Worth Repeating - Breakfast Bars

A recipe "Worth Repeating." This was originally published here in Oct. 2010. I would make them now with the GF flour since I learned I have a gluten intolerance. I would like to try making them again with add-ins that I can eat now. It would look a little different, but I'm sure they would still be good. :-)

I got this recipe for breakfast bars from my friend, Beth. I thought they were so delicious I could hardly stop eating them!

 
She made them with the Gluten Free flour as the recipe calls for. I didn’t have any, so I made them with whole wheat, oats and oat flour. I also used a different mixture of nuts and dried fruit. I have included her (slightly altered) recipe and my version as well. Make them to your own taste and family needs. The choice is up to you. :-)
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Gluten Free Breakfast Bars

1 ¼ cup GF flour
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup honey (or agave nectar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup peanuts
¼ cup raisins

In a small bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda.

In a large bowl, combine oil, agave and vanilla. Stir dry ingredients into wet. Mix in nuts and raisins. Grease an 8x8 baking dish with oil. Press the dough into the baking dish, wetting your hands with oil to help pat the dough down evenly if necessary.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes (or till golden brown). Cool and Serve. Note: They are also good warm (with milk over them if desired), but will be crumbly when served this way.

My version (use same instructions as above):
1/2 C. whole wheat flour
1/2 C. oat flour
1/4 C. old fashioned oats
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 C. oil (grape seed)
1/4 C. honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 C. sliced almonds
1/2 C. peanuts (salted)
1/4 C. raisins
1/3 C. dried cranberries
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It will look something like this in the pan before you bake it.

These turned out really well, though I got mine just a bit too dark. I loved the nutty looking texture with the bits of red cranberry peaking out.

I ate some of it with milk on it like cereal. It was very good this way too! :-)

Crock Pot Reuben Sandwich Filling

I had this years and years ago and it was really good. With more healthy versions of some of these ingredients available today, it would be possible to make this with organic ingredients or something similar. Also, this would probably be really good served with a savory version of Irish Soda Bread.

Reuben Sandwiches

1 Cup Thousand  Island salad dressing
1 Cup Sauer Kraut
1  12 ounce can corned beef (drained)
10 ounces grated Swiss cheese (or cheese of your choice)
Cook on high or medium in a crock pot 2 hours or more.
Serve on rye bread or potatoes (mashed, baked or boiled).

-- Thanks to Denise of South Dakota

Loaded Chips and Cheese

You can make chips and cheese into a fully balanced meal! This is one of the great things about it – that and melted cheese. What cheese lover can resist that? :-)  (Note of our foreign friends – the kind of chips used for this are corn tortilla chips, just in case you don’t know that.)

To make the loaded chips and cheese pictured above I fully cooked some chicken breast strips and seasoned them with Mexican type seasoning (garlic, onion, red pepper, cumin, oregano) and salt.

Then, after spreading the corn chips on a baking sheet, I added the chicken, sliced black olives and grated cheese.  I added some more spices to make the entire batch more flavorful. I baked it in the oven (350F-375F)  just till the cheese melted and then sprinkled it with fresh, diced tomatoes before serving it. Supper in one pan! :-)

Pinto or black beans from a can or precooked (rinsed and well drained) could be used here in place of the chicken meat, or added to it to “stretch” it. You could also use cooked, drained ground beef.

Other toppings you could use to make a complete meal of it:

- mozzarella; pepperoni; fully cooked, crumbled sausage (drained and patted dry with paper towel); mushrooms; olives and other pizza toppings (use the sauce for dip if you want it, or sprinkle basil, garlic and oregano on top of the cheese before baking).

- good melting cheese of your choice, thin sliced steak (fully cooked); chopped, canned artichoke hearts (well drained and patted dry); and sautéed garlic cloves (drained). Add fresh chopped tomatoes after removing it from the oven. Season with herbs of your choice – maybe fresh, chopped basil? Mmmm.

