Recipes

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Spelt Granola

5.8.14 013I don’t how I’ve never seen these before, but I just this last week saw these Shiloh Farms Spelt Flakes sitting on the shelf at the health food store. I never would have even notice them if they hadn’t been marked down to $2.00 a bag. I assume some were nearing the expiration date and they were trying to clear them out. Well, my bargain eye caught sight of the red clearance marker and I thought, “That looks like oats.” My next thought process was, “That’s spelt. Caleb can eat spelt. I could make him granola.” Well, I’m sure you can guess what I did next. I bought every sale bag on the shelf.

Today I pulled them out and made spelt granola. I used the regular granola recipe that I normally make for my husband and daughter, except that I substituted these spelt flakes for the oats. I also omitted the coconut for him since he reacts to that as well as oats.

I of course had to sample it when it was done. It is quite good. I think the spelt flakes are a little bit denser than regular oats and the flavor is not quite as nutty as oats, but it is quite delicious.

I’m happy to say that my boy had his first bite of granola today. It makes my heart happy to see him get to enjoy something that the rest of the family eats regularly and that he has never even gotten to try before now. He is in the unfortunate position of having reacted to oats since the first bite of his big sister’s cherrio at about 8 months old. I’m so glad to have found these spelt flakes. Bob’s Red Mill also makes Rolled Spelt Flakes too. (Note: These are affiliate links.) I’ll definitely be buying these again.

Note: Affiliate links are present in this post. If you click on one of them and make a purchase, I will earn a few pennies. See my full Disclosure/Disclaimer here.

Enjoying his first bite of spelt granola EVER!

Enjoying his first bite of spelt granola EVER!

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Teddy Bear and Mickey Mouse Pancakes

5.30.14 032So I reverted back to my childhood this week. I woke up one morning thinking about how my mom used to make us teddy-bear pancakes. She would pour the batter in such a way as to create a tummy, head with ears, and arms and legs. She decorated the face of our pancakes with raisins for eyes and mouth. I don’t much like raisins, so I gave into temptation and used chocolate chips instead. Not the healthier choice I admit. But tasty. Growing up we always had such fun eating him in pieces. And I got to watch my kids do the same thing. “Oh no, I’m eating his leg. He doesn’t have any legs.” “Uh-oh, I ate his ears.” Such fun. I remember my brothers and I doing the exact same thing. And in the midst of cooking teddy bears my two-year-old, who has a thing for Mickey Mouse at the moment asked for a “Miss Mouse” pancake as she calls it. So we made a few of those too (pictured).

I have an allergy friendly pancake recipe which is gluten, dairy, egg-white, soy and nut free. Or if you don’t have any food restrictions you can just substitute 3 cups of your favorite wheat or spelt flour for the flours listed, use 2-3 whole eggs (rather than yolks) and use regular cow’s milk in place of the milk suggested.

Teddy bears sure do make for a yummy breakfast.

Cooking in the cast-iron skillet.

Cooking in the cast-iron skillet.

 

Molasses ears and a messy maple syrup face.

Molasses ears and a messy maple syrup face.

 

Garnished with bananas.

Garnished with bananas.

 

The Teddy Bear that started it all. :)

The Teddy Bear that started it all. 🙂

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5-Minute Individual Pizzas

4.3.14 072So, I have a quick meal theme going on lately. I often make these for lunch. Here’s what you need….

Ingredient List:
flour tortillas
pasta sauce
motzarella cheese
other toppings (optional)

Directions: 
Prepare your tortillas by spreading a bit of pasta sauce on and sprinkling some cheese. Add other toppings of your choice. Heat some olive oil or butter in a skillet and add each tortilla and cook just until the bottom is browned and crispy. If the cheese isn’t fully melted I usually transfer it to the toaster over for a minute or two. Slice and enjoy.

 

With bacon added. Mmm.

With bacon added. Mmm.

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3-Ingredient, 10-Minute Broccoli Salmon Casserole

Everything in the pan before water is added.

Everything in the pan before water is added.

4.8.14 014I had about 10 minutes to throw this together last night. It’s a quick and easy oven dish. You need a little lead time as it took about 1.5 hours to cook. But it is a super simple and quick dish. But, best of all is that you basically need only three ingredients – 1 can of salmon, frozen broccoli, and brown rice.

Here’s what you do….

