Whole Wheat Focaccia

I absolutely loving baking and I absolutely love bread.  The first time I tried making whole wheat focaccia I used part whole wheat flour and part organic white all purpose flour.  It came out delicious and was gone in a matter of 48 hours but it did not look like focaccia.  This recipe uses white wheat flour (just as nutritious as whole wheat but "lighter" in flavor and texture) and came out resembling focaccia more than the whole wheat flour recipe.   We had this with whole wheat pasta, homemade pesto, and a glass of wine.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 1/2 cups white wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 teaspoons fresh rosemary

Directions: 

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and then stir in the honey.
2. Let mixture sit at least 5 minutes and when the yeast mixture is bubbly or foamy, add in the white wheat flour, salt and olive oil.
3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in bowl, and turn to coat with oil.
4. Cover with damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in warm place for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Dough will double.
5. Punch dough down, place on greased baking sheet. Pat dough into 1/2-inch thick rectangle.
6. Using your knuckle, make indentations in the dough about 1/2-inch apart, then prick dough with fork.
7. Brush top with olive oil, then sprinkle with more rosemary if you wish.
8. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes or until bottom of bread browns slightly.

Darv's Chicken & Green Bean Casserole

I like to pick on Jon and tell him that I am making "white people" food aka casseroles, but the truth is that I love casseroles because you just mix a bunch of stuff together, add cheese, and bake!  My mother-in-law, Donna, passed this recipe on to me recently and I am so glad she did!  This dish was fairly uncomplicated and extremely delicious.

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons of smart balance butter
• 6 tablespoons of flour
• 1 1/2 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cups (soy or fat free) milk
• 2 teaspoons lite soy sauce
• 2/3 cup light grated parmesan cheese
• 8 cups green beans, cooked (fresh, frozen, or canned)
• 2 cups coooked chicken, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan melt butter, then stir in flour, add chicken broth, milk, soy sauce, salt & pepper.
2. Bring to a boil - cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.
3. Stir in 1/3 cup parmesan cheese.  (Sauce will be thick! Do not try to thin out)
4. Add green beans and chicken.
5. Put into a 2 quart greased baking dish and sprinkle remaining cheese.
6. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread with White Chocolate Chips & Walnuts

We were in Savannah for the long weekend and I've just been a little lazy in the kitchen the rest of the week, but today I got an itch to bake something - something with pumpkin in it!  We're also going to North Carolina this coming weekend for a wedding and to see my family so I like to have some kind of newly baked good to share.  Hope they like it :-)

Ingredients 

• 1 cup organic all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 15 oz pure pumpkin puree
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

 Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray loaf pan with Pam.
2. Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices together in a small bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix pumpkin, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla, and egg together.
4. Add the dry ingredients to wet, mixing just enough to moisten everything (overmixing will make the bread tough and dry). Fold in white chocolate chips by hand.
5. Spread the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for about one hour, until set.

Note: If you don't have buttermilk (like myself) just put 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar (or lemon juice) in a measuring cup and fill the rest with regular milk, let sit for 5 minutes and TADA you have buttermilk.

Maple Balsamic Marinaded Pork Chops

I love pork chops because they are a pretty lean meat and I really have to screw it up for Jon not to like.  I wanted to do something different because typically I have not planned ahead and so I have to just marinade in Goya's Mojo Criollo & Salsa Lizano.  Which makes an awesome Costa Rican style pork chop but I wanted something different and these were a hit!  I am already looking forward to having these again next week.