- fully cooked, drained ground beef (drain on paper towel); garbanzo beans; pitted kalamata olives; lightly sautéed garlic; crumbled feta cheese.  (You could use mozzarella with this as well.)  Top this with fresh, shredded lettuce, chopped cucumber, and/or tomatoes.  You could also spray the top lightly with olive oil before to add flavor.

- cheddar cheese; cooked, drained ground beef; and finely chopped dill pickles. Add chopped, diced tomatoes; shredded lettuce; and diced onion or chopped green onions after it is finished baking. "Sprinkle" ketchup and mustard over it. (This is for a cheese burger type taste.) :-)

Notes:

Obviously all the cheese needs to be grated, or in the case of feta crumbled, before use.

You could use leftover meat for this such as shredded chicken, turkey, beef, or pork.

Anything you want fresh needs to be added after removing from the oven.

I have not tried all these toppings. I’m just thinking these through as I write. Be adventuresome and think up some of your own that sound good to you. Just remember not to use anything very wet or oily or the chips may get soggy.

Also, using safe cheese and other ingredients, this recipe can be made gluten free.

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First published here 1/2011. Edited.

Recipe: Gluten-free Gingerbread Cake

My mom was having a lot of stomach trouble for awhile and my brother and sister-in-law finally convinced her to try going off of gluten to see what happened.  (My brother is gluten intolerant himself.)  She discovered that her stomach felt better when she ate less wheat, so she is avoiding it most of the time.  She made this change shortly before Mother’s Day, so I decided to try to find a gluten-free gingerbread recipe to make for her since that is her favorite cake.

This is the one I found. 
Gluten-free Gingerbread Cake

My husband actually ended up making it since he has made it his job to do the cooking on Sunday mornings in our house, and he likes baking particularly. :-)  It turned out really well.  It was rather heavy, but then gingerbread often is.  We had bought Bob’s Red Mill brand “one-for-one” gluten free flour which is what he used.

 
The cake does have a distinct molasses flavor, so if you dislike molasses, this might not be for you.  The nice thing is that it makes two cakes, so you can freeze one for later use if you like. :-)  By the way, since I didn’t have two 9x9” pans, I think he ended up using two 7x11” pans.

Yogurt Caraway Chicken

 

This is an original recipe that I invented after reading another recipe using yogurt as a chicken coating.  It turned out quite well.  We liked the way the yogurt and coconut milk powder baked as a coating for chicken.  You could alter the seasonings to achieve different tastes.

Yogurt Caraway Chicken

5-6 drum sticks.  Place chicken in an oiled 9x13 cake pan, leaving room for cabbage.

Mix together in a small bowl:

3/4 C. plain yogurt
1/4 C. coconut milk powder
1/2 tsp. caraway seed powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Spread over the top of chicken, dividing it evenly among all pieces.

Sprinkle with Cayenne pepper to taste (optional).

In the empty area place 3-4 large wedges of cabbage.  Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, caraway powder and salt.

Bake at 375F for 30 minutes or till chicken tests done.  Check occasionally and turn cabbage over if needed.  If the food is drying out too much you may cover the pan with aluminum foil to finish baking.  (If you wish to add liquid be sure to add boiling water to a hot pan, especially if it is glass.)

Makes 3-4 servings.

Of course, this dish can be prepared gluten free.

Note:  I don’t know if caraway can be bought in the powdered form.  I think my mom or I ground what I have.  We use a designated electric coffee grinder to grind up herbs/spices.  You don’t want to use the same grinder for herbs and spices that you use for coffee.  It might result in “interesting” and undesirable flavor combinations.  We’ve picked up our “spares” at second hand stores.

Hot Fudge Pudding

 

This recipe came from my Great-Aunt Lissette, via my Gramma and it is real comfort food, and you can make it even more appealing by serving it warm with a scoop of ice cream on top.  Also, we’ve made it with rice flour in place of the all-purpose flour and it came out very well – even better than with the wheat flour in some opinions. :-)  [I don’t recommend making it with whole wheat flour as whole wheat tends to absorb too much of the liquid.]  During the baking process the layers in this “cake” reverse so that there is a cake like layer on the top and a nice syrup in the bottom.  It makes a very nice warm dessert for cold weather!

