Whole Wheat Puff Pastry

Forgive these pictures. I normally try to wait to make and photograph food until the light is good but one night I came home from work and decided I AM MAKING WHOLE WHEAT PUFF PASTRY TONIGHT, LIGHT BE DAMNED!

So....I did. Thusly the lighting in these photos is meh. But stick with me because homemade puff pastry is awesome, but now...not only can you make it preservative-free, you can also make it WITH WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR! I mean...I'm not gonna say it's healthy. There's a lot of butter. But ya know...it's better.

Don't be intimidated by the idea of making homemade puff pastry. It's slightly time intensive but only because you have to chill the dough a bunch of times-so you can do other stuff while the dough chills. You can do laundry, make other food, clean, watch TV....ya know...productive stuff.

But the actual work put in is crazy simple. The hardest part is using your muscles to roll out the dough. Which isn't hard. If my wimpy arms can do it, so can yours!

Then, once you've made your puff pastry, you divide it into thirds--or fourths (because a package of puff pastry is generally about 1 lb. and these recipe yields 3-4 lbs.--this will make it easier to use when you're making recipes that call for the storebought stuff) and then stick it in the refrigerator or freezer. Hooray! And when you bake up the pastry it's wonderfully flaky and buttery (although, sure, less flaky than with white flour) and has this awesome earthy, almost nutty, quality from the whole wheat flour. It's awesome. 

You'll see!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oat Muffins {HEALTHY}

Muffins get kind of a bum rap in the breakfast world.

Not that people don't love em...oh no...people LOVE muffins. But everyone says they're not healthy, it's cake for breakfast, sugar, carbs, blah blah blahhhhhh. Well, worry no more my friends! You can eat THESE muffins and not have your annoying best friend who's going to grad school for nutrition and food science giving you a hard time about it (wait...is that just me?). REGARDLESS-muffins. Healthified. Oh yeah.

These muffins taste healthy. But like...in a good way. In a hearty, filling, makes you feel good about yourself kind of way. There are oats, whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, peanut butter....and....well....ok....chocolate chips. BUT you can omit them if you really want. But like...dark chocolate is an antioxidant. And really, there are NOT a lot of choc chips in this recipe.

Really. Seriously. I'm not kidding. Scout's honor.* (I really was a Girl Scout so you know that's legit.)

The only problem I have when I make muffins is....there's 12. For just me and Michael. And we can each really only eat like 1 a day soooo it's a smidge difficult. But no worries, these beautiful muffins did not go to waste-I gave a few to the parents of a little girl I babysit, and Michael and I managed to finish off the rest. :D

Of course you can always freeze leftover muffins. Or, if you have a big family, do not worry because these will get gobbled up before you know it! Perfect for breakfast or a nice healthy snack!

Coconut Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

My brother and I are 2 and a half years apart (but he's tall and I'm short so we tend to look the same age) and don't really look alike. Now, this isn't really a big deal, who cares if my brother and I don't look like each other, right? Well, here's the problem: sometimes Josh and I hang out, and oftentimes (note: almost all the time) when we're out together, people think we're together. Like a couple. This is very traumatic, as I'm sure you can imagine. When it first happened we were horrified. Now it's this thing we expect and fear. To the point where we will literally go out of our way to mention that we are siblings. The worst/best was when I went to look at one of the reception locations with my mom and Josh (this was not the place we ended up choosing) the woman came over to talk to us and, according to Josh, kept glancing at him, as well as me, when she asked questions. When she stepped away, Josh turned to me and hissed, "MAKE SURE SHE KNOWS I'M NOT YOUR FIANCE' I'M YOUR BROTHER!" Ugh. It is unfair that this is a necessary thing. 

Anyway, what's all of that have to do with cookies?

Nothing.

I just wanted to share.

SHARING however, does have to do with these cookies!

I would looove to share some of these with you!

These cookies are little bites of coconut-y goodness. Chewy and full of amazing texture, and, duh, chocolate. All wins. PLUS they're actually not too bad for you. They don't contain any butter-just coconut oil. AND I used all white whole wheat flour in these. So I occasionally found it acceptable to have one of these for breakfast. That's totally ok with you guys, yeah?

