Mango Kiwi Salsa

This is a fun food that makes me feel like it's still Summer. =) This is a nice side that you could eat with chicken, tilapia, chips, crackers, quesadilla, tacos, burritos, or...?. It adds some great nutrition and will add some life to your meal.

1 C Mango Diced
2 Kiwi Diced
2 T Red Onion Diced
2-3 T Cilantro chopped in small pieces
1/2 -1 T Lime Juice
1/4 -1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

1. Combine the Kiwi and Mango. Then add the remaining ingredients. Stir till combined.

Best served fresh! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Carrot Date Muffins

This is another variation to pumpkin muffins. I found that they got even better with time. I had some later in the evening, and they were so moist and yummy. Pumpkin breads are my favorite.

Ingredients:

1 can Pumpkin 29 oz
1 C Sucanat or 1 C Brown Sugar
1/3 C Coconut oil or Olive Oil
4 eggs
4 C grated carrots
1 tsp Vanilla
1 C Dates
1/2 C Water
3 C Spelt Mixture * or Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 T Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 T Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Cardamom

Directions:

1. Beat together Pumpkin, sugar, oil, egg, vanilla and carrots in a bowl. Put dates and water in a food processor or blender. Blend until all chopped up into a liquid form add to other wet ingredients.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a seperate bowl.

3. Pour Dry ingredients into wet mixture. Mix until combined. Don't overstir.

4. Fill Greased muffin tins. Bake 350 18-20 min. Or until cooked all the way through.

Made 60 Mini Muffins. You could freeze some to have on hand.

* Spelt Mixture was left over from when I ground 6 C Spelt 2 C Kamut 1 C Oat Groats

Feta vegetable Dip

This is a great dip that my daughter introduced me to. Every time I serve it, it is enjoyed by all. Avocados are 3 for$1 a lb. at Sunflower market till Wed.. Or price match that price at Walmart till Wed. They have the good fat in them. You can adjust the recipe to your preference.

Ingredients:

3-4 Avocados cut in pieces
7-8 Tomatoes cut in pieces
1/4 to 1/3 C of Purple onion cut in pieces
3/4 C Feta Cheese Broken into small pieces
1 1/2 tsp of lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Stir gently if you want the avocado to stay in pieces and not get mushy. I have done it both ways. Both ways taste great. It was a great way to use more of my Roma tomatoes. :)Yum!

Wholegrain Cardamom Bread Low Gluten

This is a recipe I got 30 years ago, when I was in College. That sounds like a really long time ago. I had fond memories of this recipe. I was telling my daughter who is in college to collect recipes. They will bring back fond memories from that time of life. I was able to change it to whole grain flour with success, and cut the sugar down and the butter. It was one of the best looking whole grain breads I have made. :) It would be a fun one to serve to guests during the holidays.
It was a nice slightly sweetened bread. It tasted good. I hope you enjoy it too.

This is what the dough looked like before it was cooked.
This is the finished product.
Ingredients:

9 C Spelt Flour Mix* or Wheat flour or you could use some White Flour
2 C Scalded Milk (I just mixed up some powdered milk it worked great)
2 T Yeast
1/2 C Warm Water
1 C Sugar or I used 1/2 C honey
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C butter or I used 3 T Butter and 1/3 C Coconut Oil (you could use another oil)
1 tsp Cardamom
1 Beaten Egg

Directions:

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water (not hot) and sugar or Xagave. I don't even stir it. I just let it sit for 5 to 10 min.

2. You can scald the milk if you use regular milk by heating in the microwave, for a couple of minutes. You will have to let it cool before you add it to the yeast mixture. I sometimes put ice in it to speed up the process. I did not heat up the powdered milk and it worked great.

3. Add the milk, sugar, 2 egg, salt, butter, oil and cardamom, to the yeast mixture.

4. Mix the flour in 1 cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides. You still want the dough to be sticky.

5. I kneaded the dough 4-5 min in the Bosch. (When you use the Spelt Mixture you don't want to Knead too long) If you are doing it by hand knead 10 min.

6. Cover let rise till double.

7. Pour out on to floured board. Knead by hand for a couple minutes till smooth.

8. Then divide into 6 equal pieces. I weighed it. Each section was about .73. You then roll each piece into a long snake. I put oil on my hands to make it an easier process.

9. Then grab 3 of the pieces lay them out straight push them together at the top and braid them. You can then keep it long or make it into a circle.

10, Cover let rise till double. That happened really fast about 20 to 30 min.

11. Place dough on a cookie sheet. Beat an egg and brush on to the top of the dough. Bake in a preheated oven 375 20 to 25 min. Time may vary according to your oven. This bread is a winner! : )

* Spelt mixture I ground up 6 C Spelt 2 C Kamut 1 C Oat Groats or Oatmeal. I have extra for the next recipe I make. I just store it in the freezer.

