so what CAN you eat? vegan recipe roundup

just some recipes we tried last week and really enjoyed -

black bean & summer squash enchiladas

garbanzo guacamole

E2 hot lap bowl

green smoothies

E2 panini with hummus, mushroom and spinach

vegan mac & cheeze

Energy squares-healthier version of the old staple peanut butter rice krispie treats. yum!

Caribbean beans and quinoa

E2 Lemon Cornmeal Pancakes (with raspberry soy yogurt)

international quinoa salad

peanut butter banana cookies

E2 basic wrap

Lentil Sloppy Joes (served on a bun and in a wrap with collard greens)

A to Z pasta salad

German Chocolate Cake

Creamy Scalloped Potatoes

Zucchini Muffins

so what CAN you eat? almond milk

i've gotten so much conversation and so many questions (and so many requests for recipes) on this subject - what CAN you eat as a vegan? - i figured i'd start posting a sampling of our weekly menu to share the love - and the delicious factor. i am SO enjoying this fun new hunt for recipes that rock.  i am also enjoying the empowerment and energy i feel about eating things i KNOW are tasty and are nourishing every little bit of my body.  i'm also pumped that with a few exceptions (more because they are different and not because they aren't tasty...once i get the littles to try them, they gobble up!) everyone has been onboard with the new delicious things we're eating.  i've also found that anything you loved BEFORE making the transition, you can find a delicious recipe for that very thing that follows all your self-chosen dietary rules.  it feels really good to know you are nourishing your body with whole foods from chocolate cake!!!!!

MILK: we have chosen to quit dairy during this experiment, 100% so obviously we needed something to replaced cow's milk for drinking, for cereal, for smoothies and recipes.  we've tried rice milk and almond milk and so far, almond milk is the favorite. not only is it so fast and easy to make but it is sooo yummy and soooo smooth.  you can also buy it ready-made at the store and even in some fancy/fun flavors but i think its much cheaper to make it. i've never tried the store bought version, but i presume like most things, its better homemade.  We tried plain almond milk but decided while we are teaching our palate to think differently about what "milk" should taste like we'll jazz it up a bit and are using a naturally sweetened vanilla flavored version.  The plain milk is perfectly fine in recipes/smoothies and for cereal but for drinking straight from the glass, we prefer the recipe below. 


Vanilla Almond Milk
Soak 1 cup raw, organic (if possible) almonds 8 hours/overnight.
Rinse well and add to blender with 4 cups cold water, 4-6 medjool dates (pitted) and 1t vanilla.
Blend and blend and blend and blend.
Straight through your nut milk bag (so worth the investment if you are doing this daily) or 2-3 times through a fine mesh strainer.  You will likely get some super fine floaties but they're quite tasty actually.
Chill and enjoy.

You will have a big clump of almond pulp left which you can totally add to bread recipes or add to cereal/oatmeal/salads.  Its totally edible and nutritious, just keep it refrigerated til you use it.

What else have we been eating:
Well, we cleared it all out.....all those things from our fridge and freezer and pantry that until otherwise announced are no longer part of our lifestyle.  We want to eat food that nourishes our body, eating with a purpose - for nutrition - so our bodies operate at their optimal levels to give us the most energy as well as the most disease-fighting power possible.  We've both reported higher energy levels among other benefits in the short time we've been going this route.  For now, there's no meat protein of any sort, no eggs, no dairy or cheese and no oil (not even olive oil).  At first I was a little nervous we'd be eating bland boring food and repeating the same two things over and over.....salad, beans, salad, beans. But no, I've come across so many great resources full of fabulous recipes - its actually harder to make my meal plan now because I feel like I have so many options!

***Many of the recipes will be from The Engine 2 Diet book, I will annotate as "E2 Recipe) - super easy and super healthy - and many of them are shared right here on his website, you don't even have to buy the book for the recipes if you want to give it a whirl...although i highly recommend it for all the nutritional information and health benefits outlined in an easy 120 page read. other recommended movies and reads (on my list too): the china study, forks over knives, ALL these books listed on the engine 2 website, food, inc., food matters.  they ALL have one common tune: the source and contents (or lack of toxicity, chemicals, processing, nutrients (based on how they are fed/bred), etc) are incredibly important for your health and YOU have the choice to make simple baby-step changes toward changing your health without doctors and medication.***

