Oat and Nanner Bites

REPOST: This is adapted from a vegan cookbook. These are uber healthy and tasty. The first day or two they are soft and delicious, they then turn hard and are perfect for teething biscuits because they are dairy, egg, and wheat free (which is what I made them for in the first place).

Ingredients:1 c quick oats

1 c ground oats (grind oats and make a coarse oat flour)

1/4 t salt

1/4 t cinnamon or ginger or cardamom (we do all 3 spices.)

1/4 t nutmeg

1 t baking powder

1 c (~2) overripe bananas, mashed

1 t vanilla extract

3 T oil of choice
1-2 Tbsp pure maple syrup (optional)

Directions:Mix dry, mix wet, add wet to dry. Drop by the spoonful onto parchment paper or greased baking sheet and flatten into desired shape (they will not spread). Bake 12-15 min at 350.

100% whole wheat bakery style sandwich bread

I have been questing for a really good and super easy 100% whole wheat bread for about a

year now. I have finally found it! I have experimented with lots of stuff including recipes that include soaking, lots of time, and a variety of flours, but in the end the best recipe is often the simplest. This has the least ingredients of any recipe I have tried and requires little time commitment. It is vegan with no added oil too, but I think that is what makes it work. The best part is that it reminds of the whole wheat sandwich bread I would buy at a bakery, dense with an excellent crumb. It won't fall apart when you put your turkey and veggies on it. This recipe works best in a large loaf pan (1.5 lb). Enjoy!

1 1/2 Tbl. instant yeast

2 c. warm water

1/3 c. honey

3 - 5 c. whole wheat flour

2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. any add-ins (oats, sunflower seeds, 

       ground flax seeds, etc.) I use instant oats

Combine yeast, water and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer; let sit for 5 minutes or until frothy and bubbly.  Add 1 1/2 cups of flour, any add-ins and salt and mix until combined.  Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until you get a soft dough.  The dough should barely pull away from the sides of the bowl and it will still be a little sticky.  Using the dough hook, knead for 4 minutes on low, cover and let rise until doubled, 60-90 min.  Punch down dough (spray hands with cooking spray) and put in a greased loaf pan.  Let rise again until doubled, about 30 min.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove loaf and cool completely.   

*If you use freshly ground wheat flour, you might need to add more like 5- 5 1/2 cups of flour.

Healthy Tips--quick oats for breads

Frances, I hope you'll allow me to offer a suggestion that we can share healthy tips for cooking as well, not just recipes. I've found that healthy cooking involves tweaking good recipes just as much as finding them.

For instance, I've just recently figured out that adding quick oats with a wheat flour substitute improves the texture of wheat bread, and adds more whole grain. Example: I have a bread stick recipe that calls for 3 C flour. I substitute 1 C wheat flour (old trick) and 1/2 C quick oats (new trick!) for the same amount of all-purpose flour. You can't even see the quick oats in the bread when you're done, and it gives the wheat bread a more moist texture.