good for you breakfast loaf

Raise your hand if you enjoy a warm slice chunk of quick bread in the morning or as a snack? Maybe it’s banana nut bread, blueberry bread, cinnamon swirl bread or pumpkin chocolate chip bread. My sweet tooth is growing just typing this. Here’s the buzz-kill….quick breads are notorious for being unhealthy…full of fat and sugar. Yipes!

Guess what…Not this quick bread! I actually like to call it a breakfast loaf because it’s so good toasted for breakfast with my favorite coffee.

This loaf contains only 1 tablespoon of oil AND zero butter and eggs. It has low fat milk, oatmeal and whole wheat all-purpose flour. Oatmeal helps maintain blood sugar levels. It also lowers your cholesterol and helps your heart! Why not enjoy that 2nd slice?

Good for you Breakfast Loaf
Inspired by this recipe

Print Recipe

– 1 cup rolled oats
– 1 cup whole wheat all-purpose flour
– 2 tsp baking powder
– 1/2 tsp sea salt
– 1^1/2 Tbls honey, maple syrup or agave syrup
– 1 Tbls canola oil
– 1 cup 1% or nonfat milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Grind oatmeal in a food processor or blender. In a large bowl, combine oatmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, dissolve honey in canola oil then stir in the milk. Combine both mixtures and stir until a soft dough is formed. Pour the dough into a loaf pan. Sprinkle some oats on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Slice and enjoy with a nice warm beverage!

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back from italy with loaf in hand & mouth

Guess what?

I traveled to Italy this past weekend…

Well, maybe my senses did! My house smelled like Italy. Let me tell you, it was amazing! I took my 5th or 6th try at making a yeast bread, and what emerged from my oven was a fragrant focaccia loaf! I had to do a double-take…did I really make that? Did my loaf actually rise and not feel like a heavy brick?

Yes I made the loaf and yes it rose and was tender and sensational.

This loaf contains 3 aromatic tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the top is brushed with olive oil as well. Extra virgin olive oil is heart-healthy and many physicians advise that two tablespoons of olive oil per day may reduce the risk of heart disease. I’ll drink to that! Here are more nutritional perks of olive oil.

Focaccia
Adapted from this recipe

Print Recipe

– 1^1/2 cups warm water
– 3 Tbls extra virgin olive oil (plus additional for brushing on top of loaf)
– 1^1/4 tsp sea salt
– 3^1/2 cups all-purpose wheat flour
– 1 Tbls instant yeast
– 1/4 cup shredded cheese of your choice
– 1/4 cup sliced black olives or other toppings of your choice
– 1 tsp herbs de Provence or other dried herbs of your choice

Use a small amount of olive oil to grease the inside of a round 9-inch pan.

Combine the first five ingredients in a large bowl. Beat at high speed for about one minute, with a stand mixer or electric mixer.

Scoop the sticky batter into the prepared pan, cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for one hour at room temperature. It will become puffy!

While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

When the dough is finished rising, lightly poke the top of the dough all over. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the dough with olive oil, gently push-in the sliced olives, sprinkle with herbs and shredded cheese.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown. During this time, your house will smell like Italy. No joke!

Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for five minutes before you remove from the baking pan. Cool on a wire rack.

I recommend serving this warm!

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blood orange breakfast loaf

Do you ever find that certain foods, objects or scents remind you of people in your life? These types of reminders warm me with memories and feelings of gratitude for the people in my life. I’d like to share a couple.

I have a mug that I use at work and it reminds me of my twin sister. She bought it for me randomly one day (a few years back) and I was so touched. The quote on the mug states “I am a drift without you” and it pictures a snowman with his top-hat blowing away. I love this mug so much I’ll even use this mug in summer, who cares that there is a snowman on it, right?!

The taste and smell of feta cheese reminds me of my grandmother. When she would babysit me and my sister, she would stuff pita bread with feta cheese and toast it for us. It was absolute bliss! To this day, eating this simple meal warms my heart and I cannot resist reflecting on times spent with her. Thankfully, she’s still with us and I love her dearly.

The catalyst to this Blood Orange Breakfast Loaf was actually the blood orange itself and the fact that blood oranges remind me of one my best friends, Jen. We lived together senior year in college and a few years post-college, hosted numerous themed-parties and galavanted all over LA. She loves all things blood orange. I can see why! They’re deliiiish! Another thing about blood oranges…they taste like candy but are the antithesis of candy. They’re very good for you!

Nutritional perks –

Blood orange – An excellent source of Vitamin C, a good source of dietary fiber, folic acid, and Vitamin A and B1. The red pigment, called anthocyanin, is actually an antioxidant which helps reduce the risk of heart disease.

Blood Orange Breakfast Loaf
Inspired from The Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook: Limited Edition’s recipe for Lemon Bread

Print Recipe

– 1 ^3/4 cups all-purpose wheat flour. The original recipe uses regular all-purpose flour.
– 3/4 cup organic agave nectar. The original recipe uses regular refined sugar.
– 2 tsp baking powder
– 1/4 tsp sea salt
– 1 beaten egg
– 1 cup 1% milk
– 1/4 cup canola oil or melted unsalted butter
– 1 Tbls blood orange juice
– 2 tsp grated blood orange peel

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8x4x2-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.

In a separate medium bowl, add the beaten egg, milk, canola oil (or melted butter), blood orange peel and blood orange juice. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture. Stir well. Be careful not to over-stir the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes.

Remove from oven, cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 30 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and continue to cool on the wire rack.

When the loaf is cool, please slice and enjoy! It’s sweet and fresh!

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italian caprese loaf, ti amo!

Mama Mia! Va Bene! Salute! Ti Amo!

caprese loaf

I don’t speak Italian, but for some reason, when I made this loaf and tasted it the Italian in me sprouted. If you know me, you know that I don’t have an ounce of Italian in my lineage, but this loaf makes me feel like a resident of Rome. Italian speaking and all! Oh mama mia.

Not only does this loaf beam with the fresh flavors of Roma, Italy, it’s also not something to feel guilty about eating. You heard right! I used whole wheat flour, part-skim mozzarella, fresh tomato and basil, skim milk and extra virgin olive oil. I added white mushroom for flavor and texture; glad I did because it’s adds a layer of flavor that rounds out the whole loaf. Mmmm!

Nutritional perks –

Tomato – good source of Vitamin E and B6, magnesium and copper. a very good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin A, C and K.
Fresh basil – good source of protein, Vitamin E and riboflavin. a very good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin A, C, K, and B6, folate, calcium and iron. Damn! Basil, you rule!
Mozzarella – good source of protein and Vitamin B12. a very good source of calcium.
White mushroom – good source of dietary fiber, protein, Vitamin C and iron. a very good source of Vitamin D and B6, and riboflavin.

There aren’t many savory quick breads out there. We’re used to seeing quick breads like banana-nut bread, pumpkin bread, apple spice bread and others. So, when I stumbled upon a recipe for a roasted vegetable cake by Chef Wanabe, I took the method and added the flavors I like and created a quick bread. Sliceable, shareable, aromatic and enjoyable!

You can take this recipe and add your favorite roasted vegetables to make it your own. Guaranteed, you’ll make something delish!

Italian Caprese Loaf
– 1 ^1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
– 1 cup white mushrooms, sliced
– 3 ^1/2 slices of part-skim low moisture mozzarella cheese
– 1 ^1/2 Tbls fresh basil, chopped
– 3 eggs
– 6 Tbls skim milk
– 4 Tbls extra virgin olive oil
– 1 ^1/2 cup whole wheat flour
– 1 Tbls shredded parmesan cheese
– 1 Tbls baking soda
– Sea salt and pepper to taste

Making the oven roasted tomatoes and mushrooms for the loaf
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay the tomatoes and mushroom on a baking sheet and toss in a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

cherry tomatoes cut in half, ready for roasting!

Making the loaf
Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk and olive oil and beat combine.

Add the roasted mushrooms (save a few for garnish), flour, Parmesan cheese, baking soda and salt and pepper. Fold in the chopped basil.

fresh chopped basil

Pour half the batter into the loaf pan. Layer the mozzarella slices onto the batter. Add a layer of the roasted tomato (save a few for garnish) on top of the mozzarella slices. This is going to add a decadent layer of melty cheese when the loaf is finished being baked. You will enjoy, I promise!

sliced mozzarella

middle layer of mozzarella & roasted tomatoes

Add the last half of the batter on top of the mozzarella and roasted tomato layer. Top the loaf with the remaining roasted tomatoes and mushrooms.

Bake for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool the loaf on a wire rack. When you can touch the pan without oven-mits, remove the loaf from the pan.

Slice and savor!

want seconds?

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orange buttermilk loaf

Oranges are so uplifting, don’t ya think? Just holding one in your palm invites you to the aroma of citrus and it’s impeccable round orange body, which is filled with juicy gold! I can count on more than five hands (and I only have two) the amount of times I’ve peeled a perfectly round and juicy orange, split it right down the middle and shared it with someone I care about. Oranges can be meant for sharing, why else would there be segments to pull apart? One for you…one for me… Although, I will admit that if I am eating a beyond juicy orange I may not want to share. ruh roh.

It gets better…oranges are good for you! Not only do they taste like Earth’s candy but they provide nutritional benefits, such as Vitamin C and fiber. The average orange is about 60 calories. Dang! These statistics are good!

Some nutritional perks from oranges –

1. lowers high blood pressure and cholesterol
2. One orange provides over 116% of the daily value for Vitamin C and over 12% of the daily value for fiber
3. strong antioxidant effects
4. protects respiratory health

You can find more info at The World’s Healthiest Foods website.

To celebrate my new blog and the yummy oranges I had in my fridge, I decided to make an Orange Buttermilk Loaf and I added chocolate chips. I was inspired by chocolate covered orange rind I saw in a specialty store. Orange AND chocolate? Damn straight!

Side note, please excuse the pics. I am working on getting a new camera! yay!

I adapted this recipe from member okieqt from The Tasty Kitchen, the original recipe is called “Sunrise Tangerine Bread.” I didn’t have tangerines, so I used oranges. I also made other modifications and added chocolate chips. MmmMm!

Orange Buttermilk Loaf
Servings 8

1/2 cup butter (room temp)
3/4 cup sugar (and 2 Tbs to use in glaze)
2 eggs (room temp)
1 1/4 cup flour – I used white whole wheat flour because I like the nutritional value added
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk – the original recipe suggested regular milk
1 orange: you’ll need 1 Tbs grated orange zest and 3 Tbs fresh squeezed juice – the original recipe used 1 tangerine
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a loaf pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs separately and beat until fluffy. Add orange zest and 1 Tbs of fresh squeezed orange juice.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt with a whisk or fork. Blend the dry mixture into the creamed mixture and alternate with the buttermilk. I used a wooden spoon to mix this rather than a stand or hand mixer because I did not want to over-mix the batter.

Toss the chocolate chips in flour and gently fold into the batter.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes.

Remove from oven. Mix 2 Tbs of fresh squeezed orange juice with 2 Tbs of sugar and microwave until sugar is dissolved. Pour the glaze over the loaf. The glaze makes the loaf so moist!

Let the loaf cool. Remove from pan and place on wire rack.

Enjoy!

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