Hot Fudge Pudding

Stir with a wire whisk:
1 Cup all-purpose flour (or rice flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 Cup sugar

Add and mix:
1/2 Cup milk
2 Tablespoons melted butter
Add and mix:
1 Cup chopped nuts (optional)
Pour into a greased 9 inch square pan.  

(Use 9 by 13 inch cake pan for double recipe.)

Mix:
1/4 Cup brown sugar
4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 3/4 Cups hot water
Pour carefully over the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40- 45 minutes.
The layers will reverse during baking.

Serve warm or cooled.

Quick and Easy Recipes - Special Dietary Needs Recipe Finder

 

WHFoods: Over 100 Quick and Easy Recipes

Here is a recipe finder that allows you to add specific ingredients, exclude specific ingredients, and include a specific nutrient.  You can select more than one item in the first two columns by following their instructions.  By doing this, you can find quick recipes for special diet needs!  What a useful tool! 

And, the recipes are quick.  They say, “The majority of recipes we offer can be both prepared and cooked in 30 minutes or less, from start to finish.”

The recipes are also flexible.  They tell us, “We realize that if our recipes are going to fit your individual tastes, schedule and lifestyle, they can't just dictate exactly which ingredients you need and the exact amount of each one to use.”

If you have no special diet needs, you can also just browse through their recipes and select ones that interest you.  Or, if you like to cook healthy, nutritious meals and are just looking for a quick and easy recipe for a specific ingredient, this is a great way to locate something.

A friend of mine whose son is on a very specialized diet right now got this link from his doctor and passed it on.

Quick Meals – Chicken and Mint

 

This summer I’m growing several types of mint in pots.  One evening I was cooking boneless, skinless chicken breast and decided to flavor it with fresh mint.  I cooked it a bit first in olive oil and a little water (it was frozen when I put it in the pan), cutting it into bite size pieces when it got partly done (using tongs and a pair of scissors).  This speeds the cooking time.  Then I added snipped fresh mint and salted it.  I may have added some green onion tops and black pepper as well, I don’t remember now.  But, it was absolutely delicious!  So very simple and yet so tasty! :-)  I served it with vegetables (use fresh or cooked), and a carbohydrate (something easy – bread or toast?).  A super simple and quick meal.

Chicken breast
Olive oil
Snipped fresh mint
Salt
Green onion tops (optional)
Fresh ground black pepper (optional)

Mint and Chives Chicken

Tomatillo Salsa

This salsa was actually an invention of my dad’s.  I simply copied his idea.  (He didn’t have a recipe, as usual. :-)  )  The ingredients don’t have to be added in these exact proportions.  You can change them to suit your needs or taste.  One reason I like this salsa especially is because tomatoes bother me some, but apparently tomatillos don’t.  It also has a great flavor that is a little different than the usual fresh tomato salsa.  I find it a bit more refreshing.

Tomatillo Salsa

3-4 large tomatillos  (Probably more if you use homegrown.)
1 green onion, (green leaf parts only, unless you like lots of onion)
1 large jalapeno
3-4 garlic cloves
A little fresh (or frozen) cilantro
Juice of one lemon
Salt to taste

Prep. vegetable appropriately and run in a food processor or blender in batches.  Mix all together well and allow to sit in the fridge about 15 minutes before serving.  (Refrigerate leftovers.)

I love fresh salsa on a fried egg with sour cream on top and this kind is especially delicious.  You can also use it with corn or tortilla chips, tacos or burritos.  Mix it with sour cream for a yummy dip.  I spooned a little over chicken I was cooking in a frying pan with vegetables one night.  It  was good that way too.

