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.
Category Archives: Recipes
Fruited Whole Wheat Tabbouleh with Goat Cheese
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
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
- Pour boiling water over bulgur and let sit at least one hour.
- In a large bowl or serving platter l, toss the chicken, pineapple, strawberries, cucumber, shallots, and mint together.
- In a separate container, whisk the vinegar, lime juice, teriyaki sauce, honey, and sugar together until mixed well.
- Pour over bulgur mixture and stir until evenly distributed.
- Garnish with goat cheese and strawberry slices if desired.
- There you have it. Simple. Fresh. Healthy. And the kids loved it!
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.
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.
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.
4. Add the wine and bring to a low simmer. Allow chicken to simmer in the wine for three minutes.
5. Add the cream.
6. Add the onions back to the sauce pot. Bring mixture to a low simmer.
6. While keeping the sauce at a very low simmer, prepare the pasta in a large, separate pot according to package directions.
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.
8. Sit down and be prepared to enjoy some of the most heavenly pasta on the planet. You’ll see!
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)
Even Better Zuppa Toscana Recipe
Perfect Brazilian Cheese Bread – Pao de Queijo
If you have ever been to a Brazilian steak house, you have likely not forgotten what is casually presented to patrons as “cheese bread”. The servers dutifully come around with the platter of accompaniments . . . and then they nonchalantly list the cheese bread as if it’s no big deal:
“Ma’am, would you like some fried bananas, yucca fries, or cheese bread?”
One might think that cheese bread is not noteworthy. That it is plain. Ordinary. Humdrum.
And one would be wrong. Continue reading Perfect Brazilian Cheese Bread – Pao de Queijo
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of hard white wheat
- 2 cups of soft white wheat
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup baking cocoa
- 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs
- Whole 23 ounce jar of apple sauce
- 1-3/4 cups whole milk
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 TBSP teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1-1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Grind the 1 cup of hard white and 2 cups of soft white. (Use it all…don’t worry about measuring it after it’s ground)
- In a large bowl, combine the flours, brown sugar, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites, egg, applesauce, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Coat muffin cups with cooking spray; fill three-fourths full with batter. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm.
Balsamic Maple Vinaigrette
Don’t be deceived by this short and simple recipe post….this is an amazing balsamic vinaigrette that will have people asking you for the recipe! Continue reading Balsamic Maple Vinaigrette
Healthy Super Easy Whole Wheat Pizza Recipe
This pizza dough couldn’t be easier to prepare. Just combine the ingredients in your bread machine and turn on the basic dough cycle (NOT the quick dough cycle). You have to keep hitting the selection button until the little arrows are on both the “basic” and the “dough”. Don’t forget to push start!
Continue reading Healthy Super Easy Whole Wheat Pizza Recipe