Lets break bread. Three different bread recipes

  I took this photo a few months back.  It was just before dawn but my room was filled with light. So I went out to see what was up.  Well it was the Moon, and as you can see it was a beautiful sight.
  Well, me being me I went inside and grabbed my camera, extended my zoom as far as it could go and began to shoot.  I was thrilled when I saw this beautiful shot.  All my years trying to capture a great moon picture and here it finally is.  I'm a happy girl.
   Lets get on subject now,  Bread.  I love bread and I have become quite fond of making it too.  All kinds of bread, big, small, sweet savory, it's all good to me.  Today I am going to share a recipes for 3 very different breads.
   They are all super easy to make, I am not one to make things that are complicated.  I will start with the easiest bread you will ever make,  Seriously, I'm not kidding.  
  Flat bread.  My flat bread is multi purpose, I roll it real thin so it is similar to a tortilla, I roll it a little thicker and it is similar to middle eastern flat bread.  You could even roll it out like an oblong and use it for a flat bread pizza.
   
   Flat bread, here's what I did

1 cup white flour
1 cup wholewheat flour
A little flour for rolling surfaces
1/4 cup oil (I use olive) most of the oil is used on skillet
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1 cup luke warm water
1 teaspoon sugar ( I use terbinado sugar)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and a just a teaspoon of the oil in bowl.
2. Slowly add the water and mix with a fork, or you hand, I like to use my hands. Mix until the mixture starts to form a moist, but not too sticky dough.
3. Lightly flour a flat, clean surface and put the dough out onto it.
4. Kneed the dough for a couple of minutes until it is a nice firm ball.

That's pretty easy huh.  You can go ahead and start making flat bread now, or you can refrigerate the dough for a few days and use it later.
  This dough will make about 5 middle eastern style pieces of bread.

1. Lightly brush a flat pan, preferably cast iron with oil and put on high heat. I love to use a silicone brush, no random brush hairs in my bread.
2. Get a golf ball size lump of dough and warm it up in your hands.
3. Press the ball into a floured surface and then start to roll from the center-out.
4. Roll pretty thin, a bit thicker than you would if it were a tortilla.
5. Place the dough onto the hot pan and very lightly brush the top side of the bread with oil
6. Cook for a minute or two and then flip, cook for a further minute or so. done.

Bread number 2.  It's my take on a focaccia.  I don't know how to make focaccia, but this was easy enough and it sure tasted like it.
   This recipe is, like others I post, an outline.  I think you could add anything you want to top this bread.   Sun dried tomatoes, any herbs you have on hand, olives, roasted garlic, hazelnuts, fresh tomatoes many different kinds of cheese.  Let your creativity flow.

 Here's what I did

2 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon yeast
4 cups flour, feel free to use white or wheat of a mix of both
2 tsp salt
melted butter
(see, easy)

So, you got to get the yeast going so put the yeast and sugar in the water.  Let it sit 5 minutes or so until it's kind of bubbly.  There was one time I made this bread and I left the yeast mixture sit for 15 minutes.  The finished bread had a definite yeasty flavor that it did not have the previous time I made it.  We all really liked it.  
So with my limited experience I would say the longer you let the yeast sit, the more yeasty the bread will taste.  Brilliant aren't I. :-)

Now add the salt and the flour, mix until you have a sticky dough.  Place the dough in a big, glass, greased bowl.  Cover it with saran wrap or a kitchen towel and let it double in size.
  I put the bowl in the microwave and let it rise there for about a hour.
 DO NOT turn the microwave on!  This just gives the dough a nice warm quiet place to rise.

I love parchment paper, so I use it when baking.  You can opt for greasing your pans instead.  
   A jelly roll pan, cookie sheet, or a stone bar pan would work great.  Place on your parchment (or grease) and spread the dough out flat, using your hands.
  Pour on melted butter and other toppings.  I used Parmesan/Romano cheese, fresh oregano and some garlic salt.
  Let it rise again, any where from 20 minutes to an hour.  It will depend on how warm it is in the kitchen.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Let it cool, rip and eat.   OR..you can be a bit more civilized and after sliding it off the parchment paper cut it into squares or strips.

 

Last but not least how about a quick bread.  I had a hard time deciding between Banana bread and zucchini bread to post.  Banana bread won because I had a photo of it.

 No zucchini bread photo.(tip on the zucchini bread, add shredded granny smith apples in place of some of your zucchini, mmm mmm good)  

 

 

Here's what I did

 

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

 

3T of butter, softened

1T plain yogurt

2 eggs

2-3 very ripe bananas

2/3 cup sugar...I used a bit less actually,  but I didn't really measure.  I used 1/2 white and 1/2 brown

 

Mix it all together and put aside

 

in another bowl

1 1/3 cup of flour

3/4 t salt

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t baking powder

1/2 t Cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

1 heaping Tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes toasted. ( I just tossed them around in a hot frying pan for a minute or two to toast)

zest of one medium size lemon

 Mix all up and add to your dry ingredients. 

