Sourdough Cornbread

I love experimenting with my sourdough starter. I wasn't sure how a sourdough cornbread would turn out, but it ended up being great. It's a slightly sweet bread that could be a nice side for chili or baked beans.

Sourdough Cornbread

1 cup sourdough starter
2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup Earth Balance or coconut oil, melted
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 425F. Grease an 8x8" cake pan.

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well. Pour batter into the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Sourdough Pizza Crust

I recently made a batch of sourdough crackers and decided to try using some of the dough for bread sticks. It had the consistency of pizza crust, so I tweaked the recipe slightly and made a pizza with the next batch. Turbokid loved it and even ate the crust, something he rarely does.

Vegan barbecue "chicken" pizza - barbecue sauce, vegan chicken, sauteed zucchini, chopped roma tomatoes, and Daiya mozzarella cheese.

Sourdough Pizza Crust

1 cup sourdough starter
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Kneed just until dough is smooth, adding a little more flour if the dough is sticky. Form dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit in a warm location for at least six hours and up to twenty-four. The dough can be refrigerated after the proofing time if you're not able to use it right away.

Preheat oven to 375C. Lightly grease a baking sheet, then roll the dough onto the sheet into the desired shape and thickness. You can roll up the edges of the dough to give a thicker edge crust.

Bake crust for 8-10 minutes, then remove from oven and add sauce and toppings. Return to oven and bake another 10 minutes, until crust is golden.

Zucchini Bread

I found myself with a surplus of zucchini this week. I could only find one of my bread pans, so the excess batter became muffins. This recipe makes two loaves of bread or about 18 large muffins. Turbokid screamed "Cupcakes!" when he saw the muffins and devoured two of them.

Zucchini Bread

2 cups grated zucchini (about two zucchini)
3 Tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 medium ripe banana)
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp baking soda
3 cups white whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two bread pans.

In a small, stir together the ground flax and water and let sit for about 5 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine the grated zucchini, flax and water mixture, coconut oil, mashed banana, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda, then add the flour and mix well.

Pour batter into the bread pans. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Muffin variation: This recipe makes approximately 18 muffins. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

I get bored easily so like to experiment with variations on recipes. I've been making bread from my rye sourdough starter a couple times a week, so I'm on a quest to find my favorite sourdough recipes. This one is great. It's made entirely with white whole wheat flour, but it is fluffy instead of dense like most homemade whole wheat breads. Most of the sourdough recipes I've seen either use multiple rise times or allow the dough to proof for 12+ hours, but this one only has a single, four-hour rise with no dough reshaping. That is mostly because I forgot about it while doing other things and when I came back to the kitchen, the dough was huge so I thought I might as well bake it. My forgetfulness paid off, because this is my favorite sourdough variation so far.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

1 1/2 cups sourdough starter
1 cup soy milk, room temperature
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
3 Tbsp wheat bran
3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp salt
3 Tbsp Earth Balance, softened
4 cups white whole wheat flour (plus more for kneading)

Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, then turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for several minutes, until dough is smooth and stretchy. Form dough into a loaf shape on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet, then cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm area to rise for at least four hours.

Preheat oven to 400F at the end of the rising time. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Variation: For a denser, even more flavorful bread, try replacing the white whole wheat flour with freshly ground red winter wheat flour (one of my local grocery stores has a wheat berry grinder), the Earth Balance with olive oil, and the sugar with molasses.

Adventures in Fermentation

(L to R) Pickled Onions, Moroccan Preserved Lemons, Sauerkraut, Sourdough Starter, Kombucha. The second sourdough starter in the back is being adopted by a friend soon.

About five weeks ago, I attempted growing my own kombucha SCOBY from a bottle of commercial kombucha. I didn't realize at the time that the instructions I was following were for the old formulation of kombucha prior to it being temporarily removed from store shelves in 2010. After a couple weeks, I tossed out the weird, transparent jellyfish-like-blob I'd grown and acquired a real SCOBY. My first batch is in its first fermentation now. In a couple days, I'll taste-test it and if it's ready, I'll bottle it up with interesting flavors like carrot juice, hibiscus flowers, or orange juice and send it into the dark for its second fermentation.

About two weeks ago, I began a rye sourdough starter using this method. It took off and grew into a monster ooze that bubbled out of the old spaghetti sauce jar I'd started it in. I split the starter into two jars, one for a friend and one to keep, and fed the cloned monsters succulent grains of organic rye for a couple days before capping the jars and storing them in the fridge.

Rye Sourdough Starter on day 3. So many bubbles and the monster is only hours away from overflowing the jar.

