Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Raspberry Chia Seed Jam Oat Crumble Squares

As soon as I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it!  It's from Oh She Glows.  I made this over 2 days which I would definitely recommend to do since the chia jam needs to cool.



I enjoyed these squares, however, the next time I make them I might be tempted to use a 9x13" pan instead as I almost found them too "oaty" in the 8x8" pan.  Maybe it's just me…

A few notes:
  • Since I happened to have frozen rhubarb in the freezer, I used 1 cup rhubarb and 2 cups raspberries for the jam
  • For the chia jam, I excluded the maple syrup.   I'm glad I did this as I think the maple syrup and honey in the crust made this square sweet enough
  • For the crumble, I substituted honey for brown rice syrup
  • If I did try using a 9x13" pan, I'd increase the chia jam to between 1 3/4 to 2 cups depending on how "jammy" you wanted.  I'd still make the crumble mixture as per the directions but I'd put way less crumble on the top and use it for the crust instead
Raspberry-rhubarb chia see jam
Base layer
Middle layer
Top layer
Just out of the oven
Ready to eat!

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Chai-Spiced Sweet Potato Pancakes


I saw this recipe from Ambitious Kitchen - thought these pancakes looked delicious!

Well, my pancakes did not turn out as fluffy looking as the author, but they tasted quite nice!  Perhaps it could have been due to the fact I substituted in rolled oats processed into a coarse "flour" rather than whole wheat flour that the recipe called for!  Maybe I should try making the recipe according to the original ingredients first before attempting substitutions, especially since I really know nothing about the properties of flour.

Back to the pancakes, I had to make sure that they were quite thin for them to cook all the way.  I also had to cook them on each side for about 4 minutes. Also, due to my brilliant rolled oats substitution, the batter kept getting thicker as it sat so I kept on having to add milk to thin it!

Yes, I will make these pancakes again, but try them with plain old whole wheat flour!

Topped with maple syrup!