Creative Epicure's Hearty Healthy Bread

My husband is Swiss and he loves a nice loaf of hearty bread. This was adapted from "Laurel's Black Bread" that I found in The Oakland Press some time ago. The base recipe is very versatile. This is a great snowy or lazy day project.

By the way, I am a huge fan of Bob's Red Mill organic whole grain products.

Ingredients
1/3 cup Cracked Wheat (light bulger)
2 1/2 cups Water
1/4 cup Blackstrap Molasses
1/4 cup Agave Nectar
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 cup Gluten Flour
2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
4 Tbsp Olive Oil (divided)
1/3 cup Oat Bran Flour
1 cup Rye Flour
1 cup Wheat Germ
1/2 cup Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
1/2 to 1 cup additional whole wheat flour
Rolled oats
2 Egg Whites
1 tsp Cold Water

Additional inclusions: you can pretty much add anything you like to the bread when you shape it. I divide the dough in thirds and make 3 kinds. Today’s versions were:

Sunflower: 1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds

Cinnamon Raisin: A handful of Raisins (about 1/4 cup) sprinkled with Saigon Cinnamon

Sun Dried Tomato: A good squeeze of Sun dried Tomato Paste (About 1 1/2 Tbsp), a sprinkle of dried Oregano and a handful of Sun Dried Tomatoes - chopped.

Over medium heat, bring the cracked wheat, water, molasses and agave to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into your stand mixer bowl. Insert a thermometer and wait till it cools to 110 degrees F (mine took 25 minutes to cool). Sprinkle with yeast and add the gluten flour and 2 cups of whole wheat flour. Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes, scrape down the blow and raise the speed to #2 for 2 minutes, scrape and beat on speed #3 for 2 minutes. Remove paddle, sprinkle with 2 Tbsp of the olive oil and cover with plastic wrap for 15 minutes.

Next I put the rye flour, oat bran flour, wheat germ, oats and salt on a piece of parchment paper and mixed it around a little.

Insert the dough hook onto the blender and, with the speed on low, very slowly add the flours into the mixing bowl and let the machine run to blend it well. (My mixer tends to want to dance around at this point, so I don't leave it unattended.) Then raise the speed to 2 and let it run until all the ingredients become a homogenous mass. Raise the speed to 3 and let it run for another 3 minutes.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the wheat flour onto your kneading surface. You may or may not need the other 1/2 cup. Begin to knead and knead in the additional flour until the dough is no longer sticky.

Pour the remaining 2 Tbsp Olive Oil into a large bowl. Put the dough into the bowl, turning to coat all sides with the olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel. Let rise until doubled, about an hour.

Punch down dough and divide it into thirds. Press into a circle, leaving the center slightly elevated. Spread whatever flavor/filling you want to about 1/2" from sides.

Now, this is how to shape you loaf into a nice dense one. Fold over all the edges and make into a circular shape, the flip over and cup with your hands, pressing the dough downward and squeezing the folded edges together with your fingertips. Spin the dough a quarter turn and repeat the process until you have a tightly shaped loaf and you will just start to see your filling through the dough. Roll the bottom of the loaf in oats. Place on a cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper. (Two will fit on 1 sheet.) Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, a little over an hour.

Now whisk together the egg white and water and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Brush the top of each loaf and sprinkle with desired topping(s).

I topped the Sunflower Loaf with Sunflowers, the Cinnamon Raisin Loaf with Oats and the Sun Dried Tomato Bread with a little Kosher Salt.

Creative Epicure's Ultimate Veggie Patties

I love a great veggie burger. Seeing Guy Fieri make "Morgan's Veggie Patties", http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/morgans-veggie-patties-recipe/index.html on The Food Network really got me excited. I finally pulled my version together based on my personal preferences and what I had on hand. Here is my version. This is definitely worth the effort.

Creative Epicures Ultimate Veggie Patties
This makes 8 large patties

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium diced red onion
1/4 medium red bell peppers diced
1 diced Serrano chili
1/4 cup diced, thawed frozen artichokes
1 1/2 tablespoons diced garlic
3 cloves roasted garlic
1/4 cup frozen corn
1 can no-sodium chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can low sodium Cannelini (white kidney beans) beans, drained and rinsed
9 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats by weight
1 tsp Hungarian paprika
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red chili flakes
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
4 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Garlic Clove, gently smashed, still intact

In a medium saute pan heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat, while you prep the veggies. Add the red onion, red peppers, Serrano chili, and artichokes and reduce the heat to low and slowly sweat out the veggies until the onions are translucent and just starting to caramelize. Add in the garlic and cook about a minute until fragrant. Turn off the heat and leave the pan on the burner to cool slightly.

In a dry pan, roast the frozen corn until it is thawed and has browned slightly, shaking the pan occasionally to get a nice even color.

I pan toasted my chili powder, cumin and paprika until fragrant - personal preference to enhance their flavors.

Pulse 1/2 of the chick peas in a food processor about 5 times, you don't want to puree them, just break them into small bits. This lends an interesting texture to the final burgers.

Dump the beans and processed chick peas into a large bowl. Add the sauteed vegetables and corn and mix well (this will help to cool the veggies so you don't end up cooking the eggs). Dump in your oats, spices, bread crumbs and eggs and then squish the whole thing together into a homogeneous mixture. Crushing some of the beans, but leaving some whole for texture and interest.

Form into 3 inch patties. I used a biscuit cutter, which I lined with plastic wrap spooned the filling in and folded the plastic over and really pressed the mixture in firmly. Then place the wrapped patties onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour before frying. You could freeze them at this point, but I haven't tried this yet - too good.

To fry preheat your oil and garlic clove in a medium frying pan over medium-low heat until the clove is gently brown. Remove the garlic clove and crank up the heat to medium-high heat until shimmering. Gently place the desired number of patties in your pan and fry on each side about 3 minutes, until a deep golden brown crust forms.

* If you use a larger pan - use more oil so that the burgers will create the nice crust that will hold them together. I tried some with flour coating at first, but this was unnecessary - better flavor without the flour.

I have tried this topped with smashed avacado and on top of green taco sauce, both were fantastic!

Creative Epicure "Chippy Scotcheroos"

This makes a cookie sheet full of goodness.
I always have a bag of blended chips on hand to make "My Chips Have Come In" cookies. The mix can have semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and/or mini-chocolate chips. I just dump a bag of each in a large zip-top bag and shake around to mix.

Creative Epicure Chippy Scotcheroos
9 Cups Rice Krispies Cereal
2 Cups Agave Nectar
1 Cup Granulated White Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Cream
1 1/2 Cups Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 Cups Butterscotch Chips
1 1/2 Cups Mixed Chips
1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips (optional drizzle)

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Measure 9 cups of Rice Krispies into a large bowl and set aside.

In a large saucepan mix the Agave Nectar and Sugar together over medium heat until it comes to a boil, boil for 1 minute then remove from heat and mix in the peanut butter. Add the Rice Krispies and stir until mixed. Working quickly place the mixture into the prepared pan and spread with a spatula (I used 2 so I could keep the parchment in place.

In a medium saucepan bring the cream just to a simmer and remove from heat and add your chocolate and butterscotch chips, stir until smooth and spread evenly over the warm base.

Sprinkle with the mixed chips and press them lightly into the topping.

Melt the dark chocolate in a small microwave safe dish in 20 second increments - stirring until melted. Drizzle the melted dark chocolate over the chips.

Cool thoroughly and cut into squares.