Crispy, yet fluffy GF Waffles with Rhubarb Sauce and Strawberries

Recently when I wanted to make waffles for breakfast my husband implored me to find a recipe that was crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. He doesn't eat gluten free now that Lent is over (we gave up gluten for Lent:), but I am still trying - I feel better when I avoid it. Oh yeah, back to the waffles...I found a recipe for crispy fluffy waffles, so I gave it a try - he was happy. I tried it with GF flours and wasn't quite as happy, but made some adjustments and have found a new favorite waffle recipe. The first time I made these waffles I only used one egg white, but since the little guy needed some breakfast too I decided to cook him up an egg yolk and use the extra white in the waffle batter.

Rhubarb and strawberries are in season now, so we ate our breakfast waffles sans our usual maple syrup and avec rhubarb sauce and sliced strawberries. The end result...magnifique! Oh and I had a couple leftover that I ended up using to make myself a PB&J sandwich for lunch - I sometimes crave them and have not found a good GF bread recipe as of yet. Well, I have not really tried as I am already awful at making yeast bread...so I stick to "quick" breads and usually do much better.

Crispy & Fluffy Gluten Free Waffles

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour
• 1 T cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• 2 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup milk
• 6 - 8 T oil (any combo of coconut and light olive oil)
• 1 large egg, separated (+ an extra egg white - optional)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients (almond flour through baking soda), mix to combine and set aside.
2. Melt coconut oil, if solid, and add buttermilk, milk and vanilla. Separate egg(s), adding yolk to liquid mixture. I like to use a large spouted measuring cup for the liquid mixture and add the dry ingredients to it, but you could add the liquid to the dry and stir to combine. Allow the batter to rest while you whip up the egg whites.
3. Whip the egg whites with a mixer or by hand (this will take awhile by hand, but is possible) until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
4. The egg whites will make the waffles nice and fluffy and the oil will make them crispy. So, start with 6 T of oil and add more if they are not crispy enough.
5. Pour the batter into your hot waffle iron and cook until crispy. Place on a cookie sheet and into a 200 degree preheated oven to keep the waffles warm. Makes 8-10 square waffles.

Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 20 min Ready in: 40 min

*My notes: It is easy to make your own buttermilk and creme fraiche (sour cream) from buttermilk starter and milk or buttermilk and heavy cream. I like to buy a half pint of buttermilk (not ultra pasteurized) and add it to milk to make more buttermilk or add it to heavy cream (check the ingredient label to make sure there are no other ingredients besides cream and that it is not ultra pasteurized) to make sour cream. Pour 1/4 cup buttermilk into a glass jar, add 1-2 cups milk or cream, shake to mix thoroughly and leave out on the counter for 24 hours to thicken. Then refrigerate. Voila - buttermilk and creme fraiche, without added ingredients like carrageenan.

For the Rhubarb Sauce, combine about 2 cups of chopped rhubarb with 1/2 cup honey and 1-2 T water. Bring to a boil then allow to simmer until all of the rhubarb has softened. Check for desired sweetness - should be just barely sweet and still quite tart. Optional - add a dash or two of cinnamon.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays and Simple Lives Thursday.

Grilled Carne Asada

Ryan and I love Mexican food. Unfortunately we have not found a GREAT (authentic) Mexican restaurant in our current city, though we have tried. The first time we tried Carne Asada (and were blown away at how good it was), we were in an unlikely location for finding GREAT Mexican food. We were way up in the mountains of Colorado in Glenwood Springs. Sorry, I can't remember the name of the restaurant, one of our hotel staff (who happened to be Hispanic) suggested it to us. And rather than eating our typical favorites, Ryan decided to ask what the waiter recommended and went with it. It was by far the best Mexican meal we have eaten, in the USA. Since then we have tried the same meal at other Mexican restaurants, but have not had anything nearly as good.

I finally decided to try making it myself. After looking through several recipes online I decided to create my own - none of them sounded quite like what we had in Colorado. The result - quite tasty, if I do say so myself. This was the second time I have made it and each time I learn a little something. If you like Mexican, it is definitely worth a try! This meal can easily be made gluten free by serving with corn tortillas instead of flour. Scroll down past the Carne Asada recipe for two bonus condiment recipes:)

Grilled Carne Asada

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb Skirt or Flank Steak (or Venison), sliced thin
• 1/2 Onion
• 1 handful Cilantro
• 2 + cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Orange, juiced
• 1 - 2 Limes, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, 1/2 tsp chili powder, or 1 jalapeno (depending on preferred heat level)
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil

Directions

1. To ensure thin slicing of meat, put in freezer for an hour or so if fully thawed. Meat tends to be easier to slice thin when slightly frozen.
2. To make marinade, combine onion through Cayenne pepper in a food processor and process until fine. Stir in olive oil.
3. Place thinly sliced meat into marinade, stirring to coat and refrigerate for at least an hour, but up to eight.
4. Preheat grill to high. Oil grill grates to prevent sticking. Meat will not take long to cook, about 2 minutes on each side as it is very thin.
5. Serve with tortillas, refried beans, grilled onions (green or regular), grilled peppers, sour cream and guacamole. Salsa is optional - it doesn't come with the meal in a restaurant, but is always on the table.

Prep Time: 4 h Cook Time: 10 min Ready in: 4 h 10 min

Carne Asada courtesy of Jamie Del Balso.

Fresh Salsa

 6 ripe tomatoes, I like to use Romas because they are a bit less juicy, quartered
1/2 sweet pepper, green pepper or jalapeno
1/2 onion
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 large handful of cilantro
1/2 of lime, juiced
salt to taste

Combine pepper, onion and garlic in food processor and process until it reaches your desired consistency. Remove and place in a bowl. Add quartered tomatoes and cilantro, pulse until tomatoes reach desired consistency. Combine tomatoes with onion mixture add salt and lime juice and voila - Fresh Salsa, without all the chopping by hand. You can do the chopping by hand if you prefer an even chunkier salsa. I do it both ways, depending on my mood.

