Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Cherry Almond Coconut Breakfast Loaf- Gluten Free


  
     It’s a "misty, moisty morning" and the dogwoods seem to have appeared overnight, mingling with the redbud trees to make a glorious spring pageant. After Saturday’s rain I can smell the earth just begging for the tiny little tomato plants growing in the windowsill. Spring has sprung.

     The warm weather and longer daylight hours have rekindled my enthusiasm for bringing my camera back into my kitchen, so I'm going to try to be more consistent with posting on my little blog. There are lots of things waking up around here that I can't wait to share!
   
  
     Sunday morning I woke up early, before the rest of the household stirred, and prepared these little loaves for breakfast. The original recipe for this lovely gluten-free-no-added-sugar-breakfast/snack came from Anja's Food 4 Thought. I changed it up just a bit to accommodate what I had on hand, and these loaves were the serendipitous results. As tasty as they were wholesome, they were a delightful addition to our morning. They disappeared so quickly that next time I'll be sure to double the recipe. Hmmm... Pineapple and macadamia nuts maybe?
     

Cherry Almond Coconut Breakfast Loaf
adapted from Anja's Carrot Coconut Breakfast Loaf
Ingredients
3/4 cup almond meal (I used almonds ground in my food processor.)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 2 medium bananas)
1/2 cup dates, pitted and chopped (If your dates stick together while chopping, sprinkle with some almond meal.)
1/2 cup carrots, grated
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
1/4 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup cherries (sweet or sour) pitted and chopped

Directions
  • Preheat oven to 375° F (180° C). Line three small loaf pans (or one standard size loaf pan) with lightly greased parchment paper.
  • In a small bowl, mix together almond meal, baking soda and cinnamon.
  • In another bowl, mix together eggs, extracts, coconut oil and mashed banana. ( I had trouble with my coconut oil not mixing well with the other ingredients, so I whirled the mixture around a few times in the food processor.)
  • Add almond meal mixture to wet ingredients; stir.
  • Gently stir in the remaining ingredients. Mix well to ensure that the chunky bits are evenly distributed.
  • Pour batter into prepared loaf pan(s) and bake for 40 minutes (35 for smaller loaf pans) or until a cake tester in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

33 comments:

  1. For a while, coconut derived products have been on my list of ingredients to try. This cake would be a great place to start ;o)

    Betty...I'm so pleased your enthusiasm got you back here blogging with us again.

    Happy Spring and flavourful wishes,
    Claudia

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  2. This looks delicious! It would be great for breakfast.

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  3. I've been thinking about those redbuds in your part of the country! The street I grew up on had beautiful pink dogwoods in front of every house. I miss them. Around here, the dogwood is white--pretty but not the same.

    So glad to see you back and with a delicious recipe.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  4. Man, you keep posting the most delicious looking recipes and I keep not quite getting around to making them.

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  5. Good to see you back at your blog! This breakfast bread looks wonderful and the healthy aspect is much appreciated from a devoted baker who is looking to bake lighter most days;-)

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  6. Miss seeing you in my Inbox. :) That's a great picture of the flowers. I'm loving Spring too!

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  7. What a wonderful post; love the photo of your dogwood; I have never seen them this bright colour. Your loaf makes a great treat anytime.
    Rita

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  8. I love your pictures, they're gorgeous! This delicious breakfast loaf sounds superb! I especially love that it's gluten free. Im passing the recipe along to a friend that can only eaten gluten free. Thanks for sharing :)

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  9. ohhh! I so love when you post because you always have the best recipes! I love this! The combo of cherry and almond sounds just amazing

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  10. Such a lovely healthy take on bread! Definitely got to try this!

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  11. I love baking with almond flour. These looks like such a delicious recipe. I must try it!

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  12. The loaf looks too scrumptious and with those flavors - you couldn't go wrong. Glad there are some great gluten free ideas out there.

    Your blossoms are beautiful too. Nothing here yet! It is a really hard part of blogging - to see everyone else's blossoms and be sitting in a sea of brown!

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  13. i've never tried baking with almond meal, but then again, i've never had to cater to the gluten-free crowd. i think this sounds like a terrific loaf, for anyone!

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  14. I'm so glad you're back to posting! This beautiful weather is inspiring, isn't it? What a delicious loaf! I would never have guessed that it's gluten free with all that deliciousness in it!

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  15. I would love this for my breakfast!

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  16. What a yummy breakfast! I want to wake up in your house! The flavors here sound delish!

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  17. Once again love the beautiful pictures on your website.

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  18. Your loaf looks so moist! I don't need gluten-free, but I'm totally sold on almond meal-based breads.

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  19. This looks so good and moist and I love the ingredients you've used in it. I can only imagine how wonderful this would taste in the morning with a nice cup of coffee or tea.

    Actually the ingredient list is so nutritional I might have to eat more than one at a sitting. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

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  20. So nice to see you back again, Betty! Love your breakfast loaf, so satisfying with the cherries, almonds and coconut!
    The beautiful spring flowers on your tree outside really lets you know it's SPRING!

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  21. I've been drooling over your photos of this dish

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  22. Lovely loaf! It looks delicious! I like all the combination of ingredients, I'm sure that this is so full of flavour, perfect with a cup of tea!
    Wish you and your family Happy Easter!

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  23. This looks really moist and loaded with irresistible flavours.
    Great to see you back to the blogging world again!

    Angie

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  24. What a gorgeous moist loaf!!! And full of all my favorite flavors...so yummy!

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  25. I would love to wake up to this loaf tomorrow morning. The spring flowers look beautiful.

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  26. Hello Betty...just came back once more to give you a quickie Happy Easter greeting. Have a memorable celebration with your loved ones.

    Ciao for now,
    Claudia

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  27. I agree, the beautiful weather and long hours of sunshine are truly inspiring. Lovely photos, Betty! This treat looks like the perfect healthy breakfast treat.

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  28. Anything with dates sounds good to me.. Love your flower pics.

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  29. Welcome back!

    Being at the opposite way, I'm sad that we are getting the shorter day now...

    Very lovely photos and this loaf is so beautiful for Spring!

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  30. Yum, that sounds lovely! I'm not a morning person, so having a slice of this ready to go would be heaven.

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  31. Cherry and chocolate... love the combo!

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  32. I have been wanting to try a few gluten free recipes. This looks great!

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  33. mmm yummy. One of my favorite recipes. Thanks for sharing this.

    Simon

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Thanks for stopping by scrambled hen fruit! I appreciate all of your comments and look forward to reading them.

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