In the kitchen with KC

Creamy Italian Dressing

2012-01-02T23:41:00.000-08:00

Modified from - http://www.antihousewife.com/2012/01/the-og-ish-italian-salad-dressing/

1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp garlic powder use less next time - maybe 1/2-2/3 tablespoon
1/2 tbsp onion powder use a little less next time - maybe 1 teaspoon
1/2 tbsp parsley
1 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp celery salt didn't have celery salt - used just a smidgen of celery seed instead
2 eggs, beaten
The juice of one small lemon (between 1 to 2 tbsp) omitted
3/4 cup white wine vinegar subbed with about 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 and 3/4 cups extra virgin olive oil oops, I just noticed this was 1 AND 3/4 cups - I used 1 cup
1/2 cup water omitted

Put all ingredients except oil and vinegar in Vitamix - mix until well combined. VERY slowly drizzle in olive oil. Once emulsified drizzle in vinegar. Next time use the correct amount of oil!

Bean, Barley & Beef Soup

2011-12-11T11:20:00.000-08:00

BBB Soup

Good thing it tastes better than it looks!

2 packages of Trader Joe's bean & barley soup mix (just beans and, uh, barley - no spices or ickies)
1 lb of ground beef
1 large red onion
6 carrots
2 celery hearts
Better Than Bullion Low Sodium Organic beef broth paste
TJ's 21 Season Salute
sea salt, fresh ground black pepper

Put beans in big pot. Cover with 3x as much water. Bring to a low boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn off and let sit while you go pick up your car from the shop, make dinner, and get the kid ready for bed.
Before going to bed drain the beans, put in the crockpot on low. Cook on low about 12 hours or overnight.
In a big pot cook the beef and vegetables until beef is browned, salt & pepper the beef.
Add beans (not the cooking liquid) to the pot. Cover with fresh water.
Add a lump of beef broth paste. Add 21 season salute to taste.
Simmer until vegetables are cooked through.

Bean and Sausage Soup

2011-12-01T18:31:00.000-08:00

olive oil
1/4 red onion, chopped fne
4 green onions, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped fine
inside of celery - about 1/2 cup chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 beef kielbasa (even better if you get it on super sale for 99 cents!)
large can tomatoes, chopped with juice
60~ oz beef broth (more or less as needed)
2 cans low sodium black beans
1 can white kidney beans
3/4 a bag of frozen white corn
big handful of baby spinach, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped

Z - ate some
W - ate a full bowl, and some seconds
C - loved it, ate two giant bowls
K - loved it, ate two giant bowls

Kale-Bean Salad

2011-07-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

I started with this recipe: http://ohsheglows.com/2011/06/17/weekend-glow-kale-salad/

My salad had:
sprouted bean trio cooked
kale chopped small
roasted red peppers
sunflower seeds
chopped carrot
cucumber
tahini-lemon dressing

And started with this dressing:

Lightened Up Tahini-Lemon Dressing

Adapted from Tahini-Lemon Dressing.
Yield: Just under 1 cup of dressing
Ingredients:

1/4 cup Tahini
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons) (I ran out of lemon juice so used part apple cider vinegar)
1/4 cup Nutritional yeast
2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
3 tbsp water, or as needed
mayo to taste to mellow out the flavor a bit

Lahmahjoon (Armenian-style Pizza)

2011-07-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

brown:
1 pkg lean ground turkey (we tried to find ground lamb but our local ethnic butcher was out of it)

chop and add to turkey and cook a bit:
2 small red onions, finely chopped

Add to food processor:
2 cloves garlic
1 (14.5 ounce) can tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
To taste: cumin, oregano, thyme, paprika, cayenne, tumeric, kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper

add turkey & onions to food processor and process (in batches if necessary) until it is a goopy paste

Spread turkey paste on to:
Flatbread (we bought lavash from the ethnic market but might try thicker round flat bread or Naan from TJ's next time)

Bake in 350+ oven until edges are crisp. Serve with salad on top or on the side.

Salad:

chop in uniform pieces:
green leaf lettuce
tomato
cucumber
fresh mint, basil and parsley

dressing:
1 part lemon juice
2 parts olive oil
smashed garlic clove
salt & pepper
sugar to taste

Mojo Chicken

2011-06-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

10 cloves garlic
6 green onions
1.5 cup orange juice
1/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon dried oregano flakes
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 bunch cilantro
1 cup grapeseed (or your favorite high smoke point) oil

Whiz all ingredients together in a blender. Pour over chicken (fabulous on super cheap chicken leg/thigh quarters) and marinate for 4+ hours. On a hot grill sear over direct heat for 3 minutes per side and then grill at a lower temp/indirect heat until 170 degrees (about 1 hour). Let rest for 10+ minutes. Super fabulously juicy and delicious. Great on corn tortillas with Bobby Flay's Jicima Slaw. Yum!

This marinade made enough to cover big 10 chicken quarters divided into 3 gallon size bags.

Cowboy Beans

2011-05-07T18:48:00.001-07:00

1 package ground turkey

whites of green onions chopped - about 1/3 cup
1.5 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
4 cans of beans - different colors and types, drained & rinsed
1/3 cup ketchup
2/3 cup brown sugar (could use less - maybe 1/3 cup)
1 cup bbq sauce (could use less - maybe 3/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 375
Brown turkey
Add green onions and cook for a couple of minutes
Add everything else and stir well.

Taste.

If it is good put it in a baking dish.

If it needs more of something - add it.
Plop in to baking dish.
Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

Kids loved it. Super yummy but a little on the sweet side.

Creamy Greeny

2011-02-21T17:40:00.000-08:00

"Creamy Greeny" -
1 frozen banana
1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 serving (4 tablespoons) TJ's chocolate hemp protein powder
2 tablespoons TJ's unsweetened cocoa powder
1 huge handful baby spinach, rinsed (approx 2 cups)
1 handful ice cubs (approx 5-6)

Put it all in the VitaMix or other blend. Blend until smooth.

This is good stuff! Reminiscent of Jamba Juice's Peanut Butter Moo'd but at just 507 calories vs. 1200 for the same size. Plus cheaper and healthier!

Stuffed Mushrooms

2011-02-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

These stuffed mushrooms are gluten free, dairy free and Paleo friendly.

a dozen stuffable mushrooms
1/2 lb Italian sausage
1/4 red pepper
1/4 cup red onion
2 green onion
small handful of parsley
1 egg, whisked
2 T+ almond meal
garlic salt
fresh cracked sea salt & black pepper

Remove the stems from the mushrooms, mince mushroom stems and all other veggies. In a little olive oil cook the red pepper, red onion, green onion, mushroom stems for a few minutes. Add sausage and cook until cooked through. Add parsley, garlic salt and fresh cracked salt & pepper to taste. Put aside to cool.
Mix egg and almond meal to sausage-veggie mix. Add more almond meal if needed so the mix starts to sort of stick together. Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil and set up mushrooms. Spoon filling in to mushrooms, packing down and mounding the filling on top. Cook in a 400F oven until golden brown (about 20-25 minutes).

Pizza "crust"

2011-01-09T13:00:00.000-08:00

1 egg, beaten
~3/4 cup spaghetti squash, cooked, chopped
~1/4 cup almond meal
shake of garlic powder
shake of dried basil

Mix together and scoop in to a medium frying pan coated with olive oil. Flatten. Cook until browned on the bottom and then carefully flip with a large spatula. When cooked through move to a cookie sheet and add toppings (pesto, red pepper, red onion, olives, mushrooms, prosciutto). Broil until toppings are done to your likeness.

Dairy Free Pudding

2011-01-08T00:33:00.000-08:00

1 large frozen banana
1/2 can coconut milk
1 rounded tablespoon cocoa powder

Mix together in food processor until smooth.

Cranberries and Butternut Squash

2011-01-07T11:39:00.000-08:00

Fill a jelly roll pan with cubed butternut squash and fresh cranberries. Drizzle with melted coconut oil. Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice and sea salt. Roasted at 375 for about 30 minutes or until soft and browned.

Crockpot Gigantor Meatballs

2011-01-06T16:02:00.000-08:00

Meatball Ingredients:

1.25 lb ground beef

2/3 lb Italian sausage

1 large stalk celery, minced

1 large-sized carrot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 of a large red onion, minced

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup almond meal

1 tsp dried oregano
sprinkle garlic poweder
a few turns of black pepper

dash of cayenne pepper
sea salt

Sauce Ingredients:

32 oz can Organic Diced Tomatoes

6 oz can Organic Tomato Paste

1 shake dried basil

5 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper

Mix together meatball ingredients by hand. Divide in to eights and make 8 gigantic meatballs. Place in a single layer in the bottom of a large oval (6 qt) crockpot.

Mix together sauce ingredients and pour over meatballs.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

These were fabulous! (and HUGE) Great with spaghetti squash and a salad.

Roasted butternut squash, brussels sprouts and cranberries

2011-01-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

brussels sprouts, halved (or quartered if huge)
butternut squash, cubed
cranberries, rinsed
coconut oil, melted
sea salt & fresh cracked pepper

Loosely fill a jelly roll pan with the sprouts, squash and cranberries about 2 parts sprouts, 2 parts squash and 1 part cranberries. Drizzle with melted coconut oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast about 30 minutes or until your liking. The tart of the cranberries goes great with the sweet of the squash. Excellent with pork loin chops.

Wilted Spinach Salad with Prosciutto and Almonds

2011-01-04T00:24:00.000-08:00

a little less than a pound of baby spinach
2 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
balsamic
3 sliced prosciutto, diced
sliced almonds

cook proscuitto until crispy, remove from pan
add olive oil and garlic
add spinach in batches, stirring to lightly wilt and make more room for more spinach
drizzle with balsamic and sea salt/fresh ground pepper to taste
serve sprinkled with prosciutto and almonds

A big hit with kids and adults in our house.

