Recipe: Healthy Lemon Loaf

May 1, 2012 By

Keep in mind, this is a ‘healthy’ version of lemon loaf. That means, it’s not to die for, but it does take the edge off if you’re craving something sweet while watching your calories.

Ingredients

1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 large lemons (Meyer are best)
3/4 c. mashed ripe banana
1/2 c. – 2/3 c. agave syrup (depending on how sweet you like it)
2 eggs
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2/3 c. skim milk
 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9” x 5” loaf tin
  2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and grated rind from two lemons
  3. In a separate medium bowl, combine banana with agave syrup, eggs, vanilla and milk
  4. Combine dry mixture to wet, pour into loaf tin and bake for about 40 min (check it at 30 min to see how it’s doing)

How to Make Candied, Dried Lemon Slices

  1. Slice your Meyer lemons as thinly as possible
  2. Lay them out on a plate and sprinkle with sugar
  3. Let them dry overnight, and voila – the most delicious sweet and sour bites

Tweet at me if you have any questions –> @erin_ireland

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Easter Brunch Recipe Ideas

April 4, 2012 By

Planning your Easter brunch menu? Here are some of the dishes I love to include on mine.

1. Banana Almond Croissant Bread Pudding – it’s as good as it sounds

Banana Almond Croissant Bread Pudding (before the oven)

Click here for the recipe

2. Grilled Salt & Vinegar Potatoes – they’re like your favorite salt and vinegar chips but better (and healthier)

Photo credit: 101cookbooks.com

Click here for the recipe

3. Lightly scrambled eggs, inspired by Harvest Vine - free range eggs are so incredibly flavourful when runny

Lightly Scrambled Eggs by Harvest Vine in Seattle

Click here for my version of this recipe

4. ‘Healthy’ Farmers Cookies - it’s nice to have treats set out all over the room for easy accessibility. These are dense, moist, packed with ‘stuff’, and highly addictive

Farmer Cookies with sunflower, sesame and flax seeds

Click here for the recipe

5. Lemon Cornmeal Pancakes – double the lemon rind this recipe calls for and you’re golden

6. Really Good Toast - go above and beyond for special occasions and head to specialty store for certain items. You’ll go crazy for these loaves

7. Vanilla Bean Fruit Salad – this is your one requisite ‘healthy-ish’ dish

  • Dressing: vanilla with agave water or juice
  • Pick fruit that people like (not the unripe melon they pick out),eg. berries, mango, banana
  • Add fresh chopped mint
  • Salad alternative: Avocado Peach – click here for recipe
8. Bacon - because it’s a splurge day. Here are some great Vancouver butcher shops
9. Coffee - put your Costco coffee away and grab a pound of special beans for the occasion. Set out the Bailey’s as creamer (recipe)

10. Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice – if you’re really ambitious. Add the juice of a few lemons for extra zing

If your not hosting, view my list of Vancouver’s best brunch restaurants here
Looking for store-bought Easter treats in Vancouver? Click here to view my list

 

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Recipe: Healthy Farmer Cookies

April 3, 2012 By

Healthy Farmers Cookies

This picture doesn’t do them justice. They’re thick, dense with ‘stuff’, and addictive.

If you don’t have all of the below ingredients, feel free to mix it up and use whatever you do have on hand, like dried cranberries or nuts.

Ingredients

  1. 1 c. butter
  2. 1/2 c. white sugar
  3. 1/2 c. brown sugar
  4. 2 eggs
  5. 1 tbsp. vanilla
  6. 2 c. flour (whole wheat works)
  7. 1 tsp. cinnamon
  8. 1 tsp. soda
  9. 1 tsp. powder
  10. 1.5 tsp. salt
  11. 1 c. quick oats
  12. 1/2 c. bran flakes (or any dry cereal you have on hand)
  13. 1/2 c. sunflower seeds
  14. 1/4 c. flax seeds
  15. 1/4 c. sesame seeds
  16. 1/4 c. wheat germ (or bran)
  17. 1 c. Callebaut chocolate chips
  18. 1 c. unsweetened coconut flakes

Directions

  1. Cream butter in large bowl. Beat in sugars, then add eggs and vanilla.
  2. In a separate medium bowl, mix ingredients 11 to 18. Stir in butter, then add all remaining ingredients.
  3. Roll 1” balls onto cookie trays (I don’t pat them down so they stay nice, round and moist in the middle) and bake for 10 – 12 minutes at 350F.
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Recipe: Lightly Scrambled Eggs with Cream, Thyme, and Cilantro Oil

April 3, 2012 By

Lightly Scrambled Eggs by Harvest Vine

Harvest Vine in Seattle makes a brunch worth the two and a half hour drive from Vancouver. Yes, that happened.

Of all the gorgeous, Spanish tapas-style dishes on their menu, the Lightly Scrambled Eggs with button mushrooms, onion confit and thyme, was the best. Here’s my go at it.

