Here are some of our favorites-
The Whole Wheat Bread recipe with full pictures is too long. But you can view the post here.
Puffed Grain Bars Extra Nutty
1 cup honey
1 cup date sugar
2 cups nut butter of choice
4 cups puffed grain
So here is the specs on what I used.
I used 1 cup roasted almond butter (no salt) and 1 cup cashew butter (no salt).I like to use the organic nut butters from Once Again Nut Butter.
But we also get the organic butter from Maranatha. Just watch out for their No Stir ones, they usually have sugar and palm oil added.
I use about 3 or 4 cups of Erewhon Rice Twice Cereal. (I found it at the Whole Foods 90 miles from me. I stock up)
Mix together honey, date sugar & nut butters. Microwave one minute at a time. Stir after each minute. I microwaved for a total of 4 minutes (but my cashew butter was cold out of the fridge). Microwave in one minute increments until bubbling and fully combined. This stuff will be REALLY HOT! I cook mine in my Pampered Chef Batter Bowl.
Remove from microwave and mix in the puffed grain (you can also add raisins or chopped dried fruit at this stage too), stirring carefully until well combined. Pour out into a well greased large lasagna pan or cookie sheet with a lip. (I spray my lasagna pan with Pam Olive Oil Spray). Let cool completely.
Cut into squares or bar shapes and store in ziploc bags.
Store flat in one layer or put plastic wrap between layers. They will want to stick back together.
These are waaaaay cheaper than buying protein bars and have so much less other 'stuff' in them. Simple and yummy.
Bread Recipe 2
I tried out a new version of a bread recipe today. I picked it up from Paula's Bread. I had been having trouble with my bread being a little too wet recently. I know that humid hot weather didn't help, but I needed a better solution. So this turned out great. I think the key was cutting back on the oil and honey.
3 1/2 cups very warm water (115 degrees or so)
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp dough enhancer
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup oil
5 cups freshly ground hard red wheat flour
3 Tbsp yeast
Combine ingredients in mixer. Mix til just combined. Let sit with lid on and sponge for 20 minutes. Stir down and add about 5 more cups of wheat flour, adding one cup at a time until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. Mix on setting 1 on the Bosch Universal Mixer for 4 minutes. Turn out onto oiled surface. Cut into four sections and form into loaves. Place in greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise until double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until golden brown on top and sounds hollow when thumped. Turn out onto racks, cool and bag. Use right away or freeze. If using from the freezer simply leave on the counter to come to room temperature and then enjoy. Don't refrigerate this bread.
3 1/2 cups very warm water (115 degrees or so)
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp dough enhancer
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup oil
5 cups freshly ground hard red wheat flour
3 Tbsp yeast
Combine ingredients in mixer. Mix til just combined. Let sit with lid on and sponge for 20 minutes. Stir down and add about 5 more cups of wheat flour, adding one cup at a time until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. Mix on setting 1 on the Bosch Universal Mixer for 4 minutes. Turn out onto oiled surface. Cut into four sections and form into loaves. Place in greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise until double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until golden brown on top and sounds hollow when thumped. Turn out onto racks, cool and bag. Use right away or freeze. If using from the freezer simply leave on the counter to come to room temperature and then enjoy. Don't refrigerate this bread.
Chili
(to add meat or not to add meat that is the question..... )
I never even liked chili until I made this recipe. The original is the Rachael Ray's Veghead Chili recipe. I have played with it and made it my own (as I so often do).
You can either add in a pound of browned ground beef drained or following recipe and leave it vegetarian. Often, if I am short on beans, I will even cut back on the beans and use mostly ground beef. You can adjust the Vegetable Broth to accommodate the change in ingredients adding or not adding to get the consistency you like.
2 sweet peppers diced (green, red or yellow) I use whatever is cheapest
1 large onion diced
2 cans diced tomatoes
4-6 cloves of garlic minced
3 cans of beans (kidney, black or other)
1 cup vegetable broth (Pacific Organic Vegetable Broth is what I always use) Add to get correct consistency right before adding the spices.