what we ate this week:

lots of fruit - more whole fruit, less juice - but the kids are still having half juice half water some of the day, the rest of the day its almond milk or water
lots of veggies - raw, steamed, roasted, sauteed....am loving seeing mr. little man gobbling up raw veggies dipped in hummus
lots of nuts and beans 
lots of hummus - will be trying a new recipe next week, this week was store bought
RIP's Big Bowl - (E2 recipe) i love this for breakfast with a big grapfruit on the side
Protein/Green/Berry Smoothies using No Meat Athlete's Perfect Smoothie Formula
Berry "Chocolate" Smoothie
Steel Cut Oatmeal with protein powder, raisins
Migas Especiales (E2 recipe) - typically they are made with scrambled eggs and are in a tortilla but these are made with soy and are in a warm corn flour tortilla
New York Times Black Bean Burger (E2 recipe not on website) - served on a skinny vegan bun with vegenaise (which tastes the same if not better than mayo in our opinion), organic ketchup
Carrot Cashew Soup (Vegetarian Traditions Cook Book)-oh my was it fabulous!
Amy's Kitchen Frozen Pizza (Vegan-uses soy cheese and rice crust): was tasty in a crunch
Whole Wheat Spaghetti with marinara sauce and sautee'd veggies
Mary's Gone Crackers seed crackers
Lundberg Rice Chips with sea salt & hummus (found at our grocer, not online at link)
sweet potato fries (used to toss in olive oil and salt, but found that you don't need the oil! hip hip!)
strawberry-berry sorbet (sooo easy and delicious as a dessert!) - i recommend putting it in the freezer for a couple hours before eating to get the ice-cream consistency, we just did it in the blender, no ice cream maker.

"add ins" we love for oatmeal, smoothies and baked projects:
hemp protein powder

maca powder (read about it here: http://livesuperfoods.com/maca-powder.html)

cacao nibs (read about it here: http://livesuperfoods.com/raw-cacao-nibs.html)

green vibrance powder

i really love that hummus and salsa and guacamole are on an "all you can eat" level with this lifestyle....as long as they are made with whole foods delicious ingredients and hold all the "bad stuff".

already brewing next week's meal plan and i can hardly wait to see what gem's we uncover!  am particularly excited about our memorial day barbecue pot luck on monday when we can share our tasty goods with friends.

cinnamon rolls

traditions in my family, both sides, seem to revolve heavily around food and family gatherings. i am seeking out some new traditions to celebrate the seasons and take note of the holidays from cultures around the world, but always seem to come back to food for our family. and how fabulous since i love, so very much, to make good food with extra love from mom to feed my family and friends.  one easter tradition i've decided (with much support from my darling husband) to keep going is cinnamon rolls for breakfast on easter morning. from scratch, obviously.  this recipe from pink of perfection is ridiculously easy and so-very-delectable, particularly fresh and gooey from the oven (am thinking of dabbling with some whole wheat four the next time i make them, but very carefully, i do not want to upset the balance of delicate and delicious in these babies). another one of those seemingly time-consuming treats i never thought to attempt - and once attempted, i've found its actually so simple. 30 minutes or less and you make them the night before. so the special morning you're serving up these sweet treats, all the labor and attention required is a quick 20 minutes in the oven and viola. homemade, fresh from the oven cinnamon rolls for the people you love and you don't have to get up at 3 am to make the magic happen!

naturally food dyed easter eggs

i'm on the hunt for making simple changes in every nook and cranny in the name of "green" and "natural" and safe and also cheap (although i'm finding green/natural/safe alternatives are anything but cheap most times).  this easter egg solution was so fun and easy! the recipes for these colors and several more were listed on lakewinds' website.

tumeric = yellow, red cabbage = blue, red cabbage + tumeric = green, red beets = pink

and about those cracked eggs....that's called too much happening at once; woops! how do YOU cook your hard cooked eggs?  i do the betty crocker method: bring water to a boil, add eggs (that's where my woops happened), off heat and cover for 18 minutes.  when i took my cooking class with my favorite chef jesus, he laughed and said i boil the eggs for 5ish minutes and then spin them to see if they are done (he literally took one out and spun it on the stovetop like a dreidle and if it stood up, that was your sign that all was well. i tried it; didn't do the same neat little spin for me. huh. must consider chef school. lol).  pete wasn't too interested in the process and i was ok with it grateful because one flailing arm and we could have had a bright red beet stained petey. he did like to check in on them occasionally throughout the morning, declaring the "o-ster eggs pretty". thanks, bud.

