Oat Bread: Leftover multi-grain cereal

This is another great way to use up leftover hot cereals (multi-grain, cream of wheat, oatmeal etc.). Not only is this bread healthy and high in fiber due to to the oats, but its fluffy, yet somewhat chewy and has a nice color. To say the least is has an amazing texture and is delicious... and I feel like preparing more oatmeal just so I can make more!

Ingredients

2 to 2.5 C cooked multi-grain cereal (or oatmeal)

1 to 1.25 C water

2 Tbl molasses

2 tsp salt

1 Tbl yeast

About 5 c flour

1/4 c vital wheat gluten

In large bowl combine oats, water, molasses, salt, yeast and 1 C of flour. Lest rest until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Stir in vital wheat gluten and flour as necessary so that it becomes doughy but not too sticky. Knead about 10 minutes adding flour as necessary. Form into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap (I like to use the shower caps they give you at hotels) and let rise in warm place until doubled, about one to two hours. Once doubled, press down and divide in half. Place formed loaves in loaf pans that have been greased and floured. Score the bread widthwise. I think a razor blade works well for this Cover and let rise until well above the pan rim. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake about 30 minutes or until the center is about 200 degrees F.

**It is a good idea to let the crust set for a while before cutting, as difficult as this may be. Enjoy!

Healthy Almond Banana Muffins made with Leftover Oatmeal

We had a huge 'vat' of leftover multi-grain cereal, sititng in the fridge, longing to be used for something...so I made muffins.

Ingredients

For muffins

1 Tbl ground flax, wisped with 3 Tbl water (I also added about 1 tsp of ener-G egg replacer for a little extra lift) but if you don't have this on hand it shouldn't be a problem

1 cup cooked cereal (oatmeal, cream of wheat, multigrain etc.)

1/2 milk (start with 1/2, may need to increase depending on the aqueous nature of your cereal)

1 very ripe banana, mashed

1/2 tsp almond extract

1.5 c flour (I used unbleached white)

1/2 tsp salt

4 Tbl sugar or other sweetener

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 c sliced almonds

For topping
1 Tbl flour, 1/4 c brown sugar, dash of salt, 1-2 Tbl water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Combine wet ingredients (first five listed) in medium sized bowl and dry ingredients (the four following) in a small bowl. Add dry to wet, combine well and stir in almonds. Grease or oil the muffin pan (I used paper cups in the picture but the muffins stick to the paper so I think analternative method would work better). Fill each muffin slot 2/3 full. Combine the topping ingredients (until crumbly) and sprinkle evenly on muffin tops. Bake for 30 minutes.

These muffins are very versatile I used almond extract, almonds, and a banana but I'm sure it would work fine if you wanted to use another fruit, essence or nut or omit them entirely.

If you're feeling adventurous, might I suggest apple pecan with vanilla bean.

"Chips and Cheese" with Daiya

A sampling from my Daiya adventures. This was the first time I got to taste Daiya vegan cheese and I have to say I am quite impressed. There are so many vegan cheeses available now but I don't really desire cheese too frequently. However I was craving grilled cheese, which turned out amazingly with Daiya and was eaten too quickly to take a picture. Here's to the makers Daiya and my 100th blog post!