Snacks / Shire City Herbals

My sister Elise sent me this recipe she found on Thirty Handmade Days for muffins that you can whip up in a blender or food processor.  A one 'bowl', super easy recipe for naturally sweet, protein packed treats?  Yes, please!  

No flour or sugar required, this is an awesome way to transform over-ripe bananas.  I tend to have a few in my freezer...and a few on the counter, too!  And while I love my grandmother's banana bread recipe, I don't always have the time to make it.  My oven takes longer to heat up to 400 degrees than it does to make this batter, grease and fill the tins AND do the dishes!  When you make these for the second time in a week, know that it's OK to double the recipe.  Happy baking!

image courtesy of 30 Handmade Days

 Mique's blender muffins are small, flavorful and gluten free!

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 medium sized very ripe bananas
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons organic honey (optional, but I added it!)
• Optional toppings of choice: coconut, raisins, walnuts, you get the idea!

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place ingredients in the blender (or use a wand blender/bowl or food processor) and blend until well mixed.
3. Pour batter into muffin tin greased with coconut oil.
4. Add a variety of toppings (if using) into each muffin spot and stir.
5. Cooking time varies- 9 minutes for regular muffins, 8 minutes for mini muffins.

I am in love with this flourless chocolate cake recipe from Food52 by Sarah Jampel — it's super rich dark chocolate cake with an amazingly light texture and a molten top layer of lava like chocolate. Yes, you read correctly, this cake frosts itself. Can your chocolate cake do that?! Sure, it's delightful with the addition of fresh berries and whipped cream, but this cake can stand all on it's own.

The list of ingredients is short and sweet – but not too sweet – with that richness from the chocolate and butter, there's no need to add much else. I made a few minor changes to Sarah's recipe, swapping out sugar for honey, and halving the amount. I also added a bit of cream of tartar to the egg whites, so they whip up without the sugar.  

With so few ingredients, this cake is really all about the magic of baking — separating the eggs and putting them back together, and adding chocolate along the way. You make a fluffy, soupy mess and turn it into divine chocolate cake. You will need a few hours — to assemble, bake, cool and bake again, and it's well worth the time.

Here's a photo of the finished cake, from Food52 photographer Julia Gartland, as mine was eaten completely before I thought to take a photo.  It really was that good!

Ingredients for one 9 inch cake:

• 1/2 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 7 large eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup raw honey or more to taste, I'd use no more than 1 cup total.
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Sarah's Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the paper.   
2. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the chopped chocolate and the butter. Add the cocoa powder and a pinch of salt whisk until smooth.  Set aside.     
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a medium bowl using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with all the honey until pale and light, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until the whites are firm and glossy.
5. Fold the chocolate into the egg yolk mixture until barely combined. Fold in the egg whites just until no white streaks remain.  
6. Spoon 2 cups of the batter into a measuring cup and refrigerate—this will become your chocolate lave topping.
7. Scrape the remaining batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cake is puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack. Don't panic if the sides of your cake has pulled away from the pan and the center is a bit sunken. This is a crater into which you will pull the reserved batter. At this point, you can cover the cake and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
9. Remove the belt/girdle of the completely cool springform pan and spread the reserved cake batter over the top of the cake (it will be thick, so be gentle), leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour.
10. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Bake the cake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until a thin crust forms on top and the batter is soft and creamy beneath the crust.
11. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve warm. To store, cover the cooled cake in plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The pudding-like top will become delightfully mousse-y.

Pumpkin is the poster child of fall cooking, great in soups, desserts, breads and even lattes. I think the pumpkin spiced trend has gotten a little out of hand: gum, M&M's, Pringles, deodorant?! How can any of these things contain actual pumpkin? Even John Oliver has joined in the critique of this marketing craze gone too far.

In honor of fall's most versatile plant, let's bake some old-fashioned cookies from scratch, with real pumpkin purée and actual ground spices. These soft and chewy gluten free cookies are a delicious afternoon treat, and best of all the ingredients are good for you! The recipe that inspired this one is from Capper's Farmer, a magazine put out by the same folks who bring us Mother Earth News.

I'll be having a few with a matcha green tea latte but I bet they'll go great with that "pumpkin spiced" one as well.

Happy Autumn!

-Amy

This recipe makes about 24 cookies.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole rolled oats (say that out loud as fast as you can!)

½ cup almond flour

¼ cup coconut flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons dried, powdered ginger

pinch of cloves OR allspice

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

½ cup (1 stick) butter

2 tablespoons molasses

1-3 dropperfuls vanilla stevia (Whole Foods store brand) OR ¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

½ cup pumpkin puree (roast your own or buy canned, just make sure the only ingredient is pumpkin.)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

In another large bowl, use a mixer to beat the egg, butter, molasses, vanilla and stevia or sugar together until well combined and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add all the dry ingredients and the pureed pumpkin. Beat on low or hand mix until just combined, about 1 minute.

Scoop out the dough onto a non stick or parchment covered cookie sheet. I used a 1 tablespoon scoop and then slightly flattened the cookies. Since we are using coconut flour the cookies will not spread out during baking, so the shape you bake, is the shape you get! Space them about an inch apart, shape and then let them chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or the freezer for about 10.

Bake the chilled cookies at 350 for 15- 18 minutes. The edges will be set, the middle, just barely. 

Take them out and let them cool on the cookie sheet. They will firm up as they cool. Keep leftover cookies (is that a real thing?!) in a sealed container in the fridge.

For our family dinner on July 5th I wanted a dessert that was easy to make, refreshing and cold but not too sweet or heavy.  The answer was easy- a quick homemade almond pie crust filled with locally made frozen yogurt from Ayelada, topped with cultured whipped cream and fresh berries.  I'll be making this dessert a lot this summer, it's gluten free, very low in sugar and a perfect way to end a healthy meal!

Ayelada Pie

First you'll need about a pint and a half of your favorite frozen yogurt.  I went with blueberry from Ayelada in Pittsfield - they only add a small amount of sugar to their frozen yogurt and source local milk and yogurt from Side Hill Farm, among others.  I let the completely frozen pints sit out at room temp to soften up while I made the crust and the topping.

Or you can make your own frozen yogurt by freezing organic whole milk yogurt. Just give it a stir every ten minutes or so, keeping it in the freezer in between.  When the yogurt gets to the right frozen yet still spreadable consistency it's ready for any additions, like fresh berries.

For the Crust

• 2 cups almond meal/flour - I like Bob's Red Mill brand.
• 3 tablespoons cold coconut oil or butter
• Dash of sea salt

Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor until it forms a crumbly meal.  Press evenly into a glass pie dish and bake at 350 for about 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned and toasted.  It will smell delightful when it's done!

To Assemble:

Let your pie crust cool completely then fill with softened frozen yogurt, adding in any berries or other fruit you like.

Top with whipped cream or use a mix of half whipped cream and half creme fraiche whipped together with a bit of vanilla extract for more healthy probiotics and a nice complementary tang.   

Put the pie in the freezer to let the soft frozen yogurt firm up a bit, about 20 minutes should do it. 

Enjoy a slice, or two topped with fresh berries.  Happy Summer!

I have finally found a simple, easy and reliable 100% Rye sourdough bread recipe.  I have been making this recipe once a week for the past 4 weeks, it only takes a few minutes of my time on days one and two.  Day three, it's a few minutes at each step, with rising time in between.  Since I'm usually working from home on Fridays, this is when I bake.  Rye bread like this has a lot of health benefits and I do enjoy a piece once in a while.  My family, on the other hand, goes through the two loaves this recipe yields in less than a week!

This recipe comes from Zeb Bakes who was taught to make this by Simon Michaels of the Wild Yeast Bakery during a day course in the Forest of Dean.  Sounds pretty cool.

