Cranberry Zucchini Bread

In an attempt to clean out the refrigerator before heading home for Thanksgiving, I hid as much of the produce we had in baked goods.  The result?  A modified version of an old favorite (plus shredded carrots, minus pecans), this fall zucchini bread, and a much smaller pile of veggies to take home to Mom and Dad.

Cranberry Zucchini Bread (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
Makes 2 loaves or 24 muffins

3 eggs
1 vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
2 cups grated zucchini
1 1/2 cup fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 350*F.
Grease 2 9x5 inch loaf pans and set aside.
With a mixer beat together eggs through vanilla.
Add in spices and leavening.
Just barely incorporate flour then zucchini.
Fold in cranberries.
Divide batter evenly between two pans.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, until top is golden and tester comes out clean.

Fig-Almond Cast Ion Skillet Cake

Todays blog post will begin with a fun little factoid I learned from our local zoo's website about figs and my current university's mascot:

"A bearcat eats a fig, travels a ways, then passes the seeds out the other end, helping fig trees grow in new places."

So, if you enjoy this blog post and/or this cake, thank your friendly neighborhood bearcat for his contribution. :)

I had never had a fresh fig before making this cake, but they have started popping up in recipes across the blogosphere/pinterest. I was at our local Meijer, saw these beauties on sale, and decided to give them a try. 

Fresh figs are surprisingly mild, juicy, and sweet, but they still have that distinctive fig flavor that everyone can recognize from their childhood Fig Newtons! 

Fig-Almond Cast Iron Skillet Cake (Adapted from JoytheBaker)

Serves 8-10

2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon homemade(!) vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/2 cup finely chopped, dried figs
10-12 fresh figs (depending on the size), sliced in half
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 375.

Gently whisk together all of the dry ingredients (flour through nutmeg) and set aside.
In mixer, beat eggs, buttermilk, and butter.

Add sugar to blender and beat until fluffy.

Blend in vanilla and almond extract.

While mixing, pour in dry ingredients.  Stir until just combined.

Fold in dried figs.

Prepare your cast iron skillet with butter and flour.  Pour batter into skillet.

Arrange sliced figs and almonds on top of the cake.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until just golden brown.

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Wow, it really has been a long time since I have made a post. To be fair, I have been studying extra long hours for this last block of school/finals which ended on Friday. Its official, I have now completed my second year of medical school (with the exception of taking Step 1 USMLE which is coming up in June). I decided to take the weekend off before diving in to the 10-12 hour-a-day study routine that will be my life for the next 5ish weeks. Great life choice.
So far this weekend I have attended a crawfish boil with friends, cleaned my apartment, gone for a hike, bought a bridesmaid dress, gotten groceries, watched an entire season of a TV show, had dinner with friends, went for a hike (and am going on another in a few hours) and now, baked biscotti.
Confession: I have only once made biscotti, and it was grain-free.
Confession: I am currently obsessed with almond flavoring, and after a discussion at dinner last night, I decided I needed to bake something with it, so here you go.

Chocolate Almond Biscotti (Adopted from smitten kitchen)

3/4 cup toasted almonds (roughly chopped)

2 oz coarsely chopped dark chocolate
2 1/2 cups flour, plus flour for work surface
1/2 cup Dutch-style cocoa powder
1 tablespoon espresso powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
4 large eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/3 cups sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast almonds either on the stove or in the oven, whichever you prefer and however you can do it without burning them :).

2. Sift the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, dark chocolate, salt, baking soda and baking powder together and set aside.

3. Beat eggs lightly, just until blended, in mixing bowl with whisk or in electric mixer. Remove two tablespoons of egg mixture to small dish and set aside. Add in almond extract. Beat sugar into remaining eggs until blended. Stir in flour mixture to form soft dough. (So I mixed the eggs into the flour instead of the other way around, I wouldn't recommend that direction, it was difficult to get all the flour incorporated). 

4. Divide the dough in half and place one portion on a well-floured work surface. (She is not kidding about this.) With floured hands, pat it into a six-inch square. Scatter half the almonds on the dough and press them into the surface. Roll the dough into a cylinder about 2 inches in diameter and 12 to 15 inches long. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and place the roll of dough on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Brush the tops of both rolls with the reserved egg. (If you don't have a pastry brush, no worries, I don't either, I used my fingers... its a little sticky but it gets the job done).