 

My helpful hint.  It's the parchment paper again.  notice in the photo I have paper lined the long way in the pan. Then I spray the parchment and pan with a baking cooking spray.

 When the bread is done and cooled.  I just lift out the parchment paper and the bread comes clean out.

 This will make 1 regular size loaf, or 2 mini loaves.

  Bake 40-50 minutes or until brown and a toothpick will come out clean.

 

 

You now have no excuse not to make some bread.  Heck if I can do it you certainly can.

 

 

Happy Eating, and Happy New Year!

 

 

 

 



 

 

Autumn comfort food, mac & cheese

Autumn is in bloom, I love the fall colors.  I even love that it is now getting to be below 80 degrees here in San Antonio. 
  My part of Texas is lacking in the fall leaf changing beauty, but not in Sedona!   I took this photo last week while visiting Arizona.  It was a crisp and cool day, and it put me in the mood for rich, decedent and calorie loaded comfort food. 
  WHAT??  why this is not the healthy fair I try to keep on this blog.  Well, we all can splurge a little bit can't we.  Besides, my plan is to make this blog full of easy to cook, yummy food for a family.  What family does not like mac & cheese.
  My version is an amalgamation of my friends and families answers when I asked how they made their mac & cheese.   So when "from the box" was not the answer I got plenty of good ideas and made this ooey gooey version a classic dish. 
   Problem is my husband and son ask for it almost weekly, not gunna happen!  This is definitely a once in a while dish, for this house anyway.
    Try it, I know you will like it.  When you do make this please comment and let me know how it turned out, or any changes you made to make it your own.  I love hearing from y'all

       I lay out my ingredients first.  Basic, I'm sure it all looks familiar.

Here is what I did

4 cups of macaroni, or shells.  My son likes shells, so sometimes I mix it up 50/50
1/4 cup butter...mmm butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 heaping teaspoon of dry mustard ( or to taste)
a few dashes of paprika
1/2 t salt and a generous shake of garlic salt or any type of seasoning salt YOU like.  Don't skimp though.  Flavor.
1/8 t pepper
2-2.5 cups of 2% milk.   It depends on how thick you like your cheese sauce.
1 egg beaten
8oz shredded Gouda
8oz shredded sharp cheddar

seasoned bread crumbs tossed with Parmesan cheese for topping.  You can use panko if you like too.


cook the macaroni to about 90% done. then rinse and set aside.
1)  in a small bowl beat the egg and set aside

2) in a large pot melt butter
3) sprinkle with flour and whisk on medium-low heat to make a roue

4)pour in milk and add mustard.  Cook, stirring often until smooth.  about 5 minutes.

5) reduce heat to low and remove 1/4 cup sauce and temper in the egg and pour slowly back into milk mixture.

6) add cheese, stir until melted.  ( leave a little bit out to sprinkle over top right before cooking)

7) add the rest of the seasoning and taste, adjust as needed.

8) stir in macaroni until fully incorporated then pour into a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray to keep sticking to a minimum.

9) sprinkle with breadcrumb topping and the cheese you set aside.

10)  bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until all hot and bubbly.

Cool for 5-10 minutes and serve....if you can wait that long.  :-)

I like to serve this with a nice cold salad or a side of sliced tomato, cucumber and sweet bell peppers.  This dish is so rich that the cold veggies clean the palate nicely.
    Broccoli or string beans simply steamed is a good second side dish. 

Tip; some of you may not know what tempering an egg is.  Well it's really very easy.  Think about it, it you just pour the egg into the hot liquid it may cook up.  yuk.   Slowly pouring the 1/4 cup reserved liquid into beaten egg bowl while whisking will incorporate hot with cold.  No egg cookage. 

     I just love cool nights, a fire, a good football game on TV and good old fashioned comfort food.
 Ahhh Fall time happiness.

Happy eating!
      

Honey-Sesame Tempeh with asian flavored carrot slaw over quinoa

Hello Fall!   Can a blog go on hiatus?  well apparently so because that's what I did with my blog.

   The truth is that I really only planned on taking a couple months off over the summer, time is hard to come by for me in the summertime.   And truthfully taking pictures step by step of each and every recipe is a bit too much sometimes.

  But I miss blogging, and some of my followers have been asking me to re-start up. That makes me happy.  So here you go my handful of followers, and Thank you for your support.

   If you are new to my blog, and like what you see, please join in, I would love to have you.

 

   I took this picture on a trip up north about a hour away from home, at a little camp site by the river.  I loved it because it seemed worlds away.  Trees, river, fishing I almost forgot I was in south Texas. I was lying on the ground looking into the trees, the kids playing in the pond and laughing, and this giant web was fascinating me.

 



    During the summer I still kept up in the kitchen, I love summer fruits and veg.  There are plenty of delicious dishes I will be doing over so I can share.  A few I took photos of, though just the final outcome, and that will do for this blog.  When I am feeling all creative, or when I think it's necessary, I will shoot more pictures of the steps. 
    Your feedback, as always is much appreciated.