Dairy Free Hot Olive-Artichoke Dip

2011-01-01T00:09:00.000-08:00

2 15 oz cans whole artichoke hearts, drained
half a 15 oz can of black olives
1/3 cup red onion, diced
2 eggs
few good dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 - 8 oz containers of non-hydrogenated Tofutti Cream cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
cayenne pepper, kosher salt and black pepper to taste

In a food processor pulse together all ingredients. You may have to mix in the mayo by hand if your food processor isn't big enough (mine wasn't). Scoop in to two pie plates or small casserole dishes and top with a bread crumb/Earth balance crumble and paprika or just paprika. Refrigerate until ready to cook/serve. Cook in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until set and bubbly.

Lemon Garlic Shrimp

2010-12-31T23:53:00.000-08:00

Adapted from PW's recipe - http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/12/spicy-lemon-garlic-shrimp/

Minimal changes - Earth Balance for butter to make it dairy free, reduced red pepper to make it more kid friendly. Kids and I loved it.

Mom's Egg Salad

2010-12-27T10:10:00.000-08:00

14 eggs
1/4 cup mayo + more as needed
mustard to cover top
2 capfuls of white vinegar
white pepper to taste
Lawry's salt to taste
heaping half teaspoon celery seed

Handmade Noodles and Rustic Chicken Noodle Soup

2010-11-15T22:50:00.000-08:00

Dairy-Free Handmade Noodles

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 pinch salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup original rice milk

1 tablespoon Earth Balance, softened

In stand mixer whisk together egg, milk and softened Earth Balance. Add flour and salt and mix with the paddle until well combined. Change to kneading attachment and knead for 3-4 minutes, adding flour if too sticky. Knead until smooth. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Break off small chunks of dough and roll out on a floured surface or flatten in a well floured tortilla press. Cut in to the noodle shape you want.Add to boiling broth.

Rustic Chicken Noodle Soup

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 large red onion

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

2 large ribs celery, sliced

5-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in to small bite size pieces

1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

handful each frozen corn & frozen peas

10 cups of chicken broth

salt & pepper to taste

1 recipe of dairy-free homemade noodles

In a large pot heat olive oil. Cook onion, carrots and celery until softened. Add chicken and cook until cooked through. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add zucchini, corn and peas. Return to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Raise to a low boil. Drop noodles one by one in to boiling broth. Noodles are done when they float to the top of the broth.

Pumpkin Curry Coconut Soup

2010-10-31T20:04:00.000-07:00

In a large pot on medium heat melt:
1/4 cup coconut oil

Add:
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

Cook until onion is translucent then add:
2-3 tablespoons red curry paste

Cook until well combined and fragrant then add:
1 28 oz can pumpkin puree
1 14 oz can coconut milk

Rinse each can out with water and add water to pot (approx 2 cups). Stir in:
2 teaspoons low sodium chicken broth paste

Use an immersion blender to remove all chunks and then heat through over medium heat, stirring often.

Green Goddess Dressing

2010-10-27T23:08:00.000-07:00

GREEN GODDESS DRESSING

green tops of a bunch of green onions
leaves from a small sprig of rosemary
leaves from a small sprig of thyme
handful of cilantro
2 cloves of garlic
1 tin of anchovies
1/2 cup mayo
juice of 1 lemon
2-4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

Blend all ingredients in the blender until creamy and well combined. Great with a green salad with pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, artichoke hearts and grated carrots.

Cilantro Lime Pesto

2010-09-25T21:56:00.001-07:00

Cilantro Lime Pesto (all measurements are approximate)

2 bunches of cilantro - washed and big stems removed
juice of 2 limes
about 1/3 cup of walnuts
about 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
2 cloves garlic, chopped
fresh ground sea salt & fresh ground pepper
olive oil

pulse together walnuts, sunflower seeds, garlic, lime juice in food processor, scraping down as needed
add cilantro and continue to pulse until everything is all smooshed together and well combined
with food processor running pour in olive oil until desired consistency

I have added chopped fresh tomatoes, (tofutti) cream cheese and (tofutti) sour cream and used it on pasta (YUM) and tonight I added probably equal parts mayo and pesto with juice of a lime as salad dressing. We had the pesto mixed in to steamed rice. We have also used it as dip with tortilla chips.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-09-13T22:52:00.000-07:00

Basic dairy-free chocolate chip cookies. The big trick with using Earth Balance for cookies is never melt it, no matter what the original recipe says. I make a big batch and refrigerate/freeze the extra dough for later use. I always add a little extra vanilla to recipes. Adapted from - Best Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1.5 cups Earth Balance

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2+ tablespoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

3+ cups semisweet chocolate chips

1.	Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2.	Sift/whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3.	In bowl of stand mixer, cream together the Earth Balance, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, eggs, and egg yolks until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. Drop cookie dough one cookie scoop at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
4.	Bake for 12-14 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Black Bean, Corn & Tomato Salad

2010-09-03T23:11:00.000-07:00

half a bag of TJ's frozen white corn, defrosted
can of TJ's black beans, rinsed
half a large tomato chopped fine
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 clove garlic, minced and smashed with a few turns of fresh ground sea salt
a pinch of sugar
can of mild rotel
red wine vinegar
vegetable oil

Mix together corn, beans, tomato and onion. In a small bowl whisk together garlic, 2 tablespoons juice from the can of rotel, sugar, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar. Add more rotel juice, vinegar or oil to taste. Mix dressing in to salad along with several tablespoons of rotel to taste.

Big hit for kid #2 as long as I picked out the red onion bits. #1 was a fan too. Husband had it over lettuce and didn't complain - I guess that is good.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

2010-08-31T20:33:00.000-07:00

This is probably how we should have brought our giant zucchini home!

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons
ground cinnamon
5 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil
½ cup olive oil
2 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3 cups grated zucchini
2 cups chopped walnuts
Half a package of TJ’s semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1.     Grease and flour two 9 x 6 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2.     Whiskflours, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3.     Beat eggs, oils, vanilla, and sugars together in stand mixer until combined. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini, nuts and chocolate chips until well combined. Scoop batter into prepared pans.
4.     Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Coconut-Peant Thai Chicken with Rice Noodles

2010-08-31T18:19:00.000-07:00

6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
oil to coat the pan
1 can coconut milk
3 oz water
2 T curry paste
2-4 T peanut butter
2-4 T fish sauce
1 red pepper
1/2 medium yellow onion
1/2 lb frozen french green beans
1 package of rice noodles, boiled for 2 minutes and then left to soak for 10+ minutes

brown chicken in oil
add all remaining ingredients except rice noodles and simmer, stirring often until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender
serve over cooked rice noodles
serve with Sriracha rooster sauce for the braver diners

5 STAR rating from the whole family

Rice with Cilantro Sauce

2010-07-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

Adapted from Epicurious (link below)

Mexican Rice
1 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 large red onion, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

scant 1 tablespoon minced jalapeño

2.5 cups long-grain white rice

4.5 cups low-salt chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeño; sauté until onion is translucent, about 9 minutes. Mix in rice; stir 2 minutes. Mix in broth and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until rice is just tender and broth is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes.

Transfer rice to bowl; cool to barely lukewarm, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours. Top with Cilantro Sauce. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Note: served warm - very good. Might be nice to try as a room temp or chilled salad with extra fresh veggies and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro.

Cilantro-Lime Sauce
1 1/4 cups (packed) coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons white vinegar

Juice of 2 small limes

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon minced seeded jalapeño

Mix all together in a blender.

Late Night Protein Shake

2010-06-16T23:48:00.000-07:00

1 cup chocolate Rice Dream
1 cup plain soymilk
3 tablespoons unsweetened almond butter
1 tablespoon unsweetened chocolate powder
2 teensie tiny scoops of TJ's stevia powder
2 big handfuls of ice

Blend until smooth. Makes for a GIGANTOR shake.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-06-10T23:52:00.000-07:00

My 7 year old and my husband are at Cub Scout evening camp tonight. Which left me at home with a heartbroken 5 year old. We measured, mixed and munched away the blues with these cookies. Modified from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies-II/Detail.aspx#.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup softened Earth Balance (or your favorite dairy free margarine)

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 bag Trader Joe's semisweet chocolate chips (dairy free)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda.

2. Beat the Earth Balance, white sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth. Beat in eggs until completely incorporated. Add the vanilla. Mix in the flour mixture a little at a time. Fold in the chocolate chips; mixing just enough to evenly combine. Use an awesome cookie scoop to place cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are firm, 9 to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Dairy Free Waffles

2010-06-05T10:51:00.000-07:00

These waffles were made by my husband while I slept (may have made them taste even better). He adapted the recipe from this blog. The waffles are crisp on the outside and tender and fluffy inside. So delicious with a little Earth Balance and freshly canned plum jam.

3 1/2 cup of high fiber white flour
2 tablespoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
4 Eggs
3 1/2 cups premium quality Soy or Almond milk
1 cup cooking oil, ideally canola oil

Whisk all ingredients together. Cook on waffle iron. This recipe made 27 waffles in our waffle maker.

Dairy-Free Crustless Mini Quiches

2010-05-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

half a pound of bulk sausage (browned and drained) (or bacon or canadian bacon, or ham)

half a cup of frozen spinach (defrosted and drained) (or kale, red pepper, tomato, etc)

one and a half cups of frozen shredded potatoes (defrosted - 2 mins. in microwave)

quarter cup of mayonnaise and a quarter cup of water - whisked together

10 eggs

quarter teaspoon of dry mustard

fresh ground sea salt & black pepper

Preheat oven to 325F.

