Today I have a feature recipe from Super Seeds by Kim Lutz. I met Kim at VVC almost two years ago. In a conference filled with excitable energy, I was struck by Kim’s calm, modest and beautifully gentle spirit. Kim is also a mother of two, and blogs at Welcoming Kitchen, which is the title of her first cookbook. Kim has also co-authored The Everything Organic Cooking for Baby and Toddler Book and The Everything Guide to Cooking for Children with Autism.
Kim’s recipes are entirely vegan, and are also allergen-friendly. Welcoming Kitchen was a collection of plant-based, allergy-free recipes, and Kim’s second book, Super Seeds, follows this theme but with a focus on nutrient-dense seeds! Kim utilizes 5 main seeds in this cookbook, including hemp, chia, flax, amaranth, and quinoa.
Kim opens the book by introducing us to the nutrient profiles and benefits of super seeds, and then follows with some basic super seed recipes and simple tools needed to use these seeds in different forms (ex: whole seeds, seed flour, seed butter, and milks). Then, Kim brings us to the best part – the recipes! Super Seeds contains 75 recipes, from muffins and breads to salads, soups, and desserts.
I love the theme of this book. Regardless of your specific whole-foods or plant-based diet, most everyone is hip to using hemp, quinoa, amaranth, chia, and flax. Why? Because they are so incredibly nutrient-dense, allergen-friendly, and versatile. Kim makes it easy for us to incorporate these powerfully nutritious foods in our daily meals. I also love how welcoming the recipes are in this cookbook. Beyond being a successful author, Kim is also a busy mom of two active kiddos – so you know that she has designed these recipes with flavor, nutrition, and ease of preparation in mind!
Reviewing Kim’s book, I was immediately drawn to her Blueberry Coffee Cake! It’s the kind of recipe I imagined I might bake regularly for my family. After baking it up this weekend, this is definitely the kind of recipe I will regularly make for my family! I love it. It’s simple to make, utilizes whole foods, isn’t overly sweet, and has a beautiful, moist texture.
Kim has generously offered this recipe for reprint for us all to enjoy, plus a giveaway of her Super Seeds cookbook. You can enter below, but first, you must try this recipe! (If you’re planning your Thanksgiving menu, this would be lovely for brunch or tea.)
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Inspired by a traditional Italian almond cornmeal coffee cake, this version, with fresh (or frozen) blueberries, is elevated to “super coffee cake” with the addition of hemp seeds and hemp milk. This cake is truly delicious. Makes 8 servings
1 cup white whole-wheat flour, spelt flour, or (gluten-free) oat flour
1 cup cornmeal, plus extra for dusting the pan
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup plus two teaspoons granulated sweetener (coconut palm sugar or evaporated cane juice), divided
1 cup Hemp Milk (page 21) (or other nondairy milk)
¼ cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract (or omit for a nut-free cake)
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon slivered almonds (or shelled pumpkin seeds, pepitas, for a nut-free cake)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon hulled hemp seeds
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Grease a 9-inch-round cake pan with coconut oil and dust with cornmeal. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, baking powder, and ¾ cup sweetener.
4. In a large bowl, combine hemp milk, apple- sauce, vanilla, and almond extract, if using.
5. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Stir to combine.
6. Add blueberries.
7. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
8. In a small bowl, combine almonds or pepitas, hemp seeds, 2 teaspoons sweetener, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon.
9. Sprinkle nut-and-seed mixture over the top of the cake batter.
10. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a tooth-pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
11. Let cake cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate and flip right side up. Serve warm.
Recipe reprinted with permission from Super Seeds, copyright 2014 by Kim Lutz, Sterling Publishing Co.
Some of my blogging colleagues have also reviewed Super Seeds, with other featured recipes. Looky-loo!…
Amaranth-stuffed acorn squash (review on Spabettie)
Creamy golden corn soup (review on Go Dairy Free)
Hemp seed hummus (Review on Recipe Renovator)
Lemon-basil quinoa salad (review on The Blender Girl)
Massaged kale salad (review on Mama Balance)
Quinoa lentil soup (review on Ricki Heller)
And here’s YOUR chance to snag a copy of Super Seeds! Enter below, telling us YOUR favorite super seed!
Good luck!
x
Dreena
Shola says
Verdict, I would make it again and follow more closely. I omitted the almond extract, which perhaps* would have added that missing touch. However, I think it’s missing that buttery element; either swap applesauce for butter/vegan butter or add butter extract.
Dreena Burton says
Hi Shola, I would give some suggestions but this isn’t one of my recipes rather a reprinted recipe from another book. But perhaps you can experiment with it using the almond extract.
esterfisher says
This blueberry coffee cake can be a perfect pick for this year’s holiday season. On Christmas or New Year you can prepare it for your loved ones.