Guacamole
2 avocados, ripe
2 Tblsp fresh salsa (see above)
1 clove garlic, minced
salt to taste

Mash avocados, add fresh salsa, minced garlic and salt to taste. If you want Guacamole for a crowd, double or triple the above recipe. Note: If you don't have the above ingredients for salsa, at least add some lime juice and  potentially fresh chopped cilantro and fresh chopped ripe tomatoes. Oh and I have been known to make guac in my food processor after making salsa - if I need to make a large quantity.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday, These Chicks Cooked, Creative Juice, and Gluten-Free Wednesday.
  

Left-over Rice - For Breakfast

Lately I have found myself throwing away left-over rice that has sat in the refrigerator for far too long. :( Once we are finished eating the left-over food that went with the rice I never know what to do with it. Then, it came to me the other day - BREAKFAST. I was cooking eggs for a typical fried eggs and toast meal, but I wasn't really in the mood for toast. Suddenly I had an urge to have my yolk a little runny (which is not normal for me at all - I like my fried eggs over HARD). Thinking of the left-over rice in the fridge, and an article that I had read about breakfast in other cultures not being so "set" as our American breakfast, but usually more like last night's dinner re-heated; I decided to try a scaled down version of Bibimbap for breakfast. Basically seasoned rice (soy sauce and hot sauce) with a runny egg over the top - and I LOVED IT!

I enjoyed my runny egg over rice breakfast so much, I decided to do it again, but this time I added sauteed carrots and spinach to it. Even better! Really this could be a meal for any time of day - Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner. Now I am looking forward to having left-over rice in my fridge and using it to add variety to my breakfast repertoire. In the recipe below I added some veggie ideas for the Breakfast Bibimbap, but I say whatever you have on hand would go great with your runny egg and seasoned rice. Oh and measurements for seasonings below are approximate, I didn't really measure, I drizzled the Tamari and Toasted Sesame Oil over the rice. Be Creative!


This post is part of Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday, These Chicks Cooked, Creative Juice, and Gluten-Free Wednesday.

Breakfast Bibimbap

Ingredients

• 1 cup Left-over Rice
• 1 teaspoon Tamari (Soy Sauce or Shoyu)
• 1 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
• Hot Sauce to taste
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1/2 Carrot, sliced in rectangles
• 1 Handful of Spinach
• 1 Handful of Mushrooms, sliced or chopped
• 1 Handful of Bean Sprouts
• 1 - 2 Eggs
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Re-heat left-over rice and add Tamari/Soy Sauce, Toasted Sesame Oil and Hot Sauce.
2. Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in a pan over medium heat, add sliced carrots, mushrooms and bean sprouts (or veggies of choice). Season with salt and pepper.
3. Pour boiling water over spinach until wilted, and press out excess water.
4. Place cooked/wilted veggies over seasoned rice.
5. Add remaining Tablespoon of butter in hot pan and add egg(s), salt and pepper as desired. Cook egg sunny side up or over easy, so that yolk is still "runny" - which adds great flavor to this dish. Place egg on top of veggies and rice.
6. Dig in!

Prep Time: 5 min Cook Time: 10 min Ready in: 15 min

Breakfast Bibimbap courtesy of Jamie Del Balso.

Crockpot Indian

Chicken Tikka Masala and Mattar Paneer are my two favorite dishes to order at an Indian restaurant, although I am not sure how authentic the first is. When we were in India I was never able to find it on a menu and Americans living in Bangladesh and India had not heard of it. Anyway, this recipe is kind of a combination of both of my favorite dishes. I have made a more traditional Chicken Tikka Masala, but it is a bit of work with the marinade and skewers and grilling, so I much prefer this easier crockpot version. You can also do it with bone-in chicken pieces (layering the sauce, chicken, and cauliflower in your crockpot), but the paneer is just so much easier.

If you do not have access to an Indian grocery store and cannot find paneer in your area, you could always make your own using milk and lemon juice. I have not yet done this, but maybe I will someday, just to see what it is like. If you do have access to an Indian grocery store, pick up a can of pureed mango while you are there and use it to make Mango Lassi to go with your meal (plain yogurt, mango puree, water to thin, and sugar or honey to taste - blend until smooth). Oh and freeze the left-over mango puree for more Mango Lassi or Mango Margaritas:)

Due to my children eating this meal, we do not make it very spicy. If you want more spice, feel free to add a chopped jalapeno with the garlic and ginger.

It is definitely worth the time to make some Whole Wheat Chapatis (Roti) to go with the meal, and I recommend letting the flour mixture sit for 2 hours or more (when I remember to start early enough, I do this). And I've tried the dry skillet method, but it doesn't work well for me, so I use an oil sprayer to coat the pan before each Chapatis goes in. Here is another recipe from one of my favorite Food Network Hosts, for Indian Griddle Breads (aka Chapatis).

Paneer Mattar Masala

Ingredients

• 1 Package of Paneer
• 3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
• 1 Large Onion, chopped
• 3 Cloves Garlic, pressed
• 1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Ginger
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Coriander
• 1 Teaspoon Turmeric
• 2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
• 2 Teaspoons Paprika
• 1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 28 oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1/2 Juice of, Lemon
• 1/2 Head of Cauliflower, broken into small florets
• 1 Cup Frozen Peas (thawed or frozen)
• 1 Salt to Taste
• 1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

Directions

1. Cut the paneer into bite sized pieces and set aside. (I typically only use half of a block and freeze the other half for another time or another recipe.)

