Gourmet Veggie Wrap

My good friend (who needs to start a cooking blog) made me lunch one day this summer and it was so good! She's a health nut like me and she always finds and makes the most amazing food! This recipe was from a magazine (one that I'd like to start getting a subscription to EatingWell) and one day I tried to make a copy-cat version using what I had on hand. Here is my take on it but below you can link to the original recipe. Now I love using the bean/avocado spread for just about any sandwich or wrap.

1 can or 1 1/2 cups cooked white northern beans
1 avocado mashed
1/4 tsp taco seasoning
dash of salt
dash of pepper
sprinkle of garlic powder
pinch of dried minced onion
2 cups shredded cabbage
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp poppyseed dressing
2 tbsp italian dressing

Mash the beans and avocado together. Spread the bean/avocado mixture on the tortilla/wrap. Mix the remaining ingredients together. Make it into a wrap using any of the following...

tomatoes, spinach, red bell pepper, olives optional.....
whole wheat tortilla or other wrap

This is SO GOOD!


link to original recipe

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you don't like whole wheat cookies, you frankly have not tried this one. Need I say more?

Cream together:
2 c softened butter (room temp)
2 c organic sugar
2 c organic brown sugar

Add:
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Grind 5 cups of old fashioned oats in a food processor or blender.

Combine in a bowl:
the ground oats
4 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda

Slowly start combining the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. This makes a lot so I recommend using a large mixer (mine usually ends up overflowing a bit) or mixing with your hands in a very large bowl.

Add in 2 bags of chocolate chips (I used Ghiradeli milk chocolate in the pictures). Place on ungreased cookie sheet in golf ball sizes about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 min. Makes 92 cookies!

The oatmeal in these give them a great flavor I can't describe. I often make these at Christmas but they are great any time of year.

Instant Pancake Mix

I've struggled for a long time on deciding what I want to do for pancakes...I want them healthy, I want my husband to like them (and not make jokes about them), I want them to be easy, and I don't want them to cost a fortune. Is that asking too much?

I've done the box mix that I love but it's pricey and sometimes the tops flip off....long story but that's where the jokes come in....
I've done the fully from scratch- good, but a lot of work when I'm wanting something quicker....
I've done the whole wheat flour- turns out like a...mmm, how do I describe it???
I've done the whole wheat pastry flour- turns out good but have to make it from scratch
I've done the white flour, but it's not a whole grain...
I've done the healthy blender versions (even gluten free with brown rice)...not so much my thing

So, I've finally decided on making my own dry mix (nice and fast in the morning) that is healthy (uses whole wheat pastry flour) and is cheaper to make (saves me money) and it taste great (made from scratch)!

for the dry mix:
6 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp baking powder
1 tbs salt
2 tbs sugar

Mix the dry mix together and store in your pantry up to 3 months. Be sure you are using fresh baking powder. (Baking powder has an open shelf life of 6 months.)

When you are ready to make pancakes, take out your mix from the pantry and add to 1 cup of mix:
1 egg
1 c buttermilk (or milk)

Whisk it well and let it rest for about 5 minutes while you prep the griddle. You can also make a double batch if desired using 2 cups of mix, 2 eggs, and 2 cups buttermilk (or milk).

I'm going to try doing 1 cup of ground oats with 5 cups flour for the mix next time but for now, this turned out wonderful. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, mix 1 part milk to 1 part lemon juice or just use milk.

Homemade Noodles (fun with kids)

Making noodles with your kids can be a fun and healthy project. By making my own noodles I can also use all organic products and save a bit of money in the process. Noodles can be made for immediate use or frozen in batches for later use. I've had this recipe in my archives for over a year now and finally got around to making it!

You will need:
1 cup flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon of water

Mound flour on a work surface and make a deep "volcano".
Break the egg into the volcano and add water.
Beat the egg and water lightly with a fork, being careful not to break down the volcano walls.
Begin to draw in flour from the inner sides of the volcano.
Continue to blend in flour until the dough becomes stiff. Eventually using your hands, knead the dough until smooth and stiff. You will not use all of the flour most likely so spread the excess flour around on your counter for rolling the dough out.

