Create Your Own Baguette Party

 

The kids and I enjoyed a creative lunch today, using a variety of olive oils, an aged balsamic vinegar, Parmesan seasonings, cheese, basil, lettuce, red onion, orange bell peppers, tomatoes and marinated cucumbers, paired with freshly baked tomato basil or rosemary baguette slices. Hummus and avocado sauces would have also been a great addition. Needless to say, the kids had a great time experimenting with presentation and trying new combinations.

 

 

 

 

Marinated Cucumbers – Use balsamic vinegar, EVOO, salt and pepper

 

Irish Rosie’s Irish Soda Bread

Rosie’s recipe is getting high reviews at Food.com, and given that TOMORROW is St. Patty’s Day, I thought this might be worth sharing.

Tomorrow, I plan to use half whole wheat and half bread flour (1.75 cup of each), use 4 egg whites instead of 2 whole eggs, and sub 0.5 cup sugar for 0.33 cup local honey.

If you try this recipe, be sure to comment with your experience!

 

Savory Pastries Save the Day

I’ve previously posted a recipe inspired by the use of random veggies in need of attention wrapped in a croissant roll. I continue to hear friends ask about that recipe and even ask if I would post it again. Since I’m not exactly fond of reposting a previous recipe without changes, I thought I’d look up some photos from the numerous meals that have went unposted to date, and include NEW IDEAS of how to use what’s in your current box (or fridge) to create your own Savory Pastry.

Variation #1 Savory Turkey and Savoy Cabbage Pastries

1. Combine left over chopped turkey with sautéed cabbage, mushrooms, onions, garlic or other vegetables and herbs of choice.  (The smaller each ingredient is chopped the better.)

2. Add cottage cheese (or cream cheese).
3. Place two scoops of filling into center of square-shaped croissant roll dough.
4. Bake at 325-350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-15 minutes.

Variation #2: Savory Chicken, Cabbage and Carrot Pastries
1. Combine chopped cooked chicken breast with sautéed cabbage, carrots, onion, mushrooms and garlic.


2. Add cottage cheese and stir thoroughly.
3. Place two scoops of filling into center of square-shaped croissant roll dough. 4. Bake at 325-350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-15 minutes.

Original recipe is titled Savory Italian Pastries.

Chocolate Chip Sweet Potato Bread

Fall always bring about several pumpkin recipes. If you are like me, your house is filled with the aroma of pumpkin spice and several baked goods in the oven. You may even have a cup of warm cider or hot cocoa on the counter keeping you company.

There are several pumkin bread recipes floating around blogs and the internet right now. What intrigued me most about this recipe, was the adaptability to use sweet potatoes instead of pumpkin… AND since we just received some locally grown BEAUTIFUL PURPLE sweet potatoes, I thought it would be a lot of fun to make a purple chocolate chip bread.

You’ll Need:
1 cup Oil of Choice
2.66 cups Sugar
4 large eggs or 6 Egg Whites
12 oz Mashed Sweet Potato
0.66 cup water
1.33 cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 cups All Purpose or Bread Flour
0.5 TSP Baking Powder
2 TSP Baking Soda
1.5 TSP Salt
1 TBSP Pumpkin Spice
2 TSP Cinnamon
1 TSP Vanilla Extract
24 oz. Chocolate Chips

1. Grease two 9×5″ loaf pans and preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Blend together oil, sugar, eggs, potatoes and water in mixer until thoroughly blended.
3. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
4. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix well.
5. Add vanilla and chocolate chip to dough mixture, and continue to mix.
6. Pour half of mix into each pan.
6. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, or until done.
7. Cool completely on wire rack before serving.

-Angela

**Recipe idea adapted from Passionate Penny Pincher.

Rainbow Chard and Goat Cheese Tart (all right… pizza)

Last night, the kids wanted pizza – and I wanted to eat it without feeling guilty.  For a few weeks now, I’ve been trying to replace the processed food that we usually eat with wholesome and clean homemade dishes.  Who needs the artificial dyes, corn syrup, and preservatives?  The up-side to homemade pizza is that you can create a healthier version that makes you feel a little less guilty about eating pizza.  I also decided that if I called it a “tart” nearly all guilt could be erased.

I used 2/3 of the dough to make a plain cheese kids pizza.  What follows are my directions for one Rainbow Chard and Goat Cheese Pizza Tart using 1/3 of a dough recipe.  As always, the ingredients can be adjusted according to your taste and veggies on hand.  You could also replace rainbow chard with kale, spinach, or any other green you might like.  If you really want to be healthy and wholesome, make your own whole wheat crust.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• About 1/3 of a dough recipe OR 1/3 of pre-made Publix dough
• Spaghetti Sauce or Tomato Sauce
• 1 Bunch Rainbow Chard (washed really well to remove grit, center stems removed, and chopped).
• Olive Oil and Garlic
• Red Onions
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Goat Cheese
• Fresh Basil

