Category Archives: Food & Recipes

Appetizers, Food & Recipes, Sides

Balsamic Glazed Beets With Goat Cheese and Pistachios

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Serving Size: approximately 1 whole beet with toppings

Balsamic Glazed Beets With Goat Cheese and Pistachios

Ingredients

    • 6 Cooked and Peeled Beets (directions here )
    • 6 TBSP organic goat cheese
    • 6 TBSP organic Balsamic Glaze (directions here )
    • 24 Pistachios (salted or unsalted – your preference)
For the beets
    • 6 medium beets
For the glaze

Instructions

  1. Slice beets into 1/4 inch slices.
  2. Divide beets evenly among 6 appetizer plates.
  3. Sprinkle goat cheese on top of beets.
  4. Top each plate with 4 pistachios.
Bars and Brownies, Desserts, Food & Recipes, Recipes

Whole Wheat Maple Blondies with Flax

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 8
Serving Size: 1 slice

Whole Wheat Maple Blondies with Flax
A healthy version of the famous Blondie brownie! The kids won’t even notice there is flax seed hidden inside these Whole Wheat Maple Blondie brownies 🙂

Ingredients

  • 1 stick organic salted butter, melted and cooled
  • 3/4 cup soft white wheat berries (or use 1 cup whole wheat flour)
  • 1/4 cup organic flax seed
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 organic egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 4 TBSP organic maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp natural salt
  • 1/2 tsp aluminum free baking soda
  • 1/4 organic baking powder
  • 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Grind the wheat into flour in your Nutrimill
  3. Grind the flax seed.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the flour, flax seed, salt, baking powder, and baking soda
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and vanilla together.
  6. Continue to whisk the egg mixture while adding the maple syrup and and the melted butter.
  7. Add the brown sugar to the wet ingredients while stirring to dissolve the sugar crystals.
  8. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix to fully incorporate.
  9. (Stir in chocolate chips at this time if desired)
  10. Spread the batter into a greased 8 or 9 inch round pie pan or Pyrex dish.
  11. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center is firm to the touch and the edges are golden brown.
Breads, Food & Recipes, Home Management, Kitchen Tools

Organized Baking Station

2 Comments

Milling your own flour is not much more time consuming than scooping a cup out of a store bought bag of flour IF you have everything you need organized and ready to go each time you need flour for a recipe.  You can learn all about milling your own grain HERE but if you would like to streamline the milling process as well as other baking activities you need to have an organized baking station first.  I have tried many approaches and through trial and error I have come up with an organized baking station that works perfectly for me.  It enables me to prepare bread dough for the bread machine in less than 5 minutes. Continue reading Organized Baking Station →

Breads, Food & Recipes, Kitchen Tools, Product Reviews

Milling Your Own Grain

3 Comments

When I tell people I mill my own grain they look at me like I’m some kind of freak that spends all day working away to produce flour for my family.  The truth is that I can mill the flour I need for a recipe faster than most people can make a piece of toast and just as easily.  Milling your own grain is quick, easy, and healthier for you than store bought “dead” flour.  If you have never milled your own grain to prepare fresh flour before you owe it to yourself to give it a try and see for yourself just how easy it is. Continue reading Milling Your Own Grain →

Breads, Breakfast, Food & Recipes, Recipes

Whole Wheat Waffles with Flax

For years when I “made” waffles for my kids it just involved grabbing some frozen processed discs from the freezer and throwing them into the toaster for a couple of minutes.  After I started milling my own grain and making my own bread it occurred to me that I could make other things out of freshly milled grain…like cookies, pancakes, and waffles.  Store-bought frozen waffles seem so processed now that we have become accustomed to the real thing.  Below is my recipe for delicious homemade whole wheat waffles.  This recipe has been refined and improved over the years to reach this current version.  Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Continue reading Whole Wheat Waffles with Flax →

Appetizers, Chicken, Food & Recipes, Recipes, Sides

Fruited Whole Wheat Tabbouleh with Goat Cheese

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Fruited Whole Wheat Tabbouleh with Goat Cheese

I distinctly recall the very first time I tried tabbouleh. It was in Morocco.

Okay… it was in Epcot’s Morocco. It was way back when we had only two little ones to cart around Disney. We had stopped at one of the little sidewalk restaurants for a little respite from the sun and to have a little snack. At the time I had never even heard of the word tabbouleh. The entry on the menu board piqued my interest, and I just had to sample the salad with such an unusual name. As soon as that first spoonful crossed my lips, I was instantly grateful. The bright, flavorful mixture of herbs, grains, and citrus was intriguing. What a fresh new taste!

I have had many tabbouleh variations since then, and they have all been good. However, I recently decided to create a tabbouleh that even my kids would like. This is what I came up with.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole grain quick-cooking whole wheat bulgur
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 pound cooked chicken breast, chopped
  • 1 pound pineapple, diced
  • 8 oz strawberries, diced
  • 1/2 cucumber, seeded, peeled, and diced
  • 1 shallot, finely minced
  • 1 0z. mint, cut into thin ribbons
  • 1/4 cup garlic rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
  • 2 TBSP honey
  • 1 TBSP Sugar in the Raw
  • 1/2 cup Goat Cheese

Instructions

  1. Pour boiling water over bulgur and let sit at least one hour.

  1. In a large bowl or serving platter l, toss the chicken, pineapple, strawberries, cucumber, shallots, and mint together.