Today I took the starter out and made my first loaf of sourdough using this recipe. It was a test loaf to make sure my starter was good. Well, it was certainly good, and I ended up with a 10-inch in diameter fluffy loaf of sourdough bread with a chewy crust and a pleasant tang.

My lovely first loaf of sourdough bread.

I fed the monster to replace the starter I used and it bubbled out the top of the jar within an hour. I have some happy yeast in that starter! The spaghetti squash jar wasn't going to cut it anymore, so I picked up a 2-quart jar, added to my recently-fed starter, and watched the monster grow to fill 2/3 of the new jar. I sense a large quantity of sourdough recipe experiments in my future.

Not content with just a brewing kombucha and a happy sourdough starter, I felt compelled to find new things to ferment. I went shopping for organic produce - onions, lemons, and cabbage. I had a bag of onions already, but they sprouted in my cupboard and now I'm waiting for the frost to pass so I can plant them outside.

The cupboard dwellers. Their owls have not yet arrived.

In the span of an hour and a half, I made Moroccan Preserved Lemons, Sauerkraut, and Pickled Onions. They have taken up residence on a cookie sheet in the cupboard under my buffet counter, little jars of mundane things waiting to create some magic.

So, here I am after midnight, typing with briny hands and hoping everything works. Fermenting is a curious thing -  an exercise in patience and an obligatory strong stomach ready to ignore the oddness of what you're eating or drinking in favor of appreciating the beneficial microorganisms. I'm trying to figure out what I should make next. Any suggestions?

Sharo's Sourdough Rye

Some people like their bread light and fluffy, but I prefer mine to have texture and substance. This bread takes several days to make, so satisfying that sourdough craving needs to be planned in advance. I made a small amount of starter containing active dry yeast for this recipe experiment, but you can also make your own long-term sourdough starter for multiple batches like this. I had a little trouble with the rises because my house is cold right now.

Sharo Briarwind is a minor character in my Echoes of Oblivion trilogy. She's the mother of major character Rhodren Briarwind and the owner of a bakery in the green city of Heren, Maritor. Sharo is a deceptively clever and earthy woman with a complex past, with hands made strong from years of kneading bread. I'm naming this recipe for her because it may have been the same patient variety of rye her son stole from her in his introductory chapter.

Sharo's Sourdough Rye

Makes 2 small loaves or 1 large one.

Starter:
1/4 cup rye flour
1/4 cup warm water
1 tsp active dry yeast

Mix together all starter ingredients in a small glass or ceramic bowl (I used a ceramic coffee cup). Loosely cover with plastic wrap and set it a warm place to ferment for about 48 hours.

Sponge:
1 cup rye flour
1 cup warm water
1 Tbsp active dry yeast

After the 48 hours is up, spoon the starter into a large bowl and mix in the sponge ingredients. Cover and let sit in a warm place for 4-5 hours.

Dough:
1 1/4 cups rye flour
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp caraway seeds
3/4 cup warm water
1 Tbsp sunflower oil

Add the dough ingredients to the sponge mixture except for the sunflower oil. Mix well, then turn dough out onto a floured surface. Let the dough sit for a minute or two while you rinse out and oil the bowl with the sunflower oil.

Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes, until it becomes elastic instead of sticky. You may need to add in another 1/4 cup or so of white whole wheat flour if it is too sticky to work.

Place the kneaded dough in the bowl and roll around so the surface is lightly coated in the sunflower oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough in half and form into two balls. Place onto a baking sheet, flatten the balls, cover with the kitchen towel, and let rise for 20-30 minutes.

After the second rise, reshape the dough into oval loaves. Cover with a towel and let rise for 40 minutes for the final rise.

Preheat oven to 450F. When the dough has finished rising, lower the oven temperature to 400F. Slice an X diagonally on the top of each loaf. Put the bread in the oven. Before closing the door, toss a handful of ice cubes into the oven for some moisture. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until loaf sounds hollow when you tap on the crust. Remove the loaves from the oven and move to a wire rack to cool.

You can make one large loaf instead of two small ones. The rise times should be about the same, but you'll need to bake it longer, probably about 50 minutes.

Kumquat Cashew Bran Muffins

A local grocery store had kumquats for $2 a pint, so I picked some up. I had no idea what to do with the odd little citrus fruits. They are entirely edible except for the seeds. The skins are sweet and the pulp is tart.

In my respiratory infection-induced delirium, I decided muffins would be a good way to use some of these mystery fruits. If you don't have kumquats available, try chopped apples instead. I wasn't sure how these would turn out, but they are quite good and Turbokid loves them.

