Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Flourless Peanut Butter Protein Muffins.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Product Review., Quick Bread, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 26 Comments

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It’s the new year and many people have made resolutions to eat healthier.  Have you?  I started removing a lot of flour/sugar and processed foods from my diet last year.  As a result I feel so much better, dropped 32 lbs and feel like my body operates more efficiently.  This year my family and I started to do yoga and signed up for a 40 day revolution – mind/body/spirit transformation.  Helping to mediate and clear your head.  Create pause before reacting to something and the food portion for the first week was removing refined sugar and white flour from your diet.  With that in mind, I created these muffins because after all… we still  have to eat.  These are so good and I added a new protein powder that a company asked me to review.  You can add or not add the protein in this recipe – it’s up to you.  Vegetarian. 
Yields 12 mini muffins.

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— Knead to Cook

Oatmeal Apple Muffins.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Muffins, Snacks, Vegetarian 2 Comments

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Finally back to school/work last week and we get hit with yet another snowstorm and the school delay becomes a day off.  I knew I had to get myself back into the kitchen and start cooking again (it’s been a nice long holiday break) and I wanted to make something healthy to replace all of the Christmas cookies that have been stockpiled in my cake stand where I keep my treats for the family.  Now that the cookies have been removed, they were replaced with these healthy muffins and as I sit here 3 days later… I need to make more.  They are gone!  A favorite without even knowing they’re healthy.  Perfect snack for your new, healthier eating for 2014!

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— Knead to Cook

Vanilla Eggnog French Toast.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Holiday, Vegetarian 4 Comments

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I know, I know.  I’m jumping holidays here and I hate to do that but with a fridge that has a bit too much eggnog in it and a fresh loaf of egg Challah bread – this was a no brainer when I got home from the gym.  The kids were still snuggled in their beds on this frigid Sunday morning (well to be honest very late morning) and I thought I would surprise them with a special festive (albeit Christmas) treat.  I think I’ve OD’d my kids on pumpkin already so eggnog would be a nice variance.

I grabbed my griddle and got it fiery hot, my Kerrygold Irish butter and I started working on this recipe.  It’s pretty fail-safe for those who are a bit timid in the kitchen.  And let’s face it, how perfect would this be on Christmas morning after the present tirade was over?!  Christmas is my favorite time of year… I think I’m finally getting into it.  Christmas cards are done, addressed and stamped.  Presents ordered have started to arrive at our door.  Next Friday we get our tree… sparks of excitement are happening!

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— Knead to Cook

Grilled Whole Wheat Naan.

by Filed Under: Breads, Italian-inspired, Vegetarian, Yogurt 3 Comments

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It’s Friday and I’m starting to think that instead of me cooking and baking today I should be fashioning an ark!  We’ve been having quite a bit of rain, which I normally don’t mind, but now it’s impacting my running schedule which makes me antsy.  So after my trip to the gym, I came home and starting prepping for our homecoming dinner party tomorrow night and planning for our pizza night (our tradition) tonight.  I wanted to make a whole wheat naan (I have another naan recipe here) but wanted a really thin version for my pizza crust tonight.  This version is quite easy, took no time to whip up and is a modification on a traditional naan that  is cooked in a tandoor oven.

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— Knead to Cook

Healthy Zucchini Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Drizzle.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Cakes, Quick Bread, Vegetarian Leave a Comment

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With an abundance of zucchini in my kitchen and a desire to use my brand new bundt pan – I thought I would whip up a fun, yet healthy, zucchini cake with a cream cheese drizzle to make Monday dinner fun!  It worked.  The pretty cake was met with many oohhhh’s and ahhhh’s.

I’ll be honest, although I haven’t tried it, I’m quite certain this recipe would work beautifully as muffins or as a loaf of bread too.  I removed the oil from my recipe all together and lessened the sugar- added some honey and I have to tell you – my critics, ummm my family, loved it.  I still don’t think I’m the best at drizzling icing (I’m not a fan of icing) but you can work it however you prefer or just dust it with some powdered sugar as another option.  Healthy enough to eat for breakfast too!

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— Knead to Cook

Nutty Oat Bran Bread.

by Filed Under: Breads, Nuts Leave a Comment

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Yesterday was Worldwide Vegetarian Day and I whipped up a huge batch of seasonal roasted veggies and quinoa for dinner.  I wanted to make a loaf of bread to also add some bulk to the meal (along with much needed protein).  This recipe was adapted from an old whole wheat bread recipe I have and love.  This recipe, like many of mine, is very versatile and can adapt to your favorite add-ins.  This is a super easy bread to make, especially if you have never delve into bread making.  Take a risk… I promise, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to make.

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— Knead to Cook

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Cakes, Desserts, Party Foods, Quick Bread, Snacks, Vegetarian 6 Comments

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This was the first recipe I executed by myself this weekend.  I truly miss using both of my hands!  One finger bandaged really throws a wrench into being a recipe creator/blogger!  With that said, I created this super delicious recipe on Sunday.  It was well-received and just kicks my addiction of pumpkin up that much further my radar.  I love, LOVE, LOVE it!  And pair it with some dark chocolate and you have a winner every SINGLE time!  My intention was to make this in a bundt pan until I remembered that I threw mine out and never replaced it (add that to the list) so I made it in a round spring form pan.  Worked perfectly and would also be great in muffin tins or a loaf pan.  My daughter also topped this with Wilbur buds (local chocolatier) but extra Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips on top would be fun to if you wanted to make it extra special.

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— Knead to Cook

Almond Butter Banana Bread.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Desserts, Fruit, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Nuts, Quick Bread, Snacks, Vegetarian, Yogurt Leave a Comment

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I have an abundance of ripe bananas in my kitchen right now.  I’ve whipped up some smoothies and next up with a healthy banana bread as an after-school snack.  This bread is packed with protein, courtesy of my favorite Greek yogurt, healthier oil instead of butter and a reduced amount of sugar.  Pipping hot from the oven, my family couldn’t wait to dig in and it was well-received by all.  Think of this as breakfast, snack or dessert!  It is so good.

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— Knead to Cook

Black and Blue Banana Muffins. {clean eating}

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Muffins, Quick Bread, Snacks, Vegetarian, Yogurt 8 Comments

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This was my second attempt at making a “clean” muffin meaning no refined sugars or oils.  The first batch wasn’t a failure but it was too boring and dry.  I needed to get more creative and that is just what I did!  I also added protein to these with the addition of Greek yogurt (I used Chobani honey) and that kicked the muffin flavor up a notch.  I used berries I had on hand (black and blue) and added a banana for extra moisture.  These are so good!  Guilt free.  No sugar.  No oils. Kids to adults – everyone loved these!
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— Knead to Cook

Healthy Carrot Date Coconut Muffins.

by Filed Under: Breads, Brunch, Muffins, Quick Bread, Vegetarian 12 Comments

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I love healthy muffins! These are packed with great ingredients without all the guilt of fat-ladened traditional muffins.  The Medjool dates add a bit of sweetness (think of raisins in muffins), the carrots add some great texture and the coconut oil and flakes is a double whammy of flavor!  Plus using coconut oil is so much healthier for your heart than tradition butter.  I promise you will be reaching for these every time you sit with a cup of coffee or tea.  Also great for a breakfast substitute.
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— Knead to Cook