Apple-oat muffins

Ingredients:

1 large apple, diced

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup old fashioned oats, uncooked

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

pinch of cloves

2/3 cup chopped walnuts

2/3 cup dried cranberries (orange flavored if you can find them!)

1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt

2 eggs

1/4 cup vanilla almond milk (or plain milk)

3 TBL vegetable oil

1 cup unsweetened applesauce (OR apricot preserves)

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Peel and dice apple.  In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour through cloves), then stir in walnuts, diced apple and dried cranberries.  In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, milk, oil, applesauce and vanilla.  Pour into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.

Spray a muffin tin with non stick spray.  Fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way, topping with oats and/or cranberries.  Bake until muffins begin to brown around edges and are firm to the touch, 25-30 minutes.  Remove muffins from tins and allow to cool.  This recipe will make 6 muffins and a loaf of bread.

  

Honey yeast rolls

Ingredients:

1 packet yeast

1 cup warm water (110*)

1/4 cup honey

3 TBL canola oil

1 tsp sea salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

3 2/3 cup flour

2 TBL butter, melted

2 TBL honey

2 TBL sugar in the raw (optional if you don't have honey)

Directions:
In the bowl of  a stand mixer, combine yeast and warm water.  Let sit 5 or so minutes till the yeast starts to foam.  Add honey, oil, sea salt and egg and mix on low.  Add flour, one cup at a time, and mix with a dough hook for 8 or so minutes, till the dough doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl and is elastic.
Smooth the dough into a large ball.  Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm place 2 hours or until dough doubles.
Preheat oven to 400.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute.  Let rest about 10 minutes.  Divide dough into 10 equal little balls.  Make the balls of dough smooth by rolling in between your hands, then "pinching" the dough at the bottom so it doesn't show.  Place rolled balls in a 10 inch round baking dish that has been oiled or sprayed with cooking spray.  Space the dough evenly in the baking dish.  Cover with a towel and let rise 30 minutes.
Melt butter and honey (or sugar in the raw) in a sauce pan.  Brush butter mixture over the rolls before baking.  Bake at 400 for 15 min.  Cover with foil so they don't get too brown and continue to bake for another 5 minutes.  They should be a nice, rich, golden brown.

Cool lightly before eating.

Pretzel bread soup bowls

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups 110 degree water
1 tsp sea salt
1 TBL sugar
5 cups flour
1 pkg yeast
olive oil (for oiling the bowl)
8 cups water
1/4 cup baking soda
1 egg yolk
1 tsp water
course sea salt

Directions:
Combine sugar and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add yeast and let sit for about 5 minutes till foamy.  Add flour and sea salt and mix on low till blended.  Turn the speed up to medium and mix 5 more minutes till the dough is smooth and pulls away from the bowl.  Dump the dough out of the bowl and oil the bowl.  Return the dough to the bowl and cover with a towel.  Put in a warm place and let dough rise till doubled, about an hour.
Preheat oven to 450.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  When the dough has risen, divide into 4 or 5 equal pieces and roll into balls.  Place on baking sheet and cover with a towel to rise a little longer, about 15 minutes.  While the dough balls are rising, boil the 8 cups of water and add the baking soda.  Add one dough ball at a time to the water for 1 minute.  Place back on baking sheet and make an "X" on the top of the bread bowls.
With a fork, mix the egg yolk and water and brush egg mixture over bread bowls.  Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Bake at 450 for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.  Cut around the "X" and scoop out the dough to use as a soup bowl.

Pappardelle with butternut squash, walnuts and kale

Ingredients:

8 oz pappardelle
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1inch chunks
1-2 cups cauliflower
2 cups kale
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 TBL butter, minced
2 TBL olive oil
1 cup walnuts, rough chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1 TBL honey
sea salt
pepper


Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.  In a baking dish, toss cauliflower and squash in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for 30 minutes.  While veggies are roasting, bring a pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to directions.  Drain and rinse pasta.  In the same pot you cooked the pasta in, add butter and cook on med low till browned.  Browning the butter take butter to a whole new level!  Stir the butter constantly until it just starts to turn brown.  This is the point it could burn, so be careful not to let that happen.  When the butter has browned, quickly add the minced garlic and 1 TBL of olive oil and walnuts.  Saute for a minute, then add kale.  Add roasted veggies and rinsed pasta, lemon juice, and honey.  Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. When kale is wilted and the pasta is hot, the dish is done.
**NOTE**  I used lemon pepper pappardelle from Trader Joes.