5. Place in the oven and bake about 20 minutes, until firm to the touch. Transfer to a cutting board and cut on an angle into slices one-half-inch thick. (I let them cool a bit then scored the top with a serrated knife and then actually cut them with my sharp chef knife) Return the slices to the baking sheet, laying them on their cut sides, and return them to the oven. Bake another 20 minutes, until they are crisp and dry. Allow to cool completely before storing or serving.

Grain-free Pumpkin, Cranberry, Chocolate Chip, and Walnut Scones

I'm on a great rotation this month!  Its been four days and I've probably already learned more than I did during the entirety of last month!  Both attendings are excited about helping me learn a bit of tropical medicine before my journey to Ghana.  And there are no weekends or call.

The downside is being at the hospital for 8am lecture and not leaving until after dinnertime.  I wanted to make something healthy for breakfast that could be easily consumed in the car.  There were some cranberries and half a can of pumpkin in the freezer from this fall, so here we have pumpkin and a whole collection of other things scones.  A scone and hard boiled egg will make great grab and go breakfasts for the next few days.

Don't let me fool you.  These are not the usual sweet, dissolve in your mouth scones you'd enjoy with a cup of tea.  If you must (or choose to) have a gluten-free diet, this recipe is an acceptable substitute for the much tastier original.  Also, if fresh cranberries are unavailable, raspberries would probably work.  Or additional chocolate chips and walnuts can be added.

Grain-Free Pumpkin, Cranberry, Chocolate Chip, and Walnut Scones 

makes 8 scones

2 cups almond flour

1/3 cup soy flour

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

2 tablespoons honey

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

2 tablespoons flax seeds

1 cup cranberries

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Mix all ingredients together. The dough will be moist.  Form into a circle and cut into 8 triangles.
Bake at 350 F on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 30-40 minutes.

Breakfast in Bed

Average folks probably get breakfast in bed on their birthday and Valentines Day; if they're lucky.  However, breakfast in bed is a much more regular occurrence when the Weage princesses return home.  We have special trays that until last year had unicorns and fairies on them.  And usually we move from our separate bedrooms into our parents' room so we can watch TV and socialize while eating.  It would be just as easy to relocate down to the kitchen table instead of Mom and Dad's bed, but that is beside the point.

To the rare reader who possesses a Y chromosome, let me help you out a little.  Surprise your wife with breakfast of these whole wheat yogurt and blueberry pancakes this weekend.  Yes, this weekend, before Valentine's Day.  And while we're at it, a single flower on the tray is a nice touch.  So is cleaning the kitchen after you make breakfast.  And opening car doors, winking and smiling from across a crowded room, notes left on the bathroom mirror, annnnnnnnnnd I digress.

To the single ladies, make these for yourself this weekend instead of lamenting spending another Valentine's Day alone.  Buy yourself a single long stem red rose and be thankful for this season of being in full control of your schedule and the remote control!

Whole Wheat Yogurt and Blueberry Pancakes (adapted from Annie's Eats)
Serves 2

1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
heaping 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
heaping 1/4 cup all purpose flour
small handful oatmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon grapefruit zest
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup blueberries

Mix dry ingredients together.
Beat in butter, egg, yogurt, zest, and vanilla.
Fold in blueberries.
Heat skillet on medium.
Melt small pat of butter in pan and pour about 1/3 cup batter for each pancake.
Flip pancake after bubbles rise to the surface.
Serve with maple syrup, whipped cream, or powdered sugar.

Thanksgiving in a Muffin (minus the turkey)

Joy the Baker is a genius.  I'd love to meet her.  Someday.  Oh, someday.
Here is proof of her culinary prowess.
Pumpkin.  Apples.  Cranberries.  Pecans.  All in one muffin.
And its vegan too.  Good?  Bad?  You be the judge.
Though we'll all agree that waiting until now to share this with you was a bad choice.

Pumpkin Apple Cranberry Pecan Muffins (adapted from JTB)
Makes 12+ large muffins, or 2 loaves

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cloves
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup water
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups fresh cranberries
2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced

Preheat oven to 350*

Mix ingredients flour through cloves.
Add pumpkin, oil, syrup, water and stir well.
Fold in pecans, cranberries, and apples.
Divide batter evenly in large muffin pans or regular loaf pans.
Bake 20-30 minutes.