So here is what I did.

First of all, in case some of you are wondering what the heck Tempeh is, here's the photo of what I used.

 

 

   I read this recipe in Eating Well magazine, I really love this magazine and pillage a lot of recipes from it.  Most of the time I make changes to suit my taste and ingredients that I have handy.  But in this case I followed it exactly.   It was so worth it.  What I nice protein rich, but lite feeling dish.  It was such a hit at home I have made it a few times since I made it the first time early summertime.

 

 

   Honey-Sesame Tempeh

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 8-ounce packages tempeh (see Note), crumbled into bite-size pieces
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 scallions, sliced

Quinoa and Carrot slaw

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups grated carrots (about 3 large)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar-OK maybe I used a bit more vinegar.  I love vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted (see Tip)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1. To prepare quinoa: Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add quinoa and return to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook until the water is absorbed, 10 to 14 minutes. Uncover and let stand.
2. To prepare carrot slaw: Meanwhile, combine carrots, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon soy sauce in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. To prepare tempeh: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tempeh and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, 7 to 9 minutes.
4. Combine honey, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to the pan and cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened and coats the tempeh, about 1 minute.
5. Divide the quinoa among 4 bowls and top each with 1/2 cup carrot slaw and 3/4 cup tempeh mixture. Sprinkle with scallions.

Ta Da!  a wonderful bowel of yumminess.  Yumminess, is that a word?  I like to serve this with some tropical fruit.  Mango, papaya, and pineapple.  The sweetness and coolness of the fruit really compliments the Asian flavors of the quinoa bowl.

 

Happy eating!



Tuna and Pasta for Dinner

Somewhere over the rainbow I can have a delicious and healthy tuna and pasta dinner.
 You see when I was a kid, my mom made tuna casserole.  You know the kind I'm talking about.  Cream sauce, noodles, peas, baked up in the oven.  Or if she was in a hurry it was a one pan stove top meal.  Possibly with a little "helper" mixed in.
   My memories may be warped, but I think I liked the stuff.  The thought of making it now though turns my stomach just a teeny tiny bit.  I was looking up recipes and almost every time I asked somebody how they made tuna casserole, or found a recipe somewhere 'cream of something or another' soup was used.
  I don't cook with soup.

So in an effort to make an inexpensive, quick dinner, using the forever handy and in the pantry tuna and pasta, I came up with this gem.
  
  Like a lot of things I make, I see what I have handy in my fridge and my herb garden.  I will tell you what I did, but really I think pretty much any spring or summer vegetable that you have in the garden or handy in your refrigerator will be fine.
  unfortunately, even though I was taking pictures, hoping this dish would turn out I failed to write anything down.  But it was pretty easy, and I can see all my ingredients in my pictures for the most part.  SO......

Here's what I did

Tuna with Pasta
1 bag of pasta, I used rotini
1-2 cloves of garlic chopped small
2 cans of tuna packed in olive oil
1 red bell pepper cut bite sized
1 medium sized bunch of asparagus tender tops cut bite sized
1 cup, more or less to your liking, grape tomatoes cut in half
1-2 T olive oil
1/2 cup each Italian parsley and basil chopped
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large nonstick frying pan on medium heat.  Add olive oil, when heated add garlic.  Stir and heat for about 30 seconds then add tuna with the oil.   Break up the tuna into small pieces and stir to incorporate the garlic, oil and tuna together.   Heat through about 2 minutes
  Add the bell pepper, stir and heat for 1 minute.  Add asparagus, stir and heat for 1 minute.
Drain pasta and add directly to the pan, reserving some pasta water to thin out pasta tuna mix if necessary.
  Now add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, lemon juice and herbs.  Stir to make sure everything is mixed together well.  If it's thick add a bit of the pasta water. Taste, season if necessary.

The whole family enjoyed this dish.  It tasted fresh and clean.  Perfect for lunch or dinner on a warm day.
  I could taste every ingredient, no heavy cream sauce hiding the wonderful flavor of this great spring meal.
  One of the best things about this dinner, the ingredients are pretty much always handy and inexpensive.
  This one is a keeper.

Happy eating.

 

Indian style rice and potatoes with steamed beets. By the way it's gluten free

I took this picture just outside of Seattle last summer.  I love looking at it because it makes me feel happy and calm. 
  This month has been crazy busy.  As you might be able to tell because of my posting delay.  Busy in a good way though.  I have seen friends that were here from out of town, and my parents came this last week for a visit.  Lots of good food and fun.
    Even though this month has been fun, it has left me feeling a tad bit full.  You know, like when you eat too much on vacation, and when you get home you swear you will only eat lettuce for a month!  
  My tummy needed calming.  I made these two dishes yesterday for a light lunch.  The combination of food is very calming for a sensitive belly.  Yet very tasty and nicely filling.   These dishes can be side dishes to a dinner with a lean protein, or as part of a full vegetarian dinner.
  Once again I am experimenting with flavors from India, mild and a bit sweet.  And like the photo after eating lunch I felt happy and calm.

