2 C. chopped walnuts (optional)
1 C. fresh or frozen blueberries
cinnamon sugar for topping if desired
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Line about 16 muffin tins with paper liners.
In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients; whole wheat flour through the nutmeg. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs lightly. Add the wet ingredients through the flaxseed. Whisk a bit. Add the flour mixture and the walnuts (if using) into the large bowl. Stir with a spoon just until combined. Do not over mix. Gently fold in the blueberries.
Fill the muffin tins about 2/3 full. I ended up with 16 muffins, but you may have more or less.
Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 18 minutes. I always check mine a few minutes early just in case.
Remove from the oven and cool in the tins for about 10 minutes, then set them on a rack until completely cooled.
I dipped the tops in cinnamon sugar to make them pretty and to add a little sweetness.



 
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Whole Wheat Pancakes

Whole Wheat Pancakes

I’m halfway to weekend mode on Fridays!  Who doesn’t love the weekend?  Sleeping in a bit, wearing pajamas and making pancakes.  Bliss.

Making these pancakes a little healthy will not spoil that bliss.  Trust me.  I just ate two stacks testing that theory!  These are not completely whole wheat.  I do use cake flour as well to keep things light.  I’ve got a few other tricks too.  With whole wheat flour you really have to work at not ending up with something dense.  That’s why I separate the eggs and whip up the whites to a soft peak.  That alone makes a huge difference.  So does the addition of a little Greek yogurt.  It keeps the pancakes tender and adds moisture the way buttermilk does.
I also like to add ground flax seed for its nutritional value and its nutty flavor.  It is high in fiber, omega-3s and antioxidants.  The recipe will still work if you omit the flax, but it really is worth a try.
My family’s favorite addition to pancakes is banana!  Just slice them up and drop them right onto the pancakes as soon as they’ve been poured onto the griddle.  Once the pancakes are flipped, the banana caramelizes on the griddle…they are amazing!
Wishing you a blissful weekend ahead…

Whole Wheat Pancakes

 

1 C. whole wheat flour
1 C. cake flour
2 T. ground flaxseed
2 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 eggs, separated
2 T. canola oil
2 C. milk, I like to use unsweetened almond milk for extra flavor, but regular is fine
1/4 C. plain non fat Greek yogurt
2 t. vanilla extract
1 T. sugar

Preheat a griddle to 350 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, using a whisk, combine all dry ingredients up to the salt.  In a small bowl, whisk the egg whites for a minute or two until they form soft peaks.

Combine the egg yolk, oil, milk, yogurt, vanilla and sugar in a batter bowl.  Whisk well.  Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined, but do not overwork it.  Using a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula, fold in the egg whites gently, also, just until combined.

Spray or brush the griddle with canola oil.  I like to use a quarter cup measuring cup to drop the batter onto the griddle to keep them uniform.  As soon as they bubble and firm a bit on the edges, take a peek.  If they look golden, turn them over.  That second side takes much less time to cook…so get them off quickly.

Serve with your favorite maple syrup or preserves…and just a little pat of butter (it’s the weekend!)

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