  1. In a separate container, whisk the vinegar, lime juice, teriyaki sauce, honey, and sugar together until mixed well.

  1. Pour over bulgur mixture and stir until evenly distributed.

  1. Garnish with goat cheese and strawberry slices if desired.

  1. There you have it. Simple. Fresh. Healthy. And the kids loved it!
Chicken, Food & Recipes, Main Courses, Pasta, Recipes

Whole Wheat Carmela’s Chicken

     Carmela’s Chicken.  Sounds innocent enough, right?  That’s what was on the lunch special at Macaroni Grill one day after a quick dentist appointment with the kids.  I thought I’d try it.
     OH! MY! GOODNESS!
    I wasn’t prepared to be whisked away into foodie nirvana on a Thursday at noon.  Whole Wheat Carmela’s Chicken is a  heavenly concoction of tender chicken, mushrooms, caramelized onions, and pasta  –  all perfectly doused in a Marsala cream sauce.  I wasn’t expecting such decadence.  I simply had to produce this in my own kitchen.  The biggest change I wanted to make was to substitute whole grain pasta for the processed variety found at Macaroni Grill.  Here is a cleaner eating take on the dish:
Ingredients:
  • 3 large onions, cut into very thin slices
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped OR 1 oz dried mushrooms (reconstituted according to package directions, chopped)
  • 10 cloves of garlic, finely minced
  • 16 ounces raw chicken breast, thinly sliced
  • 1 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp Sugar in the Raw
  • 8 oz Marsala cooking wine
  • 16 oz heavy whipping cream
  • 16 ounces whole wheat  pasta (prepared according to package directions)
  • 2 ounces Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup of fresh basil, sliced into thin ribbons
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
Directions:
1. First, caramelize the onions.  Place the onions in a large saute pan and cook over low to medium heat for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The onions will become a rich, deep brown.  You may splash a little water in from time to time to prevent any scorching.  This is also a sign that you might want to turn the heat down a bit. Low and slow. That is the key to perfectly caramelized onions.
Photo Jan 14, 3 13 16 PM
Photo Jan 14, 3 48 14 PM
2.  Remove the onions to a separate bowl.  Add the butter and the olive oil to the pan and swirl until all of the butter is melted.  Add the mushrooms and saute over medium heat for about five minutes.  Add the garlic and saute two minutes more.
Photo Jan 14, 3 58 47 PM
Photo Jan 14, 3 48 37 PM
Photo Jan 14, 3 23 50 PM
3. Add the chicken, salt, pepper, and sugar to the hot pan and saute for about five minutes, or until all of the outer pink has disappeared.
Photo Jan 14, 4 03 17 PM
4. Add the wine and bring to a low simmer.  Allow chicken to simmer in the wine for three minutes.
Photo Jan 14, 3 59 56 PM
5. Add the cream.
Photo Jan 14, 4 02 03 PM
6. Add the onions back to the sauce pot. Bring mixture to a low simmer.
Photo Jan 14, 3 48 14 PM
6.  While keeping the sauce at a very low simmer, prepare the pasta in a large, separate pot according to package directions.
whole wheat spaghetti
7.  Drain the pasta.  Dish up the pasta into individual serving bowls.  Ladle the cream sauce on top of each serving.  Garnish with Parmesan Cheese, Basil, and Sun-dried tomatoes, if desired.
Photo Jan 14, 5 45 51 PM
8.  Sit down and be prepared to enjoy some of the most heavenly pasta on the planet. You’ll see!
Photo Jan 14, 5 45 00 PM
Food & Recipes, Recipes, Sides

Au Gratin Potatoes (Fantasy Potatoes)

Potatoes are a unanimous favorite in our family.  We like them mashed, smashed, whipped, creamed, scalloped, fried, sauteed, roasted, baked, and even just boiled and salted.  Simply put, we love potatoes in whatever form we can get them!

HOWEVER, this next recipe for Au gratin potatoes (ahem . . . “Fantasy Potatoes”)  is in a class all by itself.  Really.  You will never taste a more decadent, flavorful version of potatoes.  I promise.  The rewards are great for such a small amount of effort. Continue reading Au Gratin Potatoes (Fantasy Potatoes) →

Desserts, Food & Recipes, Fruity

Apple Cranberry Crisp with Vanilla, Maple, and Spice

This dish has been a favorite of our family for years. It gets a little something extra from the vanilla, maple, and spice. It is also heavy on the topping, which is always a winner at our house! The fruit layer is just the right combination of tart and sweet, while the “crisp” layer is exactly what a sweet and crispy layer should be. Continue reading Apple Cranberry Crisp with Vanilla, Maple, and Spice →

Food & Recipes, Recipes, Soup

Even Better Zuppa Toscana Recipe

If you’ve ever been to Olive Garden and sampled their Zuppa Toscana, you’ll know why it is a favorite in our family. So of course I had to go about creating a recipe of my own. The results? A unanimous consensus that my concoction is even better than the edition that is served by the popular chain restaurant. That’s really saying something! And fortunately it is as easy to make as it is tasty. Continue reading Even Better Zuppa Toscana Recipe →