Ezekiel Bread

This bread is hands down one of my new favorites! It is so dense and moist - it goes awesome with soups or just as a slice of bread or toast with a meal! It makes a lot, so there is always an extra loaf or two to store in the freezer or to share with someone else... I love it so much that I have started keeping the random ingredients on hand all the time so that I can whip up a batch whenever I feel like it!

Ezekiel Bread
(recipe found in Taste of Home)

3 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
5 cups warm water (110 to 115) divided
1 tablespoon plus 2/3 cup honey, divided
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup toasted wheat germ
6-8 cups bread flour

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in 3/4 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon honey. Add the remaining water and honey, the oil, sugar, salt, whole wheat flour, wheat germ and 3 cups bread flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining bread flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. (I usually end up adding flour as I am going during the kneading process, to keep it from sticking.) Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Shape into 4 loaves. Place in 9x5x3 inch loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Potato Bar Chili

This was a recipe that I first discovered when I was looking for something original to serve after my daughter's baptism. Getting baked potatoes ready for 40 people was a little time consuming, but this recipe was quick to put together the night before and throw into the crockpot in the morning!

Potato Bar Chili
(recipe found in Taste of Home)

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 1/2 ounces) chili beans, undrained
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
baked potatoes

In a dutch oven, cook the beef, onions and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the tomatoes, beans, sugar and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Serve over potatoes.

Camping Haystacks

When we go camping with my sisters and brothers we take turns making the lunch and supper meals. I wanted to find something that wouldn't take a lot of work to throw together, but would still be filling and delicious enough to feed everyone from a year old to 30 something... This was the perfect fit!

Camping Haystacks
(recipe found in Taste of Home)

corn chips
canned chili - I used my Potato Bar Chili recipe...
shredded cheese
sliced olives
salsa
chopped tomatoes
lettuce
sour cream
guacamole

Layer corn chips on a plate and spoon warmed chili for chips. Place cheese over the chili so it melts slightly, then add any additional toppings as desired.

Authentic Boston Brown Bread

I have definitely been in a bread baking mood lately! I busted out the rye flour that I bought a while ago and wanted to try a few new recipes with it. This was a yummy one, even though I had to do some rigging to "steam" it the way you are supposed to. It was definitely worth the work!!

Authentic Boston Brown Bread
(recipe found in Taste of Home)

1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup molasses
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted
3 tablespoons raisins
cream cheese, softened, optional

In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, molasses, brown sugar and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in walnuts and raisins. Transfer to a greased 8x4 inch loaf pan; cover with foil.
Here is the pot that I used to steam my bread.

I set a small glass dish at the bottom of the pot to set my loaf pan on top of.

Place pan on a rack in a deep kettle; add 1 inch of hot water to kettle. Bring to a gentle boil; cover and steam for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, adding more water to the kettle as needed.

Remove pan from the kettle; let stand for 10 minutes before removing bread from pan to a wire rack. Serve with cream cheese if desired.

Pizza Pepperoni Pasta

This was a delicious alternative to pizza that my family still loved! Hotdishes are a mom's best friend. I like to make mine up during naptime and then throw them in the oven when we get home from our after naptime activities...

Pizza Pepperoni Pasta
(recipe found in Taste of Home Healthy Cooking)
Serves: 8

3 cups uncooked whole wheat spiral pasta
1 pound lean ground turkey - we have beef in our freezer, so I just used that!
1 medium onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups garden style spaghetti sauce
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
4 ounces sliced turkey pepperoni - I chopped mine
1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook turkey and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, basil, oregano, worcestershire sauce and pepper; set aside.

Drain pasta. Transfer to a 13x9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Top with spaghetti sauce mixture and pepperoni. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

This was delicious with a side of green beans, fresh from the garden! Yummmm!!

Black Bean Veggie Burritos

I wanted to try another black bean meal and I ventured to try it when Josh was home. (Remember he is not a big black bean fan...) I thought that it was pretty good, but it was definitely not a hit with him. My mom thought that it was a little dry, but I think that I was eyeballing the cheese a little too much and that might have caused the dryness. So, make sure that you use the 1/4 cup of cheese that it calls for and I think that it is a pretty good burrito!


Black Bean Veggie Burritos
(recipe found in Taste of Home Healthy Cooking)
Serves: 8

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon water
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
8 whole wheat tortillas (8 inches), warmed
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup fat free plain yogurt (for dipping)
1/2 cup salsa (for dipping)

In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the sweet potato, onion and water. Cover and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes or until potato is almost tender. Stir in the beans, corn, green pepper, lemon juice, garlic and seasonings. Spoon a heaping 1/2 cup filling off center on each tortilla. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Fold sides and ends over filling and roll up.

Place seam side down in a 13x9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with yogurt and salsa.

Makeover Macaroni and Cheese

Love to find healthier versions of something that my family already eats! Especially something as yummy as mac and cheese! This was really creamy and I love that I can sneak some whole grains into it! We used this as a side dish the night that I tried it, so I only made a half of a batch. It worked perfectly for our family of 5!

Makeover Macaroni and Cheese
(recipe found in Taste of Home Healthy Cooking)
Serves: 8

1 package (16 ounces) elbow macaroni - I do 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 regular
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups fat free milk
1 package (16 ounces) reduced fat process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine flour and milk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in process cheese and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese until smooth. Drain macaroni; stir into cheese sauce.

Remove from the heat; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.