Middle Eastern Hummus

This is one of my favorite dips for pitas or chips.  It is buttery and melts in your mouth.  I’ve discovered that you can play with the ingredients to get a taste that you like, but the most important thing is to blend it until its creamy.  This is a healthy snack that is an easy way to sneak beans into your child’s diet.

Hummus

1 can garbonzo beans (chick peas) (or 1 cup dried, pre-soak overnight and then cook until tender)

1/4 cup Tahini (sesame paste)

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 cloves garlic peeled (or you can roast it until tender to make more neutral flavor)

1/4 t. salt (add more to taste if using dried beans)

1/4 +/- water

10 kalamata olives pitted (or your favorite Mediterranean olive)

2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Blend all ingredients (but olive oil) in a blender for at least 2 minuets.  Add more water if needed.  Mixture should look like the texture and consistency of a thick  milkshake (Wendy’s Frosty).  Keep adding small amounts of water until the mixture is creamy.  Serve drizzled with olive oil.

(Optional ingredients.  Roasted Red Peppers and nutritional yeast flakes, or fresh basil, or cumin, chili powder and paprika. )

Creative Cooking

Penne Frittata and Pepperonia Kale. This meal was a prime example of substituting what I had in my pantry to save a trip to the store and also to save from buying more expensive ingredients. It is meatless (except for the pepperoni) which also saves on costs, but has plenty of protein from the eggs, yogurt and cheese. The kale is from our garden. It was overgrown but still had great flavor.

This Frittata recipe is inspired by Martha Stewart’s. I didn’t have milk, ricotta, or fresh basil so I made a few adjustments. Here’s the recipe as I used it. Next time I would use a little less salt and less basil. Darren and I loved it, but the kids did not.

6 eggs

1 cup plain fat free yogurt

1/4 cup parmesean cheese

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 cups cooked whole wheat penne pasta

Beat eggs, stir in yogurt, cheese and spices. Fold in pasta. Pour into a greased cast iron skillet and bake at 400 degrees until eggs are set, about 30 minutes. (I put mine in a cold oven and let the eggs cook while the oven heated up. I thought this would give the cook first on the stove top and transfer to the oven feel without having to stand over it and burn the bottom.

Pepperoni Kale (What happens when I run out of turkey bacon–it was fantastic!)

6 slices of beef pepperoni, chopped (or use a meatless substitute if you prefer)

1 onion sliced

1 large bunch of kale, washed and sliced

Stir fry the pepperoni and onion together until the onion is clear. Add the kale and cook just until barely wilted. Remove from heat and salt gently.

Polynesian Style Meatballs

I am very proud of this recipe since I am normally not the type of person who likes to stray from a traditional European palette which is in general savory.  My husband is constantly whining that I try something new, like say Thai, Indian, African…  While I’m not opposed to these cuisines, I find that I either love or hate the spices, so trying something has a 50/50 chance of failure.  But I’ve been making an effort.  Here is the fruit of some of my labor.

Polynesian Style Meatballs
1 recipe Sweet and Sour Sauce (see recipe below)
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 onion
1 cup FRESH pineapple
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Dash of soy sauce
Dash of olive oil
20-30 meatballs (one of my favorites are Tofu Walnut Balls)

Place meatballs in a small baking dish (9×13 is too large).

Cut peppers and onions into strips and cut strips in half.  Saute pepper, garlic and onion in the olive oil and soy sauce until they begin to get tender.  Scatter on top of meatballs.

Cut up fresh pineapple into bite sized chunks and add to the pan you sauted the peppers in.  Lightly brown the pineapple and then toss on top of the meatballs.

Pour sweet and sour sauce over the meatballs and bake for 30 min on 350.  Serve immediately.

** This would also be a nice topping for gluten chops or grilled/fried tofu or some other meat substitute.**

Sweet and Sour Sauce
1/2 c. Brown Sugar
4 t. corn starch
1/2 c. Vegetable broth
1/3 c. lemon juice
2 T. soy sauce
1/2 c. coconut milk
4 T. tomato paste
1 t. olive oil
1/2 c. toasted shredded coconut (fastest way is in a frying pan – no oil – on med heat, keep flipping them so they don’t burn)

Mix ingredients together (minus coconut) and heat on medium heat until thickened slightly.  Add coconut and mix in.

How to Stay on the Frugal Path

You already know what to do. Saving money is just using common sense. Then why is it so hard? The emotions behind it make it hard. It’s the same with weight loss. Eat less, exercise more. It works; it’s not complicated. So why do I struggle with it? It’s how I FEEL about it that makes it hard.