Liberally grease two sheets of mini muffin pans (48 mini muffins total).

Whisk, together mayo/water, eggs, dry mustard, salt & pepper. Mix in sausage, spinach and potatoes. Scoop mix in to muffin tins. Bake until golden brown and a knife inserted comes out clean (approximately 15 minutes - check often).

These were so good for our homeschool group's Pancake Potluck in the Park that I made more for dinner tonight!

Ingredients:

half a pound of bulk sausage (browned and drained)

half a bag (1lb?) of frozen spinach (defrosted and drained)

one tomato, seeded and chopped fine

3-4 cups frozen shredded potatoes (defrosted - 2 mins. in microwave)

1/3 cup of mayonnaise and 1/3 cup of water - whisked together

14 eggs

heaping half teaspoon of dry mustard

fresh ground sea salt & black pepper

Preheat oven to 325F.

Liberally grease 10x15 baking dish.

Press potatoes in to bottom of baking dish. Whisk, together mayo/water, eggs, dry mustard, salt & pepper. Mix in sausage, spinach, tomatoes. Pour over potatoes. Bake until golden brown and a knife inserted comes out clean (approximately 30 minutes).

Serving for dinner with sautéed kale and fresh cantaloupe and pineapple.

Christmas 2011 version
1 lb bacon
1 lb sausage
1 bag hash browns, defrosted overnight in fridge
16 eggs
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup water
1 t mustard powder
salt & pepper

Cheeze Sauce

2010-05-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

Dairy-free cheeze sauce for Mac & Cheese

Modified from Gluten Free Goddess. All measurements wildly approximate.

4 tablespoons Earth Balance
1/3 cup flour
2 1/2 cups plain soymilk (add a little at a time until proper consistancy)
2 rounded tablespoons good tasting nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or more, to taste
A good dash or two of garlic powder, to taste
A good dash or two of onion powder, to taste
1/2 teaspoon mustard, or to taste
1/2 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon paprika (for orange) or turmeric (for yellow) color- may omit
1/4 cup white wine, to taste (I may omit this next time)

In a saucepan, heat the Earths Balance over medium heat until melted, and whisk in the flour until it creates a thick paste - add more flour if necessary. Cook and stir the flour for about 30 seconds.

Slowly add in the soymilk, whisking to blend the flour paste and soymilk.

Bring the mixture to a bubble (it will thicken as it heats) then reduce the heat to low. Add the nutritional yeast, sea salt, garlic and onion powder, mustard, vinegar, nutmeg, paprika or turmeric, wine (and sesame tahini, if using), and whisk to blend.

Continue heating and stirring the sauce over gentle heat for about five to ten minutes. Taste test. Does it need a hint more salt? Wine?

Stir and gently heat through.

Remove from heat and use on pasta, rice, potatoes, vegetables or casserole fillings. Makes about three cups sauce.

Note: Try adding a tablespoon of tahini next time.

I used for macaroni & cheese - mixed with about 2/3 a pound of dried macaroni cooked until al dente. Topped with crusty sourdough bread torn to bite size pieces and drizzled with melted Earths Balance. Bake for approximately 20 minutes at 350 or until the bread is golden brown.

Lemon Picatta

2010-04-17T20:53:00.001-07:00

Modified from - http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/03/monday-night-dinner-my-chicken-piccata/

More details to come.

Swiss Chard w/ Bacon

2010-04-13T18:14:00.000-07:00

1 huge bunch of rainbow swiss chard
4 slices of bacon, chopped in to 1/2 inch pieces (kitchen shears over the pan work great)
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced

wash chard - separate stems and leaves, chop both
in a large wok cook bacon until crisp
remove bacon and dispose of all but 1-2 tablespoons of bacon fat
add chard stems and garlic and cook for 5 minutes
add greens and broth and cook until the chard is wilted and soft
sprinkle with sugar and vinegar, stir
serve topped with reserved bacon pieces

Try To: Smoky Chipotle Orange Dip

2010-04-12T00:09:00.000-07:00

Smoky Chipotle Orange Dip

Ingredients
1/2 cup low-fat or fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup low-fat or fat-free mayonaise
1/2 cup Smucker's sugar free Orange Marmalade
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1 to 3 tablespoons adobo sauce... or to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl
Cover and refrigerate several hours to blend flavors
Serve with assorted fresh veggies or corn/tortilla chips

Potato Leek Soup

2010-04-11T19:16:00.000-07:00

Potato Leek Soup

A big hit with everyone in my house. The boys ate it with some frozen spinach stirred in to cool it off and add a little more green. Everyone had two big bowls full.

Ingredients:
3 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 large leeks, whites & greens, sliced and rinsed until no grit remains
4 slices bacon, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup Tofutti cream cheese
fresh ground sea salt & black pepper

In a heavy bottom pot cook the chopped bacon until crisp. Reserve the bacon. Cook the sliced and cleaned leeks in the bacon grease until wilted and soft (approx. 20 minutes). Season with a bit of fresh ground sea salt and black pepper. In a large crockpot mix leeks, diced potatoes and chicken broth. Cook on high for 6 hours. Mix in Tofutti cream cheese and blend some of the soup with an immersion blender leaving some chunks behind. Serve topped with reserved bacon.

Notes to myself:
Next time cook more bacon and remove some of the bacon grease before cooking the leeks but have extra bacon for topping.

Dairy-Free Copycat Rubio's Fish Tacos

2010-04-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

Dairy-Free Copycat Rubio's Fish Tacos

Less greasy, cheaper, quick and dairy-free - these are a great alternative to Rubio's Fish Tacos.

Ingredients:
Trader Joe's low-fat fish sticks
corn tortillas
finely shredded green cabbage
white sauce**

Cook fish sticks, heat tortillas, assemble.

(awful picture)

**White Sauce
1/2 cup Trader Joe's mayonnaise
1/2 cup Tofutti sour cream
juice of 1 lemon

Mix together. Serve on fish tacos, chicken tacos, etc.

Bean & Avocado Salad

2010-04-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

Bean & Avocado Salad
1 can low sodium kidney beans, rinsed
3/4 of a small, firm avocado, finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh salsa
large handful fresh cilantro, chopped
squirt fresh lemon juice
fresh ground sea salt & black pepper

Mix all together and add lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste

Almond Butter Bread

2010-04-10T19:25:00.000-07:00

Almond Butter Bread
Preheat oven to 375 F.

Ingredients:
High fiber all purpose flour – 4 cups
Baking powder – 2 tablespoons
Salt – 1 teaspoon
Sugar – 2/3 cup
Milk – 3 cups rice milk
Almond Butter – 12oz, crunchy type

Procedure:
In the bowl of the KA whisk together dry ingredients. Add the rice milk and mix on 'stir' until smooth. Add the almond butter, mix well. Pour in to 2 greased loaf pans and bake for approximately 50 minutes. Cool for 2-3 hours or more.

Notes: I swirled semi-sweet chocolate chips in to one of the loaves.

Modified from - [url]http://www.egglesscooking.com/2008/05/20/eggless-almond-butter-bread/[/url]

Dairy Free Monkey Bread

2010-04-04T07:57:00.001-07:00

Cooling.

Consumed.

I started with my Divine Dinner Rolls recipe - I used about 3/5 for the Monkey Bread and baked up a dozen rolls as well. Dinner roll recipe below.

Dairy Free Monkey Bread

Liberally grease a bundt pan with Earth Balance or your favorite butter substitute.

Mix together in a bowl or large ziploc bag:
1 cup brown sugar
1.5 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
pinch ground allspice
a few grinds of fresh nutmeg

Cut off small chucks of your favorite dairy free roll dough and roll in to balls(2 inch or so balls)
Roll or shake dough balls in sugar mix. Arrange dough balls in bundt pan close together but not squished together. Repeat with all dough balls or until bundt pan is about half full.

Cover well and refrigerate overnight.

Remove bundt pan from oven.
In a small saucepan over med-high heat melt 1/2 cup Earth Balance with 1 cup of brown sugar. Boil for 1 minute and then pour evenly over dough balls. Place bundt pan in cold oven and turn oven on to 350. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Cool for 10 minutes then invert on to a plate. Do not cut with a knife - pull pieces off monkey-style.

Divine Dairy Free Dinner Rolls

2 1/2 cups warm plain Silk soymilk
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup Earth Balance, softened
2 teaspoons salt
7 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
1/2 cup Earth Balance, melted

Directions:
1. Pour milk into a large mixing bowl, and sprinkle yeast over the surface. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Beat in the sugar, eggs, 1/2 cup butter, and salt; blend thoroughly. Gradually stir in the flour to make a soft dough. Cover bowl, and set in a warm place until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
2. Punch down the dough, cover the bowl, and allow to rise again. Repeat this step two more times.
3. Break off 2 to 3 inch size pieces of dough, roll lightly into round shape, and place in prepared baking dish, edges touching. Repeat to make 36 dough balls. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
5. Bake rolls in preheated oven until tops turn golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. When rolls are finished baking, drizzle melted butter over the top, and serve warm.

Notes: This makes TONS of rolls. I filled my 10x15 baking dish to the brim. We will have lots of leftovers for mini Thanksgiving leftovers sandwiches. My 4 year old loved helping me make the dough balls but it is a very, very stick dough so we kept spraying our hands with cooking spray to keep from sticking to the dough. Remove the rolls from the oven when they are golden - they will continue to cook for a bit after you remove them from the oven. Carefully pull rolls apart with metal tongs. You do not need the full 1/2 cup of melted butter for the tops - maybe 1/4 at the most. These rolls were really fabulous!

