Baking doughnuts

I am too lazy to fry my doughnuts.  I don't want the mess of oil or the chance of burning myself.  So the Wilton doughnut pan is a great alternative.  Basically you are making a muffin in a different shape.  The recipe is much like a muffin, although I tend to make everything a little more hearty and less buttery and sugary etc.

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts
Recipe adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup ap flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/3 cup apple cider
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt or you can sub more apple sauce

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray your doughnut pan with Pam spray.  In one bowl mix flour, b soda, b powder, salt, and cinnamon.  In another bowl mix egg, sugar, apple sauce, vanilla, cider and yogurt if you have it.  Pour dry into wet and mix just til combined.  Pour into doughnut pans, don't fill higher than the top rim of the mold or when they bake they will over-flow and it won't look like a doughnut!!  Bake for about 11 to 13 minutes- less time if you are using the mini-mold.  When the cake bounces back to the touch remove and let cool.   Knock out your doughnuts and enjoy!!

Baked Fish With Veggies

I do not cook. I mean I literally only make chicken, turkey burgers and vegetables. So I branched out a little and made some fish. This recipe by Giada De Laurentas of all people is really easy and you can use any kind of fish- I think I used trout. And I also discovered how good roasted peppers and snap peas are together.

Ingredients

1 lemon, zested
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1 1/2 pounds sugar snap peas, stemmed
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 teaspoons olive oil
4 (4-ounce) trout fillets, skinned (or other fish about 1/2-inch thick)
8 thin slices lemon
1/4 cup fresh chopped mint leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl mix together the lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Lay out the 4 sheets of aluminum foil. Place 1/4 of the sugar snap peas, 1/4 of the yellow bell peppers, and 1/4 of the orange bell peppers on each sheet of foil. Over each pile of vegetables drizzle 2 tablespoons of white wine, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and gently toss.

Top each pile of seasoned vegetables with a piece of fish. Sprinkle the fish with some of the reserved lemon zest mixture. Top each fish with 2 slices of lemon.

Fold up the foil into an air-tight packet. Place the foil packets in the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. Sprinkle the fish with mint just before serving.

Photo Credit: Giada De Laurentis

Baked Banana Doughnuts

So my Wilton doughnut pan finally came in the mail this week and I made my first ever baked doughnut. I chose banana bread doughnuts from Wilde In The Kitchen to christen my pan. So I learned not to overfill the pan or they will look odd, and unlike doughnuts. You will have to cut the hole out with a knife and eat the middle part- actually not that bad of a mistake. I have a mini pan so they cook quick- like 8 mins or so.

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 medium, overripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat to the oven to 425 and coat your donut pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, beat together oil, sugar, egg and vanilla extract with a whisk. Beat for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture lightens in color. Add bananas and mix. In a smaller bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, add all at once to the liquids and stir until combined.

Fill the donut shapes about 2/3 full with batter and bake for 9-10 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing and cooling on a wire rack. Make the glaze while the donuts cool further. Fill your donut pan with more batter and bake, continue until you run out of batter.