Chef Michael's Irish Soda Bread

Irish Bad Boy... and LOVING IT!!!

I know... I know... Purists will chastise me... Hardliners may disown me... My Irish heritage is appalled and I am sure my ancestors are stirring in their graves readying to mount a zombie attack against me and my disrespectful ways...

I'm not much of a baker, but years ago when I was running parenting workshops with my very Irish friend Mary Dowd, she introduced me to her version of Irish Soda Bread that was just divine. She was kind enough to share her recipe and I had fun making the breads on my own. Easy peasy...

...and then...

I was getting ingredients to make the breads one year and there they were... calling to me... and I thought... hmmmmm, this might work... Enter the beautiful, amazing, tasty and tradition-bucking...

----CRAISINS----

Irish Soda Bread made with craisins has been my St. Patrick's Day signature treat ever since; friends and family rave quietly by way of yummy noises every year. Ohhhhh the sacrilege... The recipe is best used as a dessert or breakfast bread, because... well, the craisins are just a little weird with corned beef ;-) So without further ado, let me introduce you to something quite different from Irish tradition:

Chef Michael's Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 16 oz. container sour cream
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 cup Craisins…. YES CRAISINS!!!

Yes... I know I am handing my fellow diabetics pure sugar, but there's a good chance not all our guests share our disease, and as always... moderation is our friend. We diabetics are diligent all year round, right? So, in a nutshell... "Live a little!" a few times a year is how I roll... Enjoy!

Preparation:

Mix all dry ingredients well. Add egg and sour cream. 

Fold ingredients with floured hands until well combined, but not overly mixed.

Fold in and combine... and combine.... yeah, right LOL

Basically, squoosh the hell out of this messy, very sticky batch

of gooey goodness until you have a big, sticky ball.

Then... just when you're ready to launch Irish obscenities....

You're done!

Bake at 375 degrees in greased 9” cake pan for about 50-60 minutes

or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Enjoy!

Serve as a dessert or for breakfast… Add a little butter and OMG YUM!

And... all my fellow diabetics? Moderation, please! 

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Banana Bread

 Full credit for this diabetic friendly treat goes to my good friend

Betsy Kelp Galloway

Servings: 10 slices

Time: 1 hour, plus cooling

This recipe was modified to be more diabetic friendly from a banana bread recipe published in 1973 by The American Heart Association.

The amount of white sugar was reduced from the original by 33%.

All purpose flour has a glycemic index of 85 placing it in the high range. Almond flour has a glycemic index of 1, a very low value. The all purpose flour in the original recipe version was reduced by 50% and substituted with almond flour. Wheat germ has a glycemic index of 15, which is also very low.

The glycemic index of bananas goes up as they ripen. Ripe bananas are needed to mash and incorporate but resist the temptation of overly ripening the bananas.

This bread is naturally darker in color than banana bread made only with all purpose flour. Don’t be concerned if, on first glance, it looks like it’s burning.

Keep the oven door closed for best leavening.

The modified version and the original bread have a slight crack along the top.

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup buttermilk*
• ¼ cup heart friendly oil
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ½ cup almond flour
• ½ cup wheat germ
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a mixing bowl, mash bananas with the back of a fork then add sugar and mix thoroughly to completely mash the bananas. Reduce the mixer speed to low to avoid splashing; add eggs, oil, and buttermilk; and blend thoroughly.

In a second bowl, gently whisk together all remaining ingredients. (For best bread results: gently spoon flour and wheat germ ingredients, one ingredient at a time, into a measuring cup then level off with a straight edge, such as the back of a table knife, before adding to the bowl. This will help keep the bread from becoming too dense.)

Add dry ingredients to the liquid mixture. Combine well but be careful not to over mix or the bread will have a tough consistency.

Pour batter into an 8” x 4” loaf pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake in a preheated oven for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven. Cool for 5 minutes then carefully turn out of the loaf pan.

Cut into 8-10 slices, each ¾ to 1 inch thick. For best presentation, gently remove a sliver from both ends of the loaf before slicing. A bread knife is useful to limit tearing and crumbling.

*In baked goods, the acid in buttermilk works with leavening agents, like baking soda, to provide a fluffier texture. It also deepens the flavors. If you don’t have buttermilk, try substituting ¼ cup milk plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

 Credit for these delicious treats goes to Food.com.

Let's say you're invited to a pot luck dinner party, you're asked to bring an appetizer, and you're just not in the mood to make my Cannellini Dip again... Well, rest assured these tasty morsels will be the hit of the party. 

For us this year these beauties made the line-up for Christmas eve's Seven Fishes Feast... Enjoy! 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil or 1/4 cup melted butter
• 24 lge white mushrooms
• 12 oz flaked crabmeat
• 4 tbsp finely chopped onions
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp parsley - chopped
• 1/4 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp garlic salt
• 1 egg - beaten
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1⁄2 cup melted butter
• 1⁄4 tsp garlic salt
• 2 cups shredded parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Spray a 9x12-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Use an additional baking dish if needed.

Drizzle olive oil or butter in the bottom of the baking dish.

Wipe mushrooms with a damp paper towel to clean.

Remove stems, set aside caps and chop stems to add to filling.

In a medium bowl, mix crabmeat, chopped mushroom stems, onion, dry mustard, 1 cup parmesan cheese, SOFT bread crumbs (fresh bread frozen and then shredded), parsley, red and black pepper, and garlic salt. Mix well and then stir in egg and mayonnaise.

Use a small cookie scoop to mound filling onto each mushroom cap.

Melt butter and mix in garlic salt and drizzle over the filled mushrooms.

Mound a generous portion of the shredded parmesan cheese on top of each filled mushroom.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 425°F and serve hot. Can be prepared ahead, refrigerated and then baked just before serving (add 7-10 minutes additional baking time).

 

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Baked Cinnamon Apples

Everyone knows that apples are a fun and healthy snack year-round, right? :-)

In this recipe from the Diabetic Cookbook for Beginners - 2024 Edition there is no sugar or sweetener added so I suggest staying away from anything tart and sticking to a sweet variety like Honey Crisp. The end result can be eaten warm from the oven or as a cold snack later on. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 large apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter - melted
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Preparation:

Toss the apple slices with the ground cinnamon until evenly coated.

Add the melted butter and toss until apples are fully coated.

Pour mix into an oven-proof dish, spread evenly and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until tender.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!