Almond flour scones

Although we’ve not strictly avoided grains since completing our 30 day challenge last summer, we’ve continued to limit our intake of both grains and carbs. With Larry’s health history, he (and his offspring) have no business eating a carb-based diet. I do feel better with fewer carbs, but I’ve mostly found that I need to stick with real foods: potluck or restaurant food often bother my stomach. I suspect it’s some additive or preservative that isn’t in my own cooking, but since I don’t cook the food that causes the problem I’ve not narrowed down the culprit.

At the moment we’ve used up our supply of wheat and I haven’t decided whether to buy more, though oats or rice show up on our menu a couple times a week. Taking pastas and breads out of our regular diet have mostly led to an increased vegetable consumption as well as a slight increase in meat and dairy. When I do bake, I typically use almond or coconut flour. I find almond flour in particular to make a more filling baked good and today I thought I’d share my scone recipe, which started out as this one.

Almond Flour Scones

Yield: 16 scones

4 cups almond flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp orange or lemon zest, or neither

2 eggs

6 Tbsp cream

2 tsp vanilla or almond or any extract

1 cup chocolate chips or blueberries or craisins or chopped nuts or. . .

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl,  whisk together the eggs, cream, and extract. Mix wet ingredients into dry; fold in chocolate chips (or other add ins).

Divide dough in half and form each half into a circle about 3/4″ thick. Cut into 8 wedges and transfer to parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

This recipe can easily be halved if you don’t have 8 eager eaters at your house. . .although leftover scones are always good with a dab of butter and a cup of tea. Popular flavors here have included Lemon-Blueberry and Orange-Cranberry, as well as the Orange-Chocolate of the original recipe. Sometimes I don’t add anything other than a quick sprinkle of cinnamon sugar before baking; this does yield slightly smaller scones. And yes, you really should use cream: milk works, but the dough is much stickier and the end texture isn’t quite as good.

Caramel corn

I don’t normally share recipes I’ve only made once but. . .this one was really good! Our Sunday evening supper is often popcorn and a movie, and this past Sunday I decided to find a caramel corn recipe that didn’t use corn syrup. I ended up at this blog post, but actually decided to use the following recipe which was shared further down in the comments:

20 cups popped popcorn
3/4 cup honey OR maple syrup
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted peanuts or 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds (optional)

Remove unpopped kernels from popped corn and put in a very large mixing bowl. Combine honey or maple syrup and butter in a 1 1/2-quart saucepan. Cook and stir over moderate heat until butter melts and mixture boils. Boil, without stirring, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, baking soda and salt. Pour over popcorn and gently stir to coat popcorn. Spread popcorn mixture on two baking sheets. Sprinkle with peanuts and/or seeds, if desired. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes; stirring every 6 to 8 minutes. Remove corn to a large bowl; cool.

Yummy! I used maple syrup because I actually had some on hand; I’ll probably try honey next time as I always have that. I also substituted pecans for the nuts.

Oh, and as for the movie: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I had just finished reading the book aloud to Silly Boy earlier in the afternoon and so he asked to watch the movie. I want to like the Harry Potter movies, and they are fun viewing. But they lack the depth that makes the books worth reading and rereading. Important scenes were omitted to leave screen time for scenes that made use of more special effects. More critical, though, is that the movie characters seem to have no free will: they do the right thing without wrestling with good and evil and what the right thing is. Take away that inner conflict, and all that remains is a cleverly created world populated by stereotypical characters.

Supper’s ready

This isn’t really a recipe; it’s one of my general methods for throwing together a one dish meal using whatever I have on hand.

1. If the meat isn’t already cooked, start there. This time, as I often do, I started with a pound of ground beef; once it’s browned, I remove it from the skillet and set aside.
2. Add fat to the skillet as needed–olive oil, butter, bacon grease. . .and begin cooking vegetables. This step varies based on what I’m using and how long it needs to cook. This week I had a chopped onion and a pair of summer squash* that I had shredded in the food processor, so I sauteed the onion first. Once it started to get soft, I stirred in some minced garlic and then added the squash.
3. When the vegetables are nearly cooked, stir in the meat and any liquid ingredients such as wine, broth, or tomato sauce. I used tomato sauce this time because I wanted a “spaghetti” type dish. This is also where I add cheese, if I’m using it. It can be stirred in but I generally sprinkle it on top, cover with a lid, and let it melt. Simmer, covered or uncovered, until heated through.
4. Voila!