2. In a skillet, heat 3 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and add the chopped onion.
3. While onion is softening, mix together the dry spices in a small bowl.
4. Add the paneer to the onions and brown slightly then add the garlic and ginger. Once this is fragrant add the dry spices and mix thoroughly to coat.
5. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and lemon juice. (The original recipe calls for using an immersion blender or blending about half of the sauce, but I just keep it thick - do what you like. If you do want to blend it, then don't brown the paneer with the onions; add it after the sauce is blended.)
6. In your crockpot combine the sauce, (paneer if blending sauce), and cauliflower.

7. Because the original recipe called for chicken, the instructions were to cook on high for one hour and then low for 4 - 4 1/2 hours, but with paneer that is not necessary. If you want to cook this all day, while you are at work - then I would put it on low and cook for the entire day. If you have much less time or want to start it in the middle of the day (say during nap time) then cook on high for an hour or so and turn to low until cauliflower is at desired tenderness.
8. Add the peas during the last half hour of cooking.
9. Before serving, stir in the Heavy Cream, use as much as desired. If you don't have cream, half and half or whole milk will also work, but my preference is the creaminess of the heavy cream.
10. Serve over rice and with Whole Wheat Roti/Chapatis.

Prep Time: 30 min Cook Time: 5 h 30 min Ready in: 6 h

Paneer Mattar Masala courtesy of Jamie Del Balso.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays and Simple Lives Thursday.

A Family Tradition

Every year in August my husband's extended family gets together for a reunion of sorts. They call it "The Rendezvous." The tradition started after both grandparents had died and the family wanted to continue meeting together on a regular basis. It is a camping weekend for anyone who is able to make it, for any length of time. When we first got married The Rendezvous was at a campground, but they were changing there group camping policy or location or something and the family decided to look into alternate options. That's when some of the family members that had land and a "hunting cabin" decided to share it with the rest of us. Each year money is saved to make improvements on the property for The Rendezvous. There are two ponds and a creek flowing through the property. One of the ponds is for swimming and even has a waterslide. Both ponds are great for frog and tadpole hunting. The woods is a wonderful place for a hike, nature walks, and general exploring. Most of the family brings in RVs or pop-up campers for the weekend, while some of us still use a tent.

We look forward to The Rendezvous every year, such wonderful family memories are made there. The menu used to change each year depending on who was "hosting" the event, but now we have established a fairly set menu. My favorite meal is always the one served on Saturday night. It is filled with Family recipes. Grandpa Hall's glazed chicken, roasted over a huge pile of coals, with special grilling racks built specifically for The Rendezvous. Then there are the sides, always boiled corn on the cob, coleslaw and potato salad. My mouth is watering just thinking about the meal and looking forward to the once a year that we can enjoy it with family. The only recipe that I have attempted to make at home is the coleslaw. I've made a few adaptations, mainly cutting the sugar in half and changing the oil choice and when it is added, it is now our go to recipe for coleslaw after so many dissatisfying coleslaw recipes that we have tried over the years.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays.


Hall Family Coleslaw

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Sugar, Sucanat, Turbinado (could try honey or other sweetener)
• 1 cup White Vinegar
• 1 small Onion, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon Celery Seed
• 1/4 teaspoon Dry Mustard
• 3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 head Cabbage
• 1 teaspoon Salt

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except EVOO in small sauce pan, stir until combined. Bring to a boil for five minutes. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool.
2. While vinegar mixture is on the stove, slice cabbage very thin and place in a colander. Sprinkle the salt over the sliced cabbage, mixing to assure all the cabbage has received some salt, then allow to "drain" for at least 30 minutes. Do not rinse.
3. When the vinegar mixture has cooled, mix in the EVOO and whip (with a whisk) until well blended.
4. Pour the dressing over the cabbage and stir thoroughly.
5. The dressing can be made ahead of time and used whenever you are ready to have coleslaw, just store it in a glass jar.
6. Usually coleslaw gets better overtime, but we seem to prefer this the first day. It tends to get a bit too sweet for us after it sits for a few days.

Prep Time: 45 min Cook Time: 5 min Ready in: 50 min

Hall Family Coleslaw courtesy of Jamie Del Balso.

A Little Help From A Friend

When my first child was born we had moved across the country only months before our daughter was born. We had met only a handful of people, many of them kind enough to offer to bring us a meal, which we were so thankful for. One of these kind folks was a Korean friend who offered to bring spaghetti. I was surprised and had hoped for something more um, Korean. So, I asked. Apparently their family loves spaghetti, so she thought I would enjoy it too. Instead she brought Bulgogi, a Korean style lettuce wrap. It was DELICIOUS! Our friendship grew and she often made this meal (and others) for our family while we lived in Colorado. One day I asked for the recipe, so she gave me the long list of ingredients and told me to marinate the meat for about 12 hours! I was shocked and suddenly overwhelmed by her generosity. Since I had young children she would not let me repay the favor, although she often called us to help her understand some English phrase or words that she didn't know the meaning of. Ryan and I always enjoyed her calls, the questions she asked were always so random. Finally I convinced her and her family to come over for dinner on Christmas Eve for a homemade pasta meal - Ryan's family pasta, Cavatelli. That was most definitely a labor of love, but so worth it to say thank you to this very special friend and her family.

I'm tearing up (mostly with joy) just thinking about my friends in Colorado and the special couple of years we had in Family Housing. Just walking around Smiley Court at dinner time was like traveling to several countries at once. The food from others' kitchens always smelled better than whatever I was making that night for dinner. Alas, I digress...

