Beka and Nathan's 100% Whole Grain Sourdough Waffles

These waffles are delicious, quick, easy, and nutritious! We love to serve ours topped with homemade yogurt, fresh fruit, and a slight drizzle of maple syrup. My two kids also love eating them plain or toasted as a mid-morning snack, treat in the car, and on occasion, the bread for their sandwich. The waffles keep in the fridge for a week (they will not last that long!) and freeze beautifully. Just pop them in the toaster, top with your favorite goodies, and enjoy your very own “You Are Special Today” breakfast!




100% Whole Grain Sourdough Waffles: selected and modified recipe from "Simply Sourdough: The Alaska Way"

     Ingredients: 

      2 cups sourdough starter (I feed mine at night, and it is ready to go in the a.m.)

     1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I use celtic sea salt.)

 2 tablespoons sweetener (maple syrup, honey, your choice of grainy natural sugar

1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda mixed in a little cup with 1 tablespoon water

a couple tablespoons of ground flax (optional)

just a bit of vanilla and maybe a smidgen of cinnamon

Direction:

1. Plug in your waffle iron. It should be hot and ready to go by the time you have finished making your batter. 

2. In a mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil (not too hot), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons sweetener (you could leave this out if you want), and your flax, vanilla, and cinnamon (if you choose these options).

3. Whisk it about until the batter is nicely combined.

4. Pour the starter on top of that. Cut it in and stir it with the whisk until incorporated.

5. In a little cup combine 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 tablespoon water. Stir it up a bit and then pour it on top of your batter.

6. Do a few quick whisks. Not too many, but not too few, either. You want to incorporate the baking soda quickly. I probably whisk it four to five times. Your batter will get pillowy looking.

7. Throw your whisk into the sink.

8. Pour the batter into your waffle iron.

9. Try to find helpers as cute as these.

Enjoy! 

Thank you Nathan, Beka, Issac, and Mary for sending in this amazing recipe. They look absolutely amazing. 

 xoxoxoxoxoxo- Jen

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If you decide to make these upload a photo for us to see!

 

Chocolate Cherry Birthday Cake with Whipped Buttercream Icing by Brittany Kilpatrick

Each year for my birthday my sweet hubs asks what kind of cake I want for my birthday. About 99% of the time I ask for this bomb-digity Chocolate Cherry Cake. It's super simple to make and tastes incredible! This year I when I asked Mike (my husband) what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday I was thrilled to find out he wanted this one! One difference between the two of us is that I like dark chocolate frosting while he thinks white buttercream is sweet enough for his taste.

Chocolate Cherry Birthday Cake

Ingredients

- Box of chocolate cake mix (follow instructions on box, this particular box mix calls for eggs, water, oil)

- 3 eggs

- 1/3 cup vegetable oil

- 1 cup water

- 1 21oz can of cherry pie filling

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease two 9 inch round pans

2. Mix together your chocolate cake mix, eggs, water and oil. *ingredients may vary depending on which box mix you use*

3. Add the entire can of cherry pie filling.

 

4. Mix this by hand and NOT with the blender. You want your cherry chunks to remain chunky.

5. Add mixture equally between the two cake pans.

 

6. Bake for the allotted time on the box mix (approximately 25-30 minutes).

Whipped Buttercream Icing

This icing is not super sweet. It has just enough sweet in my opinion to compliment the cake. If you make this and decide you want it sweeter, add more powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time.

Ingredients

- 1 cup of butter (2 sticks)

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 cup powdered sugar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixer or you can use a hand mixer.

 

2. This is the important one: Mix the sh*t out of the icing! Put the mixer on high for about 30 seconds or more. You will know it is ready when it is whippy and light. It it still feels heavy and yellowish whip it longer.

Allow your cake to cool then using whatever icing skills you have, throw that icing on!

Blow out those candles and enjoy flavor!

 

 

 

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Happy Birthday Mike!!!! We love you.

 

xoxoxoxox

Jen and Brett

 

 

If you make this cake please post the photos for us to see.  

 

4th of July Vegetarian Menu for 2

Alicia and Ben celebrated their 4th in the Bahamas. The cashew cream delights look mind blowing! This is a simple and lite menu that would be perfect for a mellow get together. Enjoy.

