What's Cookin': Breads and Snacks!

Even though I haven't been posting recipes lately, I've definitely still been making them!  I have several delicious recipes to share with you today.  Plus more to come tomorrow :)


First on the list are two snack recipes: No-Bake Almond-Oat Energy Bites and Chewy Granola Bars.  I made these to have something handy around the house I could eat between meals.  Both these recipes are also great for wrapping up and carrying on-the-go in case you get hungry when you're out and about.  They are both from vegetariantimes.com, are super easy to make, and incorporate delicious earthy-tasting almond butter.  While they are high in calories for a serving size, they're definitely very tasty and filling, making them the perfect between-meals snack.  The only drawback to the energy bites is the necessity for a grinder or food processor.  Neither are vegan or gluten-free, but I'm sure substitutions could be made.  I give both recipes 4 stars.


Next on the list are several breads.  All were very easy to make and delicious! I found this Pita Bread recipe on Food Network's website and I liked it so much, I've made it twice in the last 2 weeks.  It takes several hours, but all the steps are really easy.  I was skeptical about the pitas "ballooning" but sure enough, they did!  It was awesome to see and it has to be the best pita bread I've ever tasted in my life.  I will never buy pita at the store again.  Definitely 5-stars!

I planned a dinner party to celebrate Imbolc and decided on this recipe for Honey Wheat Braided Bread to use during the dinner.  I had a lot of fun making this bread because you get to actually braid it!  While the recipe called for the braided loaves to be wrapped around themselves, I thought they looked great flat.  I also only had black sesame seeds on hand instead of regular ones, but I have to say, I think the finished bread looks marvelous with the black ones.

We've been making homemade pizza for awhile now.  Usually, we buy pre-made pizza dough already rolled out and ready to decorate.  But we decided to seek out a whole-wheat dough option we could make in the bread maker.  I searched the nets and found Bread Machine Pizza Dough with Whole Wheat Flour.  Very easy to make, just dump the ingredients in your bread machine, push the dough cycle, and 2 hours later, you're ready to make yummy pizza!  We opted for cheese pizza with garlic tomato sauce.  The crust came out crunchy on the outside and chewy in the center.  Just perfect :)


No-Bake Almond-Oat Energy Bites ★★★★
Chewy Granola Bars ★★★★
Pita Bread (V) ★★★★★
Honey Wheat Braided Bread ★★★★
Bread Machine Pizza Dough with Whole Wheat Flour (V)★★★★★
V = Vegan, GF = Gluten-free