is this how they dyed easter eggs in the "good old days" before they had the little dye kits? or were they so busy milking cows back them they didn't dye easter eggs? i'm curious!

orange saffron pine nut bread

another recipe from my cooking class with a heavenly aroma while baking and oh man is it to-die-for when served at dinner.  recipe courtesy of chef jesus gonzalez (and part of his amazing cook book i highly recommend you purchase for delicious, seasonal foods) we had friends over friday and i made this to go with our meal. the guest who likes to tease me asked "so, you made this?" and of course when i said yes he said, "so do you have homemade butter to go with it too?" (with much sarcasm and a twinkle in his eye)....and i think he was quite shocked when the answer was yes. but it wasn't served with the bread as it had pesto in it.  this bread has a little tiny hint of sweet orange flavor and is completely delectable. the cook book mentions it freezes well too which, as always, is a bonus!

Orange Saffron Pine-Nut Bread

(as shared in our cooking class by Chef Jesus, also featured in his cookbook)

4 cups of warm milk

1 cups syrup of agave* or maple syrup

2 tablespoons active dry yeast

2 teaspoons saffron, finely ground

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup pine-nuts, toasted

4  cups whole wheat flour

4-5 cups unbleached flour or more whole wheat

* Agave is a succulent plant native to Mexico and surrounding countries. The syrup is low glycemic (around 11 – 20 on the glycemic index).

Mix water, syrup and yeast. Let stand until frothy. Add in the saffron, salt and butter. Stir well. Add half of the flour with the pine nuts, mixing until smooth.

Stir in the remaining flour. Turn out onto a floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic.

 Return dough to bowl and cover with a damp tea towel to prevent the dough from drying out. Let dough rise in a warm, draft free place until double in bulk, about 2 hours.

  

Punch dough down. Divide into 2 equal portions. Spread each into a rectangle. Roll up into loaves. Seal edges by pinching.

Place loaves in oiled loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a warm draft free place until nearly double, about 40 minutes.  Bake loaves in preheated 375 degree oven for one hour or until tops are browned and the loaves sound somewhat hollow when tapped.

Yield: 2 Loaves

before baking

amazing homemade granola

awhile i took a cooking class with Jesus Gonzalez, former chef at Rancho La Puerta . one of the recipes we made (and he gave us) was granola. in the class, we served it over fresh homemade ricotta cheese with some bananas and apples sauteed in agave. awesome.  pete has been enjoying it on top of yogurt with some berries for breakfast....or a snack...or whenever he can get it. he loves it!   i've wanted to make granola FOREVER. not sure why but its always intimidated me and i keep buying it at the store for way too much money (especially now that I know how easy it is).  this is so so so so so so so much better than store bought granola. and easy. and fast. and delicious. and versatile. and i made a double batch so i have enough granola for awhile and some to give to friends. perfect.  I've been cooking up some things from his gorgeous cook book and am excited for some delicious, farm-to-table inspiration with the fresh produce we'll have at our finger tips from the market this summer.

Granola:

2 C rolled oats
2 C rough chopped pecans
2 C rough chopped almonds
1 C agave nectar
2 T vanilla extract
1 T olive oil
1 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients in a bowl, making sure all ingredients get well incorporated.  In a lined sheet pan, distribute the mixture evenly (for a double batch I had to split it between two sheet pans). Place in oven, removing pan every 10 minutes to toss mixture with a spatula.  Return to the oven until golden brown. Do not let it burn!!!

pesto, butter, chocolate avocado pudding recipes

i made fresh pesto today.

and then i left a little pesto in the food processor while i made fresh butter (giving it a little hint of basil).

am considering making this chicken, grape and pesto pizza with homemade whole wheat crust, of course.
both were super easy recipes to use (other than the constant interruptions from what i now call the "bedtime dance" - lately i have been waltzing pete back to his bed from the door over and over and over and over. i barely get the door shut and he is there again. transitioning. testing. i get it. i am hanging in there because i know who wins this battle: me. just stay consistent. but, man!) with delicious outcomes. homemade really IS better, doesn't matter what you are talking about. and you'd think i'd have figured it out by now, but i am still shocked every time i make something new for the first time, particularly something i spent most of my life thinking you could only get from the store (butter, kitchen cleaning spray, ricotta cheese......).