4th of July Vegetarian Menu for 2

Flatbread Veggie Sammies
Mediterranean Barley Salad
Cashew “Cream” Delights

Tips Before Starting:

*Make Cashew Cream Delights earlier in the day
*Start making Flatbread dough and marinate mushrooms about 1 ½ hrs before grilling starts

Flatbread Veggie Sammies

Ingredients:

2 Whole Large Portobello Mushroom caps (marinate in olive oil and crushed garlic for at least one hour)
1 Zucchini cut into 1/8in. slices (length-wise) and brushed with olive oil
Flatbread (or buns/bread of choice; we prefer to make our own bread and used this delicious and easy recipe HERE )
2 handfuls of fresh spinach leaves
Sea Salt to taste

 

Feta Sauce for sammies:

½ cup feta cheese

¼ cup Greek yogurt (or full fat sour cream)

1 tsp lemon zest

1 TBSP lemon juice

Chopped basil leaves

Directions:

1. Make your feta sauce first and keep in fridge.
2. Grill veggies after all other menu items are complete is done. Turn the zucchini on each side for about 2 minutes. Put the mushroom caps on top side down for 10-12 mins. You can flip the caps if you’d like, but then you lose all the delicious juice. Grill these with grill top down or covering caps with a large saucepot or lid.
   
3.  If making the above fresh flatbread, grill these next after you’ve brushed one side with olive oil.   If you have a thermometer on your grill, we recommend 400 degrees- enough to cook the inside without charring the outside.
   
4. Layer: Flatbread, spoonful of feta sauce, spinach, zucchini, mushroom cap, more feta sauce!)
   

Mediterranean Barley Salad Supreme

Ingredients:
1 cup cookd barely grains
½ pint of cherry or grape tomatoes
Avocado slices
½ cup chickpeas
¼ can artichoke hearts
Sunflower seeds for crunch
Mixed Greens
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
 Lemon juice 

Directions:

1. Cook and cool barley grains. We pre-soaked and cooked hull-less barley. Soaking is very important to help eliminate the phytic acid in the barley which impedes proper digestion and mineral absorption. This takes several days and should be done in advance. You can use the remaining barley for soups, as a risotto, or rice like side dish another time.
2. Clean and add mixed greens in a bowl.
3. Wash and slice  ½ pint of cherry or grape tomatoes.
4. Slice avocados
5. Add ½ cup chickpeas (Pre-soaked, cooked, and cooled dried peas are better for texture and taste; we used the remaining for several batches of savoury hummus!).
6. Drain and add ¼ can artichoke hearts.
7. Sprinkle Sunflower seeds for crunch.
8. Toss with quick dressing (see below)

Quick dressing

Ingredients: Olive Oil, Sea Salt, and Lemon juice

Directions: Mix all ingredients together.

Cashew Cream Delights

Ingredients:

“Cream”

1 cup Raw Cashews (soak the night before in filtered water)

1 TBSP honey or agave
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼-1/2 cup filtered water
Process all ingredients in food processer or high speed blender until smooth and creamy. Store in fridge.
Crust
1 cup Raw Almonds
1 TBSP coconut oil
1 tsp cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
2 dates (vegan) or 1 TBSP honey (vegetarian)

Directions:

1. Process Almonds alone in food processer until it looks like flour with small chunks (be careful not to process too long or it will mix and become butter!)
2. Then process all ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Will be slightly wet but sticking together.
3.  
4. Press into muffin or cookie tin (bottom and sides) and put in freezer.
    

Toppings:

*(make coulis with first 3 ingredients by combing them in a small saucepot and bringing to a boil, blending and then cooling in fridge)

½ cup fresh or frozen strawberries
1TBSP lemon juice
1 TBPS raw sugar
Small handful of blueberries
Assembly:
 15 mins. before serving, take crust cups out of freezer and use knive to remove.
Spoon “cream” into cups and add coulis and blueberries.

Happy 4th of July!!

If you decide to make any of the above please post them below or send them to Jennifer to post. 

Thank you, Belicia!! xo

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Ice Cream

Do you ever wonder what you should do with your ripe bananas? I usually make banana bread but wanted to change it up this time around. While searching around I found a two ingredient banana peanut butter ice cream recipe and decided to add the chocolate chips for this post. I was shocked at how creamy, and tasty this turned out. The consistency matches ice cream (make sure you get your banana slices REALLY frozen or you will end up with soft serve).

Ingredients:

2 bananas
1//3 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup of peanut butter

Directions:

1. Defrost bananas (skip this step if you haven't been saving bananas in your refrigerator). Do not let them thaw all of the way, just enough so that the skin comes off.

2. Peel the bananas and slice them up. Then put them on a plate that will fit in your freezer.

3. Put the plate in your freezer and let them freeze for 2 hours. Make sure that the bananas are VERY frozen before moving forward.
4. Put all of the frozen bananas in your blender or food processor.

5. Add the peanut butter.
6. Blend the bananas. It will take a lot of processing/blending before the bananas become creamy.
7. Once the bananas are creamy, add the chocolate chips.
8. Scoop out and enjoy!

Lillie loved making this recipe :)

If you decide to make this recipe, please send me a photo!

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