Wheat Tortillas

These things are sooooo good. Soft and tender and delicious. Less finicky to make than wheat bread. They are best right off the stove, but they last a day or two on the counter (maybe longer, they always get eaten around here) and they freeze well. They also make great "crust" for pizza.

Wheat Tortillas
Measurements in () are for a triple batch. A single batch only makes 8 tortillas.

1C (3C) white flour
1C (3C) wheat flour
1t (1T) salt
1t (1T) baking powder
1/4C (3/4C) canola oil
2/3C (2C) water

Combine the flours, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Pour in the oil and water all at once and toss with a fork. Once you can gather the dough into a ball, put it on a floured surface and knead a few times. Divide the dough into 8 (24) equal parts and keep covered with a towel to prevent them from drying out.

Preheat an ungreased frying pan* over medium to medium high heat. Flatten the first ball of dough into a disk, and roll it out until it's 7+ inches across. Sometimes it helps to flip the tortilla over when you roll it out so you make sure it doesn't stick to the counter. Cook ~30 seconds on the first side, then flip it over with a spatula and cook ~30 seconds on the other side. The first side should have small dark speckles and the other side will be blotched where the bubbles touch the pan.

Repeat with the other balls of dough. I can get into a rhythm where I put one tortilla on the pan, get another tortilla half-way rolled out, flip the first tortilla over, then finish rolling out the second tortilla before the first one is finished cooking.

*I'd recommend using an old pan. I can't get the burned flour off of the one I've been using. Although my friend who also makes tortillas has never had problems, so your mileage may vary.

Coconut Chicken

Coconut Chicken

2 T butter
1 T olive oil
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 onion, diced
1 bunch baby bok choy, chopped (or 6-10 oz baby spinach would probably work too)
crushed red pepper
salt
black pepper
1/2 can of coconut milk
~6 large leaves of fresh basil, diced

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced chicken and stir occasionally, allowing the outside to get golden brown. Add the onion and cook for a minute or two. Add bok choy and cook, stirring occasionally. Season to desired heat level with crushed red pepper, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Add coconut milk and boil until liquid is reduced by about half. Stir in basil and cook just until wilted. Serve over rice. It's delicious with Thai Papaya Salad.

Banany Hootenanny

This is just German Pancakes with banana put in (and some milk taken out), but it is very tasty!  You could probably put 2 bananas in and skip the milk altogether, I just haven't tried that yet. 

3-4 T butter
6 eggs
1/2 C milk
1 overly ripe banana
1 C flour
1/2 C sugar
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt

Melt the butter in a 11x13 pan at 350 degrees in the oven.  Blend everything else in the blender.  Pour batter over the melted butter and increase oven temp to 400F.  Bake ~10 min.  Serve with brown sugar sprinkled on top.

Best Soup EVER!

Spicy Red Bell Pepper Soup

An easy soup to prepare and make, it’s even better when made in advance and stored in the fridge overnight to let the flavors meld.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, non-dairy butter, or water, for sautéing
4 red bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
6 cups vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups raw cashews
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
Heat the olive oil, non-dairy butter, or water in a large soup pot over medium heat.
Stir in the bell peppers, carrots, onion, and garlic. Cook, and stir the vegetables until they’re soft, about 10 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add the cashews to a blender (high-powered is best), and blend on high power. Add about 1/4 to 3/4 cup of the broth from the soup, and continue to blend until you have a thick cashew cream. When you do, add the rest of the soup contents to the blender, and blend until smooth.
Test for seasoning, and add more salt, if needed, as well as the ground pepper. Blend again, and then return to the soup pot to heat up.
Serve hot. Serves 6 to 8.


This soup was super yummy and easy!! I got the recipe here http://www.womensmovement.com/good-eats-vegan-spicy-red-bell-pepper-soup/

I changed it a little by putting the peppers, carrots and garlic mixed with the olive oil into the oven for a bit then followed her directions. Gives it a little better flavor! Enjoy!!

Chicken Pot Pie - with a new flavor twist

I made a chicken pot pie with butternut squash and kale with sage to season it up.....it was yummy!!!  a new twist on the regular potato, corn and peas......Steve even liked it....that says a lot in my book!!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

One of the website I go to when looking for good recipes is Two Peas and Their Pod.  Every recipe I have tried is wonderful!  So, when I was looking for a good pumpkin pancake recipe, I made this one.  And it is delicious!  Light, fluffy and pumpkiny pancakes are perfect this time of year.  Go there and look at the wonderful photos they post with their food.  And then try this recipe.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

Yield: Serves 4

ingredients:

For the cinnamon streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

To make the pancakes: 
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions:

1. First, make the cinnamon streusel. In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Mix together with your hands or a fork, until you have a crumbly mixture. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg, pumpkin, canola oil, and vanilla extract. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk until combined.

4. Heat a griddle or pan to medium low. Coat with cooking spray. Drop 1/3 cup of batter onto heated skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon streusel. Cook on the first side until bubbles begin to form, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully flip pancake over and cover very generously with cinnamon streusel. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Continue this process to make the rest of the pancakes.

5. Serve pancakes warm with maple syrup and butter.

Easy Lemon Curd

This recipe for lemon curd does not require a double boiler and always turns out perfectly.  Love this stuff!  It makes a great cake filling, mix it with yogurt or whipped cream for a little tart, spread it on an English Muffin or toast (the British way of eating it), or just put it on graham crackers for a quick treat!  I found this recipe here.

Classic Lemon Curd

3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature 
1 cup sugar 
2 large eggs 
2 large egg yolks 
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice 
1 tsp. grated lemon zest  

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, about 2 min. Slowly add the eggs and yolks. Beat for 1 min. Mix in the lemon juice. The mixture will look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks.

In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts.) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon and will read 170°F on a thermometer. Don't let the mixture boil.

Remove the curd from the heat; stir in the lemon zest. Transfer the curd to a bowl. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the lemon curd to keep a skin from forming and chill the curd in the refrigerator. The curd will thicken further as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for 2 months.

variations

For lime curd, substitute fresh lime juice and zest for lemon.