the other day i made this chocolate avocado pudding. it makes for an awesome fruit dipper (or graham cracker dipper or cookie dipper....or just plain delicious pudding in deedee and pete's case). not that its a problem because its so yummy, but eat it quick, after 2 days it started to smell like rotten banana.  best part, its a guilt free treat for momma to heap upon baby's plate. yes, you MAY have more chocolate pudding, little man!

am working up the motivation to create a meal plan for the rest of this month and actually stick to it (once daddy is home, when he's away we eat random, yet healthy, meals....lots of raw veggie salads for me). i think if i could prep dinner the night before so when i did have a free minute i could be cooking instead of prepping, it would be a huge stress saver. and i'm all about saving stress when possible.

cinnamon maple almond butter

yes. it IS as good as it sounds. i found the recipe here via my sweet friend sarah who dabbles in these types of things and shares all her finds with me.

preheat oven to 325
mix 1 c organic almonds with 2.5 T real maple syrup
spread onto baking sheet covered with paper
bake 15 minutes stirring 3 times to avoid burning
let cool 2-5 minutes (if the cool too much it'll be hard to cream them)
stick them in the cusineart and let it do its thing for at least 15 minutes, scraping the sides when you need it.
add 1/4 t salt and 1/2 t cinnamon (and drizzle in a tiny bit of olive oil if its too dry).

viola!


other things on my radar:
-finding organic strawberries for a huge jam-making session with mom
-finally making my homemade deoderant 
-remembering to water and care for our little wildflower patch and garden (carrots, lettuce, beans). its something pete and i really enjoy doing each morning together, although truth be told he much prefers watering the house or fence to watering the little plants that actually need it.
-figuring out the exact perfect ratio of cool rinses and soap and stripping and elastic positioning to get get my cloth diapers whipped back into shape. i'm hoping that line drying them again now that the hot weather is here will help. little lady bug may be potty training earlier than pete if this keeps up!
-scouring to the ends of the internet to find new, non-toxic, safe for everybody to touch and breath personal care products.  am excited for my shampoo/conditioner samples to arrive as well as my new water based nail polish (acquarella). if the shampoo/conditioner is a no go, i am going to try no 'poo method.  either way, washing my hair every 2-4 days has actually been awesome - i had no idea it was possible (well i did, my grandma can go for a whole week! something about wrapping your head in toilet paper at night, hehe-i think that's only for special occasions though, right?).  i always thought it would be greasy if i didn't wash it every. single. day. but like most things with our amazing bodies, the oil production from your scalp is a supply and demand thing - strip it away less with harsh shampoos and hair color treatments and it will produce less oil. washing it less frequently and really massaging the scalp when you DO wash it also seems to grow your hair a lot faster. all good things....all things i wish i would have known y-e-a-r-s ago.
-really getting dressed each day instead of changing out of pajamas into work out clothes and back into pajamas at the end of the day. i need to pay a little more attention to me (for my husband's sake!) in the midst of all the business of my day.
-constantly looking for an "elefuff" (elephant) with pete. his latest obsession. at the park yesterday he pointed to a trail and told me he saw an elefuff so we went in search but never did find him. today twice we heard a squeaky truck that really did sound like an elephant and pete said "hear elefuff???" - once i told him bumpah knew where it was, he talked the rest of the afternoon about going to bumpah's house to look for the elefuff. i told him when deedee arrived (TOMORROW!!!) we'd go to the zoo and look for him there. :)

farm to table goodness

this morning i had the delight to attend a cooking class at cups la jolla, a dazzling little cupcake shop in la jolla over on the coast (same place we had jen's baby shower awhile back) with chef jesus gonzalez. the premise of the course was showing you simple and delectable ways to use all the farm fresh goodness we are blessed with in san diego with year round growing conditions.  we've recently joined a csa (community supported agriculture, you buy a share of a farm and they provide you weekly with a box of fresh, locally grown organic produce) and are attending our farmers' market weekly and i am taking full advantage of finding new ways to make our diet even more healthy. i was amazed at the simple yet absolutely gorgeous and delicious dishes we prepared today in a short period of time with just a handful of fresh produce each and some simple additions like agave, milk, flour, saffron, red quinoa and brown rice. thank you to the ladies in the course and the staff at cups la jolla, not to mention the great chef who was so sweet and patient, yet completely in command of a group of 12 women all trying to figure out what jesus wanted us to do (we didn't have recipes, he just flitted amongst us and kept us all going on our projects happening simultaneously, it was brilliant!).

my friend sarah and i with chef jesus

 dessert first, because i can:  5 phyllo dough sheets, laid out one at a time, and between each was sprayed with canola oil cooking spray and a fine sprinkle of brown sugar. once the sheets were laid out, placed a chunk of delicious goat cheese in one corner topped with pears and apples sauteed with some agave and a few walnuts, then rolled it up and baked it. delightful.

 red quinoa burgers: quinoa looks similar to couscous but a bit bigger and it is a complete protein (packed with all 9 essential amino acids) with a slightly nutty flavor. according to this website, "...Because quinoa is a very good source of manganese as well as a good source of magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus, this "grain" may be especially valuable for persons with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis." anway, in addition to red quinoa, there was finely diced carrot, bell pepper, white turnip....they were really wonderful and i'm looking forward to making them for pete.

 fresh ricotta with sweet sauteed fruit topped with granola: WE MADE RICOTTA CHEESE! this blew my mind. honestly, i really didn't know you could make your own ricotta and boy was it absolutely easy. we boiled 1/2 gallon of milk, once it came to a boil we removed the heat and added 1/2 c vinegar and 1 t salt and stirred.  almost immediately the curds formed. after a few minutes we poured the mixture through a cheesecloth draped strainer (and caught the whey which is the liquid that pours off of the cheese to keep for use in a smoothie later as its a wonderful pure source of protein) and served it topped with the fruit that had been sauteed earlier for the dessert, we just added banana to it. we also made granola which was so easy i am kicking myself for having been so afraid to try it before now - simple and delightful! this was an amazing thing to serve as a breakfast dish or even as a dessert.

a fresh take on potato salad: a salad base with another layer of diced tomatoes topped with purple potato salad. we diced the potatoes and then boiled them (purple potatoes have a higher starch content than your average potato so he suggested never to attempt making mashed potatoes with them) and combined the boiled potatoes with 5 diced hard cooked eggs, diced celery and mixed with a beautiful homemade avocado based creamy yet zippy dressing and garnished with sprouts.

dishes not pictured:

-saffron orange bread (so amazing)

-brown rice butternut squash and mushroom risotto - this may be the most delicious thing i've ever tasted

-roasted carrots and turnips

am so very inspired to take my meal plans to a new level after taking this course - and very much looking forward to receiving the recipes via e-mail this week from the chef himself. we're already planning our next course, perhaps a raw foods experience in may!

baking whole wheat chocolate cookies with the fastest hands in the west

this child is a cookie dough snatcher! he loved helping me roll and cut out the cookies. he loved helping brush water on top and sprinkle (or dump in his case) sugar on top before baking. but in every stage of the process, he was snatching dough and popping it in his mouth (if you've ever seen ELF, it was like Will Ferrell popping cotton balls in his mouth).  other than the stress of trying to keep enough dough around to have cookies to show for it all, the project went pretty well. i mean, sanitary conditions aside - when there is a toddler assisting, all bets are off!

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies & cream cheese frosting

oh my. seriously amazing. more please?

yep, they're that good. i am sure you bought one too many can's of pumpkin for the upcoming thanksgiving celebrations....and now you have a use for it! check out the recipe over at MADE. they are easy, fast and DELICIOUS!
*i had to bake mine more like 17 minutes for them to be "done", they are the softer tricky kind of cookie to know for sure if they are ready so just watch them carefully*

now, i have to ask all the domestic gods and goddesses in my family that read the blog - is there a trick to making "drop" cookies pretty? the photos of her cookies sure seem less dropped than mine.

