Cheesy Potato Biscuits

3/4 cup (leftover) Mashed Idaho Potatoes
3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Shredded Cheese
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 TBSP Baking Powder
1 TBSP Sugar
3 TBSP Butter
1 egg
1/3 cup Buttermilk (plus extra for brushing tops)

Makes 8-10 biscuits depending on thickness and size. Best when served hot and fresh.

Country style mashed potatoes, with skins mixed in, are not recommended for this recipe.

If you don’t have leftover mashed potatoes, start by making a basic mashed potato. 

Lemon Blueberry Bread

1 TBSP lemon zest
1/4 cup plus 2 TBSP lemon juice
1 cup (frozen) blueberries
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup plus 1 TBSP sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 large egg
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup cooking oil


Zest and juice a lemon.
2) In a large mixing bowl combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt, baking powder and lemon zest.
3) Add the blueberries and stir gently, making a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Set aside.
4) In another bowl, beat an egg and add milk, vanilla, 1/4 cup lemon juice and cooking oil. Whisk throughly.
5) Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold carefully.
6) Pour batter into a prepared loaf pan and bake in a preheated 350(F) oven for 50 minutes.
7) While the loaf is baking, combine 1 TBSP sugar and 2 TBSP lemon juice.
8) When loaf is done baking, brush top with sugar-lemon mixture and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack.
9) When loaf is cooled, lift from the pan and slice. Even better the next day!

California Avocado Flatbread

1 medium ripe California Avocado, mashed
2 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 cups heated water
4 – 5 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour (or other flour of your choosing)
about 2 TBSP olive oil
1) Heat water to about 125(F).
2) Add brown sugar to the bowl of the electric mixer and dissolve with heated water.
3) Sprinkle in yeast and allow to rest for about 5 minutes or until yeast has bloomed.
4) Turn the mixer on low and begin adding flour 1/2 cup at a time until a loose batter forms.
5) Add mashed avocado and combine well.
6) Continue adding flour until a soft yet firm, slightly sticky dough forms.
7) Add salt and continue kneading and dusting with flour until the dough can be shaped into a ball.
8) Place dough ball into oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap, then with a towel.
9) Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
10) Punch down, knead back into a ball, cover and allow to rise again, about 45 minutes.
11) Punch down and roll out flatbreads with flour.
12) Pierce rolled out dough with a fork and place on a hot grill.
13) Flip flatbread and top like a pizza (if desired) or enjoy plain.
14) Grill or griddle flatbread about 5 minutes a side until cooked through, golden and crisp.

Naan

Ingredients
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling, see Cook's Note*
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kalonji (nigella seeds), optional, see Cook's Note**
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, optional, see Cook's Note**
Melted butter for slathering on the finished naans
Coarse sea salt for sprinkling



In a large glass, dissolve the dry yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar with 3/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees F). Let it sit on your counter until it's frothy, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, sift the flour, salt, remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar and baking powder into a large, deep bowl.

Once the yeast is frothy, add the yogurt and the olive oil into the glass, and stir to combine. Pour the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients and add the kalonji and fennel seeds, if using, and gently mix the ingredients together with a fork. When the dough is about to come together, use your hands to mix. It will feel like there isn't enough flour at first, but keep going until it transforms into a soft, slightly sticky and pliable dough. As soon as it comes together, stop kneading. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let it sit in a warm, draft-free place for 2 to 4 hours.

When you're ready to roll, make sure you have two bowls on your counter: one with extra flour in it, and one with water. The dough will be extremely soft and sticky-this is good! Separate the dough into 6 equal portions and lightly roll each one in the bowl of extra flour to keep them from sticking to each other.

Shape the naan. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a teardrop shape, narrower at the top than at the bottom. It should be 8 to 9-inches long, 4-inches wide at its widest point and about 1/4-inch thick. Once you've formed the general shape, you can also pick it up by one end and wiggle it; the dough's own weight will stretch it out a little. Repeat this method with the rest of the dough. (If you're making the gluten-free version, you'll have better luck pressing the dough out with your fingertips, than rolling.)

Warm a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until it's nearly smoking. Make sure you have a lid large enough to fit the skillet and have a bowl of melted butter at the ready.

Dampen your hands in the bowl of water and pick up one of your naans, flip-flopping it from one hand to the other to lightly dampen it. Gently lay it in the skillet and set your timer for 1 minute. The dough should start to bubble.

After about 1 minute, flip the naan. It should be blistered and somewhat blackened, don't worry - that's typical of traditional naan! Cover the skillet with the lid and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute more.

Remove the naan from the skillet, brush with a bit of butter and sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt. Place the naan in a tea towel-lined dish. Repeat with the rest of the naans and serve.

Cook's Notes:

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/naan-indian-oven-baked-flat-bread-recipe.html?oc=linkback

BANANA BREAD

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (any other mildly-flavored cooking oil*)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almondmilk
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
• 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C).  Grease a 9 x 5-inch bread pan with cooking spray, or line it with parchment paper, and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, maple syrup, almond milk, eggs and vanilla extract until combined and smooth.  Whisk in the mashed bananas, and whisked until mostly smooth.  (There will be some small lumps remaining with the bananas.)
3. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg until combined.  Pour the dry ingredient mixture into the banana mixture, and stir until evenly combined, being careful not to over-mix the batter.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, and spread the top with a spoon so that it is flat and smooth.  Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean.  (*If the bread starts to get too dark and brown on top while baking, place a sheet of aluminum foil lightly on top of the bread until it finishes baking.)
5. Remove from the oven, and let the bread cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing.