healthier

Bready or Not Original: Cardamom Cashew-Walnut Butter

Posted by Beth on Jun 3, 2020 in Blog, Bready or Not, gluten-free, healthier, nutty | Comments Off on Bready or Not Original: Cardamom Cashew-Walnut Butter

This is a two-for-one Bready or Not posts: recipes for Cardamom Cashew-Walnut Butter, for both small and large food processors.

For the past few years, I had an 8-cup Cuisinart food processor. The thing was great, but as I tried more recipes, I found that most were designed for a larger food processor. Darn.

So when Costco advertised a Cuisinart double the size, I circled the ad and shoved it toward my husband, saying, “This is what I want for Christmas.”

After overcoming my initial anxiety about operating the darn thing (blades and pieces galore! confusing!), I delighted in the increased capacity. Now I can make bigger batches of stuff like nut butter!

This recipe is a particular favorite of mine. I created the original small batch recipe for my old unit, and then modified it for the shiny new machine.

You can substitute other nuts in the recipe, but the mixing time may be different. Almonds are harder, and take longer to process.

Also check out my Maple Nut Butter recipe!

Bready or Not Original: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Granola Bars [Gluten Free]

Posted by Beth on May 20, 2020 in Blog, Bready or Not, breakfast, chocolate, gluten-free, healthier | Comments Off on Bready or Not Original: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Granola Bars [Gluten Free]

These delicious White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Granola Bars are perfect for breakfasts and snacks–and they are packed with protein and gluten-free, too!

I love making no-bake batch breakfast recipes in the summer. No need to turn on the oven and heat up my kitchen! Or to fuss with making something every day!

This recipe is even better because it is SO GOOD. I made it numerous times to experiment with ingredients and amounts. I prefer it with cashew butter and almond flour as it gives it a very cookie dough taste, but use what you have.

To make this gluten-free, be sure to use GF quick oats from a place like Bob’s Red Mill. Also, DON’T use old fashioned/rolled oats. They are too dense. The time I tried that kind, I had to add a lot more nut butter and honey to make the mixture stick together.

Make these on the weekend and your breakfasts are ready for the week! Just grab a bar from the fridge, eat, and enjoy!

Giftmas 2019: Fruity Wensleydale Cream Cheese Balls & a Fundraiser for the Edmonton Food Bank

Posted by Beth on Dec 10, 2019 in Blog, Bready or Not, cheese galore, gluten-free, healthier | Comments Off on Giftmas 2019: Fruity Wensleydale Cream Cheese Balls & a Fundraiser for the Edmonton Food Bank

If people know only a few things about me, it’s that I bake, I share lots of cute cat gifs, I write some stuff, and that I love, love, LOVE cheese. As part of the Giftmas Fundraiser, I’m sharing a recipe I just made for the first time during my American Thanksgiving last month–and I’m hoping you’ll share some money and goodwill to help the Edmonton Food Bank, too. Your donation (in Canadian dollars) will help a lot of folks in need this season. One dollar equals three meals.

Please give to the Edmonton Food Bank for Giftmas!

Scroll down past the recipe to enter an incredible Rafflecopter giveaway that includes loads of stuff, including a signed Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas book featuring one of my stories. You needn’t donate to enter the giveaway–in fact, even spreading the news about Giftmas is a big help. Use #Giftmas2019 on social media to do that.

As part of Giftmas, there’s also a Snowman drawing contest. The whole family can take part in this one! Find out the details from Rhonda Parrish.

2019 has been a cruel year, and 2020 could go straight-out apocalyptic. Let’s help each other stay warm and fed.

Let’s start that effort with some delicious cheese.

This recipe is inspired by a glorious cheesecake I experience at the Wensleydale Creamery during my dream-come-true trip to the UK in June. I immediately began mulling ways that my cheese-loving mom could enjoy a facsimile of the cheesecake, but with a lot less carbs.

The result is this recipe for Fruity Wensleydale Cream Cheese Balls. This is gluten-free, keto-friendly, low-carb, and probably other buzz words with dashes, too. More importantly, it’s DELICIOUS.