When we started our get out of debt journey I pushed myself through the first pity-party by remembering the pictures the missionaries brought back of how the other part of the world lives. My poverty was riches compared to the daily life of a large part of the world.

Since it felt pretty selfish to feel sorry for myself, I started feeling sorry for my kids. They couldn’t have new clothes or all the latest toys. Surely I was depriving them. Then I saw they were happier not to be overwhelmed with things. Have you ever noticed a young child at a birthday party? All they want to do is play with the gift they just opened, only to be forced to set it aside to open another one. It often ends with tears. After a few years of that, the child learns to open a gift, set it aside and say, “Next.” This child is left with feelings of disappointment when the last gift is opened. When children learn early that there will be just one gift, they are free to enjoy it and appreciate it.

My husband was blessed with a great job last year and though nothing in life is secure, we aren’t afraid for the moment. We are catching up on household repairs and replacing our savings from our previous months of unemployment. It’s harder for me to be frugal when we have an adequate salary, but I push through by keeping my eye on the goal. I imagine what it will feel like to have the house paid off, to walk barefoot through the grass in the yard and know it belongs to me. I imagine taking my children on a vacation that involves an airplane and a boat, a beach, and a mountain. I imagine walking into my kitchen when all the appliances work properly and there’s no hole in the counter. I think about sitting on my porch watching the kids play basketball on a driveway that isn’t crumbling and a freshly painted house. I think about these things and I put the candle back on the shelf at the store. It’s worth it.

When it is hard to stay on the frugal path, I think about others who sacrifice even more just to survive. I think about how good it is for my children, and I think about the future and how much better life will be if I persevere with the plan.

Now if I could get the same discipline when dealing with food. I keep telling myself, “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.” But it’s easier to believe it when I’m not hungry. I think we all have different areas of struggle, and we need each other for encouragement, support, and new ideas to make it easier.

Here is a money saving recipe:

Creamed Eggs and Biscuits

Biscuits:

2 cups whole wheat flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup of butter, melted

2 cups cold buttermilk or thin yogurt

Mix flour, salt and soda. Whisk butter into buttermilk for 3 minutes or until the butter starts to form small pieces. Stir buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture just until a soft dough forms. Turn onto a floured surface and pat ¾ of an inch thick. Cut 10 biscuits with a biscuit cutter. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Eggs:

6 eggs, boiled, peeled and sliced

3 cups of milk

6 Tablespoons of flour

½ teaspoon of salt

¼ teaspoon of pepper

While biscuits are cooking, whisk milk, flour, salt and pepper in a skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat until milk thickens. Drop in egg slices and cook for a few minutes more until the eggs are warmed. Serve the creamed eggs over the biscuits. This is great paired with freshly boiled beets from the garden and steamed lamb’s quarter gathered from the yard.

Ranch Veggie Pizza

We love this pizza! Perfect for warm weather, potlucks, luncheons – really anytime!!

Ranch Veggie Pizza

2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (1 ounce) package dry Ranch-style dressing mix
1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the crescent roll dough onto a 9×13 inch baking sheet, and pinch together edges to form the pizza crust. Bake crust for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Once finished cooking, remove crust from oven and let cool 15 minutes without removing it from the baking sheet.

In a small mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, and dry Ranch dressing. Spread the mixture over the cooled crust. Arrange broccoli, tomato, green bell pepper, cauliflower, shredded carrots, and Cheddar cheese over the cream cheese layer. Chill for one hour, slice and serve.

Tasty Lentil Tacos

1 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 cups vegetarian “chicken” style broth
1 cup salsa
12 taco shells
1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons fat free sour cream

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly. Stir in salsa. Spoon about 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream.

Healthy alternative to Burgers and Fries!

Who among us doesn’t LOVE French fries, but HATE how their made?  I honestly refuse to give up this terrible fast food, but have given in to eating in moderation.  A burger and fries just seems like the best summertime food, so I”ll post my favorite recipes for the meal pictured below. I have learned a tip or two here and there about how to make this meal “healthy”, and decided to give it a try. Here is the result of my labors.

Fast and easy whole wheat burger buns.  I can take no credit here, but LOVE how fast and easy these are!  This lady’s got some great advise for cooking dairy free.  I used this recipe and used egg replacer (ener-g brand) and they turned out fine.  My friend made them without any egg replacer and said they did well too.  I added fresh crushed garlic and Italian seasonings.  These do freeze well, but they are BEST right out of the oven, nice and crusty, so if reheating them, pop into a hot oven for a few minuets.  This recipe makes 8 buns.

Meaty Oat burger.  I love a frozen soy burger, but these are cheaper and better for you, without tasting like cardboard.  This recipe is for about 16 burgers.