1 Tbsp Cumin
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp salt
Cut up green peppers and onion. Sauté in large pot in a little olive oil over medium heat. Cook until onions are translucent. Add in garlic and cook for another minute. Add in diced tomatoes & beans. Stir well to combine. Add Vegetable broth as needed for desired consistency (add less for a thicker chili). Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add in cumin and chili powder and simmer on extra low until ready to serve.
We eat this vegetarian style over steamed brown rice for a complete protein. Or carnivore style without the rice and with the ground beef.
If you are doing this with ground beef. Brown your ground beef separately and add to your pot of onion and green peppers when you add the garlic. Then follow the steps from there adding in or not the beans if you want.
We love to eat this along with a fresh batch of Pamela's Cornbread muffins made with honey and sunflower oil or olive oil. (Of course Buddy usually has a hamburger and rice, since the chili has too many allergens for him. But he loves those cornbread muffins!)
Makes awesome leftovers and freezes well too. You can even freeze cooked brown rice separately to eat with it another day.
If I make this with ground beef, I simply set aside some plain beef for Buddy and fry a hamburger in a small pan on the side for him. Then he eats the brown rice and cornbread with the rest of the family and his choice of allowed fruit.
Jambalaya
1 green bell pepper diced
1/2 red bell pepper diced
1 large onion diced
4-6 cloves of garlic minced
2 tsp Paul Prudhommes Poultry Seasoning
2 16 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 cups vegetable broth (I use Pacific organic vegetable broth)
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces (or 1 package Johnsonville New Orleans Brand Smoked Sausage sliced into bite sized pieces)
Saute peppers and onion in a large pan over medium heat. Saute until onions are translucent or close to it. Add garlic and Poultry Seasoning. Stir to combine fully. Add diced tomatoes, rice, vegetable broth and meat. Stir to combine. Cover- Bring to a simmer and then simmer on low covered until rice is soft and almost all liquid is cooked out. Takes about 1 hr - 1 1/2 hours. If you use white rice it will take about half that time but you will miss out on all the fiber and nutrition the brown rice offers.
Enjoy!
1/2 red bell pepper diced
1 large onion diced
4-6 cloves of garlic minced
2 tsp Paul Prudhommes Poultry Seasoning
2 16 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 cups vegetable broth (I use Pacific organic vegetable broth)
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces (or 1 package Johnsonville New Orleans Brand Smoked Sausage sliced into bite sized pieces)
Saute peppers and onion in a large pan over medium heat. Saute until onions are translucent or close to it. Add garlic and Poultry Seasoning. Stir to combine fully. Add diced tomatoes, rice, vegetable broth and meat. Stir to combine. Cover- Bring to a simmer and then simmer on low covered until rice is soft and almost all liquid is cooked out. Takes about 1 hr - 1 1/2 hours. If you use white rice it will take about half that time but you will miss out on all the fiber and nutrition the brown rice offers.
Enjoy!
Spelt Bread or Wheat Bread
I make this bread to use on rotation for my son. It can be made into pizza crust as well, if you can do cheese.
3 1/2 cups very warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp dough enhancer (only if making wheat bread) omit if making spelt bread
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup olive oil
6 cups flour (freshly ground red winter wheat or Vita Spelt)
2 1/2 Tbsp yeast (I like Red Saf Instant Yeast)
(I make this in my Bosch Universal Mixer. I don't know how this will work in anything else. So you may have to play with it, if you are using something else.)
Pour in ingredients in order listed. Pulse to combine fully. Let sit with lid on for 20 minutes to sponge. After 20 minutes, pulse to stir down. Add in a total of 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 cups of flour one cup at a time until dough forms and cleans side of the bowl. Turn up mixer and knead until you reach the window pane stage (about 4-6 minutes).
Pour out onto oiled surface (yes that is right OILED not floured). Slam seven times. Cut into four sections and form into balls. Form into loaves and place in greased bread pans (I use Pam Olive Oil Spray). Cover with light cloth and let rise until double in size. Place in 350 degree oven and bake for 25 minutes or until sounds hollow when thumped. Place on cooling rack until just barely warm to touch. Place in bread bags and freeze or eat.
