It's back to healthy basics this week after losing my inhibitions over pineapple upside-down cake on Saturday (see previous post). Elliott and I wanted to make pizza last night, which was great because I had a bunch of half-eaten vegetables in the fridge and no cohesive way to put them together. Pizza was the perfect solution, and now I have leftovers for lunch today!


I wanted more protein on my pizza, and I was without tofu or fish of any sort. My solution was to make a tomato sauce from scratch using white beans. I haphazardly threw a bunch of ingredients into a food processor, tasting and seasoning along the way. It turned out fantastic! I had a TON left over, which will be awesome for pasta or quinoa or lentils later in the week.

I also tried out a whole-grain brown rice pizza crust last night. I was very curious and a bit skeptical, but it actually turned out to be pretty delicious for what it was. It was very light and crispy, exactly what I was in the mood for. If you're a fan of soft, doughy pizza, don't try it. I should have cooked it a bit longer before topping it though- it was a bit gummy in the center.

White Bean Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup white navy beans
1/2 of a red onion
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce (plain, unseasoned)
1 Tbsp. pesto
basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper & salt to taste

In a food processor, pulse navy beans and onion until thoroughly blended. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste and check for seasonings.

My toppings of choice last night:
homemade tomato sauce
mozzarella cheese
asparagus
portobello mushroom
kalamata olives
sundried tomatoes
feta cheese

Please, before reading the rest of this post, know that this cake breaks all the rules. Every single one. Its composition is simply butter, sugar, eggs, flour, a little rum... you get the idea. But you know what? I DON'T CARE. Besides, I ran 4.3 miles at a 8:22 pace this morning. So I will eat some damn cake, thank you.


But will you just LOOK at it for a minute? It is absolute show-stopping perfection! It's my newborn child! I wish I could have seen my own face after flipping it over and unveiling the surprise. There's a certain anticipation about baking an upside-down cake. You hope you let it cool long enough. You hope it doesn't break in half when you turn it out. You hope it looks nice and pretty and tastes good. When all of this happens just the way you wanted it to, it's a magical moment. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

So, why did I subject myself to a quest for perfectionism and loads of saturated fat? Several reasons. (1) I like to bake. (2) Sometimes I like to be bad. (3) I have a luau-themed party to attend, hence the pineapple.

Long story short, please bake this cake. Mischief loves company.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
-adapted from Gourmet-

Ingredients for topping:
1 can pineapple rings
3/4 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar

Ingredients for batter:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. ground cardamom
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp dark rum
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

Directions:

To make topping: Preheat oven to 350. Cut the pineapple rings each in half. Melt butter in a cast-iron skillet and add brown sugar. Simmer over moderate heat, stirring, 4 minutes. Remove from heat and arrange pineapple on top of sugar mixture in a circle design, overlapping slightly.

To make batter: Sift together the flour, cardamom, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter in a stand mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and rum. Add half of the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until incorporated. Beat in pineapple juice, then remaining flour mixture, just until incorporated. (The batter may appear slightly curdled.)

Spoon batter over pineapple topping and spread evenly. Bake in the middle of the oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, 45 minutes or so. Remove from oven and let cake stand in skillet 5 minutes. Invert a plate over skillet and invert cake onto the plate, keeping them firmly pressed together. Replace any pineapple stuck to the bottom. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp more rum and cool. Can be served warm, room temp, or refrigerated overnight.

I intended to make scones this morning. Instead, I made a complete mess of the kitchen, the floor, and myself. When my awkward blob of dough finally made it into the oven where I knew it would stay put for at least 20 minutes (and not fly around the kitchen), I was almost too defeated to scoop up the batter I'd dropped on the rug and scour the dirty dishes. Soon, though, the warm and subtle scent of lemon and blueberries started wafting out of the oven and improving my momentary pessimism. It wasn't long before I removed my golden brown lump of creation and took a taste. And? I was flabbergasted. Shocked. Dumbfounded. I expected to chew on something gummy and bland, but instead I found myself savoring a perfectly soft and lemony cloud dotted with plump and juicy blueberries. Impossible. The fruit of my labor.

