Strawberry Bread

I know it has been so long since I have posted regularly on my blog.  Life has been crazy.  And not very nice.  Plus, I got a new computer.  Normally this would make me very happy but I absolutely despise Windows 8!  But it's summer break again so I am back to experimenting with food.  Although I don't really feel like it is an actual 'break' this year.

Since L had so much trouble this year, I now can or freeze almost everything we eat at home because everything has preservatives and dishonest labeling. This way, I know exactly what she is eating.  The health benefits, of course, are for all of us but this all started because she is so important.  So, this summer, since I don't have a full garden at home yet, we have been raiding the farmer's markets and fruit and vegetable stands for fresh and organic products.  We also found a local source for grass fed beef.

Anyway, with the last batch of strawberries I had, I made this wonderful bread.  The original recipe came from another blog which you can find HERE.

But I changed it up a little.  This bread is VERY moist.  And don't be fooled by the toothpick coming out clean when you check the bread.  My toothpick came out clean but it was still more like a crumble instead of bread in parts.  It was still really good though.  Nobody complained about how gooey it was.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups strawberries, chopped
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour (I'm positive this could be changed for a gluten free.  We went with a corn-free.)
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cup grapeseed oil (original recipe said vegetable oil but in this house, we only use grapeseed, olive or coconut.)
Olive oil to grease loaf pans
1 tsp. vanilla (working on this to be corn-free)

Directions:
Mix chopped strawberries with the 2 Tbsp. sugar in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease loaf pans.  Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Then combine remaining ingredients but don't over stir.  Fold in the strawberries.

Divide evenly between the two greased loaf pans.  Bake for 50-55 minutes.

Note:  Pictures to come.  I'm still working on moving my pictures over after changing computers.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cinnamon Muffins

I have a bunch of chocolate chips left over after Christmas.  Yes, they keep well in the freezer, but I thought I would go ahead and use some.  I get sugar cravings sometimes, as most women do, but I've tried to start making something semi-healthy to satisfy the cravings.  Even if there is sugar in it, the recipe is mostly unprocessed.  All of my guinea pigs raved about this recipe.  It was our New Year's Eve treat.  We taste tested these muffins, various teas my sister bought to try and a bottle of Yellow Tail Moscato.  It was a great night!  

Ingredients:

1½ cups old fashioned oats

2 and 2/3 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

4 tsp. baking powder (corn free)

½ tsp. salt 

1-2 Tbsp. cinnamon

2 eggs, beaten

1½ cups canned coconut milk

1 stick (½ cup) butter, melted

1 cup chocolate chips (I am still looking for chocolate chips with acceptable ingredients)

Directions:

Combine the oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix in the eggs, milk, and butter.  Stir until the flour is moistened. Mix the chocolate chips in.  Fix greased or paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full with the batter. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until tops are light golden.  Makes approximately 18 muffins.

Note:  I have a picture of the muffins but it is on my phone at the moment.  I will update with the picture when I can.

Homemade Italian Bread Crumbs

Again, since the toddler is allergic to corn, we cannot even use store bought bread crumbs.  So I looked up a way to make my own.

Ingredients:
2-4 slices of bread depending on the size of the loaf (This must be homemade for corn and gluten-free)
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. dry parsley flakes
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. dry oregano
¼ tsp. dry basil leaves
¼ tsp. sugar

Directions:
Toast the 2 pieces of bread to desired consistency.  Break the bread up and put in a food processor or blender.  When the bread is all crumbs, pour them into a bowl and mix in the rest of the ingredients.

I was not thinking at all when I was making this so I didn't use the blender.  Duh right?  So the picture below doesn't look quite right and still has larger bread pieces.  But next time I will do it right.