birthday cake in a jar for my marine

my sweet friend jen discovered this awesome idea: sending real home-baked birthday cake in a jar to your GI Joe. i was all stressed about it not working but honestly it couldn't have been easier. i followed this post at "loving a soldier blog".  they claim these will stay good 2-3 weeks and since the mail is only taking a week it works out perfectly! the process, in a nutshell, is this.  mix up cake batter (i used betty crocker rainbow confetti cake as is reid's annual request). spray non-stick generously inside each jar (grandma, i used the PAM baking spray and it is the same as the regular except i think it is scented to smell like cookies, not joking). fill each jar ONLY 1/2 way. your brain will want to fill it more than 1/2 way but don't do it: these things rise up in the baking process so actually err on the side of less than 1/2 because i had to cut the top of some of my cakes off to get the lids to go on (you should get six jars per box of cake mix). wipe the top of the jars clear of any non-stick spray and batter, you'll need this surface to be clean to receive the lids at the end to allow them to seal properly.  bake at 400 degrees for 33 minutes (that's what it took in my oven, note this is a hotter temp than what is listed on the cake package). i baked 6 jars of cake at a time on a cookie sheet for easy removal and to help them ot top on the baking rack in the oven. while you are baking, boil the lids. have a space ready for your hot jars, i just laid out some kitchen towels in a non-busy corner of the counter. place the jars on the towels, remove the hot lids one at a time from the boiling water, dab dry of water and place on top of lid with seal meeting up with the top of the jar and loosely screw on the canning ring just enough to keep the lid in place.  repeat for the next batch. i made 21. so this was an all evening affair waiting for each batch to bake up. while i waited i whipped up some simple little notes for the top so everyone knew who to "pay extra attention to" that day (yes, its true, the marines may not show their love the same way we ladies do...but i'm sure he enjoyed the extra attention nonetheless).  let them sit until they are cool and sealed (listen for the lids to pop, they say). you can tighten up the rings a bit more when they are cool if you are crazy like me, although i do believe real canners remove them entirely. you have to trust your equipment. i guess i trust that my rock climbing harness will work when i am dangling from the side of a rock face but i do not trust that my canning seal will hold. all in good time, young grasshopper. :)

the final step is delivering 4 flat-rate shipping boxes to the post office WITH your two children in two. and these boxes are heavy. my solution? wore betsy in the ergo carrier. put petey in one side of the wagon, stacked the three heavier boxes on the other end of the wagon and made him hold the light one (the 4th was not for reid, it was a return item). people always look at us like we are the circus come to town when we go to the post office. the look is a mix of shock and entertainment. if only that extra attention translated to someone opening the door for us. if you ever see a mom pulling a wagon full of kids and boxes and wearing a baby on her front, please open the door for her and smile when you do it! we moms really love that!

great grandma maxine's egg noodles

i only remember a few things about my great grandma max.  i absolutely remember her face and the way her hair was always just so and beautiful.  she always had one big beautiful aprons. she was an amazing cook (i particularly remember her chicken and noodles and her ginger cookies) and the way she always sat in her chair across from great grandpa topper watching me somersault my way across her living room. they'd chuckle as i showed off and great grandpa would always say "i bet you can't do that, maxine" and she'd laugh. she and my great grandpa had a master bedroom with his and her twin beds. and she had a really interesting toilet paper storage system.  there are surely a handful of scatterbrained memories of this woman whose home i loved visiting -  i wish i remembered more, but those are the things a young child remembers.  anyway.  awhile ago i found out my grandma jan (maxine's daughter), who i consider the queen of all things domestic, had never made noodles in her entire life. she says her mom always brought the noodles when they were making anything involving noodles since it was her specialty. and since grandma jan was visiting and i wanted to learn the art, we decided to embark upon this culinary adventure together. and boy was it e-a-s-y.  we were both expecting some big, drawn out, messy process. but really, its quite simple. you make a super simple dough. you roll it out and let it dry. you cut it and let it dry some more.  we haven't sampled the final results yet but the uncooked noodles were fantastic (which my grandpa virgil remembers was a favorite childhood activity of his and was disappointed to hear petey didn't get to eat any of the raw dough).  so here are the pictures and the recipe is at the end:

Maxine's Homemade Egg Noodles
*makes about 6 cups*
2 cups all purpose flour
3 egg yolks
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup water