* A helpful tip for summer squash or zucchini: slice, dice, or shred them before proceeding with your recipe. Sprinkle with salt to help draw out excess moisture and place in a strainer to drain until you are ready to cook the squash. If needed, turn out on a clean dish towel and press out more moisture.

Grain free pizza crust

I’ve had several requests for this recipe so I figured I may as well post it here. If you’re in a habit of eating pizza with a wheat crust, you’ll probably be unimpressed. But we have tried a number of grain free crusts here and this one (based on a couple recipes) was our clear winner. . .it’s what I’ve served most Friday nights lately, and will be serving tonight. The quantities below will make two 13-14″ish round pizzas, depending on how thin you press out the dough.

4 large eggs

3 cups almond flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

4-6 Tbsp olive oil (or melted coconut oil)

2/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp dried Italian seasoning

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

4 cloves fresh garlic, minced

In a medium sized bowl beat eggs slightly with a fork. Add the olive oil, Parmesan, and herbs; mix to combine. Add almond and tapioca flours. Mix until dough is formed.

Press dough onto pizza pans lined with parchment paper, using a sheet of parchment or waxed paper to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes; the edges should begin to brown.

Remove from oven and cool slightly before putting on your favorite sauce and toppings.

Bake for another 10 minutes and enjoy a grain free pizza!

Not-macaroni and cheese

Lately, especially since reading Gary Taubes’ Why We Get Fat, I’ve been making an effort to reduce our overall intake of carbohydrates. I am not a nutrition expert, just a mom trying to feed her family. But diabetes runs in Larry’s family (and therefore is part of our kids’ health history too), and this seems to be our best option for avoiding or at least postponing that. At the same time, I continue on my quest to push more vegetables into my family. We no longer have our C.S.A. share (sniff!) but have regularly participated in Bountiful Baskets. This still involves a certain amount of trial and error as we figure out how to enjoy new-to-us vegetables.

A recent hit involved macaroni and cheese without the noodles. . .and yes, I do realize there are carbs in the cheese sauce but I am feeding picky children here. Small price to pay to see them asking for seconds on cabbage! So without further ado, I give you:

Not-Macaroni & Cheese

1/4 cup butter, divided
2 tablespoons flour
Salt & pepper to taste
1 cup milk
8 ounces cheese
1 pound ground meat
1 head cabbage, shredded

Make white sauce using 2 tablespoons butter, flour, salt and pepper, and milk. Once it is thick and bubbly, reduce heat to low, add all or most of the cheese and stir until melted.
Meanwhile, brown meat and season to taste. Set aside. Saute cabbage until soft, using remaining butter and seasoning as desired.
Combine sauce, meat, and cabbage in a large bowl; pour into greased 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle with reserved cheese if desired.
Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.

For what it’s worth, I like to mix my cheeses–so far, I’ve made this with cheddar and cream cheese, and cheddar and feta. I also vary the herbs and spices used in the meat and cabbage. When I made it with feta, I was also using ground lamb; garlic and oregano seemed to be the logical choices.

Biscotti

Because recipes were made to be shared with family and friends. . .here you go! I’ve (so far) made chocolate , lemon-pine nut, and ginger biscotti with this recipe–all good.

Julee’s Hazelnut Biscotti

2 1/2 cups hazelnuts or almonds, toasted
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 cups flour
3 tablespoons baking cocoa (optional)
2 teaspoons salt
6 eggs
3 tablespoons hazelnut or almond liqueur (Julee uses coffee syrup)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract if using almonds
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 350°.
Place half of the hazelnuts and all of the sugar in a blender or food processor and process until the nuts are finely chopped. Place in a bowl. Coarsely chop the rest of the nuts and add to bowl along with the rest of the dry ingredients. In another bowl, blend eggs, liqueur and butter. Stir into the dry ingredients and knead gently with hands until incorporated; or, mix in Bosch with cookie dough whisks.
Divide the dough in half and, on buttered or parchment lined cookie sheets, form into two 14″ long rolls that are about 3″ wide and 1″ thick. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes and remove cookie sheets from the oven. Cool 10 minutes.
Cut with a serrated knife into 1/2″ slices and return the slices to the baking sheet, setting them upright and spacing them well apart. Lower the oven temperature to 300° and bake another 20 minutes until crisp and dry but not brown on the bottom. Cool and store in an airtight container.
VARIATIONS
Chocolate: Increase the cocoa to 1/2 cup, increase liqueur to 1/4 cup, decrease nuts by 1/3 and add 1 cup white chocolate chips, 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla.
Ginger: Half the nuts; add 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1/3 cup minced candied ginger and 1 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger; omit hazelnut liqueur and add 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla.
Orange: Add 3 tablespoons grated orange zest and use orange liqueur instead of hazelnut.
Coffee: Add 3 tablespoons instant coffee granules.
Apricot: Add 2 teaspoons ground cardamom or cinnamon; half the amount of nuts and add 1 cup chopped dried apricots and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Lemon-pine nut: Omit the nuts, cocoa, and liqueur; use lightly toasted pine nuts and add 1 1/2 tablespoons each of grated lemon rind and lemon juice.