Oven Baked French Fries.

Preheat oven to 400

4 potatoes, scrubbed or peeled

Olive oil

Salt

Herbs of choice (I like basil, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, parsley)

Cut potatoes into thick fries and toss in a few tablespoons of olive oil and your favorite spices.  Place on a cookie sheet so they are not overlapping.  Bake for 30 min.  Serve with your favorite condiments.  (If you noticed that my fries are a little well done its because I got distracted after the timer went off. )  This makes enough for 2 hungry adults and 1 hungry 3 year old.

**Variety**  Try using a sweet potato and serve with a horseradish sauce.

Eggplant and Tomatoes over Garlic Angel-hair Pasta

1 med/large Eggplant

6 med Tomatoes

3 Onions

8 cloves Garlic

1/2 recipe white Cashew Cheese or 1/2 lb. of mozzarella cheese cubed or shredded

1 lb. angel hair pasta

1/2 lb. fresh spinach

Olive Oil

Lemon Juice

Peel Eggplant. Slice in rings and then quarter them. Lay on a paper towel and salt generously. Let them sit for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Dice onions and sauté in a few TBSP of olive oil. Crush 4 cloves of garlic and add to the onions in the pan. Dice tomatoes and add to onions. Allow to simmer for a few minuets and remove from heat.

Once the Eggplant is finished, rinse thoroughly and toss in some lemon juice (a few tsp. is plenty). Place eggplant in the bottom of a medium sized baking dish (8×8 or larger) Pour the Tomato, Onion and Garlic over it. Dice up the cashew cheese and sprinkle on top of the vegetables. Bake for 1 hour.

When you have about 20 min left before the Eggplant dish is finished, chop the rest of the garlic and saute in Olive Oil until golden brown. Set aside.

Boil water and cook pasta according to directions. Remove all the stems from the spinach and cut into thin strips. Add to the nearly finished cooking pasta and allow to wilt. Once the pasta is finished, drain well, and toss with the browned garlic and remaining olive oil from the pan.

Serve pasta with a generous amount of cooked Eggplant and sauce on top.

You can make delicious tortillas!

I’ve always wanted to know how to make tortillas. I tried lots of times but often ended up with a mess, irritable, and a few hours poorer.

Then one day I found the recipe in the cookbook by the creators of www.Lovetolearn.net and had good success. I modified their recipe recently to allow for the benefits of lactofermentation to make more of the vitamins in the wheat bioavailable. Voila! A smooth supple dough that rolled out easily, no flouring needed. The tortillas were strong and pliable and smooth textured. Hooray!

Soaked Flour Tortillas

5 cups 100% whole wheat flour (I used Montana Gold Hard White Wheat)

2 teaspoons Salt

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 1/4 cups raw soured milk (or place 2 Tablespoons of plain yogurt in a glass measuring cup and fill with enough warm water to yeild 2 1/4 cups.)

Use a heavy duty mixer to beat well into a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and leave overnight or about 8 hours.

Divide into 20 balls and roll each into a thin circle (7-8 inches in diameter.) Cook on a hot un-greased griddle or cast iron pan for a few minutes on each side or until bubbles form and turn brown in spots.

Tip: I roll mine out on a silicone baking sheet and a well seasoned wooden rolling pin.

Cover with a towel to keep soft.

It took me about 30 minutes to make 20 tortillas with a griddle that would hold 2 at a time. These store well frozen or in the refrigerator.

How much does it cost?

It was hard for me to find a comparable product commercially but the closest I came was sprouted wheat tortillas which were around $3.69 for 8 or $9.25 for the amount in this recipe. The homemade recipe cost is $1.76 and 30 minutes of time. If you made your own soaked wheat tortillas instead of buying them at the store it’s like making $14.98 an hour.

(If you want to know how I found how much the tortillas cost, read the paragraph below.)

On the assumption that there are 3.5 cups of flour in a pound, we need 1.5 lbs for this recipe. I buy my flour at clnf.org for 50 lbs for 25.50 or $.51 a pound. I have $.75 of flour in this recipe. Olive oil at CLNF is 16 oz for 7.25 or $.22 a Tablespoon. I have $.44 in this recipe. Real Salt is 26 oz for $5.25. Assuming .16 oz per teaspoon the cost is $.03 per teaspoon. Yogurt is $2 a quart (64 Tablespoons) at Walmart or $.06 for this recipe. I’ll assume water is free. (My raw milk is $3 a gallon or $.37 in this recipe.)

Hourly wage is found by taking what you could have spent ($9.25) minus what you did spend ($1.76) and multiplying by the factor by the time you spent to reach an hour (in this case x 2).

“To Die For” Blueberry Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

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