I tried to make these as healthy as possible, but you simply cannot make scones without butter. It's against the rules. To compromise, I used 'spreadable butter' which has a little canola oil added. Aside from this, they are low in gluten, high in protein and fiber, and just sweet enough. Seriously perfect for any time of day.

For the length of time that I baked this batch, they turned out very moist and crumbly. The outside edge had a really nice light crunch that I loved, and the inside had a consistency that was between muffin and traditional scone. I normally don't enjoy the dryness of scones, but I might actually bake them for a few minutes longer next time just to see what happens. Also, they might be easier to eat if dropped onto the cookie sheet in 3 or 4-inch rounds instead of one big 8-inch blob. This will alter the cook time slightly, but feel free to experiment.

Please enjoy this recipe, and remember not to get discouraged if your bake-ventures don't go as planned. You might end up with something spectacular.
:)

Lemon Poppyseed and Blueberry Scones
2 cups spelt flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbsp poppyseeds
6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter or margarine, cubed
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
juice of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425. Line a rimless baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and poppyseeds. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture forms coarse crumbs about the size of peas. Gently stir in lemon zest and blueberries.
In a separate bowl, whisk lemon juice, maple syrup, egg, and milk. Add to dry ingredients and stir with a spatula just until evenly moistened.
Shape dough (it will be sticky) onto parchment-lined baking sheet in one thick round, or divide out into smaller rounds. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the center is cooked through and the top is golden. Let cool slightly, then slice and serve warm.

I have solved the buckwheat pancake dilemma! I've used this recipe twice now, to much success. There's no picture because of the speed at which I gobbled these babies up. They looked kind of like this though.


I served them sandwiched with almond butter and honey, topped with sliced bananas, cinnamon, Greek yogurt, and more honey. They are simply divine, and not too heavy but super satisfying. Give them a try!

Buckwheat Blueberry Pancakes (vegan)
-serves 2-

Whenever I'm trying to invent a new recipe, I always do plenty of research. For example, on this particular occasion, I think I printed out three recipes from online and consulted two cookbooks before I was finally confident enough to step out on my own. I was expected to bring my creation to Jenny's party too, so I couldn't mess around. It had to be good on the first try.


I knew I wanted to make some sort of loaded cornbread. Jalapeno-cheddar cornbread, to be exact. But cornbread recipes vary so much that I felt doing ample cross-referencing was appropriate. Some use more cornmeal than flour, some use cornmeal and flour in equal amounts. Some have almost a full cup of white sugar, others stick with a small amount of brown sugar.  But I noted several consistencies across the recipes and decided to use those as my starting point.

This cornbread includes cheddar cheese, jalapenos, and corn kernels for flavor and texture. It uses cornmeal in equal amounts with flour, this being because I didn't want too much of a crumb. It had to be able to support all of my add-ins without breaking apart. Also, because I was aiming for a more savory cornbread, it has no refined sugar- only a small amount of honey for subtle sweetness. What was the final result, you ask? Out of this world! There's nothing like creating your own recipe and everyone loving it. I had one woman come  up to me at the party and say, "I'm a cornbread connoisseur, and I say these muffins are to die for." I couldn't believe it!

In conclusion, if you make this cornbread, you probably won't regret it.

Sarah's Summer Cornbread
-makes 12 muffins or 1 8x8 baking dish-

1 cup medium grind whole-grain cornmeal
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup oil (I like to use light olive oil)
1 egg
1/4 cup honey
1 1/4 cups grated cheddar cheese (I used mild but I'm sure sharp would be yummy)
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and diced
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels

Preheat oven to 375 (350 for 8x8 dish). Spray 12 regular muffin cups or baking dish and set aside.
Sift cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, egg, and oil in another bowl, then whisk in honey. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir until incorporated.
Gently stir in cheese, jalapeno, and corn kernels. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups or pour into pan.
Bake until tester comes out clean, about 20-23 minutes (a little more for 8x8 dish).

Note: I plan to make this again using diced bell peppers instead of corn kernels. It would also be great with a little Monterey Jack in the mix.Your add-ins can vary according to personal taste!