Soaked Whole Grains--Oatmeal Banana Pancakes

Once upon a time I happened upon this web site. It expounds the benefits of soaking your whole grains before you use them, for nutritional benefit and what not. I don't know about nutritional benefits (if they really are all that), but I can say that it seems to improve the final texture and taste of the finished product. The short of the story is this: soak your whole grains in an acid medium for at least 12 hours before cooking with them. An acid medium can include cultured buttermilk, yogurt, lemon juice, and vinegar (1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar per 1 cup of water). Heat the acid medium to bath-water temperature before adding it, then let it soak at room temperature for at least 12 hours. And leaving buttermilk out on the counter overnight is not going to make you sick. Anyway, you can find more details and recipes on the web site. Here's something that I tried this morning. Note: do remember that you have to start it the night before. I added blueberries as well, and topped them with strawberries. They were REALLY good. :)


Whole Wheat-Oatmeal-Banana Pancakes

1 cup uncooked rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups cultured buttermilk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons dry milk powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 banana, mashed

Place the rolled oats into the jar of a blender and blend until the texture resembles coarse flour.

Combine the blended oats, whole wheat flour, and buttermilk. Allow so soak at room temperature for at least 12 hours.

Whisk together all-purpose flour, brown sugar, dry milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.

Whisk together the egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana. Add to buttermilk mixture. Add dry flour mixture and stir just until moistened.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, about 2 minutes. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

Broccoli Salad

I'm not a huge fan of raw broccoli or onions, but I really like this salad. Use any kind of nut or seed you like (sunflower seeds, cashews, here I used toasted walnuts). I love the colors in this salad, too. To make it healthier, replace half the mayo with lain low-fat yogurt and reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup or so. Still delicious. You could try turkey bacon, too, but I'm afraid that would take the deliciousness down a notch.


2 heads fresh broccoli
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/4 cup raisins or craisins
3/4 cup your favorite nuts of seeds
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Cut the broccoli into bite-size. Combine with the onion, bacon, raisins, your favorite nuts and mix well.

To prepare the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar together until smooth. Chill for at least an hour. Stir into the salad and serve.

I only stirred in enough dressing to cover the salad, and I actually had quite a bit left over. I find that much more appealing than to have the broccoli swimming in dressing, but do what you want.

Pao de Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread)

After my husband and I went to Tucanos (a Brazilian grill) we kept craving their cheese puff rolls. So we found this recipe to try, and it's pretty close. Evidently, to be really authentic to Brazil, you'd have to use Queijo Minas, but it's not available in the US. But Parmesan is pretty good, too. Some people say to use half Parmesan and half Mozzarella, but I haven't tried so I don't know. Do what you want! Also, you can find manioc flour (aka manioc starch, or tapioca starch/flour) in any Mexican or Asian food market, or probably also in the specialty food section of your grocery store, though it's probably cheaper at an Asian or Mexican market.


3 cups sweet manioc starch or sour manioc starch
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring the milk, salt, and oil to a boil. Remove from heat. Slowly add manioc starch, stirring constantly until thoroughly mixed. Add the cheese and eggs. Knead until smooth.

Form into balls approximately 2-inches in diameter and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake until golden brown (15-20 minutes).

Eat while hot.

P.S. Manioc flour is NOT like wheat flour. These rolls will not be light and fluffy, but have more of a rubbery, cheesy texture. It's delicious. Trust me.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Sorry I've been neglecting this blog for the past few months. Mostly, it's been too darn hot to cook much. I've started doing once-a-month cooking, too, which I'll post about later, if anyone's interested. But, anyway, a kind neighbor gave me some zucchini from her garden the other day, so I decided to make a little treat. The muffins are very moist and delicious. They're not overwhelmingly chocolaty, either, just a hint. A sneaky way to get some vegetables in the morning!


3 eggs
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease or line two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl beat the eggs. Beat in the sugar and oil. Add the applesauce, cocoa, vanilla, zucchini and stir well.

3. Stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just moist.

4. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Store loosely covered.