Lettuce wraps sound kind of "summery," but actually many of the ingredients are in season right now! This recipe makes a lot, but my friend often marinated extra meat and froze it for future use. I have frozen the marinade ready to use at a later date. Feel free to cut it in half, thirds, even fourths, or make up some batches for the freezer. But you really may as well make all of the marinade as I am sure you and your family will love this meal! In fact, I served Venison Bulgogi to our Bible Study and no one knew that it wasn't beef. I told them after the meal, they all loved it. My friend always served this with a spicy bean paste, but when I stopped by a local Korean grocery store to pick some up, the owner did not know what I was requesting (nor did I really). So we sometimes add an Asian garlic hot sauce to add some kick to ours.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays over at Kelly the Kitchen Kop's site. Check it out for more great recipes. This post is also part of Simple Lives Thursday. Check out more great posts for living simply, HERE.

Bulgogi

Ingredients

• 5 lbs Beef (or venison) cut pepper thin (you can use a cheaper cut here as the marinade makes it super tender)
• 1 cup Soy Sauce (fermented), Tamari, etc
• 1/2 cup Sugar (you could try less or use honey)
• 1/4 cup Sesame Oil
• 1/2 cup Chopped Green Onion (I've used regular onions)
• 1/4 cup Sesame Seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 3 Tablespoons Garlic, crushed
• 1 Pear, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1/2 Apple, seeded and roughly chopped
• 6 oz Pineapple Juice (no sugar added)
• 1 Head of Lettuce - Romaine, Bibb, anything large enough to use as a wrap
• Cooked Rice, preferably brown or a mix of whole grain rice
• Stirfry Veggies - broccoli, onion, carrots, water chestnuts, mushrooms, cabbage - whatever you like, cut small
• Spicy Bean Paste, or other asian hot sauce

Directions

1. Ask your butcher to cut the meat pepper thin, or do it yourself when the meat is slightly frozen (you can throw it in the freezer for about an hour or so, while you make the marinade and this should do the trick).
2. In a blender, combine the Soy Sauce through Pineapple Juice and blend until thoroughly combined.
3. In a non-reactive container, combine meat and marinade. If you plan on freezing some, go ahead and separate that now and place in the freezer. Marinate the meat for at least 12 hours.
4. When you are ready to prepare the meal, heat a skillet over medium to medium high heat. Add the meat and whatever stirfry veggies you would like to use. Cook until the meat is cooked through and the veggies remain somewhat crisp. You may need to work in batches depending on how big of a skillet you have.
5. Serve with lettuce, rice, and your choice of spicy sauce. Our friends always put less meat and rice in their lettuce than we did, thus eating a lot more lettuce than us.

Prep Time: 12 h Cook Time: 20 min Ready in: 12 h 20 min

Bulgogi courtesy of Jamie Del Balso.

Taco Dip Platter

Last year I was very excited about the Super Bowl as "my team" was playing. This year I am sad that "my team" did not make it, so I wasn't thinking too much about appetizers. However, I thought about sharing my hummus recipe to go with the 5-Layer Greek Dip, but that will have to happen another day as I forgot to take pictures of the whole process. Instead, I have another favorite appetizer recipe that makes great use of those black beans that you made last week. So, if you haven't tried them yet - get those beans a soaking!

This dip often gets made around the holidays in our family. Everyone seems to make it a bit different, but I've always gotten complements on this one, so enjoy! Please forgive the picture quality, I experimented with a different setting on my camera and found out later that it didn't work as well.

This post is part of a Real Food Roundup sponsored by Kelly the Kitchen Kop. Go on over to her site to check out other great Real Food Recipes.

Taco Dip Platter

Ingredients

• 1+ cup Refried Beans
• 4 ounces Cream Cheese or yogurt cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2+ teaspoons taco seasoning (preferably homemade)
• 2 ripe Avocados
• 1 small clove Garlic
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 Bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 2 - 3 Tomatoes, diced
• 1 block Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 Chopped Black Olives, optional

Directions

1. If you are using the Best Black Beans recipe, then puree the beans in a food processor and throw into an oiled pan over medium heat to remove some of the moisture.
2. While refried beans are cooling, use a hand mixer to combine cream cheese or yogurt cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning. Mix until thoroughly combined and smooth - check taste to see if it is "tangy" enough, if not add more taco seasoning. If it is too thick, add more sour cream.
3. You can make guacamole by combining avocados, garlic, lime juice and salt in a food processor or use a fork in a bowl to crush the avocados and combine with crushed garlic. Or, you can cut up the avocados into small pieces and omit the lime juice, garlic and salt.
4. When beans have cooled, assemble your taco dip by spreading a thin layer of refried beans onto your platter. On top of the bean layer, spread the cream cheese layer then the guacamole or sprinkle the diced avocado on top. Sprinkle the cilantro and tomatoes over the top of the avocado/guacamole and top with shredded cheese. If you are a family that likes black olives, then add some of those too. If you are in mixed company and not sure, maybe just add black olives to half. Serve with tortilla chips and ENJOY!

Prep Time: 30 min Cook Time: 1 min Ready in: 31 min

Taco Dip Platter courtesy of Jamie Del Balso.

The Neverending Bean Pot

You may have noticed from our meal plans that we eat a lot of beans around here. Growing up the only beans I remember eating were baked beans - from a can. Always with meatloaf and kielbasa (or ring bologna). Our family eats a variety of beans (that's one of the things I love about beans - there are tons of different varieties of beans), but I think my favorite are probably black beans. Every week my crockpot doubles as a bean pot for soaking dry beans and then cooking them.

