Soaked Blueberry Oatmeal Coffe Cake

What's Cookin'?

Soaked Blueberry Oatmeal Coffee Cake:  We made this recipe from Catholic Cuisine for the Solemnity of the Annunciation last Friday.  However, I wanted to make it a soaked recipe to use whole wheat and reduce the phytates (anti-nutrients) in the oats and flour.

What I did differently: 
The night before - I mixed the flour (I used white whole wheat), the oats (I just used rolled oats, not quick oats), the sugar (I used rapadura), the milk, the oil (I think I used safflower, NOT canola), and kefir (instead of yogurt).  I left it on the counter overnight.  I also measured out the blueberries and moved them from the freezer to the refrigerator to defrost.

The next morning I added the rest of the ingredients.  It took a bit of stirring to incorporate the egg but it ended up well-mixed.  For the topping I used regular white all-purpose unbleached flour and rapadura plus the other ingredients.

The results: It worked out well doing it this way.

Here is the original recipe: 
http://catholiccuisine.blogspot.com/2011/03/annunciation-blueberry-oatmeal-coffee.html

I actually took a picture but will have to upload it later.

This recipe adjustment is part of Kelly's Real Food Wednesday:
http://eclecticlvng.blogspot.com/2011/03/soaked-blueberry-oatmeal-coffe-cake.html

and Debbi's What's on the Menu Wednesday:
http://diningwithdebbie.blogspot.com/2011/03/whats-on-menu-wednesday-and-pesto-bean.html

What's Schoolin'?

I'm hoping to really spend more time for shelf work in the next week or so (just not *this* week - it's a crazy week).  Hopefully I'll have lots to report.

What's Green?

I finally found a soap at the health food store I feel okay about using for hand soap.  Castille soaps are usually too strong and everything else (even the natural ones) seem to have something questionable or are unclear regarding their ingredients.  Vermont Soap Organics Liquid Sunshine Multipurpose Cleaner works GREAT in those foamy dispensers (we have an old Dial one that you get for a dollar or so with soap in it (that's what dh likes).  It just takes about a centimeter of VSO Liquid Sunshine and it foams nicely. A little bit goes a long way (Unless your dc empties most of it into the foamy dispenser and you have to get a new one!  Of course, I was thrilled with her initiative and couldn't bring myself to correct her).

Vermont Soap Organics has castille soaps and their own foamy soaps, as well as lots of other products that I haven't even begun to explore yet,
Search Amazon.com Health/PersonalCare for vermont soap organics