Both dishes are easy, I'll start with the beets.  I know there are a lot of people that don't think they like beets, please give them another try.  In this dish they are steamed and lightly seasoned, but beets are wonderful roasted too.  So sweet and tasty and healthy too.

Here's what I did.

Sweet steamed beets
2 cups beets, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
1T ghee
1T lemon juice
1/2T coriander

place the beets in a steamer like the one pictured, put water in a heavy medium sized pot, bring to a boil, cover and steam about 20-25 minutes.
  when done, put beets in a serving bowl pour melted ghee and lemon juice over the top, sprinkle with coriander, toss and serve. 


Rice and Potatoes
1 cup dry rice, I like Basmati
3 medium sized white or yellow potatoes
3 T sunflower oil
1t mustard seed
1t turmeric
1/2 cup water
1t salt
1 bunch fresh dark leafy green, chopped.  use one that you enjoy.  you can't go wrong that way.
11/2 t lemon juice
1T honey
garnish, fresh cilantro, chopped

cook the rice according to package directions.  While rice is cooking, cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch pieces.  Wash twice with water, draining each time.

  In a large saucepan, heat oil and mustard seeds.  When seeds pop, add turmeric, potatoes, greens and 1/2 cup water, and about 1/2 t salt. Mix well. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
  Combine the rice with the cooked potato mixture.  Add lemon juice, and some the rest of the salt. (if you like a bit of spice this would be the time to add a small amount of finely chopped hot green pepper, I don't do hot very well, no pepper for me) mix well.  Cook another 3 minutes or so, drizzle the honey all over, then stir it in well.
 Garnish with cilantro if you wish.

ahhh! Delicious
I love to know you are here and read your comments, so feel free!

 Happy eating, and happy tummy

Hominy Salad and Orzo salad, two family favorite lunch salads for warm days

Well it looks like summer has arrived early here in south Texas.   Well I wish summer was this way, it's been in the 80's all week and 80's are in the forecast as far as we can see.   Summer here is just too hot, but that's a whole different blog post.  lol.
    When the weather is warm, and lunch time is near, it's nice to have a cool refreshing lite meal.  We really like both of these salads, as either a lunch or even as a dinner side dish.  However you decide to serve them I am sure that everyone will enjoy.
   Heck, if my 8 yr old likes something, it's kind of my barometer for others to like it too.

The first one I will show you is one of my personal favorites.  It is a great way to use some basil that is in season now, either in your herb garden or the market.
  I adapted this recipe from Vegetarian Times, even if you are not a vegetarian they have wonderful recipes from time to time.

Hominy Salad with Basil-Shallot Vinaigrette

here's what I did

1 small shallot, minced
2-3 T white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup, and then a bit more finely chopped fresh basil
1 15oz can white hominy, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cup frozen lima beans, thawed
1cup (or more to taste) halved grape tomatoes
1 small yellow bell pepper diced (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Whisk together shallot and vinegar in a small bowl.  Whisk in oil until emulsified, then whisk in basil.  Add white pepper and salt if you want to.

toss together hominy, lima beans, tomatoes and bell pepper in serving bowl.  Pour on dressing, toss and serve with crumbled fresh goat cheese on top.

If you have bad childhood lima bean memories, this salad will erase all those.  So good.


My next salad is one that I have been throwing together forever, it's never exactly the same, because I throw it together.  But last time I did it I payed attention.
  I like to get the green and kalamata olive mix with feta chunks from the deli section of my grocery store for this.  The olives and feta that are in a marinade.  It's not necessary for this recipe to work, I have done it with just kalamata's in a jar and fresh feta.
   The deli mix is nice if you have it, and like it.  You can certainly leave out the olives if you don't care for them.  My son picks them out. 
  It was hot last weekend, and my son asked for this specifically.  After he helped me toss it up he proudly went outside and told his friends he made Greek food.  lol.


Greek style Lemon Orzo

1 cup orzo
1 zucchini chopped
1/4 cup green onions, or red onion if you have it handy.  I didn't this day
1/2 cup-ish fresh Italian parsley finely chopped
1/4 cup-ish fresh mint, finely chopped
1/4 cup-ish fresh basil, finely chopped
Juice of 2 big lemons
1T olive oil
1 cup of halved grape tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped olive mix (mentioned above)
as much or as little feta as you want

cook orzo following package directions

whisk together lemon juice and olive oil, add salt and pepper if you wish

put everything else in a bowl, pour dressing over and toss. 

Either one of these salads can be served right away, but I like to let the flavors work together for at least a 1/2 hour in the fridge before serving.

Happy Eating!