I was able to write this recipe down on one 3x5 card, I'll try to be a bit more explicit here, but, like I said, this is the easiest bread recipe I've come across.  And the results are moist, healthy rye bread!

Day one:

Feed your starter.  I usually take my starter out of the fridge in the morning, add 1/4 cup of rye flour and about 1/4 cup of spring water and mix well.  If you have city water you'll want to boil and cool the water to drive off any chlorine which will interfere with the yeast living in your starter.  And you'll have to do this any time you add water to any bread recipe.

Now that spring is here you can easily make a sourdough starter by adding equal parts rye and de-chlorinated water to a bowl.  If you have a few organic raisins  add them to the mix, they have yeasts living on them.  Let the bowl sit overnight on the counter, covered with a cloth.  If you can let some fresh air in that would also be helpful.  Give the starter a stir, then keep it out, til it starts to form bubbles and smell tangy and a bit sour, about 3 days.  Mine sometimes smells like apple cider.  If it smells like sweaty socks, it's gone off, throw it on your compost and try again.  The link above should be very helpful!

Or, you can go to your favorite sourdough bakery, like Berkshire Mountain Bakery in Housatonic, and ask nicely for a bit of their starter.  This is what I did since it's nearly impossible (I tried twice) during the cold winter months to get a new starter going, there's no fresh air and not much living yeast in the air.

Anyhow, once you have an active starter, feed it and let it sit out til the next day in a warm place (70-75 degrees), covered with a tea towel, to reactivate.

Day Two

In the late afternoon or evening, take out 3 1/2 ounces of your starter and mix it with 2 1/2 cups of spring water.  Add to that 14 ounces of rye flour (grind your own rye berries for best flour results).  Mix well and let  this pre-ferment sit in a warm place, covered with a tea towel, til the next day.

Add some flour and water to your starter (anywhere from 2 tablespoons to a 1/4 cup each) mix well and let it sit overnight as well.

Day Three: it's time to mix and bake!

In the morning, put the lid back on your active starter and put it back in the fridge til you bake again next week.  I keep my starter in a ball jar.

Your preferment should look like this:

Now you can add the rest of the ingredients:

• 6.3 ounces of lukewarm water
• organic unsulphered molasses, up to one ounce or none at all
• 3/4 ounce of salt
• 16 ounces of Rye flour

Mix everything together well, it will be like stiff cake batter:

Cover the bowl with the towel again and let it rise in a warm place for at least 3 hours, til it has risen significantly, like this:

Now you'll need to grease and flour two bread pans, mine are about 4 x 8.  I use plenty of butter and a generous dusting of rye flour.

Be gentle as you spoon/pour the sticky dough evenly into the two pans.  You want to keep as many of the bubbles as possible!  Generously dust the top of the loaves with rye flour.

Cover both loaves with the towel and let them rise for the last time, after a couple of hours they should be significantly taller.  Be careful not to bump the pans, you don't want to knock out any of those little bubbles holding your bread up!

I bake my bread in the middle of a pre-heated 410 degree oven with a small pan of water on the bottom rack to help them stay nice and moist, you will probably see steam coming out of your oven during the 50 minute baking process.  After 50 minutes, take out one of the loaves and turn it out into a clean tea towel.  Knock on the bottom of the loaf, if it sounds hollow, it's done!

Take the loaves out of the oven and let them sit in the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool.  Once cool let the loaves rest over night in a paper bag or for at least 12 hours before cutting into them.  Rye bread gets better with each day.  You can keep it on the counter in the paper bag, or for a softer crust, in a plastic bag.

• 2 or 3 cucumbers sliced into thin rounds
• half an onion sliced into half moons
• 2 cloves garlic
• a thumbnail of ginger, peeled

• Few pinches of kosher salt
• Crushed red pepper (to taste)
• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cup Fire Cider
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar