I have a Bread Machine!!

I love fresh bread. But for some reason when I make it from scratch, it never really turns out like I want it to. I don't think that I fully understand the kneading and rising. I even took cooking classes in college and learned how. So, I was asking some of my email dietitian friends if anyone had a machine and what they thought of them. One of my friends, Jacqui told me that she prefers making bread and that she had a machine that she was willing to part with if I wanted it. She mailed the machine to me and it took me awhile to try and actually figure it out. But.. now I am in love.

The first loaves that I made were a simple wheat and a simple white. They turned out decent, so I figured I'd try something fancier so, I hit google for some ideas.

The first I tried was this Hearty Oat & Walnut Bread. I got the recipe from fp.enter.net . It was fabulous. It's Thursday and the bread is still moist. I've been bringing it to work to have for breakfast.

Hearty Oat & Walnut Bread

1 1/2 tsp of yeast
3 1/4 c bread flour
1/2 c Quick Oats
1/4 c Brown sugar
1 Tbsp salt
3/4 c walnuts
1 Tbsp margarine
1 1/4 c water ~ 100 degrees

1. Follow the manufacturer's directions.

My machine's order is like this: Wet items, Dry items, and Yeast last.

I figured I should try a nice breakfast loaf for the week. So, the first thing that came into my mind was a Cinnamon Raisin Bread. The beauty of most of these recipes are that they are made with things I have in my pantry already. I found this recipe at the Betty Crocker site. This was the first loaf I actually had to use the "Add in" feature. Thankfully they tell you when this occurs (23 minutes after starting) so that you know when to be ready for it.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

1 c water

2 Tbsp butter or margarine, softened

3 Tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 1/2 tsp yeast

3/4 c raisins

1. Follow the manufacturer's directions.

These breads are fantastic! I have an idea I'm going to try. I'll have to post the results from my experiment here. One more trick I learned from another blog was to add 1/2 c of potato flakes for bread that is moist.

Recipes inspired by the Farmer's Market!

This post is tardy. I made this last weekend. It's Zucchini Fritters (with a cucumber dip) and Apple Nut Couscous. The Zucchini Fritter recipes I got from Simply Recipes. The only change I made was that I added some chopped fresh basil. The cucumber dip and couscous recipe I came up with on my own. I apologize for the picture quality. We have a new camera and I'm still trying to figure out how it works. I used the Zucchini, scallions and basil from the Farmer's market in the fritters. Last week I bought a huge amount of apples, which inspired the couscous. It basically has apples, strawberries from the market and some walnut and almonds chopped into it.

Zucchini Fritters - From Simply Recipes

1 lb Zucchini (about 2 medium), coarsely grated

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

1 large egg

2 scallions, finely chopped

1/2 c all-purpose flour (I used organic whole wheat flour)

1/2 grape seed oil or olive oil (I used canola)

1. Salt the Zucchini with about 1 tsp salt. Try to remove excess moisture. I patted it down with paper towels.

2. Whisk egg in a large bowl; add zucchini, flour, scallions and 1/4 tsp of pepper. Mix to combine.

3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook fritters into 2 batches. Drop six mounds of batter (2tbsp each) into the skillet. Flatten slightly. Cook, turning once, until browned 4-6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve immediately.

Cucumber dipping sauce

1/2 c plain yogurt (I used organic)

1/2 c lite sour cream

1/2 cucumber, sliced

1/2 c basil and cilantro

1 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all of the ingredients in food processor. Chill several hours before using to allow flavors to blend. You can add or delete any of the seasoning to make it your preference.

Apple/Nut Couscous

1 box of instant couscous (7 oz) ( I used Near East, whole grain)
2 apples, diced
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2c strawberries, finely chopped
1/2c almonds, finely chopped
1/2c walnuts, finely chopped.
1/4c olive oil
2 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Cook couscous per directions on box. Drain and add 1/4c olive oil. Set aside.
2. After chopping apples, place in a bowl of water combined with lemon juice. Soak for 5 minutes.
3. Combine couscous, apples, strawberries, almonds, walnuts and cinnamon together. If it seems dry, add more olive oil. Serve warm or cold.