 

Roasted pineapple with honey ginger chicken

I took this photo a couple of years ago.  Yesterday my husband, son and I went for a long walk in the park.  We saw so many butterflies and such lovely flowers I couldn't help but remember this shot.
   When it was time to decide what to make for dinner I was still in a bright mood, I had some pineapple in the fridge and always my ginger and soy. I had gone to Whole Foods over the weekend and splurged on some organic chicken. hmm, how do I put it all together in to a dinner that matches the sunshiny day.
  Ah ha! my memory banks went into overdrive as I tried to think of something yummy.  Then it came to me, and I was excited to give it a try.
I adapted this recipe from the book "Supermarket Vegan" I don't own the book, I checked it out from the library last year.   I don't own many cookbooks because I can never follow a recipe anyway, but I do love to read them to store up ideas, so I borrow them from the library.  I love the library.
   I had to do this by memory, and I used chicken, so no vegan dinner for us, but I have made something similar with tofu and it was good.
   
 The results were simply sweet and yummy.

Here's what I did

Roasted Pineapple
3 cups or so of cubed fresh pineapple
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 a large red onion sliced thin
1T ish of toasted sesame oil
1T sunflower oil
palm full of light brown sugar..enough to sprinkle over all the fruit and onion when on tray
juice of a lime
salt and pepper to taste

arrange pineapple, red pepper and onion onto a large cookie sheet.  I lined with foil. 
drizzle with sesame and sunflower oil, salt, pepper and brown sugar. toss and spread out evenly

bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or until it's nice and brown.  squeeze with lime juice and place in a serving bowl. 
  a sprinkle of sweetened coconut is what the original recipe called for, I had none.  Add it if you have it.

 about an hour before I started the pineapple I mixed up a quick marinade for my chicken breasts. I put the chicken in for the last 20 minutes of cooking time with the pineapple.

Honey soy marinated chicken breasts

1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
juice of one big lime
1 tsp fine diced fresh ginger
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

mix the first 4 ingredients in a big baggie.  put the chicken in and place in the fridge for an hour.

Like I stated above, I put the chicken in the oven in a baking dish.  I think grilling them would be fantastic if the grill is ready to go.

I served the combo over white basmati rice.

Making an easy dinner, that is tasty enough for your child to love, yet not a child like food is a good thing to find.  I think this is one of those dinners. 
  Please give it a try, put on the tiki lights, blast some hula music, heck maybe even have a rum drink.  It could turn in to a fun evening.  :-)

Aloha

apple egg roll pies, pumpkin spice muffins and other stuff kids like

I picked this photo today not only because it's pretty, but because my son Dallas took it last week and asked if I would use it in my blog.
 He turned 8 this month, if your a parent you know how darn fast time flies.  8!! he's 8!! 
  Dallas is a lot like me, he grabs the camera and shoots, he loves crazy weather and he likes being in the kitchen with me, giving me ideas when he thinks I need them.
Today is the first of what I hope to be many posts geared towards stuff that kids like, well my kid likes anyway.
  After school the first thing Dallas wants is a snack.  I know, shocking right!   Most of the time it's something healthy and easy.  He loves Greek yogurt with some fruit and granola, a trail mix that he puts together from bulk items in the pantry, a smoothie or pretzels and carrots.
  But sometimes I like to throw together a little something special, but super easy, after all I don't have loads of time to spend on an after school snack.  Today I'm going to share some easy favorites, most can double for a dessert or even breakfast. 

so, here is what I did..

recipe #1

Apple "pie" in egg roll wrappers

apples, about 3 large peeled and cut
apple pie spice
sugar 2 T
3 T butter
won ton wrappers 4
Cinnamon or powdered sugar for dusting on top after cooking

You know, I never really measure the apple mixture, it's probably different every time, but today I tried to pay a little bit of attention.  Really though, it's like making a small amount of pie filling, any fruit you like would probably work just fine. 

I put the apples, apple pie spice and 1/2 the butter and sugar in a sauce pan with a splash of water and cook on med low for about 10 minutes.   I just want the fruit tender.

I'm not tied to this brand or anything, I just wanted to show you what I used for the "crust".  Nothing homemade here, I took the help.  :-)

So I take my apple mixture and put it on the egg roll wrapper.  It looks like it might be over stuffed, but the wrapper rises and the filling shrinks, so it works out good. 
  Fold the wrapper over sealing with water using your fingers, I like to roll the corners in a bit too.

Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment and brush both sides of mini pie with melted butter and sprinkle with a little bit of sugar if you want.  sometimes I use sugar on top, other times I don't.

bake in a 425degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

dust with cinnamon or powdered sugar.

Oh, I know, sugar sugar everywhere, but it's going to my active son, not me .....well maybe one for me. lol


recipe #2

pumpkin spice muffins (this could not BE any easier)

this recipe has been around so long I don't even remember, I've been doing it for years.  It's always good.