Vegan Dill Dip

2010-04-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

Vegan Dill Dip
1 cup vegan mayonnaise (Veganaise)
1 cup vegan sour cream (Tofutti Sour Cream)
1 heaping tablespoon dehydrated green onion
1 heaping tablespoon dehydrated parsley flakes
1 heaping teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon Beau Monde seasoning by Spice Island

Mix all together and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Great with veggies and chips.

Asparagus Pasta

2010-03-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

Modified from my friend Chelsea's recipe. *Recipe below

Asparagus Pasta
2 lbs fresh asparagus, tough ends removed
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4-1/3 cup tofutti cream cheese
whole wheat spaghetti
grilled chicken
tomato-basil topping (recipe below)

Cut asparagus into 1" pieces, reserving tips separately. Cook asparagus stems in 5 to 6 qrt boiling water with 2 Tbsp salt until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to blender, reserving cooking water in pot.

Drizzle asparagus tips with olive oil and fresh ground salt & pepper and roast/broil until tender.

Purée asparagus stems with oil, tofutti cream cheese and 1/2 cup asparagus cooking water.

Cook pasta in boiling asparagus cooking water. Reserve 2 cup cooking water and drain pasta.

Put pasta, asparagus sauce and a little bit of reserved pasta water back in to pot and heat through. Place serving of pasta with sauce on plate and top with roasted asparagus spears, grilled chicken and a spoonful of tomato-basil topping. Yum!

Tomato Basil Topping
1 large ripe tomato, diced fine
8-10 large basil leaves, chopped fine
1 large garlic clove minced fine
extra-virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
freshly ground salt & pepper

Mix all together and let sit at room temperature for at least 10-15 minutes.

Cheslea's Asparagus Pasta Original Recipe:
1 lb fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed
1 tsp finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb whole wheat penne or pasta of choice
1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano

Cut asparagus into 1" pieces, reserving tips separately. Cook asparagus stems in 5 to 6 qrt boiling water with 2 Tbsp salt until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a colander, reserving cooking water in pot, and rinse under cold water. Drain asparagus well and transfer to a food processor or blender.

Cook asparagus tips in same boiling water until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to colander, reserving boiling water in pot, and rinse under cold water. Drain tips well.

Purée asparagus stems with zest, oil, and 1/2 cup asparagus cooking water. Transfer sauce to a 4-qrt saucepan.

Cook pasta in boiling asparagus cooking water until it still offers considerable resistance to the tooth, around three fourths of the recommended cooking time. Reserve 2 cup cooking water and drain pasta.

Add pasta, asparagus tips, and 1/2 cup reserved water to asparagus sauce and cook over high heat, stirring, 3 to 5 minutes, or until pasta is almost al dente and sauce coats pasta. Add more cooking water, 1/4 cup at a time, until sauce coats pasta but is a little loose (the cheese will thicken it slightly).

Stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until cheese is melted.

Serve immediately.

Dairy Free Irish Soda Bread

2010-03-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

* 4 cups all-purpose flour
* 4 tablespoons white sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup Earth Balance, softened
* 1 cup soymilk mixed with 1 tablespoon vinegar (let sit for 10+ minutes before using)
* 1 egg
* 1/4 cup Earth Balance, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease (olive oil) a large baking sheet.
2. In KitchenAid bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and Earth Balance. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Mix until mostly combined. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a approx. 2" tall round and place on prepared baking sheet. Brush loaf with melted Earth Balance. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes, occasionally brushing loaf with melted Earth Balance. Cool on wire rack.

Adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Amazingly-Easy-Irish-Soda-Bread/Detail.aspx

Asian Coleslaw

2010-03-06T19:42:00.000-08:00

ASIAN COLESLAW

Whisk together:
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons and 1-1/2 teaspoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 2-1/4 teaspoons minced garlic

Toss together:
• 2-1/2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
• 1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
• 1 cup shredded napa cabbage
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 carrots, julienned
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Mix dressing and slaw together. Would be great with a sprinkling of chopped peanuts.

I ran out of rice wine vinegar so finished it off with apple cider vinegar. I skipped the green onions, napa cabbage and red cabbage and upped the green cabbage because that is what I had (half of a huge green cabbage). This recipe was such a hit with my family that I only got a very small serving!

Accidently Stir Fry Sauce

2010-02-27T12:06:00.000-08:00

This is why I can never make a repeat dish.

big chunk of fresh ginger - rough chop
2 garlic cloves
big glug of low sodium soy sauce
butter knife full of organic low sodium chicken broth paste
maybe a 1/3 - 1/2 cup of water
a trickle of sesame oil
a sprinkle of brown sugar
the hard bottom of a jar of all natural peanut butter - maybe 1/4-1/3 cup?
some cornstarch

Blend everything but cornstarch in the blender until there are no chunks left. Add cornstarch and blend again. Add to center of hot wok - mix with stir-fried veggies, tofu and chicken. Serve with rice.

Dairy Free Brownie Bliss

2010-02-16T22:48:00.000-08:00

Wow. Just wow. These are amazing. Very slightly modified from Brooke's Best Bombshell Brownies on allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:
1 cup Earth Balance, melted
3 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose whole grain flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until blended. Stir in the chocolate morsels. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
4. Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove, and cool pan on wire rack before cutting.

Roasted Grape Tomatoes

2010-01-17T18:19:00.000-08:00

1 pkg organic grape tomatoes, washed and dry
4 green onions, whites only
3 cloves of garlic, smashed and halved

450F

Spray jelly roll pan with oil (use foil for easy clean up - the tomatoes get caramelized and messy). Mix together tomatoes, garlic and onions on pan - spray with additional oil, top with fresh ground black pepper and fresh ground sea salt. Roast approx 20-25 minutes or until some tomatoes are browned and popped.

Turkey Burgers

2010-01-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

1 package ground turkey (approx 16-20 oz)
1 egg white
1 slice whole wheat bread pulsed in the blender in to bread crumbs
2 T dried parsley flakes
big grinds of sea salt, roasted garlic salt and black pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Form in to patties (this recipe made 8 flat patties for me). Cook in a non-stick skillet until internal temps reach 180 degrees.

cooked patties are 1 pt per ounce

Light Baked Potato Salad - Dairy Free

2010-01-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

1/4 c + 2 T TJ's light mayo
1 T white vinegar
1 T prepared yellow mustard
2 t sugar
22 oz baked potato, skin on, cold, diced
1 large rib celery, diced
fresh ground sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Whisk together mayo, vinegar, mustard and sugar. Mix in potato and celery. Add salt & pepper to taste. Can eat right away but it is better chilled for 4-24 hours.

1/2 c = 1 pt

Hot & Sour Soup

2010-01-07T20:15:00.001-08:00

Hot & Sour Soup
--1 pkg Trader Joe’s firm tofu (14 oz) cut in to cubes
--10 cups water
--3 tablespoons low sodium chicken broth paste (organic, in jar from Costco)
--10-12 large white mushrooms sliced (would be even better with fancier mushrooms)
--1 can bamboo shoots, julienned
--1 large carrot shredded
--1/2 can sliced water chestnuts
--4 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
--1 tablespoon roasted sesame oil
--1.5 tablespoons sugar
--1/3 cup rice wine vinegar (and more later to taste)
--2+ tablespoons fish sauce (and more later to taste)
--1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (and more later to taste)
--3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in water
--2 cups very thinly sliced baby spinach leaves
--green onion for garnish

In crockpot, stir together all ingredients except spinach, cornstarch and green onion. Cook on low 7-8 hours. Taste and add more vinegar, fish sauce and red pepper flakes as needed. Turn up to high during last hour of cooking time. Add cornstarch mixed with water, stir, replace lid and cook on high for 30 minutes. Add spinach and cook for 10-15 minutes. Serve with sliced green onion as a garnish.

Carl - 5 stars
William - 5 stars
KC - 4 stars
Zachary - 0 stars

Overnight Crockpot Oatmeal with Apples

2010-01-05T09:05:00.000-08:00

Overnight Crockpot Oatmeal with Apples

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 cups water
2 cups old-fashioned uncooked oatmeal
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon with apple slices, coating apples. Mix oatmeal with water and salt. Put apples in bottom of crock pot
and pour oatmeal mixture on top. Do not stir. Cover and cook overnight/6 hours on LOW.

In the morning, stir thoroughly.

3 pts per cup

Dairy Free Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-26T16:32:00.000-08:00

Turkey
10 lb Butterball
roasted at 325F for 3 hours
basted with Earth Balance every 30 minutes

Giblet Gravy
giblets from 10 lb turkey
3/4 of a giant onion, peeled and wedged
2 lg carrots, peeled and cut in to 1" chunks
3/4 cup sliced celery
chicken broth
fresh ground pepper
turkey drippings
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup soy creamer

Rinse giblets and neck. Combine giblets, onions, carrots, celery and 1 cup of water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce to simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and stir often over high heat until liquid has evaporated and giblets and vegetables are browned and begin to stick to pan, 15-20 minutes longer.
Add 1 quart broth and fresh ground pepper (about 1/3 teaspoon) to pan and scrape brown bits free. Cover, reduce heat and cook 1 hour.
Pour broth through fine strainer in to a measuring cup - if necessary add water to make 1 quart of stock. Remove meat from neck and chop all giblets fine. Feed vegetables to the dog.
When turkey is finished cooking add pan juices to broth. Add hot water to the roasting pan and scrape off bits, pour in to broth.
Bring broth to boil and whisk in cornstarch mixed with equal amount water. If you want it thicker whisk together flour and soy creamer and whisk in to gravy. Season to taste.

