Anti-Inflammatory Recipes Archives - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Rye Bread Cake – Is it Bread or Cake?

Rye bread cake is my new favorite cake for holiday sharing or any occasion.

No eggs or fat (butter or oil) ingredients needed.

Most cakes can’t say that. Not even an easy boxed cake mix.

This is one easy flour and milk cake you make from scratch.

And make no mistake, it’s a delicious, moist cake with no butter or oil.

…Where just earlier this year, I put on the debate between which is the better fat, butter vs. oil in a moist cake. Because I used to always use them interchangeably, based on my mood or what I had closest to me.

…So along those curious lines, I also wondered if rye bread is actually a cake?… and those bread vs. cake ideas collide in this dessert recipe below, where the dessert can be considered both.

And you can decide for yourself what the dessert should actually be called.

…Oh, and for a 3-D full-on experience, make the rye bread-cake for yourself, that btw is called rye bread (rứgbrauđ) in Iceland.

Icelanders bake this bread low and slow. And their European and Nordic counterparts (they’re invisibly tethered to), have their own similar versions.

The close inverted flag colors say it all… 🇮🇸🇳🇴

But going against the grain, I call it rye bread cake because the leavener of choice is baking soda (and baking powder if you wish). There’s no yeast. And no proofing.

That proof in simple baking terms, means cakes.

I try to keep it simple.

And it’s cake that’s soft enough to eat with a spoon-fork on a plate

It’s also better served with sweets (and not savory usually), so that’s also cake-dessert leaning, where you can adjust the sweetness.

You can make the cake consciously low-sugar healthier.

And adjust how you bake this bread (?) cake (?)…

Icelanders bake volcanic rye bread outside where they add the ingredients in a covered stainless steel metal pot. They bury it in the geothermal volcano underground.

The ground is like a community natural oven.

…Aww well hey, when you’ve got lemons (like they’ve got in Amalfi), make lemonade. …and when you have simmering volcanic heat, use that as your oven. Did you see my basalt and lava steam love Iceland photos ?

It wasn’t rocket science for the people of the fire and ice land to learn what they could heat with their natural fire pit resources. 🌋

And then dig the ready-rye treat out of the ground the next day.

Such a cool idea. And across the Atlantic, this is what the rye bread cake looked like when I dug my metal pot out (of my kitchen oven) after 60 minutes…

See how easy this can be!

Or sticking with tradition, you can bake a savory rye bread. And serve with non-sweet bites… dialing up the Icelandic salt.

Icelanders sometimes add their fishy tastes ontop (salmon, arctic char, and fermented shark)… eww. You’d agree if you got a whiff of the putrid bite where others I know have described the aroma as hair permanent solution. And Gordon Ramsay spit it out. No mouth wash is going to help. Not even Iceland’s natural water filtered through lava rock.

…And in those times, that would be a good use case for rye bread. Bread is appropriate and can serve as a palate cleanser.

And like other breads, rye bread pulls apart with your hands, like when you’re sharing and breaking bread.

…And yes this is the same rye bread cake I made (photos above).

It’s comfort food with a matching warm-comfort chestnut color from the rye.

And healthy rye is full of fiber.

…So if you do like me, this bread or cake is breakfast food.

I like to pair the rye bread cake with yogurt and honey to lean into early morning glee. I serve it like a dessert cake.

…And so do restaurants around Iceland further away from the geothermal underground. They bake in an oven like you and me, under a roof top. This is where I first tried this rye cake delight in Reykjavik (the capital of this geothermal cake wonderland).

They paired the rye plate with ice cream for dessert. But at home, I like to pair with the healthy pairings for breakfast.

…Like here I deliciously paired with a healthy Greek yogurt for a suitable breakfast plate, full of prebiotics and probiotics harmony.

That way your gut and mouth will both be thankful. And satisfying to your mind in mind-body alignment. 😊

But that’s up to you… you do you!