Beans/legumes - what's so amazing about them? They are chock full of nutrients and they have the most healthful mix of protein plus fiber among all other foods. They are great for your digestive tract, blood sugar regulation, heart, blood pressure and more. And when combined with wheat, corn, brown rice or nuts they make a complete protein. Not to mention they are super cheap! I can get a pound of beans for just a little over $1. Beans happen to be one of those things that I don't buy organic and I don't buy them in a can. There are about four cans of beans in one 1# bag of dried beans. The other reason I no longer buy canned beans is that cans are lined with BPA (Bisphenol A) remember that chemical that we worked so hard to get out of our plastic drinking bottles and baby bottles, the one that is linked to breast cancer and premature development in girls - yep, that's the one. It is in the lining of most canned goods. To my knowledge Eden is the only company that makes a BPA-free can lining.

So, not only are dry beans cheap and better for you than canned beans, but you can also control their flavor and increase the nutrient value by soaking them and cooking them in bone broth in your own home. With a little forethought you will have delicious and nutritious beans in no time. I've come across articles about pressure cooking beans and then canning them yourself in glass jars so that you have beans ready to use when you need/want them or you can make up a big pot and freeze them in smaller portions for future use.

Having traveled to South America a few times I have had the opportunity to eat incredibly flavorful beans and rice. When I was working as a HeadStart Preschool teacher many of my co-workers were Latino. I asked them why my beans and rice never tasted as good as what I had in South America. They told me the secret was "sofrito" that you could buy in the freezer section of some grocery stores and a seasoning packet that contained MSG. I tried that for awhile with mixed results. I have since found a recipe that doesn't use frozen sofrito from the store or seasoning packets containing things I can't pronounce. My recipe is one that I adapted from Cook's Illustrated to get the flavor and texture that I remember. The recipe calls for black beans, I have used pinto beans and pink beans, but my favorite is the black beans. Oh and they make really great refried beans too. Just throw some in the food processor until smooth and cook them up in an oiled pan (you can use bacon grease or lard if you prefer).

The Best Black Beans
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients

Beans
• 1 pound black beans, picked over and rinsed
• 2 water to cover by, inches
• 1 bone broth, stock or water to cover beans by an inch or so
• 1 green pepper, stemmed, seeded and quartered (optional)
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed (about 2 Tblsp)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon sea salt   

Sofrito
• 3 Tablespoons light olive oil (or coconut oil)
• 1 large onion, minced
• 1 large green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 14 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed (about 5 Tblsp)
• 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 5 teaspoons lime juice
• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

1. Soak beans overnight (12-24 hours) in very warm water (about 140 degrees). Drain the water before you are ready to cook your beans. If I'm making the beans for dinner I typically start cooking them after lunch in my crockpot with the bone broth, stock or water, quartered bell pepper, minced onion, garlic, bay leaves and salt. If using a Dutch oven on the stove top, bring the ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered for about two hours. Add more water/broth if the liquid reduces to the level of the beans. Check the beans to confirm tenderness.
2. To make the Sofrito, heat the oil in a large skillet (don't use a non-stick pan) over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, oregano and salt - cooking until the vegetables are nearly soft (about 5 minutes). Add the chopped tomatoes and garlic allowing the juices from the tomatoes to cook off. Then add the cumin and cook for about another minute.
3. To finish the beans, scoop out about 1 cup of beans and 2 cups cooking liquid adding to the pan with the sofrito. Use a potato masher (or fork) to mash the beans until smooth. Simmer over medium heat until liquid is reduced and thickened (about 10 minutes). Return the sofrito mixture to the pot of beans and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes. The beans will have a creamy sauce-like consistency. Add lime juice and simmer for another minute then stir in cilantro.
4. Serving Suggestion = over brown rice with sauteed kale and a fried egg. ENJOY!

Prep Time: 24 h Cook Time: 4 h Ready in: 28 h

The Best Black Beans courtesy of Jamie Del Balso.

Who Needs a Date?

Okay, I know very, cheesy title, I couldn't help myself.  One day I was searching through some internet recipes and came across someone's Larabar recipe and got the idea to make a version of my own.  I honestly don't remember where I found it and when I did a search for Larabar recipe I found a ton.  We call these "Date Balls" in our house and the kids love them.  My husband was not so keen on them, but that is probably because he doesn't care for dates (the dried fruit that is).

The great thing about these is that they are super easy, super fast, have little to no processed sugar (depending on which ingredient options you choose or have on hand) and I almost always have the ingredients in my kitchen.  Anyway, on to the recipe...

Chocolate Date Balls

Handful of nuts or nut butter (almonds, walnuts, pecans - preferably soaked and dried)
Handful of oats (could be soaked and dried too)
1-2 Tblsp Coconut (chips, oil, or shredded is fine)
1-2 Tblsp Cocoa Powder or 1/2 cup chocolate chips
1-2 Handful of pitted dates (I like to get them whole so that they don't have added sugar)

Throw the nuts and oats in your food processor and mix until there are small pieces or until it turns to a nut butter consistency (depends on your preference).  Add remaining ingredients and process until everything is sticking together and moving around the food processor as one cohesive unit.  You are pretty much done - now comes the fun part, roll your mixture into "Date Balls."  You can eat them right away or put them in the fridge to solidify.  Or you could roll them in chopped nuts or shredded coconut.  Enjoy!

This recipe is part of Real Food Wednesday over at Kelly the Kitchen Kop's site - check it out for more great Real Food Recipes.

Side note:  My son likes to roll them into "snakes or worms," if you or your children decide to do this I don't recommend serving them to others or leaving them lie around the house - they look rather unappetizing this way.