1. Measure flour into mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add egg yolks, whole egg and salt.
2. With hands, thoroughly mix egg into flour.  Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. (Add only enough water to form dough into a ball)
3. Turn dough onto well-floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
4. Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Roll dough, 1 part at a time, into paper-thin rectangle, keeping remaining dough covered (we rolled them into circles because grandma jan remembers that great grandma maxine always rolled hers into circles and we ladies sometimes just do things because our mother's did them that way and that's a fact).
5. Let dry (we used cooling racks used for baking) for about 2 hours until edges are dry and cracking a bit.
6. Cut into 1/8 inch or smaller strips using pizza cutter (before every kitchen had a rolling pizza cutter apparently they'd roll them loosly up and then slice them with a knife) and drop helter skelter onto a cookie sheet to dry.
7. Every once in awhile walk by and "wooshle" the pile of noodles to check how they are drying and break apart the longer strands.  When dry, break dry strips into smaller pieces.
8. Cook in 3 quarts boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt) 12 to 15 minutes or until tender. Drain thoroughly.

homemade bread experiment: recipe 1

thank you to my darling friend emily for sharing with me her weekly used bread recipe. i've had the honor of sampling her handiwork so i know this recipe is great. just needed to try it for myself!

Three Loaf Whole Wheat Bread

1 c milk
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c sugar
2 T salt
1/2 c butter
2 1/4 c warm water (105-115)
3 pkg yeast
3 c whole wheat flour
7-8 c all purpose flour

scald milk, stir in sugars, salt and butter until melted.  cool to lukewarm. pour warm water into mixer bowl and add yeast, stir until dissolved.  add warm milk mixture, whole wheat flour and 1 c all purpose flour and mix until smooth (i used a dough hook for all the mixing).  add additional all purpose flour 1 c at a time until you have a stiff dough (i added 4 1/2 c whole wheat four instead of all purpose flour).  turn outu onto lightly floured board (again i used whole wheat) and knead until smooth and elastic (10-12 minutes).  cover and let rise 15 minutes.  separate into 3 equal parts and roll each into 8 inch by 12 inch rectangles.  roll up and press ends down.  please each in a greased loaf pan. cover and let rise 2 1/2 hours.  bake on lowest racks at 375 degrees F for 30-35 minutes (i baked mine 30 minutes and they are great - just watch yours, the times may vary based on your oven and whether or not you use all whole wheat flour or use all purpose flour).  Remove from pans and let cool on rack.

enjoy while still warm with butter and honey!!!!!

do you have a favorite bread recipe?  i'm looking for one good staple, make every week or so kind of recipe for sandwiches and serving with meals.  i'd like to try a few so i can actually call it my favorite instead of calling it the only bread recipe i've ever made. :)

recipe review: raw carrot cake, mudballs and p90x

i am dying to make this raw carrot cake at two blue lemons
in fact, their blog is full of fascinating, colorful DELICIOUS looking vegetarian/vegan recipes. i never thought i'd be so excited about something like this but i am going to have to give a few of these a whirl to be sure i get the most of our awesome summertime plenty of local fresh fruits and veggies!

these mudballs at new nostalgia are delightful. the flavor is reminiscent of a reeses peanut butter cup....but not so naughty.  its nice to give your son a snack that has health benefits and still satisfies a sweet tooth.  we shared them with a "test audience" last night and they received rave reviews and a demand for the recipe immediately which i took as a good sign. many more of these to come.  she doesn't mention it at her post but i put my rolled out balls on a cookie sheet in the fridge to firm them up and then decided to keep them in the fridge, they are super-delicious served chilled.  once at room temperature they get kind of gooey and messy which isn't always a bad thing. but a food-throwing-prone-almost-2-year-old makes less gooey and less messy appealing to this momma. fridge = yes.


i've also started a workout program called p90x. you do the specified workout every day for 90 days (12 workouts in all). i've been impressed so far with the program. even better, they give you a nutrition "guide"...i use the term loosely. i'm certainly not on a diet but i AM trying to do a better job of consciously eating the things my body needs instead of the things my comfort-food-cravings demand.  they teach you about portion sizes and what counts as a carb or a fruit or a protein serving. they also offer meal plans with recipes included. i was skeptical of the recipes but have been absolutely floored with the quality of the outcome and the delicious flavorful results we've been enjoying.  we've tried the gazpacho (cold tomato soup), granola pear muffins, chicken burritos and tuna salad.  this week i plan to make their vegetable soup, white bean tuna salad and italian (turkey) meatloaf.  its nice to make a few healthy things, grill a couple pieces of chicken or turkey and then swap them around throughout the week for my meals.  there's certainly enough with many of the recipes to freeze half a batch.  i plan to take half of everything i make this weekend to a gal in the squadron who just had a baby.