Raspberries and Cream Muffins

 Living at home for the month has many benefits, one of them being the fresh produce.  We have a plethora of raspberry bushes in our backyard which usually produce a bumper crop of berries in the summer and fall.  Being that there have been several cool nights with frost Mom didn't think there would be many to pick last weekend.  Thankfully she was wrong!  We went down to the patch to just grab a few to pop in our mouths and ended up with a whole bowl.  Since I've been at this new clinic a week and hadn't brought in any baked goods, it was perfect timing.

I remembered the berries and cream muffins we made in the Yukon and decided to do a little Googling to find a similar recipe.  As luck would have it, I stumbled upon the exact one.  We had strawberry and blueberry in the Yukon and I imagine they would work well with whatever berry you have.  Or maybe even peaches!  Though the raspberry were good, I think the strawberry were probably my favorite.

Raspberries and Cream Muffins (adapted from Taste of Home)

Makes 3 dozen muffins


4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups raspberries
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup greek yogurt
1 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla


Preheat oven to 400*
Crack eggs in large bowl.  Beat lightly.
Add sour cream, yogurt, oil, and vanilla.
Beat in powder, soda, and salt.
Add sugar.
Stir in flour just until mixed.
Gently fold in raspberries.
Fill greased muffin pan about 3/4 full.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Cool on wire rack.

Pumpkin Apple Baked Oatmeal

Happy National Oatmeal Day!  Yes, it is a real thing.  If you don't believe me, check this list out.  I made this oatmeal several weeks ago, but wanted to wait for this special occasion to share.

 My brother's mother-in-law attended a trade show where she picked up a cookbook with a recipe for peach blueberry baked oatmeal.  While my mom stayed at their house to babysit this adorable girl, she tried it out.  And she's made it over and over since then.  It quickly become a favorite!
 
With the leaves falling, autumn flavors like apple and pumpkin sounded like a necessary twist on the original.  To make it even healthier I replaced the oil with applesauce and followed the suggestion to use more egg whites than whole eggs (it works just fine with 2 whole eggs also).  This oatmeal has the consistency more of a coffee cake than regular oatmeal.  It reheats really well too, especially with a splash of milk in the bowl before microwaving.
Pumpkin Apple Baked Oatmeal (adapted from Taste of Home)
Serves 8-10

3 cups oatmeal
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk
2 egg whites (the egg yolks were used in the chai cake!)
1 egg
1/3 cup applesauce
1/2 cup pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 apples, diced 
1/3 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350*
Combine oatmeal, sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt.
Whisk egg, egg whites, apple sauce, pumpkin, and vanilla.
Add milk to wet ingredients.
Mix dry and wet ingredients together.
Add apples.
Pour into a greased 11x7 casserole dish.
Top with pecans.
Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon.
Bake for 30-40 minutes until nuts are toasted and top is golden brown.

Pumpkin Doughnuts

There are few autumn traditions I enjoyed more than our family's annual trip to the apple orchard.  Driving on the windy road which circled around a lake admiring the sun beaming down on the turning leaves' bright oranges and reds.  Perusing the gift shop and watching apples being pressed into cider.  But of course the best part was sitting on the bumper of the van enjoying chilled cider and warm apple spice doughnuts.

I have vague memories of Gramma Weage making potato doughnuts, so I wasn't surprised when Dad asked if that's what I was making when I told him Mom and I would be making doughnuts this weekend.  We tried a new recipe with pumpkin and lots of spices.  Cinnamon powdered sugar is my favorite "topping" for fall doughnuts, so we tried that but I preferred the doughnuts plain as the pumpkin flavor was much more pronounced.

Pumpkin Doughnuts (from Annie's Eats)
Makes about 15 doughnuts and holes

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk with white vinegar)
1 cup pumpkin puree

Canola or vegetable oil for frying.

1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Beat butter and sugar until well blended.
Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
Add the baking powder, soda, and salt.
Add half of the flour.  Beat.
Add half of the milk.  Beat.
Add the rest of the flour.  Beat.
Beat in milk and pumpkin.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Turn out half dough on to a well-floured surface.
Pat to 1/2 -3/4 inch thickness.
Cut out doughnuts using a biscuit cutter, or improvise with a plastic cup and water bottle cap as we did!  I've also seen super cute heart shaped doughnut cutters.

