Happy 4th of July! I am taking the week off from markets to enjoy some summer time with my family and friends, but in case you have some left over bread here is my current favorite crouton recipe:

1/4 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 c bread torn into little pieces (about 2/3 of a Polenta loaf works great)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400F
Mix the bread cubes with the olive oil in a large bowl. Toss to coat well. Transfer bread to a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake staring 2 or 3 times until the croutons are golden brown, but still a little soft inside. Set aside and cool. 
Put on your next salad or enjoy as a snack while cooking your main meal :)

Directions:

1. Cut bread into thin slices and tear into chunks. Place in a large bowl and add salt and milk. Cover and rest for 20 minutes or longer if the bred was very hard. 
2. Sautee onion and parsley in butter add to the bread and milk. 
3. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil
4. Add eggs to the bread mix and combine with your hands into a uniform mass
5. Use wet hands to form one test dumpling and place in boiling water, if dough is too loose add some bread crumbs or flour. 
6. Divide dough into portions and form the rest of the dumplings in the size you like. Wet hands are best here. 
7. Place the dumplings in boiling water, place a lid on top and return to a boil, then partially open the lid and reduce heat to a strong simmer. Cook dumplings for 15-20 depending on size.
8. Take out dumplings with a slotted spoon and place on a hot plate. Serve immediately with Chanterelle Mushroom Sauce.

Tips:

• Reduce milk if the bread is relatively fresh, increase milk and steeping time if bread is hard and dry. For best results use five day old sourdough bread.
• In a hurry? Use hot milk and reduce steeping time.
• Left Overs? Cut into slices and fry in a cast iron pan with butter and top with an egg for breakfast or lunch.

In case you have some extra Vollkornbrot and want to turn it into crackers!
How to make Crackers with your Vollkornbrot
Cut your loaf into very thin slices, the thinner the better. Spread the slices on a sheet pan and put it in the pre heated oven at 375F for about 15-20 min. Keep an eye on it, you want them to be crispy at the edges but not burnt, it happens really quickly! Let them cool and either store them in a tin or jar until you are ready to eat them or serve right away. They are good with almost anything! Slices of brie with a spoon full of your favorite jam or honey, blue cheese, or some smoked salmon (here is where I get mine) with dill and cream cheese, the possibilities are endless! ​Let me know what you like to put on yours!

Since you asked so kindly here is the recipe to my breakfast cookies!!! All my recipes are in grams. Cups and ounces get me all confused so if you don't have a scale you can google the conversions for most ingredients. Happy baking!

For one large batch of Breakfast Cookies you will need:

• 230g softened unsalted organic butter
• 100g organic sugar
• 100g organic brown sugar
• 2 fresh eggs
• 1 Tsp vanilla extract
• 190g unbleached white flour (but I usually use a mixture of whole wheat and white as well as white KAMUT flours but the amounts change depending on the day)
• 1 Tsp baking soda
• 1 Tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tsp salt
• 240g organic oats (a mix of quick oats and rolled oats is best)
• 240g organic Thompson raisins
• 130g nuts and seeds (sunflower seeds, hemp, chia, walnut, pecan, almond anything you have sitting in your pantry!)

Cream the butter and sugar in a stand up mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add one egg at a time and mix well. Add the vanilla extract. In a medium size bowl measure out the flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and stir to combine. Slowly add it to your butter and sugar while the mixer is running on low. Slowly add the oats, then the raisins and nuts  stirring just to combine. I often hand mix the nuts in to finish the dough.
Using an ice cream scoop or two spoons make little balls and place them close to each other on a baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the freezer for at least an hour. Once they are frozen put most of them in a ziplock freezer bag and a few on a baking sheet for immediate enjoyment.
Heat the oven to 350F. Once the oven is hot put the sheet with a few cookies in and bake for 10-16 minutes depending on the size of your cookies. They always look way too gooey when you take them out but that's when they are just right! Repeat every day until gone. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk for the ultimate morning pleasure. 

Since I have not been baking for a few months, we had to resort to crackers for awhile which really needed a good topping. In my search I came across this fabulous "Sunflower Tuna Salad" in Sarah Brittons My New Roots cookbook. Since we have been loving it so much I thought I would share it with you all. It's easy, its delicious and it makes the most boring crackers taste amazing!

Vegan Tuna Salad based on Sarah Brittons Recipe

• ​2 cups sunflower seeds spakes overnight
• 2 Tbs sea salt
• 1 sheet of Nori
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tsp maple syrup
• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 1/2 cup parsley
• 3 spring onions 
• 1/4 cup capers
• black pepper

Soak your sunflower seeds in a bowl overnight. When you are ready to make the salad, drain the seeds and put them in a food processor. Add all the other ingredients except the capers and onions and pulse until you have a chunky paste. Transfer to a bowl, add the remaining ingredients and chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve it. Serve on toast, fresh bread or crackers. Enjoy!