And whatever you decide to pair it with, it’s delicious on a plate.

And a little honey drizzle and walnut confetti on the cake helps the happy plate celebration. 🎉 Skál!

Rye Bread Cake

This is a delciously moist cake where you don't need eggs, oil, or butter.

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American, british, icelandic

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

stainless steel cooking pot or cake pan

Ingredients

1 cup rye flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup milk of choice
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp molasses and/or honey
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

Combine ingredients to make the batter. This is a liquid and dense batter.
Bake at 350℉/180℃ for 60 minutes.

Popover – 3-Ingredients (and Easier than Choux)

Popover is a sweet one you can fill with your favorite fillings like a pudding, custard, or jam that goes great with warm tea. Like this one straight out of the warm oven. The nice steam is blurring the lens.

popover straight out of the oven.

This is not a bread …and actually a popover is usually described as pudding or custard and an egg based batter. But I like to compare it as easier than making choux and bread, with just 3 ingredients (and no need to knead).

With easy 5 minute prep and 30 minutes of bake time, you’re done in the time it takes for easy pastry. All my notes below.

And however you describe a popover, it’s hard to beat a sweet bake like this one here that looks like a choux pastry inside and a muffin on the outside. It’s a versatile bite great for any brunch table, dessert occasion, or sweet craving.

And one you can easily do, like as easy as making pancake batter.

A popover is especially magical in the oven because it does not need any leaveners like baking powder or baking soda, like in a cake or muffin recipe that is more dense.

The oven does all the heavy lifting rise when you do all the steps (and you will know what those are from below).

Then with the all the flavor options, you have a versatile popover dessert you can fill with so many sweet (and healthy) options… so, it’s a tasty crowd pleaser.

And like muffins, they’re better fresh and home baked than store bought. I remember my first muffin was a muffin made from a box. The fun part was draining and adding to the batter, the small can of blueberries that came in the box.

Kinda like these blueberries sitting in this popover with cinnamon pears. Sounds a little like a (papasan) chair for fruited desserts. 😋

And a popover, when opened inside, is lighter than a muffin or cupcake. Like this one that sat in one of those tins…

Inside a popover, is a light and airy baked bite. One that can be no-butter or a pastry substitute.

Because NO butter can be a dilemma in your kitchen when you run out and don’t wanna run out (to get more). And in that case, a choux dessert is easily ruled out.

…And then you’re faced with your cooking oil options in your kitchen.

If you’re not up for baking a cake, you have less easy sweet options. Maybe pancakes or brownies?

…Sometimes, meh… those can get boring (like my muffins from a box 😊)… and maybe saved for another day.

So then I got you!

Because a popover saves the dessert day.

You can use the oil you have for priming the baking pan.

…Or if you do have a little bit ‘o butter, you can use it to coat your muffin pan bottom… and the benefit is the buttery flavors will actually infuse into the muffin for a buttery popover taste.

Your oven will also have a buttery aroma that’s pleasing to most. And again there’s no butter in the batter itself.

But butter is a sensory pop-over-load that you can lean into when your popover is popping over in your oven.

All you do is make a simple popover pour-over liquid batter (like a pancake batter)!

Let the batter chill and then bake in the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown.

And on the other side of the oven, if you open a popover when it’s still popover warm or piping-hot out of the oven, you’ll let out the steam (and experience a mini steam facial).

This makes a popover uniquely different from a pancake.

And what it most resembles is a choux (not a shoe 👠) that’s a pastry. A popover can’t fill those choux.

Popover vs. Choux

Inside a choux you’d delightfully notice has a light and hollow interior.

And so does a popover.

But unlike choux, you don’t need to guess at the number of eggs based on the baking day and rely on your intuition. Which, btw, eyeballing to me is usually more reliable.

But with a popover, you don’t need to do either. You can just use the recipe and easy to remember 3-ingredient proportions to make as many popovers as you want, in any shape you can make and dream up. 💭

Oh, and choux has another distinct disadvantage of relying on butter for it to work (or else you can end up with a pancake batter or pasta dough 😊).

