Whiteley Creek Homestead

I sprouted split peas…

 
and made soup from them. Sprouted peas don't produce the smooth, creamy consistency of traditional split pea soup, but the texture is a nice change. If you prefer creaminess, you can press the cooked soup through a sieve… or whirl cooked, cooled soup in a blender.

According to The Complete Sprouting Cookbook by Karen Cross Whyte copyright 1973, "Scientists have found that as the seed germinates, many changes occur inside that increase the nutritional quality of the seed." So, to shake things up a bit, try making a pot of soup with sprouted whole or split peas or lentils.

I know. I know. Valentine's Day is over. yet I continue to make chocolate. Dick couldn't be more thrilled. Chocolate and he are best buds. Tonight, he even suggested a recipe for "Black Bottom Cupcakes" that he discovered in his Minnesota Street Rod Association LineChaser Magazine. They are made with chocolate chips, coconut, and cream cheese… a winning mix. I may need to surprise him with some… just to show him I pay attention. This recipe for Chocolate Nut Bark, that I found on the EatingWell web site, is perfect for when you need a chocolate fix in a hurry. It's just a matter of melting chocolate and tossing in whatever nuts you have on hand.

The amounts that I am sharing in this post is 1/4 of the original recipe for just a little treat. I substituted dark chocolate (e.g., Green & Black's Organic or Endangered Species All-Natural) for the chocolate chips.

Choco-Nut Bark

Melt a 3-3.5 oz. bar dark chocolate (70-72% cocoa content) in the top of a double boiler over hot but not boiling water. Stir in ½ cup coarsely chopped nuts. (I used Brazil nuts and slivered almonds because it’s what I had. Hazelnuts, cashews, and walnuts would be good, too.) Spread the mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with natural unbleached parchment paper. Shape into a 9” x 3” rectangle. Sprinkle with finely chopped nuts, if desired. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes. Cut into chunks. 

I wanted to surprise Dick tomorrow on Valentine's Day with some brownies tucked into his bag lunch to take with him to his car show. My time was limited today, though, so I didn't have the luxury of trying a second recipe if my first attempt turned disastrous. Brownie recipes vary greatly. What I personally look for in a brownie is a crusty top that crunches as you first sink your teeth into it. I like a lightweight brownie that has some height to it. I don't like dry brownies; they must be moist but not gummy. They should not require icing. They should have just the perfect sweetness to stand on their own. Equally, or more importantly, they should not have 1 lb of butter (that's 4 sticks!), 1 lb + 12 oz chocolate chips (that's more than two large bags!), 6 large eggs, and 2 1/4 cups sugar as in a recipe I stumbled upon from Food Network's Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) a while back. Today, without hesitation, I went straight to Food Network's Healthy Eating with Ellie Kreiger where she came through for me once again. I have not once been disappointed with her recipes. This recipe has all of the characteristics that I think make an ideal brownie. To keep the printed bags that I made yesterday from getting an oil spot, I inserted an unbleached natural waxed paper sandwich bag before placing the brownie inside. Enlarge the photo by clicking on it so that you can see the bag's small print that says homemade chocolate brownies. Perfect… Oh, yes. I am happy. 

Ellie’s Brownies

8 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate, broken into squares (I used semisweet since it’s what I had.)

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or ancient grains combo)

¼ cup baking cocoa

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking soda

4 large eggs

1 cup packed light brown sugar (Try 1/2 cup?)

½ cup plain low-fat yogurt

¼ cup canola (or coconut) oil

2 tsp vanilla

¾ cup chopped walnuts (I would have used them, but I had none.)

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. (I used an 8 x 11-inch cake pan instead because it was the largest pan I had that would fit in my toaster convection oven. I lined the bottom of the pan with natural unbleached parchment paper coated with a little oil.) Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler or heatproof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until smooth. Add the yogurt, oil, and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add the melted chocolate-butter mixture and whisk until blended. Add the flour mixture and mix until just moistened. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and sprinkle with nuts, if using. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

Whole grain bread is always a good choice, but dipped in an egg/milk mixture that includes blackstrap molasses, then coated in sesame seeds* and wheat germ, with banana slices between… well, the nutrition quotient increases considerably in this pumped up version of the classic French toast. Our breakfast this morning came from one of my go-to cookbooks titled Smart Breakfasts by Jane Kinderlehrer. *You'll need to be diligent in chewing the sesame seeds to prevent the goodness from passing straight on through.

Crunchy French Toast

2 eggs

1/3 cup milk

¼ – ½ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp blackstrap molasses

2 tbsp oil or unsalted butter

4 tbsp sesame seeds

3 tbsp wheat germ

6 slices whole grain bread (I used Ezekial sprouted grain cinnamon raisin bread.)

2 bananas

In a shallow bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and molasses. In another bowl, or on a sheet of wax paper, combine sesame seeds and wheat germ. In a large skillet, heat the oil or butter or a combination of both. Dip the bread slices first in the egg mixture, then in the sesame mixture, turning to coat both sides (or sprinkle it on). Place bread slices in skillet and cook on each side until crisp golden. Slice the bananas over three pieces of toast. Cover each piece with another, making a sandwich. Serve with yogurt, real maple syrup, or a fruit sauce. Yield: Makes 6 singles or 3 sandwiches.

It's not easy to find a good tasting gluten-free bread. Bob's Red Mill has done did it! It is a yeast bread mix that has a slight taste of pumpernickel, probably from the molasses and caraway seed. In place of rye flour as in typical pumpernickel bread, the mix contains buckwheat flour, garbanzo bean flour, fava bean flour, potato flour, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, and teff flour. (Teff is an ancient grain that is very fine, about the size of a poppy seed, and comes in a variety of colors… white, red, dark brown.)  Sunflower seeds in the mix add a nice crunch.

The mix calls for the addition of water, oil, eggs, and cider vinegar. I reduced the 1/4 cup oil to 2 tbsp olive oil, which was just perfect. I used my bread machine's dough cycle to mix, knead, and do its first rise, then I poured it into a bread pan to do its second rise. It lacks elasticity like traditional yeast bread made with flours containing gluten, so you won't be forming it into a loaf and it doesn't raise into a mounded top. It has a flat top before and after baking.