Please support the Edmonton Food Bank for Giftmas!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bready or Not Classic: Slow Cooker Korean-Style Short Ribs

Posted by Beth on Jun 19, 2019 in beef, Blog, Bready or Not, crock pot, gluten-free, healthier, main dish | Comments Off on Bready or Not Classic: Slow Cooker Korean-Style Short Ribs

If all has gone according to plan, I’ve fled to a far-distant isle to enjoy Wensleydale cheese and scones. I didn’t want to schedule new recipes while I travel as I won’t be able to promote them to the fullest. Therefore, I’m revisiting a classic recipe this week. Enjoy!

I’m presenting to you the recipe for one of the best dishes I’ve ever made in a crock pot: Korean-Style Short Ribs.

I have made this many times over now. I’ve even tried it using cheaper cuts like chuck roast and rump roast. Those worked out okay (though the meat really dries out before its soak in the juice at the end), but they are nowhere as delicious as the short rib version.

It turns out amazing whether you use boneless or bone-in ribs–a mix is a great way to go, too! Don’t trim the fat. You want all that flavor. The end result is a sauce that tastes like you added red wine, but you didn’t. It’s like MAGIC.

Seriously, these ribs taste like something from a great Asian restaurant. Pair it with some broccoli and a good spoonful of the sauce, and YUM.

Whenever I see beef short ribs go on sale, I do a little dance of joy because it means I get to make this recipe again.

Print Recipe

Bready or Not Classic: Slow Cooker Korean-Style Beef Short Ribs

This recipe makes rich, savory short ribs that taste like a dish from a great restaurant! A 5 or 6-quart crock pot is necessary to fit the ribs. Note: A chuck roast or rump roast can be substituted for the ribs and it tastes okay, but the fatty ribs create a much deeper and richer flavor.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: beef, slow cooker

Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar packed
• 2 Tb sesame oil
• 2 Tb rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 5 lbs beef short ribs bone-in adds more flavor, but boneless works
• 1-2 Tb cornstarch
• sesame seeds optional

Instructions

• In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, vinegar, ginger, garlic and red pepper. Place the ribs in a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker; pour the sauce over them. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 9 hours. Depending on how the ribs are stacked in the cooker, you may want to quickly stir them at some point halfway through.
• Use a slotted spoon to remove the ribs from the cooker. Place a tablespoon of corn starch in a small bowl and add some juice from the cooker. Whisk them together to create a slurry without lumps, and add back into the crock pot. Stir. If the juice doesn't start to thicken, repeat the process with some more corn starch.
• Either keep the ribs intact, or pull meat into chunks and discard the bones and fat. Place meat in cooker again on WARM setting for 10 minutes or so to soak in flavors. Serve. Great with rice, broccoli, and perhaps a sprinkling of sesame seeds!
• OM NOM NOM!

Bready or Not Original: Chickpea Almond Butter Blondies

Posted by Beth on Mar 13, 2019 in Blog, blondies, Bready or Not, cookies, healthier | Comments Off on Bready or Not Original: Chickpea Almond Butter Blondies

No one will be able to tell that chickpeas form the base of these healthified blondies, but the truth is right there in the name.

A food processor is necessary for this recipe as the chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) must be utterly pulverized. Weirdly enough, a lot of health cookbooks and blogs have discovered chickpeas end up eerily like bland cookie dough once they are mashed up.

I know, it sounds crazy, but I’ve tried out a few recipes like this and it’s the truth. And these blondies WORK. They taste good. The sweetness is just right, not hardcore, but it doesn’t taste at all like ‘health food.’

I found the base recipe in an issue of Cooking Light and significantly modified it into something new. The original had tahini (which I do not like, so I subbed almond butter) and dark brown sugar (which I usually don’t have).

The pecans add a wonderful texture to these blondies. If you don’t like pecans, I would suggest still using some kind of nut or seed for a mild crunch.

Print Recipe

Bready or Not Original: Chickpea Almond Butter Blondies

These lightened-up blondies use chickpeas as a base, but trust me, you can't tell they are there. These are just sweet enough with an additional crunch from pecans.

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Keyword: bars, chickpeas

Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 15 oz unsalted chickpeas aka garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 Tablespoons almond butter
• 2 Tablespoons milk or half & half
• 1/3 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line an 8x8 or 9x9 pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
• Using a small saucepan, brown the butter, stirring often. Transfer to a bowl to cool for 15 minutes. Whisk in brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
• Place chickpeas, almond butter, and milk in a food processor, and mix until smooth, scraping down the sides often. Stir the chickpea mixture into the butter mixture.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl and whisk together. Stir dry mix into the chickpeas. Fold in the pecans.
• Pour batter into ready pan. Bake for 25 to 27 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test in the middle.
• Cool in pan for hour or two. Use foil to lift blondies onto cutting board to slice into pieces. Store in a sealed container, with waxed paper between layers, at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bars also can be frozen for later enjoyment.
• OM NOM NOM!

Bready or Not Original: No Bake Chocolate Almond Oatmeal Bars [Gluten Free]

Posted by Beth on Feb 27, 2019 in Blog, Bready or Not, breakfast, chocolate, gluten-free, healthier, no-bake dessert | Comments Off on Bready or Not Original: No Bake Chocolate Almond Oatmeal Bars [Gluten Free]

I’m here to set you up with a breakfast or snack bar that is delicious and mostly healthy. Plus, these No Bake Chocolate Almond Bars can be tweaked for several dietary needs!

If you need gluten-free, use GF rolled oats. If you need dairy-free, use different chocolate chips. If you have nut allergies… well, you could probably use all-purpose flour and a different nut butter or even Biscoff spread, but I haven’t tested that mod myself.

Though I did test this recipe. A lot. Because it kept coming out tasty, but still a bit off.

The first try, I used milk chocolate chips, which is always my preference in cookies. To my surprise, I found the end result to be too sweet.

The second try, I became quite frustrated when pressing the base layer into the pan. It was a big sticky mess.

Therefore, by the third try, I knew what to do. Use semisweet chips. Chill the oat mixture from the time it is mixed. I also found that these bars were fantastic to freeze; just use waxed paper between the stacked bars.

Print Recipe

Bready or Not Original: No Bake Chocolate Almond Oatmeal Bars [Gluten Free]

Tweak this recipe to be gluten-free by using GF rolled oats--and it can even be dairy-free by using select chocolate chips! Plan to assemble this recipe over a few hours as you must chill the ingredients between each step. Also, best to avoid milk chocolate this time around, or the bars will be excessively sweet. Use semisweet or dark chocolate instead.

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Keyword: bars, chocolate, gluten free

Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

Crust

• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 3 Tablespoons coconut oil melted
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 3/4 cup almond butter
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling

• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips or semisweet
• 1/4 cup almond butter

Instructions

• In a large bowl, mix together all of the crust ingredients. The mixture should be sticky and clump together. If it's not cohesive, add more almond butter; if it's too wet, add some more oats and/or almond flour. Chill bowl in fridge for an least an hour.
• Line an 8x8 or 9x9-inch pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray.
• Press half of the crust mix evenly into the bottom of the pan. A piece of waxed paper or parchment and a heavy glass make it easier to compress as much as possible. Place pan and bowl in fridge for another 30 minutes.
• In the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop, melt together the chocolate chips and remaining almond butter. When they become creamy and smooth, remove from heat. Pour the chocolate to completely cover the oat layer. Chill for another hour.
• Dollop the remaining oat mixture atop the hardened chocolate. Again, compress contents into pan as much as possible. Chill another 30 minutes.
• Use the foil to lift contents onto a cutting board. Slice. Keep bars for up to 3 weeks in the fridge, in a sealed container with waxed paper between the layers, or freeze for up to a month.
• OM NOM NOM!