Cake Mix Made With Melted Ice Cream

So, I got some Ben and Jerry's Flourless Chocolate Cake ice cream. It is the richest chocolate ice cream I have ever had. It is so yummy so I just took a very small scoop the other day right after I opened it (about 4 bites) and my sweet husband put the rest away for me, in the FRIDGE! lol
Needless to say, the next morning when I was surprised when I saw it there when I went to get the milk for Leata and Taylor's cereal. When I posted this on facebook as my status, Katherine so kindly posted a recipe for cake made with cake mix and melted ice cream. I left the ice cream in the fridge and hoped that I would get time to make the cake in the next few days.

Today, for Mother's Day, my mom, sister, brother, mother in law, father in law and sister in law all came for dinner. It was a great opportunity to make this cake.

The link Katherine sent was this: http://www.cakemixdoctor.com/recipes/what_kind/cakes/incredible_melted_ice_cream_ca_1.php

Serves 16
Preparation Time: 5 to 7 minutes
Baking Time: 38 to 42 minutes
Assembly Time: 10 minutes

vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
flour for dusting the pan
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain white cake mix (I use a chocolate cake mix)
2 cups melted ice cream, your choice of flavor (This cake was made with B&J's Flourless Chocolate Cake ice cream.)
3 large eggs

(I also added about 3/4 cup of chocolate chips)

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pan aside.

3. Place the cake mix, melted ice cream, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with the rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula.

4. Place the pan in the oven.

5. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 38 to 42 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a small rack, then invert it again onto a second rack so that the cake is right side up to complete cooling, 30 minutes more.

6. Meanwhile prepare the Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting, or another frosting that would go well with the flavor of the ice cream in the cake. Place the cake on a serving platter and frost the top of the cake with clean, smooth strokes.

This frosting was delicious and went well with the chocolaty theme!

Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting

2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 large marshmallows
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Sift the sugar and cocoa powder together into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

2. Place the marshmallows, butter, and milk in a medium-size heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir until the marshmallows are melted, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Pour the confectioners' sugar and cocoa mixture over the marshmallow mixture. Add the vanilla and stir until the frosting is smooth and satiny.

3. Use at once to frost the top of the cake of your choice.

Wow what a YUMMY chocolaty cake. If you are not a chocolate fan you could do whatever flavors you like but it was such a yummy moist cake! I really enjoyed the small, rich slice I had. A.J. assures me it was as yummy as I thought too! I might try it sometime with strawberry ice cream for a pink cake for my girls!

Applesauce Spice Cake

I made this as a "healthy" alternative for Lacey's birthday cake. It uses apple juice concentrate instead of refined sugar. Lacey liked it, except for the dates. I doused mine in caramel sauce and topped it with vanilla ice cream. It was pretty yummy that way, too.

3 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped dates
1 1/2 cups ground almonds (optional)
2 Macintosh apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 9 x 13 baking pan.

Beat the eggs until they drop like ribbons from the beaters. Continue beating and add the oil in a thin stream. Beat in the 1 cup applesauce and the 1 cup unsweetened apple juice concentrate then mix in the flour gradually until well blended. Add the baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground almonds, dates, and apples. Fold together until well mixed.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees F about 40 minutes or until the cake tests clean with a knife or toothpick. Cool completely before frosting.

Frog Eye Salad

I seriously could eat this all day. I'm pretty sure I have before.

1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons flour
1 3/4 cup pineapple juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
16 oz acini di pepe
1 (9 oz) container cool whip
2 (20 oz) cans pineapple tidbits (drained)
2 cans mandarin oranges
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 teaspoon oil
2 teaspoons salt.

In a small sauce pan, combine sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, egg yolks, flour, pineapple juice, and lemon juice. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Cool completely. Meanwhile, Boil acini de pepe, oil, and slat for 10 to 20 minutes. Drain. Cool. Mix with sauce. Add fruit, marshmallows. Stir in cool whip. Allow to set in refrigerator overnight.

Bayou Chicken Pasta

This is originally an Emeril recipe, but I simplified it to something that I would actually make. Yummy! Pretty much any cajun or creole seasoning will work.

