cinnamon raisin almond baked!

While the hubby is off in Canada sometimes I get a wild streak…If you call baking my breakfast wild that is.  So this morning I made my hot cereal the normal way, but then I did something out of the ordinary.  I added almond milk and baked it!  It was soooooo delicious.  You’ll have to try it to know what I mean, it was like an oatmeal cookie for breakfast!

Ingredients

40 g Country Choice Organic Hot Cereal

1 C water

1/2 C almond milk

1 T raisins

1 T slivered almonds

cinnamon and sweetener to taste

Directions: Make hot cereal the way you would normally make it.  I use the rice cooker, taking the cereal and water and dumping it in the pot and pushing ‘start’.  Easy.

After it’s done cooking, put in a ramekin with almond milk, raisins and any sweetener you would like.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until a light crust develops on top.  Let cool and dig in!

mOMent: What wild streak will you allow to come over you today?

bliss bakery

Bliss Bakery – Gluten Free Food For The Masses

There’s a new bakery in Santa Rosa, CA called Bliss Bakery. When I heard about a new gluten-free, allergy friendly bakery in town I knew I had to try it. My husband and I decided to stop by while cruising around town doing errands just on the off-chance that this bakery had some delicious vegan treats left at 4:55pm.

We pulled up outside of the small bakery, located in little neighborhood in downtown Santa Rosa. When we parked right in front of the door the first thing we noticed was the sign on the door said ”shut”, which we found quaint and disappointing. But, we were in luck! When we looked inside, a short sweet brunette was motioning for us to come in. We obliged, of course.

It turned out that she (I’m assuming she’s the owner) was on her way to Wavy Gravy’s birthday party and was very excited to get to the festivities. However, she was as friendly and happy as can be to share her baked goods with us. We took a look around at the tiny space, just barely big enough for a few tables and chairs. It still smelled of delicious sweet and savory treats and I imagined what it must smell like early in the morning when everything was still baking.

She had just a few items left from the day, most of which were vegan that she was saving in a pink cake box almost as if she were waiting for us to arrive. One special treat in the box was a toffee cupcake which she quickly broke in half for my husband and I to try. It was delicious! We asked for a few in a box to take with us, with the delicious vanilla icing on top of course.

All of Bliss Bakery’s goodies are gluten-free, most of the treats are vegan and they serve kombucha on tap. Flying Goat coffee and tea is also served throughout the day to accompany the fantastic food.

Overall, I was very pleased with my experience and I highly recommend. The staff is very accommodating and seem genuinely happy to share the sweetness. If you’re in Santa Rosa, definitely stop by.

707 . 542 . 6000
463 SEBASTOPOL AVE . SANTA ROSA . IN THE SOUTH A ARTS DISTRICT
OPEN THURSDAY – SATURDAY 10 – 5

Strawberry Anzac!

Anzac cookies are probably one of my favorite cookies! The richness of coconut, the depth of Lyle’s golden syrup all held together with oats, flour and sugar…oh yeah, and your favorite non-dairy butter too! How incredibly delicious this mixture is.

All I can say is THANKS AUSTRALIA for coming up with a perfect cookie.  Australians call these cookies biscuits and they were developed during the first World War for the soldiers.  They were perfect for travel because they do not contain milk or eggs, which means the soldiers had a yummy way to have sustenance while away.

The one secret ingredient is Lyle’s Golden Syrup.  I found mine at a local store that has an international section.  Look where you might find ingredients from the UK, you will likely find this sweet gem.

There’s only one way it could get better…add fruit! So which fruit goes well with coconut and oats? My pick is strawberry. I originally planned on making homemade strawberry jam but then got impatient (big surprise for those who know me) and bought a jar of organic strawberry preserves instead. I suppose that for this recipe you could use homemade jam and it would add another layer of deliciousness.

I made two versions of this mixture:

1. Strawberry Thumbprint Anzac Cookies
2. Strawberry Anzac Crumble

Strawberry Thumbprint Anzac Cookies

These cookies are sweet, rich and the texture is a little chewy, a little soft…and A LOT delectable.

The recipe is fairly straightforward:

1 C rolled oats
3/4 desiccated coconut (I use unsweetened)
1 C white flour
1 C sugar
125g (4oz) Earth Balance (1 stick)
2 T Lyle’s golden syrup
1/2 t baking soda
1-3 T water
1 10 oz. jar of strawberry jam or preserves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300F

1. In a big bowl, mix oats, flour, sugar & coconut together.
2. In a little bowl, melt syrup and butter together.
3. In a baby bowl, mix soda with 1 T boiling water. Add to melted butter and syrup. Then add that to the dry ingredients. Mix together, add a little extra water if it seems really dry.
4. Place 1 T of mixture on parchment paper lined cookie sheets (allow room for spreading). Flatten with fingers just slightly and add a small spoonful of jam to the top of each cookie. Sprinkle with coconut as a garnish if desired
5. Bake for 20 minutes, checking periodically. These cookies have a tendency to brown really fast.
6. Let cool completely and devour.

Strawberry Anzac Crumble

Ok – this recipe was stumbled upon by mistake but will certainly be resurfacing in my house as a favorite. First make a batch of the Anzac cookie dough and gather any ramekins (I used 8-10 oz. ramekins). Depending on how large your ramekins are and how much jam you use, the measurements will vary. Have fun

Ingredients:

1 batch of Anzac Cookie Dough
Strawberry Jam
Dessicated coconut for garnish
Fresh strawberries (about one strawberry per ramekin)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

1. Prepare one batch of Anzac Cookie Dough
2. Layer about 1/4 inch of cookie dough in the bottom of ramekin. Press into the bottom of the ramekin.
3. Spread a thin layer of strawberry jam over the dough.

4. Add another layer (about 1/4 inch) of Anzac dough, but don’t press the dough down too much. The mixture will not completely fill the ramekin, but it will rise.

5. Garnish with strawberries and coconut.
6. Bake for 20-40 minutes depending on how gooey and delicious you like your crumbles. About 30 minutes will get you a nice browned edge with a soft berry-licious center.
7. Let cool, it will stay hot for quite some time. Enjoy…

Dig in!