Honey Wheat Sandwich Bread

Perfect balance between heart healthy whole wheat and fluffy white, this bread makes great cold sandwiches. From PBJ to ham and cheese, this bread is my go-to. Here's the recipe:

Honey Wheat Sandwich Bread

Ingredients:

1 2/3 C. water
3 C. bread flour
1 1/2 C. whole wheat flour 
1 T. vital wheat gluten
1 1/2 t. salt
3 T. honey
2 T. olive oil
2 t. active dry yeast

Directions:

Follow your bread machine's instructions for adding ingredients. My machine is a Zojirushi model  BB-PAC20 and the instructions below have been adapted for my machine.

Remove the baking pan from the bread machine and attach the kneading blades. Precisely measure all ingredients and add them to the baking pan in the following order:
1. Water
2. Flour and gluten (make a mound)
3. Salt
4.  Oil and Honey
5. make a depression in the middle of the mound and place the yeast in the depression
*Make sure the yeast does not touch any liquid or the dough may not rise sufficiently.

Insert the baking pan into the bread machine and close the lid. Select the regular wheat course, press Start and let your machine do all the hard work!

Yield: 2lb. loaf

Italian Herb Bread

This is the kind of bread that makes you want to sang some every time you walk through the kitchen. It's a perfect accompaniment to a light dinner, soup or salad and makes Excellent garlic bread! If only garlic didn't have sulfites... Here's the recipe:

Italian Herb Bread:

Ingredients:

1 1/3 C. water
4 1/4 C. bread flour
1 T. dried Italian herb mix
2 t. salt
3 T. honey
2 T. olive oil
2 1/2 t. active dry yeast

Directions:

Follow your bread machine's instructions for adding ingredients. My machine is a Zojirushi model  BB-PAC20 and the instructions below have been adapted for my machine.

Remove the baking pan from the bread machine and attach the kneading blades. Precisely measure all ingredients and add them to the baking pan in the following order:
1. Water
2. Flour (make a mound)
3. Salt and Herbs
4.  Oil and Honey
5. make a depression in the middle of the mound and place the yeast in the depression
*Make sure the yeast does not touch any liquid or the dough may not rise sufficiently.
Insert the baking pan into the bread machine and close the lid. Select the regular basic course (white bread) to bake the bread in the machine or the dough course if you want to make free form loaves. Press Start and let your machine do all the hard work!

For 2 smaller or free form loaves: 

When the machine beeps to let you know the dough is ready, gently remove the baking pan and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough in half and gently place in lightly floured baking pans or form into loaves and place on lightly floured baking sheet. Cover the loaves with a towel and allow to rise in a warm place until they double their size (time will vary depending on conditions). Bake in a 375F oven for 35 minutes until loaves are golden and their is a hollow sound when you gently knock on the bottom of a loaf. Place hot loaves on a rack and cool completely before storing.

This recipe would also make incredible bread sticks.


Yield: One 2lb. loaf or two 1lb. loaves

Egg-Free Belgian Waffles

These egg-free waffles are dangerous! Healthy, but dangerous. Crispy golden on the outside, they are soft and moist and almost like pudding on the inside. It's all thanks to the yogurt. My favorite topping combo for these babies is a healthy dollop of homemade whipped cream, a drizzle of agave nectar and a sprinkle of chopped pecans. Decadent, but not too guilty... Here's the recipe:

Egg-Free Belgian Waffles

Ingredients:

2 T. flax meal

6 T. hot water

2 C. all purpose flour

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

4 T. butter, melted

1 3/4 C. plain yogurt (not greek)

1/4 C. milk

non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200F and plug in waffle iron. In a medium bowl, stir flax into hot water and let sit. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda. Return to first bowl and whisk melted butter into flax & water mixture, then yogurt, then milk. Stir wet ingredients into dry. Batter should be thick and lumpy. Spray hot waffle iron lightly with non-stick cooking spray and make waffles per the manufacturers instructions. (I have a standard size belgian waffle maker and 1/2 cup of batter is perfect.) Serve with butter, fresh fruit, whipped cream and/ or agave syrup.

Yield: 6 waffles

Tangy Avocado Dip / Dressing / Spread

This dip is amazing! So far I've used it to replace mayonnaise on sandwiches, as a base for tuna, chicken and potato salads, as a salad dressing, as dip with vegetable crudities and pretzels and (believe it or not) over strawberries. Here's the recipe.

Tangy Avocado Dip / Dressing / Spread

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado
1/4 C. plain yogurt
3 T. yellow mustard
2 T. honey
1 t. fresh lime or lemon juice

Instructions:

Skin and coarsely chop avocado. Set aside pit and save. Combine cut avocado with all ingredients in food processor and puree until there are no more lumps. Garnish with sprig of fresh parsley or dill weed.

Enjoy as a dip or a dressing on salad and fruit or use as a sandwich spread. Refrigerate in an airtight container with pit and use within 24-48 hours to avoid browning. The avocado pit will slow down the browning process.

For those not avoiding sulfites, add a touch of minced garlic for a savory kick! Also, for a slightly thinner dressing, add 1 T. olive oil and 1 T. rice vinegar.

Yield: about 1 1/2 Cups