Ingredients:
(Marinade for 1lb of meat)

• 1 1/2 finely chopped cloves of garlic
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• zest of 1/2 orange
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 tbsp rough chopped fresh rosemary (or dried rosemary)

Directions:

1. Whisk together all ingredients and pour over pork chops in a gallon ziplock bag. Refrigerate 6-8 hours or overnight.
2.  Cook in 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat about 5-7 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Remove from skillet and serve!  I will often cook the chops with onions and green peppers on top - optional*

Choco Protein Bar

So I really wanted to make a "Superfood Bar" like the Odwalla bars but didn't have all the ingredients.  Then, I decided to make a Larabar but in the end I switched the cocoa powder with protein powder and made them into protein bars.  Very fun to play with the ingredients in this type of recipe! 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup walnuts
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 scoop double chocolate whey protein powder (I'm sure any protein powder would work)
• 3 teaspoons natural creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (or semi-sweet)
• splash of soy milk (or skim milk)

Directions:

1. Blend all the ingredients, using a food processor, Magic Bullet, etc.  I used my MB and had to do it in batches but it worked just fine.
2. Line a small baking dish with parchment paper and form the dough into bars.
3. Cut, cover, and store in the refridgerator! (or eat one right away like I did...) Also, I cut the dough into 8 bars.
4. Note:  Feel free to experiment with different nut combinations. Try to sub almonds or cashews for some of the walnuts next time!

Chocolate Protein Balls

Wow!  I cannot believe how awesome and how easy these were to make.  I will definitely be playing with this recipe and adding mini chocolate chips, coconut, peanut butter, etc. in the future!  Enjoy as a pre or post workout snack (or just a snack in general!).  Jon seemed to be pretty impressed with these as well.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup raw, unsalted almonds
• 3 large dates
• 2 tablespoon rolled oats
• 1 scoop whey chocolate protein powder 
• 1 tablespoon soy or skim milk

Directions:

1. Blend almonds into a food processor/blender (I use the Magic Bullet short cup) and process until you reach the consistency of a medium-grain meal.
2. Add dates, and process until fully combined.
3. Add oats and protein powder, and process until fully combined.
4. Transfer dough to a small bowl, and add in milk. It will be a little crumbly at first, but work it with your hands until everything sticks together.
5. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into balls.
6. Store any unused balls in a tightly closed container in the fridge.

Lentil Soup with Chipotle Yogurt

Great for lunch or dinner, I made this big batch a froze half of it and ate the other half for lunch several days.  Huge time-saver and incredibly healthy.  This meal is high in protein and fiber and very very low in fat, plus the chipotle yogurt is to die for (although spicy, so don't go crazy with it).

Instructions: 

• 2 cups lentils
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup brown rice, cooked (or quinoa; any whole grain will work)
• 6 cups organic, low sodium vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 large bunch of kale (or combo of leafy greens)
• salt/ pepper
• 1 lemon

 CHIPOTLE YOGURT

• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped (no more than 2 teaspoon; although I add more but I love my food to be unbelieveably spicy)

Directions:

1. Cook your rice or desired grain and set aside. Boil about four cups water, and boil the lentils for 20 minutes until cooked. Add water as needed. 
2. Drain.
3. In a large soup pot, brown the yellow onion and green pepper in the olive oil for about 8 minutes, or until just starting to turn light brown. Add the stock and cumin. Bring the heat back up to a gentle boil, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the lentils and the brown rice and simmer about 10 minutes. While you are waiting, stem your greens and slice them into thin strips. Taste the soup for salt and pepper, add seasoning as desired.
5. Turn off the heat and add in the greens, stir. The greens will wilt in the hot soup, and avoid overcooking this way. Stir in the juice of half the lemon, add more to taste.
6. Mix the Greek yogurt with the chipotle chili and stir. Serve the soup with the dollop of the chipotle yogurt. Warning, chipotles are pretty spicy, so start with a small amount of sauce and you can add if you like it hot. If too spicy, add more yogurt.

South American Empanadas (Dough)

My family is going to kill me for posting an empanada recipe that is not Costa Rican, but I like to experiment with new recipes and this one has turned out perfectly.  I will post the Costa Rican empanada recipe one of these days in addition to the picadillo recipe that goes IN the empandas.  I made a South American picadillo but never again, I will most definitely stick to the Costa Rican picadillo next time. 

