Blueberry-Lemon-Banana Bread

This loaf (bread) is really delicious and will totally satisfy your sweet craving, especially if you are not eating refined sugars or flours. I really love baking with almond flour and honey (or maple syrup), and this is by far one of my favorite creations yet. A lot of recipes that use almond flour have a much different texture, but this bread is very similar to banana bread (or maybe it's not all that similar, I just have not tasted regular flour banana bread in so long) and I actually love it more made with almond flour and maple syrup than I do my original and not so good for you kind. Anyways, the combination of bananas, blueberries, and lemon zest blend extremely well together. Next time I would like to try it with a little less sweetener, but all in all the perfect ending to a night ( I know it's weird but I have always had banana bread as dessert), or for some of you, the perfect start to your day. Oh, by the way, please excuse the terrible photography on this one. I had planned on making the bread earlier in the day, but my two sweet boys decided I should wait until daylight was just about gone, so there goes any chance of a good shot..

Emory loves helping me bake!

Blueberry-Lemon-Banana Bread

This makes one normal size loaf, but you could always make muffins or even mini muffins, just adjust your cooking time according. 

2 eggs
1/2 cup mashed banana (I used 3 bananas)
4 Tbsp Unrefined Coconut Oil, melted
1 teaspoon coconut or vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups Almond Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey (you may try using a little less if you want it less sweet)
1/2 cup to 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl mix all wet ingredients until combined. In another bowl mix all dry ingredients and then fold into wet. Mix until just combined and pour into loaf pan. Bake for 50-65 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. The top will get very brown, but trust me, that only makes for some crunchy goodness. Enjoy warm, at room temp, or fresh out of the fridge.

Rosemary Buttermilk Biscuits

One of the best smells in the world to me is the smell of bread baking. The smell of yeast bread especially. It is comforting, inviting, and literally makes my mouth water. Honestly, I love anything carb related. It is a terrible and most annoying desire, especially when we do our best to eat gluten/grain free. Yeast breads just aren't on the menu (but then again neither are these biscuits). 

The week before Addie was born I took Emory to the library to have some alone time before life got just a bit more busy. We played and read books, and picked out 5 books for him to take home. Then, as usual, I go to the cookbook section and look around to see if there are any books to give me a burst of inspiration. There were not a whole lot of books on the shelf but the one that stuck out to me was by Emeril Lagasse, a book called "Farm to Fork", that features recipes made seasonally and with local farmers market ingredients. Normally Emeril would never interest me, but this book is amazing. I made a roasted beet salad last week with dandelion greens and rainbow chard with a walnut dressing that was AMAZING! These biscuits were also in the book, and I am always looking for ways to use up fresh rosemary since we have insane amounts in our garden and never seem to make a dent to it. They are technically scones, but mine turned out more biscuits like and were out of this world! I can honestly say they were the best biscuits I have ever tasted. The orange zest and Rosemary just perfectly perfume the biscuits and give them a light and sophisticated flavor. Although they are not the healthiest recipe to make it on this blog, it is sure one of the best! 

Rosemary Buttermilk Biscuits
These are very easy to make and require few ingredients, and are perfect for a dinner party or simply perfect for your mouth...p.s they are delicious fresh from the oven!
Makes 12-14 biscuits depending on size

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons well-shaken buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

in a medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Add the orange zest and rosemary, and combine with a fork. Add the butter and work it into the flour with your fingers , a pastry blender, or a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 

Add the 1 cup buttermilk and stir with a fork until the ingredients are just moistened. Gather the dough together and press it gently into a rough ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it together. The dough may still be a crumbly mass. Knead the dough gently six to seven times; then use your hands to shape it into a rectangle measuring about 7 by 4 inches. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10 1/2 x 7-inch rectangle, 3/4 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter (or round cutter) cut out biscuits and place on prepared baking sheet. Brush them with the remaining 2 tablespoons of buttermilk. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden brown and puffed. Serve warm.

Beef Stew and Baking Powder Biscuits

Ok so I know I have left you all hanging for quite some time now (actually its been well over a month), but I have some exciting news! I am PREGNANT! We found out a few weeks ago, and I am now 10 weeks, which puts us at a due date around August 4th. Unfortunately I have been really sick this time around, and eating has been a struggle, and cooking has been nearly impossible. I am lucky to have an amazing mom and husband who have been taking over that side of things for the past few weeks. Anyways, the reason for not posting is that the thought/sight of food makes me sick to my stomach, so I have had to avoid the blog for a while, and I am really hoping (not just for my sake) that this whole sick thing ends soon. Last week I felt up to making dinner, and I made Beef Stew and Martha Stewart's Baking Powder Biscuits. The weather has been so cold here the past month, and this stew was very welcomed. Even Emory loved it! So for those of you needing a warm comfort meal (one that is decently healthy) here is the perfect treat!

Beef Stew
This stew is easy to make, and you can let it simmer in a heavy stockpot, or put it into the crockpot on low all day.
Serves 6

1 leek, white and light green parts only, well rinsed and thinly sliced

4-5 large carrots, peeled, and diced into large bite sized pieces

2 large potatoes rinsed and diced into large bite sized pieces

1 large sweet potato rinsed, peeled, and diced into large bite sized pieces

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 lbs. organic, hormone free, stew meat, cubed (you can usually find it already cut for stews)

2-4 tablespoons olive oil (or canola oil)

4 tablespoons flour

4 cups beef broth

1-2 cups water

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste

Heat a heavy bottomed stew or soup pot on medium high heat and add the oil. Dust stew meat with flour, salt, pepper. Quickly sear the meat, a few pieces at a time, until all the meat has been lightly browned. Add all the meat into the pan, and add onions, and garlic, and saute a few minutes. Add in the carrots, potatoes, tomato paste, broth, water, and worcestershire sauce, and bring to a simmer. If using a crockpot, add to your crockpot and put on low for 6-8 hours, or high for a couple of hours. If using stew pot, keep in pan and simmer 15-20 minutes until veggies are tender. Season to taste. 

Martha Stewart's Baking Powder Biscuits
These are so easy to make, and really buttery and flaky.
Makes 1 dozen

4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces, plus more for brushing

2 cups heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl whisk flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Using a pastry blender/cutter (or you could also use two knives), cut in butter until the mixture resembles course crumbs with a few larger clumps remaining. 

Pour in the heavy cream; using a rubber spatula, fold the cream into the dough, working in all directions, and incorporating the crumbs at the bottom of the bowl, until the dough just comes together. The dough will be slightly sticky. 

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. With floured fingers, gently pat the dough into a round about 1 inch thick, pressing in any loose bits. Do not overwork the dough. Use a 2 1/4 inch biscuit cutter and cut biscuits out as close together as possible. 

Place the biscuits on a baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. Generously brush the tops of the biscuits with heavy cream, or melted butter. I used melted butter. Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the biscuits are golden, about 20-25 minutes.