Homemade Grahams

My family loves graham crackers... the only problem is, all the grahams at the store contain soy products and /or hydrogenated oils! The organic kinds cost double, so they are out of the question...

After searching the grocery store shelves for an affordable, healthy choice of grahams (and failing to find anything), I decided to make my own :)

This is a recipe that I formulated myself, after having viewed quite a few recipes online. My family thought they were really good, with just the right texture and sweetness!

Ingredients:

1/2 c butter
1/4 c packed brown sugar

1/4 c honey

1 t vanilla extract
2 c sprouted wheat flour
1 c unbleached flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 c milk

Directions:

Cream together the butter, sugar and honey. Stir in vanilla and milk.

Mix together the flours, baking powder and soda, and salt.

Combine the two mixtures until incorporated. I had to knead on a floured surface to get them into a nice dough.

Chill dough until firm (from 1-4 hours)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. and grease cookie sheets (I used coconut oil).

Roll dough out to 1/8" and cut into rectangles. I scored the dough to look more like store-bought grahams. Place grahams 1/2" apart on cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until browned on edges and crisp.*

*Before baking, you may sprinkle with a little cinnamon-sugar for a sweeter treat.

Enjoy ;)

This post was shared at Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist

Homemade Turkey Pot Pie

Even though it has been in the high 80's here lately, I still like a hot plate of food for dinner! Pot pies have been one of my favorite meals for years, and they are definitely hot- not to mention creamy, meaty, filling, etc. And, pot pies are the perfect way of bringing an entire meal to the table in one dish. Since I roasted a turkey for Easter dinner, I had enough left-over meat to fill two pies!





My favorite pie recipe calls for chicken, but turkey can substitute very well!

Filling:

3 cups cooked, diced chicken or turkey
1 1/2 c chicken, beef or turkey stock (preferably homemade!)
1 t dried basil
1 t dried rosemary
1 t dried thyme
3/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 c cubed potatoes
1 c chopped celery
1 c sliced carrots
1 med. onion, chopped
1/3 c butter
1/2 c flour
3/4 c raw cream
3/4 c raw milk

Pour stock into small saucepan with basil, rosemary, thyme and salt. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer while you prepare the rest of the filling (about 15 minutes).

Melt butter in deep skillet and saute potatoes for 5 minutes.

Add celery, carrots, and onions to potatoes and saute for 5 minutes.

Mix flour with veggies and stir over heat for one minute.

Strain the stock and add it to veggies, then add pepper, cream, and milk to mixture.

Cook until thick and bubbly.







Crust:

3 c flour
1 t salt
1 c coconut oil (solid, chilled)
1 large egg
1 T white vinegar
1/4 c water
1 egg + 1 T milk for crust browning

Mix flour with coconut oil and salt until crumbly.

Mix egg, vinegar and water in a separate cup, then sprinkle over flour mixture.

Use hands to form dough into ball (add water by sprinkles, if needed).

Roll out 2/3 dough to 1/8" to fit in bottom and sides of a 8"-round casserole. Press into corners.

Fill the casserole with the prepared filling, then roll out the remainder of dough to cover the top of the pie. You can weave strips of dough or cut out shapes in a solid top crust. Brush the top crust with 1 egg mixed well with 1 T milk.


Bake in a pre-heated 400 F oven for 35 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Homemade Hummus

I love this homemade hummus! It is great with crackers, melba toast or pita bread... the taste is mild, so you could really use this as an all-purpose dip :) I do not like the tartness of many store-bought brands, so I add a little raw honey to cut the tart flavor- but not enough to be overpoweringly sweet. Also, I buy my garbanzo beans dried, not in a can. This guarantees that the beans are soaked properly to neutralize their natural enzyme inhibitors!

What you need:

6 oz dried garbanzo beans (plus, 2 T whey or lemon juice)
1/2 c tahini paste
3 T olive oil, plus a drizzle for presentation
2 large cloves garlic
1 T raw honey
1/3 c lemon juice
1 t ground cumin
salt to taste

Soak beans overnight with enough water to cover them and 2 T whey or lemon juice.

Drain and rinse beans, then cover with water and boil until tender (up to 2 hours).

Drain beans, reserving bean broth.

Place beans in food processor and blend with garlic and oil (add enough broth to make a creamy paste).

Add rest of ingredients and blend until incorporated (add more broth until desired consistency).

For the presentation, put the hummus in a shallow bowl or plate and drizzle with olive oil. I also sprinkle mine with paprika! Enjoy.

Homemade Chai Tea Blend

I gave up having a daily cup of coffee a while back... but I still enjoy a hot, creamy beverage every once in a while :) One of my favorite hot drinks is chai tea- it's hot, spicy, creamy, and as sweet as I want to make it! Here's my version of this wonderful, tasty beverage that is sure to put a smile on your face:

Chai tea mix:

3/4 c black tea (or red rooibos, for a caffeine-free treat)
4 cinnamon sticks, chopped
1 organic orange peel, dried and broken in small pieces (in your oven: bake at 250 F for about 15-20 minutes, until crispy.)
1/4 t crushed black peppercorns
1/4 t crushed cloves
1 t fennel seeds
1/4 t cumin seeds
1 t dried, chopped ginger
bay leaves (about 1 per cup of water)

Mix all ingredients and keep stored in an airtight jar.