Heat about 2 inches of oil to 370* in a large pan.
Use one of the holes to test the oil.
Carefully transfer cutouts to a single layer in the oil.
Cook for 3-4 minutes, turning once, until golden brown.

Remove with strainer and place on paper towel lined cookie sheet.
Cook doughnut holes for 2-3 minutes.

Mix powdered sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a shallow dish.
Coat cooled doughnuts in sugar mixture.
Enjoy with a tall glass of cider!

Grain-Free (Paleo-ish) Pumpkin Spice Scones

The past week and a half has been what is know as exam week around UCCOM. It consists of exams on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Monday. It consumes all of our time and energy. It is brutal. And when it rolls around to the Saturday between the Friday and Monday exams, I am pretty burnt out. Add to that the jealousy of seeing EWeage post on the blog the pumpkin spice latte/ chai cupcakes, and you can only imagine the yearning I had to get back into the kitchen. So, as a study break, I decided to try my hand at grain-free pumpkin scones.

But here is the deal with these scones. I had to develop my own recipe because I couldn't find a recipe online for these puppies made with almond flour. So what follows is my first plunge into the world of recipe development. I had about five tabs open on my computer looking at different recipes, trying to deduce the best ratio of almond flour to pumpkin to egg to spices.

I ended up with what follows. But before that, I will say that, while they do taste pretty good, they are not perfect. I am definitely going to be fiddling with this one in the future. (For example, I would add more spices. Its hard to get enough cinnamon for me, but I was worried about going overboard)

Grain-Free Pumpkin Scones

2 1/2 c. + 3 Tbs almond flour

1/2 c. pumpkin

1 egg

2 Tbs honey

1/3 c. chopped toasted pecans

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Mix all of the ingredients together. The dough will be slightly moist, but you should be able to form it into a circle and cut it into 8 pieces like a normal scone. If not, add a bit more almond flour. Bake at 350 F for 20-30 minutes. I think I took mine out a bit too soon, but that just meant that they turned out perfectly when I reheated them in the mornings in the toaster oven.

Spiced Glaze

2 Tbs pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 Tbs honey

1/2 c powdered sugar (this is the not-so-paleo part...)

Mix up the ingredients, and then I poured them into a plastic bag, cut the corner off, and used it to drizzle.

**As a side note, as with any grain-free baking that I have done, these are very absorbent. Unless you are going to eat them right away, I would suggest not glazing until when you want to eat them. Second option is what I did, glaze them all, and then put them in the toaster oven to warm up when you want to eat them.

Walnut Chocolate Chip Spiced Pumpkin Scones

There have been so many facebook statuses this week about the return of pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks.  Though I haven't had one of my own yet (a problem which will be remedied on my way to night call this evening), I'm definitely in the autumn spirit.  The temperature has drastically decreased and I've seen several red leaves lying on the sidewalk over the past few days.  Now the rain without thunder or lightning is getting old, but none the less I love fall.  And after the hot humid days we've been having I'm definitely ready for jeans and sweatshirt weather, trips to the cider mill, and hearing the local high school marching band practice while walking around the neighborhood.

Some of my favorite seasonal recipes start to make an appearance with the falling of the leaves.  Warm butternut squash and chick pea salad, apple flax bread, and anything pumpkin.  My tea and hot chocolate supply will also start to be used on a daily basis.  And what goes with a mug of hot beverage than a scone and a good book?

Walnut Chocolate Chip Spiced Pumpkin Scones (adapted from Joy of Baking)

1 cup white flour

1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chilled butter

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

1/3-1/2 cup buttermilk (to make buttermilk add a little vinegar to regular milk and let sit for 5 minutes)

3/4 cup pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

Splash of milk

Preheat oven to 410*

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.

Add chunks of cold butter and cut in with a knife or a pastry blender.  There should be pea-size chunks.

Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips.

Stir in buttermilk, pumpkin, and vanilla.

Turn out onto floured surface and kneed until well blended.

Divide in half and form two circles about 1/2 inch thick.

Cut each circle into 8 triangles.

Place on parchment lined baking sheet.

Beat egg and milk together to form egg wash.  Coat scones with a thin layer.

Bake at 410* for 20 minutes.

Cool on wire rack.