1 pound linguine
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons cajun or creole seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups heavy cream or evaporated milk
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
Parmesan cheese

Set a large 1-gallon stock pot of water to a boil and add the kosher salt. Place the linguine in the pot and stir until the water returns to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender, but with a bit of resistance (al dente), about 12 minutes.

While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Set a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil to the pan. Once the butter has melted, season the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and add the chicken to the pan. Sear the chicken until well browned on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the onions to the pan and saute until the onions are softened and lightly caramelized, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cream, remaining 1 tablespoon of seasoning, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, and the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook the sauce until the cream is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, linguine and the reserved cooking water to the pan and cook, tossing to incorporate for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and add Parmesan and toss to blend. Serve immediately.

Strawberry Pie

One of our favorites--full of fresh fruit deliciousness.

2 cups water
1 package cook-n-serve vanilla pudding
1 package strawberry gelatin (sugar free, if desired)
4 cups Strawberries
graham cracker pie crust

Bring water and pudding mix to boil, take off stove, add pkg. jell-o and stir up. Let cool.

Clean and slice the fresh strawberries. Line the pie crust with strawberries. Pour cooled pudding mixture on top. Allow to set in refrigerator for at least one hour or until firm.

Egg-free Cornbread

I went looking for this recipe because I wanted cornbread, but I discovered that I had no eggs. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this recipe is. If you like your corn bread less sweet (as so many southerners do) just reduce the amount of sugar. I actually increased it from the original recipe (which called for 2 tablespoons) because my husband likes his cornbread sweet.

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons oil

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk and the oil, and stir until just blended.
Spread the batter into a nonstick or lightly oil-sprayed 9-inch square baking dish, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Serve hot.

Crockpot Pork Chops

My husband has requested that I make these again. That's a compliment!

8 pork chops (or fewer)
salt & pepper
2 onions, chopped (or dried onion)
2 stalks of celery, chopped (unless you don't have any)
1 green pepper, cut in strips (unless...)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Mix the sauce ingredients together and pour over the meat and veggies in a crockpot.
Cook on low for six hours.
YUM

Saturday's menu

Saturday we had the in-laws over for dinner, so I thought I'd share what we had, since I thought it turned out beautifully.

For the main dish, we had:

Italian Barbecued Chicken with Polenta
You can find the original recipe by Rachael Ray here. I've just taken out the polenta ingredients and instructions. I also used chicken tenders instead of bone-in chicken.

4 bone-in chicken thigh and leg or chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons grill seasoning
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 thick cut slices pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 to 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cups chicken stock

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, poultry seasoning, and grill seasoning. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet and brown the chicken a few minutes on each side to put some of it's flavor and drippings into the pan then transfer to oven and roast 15 minutes more or until juices run clear. Meanwhile, add 1 more tablespoon olive oil to the pan and cook pancetta or bacon, if using, until crisp. Add onions, garlic and rosemary, cook 5 minutes then add the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, tomato sauce and 1/2 cup chicken stock, reduce heat to low and let sauce simmer 5 minutes more.

For a side, we had mashed potatoes to which I added yogurt (in place of sour cream--you get the same result with a lot fewer calories), a teensy pat of butter, and some cajun seasoning from the grocery store.

And some broccoli and baby carrots, steamed for 10 minutes, then topped with mozzarella cheese and cajun seasoning and heated in the oven until the cheese was melty.

Also, some one hour rolls, recipe here.

Quick Cheese Bread

I made this the other day when I wanted bread to go with dinner but was short on time. I recommend using sharp cheddar cheese to add flavor. Yummy!

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cheese. In another large bowl, beat together egg, milk and oil. Stir the flour/cheese mixture into the egg mixture, stirring until just moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.