Pecanified Sweet Potatoes
These are very loose estimates.
4 large sweet potatoes, baked
mixed with Earth Balance and some brown sugar

Top with a mix of:
1/3 cup Earth Balance, melted
2/3 cup flour
1 cup pecans
1 cup loose packed brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/2-1 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
big pinch ground cloves

Bake at in a 2 quart dish at 350 for 40 minutes. Place a piece foil or a baking sheet under the dish in case it drips.

Trader Joe's Cornbread Stuffing
Followed box directions using Earth Balance and adding 1/4 of a giant onion, chopped and an equal amount fine chopped celery that has been sauteed in Earth Balance until translucent. Baked at 350F for 40 minutes

Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes
5 lb bag of red potatoes
Earth Balance
TJ's soy creamer

Boil whole potatoes (cut large ones in half) in water to cover until they break apart when pricked with a fork. Warm soy creamer and Earth Balance in microwave. Mash potatoes, add EB and creamer as needed. Season with salt and pepper.

Other players:
good old canned Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce
steamed cauliflower
dairy-full holiday sauce (Hollandaise Sauce)

And the start of the show. The very best dairy-free rolls I have ever had/made. I followed Angie's Perfect Dinner Rolls on Allrecipies.com with dairy-free subs.

Divine Dairy Free Dinner Rolls

2 1/2 cups warm plain Silk soymilk
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup Earth Balance, softened
2 teaspoons salt
7 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
1/2 cup Earth Balance, melted

Directions:
1. Pour milk into a large mixing bowl, and sprinkle yeast over the surface. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Beat in the sugar, eggs, 1/2 cup butter, and salt; blend thoroughly. Gradually stir in the flour to make a soft dough. Cover bowl, and set in a warm place until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
2. Punch down the dough, cover the bowl, and allow to rise again. Repeat this step two more times.
3. Break off 2 to 3 inch size pieces of dough, roll lightly into round shape, and place in prepared baking dish, edges touching. Repeat to make 36 dough balls. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
5. Bake rolls in preheated oven until tops turn golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. When rolls are finished baking, drizzle melted butter over the top, and serve warm.

Notes: This makes TONS of rolls. I filled my 10x15 baking dish to the brim. We will have lots of leftovers for mini Thanksgiving leftovers sandwiches. My 4 year old loved helping me make the dough balls but it is a very, very stick dough so we kept spraying our hands with cooking spray to keep from sticking to the dough. Remove the rolls from the oven when they are golden - they will continue to cook for a bit after you remove them from the oven. Carefully pull rolls apart with metal tongs. You do not need the full 1/2 cup of melted butter for the tops - maybe 1/4 at the most. These rolls were really fabulous!

Oatmeal Spice Muffins

2009-11-17T15:02:00.001-08:00

Adapted from Easy Oatmeal Muffins on AllRecipes.com

Makes 12 small muffins

1 cup soymilk
1 cup oats
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flax meal

Topping
your favorite strusel mix of oats, flour, sugar & spices mixed with a fat (Earth Balance in our house)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2. In a medium bowl, combine soymilk and oats; let soak for 15 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, beat together egg and oil; stir in oatmeal mixture. In a third bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, flax meal, spices and salt. Stir flour mixture into wet ingredients, just until combined. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups until cups are 2/3 full (less than 1/4 cup per muffin). Top with strusel.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Chicken Curry Coconut Soup

2009-11-04T22:57:00.001-08:00

large onion, chopped
small bunch of celery, sliced
4 large carrots, sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
chicken from a leftover roasted chicken - boiled in water to cover and removed from the bone + broth
3-4 tablespoons low sodium organic chicken broth paste
3-4 tablespoons red curry paste
14 oz can of chickpeas
14 oz can coconut milk
1/2 cup soy creamer

Cook vegetables for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken, broth, pastes, and chickpeas. Cook until vegetables are tender. Add coconut milk and soy creamer and heat through. Serve with naan bread.

Vegan Zebra Enchiladas

2009-11-03T18:04:00.000-08:00

Vegan Zebra Enchiladas
olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
heart of celery, including leaves, chopped
6 oz mushrooms, chopped
3 small zucchini, chopped
1/2 package soy chorizo
12 corn tortillas
tofu sour cream (recipe below)
Trader Joe's enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350

Spray a 9x11 baking pan with oil.

Using a small amount of olive oil cook onion, celery, red pepper and mushrooms over med-high heat until the onion is translucent, add the chopped zucchini and remove soy chorizo from casing and crumble in to pan. Heat through.

Microwave the corn tortillas for 1 minute (wrap in paper towels with a wet paper towel placed on top).

Scoop about 1/2 cup of filling in to each tortilla and pack in to prepared pan. Top each enchilada with a large scoop of tofu sour cream and then drizzle enchilada sauce over the top (looks like a zebra!).

Cook at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly hot.

Tofu Sour Cream
8 oz silken tofu
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoon maple syrup
Juice of 2 limes
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Mix all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Chocolate Cranberry Orange Scones (Vegan)

2009-10-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy cream
3/4 vanilla soy milk plus 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (mix together and let sit for several minutes)
zest of one large orange

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, chocolate chips and cranberries. In a small bowl mix the oil, soy cream, and milk with vinegar and zest a large orange in to the liquids, whisk together. Add wet to dry and mix until just combined; the dough should be clumpy and not sticky. Even if there is still a light dusting of flour, that's okay. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and pat the tops just a little bit to round them out; sprinkle with a bit of turbinado sugar. Bake 12-15 minutes until slightly browned on the bottom and firm on the top.

Variations I haven't tried yet:
Berry Scones: Fold in 1 1/2 cups fresh berries.
Maple Walnut: Add 2 tsp of maple extract to the liquid ingredients, add 2 Tbsp of sugar, fold in 1 1/2 cups of walnuts.

Modified from - Urban Drivel: Vegan Orange Chocolate Chip Scones

Vegetable Tortilla Soup

2009-10-29T21:44:00.001-07:00

bunch of green onions, chopped
3 large carrots, sliced
4 medium zucchini, sliced
celery heart, including leaves, chopped
1 cup frozen white corn kernels
1 cup chopped frozen spinach
1 cup salsa
2 cans kidney beans, drained
15 oz can tomato sauce
salt & pepper
6 corn tortillas, chopped

Put all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Serve with sliced avocado & hot sauce on top.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies & Vegan Cranberry Spice Cookies

2009-10-27T15:56:00.000-07:00

Modified from:
Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

2 cups unbleached flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp.salt
cinnamon to taste (optional)
vegan chocolate or carob chips - put in as many as you like
1 cup raw sugar (turbinado #1, sucanat works too but sucks up a lot of the moisture)
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup water

Directions:

VERY IMPORTANT-make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. It will work if they're not at room temp but it works MUCH better if they are. Also while your oven is pre-heating put the cookie sheets you are going to use on top of the oven so they get preheated as well. Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon (if you choose). Add chips. Make a well in the center and set aside.

In a medium size bowl mix vegan sugar and oil. Mix it well. Add the vanilla and then add the water. Mix it well. Add the wet to the well in the dry. Mix it well but be careful not to overwork it. Add more chips if you need to. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Put them in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes and then flip and rotate the sheets.(top to bottom,and 180 degree rotation) Bake another 4 minutes and check them.

The cookies are done when they seem a little bit softer then you want them to be. They will harden up some as they cool. I usually go in two minute increments from here untill they get to where I like them.

Take them out when they are done and move them to wire cooling racks. If they split or come apart when you try to remove them let them sit on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring them to the racks.

These cookies have come a long way, lots of time and tasting spent on getting them to where they are now. Vegans and non vegans LOVE them. In the words of my 6 year old son-Mom, you're the greatest because you know how to make the best cookies. Enjoy and let me know if you have questions. Sweet travels.

Serves: almost two dozen

Preparation time: 15 mins?-10 to 12 cooking time

My notes:
For Chocolate chip cookies:
I used cinnamon, added about 1/4 cup of flax meal to the dry ingredients, half a bag of semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips and cooked for about 8 minutes total. Cookies were very soft but stayed together nicely.

For Cranberry Spice cookies:
I replaced 1/2 cup of the flour with wheat germ, added about 1/3 cup flax meal, used a big sprinkle of cinnamon, ground cloves and ground allspice and added about a cup of dried cranberries.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2009-06-25T19:56:00.000-07:00

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Whole roasted chicken carcass with some or all of the meat (we usually eat most of the breasts at another meal)
Water to cover
(you can also add the ends and peels of carrots & onions if you have them)

In a large pot cover chicken with water and simmer for 1.5-2 hours.
Place a colander over a large bowl and pour contents of pot in to colander.
Put pot back on stove, add a tablespoon of olive oil and:
5-6 large carrots - peeled and sliced
5-6 ribs of celery – sliced
1 large onion – chopped

Cook, stirring often while you remove all of the chicken from the bones.
Add broth and chicken back to the pot.
Add broccoli, squash, zucchini, green beans, corn, peas, tomatoes, peppers or any other vegetables.
(you can put the soup in the crockpot at this point or continue to simmer on the stove)
Simmer until vegetables are tender.

To make chicken tortilla soup add:
½ - 1 cup of salsa
Corn
Beans

To serve chicken tortilla soup crush tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl, top with soup, top soup with slices of avocado, hot sauce, cheese and a couple more tortilla chips.

Hot and Sour Egg Drop soup

2009-03-30T18:49:00.001-07:00

Hot & Sour Egg Drop Soup

8 cups chicken broth
2 carrots, sliced thinly
2 large green onions sliced thin (separate whites and greens)
1 bundle of bok choy greens (leafy greens with yellow flowers)
Small handful of Snap peas – trimmed and quartered
1/2 package medium tofu, cut into 1/2-inch dice
6 tablespoons white vinegar
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon red chili sauce
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch, drissolved in 2 tablespoons water
2 eggs, lightly beaten with a splash of water
1 green onion, sliced thinly

Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan. stir in carrot, bok choy greens and white parts of the green onion, simmering for about 5 minutes.
Add the vinegar, soy sauce, chili sauces, and sugar - simmer for about 2 minutes.
Pour in the dissolved cornstarch and cook, stirring, until the soup boils and thickens, about 1 minute.
Add tofu, green onion tops and snap pea pods.
Bring soup back to boil and slowly pour in the egg, stirring the soup to create “egg flowers.”
Serve with extra chili sauce for spicing it up.