And choux is usually using both the oven and heated stove elements. With a popover, you need only use your warm oven.

That makes it easier… and more energy cost-saving at that!

So with all those reasons, ready to pop over to your kitchen and make your dessert that’s easier than a Dutch baby?

Easy Popover

This makes 2 regular size muffins.

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American, british

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Total Time 35

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

3 eggs
1-1/4 cup all purpose flour
1-1/4 cup milk of choice

Instructions

Whisk eggs by hand to incorporate into a liquid in a bowl. Combine in flour and milk and refrigerate overnight (or chill in the freezer for about 10 minutes before using). This is a liquid batter.
Coat the bottom of your muffin pan.
Pour the liquid batter into the muffin pan, about half full for uniform muffins. Or if you want more of a rustic look, where the muffins have different large muffin tops like a wild mushroom, then fill a little more to the top.
Bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes, then turn the oven to 375°F and bake for another 15 minutes until the top is golden to deep browned. You can create a sheen on top with milk or egg wash if you like.

Amaranth vs Quinoa – Which Is Better?

Amaranth vs quinoa is a good comparison for grains. They’re both actually pseudo cereal grains (seeds), and not from rice, corn, or wheat.

They’re both complete proteins, meaning they have all essential amino acids.

So they’re perfect breakfast starters to get you going on a fuller meal.

…Oh, and gluten-free.

…Someone’s ears just perked up.

Because if you’re trying to eat less gluten (or are allergic), amaranth and quinoa are more on filling you with protein. And filled with vitamin and mineral nutrients.

Quinoa for starters, is a popular whole grain.

I remember the 90s Friends episode where the trend took off. Move over rice and couscous in the pantry, quinoa became the household food newcomer.

As the world sped up from old fashioned times, people wanted quicker meals.

And quinoa fit the quick and easy to cook up profile, vs. other grains like some raw rices take much longer to cook and soften.

Today, decades later, you can add amaranth to the list as easier to source and quicker cook-soften.

It’s an ancient grain and known as a longevity booster to help your longer ancient-ability.

Farro, einkorn, and spelt are also ancient, but they’re wheats, so they have gluten.

Then there’s barley as its own grass category, like wheat.

But if you’re looking for gluten-free, try the pseudo-cereals like quinoa, amaranths and buckwheat.

Buckwheat is usually ground into a flour. You can bake into desserts and sweets like a buckwheat ginger cookie. You may have heard of them in soba noodles.

So now that we’ve cleared that up, we know different grains for a savory bowl cook differently.

And smaller pseudocereals cook quicker in 20 minute or less meals, with amaranth vs quinoa being the more practical choices.

So which is better?

Of course, that depends on you!

…I really like amaranth because it won’t burn-stick to your pan like quinoa if you’re deciding on amaranth vs. quinoa.

Amaranth is mushy with water and quinoa is more dry, so it can burn more easily if there’s not enough water in your pan at any heating moment.

With amaranth in water, you won’t lose a single grain as it can become a mushy ball and soft like creamed wheat, or a porridge you can spread out in your bowl.

Quinoa is usually more dry like fluffy wild rice that I like to compare it to as each piece stands on its own. Each piece looks like a small piece of thread hanging on each quinoa seed.

And because of these texture differences of amaranth vs. quinoa, cooked in liquid amaranth doesn’t linger in your mouth and end up on your teeth after you’ve finished your meal.

But don’t let that stop you from you quinoa.

Because as for healthy notes, both are still great protein options.

If you’re needing fiber and lower glycemic index options, quinoa is a better choice.

Amaranth is higher in calcium and minerals. Also, if you are looking for easy to digest foods like a temporary BRAT diet, amaranth is a great variety option to keep in your pantry.

You can also add a little amaranth to bread dough (like you would sourdough starter) in a healthy whole grain roll.