Ingredients

  1. 3 free range eggs (they are so much more flavourful than caged)
  2. 1/2 c. coarsely chopped button mushrooms
  3. 1 tbsp. olive oil
  4. 2 tsp. freshly chopped garlic
  5. 1 to 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  6. Handful of cilantro
  7. Big splash of cream
  8. Cilantro oil (optional)
  9. Salt and pepper
  10. Baguette

Directions

  1. Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic til slightly browned
  2. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, sautee until soft, then set aside
  3. In a small bowl, beat eggs with cream and thyme
  4. Cook eggs in a pan on medium low heat, season with salt and pepper, stir constantly to avoid over-cooking
  5. Add mushrooms to eggs, then remove pan from heat when eggs’ texture is pudding-like.
  6. Finish with cilantro and drizzle with cilantro oil
  7. Serve with toasted, olive oil-brushed wedges of baguette
Tweet at me if you have any questions –> @erin_ireland

 

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The Grandma Baking Series: Sage Cookies

August 22, 2011 By

When asked to guess the secret ingredient in these cookies, my grandma and I were both stumped.

The treat had been brought all the way from San Francisco to Vancouver by my Aunt Gael. Knowing how much we love baked goods, she had packed them with her.

The secret spice turned out to be sage. SAGE! I never would’ve guessed, but it works. You must try these cookies to believe it.

Ingredients

2 c. flour

1/2 c. cornmeal

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 ½ tsp. ground sage

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. butter

3/4 c. brown sugar

2 egg yolks

1 ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 tsp. grated orange rind

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease two baking trays.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sage, and salt. Here’s my grandma to demonstrate:

3. In a separate small to medium bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, and grated orange.

4. Form dough into 1-inch-wide balls, then add your thumbprint.

5. Fill the thumbprint with your favorite jam or jelly. We used my grandma’s homemade raspberry jelly.

FYI: these cookies freeze well.

If you like this recipe, you might also enjoy my grandma’s homemade chocolate bar recipe.

Stay tune for more grandma recipes –> @erin_ireland

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The Grandma Baking Series: Chocolate Bar

June 30, 2011 By

There are few things more endearing than when my grandma turns to me while nibbling on something delicious and whispers, ‘it’s to die for’. She’s a regular visitor to this site.

Though I claim to make ‘the world’s best banana bread’, what comes out of my grandma’s oven is truly magical. Her antique measuring cups are worn but sturdy, she kneads dough more rigorously than I can, and she could probably bake one of her blueberry pies with her eyes shut.

We’re launching this recipe series to share some of our old favorites with you. Here’s the first…

Grama’s Chocolate Bar

Ingredients

1. 24 Graham crackers
2. 1/2 c. butter
3. 1 c. icing sugar
4. 2 egg yolks
5. 2 squares melted semisweet Baker’s Chocolate
6. 1 c. fine unsweetened coconut
7. 1 c. chopped pecans
8. 1 tbsp. vanilla
9. 2 egg whites beaten

Directions

1. Cover the bottom of an 8” x 8” baking tin with Graham crackers

2. Cream together butter and icing sugar

3. Melt chocolate in a saucepan (or a bowl sitting in a pan with boiling water, as my Grandma does it)

4. Mix egg yolks into the melted chocolate, then combine with the buttery icing sugar mixture

5. Stir in coconut and nuts

6. Beat egg whites until frothy firm, then fold into the mixture

7. Spread mixture over Graham Cracker base evenly and top with more Graham Crackers. Here’s my sweet Grandma in action…

8. Chill for 24 hours. And ta dah! Homemade Chocolate Bar…

My creative Grandma (who is a very talented potter) thought the shot needed a little color, so she grabbed these flowers from her garden…

Our next creation is already in the works. Stay tuned!

You might also like my Banana Almond Croissant Bread Pudding, White Chocolate Dark Cherry Muffins, or Fruit Flan Muffins recipes.

Wishing you to die for food on a daily basis,

Erin & Kay

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Recipe: Fruit Flan Muffins

May 12, 2011 By

Though I’d normally choose a nutty, chocolaty dessert over anything fruity, Fruit Flan has been my birthday cake of choice since I was little. It’s the fruit topping designs that my mom comes up with that I love so much. I could just stare at them. This is my favorite kind of art.

It’s fun baking Fruit Flan as individual cakes to serve to your guests, instead of one large dessert.

Ingredients

3 eggs

1 ½ white sugar

3/4 c. milk

1 ½ tbsp. butter

1 ½ c. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. of almond extract

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

1. Heat milk and butter together in microwave or on stovetop.

2. In mixmaster (by hand is fine if you want an arm workout), combine eggs, sugar, and extracts.

3. In a separate bowl, combine all other dry ingredients.

4. Add milk and butter to mixmaster, then slowly add dry mixture. Beat for about 2 min. or until very smooth.

5. Pour batter into greased muffin tins, then bake at 350F for about 15 min.

6. Remove cakes from oven and top with fruit. Bake for another 10 min. or until golden.

7. If you’re making a full flan, you’d want to decorate your golden cake with fruit, top with glaze, then let rest for at least one hour in the fridge.

8. Enjoy! To die for? Let me know what you think!

If you like this recipe, you might also like my Banana Almond Croissant Bread Pudding recipe — it’s guaranteed to die for.

If you’d like to follow me, I’m on Twitter here.

Wishing you to die for food on a daily basis,

Erin Ireland

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Recipe: Banana Almond Croissant Bread Pudding

May 11, 2011 By

If you’re a fan of regular old bread pudding, you’ll die for this version, made with croissants. Flavor and richness-wise, it’s on a whole new level.

Had nutritional information been attached to this recipe, I don’t think I would’ve let myself make it. Although the occasion was Mother’s Day brunch, so it was a splurge of a day. Of course, each guest was sent home with leftovers.

Ingredients

10 stale croissants

3 c. homo milk

2 c. cream

6 egg yolks

1 c. brown sugar

1 heaping tsp. salt

1 ½ tsp. almond extract

2 ripe bananas

1 handful of slivered almonds

sprinkle of cinnamon

Directions

1. Leave 10 croissants out overnight to dry (or, on the day of, you can throw them in the oven for ten minutes to crisp them up).

2. Fill an 8” x 11.5” baking dish with chunky, torn pieces of croissant.

3. Slice bananas over top of croissants, wedging about half down deeper.

4. In a bowl, combine homo milk, cream, sugar, salt, almond extract, and egg yolks.

5. Pour wet mixture over top of croissants, making sure they’re completely saturated. Let sit for 15 min.

6. Top your bread pudding with slivered almonds and cinnamon, if you like.

7. Bake the pudding with your dish set in a pan of hot water at 350F for 45 min. or until golden.

8. Optional: serve with ice cream.

The above shot was taken before baking the pudding. An after shot was out of the question considering how hungry we were and how good it smelled and looked.

If you like this, I bet you’d also love my recipe for Banana Flambé with Goat Cheese Muffins.

Thanks to @Finnsspace for her croissant bread pudding inspiration!

Wishing you to die for food on a daily basis,

Erin Ireland

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Recipe: Chocolate Muffins With Chili Spice

April 3, 2011 By

Ingredients

1 ¾ c. flour

3/4 c. – 1 c. brown sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)

1/2 c. cocoa

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. chili powder (add 1/4 tsp. if you’d like a bolder spice flavor)

1/2 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg

1 ¼ c. cream

1/2 c. olive oil (very full 1/2 c.)

1 tbsp. vanilla

1/2 c. chopped chili chocolate bar (or chocolate chips for a lighter chili flavor)

Optional: 3/4 c. chili chocolate (or regular) and two large dark chocolate cookies

Crunch Cookie Center (optional)

1. On stovetop, melt 3/4 c. chili chocolate in saucepan, then remove from heat.

2. Transfer chocolate to a small bowl and add crumbled cookies — mix together.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F and grease your muffin tins.

2. In large bowl, combine first seven dry ingredients.

3. In small bowl, combine egg, cream, oil, and vanilla.

4. Combine dry and wet, then add chocolate.

5. Optional: fill muffin tins less than half full, then add 1 tbsp. (or more) of chili chocolate cookie mixture to center. Top with more batter.

6. Garnish as you like. Ideas: chili flakes, chili chocolate, whole chilis.

7. Bake for ~25 minutes.

8. Enjoy!

You might also like to try my Banana Flambé with Goat Cheese Muffins.

Ciao for now!

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Muffin Recipe: Banana Flambé With Goat Cheese

March 22, 2011 By

Ever tried goat cheese muffins? Before you turn your nose up, try them. Mixed with powdery vanilla sugar, the creamy chèvre becomes mascarpone-like with a cheesier edge.

With so many garnish possibilities, I decided to go all out. Prepare these before you begin baking so you’re ready to go. Pictured above (moving clockwise from the top), we’ve got:

  • Slivered almonds
  • Flambéd banana slices (using butter, cinnamon sugar, and crème de banana liqueur instead of rum)
  • Chopped, toasted macadamia nuts (click here for toasting instructions)
  • Cinnamon sugar
  • Creamy goat cheese mixed with Dr. Oetker Vanilla Sugar (to taste)
  • Banana chips (chop if you prefer to sprinkle on top)

Ingredients

1/2 c. sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

3 oz. soft goat cheese

1 packet of Dr. Oetker Vanilla Sugar

1 ¼ c. flambéd banana (if you’re lazy, stick three ripe bananas in the microwave for two minutes)

1 c. rich yogurt (Liberty is amazing)

1 egg

5 tbsp. melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F and grease your various sized muffin tins.

2. Mix a few ounces of goat cheese with a tbsp. or so of Dr. Oetker’s Vanilla Sugar and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine first five dry ingredients.

4. In a small bowl, combine bananas, yogurt, egg, butter, and vanilla.

5. Combine dry and wet.

6. Fill muffin tins 1/4 full with batter.

7. Add about 1 tbsp. (more or less, depending on your preference) of vanilla goat cheese mixture to center of the batter.

8. Continue filling muffin tins, covering the goat cheese.

9. Have fun with your garnish! Let me know if you come up with something really fun.

10. Bake for about 20 minutes.

11. Indulge!!

You might also be interested in my White Chocolate Dark Cherry Muffin Recipe.

Ciao for now.

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