Kumquat Cashew Bran Muffins

1/2 cup untoasted wheat germ
1/2 cup wheat bran (alternatively, you can use all germ or bran totaling 1 cup. I only had 1/2 cup germ left, so I used both)
1 Tbsp ground flax seed mixed into 3 Tbsp water
1 cup almond milk (I used vanilla)
3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp blackstrap molasses
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp oil
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup chopped and seeded kumquats
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces

Preheat oven to 400F.

Mix wheat germ and wheat bran together in a mixing bowl. Stir in flax mixture and almond milk and let sit briefly until some of the moisture is absorbed. Mix in sugar, molasses, baking powder, salt, and oil, then mix in the white whole wheat flour. Fold in chopped kumquats and cashews.

Fill lined or greased muffin cups with the batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Herbed Biscuits

These flaky biscuits are a great compliment to the French Lentil and Kale Soup. They are soy-free and whole grain.

Herbed Biscuits

2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp dried Italian herbs
4 Tbsp coconut oil
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond)

Preheat oven to 450F.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Using a fork or your hands, cut the coconut oil into the flour mixture. Add the non-dairy milk and mix well.

Form biscuits and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Number made depends on how big you like your biscuits. I generally get 8-12 biscuits from this recipe.

Butternut French Toast

I made my daughter's baby foods, so I had some leftover purees in the freezer to use up. Purees can be a good way to sneak more vegetables into your meals. I add them to soups, pasta sauces, and even desserts. This time, I'm sneaking them into a breakfast-for-dinner. My kids loved it... Turbokid devoured three slices of toast before I had time to sit down!

The omelet is a half-recipe of the Vital Ital Green Banana Omelet from Vegan World Fusion Cuisine. I substituted basil, cherry tomatoes, and Swiss chard for the cilantro, carrots, and green onions. I also learned I am terrible at flipping omelets.

Butternut French Toast and Vital Ital Green Banana Omelet (from Vegan World Fusion Cuisine)

Butternut French Toast

1/2 cup pureed, cooked butternut squash (4oz)
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond)
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp coconut oil
6-8 slices whole grain bread (I used an ancient grain bread from a local bakery)

In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the squash puree, non-dairy milk, sugar, flour, and cinnamon.

Heat the oil in a skillet. Dip a slice of bread in the squash mixture, coating both sides, and then place in the skillet. Cook each side until crispy and golden. Remove from heat and cover with a clean dish towel to keep warm while cooking remaining slices. Serve with applesauce or maple syrup.

Lemon Basil Bread

I love the smell of fresh-baked bread. It invokes sweet memories of childhood and experiments have correlated experiencing the smell of fresh bread to being kinder to strangers. Scents can invoke memories and alter moods in unexpected ways and the scent of bread brings many people comfort.

I've been using this recipe for a couple years. Many homemade bread recipes require eggs or milk, but this is simpler. I've livened it up from the usual yeast-salt-flour combination and given it a kick of herbs and citrus. The oat flour can be replaced by whole wheat, but I recommend keeping the all-purpose flour as is so the bread does not become too dense for the fresh citrus flavor.

Lemon Basil Bread

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 package)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup oat flour
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2-2 tsp fresh lemon zest
2 Tbsp fresh basil, minced
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted (canola or another vegetable oil also works. Olive oil has too strong of a flavor for this bread).

In a small bowl, dissolve 1 Tbsp of the sugar and the yeast in the water. Let stand for about 5 minutes, or until bubbly.

In a large bowl, stir together 1 cup of the all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup of the oat flour, the lemon juice, lemon zest, basil, salt, the remaining 1 Tbsp sugar, and coconut oil.

Add the yeast mixture and mix until well combined. Add the remaining flour and stir well. The dough will be a little sticky.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 40 minutes, or until the size is approximately doubled. Punch the dough down. Place the dough in a greased loaf pan. Smooth the top and pat the dough to fill the corners. Cover the dough again and let it rise another 40 minutes, or until doubled.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 35-40 minutes. The bread is done when the loaf sounds hollow when the crust is golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool, then slice and serve with non-dairy butter.

Note:
Agave butter is great with this because the sweetness balances out the tartness of the lemon. Just mix 1 tsp of agave nectar into 2 Tbsp of non-dairy butter like Earth Balance.

Feeding the Finicky Toddler

This was originally published on my main blog, Evergreen and Indigo. Turbotot is now three years old so has been upgraded to Turbokid.

Oy, toddlers!

