Applesauce Flax Oat Bars with Fruits and Seeds

When it comes to breakfast on-the-go, these bars are the ultimate in portable oatmeal. I was personally sold on this recipe from the first ingredient on the list, healthy and flavorful coconut oil. I first bought coconut oil specifically to make Oatcakes, one of my all-time favorite snacks, but because I don't have familiarity with is as I do other oils, it hasn't gotten nearly the use it should. The rest of ingredients on the list - from the peanut butter, now shown to reduce the risk of breast disease, to the nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and spices - are no slouch either. Raisins, cranberries, pepitas, and sunflower seeds are ingredients that I always have in the pantry, but dried blueberries, cherries, or apricots or any kind of kind of nuts, preferably toasted, would make great substitutions. The applesauce keeps these bars moist and adds a subtle sweetness, but my next experiment with this recipe is sure to be using pumpkin puree instead of part or all of the applesauce. Individual bars freeze well, especially if you bake them in an individual brownie pan, which gives you more brown and crispy edges and makes them more structurally sound. With all the goodness of a loaded bowl of oatmeal, these bars pack flavor and nutrition into a form that's easy to eat anytime, anywhere.

Applesauce Flax Oat Bars with Fruits and Seeds

adapted from The Kitchn

makes 12 bars

1/4 cup melted coconut oil
3 tablespoons smooth peanut or almond butter
3 tablespoons honey, maple syrup, or brown rice syrup
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1 1/4 cups apple sauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups rolled oats (use certified gluten-free oats if necessary)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/ 2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon (to taste)

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8"x8" baking pan with parchment paper.

2. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the melted coconut oil, peanut butter, and brown rice syrup and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Add the ground flax seeds, apple sauce, and vanilla, and whisk to combine.

3. In a large bowl, combine the oats with the dried fruit, seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.

4. Transfer the mixture to the baking pan, pressing with your hands to create an even surface.

5. Bake until golden, about 45 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Lift out and cut into 12 pieces.

6. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Wrap individual bars tightly for transporting.

Zucchini, Banana, and Flaxseed Muffins

It's not often that I have enough time to bake breakfast and sit down and eat it in the morning, but that's just what I did with my day off on Labor Day. Most of my morning was spent on labors of love in the kitchen, with my oven occupied for hours, and these were the perfect fuel to keep me going. Zucchini muffins were the obvious choice for my breakfast baking, given my ample crop, and these came with the highest recommendation from a coworker - her nine-year-old son ate five of them in one day. As usual, I added my own spin to the recipe, swapping out all-purpose flour for whole wheat pastry flour, using the more intensely flavored dark brown sugar in lieu of the light, and reducing the amount. The banana-dark brown sugar combination adds a subtle bananas foster note to the recipe, backed up the rich (and omega-3 dense!) flax meal. Gorgeous green flecks of zucchini permeate each bite, suspended deliciously in a tender whole wheat pastry flour matrix. I froze a good portion of these muffins for weeks of breakfasts at the ready, which I know I'll be eager to scarf done when my zucchini crop has completely dwindled away.

Zucchini, Banana, and Flaxseed Muffins

adapted from Martha Stewart

makes 12 muffins

Nonstick cooking spray
1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 to 1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar (to taste)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (from 1 large zucchini)
1/3 cup mashed ripe banana (from 1 large banana)
3/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat 12 standard muffin cups with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, flaxseed, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add zucchini and banana and stir to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined (do not overmix).

2. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let muffins cool completely in pan on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.

Seeded Whole Wheat Scones

I had no idea how much I would like the scones when I first stumbled across the recipe. I've made lots of scones in my day, including many whole wheat ones, and I thought these would be, like most I've made, tasty and nutritious, but not extraordinary. I was so very happy for that assumption to be proven wrong. They have the slight sweetness and tender crumb common to most of my scones, but the mix of seeds performs an alchemy that makes these scones unbelievably delicious. While nuts get all the glory, seeds remain tragically underutilized in baked goods, but these scones are doing their part toward remedying the situation. While I've been happily chowing down on these for breakfast, their savory qualities would also make them a wonderful companion to soups and salads. If you feel the need to gild the lily, a healthy slathering of butter would not be unwelcome, but they definitely stand on their own, as any good pastry should. More than any other baked good I've made in recently memory, I urge you to try this unique and unexpectedly wonderful recipe.

Seeded Whole Wheat Scones
adapted from the New York Times
makes 12 scones

5 ounces (1 1/3 cups) whole-wheat pastry flour
2 ounces (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour (or more whole wheat pastry flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 ounces (1/2 cup) raw brown sugar
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons mixed seeds (for instance, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, flax and poppy)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

2. Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Dump anything remaining in the sifter into the bowl with the sifted ingredients. Place in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.

3. Combine the buttermilk and vanilla and, with the machine running, add to the flour mixture. Stop the machine and add the seeds. Pulse a few times to combine.

4. Flour your hands and a spatula, as well as your work surface, and scrape out the dough.  Gently shape into a rectangle 1 inch thick. Cut into 6 squares, then cut the squares diagonally to give you 12 triangular scones. The dough will be tacky but should not be too sticky to work with. If it is, add a little more flour.

5. Place the scones on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart and bake 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, or serve warm.

Cranberry Walnut Flax Oatmeal Cookies

When trying to decide what post to put up today, I discovered I've been hoarding all manner of cookie recipe posts. With  my recent discovery of my two new favorite workday snacks, I seemed to have forgotten all about delicious cookie recipes like this one. The perfect compromise between a healthy snack and tasty treat, this tempting cookie kept me going through many a busy workday and certainly doesn't deserve to be relegated to my library of unshared recipes. It's no revolutionary recipe, the classic combination of cranberries and walnuts uniting a slightly sweet oatmeal cookie, made tender and even more nutritious and flavorful by the use of whole wheat pastry flour. While these cookies will never be a show-stopper, this is a reliable recipe to come back to time and time again, adapting for whatever dried fruit and nut combination you have on hand. Quick to prepare and crowd-pleasing, this recipe is an easy way to sneak more whole grains and omega-3s into your diet. Take advantage of the (hopefully) last days of winter to bake up a big batch of these cookies, filling the house with tempting aromas and pure comfort.

Cranberry Walnut Flax Oatmeal Cookies
from King Arthur Flour
makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies

1 cup soft butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant or quick cooking)
1/2 cup whole flax meal
1/4 cup whole flax seeds
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts

1. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line them with parchment.

2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, and egg until fluffy.

3. Mix in the flour, oats, flax meal and seeds, cranberries, and walnuts.

4. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes or so at room temperature, for the oats to soften. Towards the end of the rest period, preheat the oven to 350°F.

5. Scoop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Flatten each ball of dough slightly.

6. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. Cool them on the baking sheets for 15 minutes or so, to allow them to set. Move them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Whole Wheat Flax Pancakes

Two of my favorite rituals when I was a kid were Saturday morning pancakes or waffles and breakfast for dinner. As an adult, these still feel like special events and with football season over (for Packer fans), I'm switching out my weekly Packer snack for breakfast for dinner on Sunday nights. I love ritual and routine, so having this to look forward to goes a long way toward ameliorating the dread of returning to work Monday morning that so often creeps in on Sunday night. Since I've probably gorged myself on a meal out during the weekend, I want my breakfast for dinner to be at least somewhat healthy (most of the time), and that's where these whole wheat flax pancakes come in. Much more flavorful and hearty than their white flour counterparts, these nutty pancakes are the perfect companion to a healthy pat of butter and generous drizzling of maple syrup (and a side of bacon or sausage doesn't hurt either). If you've cooked up a batch of bacon before starting the pancakes, fry the pancakes in the bacon grease for extra crispy edges and just a bit of smoky flavor. Homemade pancakes take just a little more time than the just-add-water-mix kind, so next time the craving hits, whip up a batch of these pancakes instead and reward your efforts with flavor and nutrition.

Whole Wheat Flax Pancakes
makes about 12 pancakes
adapted from King Arthur Flour

1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup dried buttermilk powder*
2 tablespoons brown sugar, maple sugar, maple syrup, or honey
1/3 cup whole flax meal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter
1 1/2 cups water*
*Or substitute 1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) of buttermilk in place of the buttermilk powder and water

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Whisk together the eggs, oil or melted butter, vanilla, and water (and honey or maple syrup, if using).

3. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, and whisk until blended. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes (it will thicken slightly). Add extra water or flour to adjust the consistency for thinner or thicker pancakes.

4. Preheat a griddle to medium high (350°F), and grease it well.

5. Scoop the batter by the 1/4-cupful onto the griddle.

6. Cook until bubbles on the top begin to pop, then turn and brown the other side.

7. Serve hot with maple syrup, or fresh fruit and yogurt.

Oatcakes

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say these are my favorite healthy cookie/granola bar/morning snack treat I've ever made. This recipe has been bookmarked ever since I bought Super Natural Every Day (along with a couple dozen other recipes) and I'm ashamed it took me so long to make it, especially since it's a common coffee shop snack in San Francisco, a city I love beyond words. Although it nearly completely composed of my go-to ingredients for these kind of snacks, I did get to try out something new-extra-virgin coconut oil. Until recently, coconut oil was made out to be a nutritional villain and I'd thus avoided it, but the tide appears to be turning on expert and public opinion so I was willing to try it out. Although it's still an ingredient to be used in moderation, I will most certainly not shy away from the quickly growing library of recipes using coconut oil in the future. Coconut oil adds a tremendous amount of flavor, not just fat, the coconut flavor playing beautifully with maple syrup and nutty whole wheat flour and oats. These are special enough for a dessert, but healthy enough for breakfast or a snack, sure to delight no matter what time of day you enjoy them. They are rugged enough to hold up all day in your purse or backpack, a delightful crusty exterior concealing a moist and flavorful center. Much more delicious than the proverbial carrot-on-a-stick, these provided motivation to make it through the early hours of my work day, and the energy to keep going until lunch. While I've made many recipes that I would be happy to return to when baking up a batch of something delicious for my work week morning snack, this is the only one I've been 100% sure that I will return to many times over.

Oatcakes
from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson
makes 12 oatcakes

3 cups rolled oats
2 cups spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/4 cup flax seeds
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
1/3 cup extra-virgin coconut oil
1/3 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup natural cane sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F/160 degrees C with a rack in the top third of the oven. Butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan.

2. Combine the oats, flour, baking powder, salt, flax seeds, and walnuts in a large mixing bowl.

3. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the coconut oil, butter, maple syrup, and sugar and slowly melt together. Stir just until the butter melts and sugar has dissolved, but don't let the mixture get too hot. You don't want it to cook the eggs on contact in the next step.

4. Pour the coconut oil mixture over the oat mixture. Stir a bit with a fork, add the eggs, and stir again until everything comes together into a wet dough. Spoon the dough into the muffin cups, nearly filling them.

5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges of each oatcake are deeply golden. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for a couple minutes. Then, run a knife around the edges of the cakes and tip them out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Seeded Raisin and Walnut Granola

This probably sounds strange, but I've made a New Year's resolution to cook more. I know that I probably cook far more than the average person, but I'm still trying to break myself of the habit of occasionally buying food that I can make for much less with much higher quality at home, with the prime example being granola. Granola with yogurt is one of my favorite breakfasts and there's no reason I should be wasting money at the store when it is so easy and cheap to make it myself. And although one of the greatest advantages is being able to make it exactly to my taste (and the current contents of my cabinets), I still like to check a few reliable resources for some good recipes for inspiration.

On the most basic level, granola is rolled oats, dried fruit, and nuts with a mixture of fat and sweetener, but I'm trying to encorporate more bran, flax, and seeds, making this recipe a great starting point. Just the right combination of savory nuts and seeds and plump, juicy raisins mingling with toasty oats, all subtly glazed by sweetness and spice, this is a superb topping for yogurt at breakfast or ice cream for dessert. If you've made a resolution to cook more, save money, or eat better I hope you'll give this simple, delicious granola a try. Whether you make many different small batches with a wide variety of ingredients, or a huge batch to keep you supplied for weeks, the small time investment required will reward you many times over.

Seeded Raisin and Walnut Granola

adapted from Bob's Red Mill
makes about 2 to 2 1/2 cups

1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
2 tablespoons raw shelled sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350°F, set aside a cookie sheet, lining with aluminum foil or parchment paper, if desired. Combine oats, coconut, wheat germ, seeds and nuts in a large bowl. In another container, mix together the butter, honey, water, salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Pour over grains, stirring thoroughly.

2. Spread mixture thinly on cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Oats should be crisp and brown, but coconut should not be burned. Allow to cool thoroughly, then add raisins and place in an airtight container for storage. Can be stored up to 3 weeks without refrigeration. Makes about 6 - 1/3 cup servings.

Cranberry Pecan Health Bars

Happy New Year! Did you make a New Year's resolution to eat healthier? If so, this recipe certainly has a place in your diet. One of the biggest obstacles for many people when it comes to eating healthier is time, leading far too many people to rush out of the house without breakfast or grab a snack from the vending machine at work when the mid-afternoon munchies strike. If you can invest a little bit of time on the weekend to whip up a batch of these easy bars, you'll have at least one guaranteed source of quick nutrition during the work week. While I can go on and on about all the nutritious components of these hearty bars, it's would be all for naught if they weren't delicious as well. The classic combination of sweet-tart cranberries and rich, toasty pecans are united with chewy oats by sweet dates and a bit of honey in this tasty, filling breakfast or snack. I happened to choose pecans and cranberries, but I can think of dozens of other combinations that would be fantastic in these bars as well-walnuts and cranberries, almonds and blueberries,  pistachios and apricots...I could go on forever. But as long as you're going to the effort of making one batch, why not make a couple different varieties, freezing the extra for a flavorful cache of nutrition at the ready anytime.

Cranberry Pecan Health Bars
adapted from Martha Stewart
makes 8 bars

1 cup (9 ounces) pitted dates

1/4 cup brown rice syrup, honey, or maple syrup
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons oat bran
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place dates in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a simmer. Drain. Puree in a food processor with brown rice syrup or honey until smooth.

2. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Place oats and half of the pecans in a food processor, pulse until coarsely ground, and transfer to a large bowl. Add remaining pecans, cranberries, bran, flaxseed, wheat germ, salt, and cinnamon to bowl and toss to combine. Mix in date puree and brown rice syrup, honey, or maple syrup. Press mixture into an even layer pan. (Wetting your hands first will facilitate the process).

3. Bake until center is firm and edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 8 bars.

Kitchen Sink Granola

Although there are many wonderful granolas lining the aisles of the grocery store, there's rarely reason to buy them as granola is one of the easiest things to make yourself. Not only will you be able to combine your favorite ingredients in the perfect ratio for you, but you will save a ton of money in the process. Granola doesn't require a specific recipe, just a basic outline, but I still think it's worth browsing through recipes from reputable sources to look for creative combinations I may not have considered. I took a Martha Stewart recipe, adapted it for my preferences and what I had on hand to create what I've dubbed Kitchen Sink Granola. With an assortment of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, this granola contains a little bit of everything, but could certainly accomodate additional ingredients or substitutions with whatever strikes your fancy. I have plain yogurt topped with granola a couple of times a week for breakfast, so I've had ample opportunity to make many different kinds, but I still seem to find delightful new combinations on a regular basis. While a granola with a more focused flavor palate can be delicious, I love granolas like this where no two bites are the same. And although I typically enjoy it as part of a well-balanced breakfast, granola can also move seamlessly to the dessert realm when sprinkled generously on top of a high-quality vanilla ice cream.


The only real stumbling block when making your own granola is the potential for burning during the toasting process. While you may be lulled into a false sense of security during the first 10 minutes or so of baking, granola can go from pleasantly toasty to unrecoverably burnt in short order (particularly the coconut), so make sure to keep a close eye on your granola, stirring frequently, particularly towards the end of the cooking time.

Whether you're making a New Year's resolution to eat healthier, spend more time in the kitchen, eat fewer processed foods, or save money, this recipe can have a place in helping you achieve that goal.

Kitchen Sink Granola
adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook : The New Classics
makes about 2 3/4 cups

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup whole almonds, chopped
2 tablespoons flax seeds
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons honey
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins (golden or regular)
2 tablespoons unsalted roasted sunflower seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss together the oats, coconut, almonds, and flax seeds in a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk together the oil, honey, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl; stir into the oats mixture. Spread out the oats mixture on a rimmed baking sheet.

2. Bake, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in the dried cranberries, raisins, and sunflower seeds.