And the best part is the versatility of amaranth vs quinoa that you can mix up in your meals.

Amaranth can also be made more dry (instead of the mushy texture already mentioned), as you can make “popping” amaranth like stove popcorn.

Or you make quinoa more wet in a bowl, like in a quinoa cereal with your milk of choice. This is good for Vata balancing as your body is feeling dry and looking for more moisture that you can get through a healthy bowl.

Add in your nuts and seeds. Oh, and how about a heart healthy quinoa bowl to start your day?

Heart Healthy Strawberry Quinoa Cereal

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

Red quinoa
Organic fresh strawberries
Almond milk

Instructions

Cook quinoa to soft. You can use red or traditional quinoa.
Chop strawberries. Use organic and fresh strawberries. You can freeze what you don't use in a few days.
Add milk.

Chocolate Chip Cookie – Rye Flour Fiber

Chocolate chip cookie like this rye flour crunchy one is easy to like as a cross between a dessert and a breakfast cookie.

…Where some like their cookies soft and cake-like. Some like them oven-warmed. And some like them crispy or chewy in parts. To each her own.

And sometimes you like an old-fashioned-hearty-styled, light crunch cookie. Especially when it’s so easy to make.

That’s what this giant cookie is out of the oven.

It’s the crunch that makes it satisfying.

And soft chocolate chips add to the taste and mouth experience.

Which btw, these are mini chocolate chip morsels so it’s not as much as it looks like… it’s many more.

…And a non-issue if you like chocolate. 😋

But however your chocolate chip cookie ends up looking like, this one is one of the easiest baked dessert or cookie you can make.

And it’s lacking granulated or brown sugar on low-sugar-dessert-purpose, as the sweet tastes comes from the chocolate, or you can add maple syrup or a little sugar of your choice if you want

It’s up to you what you make, as it won’t break your cookie texture.

This is not a bake you need ingredient amount precision with especially if you just want to satiate a sweet craving. That can be satisfying in itself!

It’s made from these simple ingredients: rye flour, chocolate chips, egg white, and 1/2 Tbsp of softened butter (or a slim pat with a bread knife).

Even a fraction of a tablespoon of butter adds to this cookie without adding many fat calories if that’s what you’re after.

And rye and butter are a delicious pairing. The mild nutty rye is not strong and earthy like whole wheat.

If you’ve never tried rye flour, this cookie is a good way to try it out.

Because all-in-all, it’s a simple one-bowl mix.

To make this rye chocolate chip cookie, measure out 1/3 cup rye flour and add to a bowl (or even simpler, use the bowl that has measurement marks as your bowl).

Smoothly blend in one egg white and softened butter. You can do this with a spoon and by hand.

Let cool-chill in the fridge for a few minutes.

Then bring out the dough and flatten with the palm of your hand, into a rustic circle (roundish shape).

It will be about a 4- inch cookie before it goes in (and when it comes out).

Then add your mini chocolate chips on top (…and yes, you can add them inside the dough mixture before it goes in the fridge).

And if you use regular size chocolate morsels, you can use less than mini-morsels. Up to you!

These cookies do not have to be cookie cutter.

When I worked as a Doubletree Hotel catering manager, we had daily access to their fresh baked dense chocolate chip cookies that were rustic shape.

Those were my breakfast-fill in on some mornings, and they were like double size (double chocolate chip cookies). That could’ve been the hotel logo. 🍪🍪

Had I known about an ingredient like rye flour as more available to source, and more fiber-sourced, I would have made these at home decades ago to fill the hole from my work chocolate chip cookie memories.

Rye is a healthier ingredient with about 22 grams of dietary fiber per 100 grams of flour.

That’s like double what’s in whole wheat flour. And far and above, hands-down no comparison to all purpose flour that only has 3 grams or less.