Whole Wheat Chocolate Dutch Baby

Hello there! Happy Valentine's Day! <3

When it came to the photography for this one, guys...I just kept it simple. I found myself out of powdered sugar for dusting (d'oh!) and really wishing I had some strawberries or raspberries hanging around (but of course...I didn't) so I just was like "Ok. This is what is is. Let's just show everyone a chocolate dutch baby."

There are 2 BIG reasons this recipe rocks (aside from the fact that it's yummy):

It's healthy-ish (low sugar, whole wheat flour, low calorie)

SO quick and easy to make. I seriously whipped this baby (this dutch baby, to be specific...hehe) up in less than 5 minutes (+ baking time)

And it is SO versatile. Michael liked his with syrup. I liked mine with some whipped cream...and...well...at one point I may have put some toasted marshmallows and melted chocolate on top...#sorryimnotsorry.

Now...what is a dutch baby? Um...I believe it is a German pancake. But it's sort of like something between an American pancake and...a cake. Michael initially believed this to be more cake-like but, upon trying it, then realized that it may lean more pancake.

Hey, whatevs. It's chocolate either way.

Pumpkin Pie with Whole Wheat Crust and Cinnamon Caramel Whipped Cream-Stahlbush Farms Review

Pumpkin pie is the first pie I can remember loving. Every Thanksgiving, without fail, my mom would make 2 pies and fill the whole house with that delicious, pumpkin-spice smell. And then I would have to wait, patiently*, for them to cool. My reward was a gorgeous slice of pie with a big dollop of Cool Whip that I would then proceed to scrape out of the crust (because I didn't like pie crust at that time...my theory on this is because I had yet to try a HOMEMADE pie crust at that point.) 

Now I'm grown up. And I made a grown up version of my beloved pumpkin pie.

*(not so patiently)

As a "grown up" I've really gotten into eating food from scratch: real, natural, and oft-times organic food. So when I was approached by Stahlbush Farms, I jumped at the chance to review some of their product.

"Stahlbush Island Farms is an environmentally friendly farm and food processor committed to sustainable agriculture and exceptional quality. Stahlbush has been family-owned since 1985."

Check out all the amazing products Stahlbush offers (plus the products from their Farmer's Market brand!) 

Stahlbush Farms sent me some super tasty frozen grapes to try AND-dun dun dun duuuun!- their Farmer's market brand Organic Pumpkin! And obviously I knew what I had to do: make a healthier pumpkin pie (after all, when dealing with an organic pumpkin puree with no additives, I couldn't ruin it with a bunch of other gunk). So I made a whole wheat pie crust, and topped it off with a just slightly sinful cinnamon caramel whipped cream. Mmmm yes.

I'm gonna be straight with you right now: when I was making this pie I felt like everything was going wrong. I had some issues with the pie crust being too sticky (I had to throw half of it out! Ugh, don't worry though-just follow the instructions below and you should be good. I've updated them so you hopefully won't have my problems) and THEN I was a big old idiot and poured the pie filling into the crust....before I'd mixed the evaporated milk in. *sigh* I only had a minor conniption, eased by the Michael playing "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls (he thought it might help calm me down, he was right). End of the day, everything turned out fine. I fixed all the problemos. And still ended up with a tasty tasty pie. 

Crisp, flaky, hearty pie crust. Creamy, dreamy, spiced to perfection pumpkin filling. And a sweet whipped cream with just a hint of spice on top. Oh little Kayle, you had no idea what heights pumpkin pie could reach.

Make this for Thanksgiving. Impress everyone. You're welcome.

Heart Healthy Waffles

First of all, I want to send out a lot of love to Michael and his family. Today I'm with them in spirit while they honor the wonderful life of Grandma Glo. She was so amazing and will be missed.

<3

I have a dream.

I dream of a spacious kitchen with lots of light. I dream of an island and glistening appliances. I dream of a cheerful, comforting, space with fresh flowers and full of the smells of baking bread or cookies. I dream of a happy place, where people congregate for food, love, and laughter. I dream of little ones reaching up with tiny hands, to help stir or lick a spoon.

I dream of a big, happy family, sitting around a table and enjoying a big breakfast. And at this breakfast...obviously there shall be waffles.

Waffles are king (or queen) of the (non savory) breakfasts around here. Michael doesn't adore pancakes, and I don't really like french toast, but we both enjoy waffles. 

I also want to be able to enjoy waffles in my life for a long, long, long time. My great grandma is 105. I don't know if I necessarily wanna live that long but...hey...it's pretty awesome. 

The beauty of these beauties is they're heart healthy: they include flaxseed and wheat germ (although I omitted the wheat germ because I didn't have any), whole wheat flour, and can be made with egg substitute and a healthier fat choice (such as coconut oil).

I gotta say, I love flaxseed/flaxseed meal. I bought a bag for these waffles and I have really enjoyed it! You can just throw a little tablespoon or some such into like any baked good and hey, woot, you've got a little healthier kick to it!

Back to the waffles-they're hearty, chewy, full of flavor, and really just a great option. Really, the only downside is they aren't quite crisp enough for me. But that's not a big deal, they're so gorgeous and I would be proud to serve this to anyone. Especially my adorable little future family that I'm dreaming of :)

Whole Wheat Brown Butter Pancakes

These are some of the best pancakes I've ever made. Certainly the prettiest.

I'm pretty sure they're Michael's favorite too (even though he's not generally a big pancake fan). He's totally on the browned butter bandwagon.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

My girl, Kristin, of Baker Bettie, (remember her?) has this amazing Back to Bake-sics series that is just...revolutionizing how I make things. I suck at science so making my own recipes has always seemed confusing/intimidating but she breaks it down in a way that makes SO much sense and it has taught me SO much! Anyway, as soon as I saw her basics recipe for pancakes I knew I had to use it immediately. Wanna know why? She said I could use any liquid fat...which made my brain go: BROWNED BUTTER PANCAKES ARE HAPPENING! And I knew brown sugar would be a perfect partner, and I thought the nuttiness of whole wheat flour would complement the recipe too. So that is what I did.

Such a great idea.

These pancakes had such a great, different, flavor. They were soft and fluffy. Pretty much overall deliciousness in pancake form. You can also get crazy and throw in some fruit or chocolate chips or whatever (which of course I added chocolate chips to mine, but I actually think they distracted from the delicious browned butter flavor. Michael's were chocolate chip-less). Whatever. Bottom line is you just need these in your life. For breakfast. Or dinner, hey, whatever floats your boat.

English Muffin Bread

I think this is Michael's favorite bread that I've ever made. It's soft, it's got air pockets, it's delicious, long story short: yummy. He loves English muffins, and I love the bread version because it's so much more versatile! Not only is this like...the perfect thing for toast, but it's also awesome for sandwiches and you know...whatever else you may use bread for. I even snuck some whole wheat flour into this, and it was super awesome, I couldn't even really tell that I'd done it.

Just a stunning, golden brown loaf of bread, with soft fluffy insides studded with English muffin's trademark air pockets. Pretty pretty pretty.

I just adore bread. All of it. And I love baking it. I am totally not even a little bit afraid of yeast anymore. *Knock on wood* I have never had a bread recipe go wrong, I've never messed one up, everything always turns out wonderfully. And come on...what's better than the smell of fresh baked bread?

Toast yourself a slice, slather it in butter and/or jam.
Make a grilled cheese.
Have a little BLT.

Make English muffin bread.

DOOO ITTT.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies with @ZulkaSugar

In case you didn't know, this week I'm posting some delicious, healthier, sweets! All featuring my new fave baking ingredient-Zulka Pure Cane Sugar. If you wanna read more about it, check out Monday's post. Suffice it to say-I now wanna use it for all of my granulated sugar needs!

Oh hello there chewy, underbaked cookies.

You have all the delicious comfort of any great chocolate chip cookie.

Hm...what's that?

You're made completely with whole wheat, you say??!

Whaaaaa??

Oh yes.

These cookies utilize the amazingness of aging dough (which we've discussed before) and-although they do have oats in them-they're a pretty classic chocolate chip cookie (the oats just give em some chew), and the whole wheat factor is pretty much a non-issue. Like...you can't really tell. They're just good.