Drizzle a some olive oil in the bottom of a large casserole dish. Pour in 3 cups of uncooked brown rice and add some salt and pepper. Add a few handfuls of frozen broccoli (or whatever other veggie you have in the freezer). Open a can of salmon, drain and reserve the juice, remove the bones and crumble the salmon meat over the rice and broccoli. Drizzle the reserved juice over the mix and add 7 cups of water. Cover with alluminum foil and cook on 375 degrees for 1.5 hours or until most of the liquid is absorbed.

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10 Minute Jambalaya Rice and Sausage

4.3.14 104So, at 3:30 this afternoon we got home from being out all day and I realized that I had forgotten to thaw out the meat I had planned for dinner. Oops.

Thankfully, we were just returning from Costco so I had some bulk Italian sausage in my cart. Enter my rescue meal plan.

So, I carried all the groceries up 2 flights of steps, quickly put them away, sent the big kids off to “quiet time,” got the baby to sleep and threw dinner together while I could. It turned out quite good and was very easy and quick. 10 minutes of prep, and 40 minutes simmering on the stove and dinner was done. A great one pot meal.

Here’s what I did….

In a large saucepan (I used my 5 quart cast iron Dutch Oven – affiliate link – Disclosures here) add about 2 tbls. of fat (use whatever you have on hand – I use some bacon grease) and measure in 3 cups of brown rice. Saute the rice for about 3-4 minutes until it’s starting to get toasty and all the kernels are coated with oil. Add 7-8 homemade chicken bullion cubes (3-4 if using store bought bullion cubes). Next, use your kitchen shears and remove the casings on 1 pound of sweet Italian sausage cut the sausage up into 1-inch chunks with the shears directly into the pan. Throw in about 2-3 cups of frozen veggies (I used mixed vegetables). Toss in some salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cajun seasoning if you have it. Pour 8 cups of water over the mix. Stir. Cover the pot with the lid and 40 minutes later you’ll have dinner.

Note: Be sure to turn the heat off while there is still a little liquid left in the pan. Let it sit covered for 10 or 15 minutes and the rice will absorb the rest of the water. This will keep the rice on the bottom of the pan from burning.

 

Everything in the pot.

Everything in the pot.

 

Pour 8 cups of water over and simmer for 40 minutes.

Pour 8 cups of water and simmer for 40 minutes.

 

All done and delicious.

All done and delicious.

It was good. We ate it up.

And this could easily be modified to be a crock pot meal by reducing the amount of water by one cup and cooking on low about 6 hours. Happy eating!

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Sugar-free and Allergy Friendly Apple Cobbler

140128_0003The inspiration for this recipe is from a recipe I found on Yummly. Since I’m not good at making pies, I made it one night in substitute for an apple pie. It turned out really good. I’ve realized since that I’m a cobbler girl and not a pie girl. And that’s okay with me. I’ll leave the apple pies to my mother-in-law and I’ll stick with cobblers. To me pies feel like work, and they never turn out right for me anyway, but cobblers…. they feel easy and fast. So, I made this recipe few more times and as I do with all my recipes after I’ve interalized it, I start tweaking it and making it my own – adding my own flair.

Well in this case, the flair was removing an ingredient. Sugar. I was avoiding sugar over the holidays (great time for that right?) and needed a sugar free dessert for myself. So, I made this without sugar, and guess what. It was really good. Keep reading to find out what to do. But, I’ll give you a hint first… The key to this recipe is the cream.

Sugar-Free Apple Cobbler: 

This recipe is free of sugar, eggs, wheat, corn and nuts.

Ingredient List: apples, butter, white spelt flour, cinnamon, cloves, salt, heavy cream, baking powder.

First, grease a casserole dish, cake pan or pie plate with butter.

Peel, slice and chop 4 large apples. Choose a sweet, red variety like Fuji or Braeburn. No Granny Smith’s here please.

Sprinkle 2 tsp. cinnamon, a dash of cloves and 1/2 tsp. of salt over the apples and stir to coat.

Next, melt half a stick of butter in a large (cast-iron if you have it) skillet. Toss in the apple and begin to saute them over medium heat in the butter.

Sprinkle 2 tbls. of white spelt flour over the apples and stir until all the flour is combined with the butter and apple juices. This will make a roux which will thicken your cobber base.

After a few minutes of cooking pour 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream over the apples stirring and simmering until thickened. Remove from heat. The sweetness of the cream combined with the apple juices adds just enough sweet to make this naturally sweet and delicious without needing sugar. (Note: if you wanted it a little sweeter you could substitute 1/2 of apple juice for 1/2 cup of the cream.)

