Mom's Whole Wheat Bread

Mom's Whole Wheat Bread

1 egg, beaten
1 C milk
2 C hot water
2/3 C honey
1 T salt
5 T oil (used canola, but want to try olive)
8 C whole wheat flour
1 1/2 T instant yeast

Makes 2 loaves.

In bowl of kitchen aid, add egg, milk, water honey and salt. With paddle attachment, mix until honey and salt are dissolved. Add oil and 4 C of flour, mixing until smooth.  Add yeast and mix.  Switch to dough hook and add remaining flour a little at a time. Mix well.  Let rest for 20 minutes.  Mold into loaves, raise to double (or top of pan - about 1 1/2 hours). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes then turn the heat down to 300 and bake 30 minutes longer. Remove from pan allow to cool a bit on rack.  While cooling, spread butter on top of the loaf. (Not sure why...Mom did it, so I do.)

**This is, to me, true love! I remember getting off the bus, walking in the house and smelling this bread. Mom would give me a thick slice on a paper towel, slathered with butter and honey. Few things conjure up such fond memories of growing up at 1431 E. Oakcrest Ln.. Thank you Mom!
**My Mom's loafs were much taller and grander...I'll get there.  She also ground her own wheat. Amazing.
**This is a dense, thick bread. Awesome right out of the oven or for toast!
**Her original recipe had 1 1/2 pkg dry yeast dissolved in 1/2 C water, with a pinch of sugar to proof.  I just omit the proofing and use instant, but add the water amount to the other water. She added her yeast at the same place in the recipe.

Autumn Minestrone

Autumn Minestrone

2 T olive oil
1 C chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 C peeled and cubed butternut squash or acorn squash
2 celery stalks diced (I forgot and just sliced mine)
1/2 C peeled and diced carrots
2 C cubed potatoes
1 t dried oregano
2 t salt
1/2 t ground black pepper
6 C water
3 C chopped kale
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Prepare all vegetables. Heat the oil in a large soup pot on medium heat. Add onions and garlic, saute for 5 minutes. Add the wquash, celery, carrots, potatoes, oregano, salt, pepper and water.  Cook for10-15 minutes until potatoes are almost done.  Add the kale and beans and simmer for 5 minutes.  Serve immediately.

**Recipe adapted from the Moosewood Restauurant.
**So healthy and yummy, great winter meal served along side a whole grain bread.
**Delish with a little parmesan or cheddar cheese on top.

Power Pancakes

 Power Pancake

1/4 C old fashion oatmeal
4 egg whites
1/4 C low fat cottage cheese or tofu
1 t vanilla
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
pinch of salt (only if using tofu)

Blend all ingredients in a blender and cook in a nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray.

**My girlfriend Diana introduced me to these years ago, adapted from the South Beach Diet, and I had forgotten about them. But I decided to revive them for another MOMO! (Meal On My Own)
**These things are amazing. For that stack of pancakes (used tofu), it's about 250 calories, 6 g fat, 3g fiber and 26 g of protein!

** To this little stack above I added 1/4 C cooked quinoa to the batter (just because I had some in the fridge and I want to use it up) and then served them with 1/4 C fat free greek yogurt sweetened with truvia and blueberries.  The whole meal was about 350 calories, 5 g fiber and 33 g of protein. Seriously, this is what I needed after a 10 miler on a Monday morning. It's now close to 1:00pm and I'm not even hungry yet!

Arugula, Fennel, Avocado and Orange Salad

 

Arugula, Fennel, Avocado and Orange Salad

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

6 C arugula

2 orange, peeled and segmented

1 bulb fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 avocado

Whisk together the honey, lemon juice, salt, and pepper; slowly add the olive oil while continuing to whisk.  Place 1 C arugula on a salad plate; toss the orange segments, fennel slices, and avocados with dressing and place  over the arugula. Or toss all ingredients in a large bowl with dressing. Serve immediately.

** Yummy fresh salad! The dressing is very versatile, and can be used on a lot of salads!

Labor of Love JELLO

Labor of Love JELLO

2 (3oz) packages red jello
2 (3oz) packages orange jello
2 (3oz) packages yellow jello
2 (3oz) packages green jello
2 (3oz) packages blue jello
2 (3oz) packages purple jello
30 oz evaporated milk (3/4 C for each flavor of jello)

Mix one box of jello with 3/4 C boiling water until dissolved.  Add 3/4 C cold water.  Pour into a 9x13 pan, (best if it's glass so you can see your fun layers).  Let it set in the fridge for a while.  Mix 2nd box of the same flavor of jello with 3/4 C boiling water and let sit for a while until cool.  Add 3/4 C evaporated milk and mix well.  Gently pour onto first layer.  Continue with each jello color.

**OK, this seriously took forever.  A few tips...blue jello tastes gross, next time I will just use 5 jellos, starting with purple, red, orange, yellow and green.  It got so full, I could barely fit in one layer of purple and that was the favorite flavor.  It literally was to the very top of my pyrex 9x13.
** I made this once when Gray was little, but had forgotten about it, until we went to Thanksgiving at Monette and Eric's and sweet (dang her) Annie had spent 10 hours making this. My kids went crazy over it! I had hoped they had forgotten, but Tru requested it for his birthday (11 years old).  I told him I loved him so much, that I would do it!
**Easiest to do if you have space in your fridge that it can stay and you can just pour the layers onto it in the fridge.
**One last note...look at the photo, I was a little impatient in between the green layers...and it messed it up a bit.  Patience!

Whole Grain Waffles

Whole Grain Waffles

2 eggs, beaten
1 3/4 C skim milk
1/4 C applesauce
1/4 C pumpkin (canned)
1 t vanilla
1 C whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 C flax seed meal
1/4 C wheat germ
1/4 C flour
4 t baking powder
1 T sugar
1/4 t salt

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, applesauce, and vanilla.  Beat in the flours, flax seed, wheat germ, baking powder, sugar and salt until batter is smooth.  Preheat a belgian waffle iron (probably would work in a normal waffle iron, I just don't have one), and coat with cooking spray.  Pour batter into waffle iron and cook until crisp and golden.

**I made these right along side THESE, and both Hans and I liked these better! So healthy, yet so light and crispy.  I also made a simple fruit syrup with some blueberries, raspberries, water and a couple teaspoons of sugar, boiling until thick. Oh and I added a little lemon curd...mmmm. Delightful!
**Original recipe was from allrecipes.com, but I changed it.
**Estimated 250 calories, 6 g fat, 8g fiber and 12 g protein per waffle! Fat content is high, but that's from the awesome flax seed, wheat germ and eggs! NO added oil, that's why you can add the whipped cream!

Oatmeal Soda Bread

Oatmeal Soda Bread

3 C flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 T honey
3/4 c rolled oats
1 1/2 C buttermilk
Preheat oven to 375. combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, slat, honey and 1/2 C oats.  Make a well in cent er of flour mixture, pour in buttermilk and mix. Spread remaining oats on countertop, turn dough out onto the oats and knead a few times.  The dough should be  smooth, rouand and covered with oats. Place bread on parchment lined cookie sheet.  Using a sharp knife cut an X about 1/2 inch deep ont he top.  Lightly coat the top with pam.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until bread sounds hollow when tapped on buttom.  Cool slightly before slicing.

**Served alongside  this year's Beef Bourguinon (New Years Day Fave)
**A very quick, rustic bread that doesn't require any rising time. It is dense, but quite flavorful.  Great along side a soup or stew.  Also great with apricot cream cheese. 

**Apricot Cream Cheese
2 T apricot jam
8 oz cream cheese
4 T butter
Mix well, serve on bread.