Refrigerate for about 1 hour to make dough easier to work with.

To shape the dough, either use a pasta maker or roll out with a rolling pin until very thin. Roll the dough out as thin as you can for thin noodles or roll them a little thicker for country style thick noodles. Keep in mind that the dough will thicken upon cooking though. Don't worry about the shape of the rolled out dough unless you are going for perfection. =0) The key to rolling out noodles is to use plenty of flour under the dough and on top of the dough.

I like to roll my dough into a log and then cut with a knife pressing straight down to make little wheels of dough. It's important to keep the top of the dough well floured before rolling so that the dough doesn't stick together when you unroll it.


Then, have kids with floured hands begin unrolling the dough to make long noodles. You can also make short noodles by first cutting the wheels in half. If you prefer to cut the noodles without rolling the dough, you can use a pizza cutter for easy cutting of strips. You can make the noodles as skinny or wide as you like.

I usually make these noodles up fresh while a pot of soup is on the stove simmering. Just add the noodles to the soup and let them cook for a few minute. Excess uncooked pasta dough can be refrigerated in an airtight bag for up to 4 days and frozen for a month.

For extra fun shapes, let your kids use mini cookie cutters to make shaped noodles.

The noodles in the picture were rolled very thin and left very long. We call them "ribbon noodles".

Variations- you can use whole wheat if you'd like to but I do not recommend whole wheat pastry flour as it leaves a grainy texture to the noodle. They work with the whole wheat pastry flour but they just aren't as good as white flour. =0)

The chicken soup pictured was:
1 diced medium onion
2 cooked chopped boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 carrots sliced
2 celery stalks
1 box chicken broth
6 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
a pinch of rosemary
1 minced garlic clove
1 tbsp olive oil
1 batch homemade noodles

Saute onion, carrots, celery in olive oil till tender. Add remaining ingredients other than noodles. Simmer for 45 min. Add noodles and cook for 5-10 more minutes. Serve.

NOTE- Yes, you can make the dough in a food processor using these measurements: 3/4 c flour, 1 egg, 1 tsp ice water. Use more flour or water as needed to make a dough ball that you can roll out. =0) This method is quicker and a lot less messy.

Healthy Chicken N Dumplings

I've been trying several new healthy recipes and I'm still working on tweaking them enough to make them great. Meantime, I did a healthy make-over of chicken and dumplings that was quick and easy and delicious.

I cooked 3 chicken breast in the crock pot through the day. When it was time to make dinner I pulled it apart into large chunks like restaurant style chicken n dumplings. In a separate large pot on the stove I sauted in a drizzle of olive oil about:
5-6 chopped carrots
4-5 celery stalks
1/2 a diced onion (or dried minced onion)
2-3 garlic cloves minced

Once that was tender, I added the chicken and 1 quart of chicken broth (plus the broth that was in the crock-pot from cooking the chicken).

Add:
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 tbsp parsley
4 cups of water

Dumplings: (these were quick and easy)
2 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
ice water till moist

Blend dough together until wet and sticky. Drop into pot and cook till dumplings are cooked through. (These dumplings are dense and doughy like some restaurant dumplings-but if you like light and fluffy dumplings, use my Prairie Chicken dumplings instead.)

95 Theses Nut Bars

For Reformation Day today, my kids and I baked this nutty bars recipe into the shape of 95s in honor of Martin Luther's 95 Theses that he nailed on the door on October 31st, 1517. These are not only VERY healthy but yummy too! My kiddos opted to leave the nuts off.

2 sticks of softened butter (1 cup)
1 c honey
2 c whole wheat flour
2 c wheat germ
chopped nuts (optional)

Mix together till it forms a sticky dough. Turn out onto a well floured counter. Using extra flour and a rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1 inch thick. Use floured cookie cutters to cut shapes. Or you can let the kids shape it with their hands into their own shapes. You can also just bake it as one flat rectangle and then cut it in bars after it cools. Sprinkle with chopped nuts before baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 min.