Mango Salsa

 

Recently I bought some mangoes for a treat for us, but to my disappointment, I discovered they were too sour to eat by themselves.  I recalled the fact that I’d seen a recipe at some point for mango salsa and thought I’d look it up online.  I found several recipes, but thought the combination of ingredients sounded a bit weird.  My husband, however, thought I should at least give it a try.  I picked one recipe that seemed the closest to what I wanted and then made it up to my own needs and tastes.  So, here’s the basic “plan”:

Finely chopped mango (1 and half small mangos made about 2 servings.)
Snipped green onion
Red pepper flakes
A little snipped cilantro
Salt
(Add a little sugar if the mango is still too sour – but – add it only a tiny bit at a time or you may get too much.  If your mangos seem too sweet, you may want to add a touch of lemon juice to add tartness.)

This salsa is good served with meat.  I think it would be especially good with pork.  It would be a zippy sauce to make a non-traditional hamburger topping. :-)  And, an added perk is the lovely color this adds to a meal!

Links – It’s All About Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies. They are not only delicious, they are nostalgic for me. My Gramma made them. Maybe both of my grandmothers made them. My mom has made them. I have made them for my own family and have probably made them for my husband.
But, why limit them to cookies? Just for fun I thought I’d see how many different snickerdoodle recipes I could come up with and here’s the results! :-)
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Snickerdoodle Cake
Snickerdoodle Muffins
Snickerdoodle Ice Cream
Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches
Snickerdoodle Chex® Mix
Snickerdoodle Cheese Cake
Snickerdoodle Pie
Snickerdoodle Blondies
Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Dip
Snickerdoodle Pie Crust (This recipe calls for gluten-free packaged cookies. Use your own snickerdoodles if you don’t want the packaged ones.)
Snickerdoodle Trifle (This recipe is full of poison, er, I mean dangerous chemicals with all the sugar-free ingredients and Cool Whip. However, with a few changes – regular pudding mixes and real whipped cream – I think you could make it more health friendly instead of diet friendly, whatever that is.)
Toffee Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodles
Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles
Peppermint Snickerdoodles
Gluten-free Snickerdoodles (That should make someone happy!)
And, last but not least, my own Gramma’s recipe:
Gramma Hoover’s Snickerdoodles

Fresh Green Bean Salad

 

This is a refreshing, delicious salad for a hot summer day.  If you have garden fresh beans, so much the better!  I don’t have measurements.  I don’t think we ever used any.  We just made it with however much was available.  It is easily adjusted for special diets too.
Fresh Green Bean Salad
Fresh green beans
Tomatoes, chopped or sliced
Whit onion (optional), diced
Crumbled Feta cheese, or cheese of your choice
Italian salad dressing, or vinegar and oil dressing of your choice
Parboil or steam beans just till tender crisp.  Remove from heat and drain immediately and rinse in cool water.  Refrigerate till ready to make salad.  Arrange beans around the edge of a large plate or small platter.  Place tomatoes in center.  Sprinkle with onions and cheese.  Pour salad dressing over the top.  Serve.
Note: You could substitute green or red onions or chives for the white onions.  Also, if you have fresh basil or oregano, it would be a nice addition snipped and sprinkled on top.
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Make this recipe dairy free by leaving out the cheese.  Make it gluten free by using gluten free dressing and cheese.

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

Yes, really!  Pudding without a mix.  Boxed pudding will never taste the same! :-)  And, it’s so easy.  The only really “hard” part is stirring it till it’s ready.

Chocolate Pudding

3/4 C. white sugar 
5 Tbl. cocoa powder
1/3 C. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
3 1/4 C. milk
3 Tbl. butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla OR almond extract

In a large saucepan stir together dry ingredients.  Mix in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly (this is very important).  Cook and stir till the mixture thickens and just comes to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and flavoring.  Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve warm.  Or, chill in the fridge till ready to serve.

Note: If you don’t want a “skin” to form on the top while it’s cooling or being refrigerated, I suggest covering the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap.  If you don’t wish to cover it with plastic, then serve it with the skin and find out which one in your family doesn’t mind it, or even likes it, and let them have the skin whenever you make it. :-)

This pudding can also be used warm over ice cream to make a “hot fudge” sundae.