If you are making pizza crust. Follow directions through to the stage of pouring out the dough onto oiled surface. Form your four balls and then press out into pizza pans. Prick with a fork and cover with toppings of choice. Bake at 425 for about 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust looks done.
You can also press out your pizza crust and freeze it uncooked. Take it out about an hour before you want to use it and let it come to room temp on your counter top. Then place toppings and bake as usual. I like to freeze my crust on the sheet pans and then when they are rock solid pop them off and wrap well and pop back in the freezer.
I make spelt bread and cut it once cooled and then freeze it. I take out a slice at a time to use for my son as it fits on the rotation. If you are wheat intolerant but not gluten intolerant you might be able to tolerate spelt. My son does. BUT he does NOT have celiacs disease, so that is why we can do the spelt.
Lemon Squares or Lemons Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
1 box lemon jello
5 eggs
¾ cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp. lemon extract
Combine ingredients and bake on 350°
Follow box instructions for baking pan size and bake time
Makes about 24 cupcakes.
If making as cake butter and flour pans before pouring in batter
Glaze while still warm and then let rest until cool and glaze has set
Glaze:
¼ cup lemon juice
2 cups powdered sugar
New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp
30 Jumbo Shrimp (2-3 lbs.)
2 sticks butter
2 tsp. Garlic powder
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 tsp. Paprika
2 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp. Salt
dash white pepper
1 1/3 c. olive oil
4 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
4 Tbsp. Lemon juice
2 tsp. Chili powder
2 tsp. Dried oregano
Spread shrimp out in a large lasagna pan. Combine all other ingredients in a sauce pan on low heat and heat until butter is melted. Let sauce cool. Pour sauce over shrimp and refrigerate for one hour. Bake at 300º F turning shrimp every ten minutes until pink all the way through (don't over cook!!). Serve immediately with warm crusty bread for dipping.
Banana Nut Bread
½ C. Sugar
1/3 C. Shortening
2 eggs
1 ¾ C. all purpose flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
½ tsp. Baking soda
½ tsp. Salt
4 c. mashed very ripe bananas
½ c. walnuts or pecans
Cream sugar and shortening. Mix together the dry ingredients and add alternately with the bananas to the creamed sugar mixture. Stir in nuts. Bake in loafs pans at 350º F for 40-45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
Minestrone Soup
Large Onion diced
½ cabbage chopped
3 stalks celery diced
6 carrots peeled &diced
3 Large russet potatoes peeled & cubed
3 cans diced tomatoes
1 large can Hunts Original Spaghetti Sauce
2 cans Green Giant Northern Beans
3 can Red Runner Creole Style Red Beans (or four cans Red Beans, leave two reg, and puree two cans in blender)
1 large can tomato paste
1 large pack of frozen corn
In a large soup pot, over medium heat, pour olive oil (enough to cover the pan bottom), celery, onions, carrots, potatoes and cabbage. Cook until cabbage is translucent and onions are clear. Pour in the complete cans of tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce. Fill each emptied can with water and add water to pot. Pour in complete cans of beans and tomato paste. Fill those cans with water and add to pot. Bring to a boil and add corn. Bring back up to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender. Serve steaming hot with grated parmesan on top.
(Charbroiled Oysters)
24 raw oyster on the half shell (large)
1 lb. Butter
2 tbsp. minced garlic
½ tsp. Grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp. Grated Romano Cheese
½ tsp. Minced parsley
black pepper
cayenne
Melt butter in a large microwavable container. Add garlic. Mix cheese, black pepper, parsley & pinch cayenne in a separate bowl. Place oysters on the BBQ grill. Place a pinch of cheese-parsley mixture on each oyster and spoon garlic-butter over each. WATCH OUT!!!!! EXCESSIVE FLAMES!!!
Cook until oysters are puffed. Serve immediately with hot crusty bread.
You can also place the oysters in a lasagna pan or baking pan with a good lip then place them in the oven on broil. You can crumple foil and place it underneath the oysters to prevent sliding. Broil until puffed. But watch them very carefully.
