Quinoa Ginger Snaps

The Matcha-Sunflower Seedsters were actually my second experiment of the day on Sunday. First came the Quinoa Ginger Snaps. Spicy. Warm. The slightest bit crisp. They have a hearty dose of coriander in them, too.

Makes this cookie a unique and healthy holiday treat -- and the recipe is super easy!


What's the secret? Well, it's basically the same stuff that I use to make the Matcha cookies . . . but with different spices. If you compare the two side-by-side . . . you start to see how easy it is to manipulate recipes. I try to make different flavor combinations whenever I bake. Not only because we like to have fresh content on the blog, but also because it's just plain fun.

Of all my experiments, though, I'm particularly happy with how these turned out.


You may be wondering about the quinoa. Why include it? Uh. I don't really know. I just got the urge. We have baked quinoa into bread before, and I love its nutrition profile, so I figured: Why not?


QUINOA GINGER SNAPS

What you'll need . . .

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
• 1/4 cup almond milk (or substitute)
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 to 1 cup red and/or white quinoa (not cooked, just rinsed)

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, ginger, coriander, and cloves.
3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the oil, molasses, almond milk, and sugar.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until incorporated. Stir in the quinoa (again -- use it dry, not cooked -- and rinse before adding it in!).
5. Spoon tablespoon- sized amounts of dough onto the cookie sheet and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. (They will expand somewhat during baking, so keep about 1-1/2 inches between cookies.)
6. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned.
7. Let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack. Store for a week in an air-tight container (we like ours in the fridge!).

This recipe makes 24-ish cookies (if you abide by the 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie instructions). I made a half batch at first, but these will disappear faster than you'd think. Plus, you'll want to send 'em to your friends.


Photography trick-o-the-day: Buy a few cheap-o swatches of fabric at the store (I got this one at WalMart for $1.99). Then, use them as backdrops/settings of your photos. If you use a light colored weave -- it can help with bouncing light. Overall, though, it adds interest to your shot.

And stay tuned for our light box tutorial later today. I took the following photo in the dark. So, though I don't like using the light box as much as I love snapping pics in natural light, I'll take it over the alternative!


On an unrelated note: I PAID OFF MY CAR TODAY! Five. Long. Years. I just slipped the bill in the mail, so its on its way. She's all mine. One major financial burden down. Student loans and a mortgage to go . . .

What's something GOOD that's happened to you lately? Between the blogiversary, 3,000 awesome subscribers, and paying off my car -- I am trying to focus on the positives in my life versus the bad stuff. Like my knee. Ugh. Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

Pomegranate-Lavender Poppy Corn Bread

Today I will tell a tale of two very different corn breads. The first is this teacake variety inspired by a recipe in the BabyCakes cookbook, infused with the sweet pomegranate molasses we featured in our pomegranate-dream cake post. The second is a wheat-free variety more suitable for sides. Chili, perhaps? I'll post the wheat-free one a little later in the day. Just to keep you guessing :)

Anyway, this corn bread is beautiful.. As Erin McKenna writes in BabyCakes: "Adding teacakes to your repertoire may just serve you better than any other less you take away from [her] book." Simply put: teacakes are easy, usually turn out well, and are general crowd-pleasers. And by adding a generous 1/3 cup pomegranate molasses (made from the 100% pomegranate juice sent to me by the kind folks at POM Wonderful) . . . this creation is sweet and unique.



If you need a refresher, to make pomegranate molasses all you do is mix together 1 cup pomegranate juice, 1 tablespoon raw sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon lemon juice. Simmer until reduced and thick (coating the back of a spoon is a good measure of thickness). (Can be used, I learned, in place of agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, or regular molasses.)



POMEGRANATE-LAVENDER POPPY CORN BREAD


What you'll need . . .

• 2/3 cup soy milk (or other substitute for the real deal)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup whole wheat bread flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flax meal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (plus more for pan)
• 1/3 cup pomegranate molasses (or agave, honey, maple syrup)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lavender
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75 inch pan with the coconut oil.
2. Pour soy milk and cider vinegar into a small bowl and set aside. It will thicken into a buttermilk.
3. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream together the coconut oil, pomegranate molasses, applesauce, and vanilla.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, flax meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until full incorporated.
5. Fold in the lavender and poppy seeds. The batter will be grainy.
6. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake on center oven rack for approx. 30 minutes, rotating the pan after 20 minutes. (Finished bread will "bounce back" when you press it slightly.)
7. Let the bread stand in the pan for 20 minutes, then gently run a knife around pan edges and invert to release from pan. Flip so it's right-side-up again to cool on a cooling rack.
8. Uncut bread will last for 3 days in room temp. covered in plastic wrap. We threw ours in the fridge.

If you haven't had a chance yet, go check out our BLOG LOVE FEST. You can add your blog to the list we have going -- it's a great way to learn about your fellow readers and find great sites to browse.



Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...