And good cookies is what it's all about, right?

(Bonus: this recipe makes a bunch 'o' cookies, so you know what that means...LEFTOVERS! Hooray!)

Coffee Cake Muffins with @ZulkaSugar

Hey there guys! Happy Monday! I've got a little breakfast treat for you, and-on top of that-I'm gonna introduce you to my new favorite thing: Zulka Pure Cane Sugar.

You're probably all like-huh? What's that? Don't worry fair readers, I'm getting to that. Zulka Pure Cane Sugar is a Non-GMO Project verified “Morena” sugar. Morena sugar describes granulated sugars that do not undergo conventional refining processes, which remove the complexity and flavor in raw sugar cane after it has been pressed. So to sum up-it's like all natural n stuff AND you can use it to replace granulated sugar cup by cup (so a recipe calls for 1 cup granulated sugar? Use 1 cup Zulka. Simple.) for cooking, baking, beverages, in coffee...literally anything.

I've always been semi-skeptical about using natural sugars in my baking (WHAT IF IT DOESN'T TURN OUT RIGHT??!) but omg I am in love with Zulka Pure Cane Morena Sugar! It's completely revolutionary. I've been using it in everything, and all has turned out perfect (and tasting even better)! To celebrate the awesomeness, all 3 recipes I'll be sharing this week are featuring the Zulka Sugar (and they all have healthier twists to them). Fun right? So-Zulka is sold at major retailers nationwide, so you should be able to get your hands on it (trust me, you want to!) and you can also keep up with them via facebook and twitter!

Now, let's talk breakfast.
To be exact-muffins.
To be more exact-coffee cake muffins.

I threw these together a couple weeks ago, in preparation for my film shoot-I wanted to have something easy to grab in the mornings before self-reporting to Staten Island. And as we know, I'm quite fond of breakfasts that incorporate cinnamon/sugar. One of my handy dandy (but far too often forgotten) cookbooks provided me with this recipe, and then I just tweaked it a smidge to make them a bit healthier for mornings (whole wheat flour and-of course-the use of Zulka morena sugar. They were pretty low cal to begin with, however.)

These are absolutely the perfect mix of muffin and coffee cake-they have a wonderful crumb, and just the right amount of streusel. And they served me well for those crazy pre-shoot mornings. I'm sure they'd be equally (or even more) wonderful on a lazy morning with a mug of coffee/tea and a newspaper...or whatever people do in the mornings. Yeah.

Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Chip Waffles

I'm oddly lazy in the morning when it comes to cooking. I mean like...I'm pretty good to go by 9. But since I wake up at 7, usually, that means me making a like...actual breakfast, doesn't happen often. I go to sleep the night before with great intentions to make something. Then I wake up and it's just like "Ughhh I don't wannaaaa." So, I was pretty proud of myself a few weeks ago when, one Sunday morning, I told Michael "I'm making a big breakfast! Waffles and eggs and bacon!"

And do you know how he responded? He snorted.
"That's funny that you think that's a big breakfast. When my mom would say she was making a big breakfast she made hash browns, an egg casserole, mini muffins, pancakes, sausage, bacon, the holy grail..."

Ok...so maybe he didn't say that last one. But the rest. How can I live up to that?! Aghhh

But anyway, I digress. We're here to talk waffles. Chocolate waffles. Double chocolate waffles. Cocoa powder + chocolate chips. Yes.

Oh and they're like...fairly good-ish for you. We've got whole wheat flour goin' and the darkness of the chocolates makes em like healthy n such and just a lil bit of heart healthy oils as fat.

Now...if you decide to top these waffles with ice cream and hot fudge...that's up to you.
You could also put fruit on top.

These waffles are just cool like that.

Pretty quick to whip up (you don't even need to whip egg whites like you do for my other waffle recipes), I was able to actually deliver on making these waffles that Sunday morning. I'm confident all you other busy (or lazy) peeps can do it too. They're thick and chewy, but crisp on the outside, and they really just taste...well..like chocolate waffles. 

So yeah. Nothing not to like about that.