Happy Reformation Day!

Carrot Cake

I guess this is about as healthy as cake gets right? It also happens to be one of my husband's favorite cakes (the other one is Fillmore Orange Cake) and I make it for him almost every year. I made it recently for my brother's birthday too.





1 c white flour
1 c whole wheat flour
2 c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3 c finely shredded carrots (I run mine through the food processor)
1 c vegetable oil
4 eggs

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add carrot, oil, and eggs. Beat well. Pour into two greased and floured cake pans (9 in.). Bake @ 350 degrees for 30-35 min. or until center bakes up and center comes out clean (use a toothpick or cake tester). Cool for 15 min. and then invert onto wire racks to cool completely.

I make mine ahead of time and then wrap them with cling wrap and foil and freeze till ready to frost.

Variation~ this recipe comes out great using 2 cups white flour instead of 1 cup white flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour.

Cream cheese frosting...coming tomorrow.

Corn Cake

This is a recipe that my kids and I made from a book as we were studying the foods of Brazil. They celebrate corn on St. John's day so we made this recipe for our homeschool co-op. It actually didn't turn out from the book recipe so I re-made it my way and fixed it. It turned out so well, we were asked if we would post it on here and I think we will be making this every fall now as a tradition. It's really good.

1 can of canned corn, drained
7 tbsp butter, softened
1 2/3 c whole wheat flour
3 eggs
1 can of coconut milk
1 tbsp baking powder
1 c granulated sugar
------------------------------
Grind corn coarsely in food processor leaving it still chunky. Mix all of the ingredients together including the corn. Beat till it is well mixed. Pour into two greased and floured bread loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 50 min. or until center comes out clean with cake tester. Let cool out of oven for about 10 min. and then remove to a cooling rack. Serve plain or with butter/honey.

Egg Pita

This is my new breakfast on the go and no mess eggs for kids. It's a great on the go breakfast for adults running out the door in the morning but it's a less mess meal for toddlers too...or in our case, a messy 7 year old eater.

Put scrambled eggs mixed with grated cheese into a warmed pita pocket. My kids aren't thrilled with pita pockets but they love these pita pocket egg breakfast sandwiches. I use whole wheat pitas. The one in the picture is actually a package that came already sliced and propped open, ready to be filled and not only was it whole wheat but it had flax seed and a bunch of other good stuff in it. You never know what you'll find. =0)

Veggie Pancakes

I'm trying to use up the bounty of my parent's garden while they are out of town for a month. My mom used to make these....here's my version:

4 cups shredded veggies (squash, zucchini, beats, carrots, etc.)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 c whole wheat flour
2 large egg whites (or whole eggs if desired)

Spray skillet with olive oil. Mix ingredients together. Scoop onto skillet and flatten like a pancake. You can make these large or small. Flip when browned on one side. Be sure to cook through because of the egg.

Serve with sour cream basil recipe (I found from Eggs on Sunday) :
3/4 c sour cream
1/4 c chopped fresh basil (or 1 tbsp dried basil)
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives (can omit)
1/2 tsp salt or less to taste
dash of pepper


Served warm and fresh these are amazingly good! Of course there is no way my kids will eat them or my husband for that matter. But I served them to friend and she and I slowly enjoyed devouring them. They can be served for lunch with a salad if made large enough OR you can make small appetizer ones as a nice little luncheon side dish.

I had so much squash and beets to use up that I made about 4 batches of these and froze them for some easy healthy lunch options for myself. But I have to admit they are much better hot off the griddle like regular pancakes!

BBQ French Bread

Have you ever BBQed your french bread loaf? Well, why not? Especially if it's frozen...it's a quick way to warm it just in time for dinner.