Spelt Biscuits

These turned out more like a flat bread. I liked it because they were perfect for dipping in our Clam Chowder, and healthier than crackers. They did taste great with honey butter too.:)

2 C Spelt Flour mix or Wheat or White flour of your choice
1/2 t Salt
4 t Baking powder
1/2 Coconut oil or butter
1 T Xagave or Sugar
1 Egg
2/3 C Milk

Sift all the dry ingredients together. Then cut oil into the flour. It should resembled course crumbs. Then add egg, milk, and Xagave to the flour mixture. Stir till dough follows fork around the bowl. Put on floured surface. Knead 20 strokes. Roll to 3/4 " Thickness. Cut 2" inch biscuit cutter or I used a wide mouth drinking glass. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Place 3/8 " apart close together for crusty biscuits.

*Sorry the lighting is bad on the pictures.

Barley Pilaf

This was a nice side to the salmon we were eating for dinner. It was fun way to get the grains in with the meal. Doing something different than your normal brown rice. It tasted good as well. Easy!

3 C Warm Water*
1 1/2 C Barley Hulled*
1 T Chicken Seasonings
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Whole onion chopped small pieces
1 Small can of mushroom pieces (drained)
3/4 C Grated Carrots *Optional
4 Green Onions chopped in small pieces (The green part adds nice color)
1/4 C Finely Chopped up Almonds or Slivered Almonds

I used my pressure cooker (You could cook on the stove. Boiling water first or in a Rice cooker) I poured in the water, Barley, Spices, Mushrooms and Onions. I set it on 17 min on high pressure. Then let it sit 15-30 min. Before I opened it. Then I added the green onions and the Almonds.
Serve!

*You could replace some of the water with Chicken or vegetable broth.
* I didn't do the carrots this time.
* (Pearled Barley would cook faster but not as much nutrition. )

Hickory Smoked Almonds

I just love this kind of almond. I buy them as a treat every so often. I was going to buy some today and decided I could probably make them. Without all of the extras they add in. So I came home and tried it out. I was happy with the result.

1 Egg White * Use water or something else for vegan version.
2 tsp Salt (I used real salt)
1/2 tsp Liquid Hickory Smoke
3 C Raw Almonds

1. Beat the egg white in a bowl till foamy. Then add the Salt and Liquid smoke. Beat together.

2. Throw in the almonds. Stir until all the almonds are covered.

3. Grease a cookie sheet. Spread the Almonds out on the cookie sheet.

4. Bake at 300 for about 30 min. Stir them every 10 min.

Couldn't be much easier than than. I chopped some up in my chopper, for a salad tonight Yum!

Quinoa Fruit Salad

This was a fun change for fruit salad. I liked it. :) This was my own version of a weight watchers recipe I found.

2 C Water
1 C Quinoa, rinsed thoroughly *
1/8t salt
1/3 C fresh mint chopped finely
1/4 C yogurt I used plain with w/ 1 T Honey*
2 T Fresh squeezed Orange Juice
1/2 tsp. orange zest
2 Kiwi, peeled and chopped in small pieces
1 11 oz can mandarin orange (drained)
1 14 oz can pineapple tidbits.
5 strawberries chopped in small pieces
3/4 C. Fresh blueberries

1. Bring water and salt to a boil, add the quinoa. Lower heat simmer till fully cooked about 15 min. Drain and Rinse, set aside.

2.In blender combine mint, yogurt, OJ, and zest. Pulse till blended. I liked having the mint in little specks.

3. Prepare fruit. Mix the fruit with yogurt. Then add the quinoa toss gently.

enjoy
* Quinoa can sometimes have a bitter taste if it is not rinsed off.
*You could use a flavored yogurt as well.

Brown Rice Mixture

This is something that I make regularly. I make a large amount and put the leftovers in the fridge for other meals. It stays good for a week. The cool thing is it is a great way to add grains to other meals. If its all cooked and in fridge, it's ready to go, so you are more likely to use it. I make it in my Cusinart pressure cooker. It was a splurge, but I have used it a lot. I love it. You can make it in your rice cooker or make it the way you would make Brown rice.

The recipe I follow is :

2 C. Brown Rice

1 C. Barley or 1/2c. Barley & 1/2 C. quinoa or 1/2 C. millet

6 C. Water

add spices of your choice. I like Marjoram, Basil, or Cilantro (for Mexican)

I usually keep the ratio of Brown rice 2 to 1 of other grains. Then you cook it the way you would normally cook rice. (In my machine I set it for 17 min. at high pressure. It takes a few minutes for the pressure to build. Then the timer runs the 17 min. I usually let the pressure go down on its own. Maybe 10 to 15 min. I sometimes leave it longer. It stays warm till ready to serve.)

The key is make sure it is soft. :) Here is some suggestions of what to do with it.

1. Eat it the way it is, add salt and pepper and other spices of your choice. Great side dish.

2. I put some in my husband's lunch today with some homemade salsa and cooked beans.

3. You can add a cup to pizza dough. The texture is not noticeable with all of the toppings on it.

4. Add it to soup.

5. Add it to Mexican dishes.

6. Add it to casseroles.

7. Add it to your favorite salads.

8. Add to cooked vegetables.

9. Use your imagination!

The key is that the grain completely cooked. I have increased the mixed grains at times, making them a higher ratio to the brown rice, but I would start out with the 2 to 1 and see how you like it.

This technique also works with other grains. Cook them ahead of time, and then you will be more likely to add them to your favorite recipes.