Allan and I have never been big fans of leftovers. Over the years I have learned to creatively use up leftovers in a gracious manner, but most of the time leftovers are presented at our table in the same state that they were originally created. Don’t get me wrong, leftovers make wonderful quick lunches and fast weeknight suppers. It’s just that some people have a way of magically transforming leftovers into completely different meals – this is just not something that I regularly do.
Since I began making my own almond milk I have struggled to find recipes that are quick and easy that incorporate the 1/2 c or so of almond pulp that is leftover after straining. I usually use it in baked banana protein bars or other times I simply throw it into a bag in the freezer to be used up some day when I want to make a big batch of protein bars… which has not happened to date.
So I got to thinking… I loved the banana almond flour cake that I made for Matthew’s birthday. Why not try to incorporate the almond pulp into a breakfast bake? Seems like it would work… The only complicating factor is that almond pulp is very wet. Yes, I could dehydrate it in the oven first, but that seemed like way.too.much.work. So, I simply played around with the amount of liquid that I added to the bake. On the second try I nailed it! These bakes are devilishly delectable and very versatile.
Feel free to swap out the banana and strawberries for any fresh or frozen fruit (or veggie: think zucchini, squash or pumpkin) you have on hand.
Strawberry Banana Almond Bake
Makes 3 breakfast bakes
1/2 c almond pulp or almond meal/flour*
1/4 c buckwheat flour
1/4 c oat flour
1/4 c buckwheat groats
1/4 c ground flax seeds
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
dash sea salt
2 bananas, divided
1/4 c unsweetened almond milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp raw honey, melted in oven while it preheats (optional)
1 c strawberries, quartered
Preheat oven to 375°. Place honey in oven to melt for 2-3 minutes. Grease 3 ramekins with coconut oil or spray with EVOO.
In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients through baking soda. Stir to combine. If using almond pulp, mixture will resemble coarse crumbs.
With a fork, mash 1 1/2 bananas. Slice the remaining 1/2 banana and set aside. Lightly beat eggs with a fork.
Add the mashed banana and additional wet ingredients through honey to dry ingredients and gently stir until just combined. Stir in the strawberries and sliced banana.
Divide among 3 ramekins and bake for 30-40 minutes.
*If using almond meal/flour in place of almond pulp you may need less milk. Add milk in 2 tbsp increments until you have a thick batter.
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If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the new Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides from EWG with the updated Dirty Dozen and Clean 15. Click here for the PDF and here (if you are on a mobile device) for the app.
How do you determine which items to buy organic?
If I had my way, everything that we purchase would be organic. However, our current food budget just wont allow for that. So, I religiously buy the dirty dozen organic. From there I usually like to purchase items that are notorious for being GMO (rice, wheat, corn, soy, wheat, etc) along with produce that we eat daily (sweet potatoes and avocados) and that we do not peel (green beans, spinach, berries, apples, etc.). I also buy organic lemons and limes, as I often use the zest – not only is the skin waxed, but it can become toxic because it collects all of the pesticides.
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