Now, for the topping. This is basically like making homemade biscuits.

In a large mixing bowl add 3 cups white spelt flour (you could use any flour of your choice here, but I think baked goods come out particularly well with this spelt flour), 2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt. Stir to combine and then cut in 1/2 stick of butter using a pastry blender. Pour in 1 cup of heavy cream and stir quickly until it all just starts to come together adding a dash more cream if the mixture is too dry. Try to avoid overmixing. The cream here too adds a touch of sweetness so that you don’t need to add sugar to the pastry.

140128_0000Spoon your apple mixture into your greased casserole dish. Now, using a large spoon or cookie scoop add dollops of the dough. Don’t worry about filling in every space with dough as it will rise as it cooks and all the nooks and crannies will get filled in.

Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes or until your biscuit topping is golden. Serve with whipped cream if desired. It’s delicious! Enjoy!

Note: If you are diabetic and trying to avoid sugar, the fat (cream and butter) in this recipe will help you metabolize the carbs from the apples and dough.

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Make your own delicious herb and tea blends

140130_0000You don’t have a to be a tea master to come up with your own tasty herb and tea blends. It just takes a little experimenting to figure out what tastes go well together and what combinations taste good to you. Here are some of my favorite. These are ones that the flavors blend particularly well together. As with any herb, be sure you know the herb you are using if you begin using one that is new to you. My favorite research resources are listed at the end of this post. Take responsibility for your herb use and do your own research (see my Disclaimers page here). Please make note of any cautions that I list on these blends, but keep in mind that this is not a complete list. You should always research it further if you aren’t sure that an herb is safe to use or consult with your doctor or an herbal practitioner.

12.1.11 003My favorite herb and tea blends:

Christmas Chai – A great robust, flavorful chai. Click for recipe

Dandelion/Red Raspberry Leaf/Red Clover – Ironically, I don’t much like the taste of these herbs individually, but put together they are quite delicious. All three herbs are very nutritious and dandelion and red clover work very well together as a gentle blood purifier and liver cleanser. Please note that Red Clover is an estrogenic herb and should be avoided if pregnant or nursing.

Chai/Nettle/Chastetree Berry/Milk Thistle – I came up with this blend when I started to use chastetree berry to help balance my hormones and I think I like this blend of flavors better than plain chai tea. The chastetree berries have a light peppery flavor that really accentuate and blend well with the chai and nettle. Mmmm. Another cup please. Chastetree berry is safe and beneficial to use while nursing but not during pregnancy. Milk Thistle is a good liver support herb.

Chai/Nettle/Turmeric/Cocoa Powder – If you do your reading, you’ll find turmeric has many health benefits (read more here and here). Turmeric has many anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and is great for any issues of inflammation and joint pain. You may want to avoid turmeric if pregnant or trying to conceive. As for the rest, who could ever object to chocolate, and then nettle is my favorite herb of all time. This blend is tasty and delicious if blended with a little sweetener and cream. For best results, brew your dried herbs as a tea and then blend 1/4 tsp of each powder with your favorite sweetener and cream in an immersion blender. If left to sit the powders may settle to the bottom a little. Caution: Turmeric is not for long-term use. Consume no more than 1 tsp. per day and use with caution if pregnant or nursing.

English Breakfast/Nettle/Yellow Dock/Tumeric/Cocoa Powder – This may seem like a strange combination but it is a variation on the previous recipe and quite tasty in it’s own right. Yellow Dock is a good liver cleanser and blood purifier. This (or the recipe above) is my substitute when I feel like coffee is getting to me and I need to take a break from it. Simmer 2 tsp. of English Breakfast, 3 tsp. Nettle and 1/2 tsp. of Yellow Dock in a sauce pan in 2 cups of water until you have a strong tea. Strain and rinse the pan. Return the tea to the pan and add 1/2 tsp. cocoa powder and 1/4 tsp of turmeric. Stir and heat until combined. Sweeten with maple syrup and cream to taste.  Caution: Turmeric is not for long-term use. Consume no more than 1 tsp. per day and use with caution if pregnant or nursing. Yellow dock is a cleanser and laxative. Not for long-term use (8-10 days at most). Do not use if pregnant or nursing.

Turmeric/Ginger: Continuing on the turmeric theme, I found this recipe just yesterday for “Golden Milk.” It’s made with coconut milk and sounds delicious.