Sometimes all-purpose flour is what’s needed for baking texture, but not for this cookie, so why not go aw-rye? 😊

And if you want double crunch, leave the chocolate chip cookie in the oven a little longer. or let the cookie cool out of the oven and put back in the heated oven for 5 minutes.

…I like to do this when I’m doing multiple bakes. So while the cookie is cooling, I’m baking or heating up something else in the oven. There’s not wasted heat. And that’s something you can do too to be energy efficient in your home.

And now you’ve got what you need to make these double crunch chocolate chip cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookie - Rye and Crunch

This is a larger 4" chocolate chip cookie you can make with one-bowl and high fiber rye flour.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1/3 cup rye flour
1/2 Tbsp softened butter
1 medium egg white
1-2 Tbsp mini chocolate chip morsels

Instructions

Make the dough with the first four ingredients combined smoothly.
Refrigerate for a few minutes.
Add to cookie sheet and flatten with the palm of hand. Shape roundish.
Bake at 350°F/180°C for about 20-25 minutes. For extra crunch, add back to heated oven for about 5 minutes after cooling cookie.

Halloween Cookie – Easy Macaroon

Halloween cookie is a good alternative to candy. And a macaroon is a 2-ingredient easy cookie idea. That’s not to be confused with a macaron. But still a treat and not a trick with these appearing ghostly Halloween cookies.

They have a candy bar bite if you add some chocolate like these chocolate-morsel ghost staring with mac-raccoon eyes.

What makes these different from traditional macaroons is they are made without a can of condensed milk.

The fat from condensed milk never settled with me and I figured out this cookie doesn’t need that, or even need any butter like most cookies.

You can make this Halloween cookie macaroon easy with whole milk if you don’t mind the dairy.

And one tip is: if you want to make whole milk last longer than the going-sour expiration date daily clock from ticking, freeze the milk you won’t be drinking anytime soon. That freezes the clock (and takes the pressure off).

When you bring the milk back down to the fridge, after overnight or so, it’s as good as good drinking milk or milk to bake with… Just a helpful idea.

And that’s milk that’s perfect for this ghostly good cookie recipe (and dunking baked ghosts in if that’s what you choose)! Or you can pair with a coconut chocolate smoothie.

Then to make the ghosts, combine the milk with unsweetened coconut. This is a low-sugar, fiber ingredient. Along with milk, you’re getting vitamins and minerals that most (Halloween) candy can’t boast.

So these Halloween cookies are light, but heavy in nutrients, relative to their ghostly body weights.

And they won’t disappear in the oven (like a light meringue ghost would without sugar 👻). Here they are happy as can be as a Halloween cookie trio.

And you can add to your yogurt parfaits or cereals. Or any meal or snack you would add coconut or milk to.

The best part is this is a 15-minute prep to bake finish project… and just one bowl prep easy.

Oh, and actually you can measure your coconut in a measuring cup and then add the milk in tablespoons to the same cup. So you don’t even need a bowl.

That’s it to make your ghost mixture!

Add them to a non-stick baking pan or on a silicone mat on a baking pan so they don’t stick. Avoid baking parchment paper as you ghosts can stick.

And if you’re wondering whether to add the chocolate eyes before they bake, yes!… go ahead. That way they can stick to the ghosts and cutely look back at you as they bake.

They will meld and not melt at low temps.

And after baked, then you have a low-sugar, sweet-ish, and happy-spirited snack to munch on. 👻

Halloween Ghost Cookie

This is an easy ghost macaroon cookie that's low-sugar.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1 cup coconut, unsweetened
5 Tbsp whole milk (2.5 ounces)
mini chocolate chip morsels

Instructions

Blend the ingredients and then shape mixture using cookie cutters as guides or use your fingers to shape into a ghost (round top and swervy bottom)
Add two chocolate chips as eyes.
Bake at 350°F/180℃ for about 10 minute when the edges are browneds. Do not over bake. If you will be distracted, bake on a lower temperature and bake for a little longer.