Variation: Made without tofu, bok choy, snap peas or sweet chili sauce. Added some broccoli slaw, celery and cooked chicken.

Dairy Free Banana Muffins

2009-03-30T18:38:00.000-07:00

In a large bowl mix dry ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup raw cane sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

In another bowl mix together wet ingredients:
6 large bananas, mashed
2 eggs
1 cup apple sauce

Add wet ingredients to dry and mix just until combined. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and muffins are golden brown. Makes 24 muffins.

Dairy Free Double Ginger Cookies

2009-03-22T17:37:00.001-07:00

Preheat oven to 375F. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl mix together:
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
¼ molasses
1 egg
Approximately 1 tablespoon fresh shredded ginger (shred on a microplane)

In another bowl mix together:
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
Approximately ¼ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until well blended. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.

In a small bowl place:
2-3 tablespoons of granulated sugar for dipping

Squeeze together a small chunk of dough and then roll in to a 1” ball. Dip one side of dough ball in to the sugar and place on the cookie sheet 2” apart, sugar side up. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until cracked on top. Cool on cookie sheet.

Protein Packed Blueberry Muffins

2009-03-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

Protein Packed Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:
Wet Stuff:
• 1 cup flaxseed egg substitute (1/4 c flax meal + ¾ c warm water)
• 2 cups soymilk
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups honey
• 2 Tbsp vanilla

Dry Stuff:
• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup wheat germ
• 1 cup flax meal
• 1 cup soy flour
• 2 cups AP flour
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 scoops Trader Joe's soy protein powder

Goodies:
• 1 bag TJ's frozen organic wild blueberries - teeny tiny berries

Muffin How-To's:
1. Sift all dry stuff into large bowl and set aside.
2. Whisk all wet stuff together.
3. Blend wet into dry and fold in goodies using a spatula or wooden spoon. Do NOT over mix.
4. Scoop batter in to greased or paper lined muffin tins.
5. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes or until muffin springs bake when touched.

Makes 30 muffins

Modified from Best Vegan Blueberry Muffins

Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

2009-03-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

Shrimp Spring Rolls
rice papers
thin shaved cucumber
julienned carrot
fresh cilantro
fresh basil
fresh mint
mung bean threads, soaked and boiled according to package directions
cooked shrimp (I boiled cooked with lime wedges and chunks of ginger)

Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup apple juice, microwaved until hot
1/3 to 1/4 cup all natural creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons red curry paste
chopped peanuts

Prepare rice papers by soaking in water and wrap up ingredients. Dip in peanut sauce or sweet chili sauce (TJ's brand is good).

Thai-Style Pumpkin Peanut Soup

2009-03-09T18:55:00.000-07:00

Thai-Style Pumpkin Peanut Soup

32 oz reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 28 oz can pumpkin
13.5 oz apple juice (I used two Trader Joe's apple juice boxes)
1/2 cup all natural peanut butter
3 tablespoons minced green onions
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 garlic clove, crushed
cubed tofu
Chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges
chopped peanuts

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large pot, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Whisk in peanut butter. Stir in remaining ingredients (except for cilantro); cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Put cubes of tofu in each bowl. Ladle into soup bowls. Sprinkle with cilantro & peanuts and squeeze a lime wedge over each bowl.

Modified from Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 1998

Wheat-Flax Crackers

2009-02-25T21:04:00.000-08:00

Apparently these crackers are good. They got a thumbs up from the whole family and my 6 year old asked me if I could sell them in a box. When that idea wasn't going to pan out he insisted I post them on "that blog with recipes for cooking" so other people could make them too.

These were my first attempt at making crackers - they were surprisingly easy and quite good!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup flax seed meal
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
kosher salt for sprinkling

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Stir together the dry ingredients. Pour in the oil and water; mix until just combined.
3. In batches roll dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll as thin as possible - no thicker than 1/8 inch. Place dough on an ungreased baking sheet. With a knife, mark squares. With a fork, prick each cracker and then sprinkle with salt.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes, until crisp and lightly browned. Remove from baking sheet to cooling rack. Break in to individual crackers and store in an airtight container.

Next time I will try using more whole wheat flour, olive oil instead of canola and adding some garlic powder and other herbs.

Inspired by this recipe on AllRecipes.com.

Granny's Corn Flour Tortillas

2009-02-13T18:30:00.000-08:00

Granny's Corn Flour Tortillas

Good Seasons Copycat Recipe

2009-02-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

3 tablespoons dried vegetables flakes
pinch dried parsley flakes
2 grinds sea salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
2 packets Splenda
approx 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dry pectin
pinch ground oregano

Mix all ingredients together and store in a cool, dry place until use.

To make dressing add:
1/3 cup your choice of vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoon flax oil

** This needs more work. It is an ok dressing but really tastes nothing like our beloved Good Seasons.

Spicy Asian Sauce

2009-02-12T13:58:00.000-08:00

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup ketchup (Trader Joe's organic - not too sweet and has a nice texture)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Wisk together all ingredients and cook over med-high heat with your choice of meats and vegetables. We have had with a seafood mix and it was incredible. Trying tonight with some beef.

Garden Minestrone

2009-02-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
1 bunch of green onions - greens only, chopped
1 small bunch of celery, chopped
4 xl carrots, sliced
2 cups chopped broccoli
1.5 cups chopped chard leaves and stems
2 cans chopped tomatoes, with juice
half a pound frozen green beans
1 can tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
1 can kidney beans, drained
3 zucchinis, halved and sliced
chicken stock
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1/4 cup dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb small pasta
grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Add ingredients in the order listed - chopping as you go to give ingredients time to sweat. Chicken stock to cover. Cook soup until vegetables are tender crisp or more done - your preference. Cook pasta in a seperate pan and add as desired to bowls of soup. Top with Parmesan if desired. Makes: dinner for 4 (with seconds all around) for 2 nights and 6 large lunch servings to freeze.

Hot Mockolate: Dairy-Free Chocolate-Free Hot Chocolate

2008-12-25T10:21:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1 cup water
4 ounces carob chips
1/3 cup white sugar
3 cups rice milk
½ t. vanilla
Preparation:
1. In a small saucepan over low heat, whisk together the water and carob, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is consistent. Add the sugar, stirring well to dissolve. Turn up the heat to medium, bringing the liquid just below the boiling point, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes. Gradually add the rice milk and vanilla, stirring well until incorporated. Cook until desired temperature and consistency.

Notes: This was EXCELLENT, my kids first taste of Christmas morning hot chocolate. I even liked it in my coffee. I forgot the vanilla but we didn't miss it. We will be having this treat again for sure!

Dairy-Free Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls

2008-12-25T10:14:00.000-08:00

INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup soymilk
* 1/3 cup Earth's Balance
* 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (more as needed)
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3 eggs

FILLING:
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
* Earth's Balance

DIRECTIONS

1. Set the oven to warm. Heat the soymilk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Add the Earth's Balance and stir until melted; let cool until lukewarm.
2. In bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the soymilk mixture. Add the sugar, 3 cups of flour, salt and eggs; stir well to combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, knead with dough hook until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.
3. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl with Earth's Balance, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Turn off oven. Cover bowl with a damp cloth and place in the oven until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
4. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10x 14 inch rectangle. Lightly brush the far edge with water. In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and brown sugar and sprinkle over the rectangles. Roll up the dough into a log and seal the seam.
5. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces; place the pieces in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan, or 12 inch deep dish pizza pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight.
6. The next morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Take the rolls out of the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
7. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. Top with a glaze, cream cheese frosting or eat plain.

Dairy-free Cranberry Muffins with Flaxseed & Wheat Germ

2008-12-24T09:23:00.000-08:00

Dairy-free Cranberry Muffins with Flaxseed & Wheat Germ
1 1/4 cups chopped frozen cranberries
1/3 cup sugar (for cranberries)
2/3 cup flax meal
1/3 cup sugar (for batter)
1 egg, beaten lightly
2/3 cup orange juice
¼ cup soymilk
1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup wheat germ
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes or until muffins test done (Be careful not to over-bake or the muffins will be dry). Yield: 12 muffins

These muffins were a runaway success. My 4 & 6 year olds each ate 3 in one sitting and my husband had 4! Next time I may reduce the sugar a bit.

Crockpot Baked Beans

2008-11-11T13:14:00.000-08:00

8 cups of cooked beans (small white beans are good)
1/2 cup ketchup
1 16oz can tomato sauce
1 can of water (rinse out tomato sauce can with water and dump in to crockpot)
1/4 cup molasses plus 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
1 large onion, chopped or equivalent onion powder
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 lb bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1.5 cup brown sugar

Mix all together in the crockpot and cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-5 hours.

Best Blue Cheese Dressing/Dip

2008-11-10T18:59:00.000-08:00

* 1 cup plain yogurt
* scant 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 4 ounces blue cheese

DIRECTIONS

Freeze the blue cheese hunk. Remove from freezer and use a large knife to cut fine sheets of blue cheese and then crumble to a fine blue cheese dust. Freezing is the key to getting the blue cheese dusty crumbles that better mix in to the dressing.

In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce. Season with mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir in blue cheese. Can be enjoyed immediately or store in a covered container in the fridge. Yum.