lemon poppy seed sugar cookies

petey and i whipped up a batch of these delicious cookies (recipe is found at my kitchen cafe).  they were really easy to make and we really enjoyed them - they just taste like summer!  careful during the baking process, i found that they baked quickly and browned easily on the edges (normally my oven requires 3-6 additional minutes from the recommended baking time for baked goods so i was surprised).  in the photo below you can tell which half of the cookies were my first cookie sheet, they got a bit more brown than i would have liked.  i'd also recommend using a different method than "dropping" them....they don't really swell nicely into a perfect cookie shape but sort of retain whatever goopy look your drop left them with. but they are still super yummy! enjoy!  petey did :)

*photo from my kitchen cafe*

and then there was jam

nothing like having your best gal to help you make homemade strawberry jam, staying up until 1 am to do it.......and especially wonderful knowing your toddlers picked the strawberries you made it from!
(we followed the recipe that came with the ball canning jars!)

healthy rhubarb bread recipe

its been a goal of mine to make something with rhubarb.....keeps ending up on my random 'want to do' lists.....and i've finally done it.  while wandering the bernardo farmers' market last week with emily and our littles i came across a sweet old gal selling rhubarb.  she was surprised that a young lady like me knew what rhubarb was. ahem. i've been eating rhubarb sauce and rhubarb bread and strawberry rhubarb crisp my whole life - that tart yummy red ingredient that makes everything taste like home. so i grabbed some, not knowing how to use it or what to make out of it.....but knowing i'd figure it out.  and i did - found this great rhubarb bread recipe at bellybytes.com. its super moist and delicious....we enjoyed a little taste of it in the mornings with our breakfast all week long!

Ingredients:
2-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 eggs
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups finely chopped rhubarb
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

TOPPING:
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat two standard-size loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice in a bowl and set aside.
In another bowl, beat the eggs, buttermilk, brown sugar, applesauce and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients all at once, and stir until just moistened. Do not over mix. Stir in the rhubarb and walnuts. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans.
To make the topping, mix together the butter, walnuts and brown sugar. Spread evenly over the top of both loaves. Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes, or until a sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Recipe makes 24 servings.
Each serving contains approximately:
126 calories, 3 grams fat, 17 milligrams cholesterol, 140 milligrams sodium, 23 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein and 1 gram fiber.

homemade fresh tomato marinara sauce

i used the recipe from epicurean.com.......i didn't search long or hard, just picked one on a whim and gave it a whirl.  my only recipe criteria was all fresh ingredients - no canned or processed anything. if i was going to use that i would have just bought the sauce from the store in the first place.

i'm a first time blanch-er of tomatoes so after a call to my darling grandmother to get her tips and advice on such a thing, i set out and made it happen.  it turned out beautifully - although i did chop it up a bit more in the cuisineart because my hubby is a big picky about the chunky stuff....then i added some delicious homemade (not by me) sauce and chopped mushrooms and a teensy bit of sugar because my dad always did that and it seems important to do what your dad always did, right?  anyway...its on the table and smelling fabulous.  of course a taste test after heating it for dinner revealed that it is, indeed, awesome.  i've got another quart of it in the freezer for another day.  making it from scratch is more work than grabbing a jar from the store and putting it on the stove.....but it is definitely exciting and fulfilling and, if i say so myself, way more delicious.  even if you are imagining its more delicious because you know you made it with lots of time on your feet in the kitchen instead of taking a nap. :)
start with some good looking tomatoes - this was about 2.75 pounds

then you boil them for about 15-25 seconds until the skin loosens

then the skin slips right off - after their skin is gone you cut them open and use your thumb to 'rake' out the inner seeds and juice and keep the fleshy part of the tomato for your sauce.  for other things you could keep the seeds, but i opted to leave them out of my marinara. then squash up the tomato flesh with your hands. :)

saute some onions and garlic in olive oil.....add some parsley and basil and white wine near the end...

and there you have it. delicious!  i blanched, peeled and de-seeded the tomatoes during the little guy's nap tuesday and made the sauce wednesday and served for dinner thursday (i added the meat and mushrooms the day i served). yum!