To make tea:

Heat 1T (heaping) chai mix (plus 1 bay leaf) with 1 cup water. When mix reaches boil, cover and remove from heat. Let steeep for 10-15 minutes.

While tea is steeping, steam/heat one cup milk + 2 t honey or brown sugar.

Mix equal amounts milk and strained tea in large mug and enjoy!

This post is shared on Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist.

Homemade Mousse au Chocolat

When my daughter was planning her birthday party menu, this chocolate-y dessert was on top of her list. With a mixture of pastured eggs, raw cream, chocolate and very little sugar, it was something I could definitely say "yes!" to...





What you will need:

12 oz dark chocolate (preferably 70%-80% cocoa content. We chose Hageland "Uganda" Belgian chocolate, which is 80% cocoa.)
1/2 c raw milk
4 T organic powdered sugar
6 eggs-separated
dash of salt
3/4 c raw cream

Melt the chocolate with the milk in a double boiler over low-med. heat, then transfer to large bowl.
Beat the 6 egg yolks with the sugar until creamy yellow-stir them into warm chocolate mixture. Beat the 6 egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form- fold into chocolate mixture.
Beat the cream until thick-fold carefully into chocolate mixture.

When everything is mixed, cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours. We left ours in the fridge overnight, and dug into it the next day. Wow! This mousse is just sweet enough and bursting with chocolate-y goodness.

Note: When I was in high school, our family hosted a Belgian exchange student. She made this dessert for our family and friends, and I fell in love with it! This version of Aurore's mousse au chocolat is just as good as I remember :)

Homemade Gluten-free Strawberry Pie

The kiddos and I went on a homeschool field trip to a local farm this week. We picked 20lbs of the sweetest organic strawberries I have ever tasted! The farmer told us they were of the Radiant variety- juicy and sweet.

I am going to make some strawberry preserves next week, freeze some for smoothies and milkshakes, add some to my homemade kombucha, and today I made a gluten-free strawberry pie! I used coconut flour for the crust, and cut the sugar content in half to let the natural sweetness of the strawberries shine.

Here's a crust recipe that I modified from http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/:

1 1/2 c coconut flour (make your own Homemade coconut flour)

2 eggs
1 t honey
pinch of salt
1/4 c + 2 T melted butter
1 T water

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Mix first 4 ingredients well, then add butter and water. Mix thoroughly.

Press into a 8"x 11" pan.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until browned.

For the filling, I modified a recipe from Talk About Good, published by the Junior League of Lafayette, LA.:

about 1 qt strawberries
1/2 c sugar
3 T cornstarch
8 oz cream cheese + 3 T milk
freshly-whipped cream

Process cream cheese and milk in small food processor until spreadable consistency.

Spread mixture on finished coconut flour crust.

Set 1/2 of strawberries closely on top of cream cheese, use more if needed.

Mash rest of berries in medium saucepan(add more if you used more than half on previous step.).

Add sugar and cornstarch to strawberries and bring to boil. Cook until hot and thick, stirring constantly.

Cool mixture slightly, then pour over berries in pan. Spread to even thickness.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Serve topped with whipped cream.

Here's the strawberry kombucha that I have fermenting on my kitchen counter! I have already tasted it, and it is delicious! I now have a new favorite flavor!

This recipe was shared at Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist.

Homemade Sourdough Pancakes

I was rummaging through my kitchen cabinet the other day and found a series of cookbooks that my mother-in-law gave to me many years ago. I never realised what a treasure they were! Women's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery is a great set of books to have around. The set I have was published in 1966, and most of the recipes use butter and other "old-fashioned" ingredients. There are not only recipes in these books, but whole cookbooks on specific ingredients such as onions and peanut butter, or ethnicities such as French and Norwegian! These books also have definitions for culinary lingo and procedures. What a find-and in the back of my own cabinet!

The first Women's Day recipe I am going to try is sourdough pancakes! I have modified the recipe slightly to my own tastes, but the idea is the same :)

To 2 cups of your sourdough starter, add one cup each of flour and water. Let it sit overnight.

In the morning, add 1 T rapadura, 1/2 t baking soda, 1/2 t sea salt and one beaten egg.

Mix with 2 T melted butter and let it sit while griddle heats up to about 350 degrees F.

Cook on hot griddle until browned on both sides.

While my pancakes were cooking, my kids asked me if I was making popcorn for breakfast! The smell is similar :) The taste is delicious! They are slightly sour, but when loaded with butter and maple syrup they make a satisfying breakfast. I was able to eat these pancakes without the feeling of heaviness I sometimes get in my tummy, and they are very filling and full of energy.

Enjoy!