1 box spice cake mix
1 can pumpkin
1/2 cup or so of raisins

that's it.

mix the cake mix with the can of pumpkin.  It's hard to stir at first, but it will incorporate.  stir in raisins.

place cupcake liners in muffin tin if you want,  I use an ice cream scoop to place batter into each muffin liner.  you should get 12 muffins.
  OR you can use a mini muffin tin, you will yield 2-3 dozen smaller muffins

cook big muffins at 400degrees for 20 minutes, 10 minutes for mini muffins.

mmm mmm good!  We never get tired of these.  You will love how moist they are.

and recipe #3

mini crock pot warm apple compote.

4 golden delicious apples, peeled and diced
as much cinnamon as you like.
1/2 cup dried apricots cut into quarters
a splash of apple juice

put it all in one of those cute little crock pots, cook on low for about 4 hours.

We like it by itself or on top of a toasted whole grain waffle (the kind you get in the frozen isle), or on top of oatmeal for breakfast.

Please give these a try, none are labor intensive and all are very easy. 

Happy eating kids!

spring veggie pasta with herbed cream cheese sauce

It was a dark and stormy night....No really it was.   Our first big storm of the season.  It was really quite scary, and it kept me up most of the night.  Before the storm came in full force it was really a quite pleasant, if not windy evening.  I had fresh spring vegetables calling my name and the family was in the mood for pasta.  I love pasta.

   My husband and son are both very partial to cream sauce on their pasta, I like little or no sauce, but it was a make the men happy night so I made a herbed cream cheese sauce. Well I didn't so much MAKE it, I used pre-made herb cream cheese.  It really is a nice yummy short cut to a fast dinner.  Make your own if you like, but when a storm is blowing in, and you want dinner in a hurry before the electricity goes out, I'll take the short cut.

Here's what I did.
1/2 a bag whole wheat bow tie pasta and 1/2 a bag white bow tie pasta ( I just like the mix)
2 leeks white and light green parts sliced
1/2 a bag of "Quorn meatless and soy free chick'n tenders"  ( I love Quorn products)
as much asparagus, fresh green beans as you like a cup each was good for me
1 crookneck squash cut bite sized
salt and pepper to taste
1 6oz package of herb cream cheese (like Rondele)
a handful of fresh basil, rolled and then sliced
about 3/4 cups (more or less as you like) cherry tomatoes, I used orange ones because I had them

First I softened the leeks and browned the Quorn chick'n in some olive oil, took about 10 minutes
And in another pot cook the pasta in salted water.

I added the other vegetables.  Use what you have in the fridge at this step, peas, zucchini, broccoli, colored peppers, I don't think you could really go wrong as long as the veg is fresh and yummy.
  Saute for another 5-10 minutes on med heat, until the veggies were firm but tender and cooked through.
  I then removed pasta from water with a spider and place into veggie mix pan.  Or you can drain the pasta in a colander, reserving some pasta water to thin out sauce if needed.  Stir all together, check for seasoning add salt and pepper if needed.

  Now you want to stir in your cream cheese,  I scooted everything to the side of the pan, put the cream cheese in the middle so it could melt and then stirred everything together.  I  used a little bit of pasta water also.

  Plate your pasta in a nice big shallow bowl if desired, or just garnish in the pan you cooked it up in. 
Garnish with the basil and sliced tomatoes.

   A nice spring pasta on a stormy night. Just add wine and candles. :-)  

Happy Eating



 

Potato, rutabega, leek and cheese soup. SO much better than it sounds.

I am reminded that winter will be gone next week.  I love winter.  OK, not so much a San Antonio winter, because it only lasts about 10 minutes here.
   I love winter where it snows, where soup is the meal of choice, fires in the fireplace and a glass of red wine in hand.  Cuddled up on the couch with a cozy blanket and my husband is good with me. 
  Truthfully though, January and most of February here is nice and chilly for the most part. Heck it even froze a night or two.  We had fires, wine and soup.
 This last weekend I thought I would get one more winter soup day in.  I am glad I did because this soup was a winner.  Oh my, the taste was mild yet rich in flavor.  Perfect.

  I had a hodgepodge of root veggies in my pantry.  Feel free to use whatever you have in the potato department.  Remember, recipes are a template, add and take away things that YOU enjoy or have on hand.

Here is what I did.

3ish Tbsp ghee (because I really like ghee, use butter or olive oil if you want)
1 clove garlic
3 leeks sliced fine into light green
2 rutabagas
1 Yukon gold potato
1 russet potato
1 stalk of celery chopped fine
about a cup of aged white cheddar, I used 'Cougar gold'*
white pepper and salt to taste ( I like white because you can't see it)
enough chicken or veggie broth to cover veg mix

paprika to garnish, along with either parsley or baby spouts.  I used sprouts because I thought it looked pretty.  My son had no sprouts. :-)

 *Cougar Gold is a cheese that my parents give me every year around Christmas time.  It is made at Washington State University.  Oh my gosh it is such good cheese. Served best room temperature with crackers and such.   I love cooking with it.  This sharp white cheese melts wonderfully and pairs very well with eggs, and come to find out with this soup.

I like to slice my potatoes thin.  That way when it comes time to use the immersion blender it goes quickly.  If you have a mandolin slicer it will make this soup even more easy.  I need to get myself one of those.

  So slice the potatoes and rutabagas, mince the garlic, slice the leeks, cut the celery.

I then add the ghee into a hot soup pot, melt it then add garlic, leeks  and celery.  cook until softened.  add potatoes and rutabagas stir everything together and add enough broth to cover.  3  cups ish.

I let it simmer about an hour, then I went in with a hand held potato masher for a few mashes, then brought out my immersion blender.  Love this!  If you don't have one, get one.

After everything was blended, I tasted, added S&P to my liking, then I added my cheese.  I am guessing that it was about a cup. I really just broke off chunks from my block and threw it in.  You might want to grate and measure. lol I'm not good at that yet.

  stir the soup until nice and creamy and all the cheese is melted, tasted again, you should be smiling.

dish up and enjoy.  I want winter to stick around a bit more so I can make this soup over and over again.

Happy eating.

Tabbouleh, because I have a lot of mint right now

Mint goes nuts in a garden, it can really take over everything.  I finally learned my lesson and put my mint in a separate container.   It's good stuff, but every once in a while I have more than I can handle.  I give bunches away and try to think of ways to use it up.  Oh, my parsley loves me too, I have a lot of it right now also.  hmm, what's a girl to do?
  Well, I decided that tabbouleh was the way to go.  I had everything I needed at home anyway, it's easy and the whole family loves it.  Try it, you will love it. 
  Serve as a side salad with some grilled fish, or enjoy it as a light snack.  However you serve tabbouleh it's worth the little bit of effort.
 A traditional tabbouleh has more parsley than Bulgar, I like that on occasion, but not today.
 My version of tabbouleh is fresh, more Bulgar than parsley and lightly seasoned, like most of the food I prepare, I enjoy the flavor of the FOOD, not overly spiced food....unless of course it's my new love Indian food, but that's a whole 'nother subject.

This is what I did.

  1 cup uncooked med cut wheat Bulgar. prepare and set aside to cool a bit.
...
cut up a whole bunch of grape tomatoes, as much as you like
same with peeled, seeded cucumber (I used 2 med ones)
1/2 a small sweet onion finely diced
about a cup of finely chopped mint,
a bit more than a cup of finely chopped Italian parsley
2 big lemons, juiced
salt and pepper to taste.

add Bulgar in, toss drizzle(generously) with a good olive oil. mix it up. let it set in the fridge for an hour. taste and season w/ more lemon or salt and pepper if needed.

keeps for 3 days or so in the fridge.

  You can buy Bulgar almost everywhere these days.  Look in the ethnic food section of your grocery store.  Other stores will have Bulgar by the rice and couscous, and any store with bulk bins normally carry Bulgar in bulk. 
  It is cracked wheat, and it's delish.

For me, preparing fresh, clean food is good for the soul.  Enjoying good food is great! 

fragrant rice and some moong dal. Lets spice things up a bit

The other day my son and I watched a show about the Taj Mahal.  Of Course we decided that we had  to go there. My husband rolled his eyes and said he would put it on the list.  I have grand life travel plans you see, my very patient husband has to hear all the time about how I want to go here or there.  Looks like we better start saving more, my son has now go the travel bug too.
  So, since we probably won't be going to India anytime soon I decided to jump into the world of Indian food.  I have always enjoyed eating it, but was intimidated to cook anything not basic an easy.  Well I've been reading recipe after recipe, and even ordered myself a new cookbook, that should arrive tomorrow.  I'm excited to start trying some new things in the kitchen.
  I have known for years what my Dosha is, I am a Vata, I try my best to eat Vata friendly foods whenever I can, have for years.  How do I know that?  In my 30's I started doing yoga in a Hindu facility in the Los Angeles area, I learned so much about this beautiful religion, and also an appreciation for Indian food.  I've held on to some of that knowledge, and I still practice Yoga some 15years later. Anyway, I digress.
My Husband is a Kapha and my son a nice mix of Vata-Pitta.  Makes cooking for my Dosha mixed family nice and easy, lol.  I think after some time though I can make all our Doshas happy.   Oh, go google it, I'm not explaining the whole thing now. 
   My oven has been broken for a week, the igniter or something, It won't be fixed for another week, so I had to do stove top cooking, I don't like being limited. I needed some new culinary fun anyway!
  I think my Indian dinner was super yummy.  My son and husband both agreed and finished up everything.  I truly thought I made enough for the next day lunch.  Nope, the Wilson family is feeling spicy!

So, here's what I did
but first here is a photo of my well used bag of dal, just incase somebody does not know what it is.  Just split yellow lentils.