100% Whole Wheat Bread

Confession: whenever I see a Rockin' Body commercial I think to myself "Those people look so in shape and like they're having so much fun! If I buy that maybe I can look like that too! And have fun dancing!" And then I remember my unused Flirty Girl Fitness DVD's....*sigh* 

Since I'm apparently allergic to exercise, I...ya know...try to make small changes to keep stuff under control on this body 'o' mine. Switching to whole wheat is a big move I made, like, a couple years ago (I mean...in some stuff...obviously white flour still has it's place in many baked goods). Mostly this applies to pasta and bread.

Anyway, after I had that nutella & pb sandwich I toldja about, I knew I wanted to make homemade Nutella AND a nice, classic, completely whole wheat sandwich bread. Obviously the first place I turned to was King Arthur Flour for the recipe-and they did not disappoint.

This pretty darn easy recipe yields a nice, soft, loaf of bread that is perfect for sandwiches and toasting and spreading good stuff on it. The whole wheat flavor is not overwhelming at all and it's pretty much just the best.

Michael super duper loved this recipe ("it's soft", he commented).

Sometimes you just need some recipes that are classic staples, that you know you're gonna hang on to and use for like...ever. This is one of those. Lurve. I could live on bread. I mean it. That whole "man cannot live on bread alone" thing? Does not apply to me-except for water. I need water too. Moral of the story is I would have fared just fine (food-wise) in an old timey prison.

Homemade Wheat Thin Crackers

Look how fancy I am with my dim lighting and green base and brie spread on homemade crackers.

I can now imagine I'm the type of person who always looks impeccable, not a stain in sight, no cookie dough in my hair, nothing out of place. My kitchen is probably immaculate (and not with tons of crumbs on the floor and dried dough of various sorts hiding in various different places). I probably always say the right thing, speak at the correct volume, and know when to be silent. My manners are undoubtedly above reproach and I never use my hands when I eat. I probably speak another language fluently, probably french. I've probably also been to Europe, and I have a super classy and important job.

Ok soooo...none of that stuff is true.

Except for the part about eating brie* on homemade wheat thins. I did that.

And I'm cool with it, all loud, messy, annoying, crazy, improper parts of me.

*(but usually I ate them with peanut butter)

I'm sort of obsessed with homemade crackers these days. I just think things from scratch taste better. Forreals. And these do. AND they're like healthy and actually healthy, not like when you buy a box of something supposedly healthy at the store then look at the ingredients and go "WHAT IS IN THESE??!"

You totally aren't gonna be afraid of anything in these. A perfect snack (or breakfast, if you're me)!

*Fanciness not required

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Breakfast recipes on a Monday, oh how I missed thee.

Right now, I'm probably giggling and having a cartoon-worthy wonderful time with Hayley from The Domestic Rebel, today is her last full day visiting here. Perhaps we're even having breakfast, maybe making it together. Perhaps we are making these pancakes.

Who knows?

Now, if you're familiar with my pancake habits, you know that I eat chocolate chip pancakes (or waffles) with peanut butter spread on top. That is the way I like it. I also like for my breakfasts to be pretty healthy, though, and that is where a recipe like this comes in. These pancakes are made entirely with whole wheat flour and they are fluffy and fabulous. You don't even have to put chocolate chips in em if you want, you could pull a Michael and chop up some apples and throw those in these with a little cinnamon. Really it's up to you.

I just like the chocolate chips.

The first time I attempted to make these pancakes it was a bit of a disaster. After making the entire batch, Michael complained about them tasting funny, to which I replied that there was nothing particularly weird in these. Then he went to have a drink of milk-and it was apparently very bad. The same milk I had just used to make these pancakes. So...into the trash they all went. And I was stuck starving, with a sink full of dishes, and no food. I was a sad Kayle.

The second venture into these pancakes went much better, although I was sort of gun shy this go round, made paranoid by my previous traumatic experience. I worried for naught. These tasted delicious. Fluffy, yet hearty, and full of chocolatey goodness. Then, I was a happy Kayle.

