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Monday, August 18, 2014

Quinoa Applesauce Oatmeal Bread


Quinoa Applesauce Oatmeal Bread | The Sweets Life
 Pre-Brecken, I would sometimes spend an entire Saturday in the kitchen, knocking out half a dozen recipes. Sometimes it was for blog content, sometimes it was to relieve the stress of weeknight cooking, and sometimes it was simply because there was a recipe I was dying to try. Nowadays it's rare that I'll spend a big chunk of dedicated time in the kitchen, although I do try to squeeze in blocks of cooking during weekend naps! Brecken has always been a fantastic nighttime sleeper, spoiling us with 11 hours a night without a peep (KNOCK ON WOOD), but naptimes aren't nearly as predictable! Because I never know if I have 30 minutes or 90 minutes, and I want to spend her awake time focusing on her, the recipes I plan for naptime have to be relatively fast!
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Quinoa Applesauce Oatmeal Bread | The Sweets Life
Quick breads are the perfect naptime recipe. The preparation time is mere minutes and then it's off to the oven! I got a little experimental with this bread, starting with a King Arthur recipe for a base and then throwing a bunch of my own stuff into it. I had some leftover quinoa that I threw in there and was excited to discover that it completely disappeared, unlike the banana quinoa muffins I'm so fond of. If there was ever a need to sneak quinoa into someone's tummy, this is a surefire way to make it happen! I loved the crunch from the walnuts and the bites of sweet craisins, but you could just as easily leave plain (I bet it'd be really good with jam spread atop!) or toss in your favorite mix-ins. I only had sweetened applesauce on hand, so I reduced the amount of added sugar to the recipe, but you could just as easily experiment, depending on how sweet or healthful you want this to be. 
Quinoa Applesauce Oatmeal Bread | The Sweets Life
Even if you aren't trying to squeeze baking in and around naptimes, you won't complain about this quick quick bread!

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Quinoa Applesauce Oatmeal Bread

Printer-Friendly Recipe
Ingredients:
-1/2 cup sugar
-2 large eggs
-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
-1 cup whole wheat flour
-1/4 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp allspice
-1/4 tsp nutmeg
-1/2 tsp salt
-3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
-3/4 cup applesauce
-1/2 cup cooked quinoa
-1/3 cup ground flaxseed
-1/2 cup chopped walnuts
-1/4 cup craisins 

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Mix the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl. 
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices (cinnamon through salt). Stir into the wet ingredients. Mix in the oats, cooked quinoa, applesauce, and flaxseed.
3. Stir in the walnuts and craisins. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour batter into the prepared loaf ban and bake for 55-60 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow bread to cool in pan on a wire rack before removing and cooling completely on a wire rack. 

inspired by King Arthur Flour