The moong dal was a very basic recipe that I know by heart, I have it for lunch a lot. I don't even remember how I got it.  It's mild in spice, but very flavorful. I didn't last night, but I will often add basmati rice to the mix.  1/2 and 1/2 split with the dal.

1 cup Moong Dal
1/4 cup Ghee
2t cumin seeds
1t turmeric
1 medium onion sliced thin
3ish cups water
salt and pepper to taste
cilantro garnish if you want.

heat ghee over medium heat, add cumin and turmeric, saute until you hear popping.
about 30 seconds to a minute.
add onion, saute until wilted and browning.
add dal and H20, simmer 35-45 minutes, add more water as needed to keep dal just covered. 
when water is all but soaked in and the dal is tender, taste, salt and pepper to your liking and simmer another 10 min or so. 
stir in cilantro if using, or you can just garnish your serving.

Now the best part, the rice!

This was a mix of some of the recipes I had read online all day, I put together bits and pieces of what appealed to me.  My son said it tasted like a gingerbread cookie.

2 cups basmati rice
a big drizzle of olive oil
1t mustard seed
1 big carrot, diced
1/2 a large onion, diced
1T fresh ginger, minced
3 med sized cloves garlic, minced
2 smallish bay leaves
1/2 t turmeric
1t garam masala
big dash of salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup rounded of cashews
3 cups veggie broth ( I but a veg bullion cube in boiling water and added that.)

It would probably have been good to add a handful of cilantro too, but my son does not like it so I didn't, but I can't see how it would hurt, if you like cilantro.

heat olive oil and mustard seed in a medium to large pot, when you hear popping add onions and carrots.  Cook for a few minutes, or until the onions start to get soft.
Stir in ginger, garlic,bay leaves, turmeric, garam masala and salt.  stir until combined.

add rice, raisins and nuts and water or broth.  bring to boil then cover and simmer 20 minutes.  after 20 minutes remove from heat and leave covered for 10 more minutes. 

As you can see, I served the dal and rice with basic buttered and steamed green beans.  I didn't want to scare everybody with a crazy vegetable too. ;-)

I am looking forward to trying and sharing many new Indian dishes in the future.  Hopefully inspiring some of you to try it.  Heck if I can do it, you can too!

Namaste.

My strawberries are flowering, I have thumb sized veggies on my bell pepper plant, looks like spring has arrived early in San Antonio this year.
I love spring, there is nothing prettier than blooming wildflowers. I love that our European Starling is back building her nest in our tree for the 6th year in a row. Every year it is so exciting to watch for her babies, and see how she and her mate take care of things.
It's also the Lenten season, a time I traditionally take to start my spring trim down. After All, no matter how much I workout the Holidays always seem to add a pound or two. Lent pulls me back into the reality of a smaller clothing season just around the corner. I remember a healthier, fitter me only a few months back, and I am reminded of the importance of portion control.
If you're like me, still feeling a holiday fluff, take an effort to move everyday, if the weather is nice walk outside and enjoy the view. Ride bikes or kick a soccer ball with your kids.
Of Course there are bad weather days too. Are you stuck in the house? You can still get active follow along with a yoga DVD or get out a jump rope or hula hoop and relive your youth while burning calories.
And most importantly start incorporating fresh local produce into a bigger portion of your diet. Tis the season to visit farmers markets, or start your own garden. A beautiful plate of fresh colorful food makes eating so much more enjoyable, don't you think?

  Happy Spring!

winter kale and kielbasa soup

Sometimes, like tonight I have not planned dinner.  I've been busy having fun.
  These are the nights I have to get creative with what's in my fridge and pantry.  Well lucky me I have the fix-ins for a nice wintry earthy Kale, bean and sausage soup.
  I randomly purchased some natural kielbasa last week, it looked good that day.  The rest of the ingredients are household staples.
  As the soup was cooking my son ran in the house with a friend, they both commented on how good the house smelled and wanted to take a peek in the soup pot, mmm mmm's and smiles followed.  My heart was happy.
   What's the end result.  Well it's a big yummy bowl of goodness.

Here's what I did.

1T of olive oil
14 oz turkey kielbasa sliced
3 big cloves of fresh garlic chopped
1/2 a medium yellow onion dices small
2 stalks of celery diced small
6 baby carrots sliced
1 big bay leaf
a shake of red pepper flakes
1 big bunch of Kale chopped
1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3-3 1/2 cups of low sodium chicken broth ( I did not measure)
splash or 2 of red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
handful of fresh Italian parsley
some lemon zest

I first sauteed the kielbasa in the olive oil until browned.  Added garlic through red pepper flakes and some salt and pepper.  Cook until veg is softened.
add kale, cook down a bit
add beans and broth.  Simmer for an hour or so
taste, season as needed
right before serving I add the vinegar, I like vinegar on greens
I like to top my serving with fresh parsley and lemon zest

Today was a great day.  Sunny, 70 and a school holiday.  A nice day with my son topped off with a great family dinner.