Baking | Chocolate Cranberry and Walnut Focaccia

What does healthy eating actually mean?

Is it living vegan, organic, free of processed food….or is it all of these put together?

We’re still exploring.

It’s a journey we’ve embarked on for a while now.  I would be incorrect if I said it’s been really easy to find ‘organic’ or ‘minimally processed’ foods  always and everywhere with ease.  Our search remains persistent.

Every day is a busy day – family, work, chores, you name it, and it’s a never ending battle to juggle a zillion things in a ‘regular’ day.  Taking time to cook at times can be extremely painful, so grabbing a quick bite at any of those gazillion places out there is an easy way out. For a brief period of time, a couple years ago, we got on that boat, till one day the husband began to read the list of ingredients and the label on the packaging! Whoa!

Where we surprised? Yes, of course. Did we change? Yes, but not entirely.

We did switch to so called ‘healthier’ options in take away foods, but did not completely stay away.  Things changed when our little princess came along.  We knew what we grew up eating – fresh produce, minimally processed or non-processed food, in a way organic, but for large parts – natural foods.  We had to change ourselves to provide a good example and help inculcate healthier eating habits. It’s been steady progress.  We are glad.  That said, there are those times where we haven’t cooked and it’s too late to cook, and so we tend to resort to drive-thrus, but (luckily) that’s been extremely few and far.

As a part of our eating healthy initiative, and since we’ve switched entirely to organic foods, we have now started to keep away from all sorts of processed sugar.  I was chatting a few weeks earlier with a friend – J – about this and was checking to see if she knew a place to find unsweetened and sulfur free dried fruits as snacks for our little girl, instead of the gelatin and sugar loaded stuff we find in the grocery store.    Not just Ina’s, but our snacks are also exclusively fruits, gelatin free Greek yogurt and low sodium organic crackers.  A bunch of sulfur free dried fruits is always a good option to have handy, especially as ‘treats’ for  Ina for all those ‘great job’ moments.

J said she’d check and let me know.   Meanwhile, I continued to look up every place online and in-store and was having a tough time finding anything close.  Just when I was about to give up I was surprised when I received a package in the mail – it was a large vacuum sealed bag, wrapped in brown paper, of unsweetened cranberries with a little note.   Her folks live up north and can/ jar produce grown organically (locally and at home) and vacuum seal home cooked food, all on their own.  I got to know that they boiled fresh cranberries in water with a few drops of olive oil and apple juice (freshly prepared at home, {additive-preservative-sugar} free) followed by freezing, and dehydrating in the oven.   I was thrilled and could not be more grateful for their act of kindness and generosity.

As a token of our appreciation we sent something I knew they’d enjoy and for my friend who lives close by work, I baked – her favorite- banana bread with walnuts and applesauce.

Not just Ina, but we’ve been enjoying these cranberries ourselves.  So much so that I decided to use them to make a versatile processed sugar free focaccia, when the wonderful person(s) @Breaking_Bread suggested I join them for this month’s inspiration at Breaking Bread hosted by the wonderful Lora.

Focaccia is a simple oven baked Italian bread, with or without numerous toppings.   I have never quite made an attempt at baking one because I presumed breads like this are meant only for expert bakers!  Well, I learnt that my preconceived notion about this bread is not quite true.   Though, I must admit it’s a kneading nightmare (if that’s a phrase at all), if you are like me and don’t currently own a stand mixer.  That said, it’s worth the effort and the overall end product is awesome!

With Focaccia, I set out to bake something more creative that goes well with any meal of the day….something that’s more versatile, all without the use of added or processed sugar.  I was apprehensive about the final bread.   Since I love dark cocoa, I added a good amount in there, to give it a different flavor and look than a regular focaccia.  To my surprise, it all turned out just fine and we’ve had it any part of the day – for breakfast, lunch to make a sandwich or as a dessert with milk /soy milk.  Though we’ve enjoyed it without the sugar, you could dust the top with powdered organic cane sugar to make it sweeter or even may be make a bread pudding out of this bread.

(Note: The pictures of pieces of focaccia dusted with powdered sugar were used for photography purposes only. I shared half of the bread with my friend J and liked it with dusted sugar, something I expected knowing her sweet tooth. )

Recipe : Chocolate Cranberry and Walnut Focaccia

This chocolate cranberry and walnut focaccia goes out to The Cake Duchess – Lora for the beginning at the Breaking Bread.

I am now reading up on using raw sugar instead of the processed white for baking/cooking.

What’s your take on using raw sugar?