Posts Tagged ‘whole wheat’

This Saturday I woke up bright and early to study.  I was at my computer by 7:30 a.m.  Gross.  Well, after about 10 minutes my stomach began to grumble.  I was famished and knew that my usual morning breakfast of yogurt and blueberries just wouldn’t cut it.  I immediately thought of blueberry scones.  That way I could still have my yogurt and fruit, but maybe turn it into something hearty for breakfast.  I scoured the net for a few minutes and began compiling a recipe.  My initial inspiration was Martha Stewart’s blueberry scones, but her version did not look healthy at all.  I don’t blame her though…they sounded delicious.  I quickly started swapping out almost every ingredient until I was happy with the recipe.

These scones took almost no time to throw together and were exactly the breakfast I needed for my long day of studying.  I will be honest, they were not sweet.  If you’re looking for a sweet muffin-style scone, this is not the recipe for you.  But, the blueberries give all the sweetness I wanted.  Let the fruit do its thing, you know?  After the scones cooled down, I threw a bunch of them in the freezer to eat later.  Now when I get up on the weekends to study, I will have a delicious breakfast waiting for me!

Blueberry Scones

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of fine-grain sea salt
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup plain (or vanilla) yogurt
2 tablespoons agave nectar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in the center.

Pour all dry ingredients into a food processor and pulse to combine.  Add in butter and pulse again until crumbly.  Pour into a large mixing bowl, and stir in blueberries.

Whisk together egg, yogurt, zest, lemon juice, and agave nectar in a small bowl.  Pour into mixing bowl with other ingredients.  Stir lightly until the ingredients just come together.  Using your hands knead the dough a few times.

Divide dough into roughly twelve to fourteen pieces.  Drop dough about three inches apart onto a parchment covered baking sheet.  Bake for 18 minutes.  Allow to cool on a wire rack.  Yields 12-14.

Every time Craig asks me what I want for dinner I answer “pizza.”  We could have eaten pizza the last two nights and I’ll still answer his question the same way…although sometimes I throw in popcorn and ice cream as well.  I know it probably drives him crazy, but I really love pizza.  Like LOVE it. 

Every time we go on vacation we have to try all the local pizza joints and I’ve often day-dreamed about having the job of world-wide pizza taster.  I mean, I don’t think anyone has that job, so clearly the position is open.  I could travel the world eating pizza, taking beautiful photos of pizza, and maybe even write a book about pizza.  I’m not much of an “in front of the camera” kinda girl, but if Travel Channel wanted me to do a show based on my new job, I probably wouldn’t turn them down. *hint hint*  But, in the meantime, I guess I’ll keep my regular day job that does not involve eating pizza and just eat pizza on the side.

A couple of years ago Craig and I ate at this winery in Hill Country and ordered some of the best pizza ever.  The dough was thin and chewy with a crispy edge, and it was topped with a heaping pile of arugula and shaved parmesan.  It was pure bliss.  I’ve always wanted to recreate that dish, so when I took a pizza class recently I decided it was time to give it a whirl.  (Of course I took a pizza class, right?!) 

I’ve put a slight twist on the original by making an arugula pesto instead of just piling on the fresh leaves.  One bite of this pizza sent me flying back to that beautiful spring evening at the winery.  Pair this with a crisp Texas Viognier if you want the true Hill Country winery experience!  And then invite me over because I don’t know if you know this or not, but I love pizza!

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I hosted a cocktail party last week for a friend of mine, Tara, who sells Stella & Dot jewelry.  I met Tara at one of her recent jewelry trunk shows and totally fell in love with the jewelry and her fun personality.  I decided to host a little trunk show of my own and invite some of my girl friends.  You all know that I love to host parties and pretty much look for any excuse to entertain, so I jumped at the chance to mix my love of jewelry and cocktail hour together. 

 Unfortunately, I was experiencing a very busy week.  The party was planned for Thursday at 6:30 and I had opera tickets for Wednesday night.  This did not leave ANY time to prepare appetizers.  I really enjoy making appetizers from scratch, but without a lot of time I had to really think about food I could prepare ahead to serve the evening of the party.  I remembered these great wafers my mom made at Easter and thought I could switch out the all-purpose flour for whole wheat to give them a healthy twist.  Cheese and wine are a never-fail combination so I knew these would get devoured.  They took almost no time to throw together and then stayed fresh wrapped up in the fridge for a few days.  On the night of the party, I was able to just slice, bake, and serve.  They were such a hit that I’m considering making a few logs to keep frozen in case of impromptu guests.

Whole Wheat Cheddar Wafers

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 lb. cheddar cheese, grated and at room temperature
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Using a handheld mixer, whip the butter and cheese together in a bowl until creamy.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cayenne, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until combined.

Gather dough into a ball and split in half.  Roll each half of the dough into a log and wrap with parchment paper,  twist up the ends to seal.  Chill the logs for at least 4 hours.  These can also be frozen for a later date.  Once the dough has chilled, slice 1/4 inch wafers and place on a parchment covered baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until lightly browned at the edges.  Depending on the thickness of your logs, this recipe makes around 3 dozen wafers.