All toddlers go through phases of loving and hating foods and my vegan toddler is no exception. We made an effort to introduce him to a wide variety of foods as soon as he started solids at six months. He loved even stranger things like kale and tempeh until he was over a year old, when he decided all he wanted was crackers, rice, and fruit. It can be a struggle to get him to eat anything but carbs some days, so I've had to be sneaky to get him eating veggies and beans. Here are some things that work for us.  But, be warned... what works today might not work tomorrow, and what a toddler won't touch today he might devour the next time it's offered. Keep offering, it might take a while but my son decided he loved snap peas after I put them in front of him at least two dozen times without him ever trying them.

1. Soups 

This is a big one for us. As soon as Turbotot discovered the mechanics of a spoon, he only wanted to eat spoon foods. There was a catch, though. The foods had to be smooth. He refused chunky soups and yogurts, but would eat any flavor if they were pureed smooth. I made him cream of broccoli soup and he devoured three bowls in one sitting. I experimented with other veggies and came up with an all-purpose cream soup recipe that has been a hit with my texture-picky toddler.

Cream of Whatever Soup

1 pound vegetable of choice (broccoli, carrot, asparagus, kale, cauliflower, squash, etc.)

1 onion, chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic

2 cups vegetable broth or water

1/4 cup flour Or cornstarch

2 1/2 cups fortified plain non-dairy milk

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons basil, oregano, ginger, or other herb or spice of choice

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Cut the vegetable of choice into chunks. Put the broth or water in a large saucepan and add vegetable, onion, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Put the contents of the pot and the flour in a food processor or blender (probably needs to be done in two batches) and process until smooth. Return to stove and stir in remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the soup thickens.

This recipe is very forgiving and you can use more than one pound of vegetables or a combination of vegetables. Cream of carrot soup with ginger is very soothing on upset stomachs.

2. Dips

Toddlers love dips. Hummus, guacamole, bean dip, and spinach dip are a huge hits in our house. I serve them with homemade or store-bought pita bread, crackers, or vegetables.  

Simple Bean Dip

1 can of beans, any variety, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup of salsa

Process in blender or food processor. That's it, super easy and my toddler loves it on toast. It yields about two cups for far cheaper than the store-bought bean dips, and the texture and taste can be adjusted through using more or less of different kinds of salsa.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

3 1/2 cups flour (a combination of 1/2 white and 1/2 wheat works well. You can use all whole-wheat, but may need to add more water since whole wheat flour is more absorbent than white)

3 tsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup lukewarm water

oil

Stir the yeast and sugar into water and let sit until the yeast bubbles. Combine the flour and salt, then add the yeast mixture and knead. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, knead the dough. Divide into 12 portions. Roll each one out to make a thin bread.

Heat and lightly oil a skillet. Cook the breads one at a time for 1-2 minutes on a side on medium-high heat. The breads should fluff up and create center pockets if the heat is adjusted correctly (this can take some trial and error).

3. Smoothies

Add ground flax seed, chia seed, a quarter of an avocado, and/or a handful of spinach to fruit smoothies for a health boost. Coconut oil can be added for skinny toddlers who need more calories.

4. Pudding
Head to the nearest Asian market for a healthy, toddler-friendly pudding! Blend the jelly-like meat of a young coconut with strawberries, cocoa, carob, or banana until smooth. Reserve the coconut water for a quick electrolyte drink or an add-in for smoothies. My toddler goes nuts over this "pudding" and calls it "pie". Young coconuts can be found in some regular supermarkets, but I've found them to be cheaper and fresher in Asian markets.

5. Pasta Sauce

Stir pureed vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, or squash into homemade or commercial pasta sauce. My toddler is a huge fan of pasta, so this is an easy way to get him to eat veggies. I also like pureeing beans to make cream sauces as instructed in The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook.

I know I have more ideas hiding in my cluttered head, so I'll add to this list if I remember them. My guy loves whole edamame, mushrooms, snap peas, carrots, baked sweet potato fries, and bean sprouts, but we are still trying to convince him to eat other vegetables without having to disguise them. Do you have any more suggestions on how to get toddlers to eat more beans, vegetables, and other healthy foods?

Oat Flour Banana Bread

This tasty bread is soy-free, wheat-free, and nut-free. My family devoured it in less than 24 hours, so it's obviously not free of flavor, though.

Oat Flour Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 ripe bananas
2 cups oat flour (or oatmeal run through a food processor until very fine)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup coconut milk (the beverage kind, not the canned. I used coconut nog that was left over from the holidays)
1 tsp vanilla extract
cinnamon and brown sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a hand-held mixer, cream the coconut oil, sugar, and bananas in a mixing bowl. Mix in the oat flour, baking soda, and baking powder, and then add the coconut milk and vanilla and mix well. Pour batter into an oiled 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 bread pan. Smooth the top of the batter, then sprinkle with a little cinnamon and brown sugar. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry.