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Archive for the ‘Whole Grains’ Category

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted in Conscious Eating, Desserts, Kid Food, Whole Grains, tagged , , , , , , on August 1, 2012 | 10 Comments »

My sweet tooth is loud, insistent, demanding and unyielding in its pursuit of sugary satiation.  It insists on fresh chocolate chip cookies about once a month or so.  Nails digging into the bed of the wagon as I try not to fall off it and go THUMP to the ground, I have found a fairly decent recipe that, while it’s no health food, is less lethal than the recipe on the back of the chocolate chips that come in the yellow bag.  Could I?  Would I?  Create some sort of bastardized recipe, a heathen half-brother of the yellow-bellied slickster riding in on his corporate name?  It boils down to a raging case of spit-polished nepotism versus Purity, Truth, and Nourishment, in every sense.  Enjoy.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 30 cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 c. melted coconut oil
  • 3/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 c. agave nectar
  • 1/3 c. raw honey
  • 2 t. pure vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1-1/2 c. whole wheat flour
  • 1 c. thick rolled oats
  • 1/4 t. ground nutmeg
  • 1 t. cinnamon
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 1 t. Himalayan sea salt
  • 12 oz. package of Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
  • 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 c. dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine all the wet ingredients.  In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Stir the dry ingredients into the wet.  Stir in the chips, walnuts, and cranberries.
  3. Place cookies on parchment paper-covered baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes.  Try not to eat more than three when they first come out of the oven because you’ll probably get a bellyache.  Not that I’d know.

Also shared on This Chick Cooks’ Whole Food Wednesday.

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Blueberry Apple Crumble at Twilight

Posted in Real Food, Vegetarian, Whole Grains, tagged , , , , , , on July 1, 2012 | 6 Comments »

Darn it, I ran out of full daylight by the time this was done.  It was so good that I’m sharing it anyways.  There are the cutest and tastiest little wild black raspberries on top because we have a giant out-of-control berry bush way in the back of our yard.  You could use blueberries instead.  It would make more sense.  Since I had them, I used them.

If you subbed almond meal for the whole wheat flour, you’d have a gluten-free dessert.  If you omitted the whipped cream, it’d be dairy-free.  I did neither, and I have no regrets.  A great big thank you to Annemarie over at Real Food, Real Deals for this recipe!

Blueberry Apple Crumble

Makes a 9″ x 13″ pan

INGREDIENTS

Filling

  • 7 c. apples, peeled and sliced
  • 3 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen
  • 1 T. cinnamon
  • 1/4 t. nutmeg
  • 1 T. arrowroot powder
  • 1/2 c. grade B maple syrup

Topping

  • 1 c. thick-rolled oats
  • 1 c. corn grits
  • 1 c. whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/2 c. grade B maple syrup
  • 2 t. cinnamon
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/3 c. coconut oil, melted

Whipped Cream

  • 2 c. pastured organic whipping cream (heavy cream)
  • 1 t. maple syrup
  • 1 t. vanilla

DIRECTIONS

Crumble

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Prepare the fruit and put it in a large mixing bowl.  Add the remaining filling ingredients and stir to coat.
  3. Place the filling in a 9 x 13 inch pan and bake for 30 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, prepare the crisp topping by mixing together all the topping ingredients in the large bowl that you used to mix the filling ingredients.
  5. After the filling has been in the oven for 30 minutes, remove the pan from the oven.  Cover the fruit evenly with the crisp topping and return the pan to the oven.
  6. Bake for another 20 minutes or until the topping begins to brown.
  7. Cool on a wire rack.  Or don’t, if you can’t wait.  It’s really, really freaking good hot.  Bet you can’t guess which path I sprinted down.

Whipped Cream

  1. Chill an electrix mixer bowl and whisk beater in the freezer for 10 minutes.  Take it out of the freezer and put it back on the mixer stand.
  2. Pour the whipping cream, maple syrup, and vanilla into the bowl.  Beat on medium/high until it’s the consistency you desire.  It could be something soft and docile that you spoon over and it puddles down the sides in that oozy way.  Or it could be somewhat stiff, where you could make those fancy Dairy Queen soft-serve style finishes on top.  Or it could be stiff, and using two spoons, you could coax it into the shape of a swan that’s vaguely agitated about the quality of the duckweed growing on the lake this year.  Totally your call on this.  I trust you implicitly.

Update:  Pictures in the daylight.  Which do you like best, twilight or daylight?

Also shared on This Chick Cooks Whole Food Wednesdays and Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday.

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Tomato Basil Risotto with Fresh Mozzarella

Posted in Main Dishes, Vegetarian, Whole Grains, tagged , , , , , , , on May 2, 2012 | 3 Comments »

Before this dish, I’d never made risotto before.  Somewhere rattling around in the back of my brain I vaguely remembered hearing it was difficult to make, but I didn’t really focus on that.  I just put a bunch of water in a pot, got it boiling, threw the risotto in by handfuls, and let it simmer for about 16 minutes with the cover on.  I tried it and it was just a bit chewy, so I let it go another 2 minutes.  Then I stirred it around a bit before dumping it in a colander and shaking it.

I did pretty much everything you could do WRONG to this dish and it still turned out amazingly flavorful.

I’ve since read recipes that say to add broth a little at a time until it’s done and that just sounds fiddly to me.  I don’t know.  Maybe this could have turned out better, but the creaminess of the risotto with the fresh mozzarella cubes was delicious.  But the real proof?  Our 3 year old ate two bowls of it!

Tomato Basil Risotto with Fresh Mozzarella

Source:  Fresh Meals from the editors of Organic Style

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 c. uncooked Arborio rice
  • 2 T. EVOO
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 c. lightly packed fresh basil leaves, stemmed and torn in half
  • 1/2 t. sea salt
  • 1/8 t. black pepper
  • 1 T. balsalmic vinegar
  • 3 – 4 Roma tomatoes, cut into chunks
  • 2 egg-size pieces fresh mozzarella, cubed

DIRECTIONS

  1. Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot.  Sprinkle in the rice by the fistful.  When the water returns to a boil, stir once, lower the heat, and simmer until the rice is al dente, 15 - 18 minutes.
  2. While the rice cooks, heat the EVOO in a large skillet over a low flame.  Stir in the garlic; then sprinkle in the basil.  After a couple of minutes (when the garlic is translucent), mix in the salt, pepper, vinegar, and tomatoes.  Gently turn the tomatoes once or twice to coat them with the flavored oil, warming them through but not cooking them down into a sauce.
  3. Drain the rice in a sieve or colander, but don’t shake it dry.  Turn it into a warmed serving bowl.  Immediately sprinkle in the mozzarella cubes, a few at a time, stirring with each addition so that they don’t clump together.  Then gently mix in the contents of the skillet, and serve.

Enjoy!

(Also posted on a recipe swap here over at This Chick Cooks.)

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Fresh Tomato Tostadas. Real food in 15 minutes!

Posted in Appetizers, Brunch, Kid Food, Lunch, Main Dishes, Vegetarian, Whole Grains, Wraps, tagged , , , on April 28, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

These are seriously quick and seriously tasty.  We didn’t use a lot of cheese, just enough to give it the right bite-feel on the whole wheat tortillas.  We had a big green salad before these as well, because they’d be seriously easy to eat too many of!  You could use any other veggies you wanted to throw on these, but they were great with just the diced green chilies.  I admit, we did used canned chiles for these.  If you’re a thinker-aheader and have your own chilies cooked or canned, even better!

Fresh Tomato Tostadas

Suggestion:  Make one tortilla per person and serve with a green salad

INGREDIENTS

  • Whole Wheat Tortillas
  • 3 organic roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • 1  4 oz. can chopped mild green chilies, drained
  • 6 oz freshly grated mild cheese blend

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place tortillas flat on a large baking sheet. Arrange tomatoes over tortillas. Sprinkle with chilies and cheese.
  2. Bake until tortillas are lightly golden and crisp and cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. Alternatively, cook them on a nonstick griddle. Cut each tostada into wedges, and serve hot.

Sour cream, fresh tomatoes, corn, and avocado are all delicious as toppings when the tostadas are hot.  They are also great cold when taken the next day for lunch.  Trust me.  Enjoy!

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The most delicious tacos. Ever.

Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Lunch, Main Dishes, Pastured Beef, Whole Grains, Wraps, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 4, 2012 | 3 Comments »

We try to eat 100% organic, and we usually come in at about 90% organic.  These tacos were exceptional any way you cut it.  Local (think within 10 miles local), organic pastured ground beef; organic avocados, romaine, tomatoes; Wisconsin cheese; organic sour cream; homemade taco seasoning.  Homemade whole wheat tacos – and this recipe turns out better than the original I posted, and they stay flexible after refrigeration.  Can I get an Amen?

Zesty Taco Meat

Seasons one pound ground meat

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 T. chili powder
  • 1/4 t. garlic powder
  • 1/4 t. onion powder
  • 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 t. dried oregano
  • 1/2 t. paprika
  • 1-1/2 t. ground cumin
  • 1 t. sea salt
  • 1 t. black pepper
  • 1 t. arrowroot powder

DIRECTIONS

Brown and drain one pound of ground meat (turkey, chicken, beef, or black beans put through a food processor).  Add 1/2 cup water and seasonings.  Simmer gently for 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Vegan Whole-Wheat Tortillas II

Yields 16 6-7in tortillas.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1-1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1-1/2 c. whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 5 T. organic non-hydrogenated shortening (ghee also works, but makes it non-vegan)
  • 3/4 c. warm water

DIRECTIONS

  1. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.
  2. Rub in the shortening (or ghee), stir in the water and knead lightly to a soft dough.
  3. Divide dough into 16 equal pieces and shape into balls.  Cover with a damp dish towel and leave to rest for 20 minutes.
  4. Roll them out on a floured surface into 6-7in rounds.
  5. Heat a frying pan or griddle until very hot.  Add one tortilla and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Flip, and cook on the other side.  It should stay flexible.  Remove from the pan and place into a covered tortilla warmer, or into a clean dry dish towel to keep warm while cooking the remaining tortillas.
  6. If you’d like to have these on hand or made ahead of time, these tortillas freeze well.  Keep them separated with wax paper or parchment paper.

Chop up a head of romaine, maybe some spinach or kale too.  Chop a few tomatoes.  Chop a cucumber, if you like.  Pit and cube an avocado.  Grate some cheese that makes you happy (please, please don’t buy the shredded cheese.  Read this if you don’t believe me.)   Slap one of those beautiful tortillas on a plate, and load it up with goodness.  Take a big bite and suddenly understand that if people could taste this?  They would tell Taco Bell to go to hell and never come back.

Real food, slow food, whole food, takes time and a certain willingness to wait and see; it requires less expectation and more anticipation.  You must live in the moment right there with those tortillas as you’re rolling them out.  As you’re watching the bubbles form right in front of you, you might feel a little thrill that YOU just created that.  Nobody marketed that to you.  You MADE THEM, and now you will EAT THEM.  And they will be delicious and satisfying in ways you never knew weren’t being satisfied by “convenience” foods.

Slow food brings with it the gifts of sustenance, pleasure, and permission to take the time to nourish yourself in every way you need nourishing.  Enjoy!

Added 4/10/12:  This recipe was posted on FrugallySustainable’s blog hop.

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Baked Pollock and Brown Rice with Vegetables

Posted in Fish, Fresh Vegetables, Healthy Lifestyle, Whole Grains, tagged , , , , on March 31, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Simple, healthy, and flavorful, this baked fish is a palette for whatever seasonings you like best.  We keep it simple with sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Brown Rice with Vegetables

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 c. cooked brown rice
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1 c. broccoli florets

DIRECTIONS

  1. Steam carrots for 4 minutes.  Add the onions and celery to the carrots and steam 2 more minutes.  Add broccoli florets and steam for 2 more minutes.
  2. Fold vegetables into the rice, and allow flavors to blend for a few minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Simply Baked Pollock

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

  • 1-1/2 lbs Wild Alaskan pollock (fresh or thawed)
  • 3/4 t. sea salt
  • 1/4 t. black pepper
  • 1/2 t. garlic powder
  • 1/2 t. onion powder

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degees.  You’ll use the middle or upper middle rack.
  2. Whisk seasonings together in a small bowl.  Spray a shallow baking dish or jelly roll pan with cooking spray.
  3. Lay fish an inch or two apart on pan.  Sprinkle a pinch of seasoning evenly over each piece of fish, altogether using half of the total seasoning mixture.
  4. Bake fish for 10 minutes.
  5. Flip the fish, then sprinkle with remaining seasoning mixture.  Bake another 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

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Quinoa Cakes on Spring Greens

Posted in Brunch, Main Dishes, Quinoa, Whole Grains, tagged , , , , , , , on March 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Aren’t they some little beauties?  We made quinoa cakes last night to go on spring greens and butter lettuce, and the recipe calls for scallions.  These were just pop-ups from the ones that were tilled under last fall.  We are still collecting egg shells and deciding what we’re going to start in the next few weeks for this year’s garden.

Richard did till the vegetable garden today.

This quinoa cakes recipe is one that I saw on this post over on Sonia’s blog, The Healthy Foodie.  Our whole family loves them, including our three-year old!

Quinoa Cakes on Spring Greens (with Creamy Avocado Chicken Salad)

Makes 12 (4-inch) cakes

Source: The Healthy Foodie

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 c. cooked quinoa
  • 1 c. bread crumbs
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ c. (or 4) egg whites
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • 2 oz. raw milk cheddar cheese, grated finely
  • ½ t. salt
  • ¼ t. black pepper

BASE

  • spring greens
  • butter lettuce or romaine

ADDITIONAL – OPTIONAL

DIRECTIONS

  1. Combine  the quinoa, eggs, egg whites, green onion,  cheese, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a few  minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture.
  2. Heat a scant teaspoon of grapeseed oil in an evenly-heating skillet over medium-high heat.
  3. Using a muffin scoop or a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop a level measure of the quinoa mixture into the pan, fitting as many will fit with 2 inches room between.  Using the back of a wooden spoon or similar utensil, spread the mixture into 4-inch diameter cakes.  Cook until the bottoms are deeply browned, about 7 minutes.
  4. Flip the patties with a  spatula and cook the second sides for about 7 minutes.
  5. Transfer to individual salad plates loaded with beautiful spring greens and lettuce.  Top with a few endive leaves and a scoop of chicken salad if you like.  Enjoy.

The quinoa mixture can be made several days ahead of time.  I like to make them all at once and just keep the cakes in the fridge.  When I’m packing my lunch in the morning, I put together a spring green and romaine salad and throw one of these on top.  Then at work, I just microwave the cake separately for about 30 seconds and put it back on the salad.  Absolutely delicious!

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