Can't Live Without My Grill

I don't know about you, but in the summer I do most of my cooking on the grill - whenever possible.  I try not to turn on the oven unless it is a cool day or if I need to bake something.  I've been known to don a winter coat and boots to grill in the winter too.  Here is one of my many favorite recipes for the grill.  We use venison, because that is what we have, but the original recipe calls for beef (skirt steak).  Use whichever you prefer.  The recipe that I adapted comes from Cuisine at Home magazine and was a mole recipe, but Ryan isn't much of a fan of the mole - so I took out the cocoa.  Feel free to add it in if you like.  There is a fairly long list of ingredients and things to make, but that's kind of how it is with fajitas and tacos (at least at our house).  The roasted salsa is not necessary, but goes very well with the meat.  You could replace this with regular salsa if you want.  Also the bean dish is not necessary, but it is how we get our meat to go further.

The rub is fantastic, sometimes I make extra and keep it on hand for the next time I want to make fajitas. It would also make a nice "gift" with other spice mixes that you or your family like.  The black-eyed pea salad is a great accompaniment to most mexican meals, makes a nice side dish for summer meals and even tastes great as a salsa on chips.  The original recipe came from Cooking Light magazine.

Grilled Venison Fajitas with Roasted Salsa

Rub ingredients:

2 Tblsp brown sugar (I use sucanat)***
2 tsp each paprika and kosher salt (and cocoa powder if you want it)
1 tsp each ground cumin, garlic powder, and black pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Roasted Salsa ingredients:
1 Tblsp olive oil
2 cups tomatoes, quartered or halved
1 cup red onion, chopped (white or yellow works fine too)
2 garlic cloves
1 spicy pepper of your choice (serrano, jalapeno, poblano all work well)
1 Tblsp fresh lime juice
sea salt to taste

Other Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb venison or skirt steak, trimmed
Vegetables for grilling (onions, peppers, beets, etc.)
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Cheese, grated
Whole wheat or corn tortillas, warmed
Black Beans and corn or Black-eyed peas salad (recipe follows)

Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix.  Rub/pat this mixture onto your meat and refrigerate until ready to grill.  Place the tomatoes, onion, garlic and spicy pepper (if using) in a medium sized bowl and drizzle with 1 Tblsp olive oil, toss to combine.  You can roast these on the grill if you like or in the oven at 500 degrees until starting to brown, about 25 minutes.  If you choose to roast on the grill, remember to rotate them often and only halve the veggies.  While roasted veggies are cooling, prepare (scrap clean) your grill for your meat.  Grill meat about 3 minutes per side (depending on thickness of meat).  Now return to your roasted veggies and throw them in a food processor or blender along with the canned chipotle chile in adobo (if using), the lime juice and salt.  Process until smooth.  Allow meat to rest for about 5 minutes.  Slice into thin strips across the grain.***Recently I've been making the rub without any sugar and I think I actually like it better!***

We like to eat these fajitas on whole wheat tortillas with guacamole (mashed avocado with some garlic, cilantro, lime juice, chopped tomatoes and salt), black beans and corn or black-eyed pea salad (see following recipe), sour cream, grilled peppers and onions, and a bit of grated cheese.

Black-eyed Pea Salad
1 cup fresh black-eyed peas (I use dried, soaked overnight)
1 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tblsp cider vinegar
1 Tblsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (may want less depending on level of heat desired)
1 garlic clove, minced

If using dry peas soak overnight and drain water before cooking.  Combine peas, water and broth in a small pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until tender.  I like to use my crockpot on high to make beans - checking them throughout the day until they are tender, usually takes 2-3 hours (but is unattended for the most part).  Toss frozen corn into peas for the last minute or so to soften.  Mix together drained peas and corn with remaining ingredients.

For a printable version of the recipe, without pictures, click on the title of the recipe above.

North Meets South Salad

On our return trip from Florida we picked up some peaches and pecans in Georgia.  Which I decided to use in my venison salad this past week and the results were DELICIOUS!  My husband suggested I call it the "North South Salad" and I thought that was a pretty good name - better than my "Georgia Salad" idea.  The venison is from Northwestern WI where Ryan got his buck last year, the cheese is from Northeastern WI and the salad greens were from our Madison CSA which married well with the fresh Georgia peaches and pecans.  The salad dressing is a re-vamp of an old favorite from my Uncle Mike, he called it Italian Dressing, but it is not anything like the Italian dressing you buy in the store.  The original was a bit too sweet, I decided to try agave instead of sugar - and the result was fantastic.  We've used this dressing a lot recently with pears instead of peaches and I've used fresh plums and chicken in the past as other options.  Most of the time I don't blend dressings, I just shake or stir them up before using, but I found that this dressing worked much better when blended.  You will still need to shake it up before you use it though as some of the vinegar tends to settle on the bottom.

North South Salad

Balsamic Dressing
2 Crushed garlic cloves
1 oz Lemon juice (preferably freshly squeezed)
1 oz Seasoned rice vinegar
2 oz Balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp each of salt and freshly ground pepper
Honey to taste (about 1 oz)
6 oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Combine all ingredients (minus olive oil) in a blender.  With the blender running, add the olive oil in a continuous stream until all ingredients are fully combined.  Move dressing to a pourable container.   Store in refrigerator and bring to room temperature before use (about 15 minutes).

Salad Ingredients
2 or 3 Firm Peaches*
6-8 oz Venison or beef* (optional)
Grill Seasoning of choice for meat
Cucumber and/or sweet peppers
Toasted pecans
Gorgonzola* cheese (preferably in a wedge)
Spinach and/or mixed greens

Wash and dry your mixed greens and toast your pecans - you can do this in a dry pan on top of the stove or in the oven at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes, until fragrant and darker brown.  For this salad I decided to throw the peaches on the grill (giving them a nice coating of oil so they wouldn't stick) alongside the venison and I was glad I did.  Grill your meat to taste and slice thin after allowing to cool.  To assemble your salad place greens in the bottom of the bowl, add chopped veggies, arrange grilled and sliced peaches on top, lay grilled meat on top of that and sprinkle with toasted nuts and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese.  Drizzle dressing over salad and dinner is ready!