Wrap it in foil and place on the BBQ. It needs about 15- 20 min. turning once. When you dinner is ready so is your piping hot bread!

Sub Sandwich For A Crowd

It's sandwich season still so here's another sandwich for you. When serving a crowd or going to a large picnic or summer potluck, I like to make this style sandwich. Most grocery stores carry a fresh french bread loaf in their bakery areas and they are ideal for making large sub sandwiches.

french loaf

mayo

Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian

lunch meat

sliced sandwich cheeses

sliced tomatoes

lettuce

Slice bread loaf in half long ways with a bread knife. Spread on mayo and dressing (one on each side). Layer meat and cheese. Top with tomatoes and lettuce and any other items listed below under "optional". Close with top of bread and slice in about 2 in. thick slices. Long sandwich picks can be used in each sandwich slice to hold sandwich together if desired. Stack on platter and cover with cling wrap and refrigerate till ready to serve.

One sandwich serves about 6-8 adults. For a potluck, I make three of these. For our family and one other family coming over, I make 2 of these. For potlucks I use only turkey and cheese and none of the "optionals".... Sometimes I set out some mustard, sliced onion and pepperoncinis on the side.

optional: sliced red onion, pepperoncinis, mustard, spinach, avocado, and olives

In the pictures I used: mayo, Italian dressing, honey roasted turkey, roast beef, salami, Havarti, provolone, tomatoes, romaine, and baby spinach.

You can also use wheat french bread (below) which is found in some stores OR make your own fresh french bread loaves.

Roast Beef Sandwich

To continue with more sandwich ideas for your summer cooking, here's a yummy leftover sandwich that our family enjoys....but first know, you must be a meat eater! =0)

Slice leftover roast beef and saute in a skillet till heated through. If you've been reading this blog for any length of time you've come to realize that we put cheese and avocado with everything....

Variations-

add a sauce like BBQ, steak sauce, your favorite salad dressing (try ranch or thousand island).

add grilled veggies to go with it...like bell peppers and grilled onions....or some lightly sauteed spinach

Grilled Tomato Cheese

A friend mentioned quite awhile back if I'd post more sandwiches on here.....well, for me, it's sandwich season and I often crave a good sandwich. I'll try to post more sandwiches on here throughout the summer just to remind you of some good sandwich ideas or maybe even some new ones. If you haven't already, check out my previous posts on sandwiches by going to my lunch link. I've done a hot pastrami, the goodwich, the BBQ beef, the panini, the brochette, and maybe a few more....=0)

Who doesn't love a grilled cheese sandwich!?!?! I once heard of a story of a girl immigrating to the US in the early 1900s and speaking no English she had learned how to say "cheese sandwich" in English so that she could at least order something she knew she liked as she traveled the US to her final destination. She recorded in her journal the many different sandwiches she was served even though every time all she said was "cheese sandwich". She got grilled cheese, cold cheese, cheese tomato, turkey and cheese, cheese on sour dough, cheese on wheat, cheese on white, cheese sandwich deep fried (probably a Monte Cristo), anyway, I always thought it a fun idea to just order a cheese sandwich every where you go and see what ya get. =0)



Okay, story hour is over, so here ya have a tomato grilled cheese....my favorite way to have grilled cheese is with a tomato! Yum.

Go easy on the butter, slice tomato thin, layer with your favorite cheese (I like colby jack or munster). Grill on low till heated through and melted.

Goodwich Sandwich

I know this is going to totally gross some of you out but I have to post this funny recipe. I grew up with my mom making these when I was a kid and I still love it. Mom found it in a healthy eating book (Fit For Life).


And, as crazy as it sounds, it taste really good. You wouldn't think it would but it's surprising....so try it. =0)

1/2 c BBQ Sauce

1 cup broccoli florets

1 cup cauliflower florets

mayo

whole wheat pita pocket

Saute broccoli and cauliflower in the BBQ sauce in a skillet until veggies are tender. Serve on a pita spread with mayo.

(in the pictures I only had broccoli on hand)