To give it a richer chocolate flavor I use 3 Tbl. of regular cocoa powder and 2 Tbl. of Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder.  It’s guaranteed to satisfy a chocolate craving. :-)
This recipe is gluten free.  If you also need to make it dairy free you might try making up some coconut milk from powder and using that in place of the milk.  Almond or rice milk would probably work fine too although I don’t know about their heating qualities.

Red Lentil Ham Soup

 
This is a very easy soup to make.  Dried, split red lentils (really they are orange) cook very fast compared to most dried beans or lentils.  I think this is because they don’t have the skins on them.  I don’t know what the price for them is in a regular store.  We usually buy ours at an Indian store where they are called Masoor Dal.
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To make the soup:
Cook in a 2 qt. pot:
Chicken or vegetable broth
Lentils (I used at least 1 cup, probably more)
One ham bone
Onion
Garlic
Diced Carrots
Bring to a boil and simmer stirring at regular intervals till the lentils are almost done.  Remove meat from ham bone and discard bone.  Return the meat to the pot.  Finish cooking.  (The lentils are done when they are soft.)
Add salt and black or red pepper to taste.
Lentils are very absorbent, so use plenty of broth or water.  If you are unsure of how much to use start with a little less.  You can add more as you go along.  Lentils will stick to the bottom of the pan (especially when reheating), so do be sure to stir it regularly.
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Depending on the ham and broth you use this meal could be made gluten and lactose free.  If you can’t find safe ham, try some pre-cooked meat of your choice.  The taste will be different, but it will still be tasty.  You could add Cajun seasoning if you use another type of meat to make a very tasty soup!

Four Salads

Do you get hungry for salad in the spring?  I do!  I think our bodies want the fresh green lettuce and veggies as part the clearing out process after winter.  That’s my theory, anyway.  But, I know that the fresh fruits and veggies taste extra good in the spring time, especially when you have homegrown lettuce! :-)
Here are four salads that I especially like.  Three are very simple.  If you sometimes forget or struggle to eat fresh fruit, three of these salads might be some help to you.
Blueberry-Melon Salad
This is a summer salad and probably my favorite.  I love the colors and the fresh berries!

As you can see, it only has three ingredients – leafy green lettuce, blueberries and cantaloupe.  I usually serve it with a sweet-sour dressing, honey-lemon is the best.  (I will try to share some dressing recipes later.)
Festive Banana Melon Salad

This salad is quite pretty.  It isn’t much different from the one above.  It has bananas instead of blueberries, and a maraschino cherry is put on top to decorate it.  This, of course, is optional.  (It’s hard to find maraschino cherries here that don’t have high fructose corn syrup in them.)  I serve this with similar dressings as I do the blueberry one.
Another variation of this is to leave out the bananas and add plain cooked chicken breast.  This then becomes a “main dish” salad.

This was an interesting one, but it was actually quite good.  As you can see I sprinkled some toasted sesame over the top of the sweet-sour dressing.  This would be so refreshing on a late winter day, I think! :-)
Chef Salad

This is one to two servings.

This salad is the not-so-easy one.  But, it is almost an entire meal.  All you need to add is some carbohydrate of some sort – bread, chips, biscuits, etc.  How about croutons?
When I make this I layer it.  Lettuce on the bottom.  Next some mixed veggies – cucumbers, carrots, etc.  Then the “julienned” ham slices and the grated cheese.  On that I sprinkled some black pepper.  The tomatoes (cherry or wedges of a larger one) and quartered boiled eggs look decorative around the edges.  Black olives rings would make a nice addition to the top as well.  If you don’t eat ham, try turkey or roast beef deli meat.  It’s good served with a savory dressing – Ranch, bleu cheese, Russian, Italian, Thousand Island, etc.
By the way, with attention to the ingredients these can all be made gluten free.  :-)  Just use a safe dressing and adjust some things in the Chef Salad.