My notes:  Pears and plums also go well with this dressing and along with the other salad accompaniments.  Chicken could also replace the venison or beef if you prefer.  I'm not a huge Bleu cheese fan, but if you like it that would be another option instead of the Gorgonzola.

For a printable version of this recipe (without photos) click here.

What's your favorite salad combination?

Farm Fresh Eggs

Earlier this week I finally stopped by a house that often advertises "Fresh Brown Eggs."  I was amazed to find organic eggs for just $2 a dozen.  Just look at how yellow these scrambled eggs are!  What a difference the food that chickens eat can make.  It made me think about pregnancy and what we put into our bodies to feed ourselves and our growing baby.  (No I am not pregnant.)  Just the miracle of life was in my thoughts and how we can affect the life of our child.

Anyway, I was inspired to try these "Quinoa Eggs" after a friend commented on my Facebook page regarding how she likes to use quinoa.  I had made a larger batch of quinoa than I needed for the apricot salad last week so I threw some in my scrambled eggs along with some whipped cottage cheese for extra protein.  The results was quite delicious.  The great thing about it, my kids didn't even know it was in there and gobbled it up.  These will be the basis of my breakfast burritos for our road trip.

Quinoa Eggs

Ingredients:
Eggs
Cooked Quinoa
Whipped cottage cheese (optional)
Veggies of your choice, chopped
Cheese of your choice, shredded
Butter or oil for the pan
Salt and pepper

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and add a touch of butter or oil.  Mix together the eggs, whipped cottage cheese and quinoa (I think I would recommend about 1/4 of a cup per 3 - 4 eggs).  Saute your chopped veggies for a few minutes then add your egg mixture.  Stir the eggs until they are cooked, but still slightly moist, season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with your favorite cheese and voila - your now have Quinoa eggs.

Potluck Quinoa

A couple of weeks ago we were invited to a potluck at a neighbor's house, but there were a few dietary restrictions.  Our host told us not to worry about it, but if we brought something which contained an item from their dietary restrictions and they did not eat it, that would be why.  I had some left-over veggies with spinach dip and watermelon from my son's birthday party, but decided I should bring something else too.  The night before the potluck, I threw some black beans in my crockpot to soak and as an inspiration for a dish to bring.  So, let's see, something that is gluten free, dairy free, meat free and does not contain any sugar...  I didn't have a lot of time to look up recipes, but I glanced through a vegetarian cookbook to see what kind of quinoa recipes it had.  Hmm, not many.  I decided to create a Mexican Quinoa dish and it turned out pretty good.  Another neighbor commented that he liked it and then told me that he normally does not like quinoa.  So, if you ever need to go to a potluck and bring a meat free, dairy free, gluten free, and sugar free dish - try this one out.  Or, make it as a side dish to any mexican meal you have or it could even be a main dish with a side salad.

I'm hoping that most of you reading this have already heard of Quinoa, as it seems to be gaining popularity these days.  But in case you have not, I'll tell you a little bit more about it and why I love it so much!  Quinoa is a truly versatile grain that can easily turn something into a main dish.  It has 14g of protein per 3.5 oz serving (uncooked) and 7g of fiber and is nearly a complete protein in and of itself.  Knowing this little grain was so good for me I tried several times to make dishes with it and did not care for it.  Then, I finally discovered the secret - broth, cook the grain in BROTH!  It has much more flavor this way and then add whatever you want to it or serve another dish over it.  Recently I made a pilaf out of it by adding a cinnamon stick to the broth while the quinoa was cooking and then some nuts and dried fruit when it was finished.  If you have never made quinoa before, it should open up a bit and look kind of like a curlicue and should have a touch of crunch to it, as if it were bursting in your mouth.

Mexican Quinoa

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Quinoa
1 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup dry black beans (soaked overnight and cooked)
1/4 cup canned diced tomatoes in sauce (or fresh)
1/2 tsp cumin
1 clove garlic, crushed
handful of chopped cilantro
sea salt to taste
drizzle of olive oil
splash of red wine vinegar

Preparation:
Bring stock to a boil and add quinoa, cook for 12 - 15 minutes until tender, but retains a bit of crunch.  Stir in frozen corn during the last few minutes of cooking then add remaining ingredients cooked black beans, diced tomatoes, cumin, garlic and cilantro.  Salt the quinoa to taste, add a splash of red wine vinegar then drizzle with olive oil.  Serve warm or cold.

For a printable version of the recipe above, click on the title of the recipe.

Have you used quinoa?  What is your favorite way to prepare it?

Do you have any left-over holiday ham in the freezer?  I hope you didn't throw away the bone.  Next week I'll share some recipe ideas to use up every last bit of your holiday ham - including my Caramelized Onion, Spinach and Ham Breakfast Strata.  If your ham is all gone, then hang on to these recipes for the next time you have ham left-overs or if you happened to buy an extra one for the freezer when they were on sale - get ready for some hamsational meals!

Spring Grapefruit Salad

So why would grapefruit make me think of spring, isn't that more of a winter fruit?  Well, yes, but I found this recipe in a magazine that my local co-op gave out around Easter time several years ago.  They had some non-traditional recipe ideas for Easter meals and this was one of them.  So that is why this salad makes me think of spring, especially when you get a red grapefruit - the pretty pink and shades of green from the spinach and avocado are reminiscent of spring colors.