Moral of the story is: make these pancakes and you'll be a happy Kayle too. :)

Soft 100% Whole Wheat Rolls

Alright you guys, so far, so good on the no meat on Fridays front. Obviously, I am not posting meat recipes on Fridays also because...well that just seems like it's breaking the rules for some reason. Anyway, today I've got like bread for you. But it's like healthy bread.

It's rare to find a decent, 100% whole wheat, bread recipe. These rolls drew me in because of the promise of softness. And these rolls are soft. And they are nice. Michael was quite fond of them. I used them to make breadcrumbs for some things, which was great. But...for me, I just couldn't take all the wheaty flavor. Like I said, however, Michael did like them. He was raised with whole wheat bread whereas I probably never had any until I was like...20. So...take all that into consideration. You probably will like them. You'll especially love that you can feel all good about yourself when eating them.

I suggest honey and butter on these babies. Possibly even jam. 

They're good for breakfast as well as with your dinner.

And since you ate these, you can then have some crazy decadent dessert, right?

Easy Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Sorry about being all like...

not here on Monday.

I was so busy I completely forgot to get a post ready for you guys! 

I hope you can forgive me.

Maybe these muffins will help?

Who doesn't love cinnamon rolls for breakfast!?

But also...who has the time to make them in the morning? Pretty much no one.

Now, these muffins don't taste exactly like a cinnamon roll. It's more like they're the muffin version of those flavors. They're fluffy and full of that wonderful cinnamon sugar flavor, and drizzled with a simple and scrumptious glaze. These are wonderful warm and gooey. They're also fab. at room temp., if you're a weirdo like me who doesn't usually dig warm cinnamon rolls (I don't know why...I like em, but I like em better when they're a little cooler *shrug*). Anyway, I really hope you make these and like em and forgive me for being such a bad mean food blogger and neglecting you on Monday, ok? Ok!

Homemade Whole Wheat Ritz Crackers

Me and Ritz crackers go way back.

When I was a kid (like...2nd-4th grades I believe) I used to have to go to the speech trailer at my school (which was a Catholic school, and I had to walk through the cemetery to get to the speech trailer)-I had difficulty pronouncing my "r's" correctly (they came out like "w's"..."wabbit"...etc.). Anyway, I had a great speech therapist and it was always fun and the problem was resolved, I can now say...well...resolved (not wesolved). One of my most vivid memories of going there was that I would always immediately attack a sleeve of Ritz crackers with glee. I don't know why. But they were there and I always ate them. And I loved it.

Now-a-days I use Ritz crackers in my cooking, as well as to occasionally spread some peanut butter on as a snack. But...you guys know me and processed stuff...it just...makes me feel ugh. Have you read the ingredients on Ritz crackers? Ugh!  Anywhozzle, one day I had a bunch of super salty homemade peanut butter at my disposal (accidentally used dry roasted peanuts) and I like really wanted to use it on Ritz crackers. But I didn't want to buy them. So I figured....how hard could they be to make? I did a little google-ing, found a recipe, and turns out-not very hard at all! These crackers definitely don't taste exactly like Ritz (although perhaps the fact that I healthified these by subbing in half whole wheat contributed) but they are still super good. Definitely best on the day they're made, but I always manage to eat them leftover too. And the best part is-I don't feel bad at all about eating them. Nothing but pure contentment here.

(That's pure contentment here...not puwe contentment hewe :P)

Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, you know, sometimes I try to be healthy.

Sometimes.

Not like in a, "Oh yes let's eat a bunch of vegetables* for lunch." kind of way, but in more of a "well...these cookies aren't quite...unhealthy."

Obviously.

These are one of the first recipes I'd bookmarked, back when I was stalking sites like "Eating Well" and before I'd discovered what a food blog was. I gotta say, though, this cookies hold up! I tweaked them a smidge according to some comments I read and my own personal tastes and needs, so feel free to play around with it some yourself, too. These cookies really are quite delicious and comforting-they don't taste much different than any other oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. They're just a little better for you :) 

My kind of healthy.

*(As I type this, I have just come back from a 9 hour Green Giant promotion, telling kids to eat more vegetables. The irony is not lost on me. Also-I'm sleepy. I worked a lot these past couple days. Zzzzz)