Ingredients: 
Dough for empanadas – makes about 15-20 (or more if you make small ones)

• 3 cups organic all purpose flour
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ cup of smart balance butter (I'm sure they use full fat butter in South America)
• ¾ cup to 1 cup of warm (skim) milk
• 1-3 tablespoon garlic and herb seasoning

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized bowl mix flour with garlic and herb seasoning and then mound flour so that in the center you can put in the yolk, butter, and milk.  
2. Mix everything together with your hands and knead for about 5 minutes,  If needed, add more flour or water to reach the appropriate consistency.  Work the dough with the balls of your hands and knead shaping into a ball.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes (most recipes call for 3 hours or overnight but I didn't have time to do so).
4. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small plate).
5. Use the empanada discs immediately or store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.

 Note:  An important part of these empanadas – and empanadas in general – is the repulgue or the curvy ornate seal.  My strategy is to seal them brushing the edges with egg white, then I press the edges with my fingers, I attempt to fold the edges and to seal it I finish by pressing down again with the tip of a fork, it works and actually doesn’t look too bad when the empanadas come out of the oven.

Penne with Butternut Squash, Goat Cheese, & Walnuts

Fall is here!  Fall is here!  I absolutely love fall and the flavors of fall.  This was my first attempt at cooking with butternut squash and I was quite pleased.  Of course I could have eaten this sans meat but my dear sweet husband needs meat in his dinners.  I added 3 sliced chicken sausages stuffed with feta and spinach (from Sam's Club).  Also, this makes a lot (about 6 servings), so I froze half the finished product for another day.

Ingredients:

• olive oil cooking spray
• 1 (2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1/2 onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 shallots, dicen into 1/2-inch pieces (or the other 1/2 of your onion) 
• olive oil, for drizzling
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound whole wheat penne pasta (or other tubular pasta)
• 1 cup (8 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup hot soy or skim milk
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (see note at the end of post)
• 1 packed cup chopped fresh thai basil leaves (or regular basil leaves)
• finely grated parmesan

Directions:

1. Put an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Spray a baking sheet, liberally, with cooking spray. Set aside.
3. Mix the squash and onion together and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake for to 40 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
4. While the squash mixture is cooling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Drain and heat milk in microwave (or use 1 cup of pasta water). Put the pasta, goat cheese and 1 cup of hot milk (or pasta water) in a large serving bowl. Toss until the cheese has melted and forms a creamy sauce. Add the squash and onion mixture, the walnuts and the basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with Parmesan and serve. Again, I served with chicken sausages for my husband.

Note:  To toast the walnuts, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F toaster oven or regular oven until lightly toasted, about 6 to 8 minutes Cool completely before using.

Banana Bread for Work

So... I've made several different banana bread recipes and I just tried this new one for Jon's Army buddies at work.  I didn't use whole wheat flour and yogurt/applesauce because I was running low on such ingredients but there will be another post at sometime with my healthier whole wheat banana bread.  This was a big hit with the guys and Jon said it was "super moist and delicious!"

 

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons smart balance butter
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar (loose)
• 2  eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4  average bananas, mashed (or 3 large bananas)
• 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ cups skim milk
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (or pecans, almonds, etc.)
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips (or semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
2. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electic mixer at medium speed until it is light and fluffy. Add both sugers; beat well. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat until well blended. Add the mashed bananas and beat on high for about 30 seconds. Set aside.
3. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the flour mixture into the butter/egg mixture alternately with the milk, ending with the flour mixture. Fold the nuts and chocolate chips into the batter.
4. Pour the batter evenly into a greased loaf pan. Bake until browned and a tookpick comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes (depends on your oven).
5. Cool bread in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes and then remove it from the pan and let cool completely on the wire rack. OR if you don’t have time, just let the bread cool completely in the pan. Then wrap the cooled bread in plastic wrap and store in a cool dry place.

Note: Try to wait about 12 hours before eating the bread, so that it can set up and the flavors marry, but if you simply can’t resist, it wouldn’t do any harm to go ahead and eat!