The lovely thing about this dressing is that it goes well with just about any fruit combination on most any salad greens.  It has a nice sweetness to it, but not overly sweet and the benefit of honey which is a natural sweetener.  More and more I realize the importance of eliminating refined sugars (and flours) from our diet.  I'm hoping to do a series on health tips sometime in the near future.  My research is making me anxious to get started now, but I'm not ready yet - I've got much more research to do!  Anyway, if you want to get started early - check out the documentary: Food Inc. if you haven't already.  It is most definitely eye opening and will make you want to change your diet (for the better).  And if you are mores interested in the topic of sugar and why you should greatly decrease your consumption of it, read this NY Times article or you could watch the 90 minute lecture on Youtube that is linked to the article.  Anyway, on to the recipe...

Spring Grapefruit Salad

2 grapefruits (preferably red)
6 cups/ 5 oz baby spinach (or any other salad greens)
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola or feta cheese (optional)

Poppy Seed Dressing
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup canola or grapeseed oil (I often use EVOO)
2 teaspoons poppy seeds

To make the dressing, combine honey, vinegar and mustard.  Slowly add oil and whisk well.  Stir in poppy seeds.

Section the grapefruit as you would normally prepare for eating and scoop out each slice.  Or you can cut the outside peel around the grapefruit and then cut the sections out.

You can either place salad greens in a large bowl and top with remaining ingredients or carefully arrange the salad greens on individual plates or bowls and top with remaining ingredients and 1 tablespoon of dressing per plate.

Side notes:  I've made this salad substituting the grapefruit for strawberries or mandarin oranges.  You can also change up the nuts and cheese.  The sky is the limit - all combinations are delicious!  For a printer friendly version, click on the recipe title.

Do-It-Yourself: Granola Bars

One of my favorite blogs is 101Cookbooks, which is where I came across a recipe for Power Bars, but some of the ingredients weren't very interesting to me, so I set it aside for another time.  I finally got around to making them with a couple of substitutions (for the things I didn't like) and they turned out pretty good, but a bit too sweet and fairly gooey.  So, I tried again and again and again.  All of them tasted pretty good, but were sticky or falling apart or something just wasn't quite right.  I gave up for awhile because I was getting sick of granola bars.  Until one day when we were out of honey - I called up the lady I met at a local farm event who lives just a few miles from our house and has this amazing honey with a cinnamon flavor.  Unfortunately she was out of town, but she told me of a few local places that carried her honey - so I stopped in at a coffee shop to pick some up.  Of course I had to get a chai tea latte while I was there, how could I resist.  Anyway, while I was ordering my latte, they had samples of a homemade granola bar that was quite incredible!  It had lots of peanut butter and one of the ingredients listed was maple, so I went home and tried a new version of the "power bars" and came up with my favorite one so far.

Although the one I like has peanut butter in it and quite a bit, you can make it without if you are not a peanut butter fan.  You could also try other nut butters to see if you prefer that taste.  These are quite easy to make and very yummy too.  And, I promise that you will be able to pronounce all of the ingredients - unlike the ingredient list on some store bought granola bars.  And the best thing about it is that you make it what you want.  You add the nuts you like, the dried fruit you like and whatever nut butter or cohesive agent you prefer.

Granola Bars

Ingredients:

Oil sprayer

2 cups chopped nuts/seeds (almonds, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds)

2/3 cup unsweetened coconut chips

1 1/2 cups rolled oats*

1 1/4 cups crispy brown rice cereal* (or something similar to Rice Krispies)

3/4 cup natural (no sugar added) peanut butter*

1/2 cup brown rice syrup*

1/3 cup maple syrup (not maple flavored corn syrup)

1/4 cup sucanat or sugar

1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries, blueberries, etc.)

1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

1/2 cup chocolate chips*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In 9x13 inch baking dish toast nuts and coconut for about 7 minutes, stirring once.  When coconut is starting to brown, they should be thoroughly toasted.  Mix nuts, coconut, oats, cereal and dried fruit in a large bowl, set aside.  Spray pan with oil sprayer and sprinkle chocolate chips over the bottom of the warm and now empty baking dish; set aside.  Combine the peanut butter, rice syrup, maple syrup and sugar in a microwave safe bowl or in a saucepan over medium heat.  Microwave until the mix boils, about a minute.  Stir halfway through, add vanilla and then mix again.  Pour the syrup mixture over the oat/nut mixture until evenly incorporated. Press mixture into pan with chocolate chips using wax paper.  Allow to cool and then cut into whatever size bars you prefer.

*Side notes:  To make these gluten free, use gluten free oats and gluten free brown rice cereal. As mentioned earlier, you can use cashew butter or almond butter or any other nut butter in place of the peanut butter.  I have tried making these granola bars without the brown rice syrup, but honey made it too sweet and too sticky.  I believe the brown rice syrup really helps keep these bars together.  If you live in WI and have a Woodmans in your area - start there first, they should have it in the organic/natural aisle and it is more affordable than the health food stores.  If you are in CO, Vitamin Cottage carries brown rice syrup.  As for the rest of you, try Whole Foods, I believe they have it there or if you have a local co-op store or health food store, they should have it as well.  If you do not like peanut butter or other nut butters in your granola bars, then increase the brown rice syrup to 1 cup and eliminate the nut butter.  And you can decide whether or not you want the maple syrup in the granola bar.  The chocolate chips are optional as well.  They do make a bit of a mess on your hands when you eat them, because unlike M&Ms, chocolate is supposed to melt in your hand.  If you mix the chocolate chips into the other ingredients instead of putting them on the bottom, they may just melt in and go unnoticed.  But these are your bars, so do what you want!

To get a printable version of the recipe without pictures, click on the Recipe Title.  Hope you enjoy making your own granola bars.  Your family and friends will love them too!