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Oil a pizza pan and line with cornmeal or ground flax seed.   Using ground flax seed adds a little nutty flavor and is really healthy.  You can find it in the organic section in Publix either in pre-ground, single-serving packets or by the bag.
2. Roll out the pizza dough until its fairly thin and place on pan.
3. Spread some olive oil on it and bake for just a few minutes until its a bit cooked.  This keeps the pizza from getting soggy when using toppings that tend to be soggy.
4. In the meantime, saute the rainbow chard with olive oil and garlic until its wilted – around 10 minutes.
5. When the crust is finished precooking, spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over it, add the chard (I used the ENTIRE bunch of chard), sliced cherry tomatoes, sliced red onions, and goat cheese.  I added salt and pepper on top as well.
6. Cook until the crust is golden and the cheese starts to brown.
7. Right after you take it out, add fresh chopped basil.  It’ll wilt from the heat.  You could also add a good parmesan for a little extra saltiness.

Baked Goods Recipes: Illustrated

Carrot Muffins

I am in love with They Draw and Cook, a website where artists/chefs display illustrated recipes.  I’ve included Carrot Muffins, Dorset Apple Cake, Monkey Banana Cream, Blueberry Bran Muffins, Strawberry Muffins with Ice Cream, and Olive Oil Orange Cake.  Check out the other recipes (and gorgeous illustrations) on their site!

Dorset Apple Cake

Monkey Banana Cream

Blueberry Bran Muffins

Strawberry Muffins with Ice Cream

 

Olive Oil Orange Cake

Kiwi Muffins

Oh my, oh my! Just out of the oven goodness, that’s what this is. THEY ARE AMAZING! I made these for breakfast, but they TASTE like dessert. Yum.

Do you ever make the dreadful discovery in your refrigerator, finding a lost and forgotten fruit or vegetable and you nearly panic? Well, that was me. I found several kiwi from previous boxes that were waiting for my attention. They were shriveled on the outside but perfect inside. Since we just received more in this week’s box, I decided to try something completely different and unusual with my kiwi… something I have NEVER seen or heard of before –> turning them into muffins!

I did a quick search for online recipes to make sure the idea might work and then I began creating my own recipe. It’s a quick and easy recipe… with tasty results. Give them a try.

You’ll Need:
1 cup of Whole Wheat Flour
0.33 cup Honey
0.5 TSP Cinnamon, ground
0.25 TSP Allspice
dash Salt
1 Egg
0.5 cup Milk of choice
3 Kiwi, peeled and blended
2 Kiwi, peeled and diced
0.5 cup Chocolate Chips or Raisins/Crasins
2 TSP Baking Powder
Non-stick spray for the pan

1. Using a blender, mix 3 kiwi, milk, egg, and honey for ~ 5 to 10 seconds.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and baking powder.
3. Add wet mix to the dry mix and stir until lump free.
4. Add chocolate chips and kiwi chunks.
5. Fill sprayed muffin molds with 0.33 cup of mix. You should have enough mix for 12 muffins.
6. Bake at 400F for 18 – 20 minutes.

Enjoy!
-Angela

Mulitgrain Bread

 

My daughter and I recently discovered what is now our family’s favorite bread recipe while watching America’s Test Kitchen (by Cook’s Illustrated). As a Food Scientist by training, I LOVE Cook’s Illustrated magazine. It is by far the BEST food magazine on the market (in my opinion). As soon as the episode was finished we located the recipe online and immediately went on a hunt for the ingredients that were needed. We’ve been baking this bread ever since, thoroughly enjoying every bite.

You’ll Need:
1.25 cups 7-Grain Hot Cereal Mix (Arrowhead Mills)*
2.5 cups Boiling Water
3 cups Bread Flour (or All-Purpose)
1.5 cups Whole Wheat Flour (or Whole Wheat Pastry Flour)
4 TBSP Honey
4 TBSP Unsalted Butter, melted
2.5 TSP Instant Yeast
1 TBSP Salt
0.75 cup Pumpkin Seeds or Sunflower Seeds (unsalted) (Optional)
1 Sprig Fresh Rosemary, destemmed and ground (Optional)
0.5 cup Rolled Oats or Quick Oats
*If you cannot find the 7-Grain Cereal, you can mix one package of Bob’s Red Mill 5-Grain Hot Cereal and one package of Cracked Oats. It will work as a suitable replacement. Sometimes I use the 8-Grain Cereal mix by itself.

1. Place cereal mix in bowl and pour boiling water over it; let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to 100F (~1 hour). Wisk flours in a separate bowl.
2. Once grain mixture has cooled, add honey, melted butter, and yeast and stir to combine. Attach bowl to standing mixer fitted with dough hook. With mixer running on low speed, add flours, 0.5 cup at a time, and knead until dough forms ball, 1.5 to 2 minutes; cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest 20 minutes. Add salt, rosemary and seeds. Knead on medium-low speed until dough clears sides of bowl, 7 to 8 minutes. Add seeds and knead for another 15 seconds. Transfer dough to floured work surface and knead by hand until seeds are dispersed evenly and dough forms smooth, taut ball. place dough into greased container with 4-quart capacity; cover with plastic and wrap and allow to rise until doubled, 45 to 60 minutes. (Note: I do all rises in the microwave. I first bring 2 cups of water to boil in the microwave and then add the rising dough, close the microwave and set the timer. If dough is not rising in a timely manner I remove the dough, heat the water and then put the dough back into the microwave.)
3. Spray two 9×5-inch loaf pans or four 5×3-inch mini loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle oats along surface. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and pat into a circle or rectangle; cut dough in half crosswise (for 2 loaves) or in fourths (for 4 mini loaves)  with knife or pizza cutter. Knead dough for each loaf and place in pan. Spray non-stick spray on top of the dough and sprinkle oats on top. Allow to rise for 30-45 minutes just like step 2.
4. Bake loaves at 375F until internal temperature reaches 200F. 9×5-inch loaves take approximately 40 minutes and 5×3-inch loaves take approximately 24 minutes.
5. Allow loaves to cool on a baking rack for 3 hours before slicing. We enjoy our bread with jam, olive oil and cracked pepper or olive oil and parmesan garlic crumbs.

Enjoy! -Angela
View the original recipe here.

Savory Italian Pastries

 

Want to bring something a little different to the dinner table? Try these pastries. You can create them with or without chicken, using whatever you have on hand.

You’ll Need:
18 oz. of Cottage Cheese OR 8 oz Cream Cheese
4 oz. of shredded Mozzerella
0.5 lb Chicken Breast, cooked and chopped OR 1 cup White Beans, drained
1-2 Garlic Cloves, crushed or chopped
Oil of Choice
1 medium Onion, chopped
3 Artichoke Hearts, chopped
2 Portabella Mushrooms, chopped
3 tubes low-fat Croissant Rolls OR make your own using THIS recipe
Additional add-ins to consider: spinach, kale, etc.

1. Cook onions, garlic, mushrooms, artichokes, etc. in skillet. When fully cooked, stir in chicken or white beans and remove from heat. Place mixture into a large mixing bowl.
2. Add two cheeses to mixture from step 1. Stir thoroughly.
3. Place two croissant rolls in a rectangle shape on baking sheet/pan and spread it as thin as you can without breaking the dough. Then add 0.5 cup of mixture from step 2 to the dough. Wrap it up by bringing in all corners and pressing them together. Repeat this until you’ve made all of your pastries.
4. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until pastries are golden brown. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Note: This recipe makes 12-16 pastries.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I searched for what must have been two hours for the perfect zucchini bread recipe.  I didn’t find it.  It may have been my definition of “perfect”.

How did I define the perfect zucchini bread?  Let me tell you…

1. Must use as little sugar as possible
2. Must use as much zucchini as possible
3. No butter
4. Preferably whole wheat
5. Hopefully very little oil
6. No nuts because I’d get complaints from the kids
7. Chocolate doesn’t hurt

I found a recipe from Our Best Bites that sounded like it might work, but I tweaked it and made it my own.  The original blog post by Our Best Bites has a variety of helpful hints about how to evenly distribute chocolate chips and how to avoid the crater in the middle of your bread – I highly recommend reading it.

Although it sounded fantastic as written, I made a few changes to lower the calories, fat, and sugar.  The original recipe called for 2 C all-purpose flour.  I used a cup of whole wheat pastry flour and a cup of all purpose flour.  Instead of 1/2 C of canola oil, I used a 1/4 C of oil and 1/4 C unsweetened apple sauce (you may even be able to use all applesauce, but I haven’t tested that yet).  I left out the chocolate chips, which actually didn’t matter in the end – it was still very chocolatey and still gooey.

Best of all, this bread is kid-friendly.  I brought it to my son’s play group after school and every kid who tried it (even those who knew if was zucchini bread), loved it and asked for more.  My husband even asked if it was a brownie.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 C  whole wheat pastry flour

1 C  all-purpose flour

2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
6 T unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 C canola oil

1/4 C unsweetened applesauce
1 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla

1/2 C sour cream

3 C grated zucchini
3/4 C mini chocolate chips (optional) 

Topping:
1 T brown sugar
1 T white sugar
1/4 t cinnamon

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 (8″ or 9″) loaf pans and set aside.

Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Using a large-holed grater, grate zucchini.  I used 3 medium sized zucchini.

Place flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

With a stand or hand mixer beat oil, white sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until combined and slightly fluffy, 1-2 minutes.

Add vanilla and sour cream and mix by hand until combined.

Gently stir in the grated zucchini.

Take a spoonful of the flour mixture and stir in with the chocolate chips (that will help keep them evenly distributed.) If you only have regular chocolate chips, or a chocolate bar, just give it a chop so it’s the size of mini chocolate chips.  Stir remaining flour mixture into batter and mix just until combined.  Add chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Divide the batter between the two pans. and sprinkle topping over each.

Bake in your preheated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes.

When it’s done a toothpick or skewer should come out without batter on it and the top will be gorgeous and cracked with sugar.

Let it cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes and then remove from pans.