I don’t know about you but when I’m at a coffee shop, local or franchise, and the aroma of the freshly brewed hits my nose, I immediately want a cup.  And as soon as I take my first sip, I have this undeniable desire for something sweet.  Perhaps it’s because I now drink my coffee black and I need that sugary taste to curb my craving? Maybe my stomach feels better when I eat something while drinking my black coffee?  Who knows?  Maybe I just like to eat? Yeah.  It’s definitely more than likely the latter answer.

But whether I’m at the coffee shop or I’m at home, the idea of sitting down with a big mug of joe is comforting to me.  And having a soft and chewy cookie, a buttery muffin or a thick and crumbly piece of coffee cake just accentuates that comfort.  However, I’m trying to cut down on my refined sugar and processed foods intake and that means those yummy baked goods I mentioned are not going to help my cause.  That said, I’ve decided to do some more baking.  With the remaining apples from that Sunday at Smolak Farms and my newest found love, the Omega³ Chia seeds, I decided to bake up something healthy and hearty that would not only give me the chance to do some more experimenting with the Chia seeds, but it would also give me something to dip into my coffee.

Image Credit – Susty.com

After perusing some recipe sites online and not being able to find something that met my standards (they are high, you know), I decided to make up my own recipe.  I know; hold onto your socks! I was a bit nervous since baking tends to need to be more exact than cooking.  But, with my apples being on their last leg and my longing to bake something with the Chia seeds, I knew it was go time.  Plus, if you don’t try, you can’t win, right? After much deliberating in the kitchen, I finally came up with a winner.

Hearty & Healthy Apple Oatmeal Bread with Raisins & Chia Seeds (aka Your Coffee’s Partner in Crime)
Makes 1 loaf, 10 servings

• 1 1/2 cups of oatmeal (old fashioned oats), uncooked
• 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 TSP of baking powder
• 1 1/2 TSP of cinnamon
• 1 TSP of pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup of agave nectar (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce
• 2 egg whites (or 1/3 cup of egg whites)
• 1 TSP of Greens Plus Omega³ Chia seeds, mixed with 2 oz. of water
• 2 small-medium Granny Smith apples, unpeeled and diced (about 1 1/2 cups diced)
• 3 TBSP of raisins

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Coat a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.  Make sure to do a good job coating – get the corners and the entire sides of the pan.

3) In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: oatmeal, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.  Set aside.

4) In another bowl, combine your wet ingredients: agave nectar, almond milk, applesauce, egg whites and Chia seeds mixed in water.  Beat this mixture with a fork until blended.

5) Add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients and mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Please note that your batter will not be smooth; resist the urge to over mix.

6) Gently fold in your apples and raisins.

7) Spoon your batter into the greased loaf pan.  Try to make the batter as level as possible to ensure even cooking.

8 ) Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

9) Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Once cooled, carefully remove the bread from the pan and let sit on a wire rack to cool for an additional 5-10 minutes.

This was scrumptious! Once out of the oven, it felt like it took forever to cool.  The smell of the baking apples, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and agave nectar filled my condo and made me feel like Susie Homemaker.  There is truly something satisfying about the scent of your own homemade baked goods.  And while the aroma of the bread was enough to put me on cloud nine, the taste was even better.  The bread was moist, thick, soft and chewy.  While it wasn’t overly sweet, it was enough to fix my sugar craving.  The natural sweetness from the apples and raisins gave the bread a wholesome flavor, something which paired quite nicely with the oatmeal.  Because I used egg whites and Chia seeds instead of whole eggs, and applesauce instead of oil, this bread was not greasy at all and yet, there wasn’t a hint of dryness.  I would say that this recipe was like having a bowl of oats in a bread/bar form.  It was great as is, but equally as wonderful with a light schmear of buttery spread, a dollop of Greek yogurt or a thin layer of fruit preserve.

And not only did I think this bread recipe was pretty darn good, but my sister and husband both agreed.  I shared a piece with Michelle this past Saturday morning at Panera Bread after our yoga class.  She noted that it was dense, but that she favored that texture for a breakfast food.  She, too, liked the fact that it wasn’t overly sweetened by sugar and enjoyed the big chunks of apple and raisin pieces.  But she didn’t notice the Chia seeds until I told her what I used to make the bread.  I told her the Chia seeds were high in soluble fiber and she was digging that.  Michelle <3’s her fiber, if you know what I mean! Patrick couldn’t believe that this bread was actually healthy.  He didn’t miss the butter, whole eggs or sugar.  He said, “whatever you put in it, you need to remember and write it down because you need to make this recipe again!  This is so good!“  And like my black coffee, my days are always better when they’re paired with something sweet.

Do you prefer baking or cooking?  What is your hot beverage of choice? Do you drink it because you ‘need’ the caffeine or do you just like the ritual of it?

Namasté,
Nicole