*Recipe modified from Bill's Blue Cheese Dressing on allrecipes.com.

Thin Crust Pizza

2008-11-10T00:25:00.001-08:00

Yum! This recipe makes two large thin crust pizzas and enough sauce for these 2 crusts plus some to freeze for later.

Pizza Dough
Yield: 2 thin crust Pizzas
4.5 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
1.5 cups 110 degree water
3.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
pizza sauce - of your choice, or see below
shredded cheese - of your choice, as needed
toppings - of your choice, as needed

-Dissolve yeast and sugar in water; allow to rest for 8 minutes.
-In a bowl of mixer, combine flour and salt.
-Pour yeast mixture over flour mixture and mix with dough hook.
-Knead on low speed with dough hook until it begins to climb up the hook.
-On a floured board, working from the edges to the center, press dough into a 12" circle.
-Place dough on a lightly greased pizza pan and stretch dough to edges.
-Spread sauce over crust and top with cheese and desired toppings.
-Bake in a 500 degree oven for 8-12 minutes, or until edges are golden.

Quick and easy pizza sauce
Pizza Sauce
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground oregano
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground paprika

Mix together until smooth.

This pizza was excellent simply topped with fresh basil, mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan.

Cooking from the cupboards

2008-11-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

This week we are on a tight budget until payday so I took an inventory of our freezer, fridge and cabinets and came up with a menu that requires very little purchases.

Saturday: bake WWII molasses oatmeal cookies, soak white beans overnight
L – cheese pizza, salad with homemade blue cheese
D – chili & cornbread

Sunday: cook white beans, bake bread
L – barley bean vegetable soup
D – spaghetti & sauce (make extra sauce for Thursday)

Monday:
D – white bean & chicken chili, salad

Tuesday:
D - (crockpot) split pea soup

Wednesday: bake more bread if needed
chicken and vegetable stir fry over steamed rice

Thursday:
Chicken thighs cacciatore & multi grain penne

Friday:
leftovers

We have the makings for the following treats:
apple crisp or pie
rice krispy treats
cookies

All we need to buy this weekend is some cereal for breakfasts, Earth's balance, string cheese for Carl's work snacks, frozen spinach, soy yogurt for snacks, milk, broccoli, potatoes and bananas. We even have a $10 gift card to Target and cereal is on sale buy 5 and get a free gallon of milk.

WWII Molasses Oatmeal Cookies

2008-11-08T12:16:00.000-08:00

This makes a huge double batch of almost healthy cookies. Shortening is not my first choice but we had it on hand.

INGREDIENTS

* 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 cups whole wheat flour
* 4 cups oatmeal
* 2 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoon baking powder
* 2 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 1.5 cups shortening
* 5 eggs, beaten
* 1 cup molasses (I used about 5/6 cup molasses and 1/6 cup blackstrap molasses)
* 2 tablespooons vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup flax meal
* 1/2 cup wheat germ

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flours, wheat germ, flax meal, oatmeal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. In another large bowl, beat the sugars with the shortening until smooth and creamy; mix in beaten eggs, molasses, and vanilla. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until slightly browned. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely (or eat them straight from the oven).

Verdict:
DH: thumbs down, didn't like them at all - a cookie he doesn't like is a rare thing
DS1: Loved them
DS2: Loved them
Me: They were pretty good. Not my favorite but I enjoyed them.

Modified from this recipe on Allrecipes.com.

Spinach Artichoke Dip Two Ways

2008-10-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

For both:
28 oz frozen chopped spinach
2 12 oz bags of frozen artichoke hearts, chopped fine
6 cloves of garlic minced and smashed with some sea salt
salt & pepper
paprika
1 cup mayonnaise

For dairy free:
2 oz tofu
1/4 cup tofutti "cream cheese"

For dairy cheesey goodness:
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
2 8oz chunks of cream cheese
6 oz of tofu
1/4 cup sour cream

Mix a bit of ingredients "for both" with dairy-free ingredients in stand mixer. Place in a small greased baking dish. Bake at 350F for about 15-20 minutes.

Mix remaining "for both" ingredients with cheesey goodness ingredients in stand mixer. Place in two pie dishes - one to bake for now, one to freeze for later. Bake at 350F until hot & bubbly through (25-30 minutes).

Serve both with carrot & celery sticks, sliced baguette and crackers.

Menu Plan

2008-09-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

Saturday
Lunch - bean burritos
Dinner - homemade pizza, salad (make blue cheese dressing)

Sunday
manicotti, salad

Monday - Zachary's Dinner Pick
cheese, bean & chicken burritos

Tuesday - William's Dinner Pick
Chicken burger with tomato & "cream cheese" with ketchup & mustard.

Wednesday - Daddy's Birthday Day
Breakfast - french toast with sausage
Dinner - Beef stroganoff, egg noodles, salad

Thursday
sweet & sour chicken with broccoli, carrots & celery, steamed rice

BIRTHDAY WEEKEND
Friday
Grandma's Enchiladas

Saturday - Race
Breakfast - apple drop donuts
Dinner - early dinner before race, dinner at race or take picnic to race

Sunday
homemade sushi

Menu Planning Monday

2008-09-01T16:24:00.000-07:00

Monday - grilled burgers on homemade whole wheat buns, roasted beets, red velvet cupcakes

Tuesday - chicken stir fry with bok choy, summer squash & carrots, steamed brown rice

Wednesday - salmon patties on leftover buns, red potato salad, cucumber slices, watermelon

Thursday - spaghetti sauce (from freezer), whole wheat flax penne, salad or zucchini

Friday - beans in the crockpot, potato salad, veggies

Saturday - possibly date night?

Menu Plan

2008-08-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

Wednesday - Costco Chicken, TJ's mixed grains, broccoli & carrots
Thursday - nitrate free hot dogs, grilled zucchini
Friday - ww flax penne with sauce from the freezer, salad with blue cheese
Saturday - coconut curry tofu, ww couscous
Sunday - Grilled salmon, grilled squash, ww couscous

A little sweet, a little spicy - Mexican Style Rub

2008-08-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

This is my very first rub and it is just spectacular! So delicious!

Mix together:
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes + small dash of cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
Store leftovers in an airtight container.

I drizzled some skinless/boneless chicken thighs with a little bit of olive oil and then coated both sides with the rub. DH grilled. They were FABULOUS! YUM!

Great on beef and pork loin chops.

Terrific on chicken breast pounded thin, coated with the rub, refrigerated overnight and grilled.

We use this all the time so here is the industrial size recipe -

Mix together:

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes + large dash of cayenne pepper (or to taste)

• 1/2 cup sweet paprika

• 1/4 cup ground cumin

• 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons dried oregano

• 1.5 tablespoons cocoa powder

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup salt

Store in an airtight container.

Menu Plan

2008-08-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

Saturday
On the grill: chicken (with Mexi-Rub), zucchini, corn and a par-baked loaf of sourdough bread

Sunday
Grilled turkey teriyaki turkey burgers on whole wheat buns(grill extra chicken), carrot foil packets on grill, green salad
teriyaki sauce mixed with ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg

Monday
leftover grilled Mexi-Rub chicken on whole wheat buns with a spicy mayo & romaine, beans

Tuesday
(take chicken breasts out of freezer - freeze leftover ground turkey)
Whole grain flax spaghetti with turkey tomato sauce, green salad

Wednesday
(bake pumpkin bread)
leftover spaghetti, mixed veggies

Thursday
(grill chicken breasts for Saturday)
grilled hot dogs, grilled zucchini

HOMESCHOOL CONFERENCE/VACATION!!!

Friday
Breakfast - Starbucks, donuts and bananas on the way
Lunch - almond butter sandwiches, sliced apples & supplement with food from hotel vendors
Dinner - take out in the hotel room

Saturday
Breakfast - coffee, bagels, cream cheese, tofutii cream cheese, lox, bananas, apples
Lunch - take out or lunch from hotel
Dinner - Vegetable pasta salad topped with grilled chicken

Sunday
Breakfast - coffee, bagels, cream cheese, tofutii cream cheese, lox, bananas, apples
Lunch - Chinese Chicken Salad ala Grandma
Dinner - on the way home

Snacks to pack:
crackers
beef jerky
chips & salsa
muffins
fruit
veggies & hummus

Menu Planning Monday

2008-07-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

Monday - leftover bbq mahi mahi, red potato salad and mixed veggies

Tuesday - bbq chicken, red potato salad, broccoli

Wednesday - eggs scrambled with spinach, fried potatoes, fruit

Thursday - spaghetti sauce with sausage in the crockpot, flax whole grain pasta, salad

Friday - leftover pasta, salad

Saturday - ??

Sunday - grilled chicken, grilled squash, potato packets on the grill

Raisin Bran Muffins dairy free

2008-07-16T15:05:00.000-07:00

* 3 cup bran flakes cereal with raisins
* 2 cup soymilk
* 2 egg
* 1/2 cup applesauce
* 1 tablespoon vanilla
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 cup whole wheat flour
* 1.5 tablespoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup honey
* ~1/4 cup flax meal
* big sprinkle of cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.
2. Combine raisin bran cereal and soymilk. Let stand until mixture is moistened. Beat in egg and applesauce. Mix in flours, baking powder, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, salt and honey, stirring only until combined. Fill greased muffin pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Magic Cookies

2008-07-16T15:04:00.000-07:00

Coming soon

Turkey & Broccoli Curry Bake - dairy free

2008-07-15T18:23:00.000-07:00

8 cups of par cooked broccoli
small cooked turkey breast roast

coming soon

Menu Planning Monday (on Sunday)

2008-07-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

Visit Organizing Junkie for more menus.