Nettle/Raspberry flavored black tea – This may be my all time, most basic, go-to blend that I never get tired of. I find something about the flavor of the nettle and raspberry flavored black tea (I purchase mine here or here) to be very satisfying and delicious. I like to drink this blend straight with no sweeteners or added milk or cream.

Nettle/Garlic/Cinnamon/Ginger: This is my go to tea when I’m feeling like I’m coming down with something or that I need a little extra immune boost. I can’t say enough about the health benefits of nettle and garlic (my two favorite herbs). And one of the thing that I like the most about the herbs and this blend is that it is very safe for anyone to consume. Steep using a tea infuser/strainer: 1 tsp nettle, 1-2 cloves coarsely chopped garlic, 1 tsp. chopped fresh ginger root, 1 cinnamon stick.  Sweeten with honey. You could even add some black tea to the mix if you wish.

Black Raspberry Tea/Lime: This one is easy. Brew some raspberry flavored black tea and squeeze in some fresh lime juice. Mmmm. Refreshing.

Experiment with your own blends. What do you like?

(Note: All external links on this site are for informational purposes only and not affiliate links. I receive no compensation for any purchase made through these links.)

Christmas Chai Tea

Christmas Chai Tea

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Chocolate Quinoa Custard

140127_0000This recipe is gluten, dairy, nut and sugar free. This recipe contains eggs.

I’ve been making this for breakfast lately. It’s delicious, filling and high in protein. Try it!

Start with 2 cups quinoa. Soak overnight. Drain and rinse. Add enough water to a saucepan to cover the quinoa by about 1/2 inch. Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed, the quinoa is transparent and the little curly tendrils can be seen on the side of each grain. Cool.

Next stir the following into your cooled cooked quinoa.
2 tbls. cocoa powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cloves

Mixture unset before it goes into the oven.

Mixture unset before it goes into the oven.

In a separate bowl combine
2 cups milk (substitute: goat, almond or coconut milk)
6 egg yolks (or 3 whole eggs)
1/2 cup maple syrup (or 3/4 cup honey)
1 tsp. vanilla

Add the liquid mixture to the quinoa mixture and stir to combine well. Pour into a greased casserole dish and cook at 350 for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the mixture is set.

It is best served warm. Add some extra maple syrup to taste and pour some cream over the top. It’s delicious!

140114_0000 fix

For leftovers you can reheat it with a little bit of milk or cream over the stove.

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Got 10 minutes? Homemade Tortilla Chips anyone?

Homemade flour tortilla chips.

Homemade flour tortilla chips.

I don’t buy regular tortilla chips because my children react to the oils that they are made with. So, necessity being the mother of invention, here is the 10 minute method to making your own using the oil of your choice. The key here is being able to coat the tortillas in oil quickly without having to take the time to fry them first.

Start with a package of your favorite fajita (small) tortillas (flour, corn or some other alternative grain). Coat a dinner plate in the oil of your choice (I like olive oil). Remove six of the tortillas and follow these steps. Don’t try to make sense of them by reading it. Just do it and it will flow. It’s really not hard.

Dinner plate coated in olive oil.

Dinner plate coated in olive oil.

1. Take one tortilla and lay it down in the oil.
2. Pick it up and place another tortilla up against the oily side.
3. With the two tortillas stuck together, lay them both down in the plate of oil on one of the dry sides.
4. Pick up the two tortillas again placing a third tortilla up against the side you just oiled.
5. Lay the three tortillas down together again on one of the dry sides.
6. Continue adding a new tortilla to the newly oiled side of your stack until you have used all six of your tortillas.You should now have a stack of six oily tortillas. So, step seven is….

7. Using kitchen shears (or a cutting board and serrated knife) cut your tortillas into quarters.
8. Arrange your triangles on a 12×18″ jelly roll pan or cookie sheet.
9. Sprinkle with salt.
10. Bake on 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Since every oven is different, start checking at the 8 minute mark and again at the 9 minute mark to be sure that they don’t burn. They will go from not browned to burned if you aren’t careful.

Eat up! We enjoyed this with Black-Eyed Pea Salsa on New Year’s Day. These also make yummy nachos as pictured below.

Nachos made with homemade tortilla chips.

Nachos made with homemade tortilla chips.

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Black-Eyed Pea Salsa – Happy New Year!