Hash Brown Potato Quiche

3 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup cooked ham, chopped
1 cup (4 oz.) Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup green, yellow or red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped (optional)
1 jalapeno chilli, finely chopped (optional)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Spread the potatoes on paper towels and press out any remaining moisture. Pat the potatoes over the bottom and up the side of an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Drizzle the butter over the potatoes, making sure the edge is totally covered. Bake at 425* for 25 minutes. Reduce the oven temp. to 350*.
Layer the ham, cheese, pepper, onion and jalapeno over the baked crust. Whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl until blended and pour over the prepared layers. Bake for 25 min or until a knife inserted in teh center comes out clean. Refrigerate any leftovers. Serves 8

Croissant Pizza

I made this recipe up myself when I was feeling lazy and hungry. It's easy and quick to make.

2 cans croissant rolls
traditional spaghetti sauce
pizza/special seasonings
cheese
pizza toppings

Unroll and split apart the croissant rolls and put on a large cookie sheet. Mix spaghetti sauce with the seasonings and put on each croissant. Add pizza toppings and cheese. (I have also made BBQ chicken and cheddar cheese as my pizza topping.) Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until dough is browned. Enjoy!

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

These are some of my favorite pancakes. They're much more filling than regular pancakes, and a nice change from the norm.

The original recipe calls for 6 tablespoons of butter, but I usually just use a splash of vegetable oil or just leave it out altogether. I don't think it's necessary considering the cheese, especially when I'm just gonna smother it all in sugary syrup and fruity jam anyway.

1 cup cottage cheese
pinch of salt
6 tablespoon melted margarine (or cooking oil)
4 eggs
½ cup flour

In a bowl combine all ingredients well. Cook on a hot griddle. Sere with butter and syrup.

Makes about 12 small pancakes.

Also, the other day, I was lazy but wanted some of these, so I just added 1/2 cup cottage cheese to a my pancake mix, and it cooked up nicely. Not as good, of course, but good enough.

Key Lime Pie

This is my Nana's Recipe for Key Lime Pie and it is so yummy and so easy to make.

1 graham cracker pie crust (vanilla wafer pie crust works really well too!)
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice (regular lime juice is fine too, whatever fresh limes you can find, taste best)
4 egg yolks
Green food coloring if you want it to be green and not yellow.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix sweetened condensed milk and lime juice well.
Add egg yolks and mix well. Then add food coloring if desired.

Pour mix into pie crust and bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes until filling s set. Let cool in the refrigerator for at least three hours.

Great served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Crock Pot Chicken Alfredo

This is seriously the yummiest chicken alfredo recipe I've found. I've even won an award for it at a Ward Cook-Off that was judged by the missionaries. I warn you though, this baby is full of calories!

Ingredients:

3 - 4 chicken breasts, thawed and cut into pieces

1 stick of butter

1 packet of Good Seasons Zesty Italian Mix (this can be found in the salad dressing section)

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1 cup of milk or water

1 box cream cheese

Set your crock pot to HIGH. Add chicken, butter and seasoning. Cook for 1 hour. Add soup, milk, and cream cheese. Cook for an additional 2 hours on HIGH. Serve over pasta.

White Pizza Dip

1 envelope Herb & Garlic Lipton Soup Mix
2 C sour cream
1 C ricotta cheese
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c chopped pepperoni (optional)
other pizza toppings also optional
1 loaf Italian bread sliced or cut into squares

1. Preheat oven to 350. In shallow 1 qt. casserole, combine soup mex, sour cream, ricotta cheese, 3/4 c mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.
2. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 c mozzarella cheese.
3. Bake - uncovered 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with bread.
Makes 3 cups

Cottage Cheesecake

This light cheesecake has a fraction of the calories but all the flavor of a cheesecake made from cream cheese. If you're really sensitive to textures, then you might think it a teensy bit grainy, but it wasn't enough to bother me one bit. I even ate it for breakfast this morning! :) I used 2% cottage cheese, but I read that there was no difference between that and 1% (I woulda used it but couldn't find it).

Graham cracker pie crust
2 cups cottage cheese
2 eggs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Blend cottage cheese until smooth. For a denser cake, allow cheese to drain in cheesecloth or coffee filter for a couple hours, then continue.
In a blender, combine cottage cheese, milk, eggs, flour, lemon juice, vanilla, sugar and salt. Blend until smooth. Pour into prepared crust.
Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until filling is firm. Allow to cool completely.