I am working on cooking from the pantry and freezer. We are buying the bare minimum and really try to stretch our budget this month. Thankfully our freezer was nicely stocked and my mom cleaned out her freezer in to ours recently!

Monday
chicken & bean enchiladas (sauce in the freezer, beans in the freezer, whole wheat tortillas, leftover grilled chicken) & broccoli-corn salad

Tuesday
Flax Whole Grain penne with sausage & meat sauce (make big pot)

Wednesday
blueberry & flax pancakes, eggs

Thursday
Crockpot lasagna with spinach and leftover meat sauce, salad

Friday
soy marinated mahi mahi, steamed rice, garlicky pepper broccoli

Saturday
pea & potato soup, salad, fresh bread

Sunday
grilled chicken, foil pack potatoes, mixed vegetables

Treats & snacks:
oatmeal bars
miracle cookies (recipe coming)
fresh fruit popsicles

To Try - Bobotie

2008-07-09T14:52:00.000-07:00

Bobotie

No self respecting South African housewife does not own (and treasure!) a favourite bobotie recipe.

* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 onions, peeled and sliced
* 2 1/4 pounds good quality lean ground beef
* 1 thickish slice of white bread
* 1 cup milk
* 1 tablespoon medium curry powder (or hot for the hale and brave)
* 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
* 2 teaspoons salt
* freshly grated pepper (about a half teaspoon)
* 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
* 1 1/2 tablespoons malt vinegar
* 1/2 cup seedless raisins
* 2 tablespoons strong chutney
* 2 bay leaves (or fresh lemon leaves if available)
* 2 medium eggs

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Heat oil in medium sauté pan. Stir in onions. Cook over medium heat until transparent. Add ground beef. Cook until lightly browned and crumbly.

Soak bread in half the milk, squeeze out excess milk and mash with a fork - DON'T TOSS SQUEEZED OUT MILK! Pour it straight back into remaining milk. Set milk aside.

Add curry, sugar, salt, pepper, turmeric, vinegar, raisins, chutney to the beef mixture. Spoon the mixture into a greased baking dish, and place bay leaves on top.

Bake for 50-60 minutes in preheated 350°F oven.

Beat egg with remaining milk and pour over mixture approximately 25 - 30 minutes before end of baking time.

Serve with steamed rice (traditionally yellow!) and extra chutney.

Pure South African comfort food! Especially nice in winter, or cold with a salad in summer.

Serves: 6

Almond Oatmeal Bars (dairy free and lower carb)

2008-06-30T21:32:00.000-07:00

This recipe is modified from a recipe by my friend Brandy. Modified to be lower carb, higher protein, higher fiber and dairy free (I am sure it would be excellent with chocolate chips but then the kids couldn't eat it!).
des
Almond Oatmeal Bars

¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup wheat germ
¼ cup almond meal
2 ½ cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup flax meal
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup oil
½ cup applesauce
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cup sliced almonds

Mix the whole wheat pastry flour through to and
including the flax meal in a large mixing bowl.

Mix the sugar through the vanilla in a separate
container. Add the wet to the dry and the almonds and mix.

It'll be kind of clumpy, but put it all in a lightly greased 9X13 pan
and kind of push it down so it's even. Bake at 350
for 15 minutes. When it's cool, cut into bars.

Notes: While quite tasty these are really crumbly. Not super sweet. Next time I think I will cut out the almond meal and use a 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce - reducing applesauce may mean that I need to add a little more sugar too or maybe honey.

Delicious Dairy-Free Pesto

2008-06-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

*big bunch of farmer's market fresh basil (enough to fill the bowl of the food processor without packing at all)
*4 large garlic cloves minced with...
*about a tablespoon of kosher salt
*1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed
*about 1/2 c - 3/4 c walnuts
EVOO

Blend all ingredients except EVOO together in the food processor until smooth. Stream in EVOO - about 1/2 cup while machine runs. Using pasta cooking water to thin and serve over pasta. YUM!

Notes:
Most pesto recipes call for parmesan, this was fine without.
Used walnuts because they are cheaper than pine nuts and we had them on hand. Might try with pine nuts next time.
Served over whole wheat flax fussili with a side of balsamic glazed tofu - next time process some tofu in the mix to add protein without DH complaining about eating tofu.
Made enough for 2 family sized meals plus a husband sized lunch serving. Will try freezing leftovers.

Menu Plan

2008-06-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

Saturday
(cook beans & bake buns)
B - oatmeal & blueberries
L - black bean burritos, salad
D - pork roast, roasted potatoes, greens, applesauce

Sunday
B - pumpkin flax pancakes & sausage
L - Ham soup (split pea), salad
D - grilled salmon burgers, grilled veggies, coleslaw

Monday
D - spaghetti with white beans, salad

Tuesday
D - mahi mahi, mixed whole grains, broccoli

Wednesday
D - baked chicken and ?

Thursday
D - leftovers

Friday 4th of July
BBQ at Grandma's

Turkey Meatloaf

2008-06-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

TURKEY MEATLOAF
1 tblsp. EVOO
sprinkle dehydrated chopped onions
~ 2/3 cup chopped celery & leaves
½ cup grated carrot
3/4 tsp. dried thyme (couldn’t find any in my cabinet)
1 tsp. dried sage
Sprinkle poultry seasoning
2 packages lean ground turkey
2 large apples grated
1/2 c. dried bread crumbs
½ c flax meal
2/3 cup crumbled whole grain crackers
2 lg. egg, lightly beaten
¼ c. chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp. Hot & Sweet mustard
1 tsp. salt
a few grinds of freshly ground pepper

GLAZE:
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. Hot & Sweet mustard

Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onions, carrot and celery and saute 3 minutes or until softened. Stir in thyme and sage and let cool slightly. Combine vegetable mixture in large bowl with turkey, flax/bread/cracker crumbs, apple, egg, parsley, salt, mustard and pepper. Mix well. Pack into a greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish. GLAZE: Combine ingredients in small bowl and brush over top of loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 60+ minutes or until 165F+. Pour off any fat.

Wheat Germ Balls (Dairy Free)

2008-06-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

Combine in bowl of mixer:
2 c flour
1 c toasted wheat germ
1 c shortening
3/4 c sugar
2 T flax seed meal
1/4 c water
1+ T vanilla
1/2 t salt

Beat at low speed until well combined. Roll in to 1" balls (or worms if you are 3 and balls are hard to manage). Roll in more wheat germ. Bake on cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes at 350F. Alternate: Smash down cookies with fork (like peanut butter cookies).

Adapted from More-With-Less.

Notes: I don't like to cook with shortening but I had some in the cabinet and didn't want to waste it. I figure one batch of cookies couldn't hurt so in to the mixer the nasty shortening went. These cookies are tasty. The wheat germ and flax are healthy additions without being over powering. I will try to make these again using Earth's Balance instead of the shortening. The kids really enjoyed rolling them out and rolling them in wheat germ.

Menu Planning Monday (on Friday! oops!)

2008-06-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Monday
Tuesday - inside out cabbage roll casserole, mashed red potatoes
Wednesday - mahi-mahi, mashed sweet potatoes, steamed carrots and cucumber & tomato salad with fresh basil and balsamic
Thursday - crockpot turkey chili, brown rice, steamed veggies - carrot, summer squash, eggplant, broccoli
Friday - leftover inside out cabbage roll casserole, mashed red potatoes
Saturday - vegetable & bean enchiladas, salad
Sunday - roasted vegetables, baked chicken, mixed whole grains

Menu Planning Monday (on Saturday!)

2008-06-07T15:26:00.000-07:00

Sun – grilled chicken, carrot salad, a TBD whole grain
Mon – spaghetti with beef red sauce, pasta, salad
Tues – Asian chicken salad (using leftover spaghetti)
Wed – baked penne with leftover meat sauce, salad
Thurs – bean burritos, broccoli with corn & tomatoes
Fri – (leftover) penne with seafood “butter” sauce, garlicky green beans
Sat – Date night - celebrating 10 years of marriage! Kids eat at Grandma's, parents eat at the Melting Pot!

Kale & Broccoli

2008-05-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

At the store today Zachary found some super wrinkly organic kale that he wanted to try. So we made this nutrient rich side dish to accompany a big pasta feast for dinner.

1 bunch kale, washed, stems removed and chopped
2-3 cups of broccoli florets, broken in to bite size pieces
olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
sea salt
large pinch of red pepper flakes
good quality balsamic vinegar

in a large pan heat a good slosh of olive oil, add garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for a few seconds. Add broccoli and cook for 1-2 minutes, shaking/stirring occasionally. Add kale and stir. Add 1/4 cup water and cover for 2-3 minutes. Remove lid and cook until everything is cooked through but still bright green. Give a good slosh of balsamic vinegar before serving. YUM.

Menu Planning Monday (on Sunday)

2008-05-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

Monday – Chinese chicken salad (using the dressing from Asian noodle salad) and pork potstickers & brown rice
Tuesday – buffalo wings, veggies & blue cheese dip
Wednesday – lasagna, roasted asparagus
Thursday - sourdough buffalo burgers with avocado, salad
Friday - pork loin chops, mashed red potatoes, garlicky green beans
Saturday - grilled vegetables (fresh from the farmer's market), grilled chicken and grilled sausages or hot dogs
Sunday - something wonderful inspired by Saturday's farmer's market finds

Other possible attempts:
toffee
some type of no-bake oatmeal treats

Spicy Ranch Dressing

2008-05-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1 teaspoon dried chives
* 1 teaspoon dried parsley
* heaping 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
* heaping 1/2 teaspoon cumin
* heaping 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
* cayenne pepper taste
* juice of one lime
* milk to thin

Mix all ingredients together with a wisk. Add cayenne to taste and milk to thin as needed.