Photo taken from Jan 2014 issue of Family Circle Magazine

Photo taken from Jan 2014 issue of Family Circle Magazine

I remember my grandmother making black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. She said it was good luck. I don’t think she really believed that. But, that is the superstition. Maybe her mother, Maggie followed this tradition and that is why she did it. Whatever the reason, I like eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day because it makes me think of my “Nanny.”

This year I found a recipe in a Family Circle magazine that appeals to my Texas roots and sounded like an interesting way to spice up a New Year’s tradition. I had hoped to link to the recipe on their website, but I couldn’t find it there. So, here it is taken from their magazine pages (January 2014 issue). Of course the measurements are theirs as I rarely measure anything. 🙂

1 – 15 oz. can black-eyed peas (rinsed and drained)
Note: I used dried peas, soaked, cooked and drained.
1 1/2 cups freshly diced tomatoes
1 cup sliced scallions
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 minced garlic clove
3 tbls. fresh lime juice
1 tbl. olive oil
1/2 tsp. each cumin and salt

Happy New Year to you!

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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

11.28.12 042Need a good idea for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning? Try these delcious pumpkin cimmamon rolls. Make a double batch! They’re that good.

The base for this recipe comes from King Arthur Flour. I added pumpkin and milk in place of some of the liquid.

Recipe:
2 eggs
1 cup warm milk
1 cup of canned or pureed pumpkin
2 tbls. sugar
1 tbs. dry yeast
2 tbl. butter, softened (or oil)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbl. salt
3 cups of all purpose flour

Blend eggs, pumpkin and warm milk so that total mixture equals 2 cups. Add more milk of more liquid is needed. Add the sugar, yeast and oil. When active, add the whole wheat flour and salt. Then stir in the all purpose flour until the mix pulls away from sides of the bowl.

Sprinkle more flour on a clean surface and knead for a few minutes. Let the dough rest while you grease a bowl. Continue kneading until the dough is no longer sticky. Put the dough in the greased bowl and cover letting it rise until a finger poked in to the center bounces back.

Filling:
1 stick butter (at room temperature)
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Roll it out…
Roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Spread the butter all around leaving 1 inch around the edges. Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar. Roll the dough up into a long roll starting with the long edge. Butter and sugar your baking pan or cast iron skillett and cut into 1 inch slices. Place them in the prepared cake pan with a little space between them so that there is room to expand. Cover and let them rise for 1 hour.

Baking:
Place the pan in a cold oven and turn the temperature to 400 degrees for 15 minutes so that the rolls can finish their final rise. Then turn the temp down to 350 degrees for a bout 20 minutes. Check at this point and if the sugar seems to be getting too brown reduce the temperature to 325 and cook for 10 minutes more.

Turning Out:
Loosen the buns while hot and cover the pan with an updside down large plate. Invert the plate and baking pan to flip the buns out.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving Morning!

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Chocolate Spice Tooth Powder

9.16.13 021This is my new favorite invention. My kids don’t like the powdered texture as much as their regular toothpaste but I like that this recipe has an indeterminate shelf life, the cloves and cinnamon disinfect, the bentonite clay absorbs the toxins and helps remineralize the teeth, and the cocoa powder whitens. I can say that I did see a noticeable difference in the whiteness of my teeth after just two uses. And it tastes pretty good too!

While researching for this recipe I found this interesting article on Science Daily about the oral health benefits of cocoa. Chocolate good for the teeth? Who is going to argue with that? Here’s what they say…

“… an extract of cocoa powder that occurs naturally in chocolates, teas, and other products might be an effective natural alternative to fluoride in toothpaste. In fact, his research revealed that the cocoa extract was even more effective than fluoride in fighting cavities. The extract…helps harden teeth enamel, making users less susceptible to tooth decay.”

That sounds pretty good to me. I actually initially thought of the cocoa powder in this recipe for taste and I thought that it might help in whitening teeth, but the research above seems to indicate that it may offer even more benefits.

9.16.13 045So, wanna try the chocolate tooth powder with me? Here’s what you do… it’s easy!

Combine 1 tsp. powdered cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ground cloves, 1 tsp. cocoa powder, 2 tsp. bentonite clay an a pinch of sea salt. Stir and store in a glass jar (due to the bentonite clay it is best not to store in plastic or metal containers).

To use, wet your toothbrush and dip in the jar and brush adding more water to your toothbrush if needed. Try it out!

(See Disclosures and Disclaimers here.)