P.S. to Ewe: my Pooh mug was a gift from a high school friend who knew me well.

Mash hit

I was starting a beet collection in my veggie bin and I needed something for tonight’s potluck dinner before Advent Vespers. So I decided to try the Mashed Potatoes and Beets recipe included in a recent newsletter from our C.S.A.–hooray, it turned out well in spite of the shocking color! I received a handful of compliments from others who ate it, although as far as I know only the two youngest of my own children actually tried it (Silly Boy wanted more, Baby Boy spit his out but he doesn’t like mashed potatoes anyhow).

Mashed Potatoes and Beets

2 cloves garlic, or to taste

3-4 tablespoons butter, softened

1/4 cup sour cream

Salt & pepper to taste

3-4 small or medium beets

4 medium potatoes

Preheat oven to 375F. Cut & peel beets into 1/2″ cubes. Bundle in aluminum foil and place on cookie sheet; roast until tender, 35-40 minutes. (either I cut mine too big or that’s not enough time–I roasted them about an hour and they still weren’t quite tender, but I was out of time) Meanwhile peel and cube potatoes and boil until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Mash or whip beets and potatoes in bowl or food processor along with remaining ingredients.

I love Advent Vespers, but I do not love rushing kids home at bedtime and hurrying them into bed when I’m tired too. Still, Baby Boy had just gotten a fat lip–he slipped on the ice at our back door, so I did not feel I could skip his bedtime hymn. Normally he wants I am Jesus’ little lamb, followed by the Doxology (which he calls Praise God), and he sings along to both of them if he’s not too tired.  But I asked if I could sing a hymn from church tonight and he agreed, so I sang O come, o come, Emmanuel. I hope I can long remember his thoughtful little face as I sang to him, and he occasionally tried to join in a bit on the refrain. And while I may have jumbled a couple lines, I am proud to say that all seven stanzas are mostly committed to my memory. That is one thing I want to pass on to my children, the gift of having both Scripture and hymns committed to memory. Especially when I am worried or upset or otherwise stressed, it is a comfort to be able to pray words that are already in my head.

Berry Breakfast Pizza

While at Sam’s Club last Friday, I bought a box of red raspberries just to see Boy Genius get excited. He didn’t disappoint me, but he requested, for Sunday breakfast, a pizza that used raspberries. Erm, okay. I have breakfast pizza recipes with eggs and meat and cheese. I have fruit pizza recipes, too, but they are better suited for dessert with pastry or shortbread crusts. I thought about winging the whole thing, but first I headed to Google–if someone already invented the wheel, why should I reinvent? I found many more dessert pizzas, but I finally found two recipes that used a yeast dough for the crust. Bingo! Breakfast!

Neither recipe was quite right, but this one was the closest to what I had in mind. However, I decided to tweak the cheese layer with help from another recipe, in part because I doubt either local grocery stocks mascarpone cheese and in part because the only step I wanted left on Sunday morning was washing and arranging the berries. I chose my no-rise pizza crust (half recipe) because I didn’t get a chance to start until after the kids were in bed Saturday night; I used whole wheat flour in place of the cornmeal, melted butter instead of olive oil, and omitted the black pepper. This would be good with any combination of fresh berries; I had strawberries, blueberries, and red raspberries.

Makes 8 servings
Can use vanilla sugar to make sugar and cinnamon.

15″ pizza crust dough
2 tablespoons melted butter
4 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon
1 cup ricotta cheese
8 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2-3 cups assorted berries

Preheat oven to 400°. Roll or pat out dough on greased 15″ pizza pan. Brush with melted better and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar. Bake 5-8 minutes.
Meanwhile, cream together cheeses with lemon juice and zest. Spread on baked crust, leaving 1″ border all around, and return to oven for 5 minutes or until set. Cool completely.
Arrange berries over cheese filling and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Slice as for pizza and serve.

Daily bread

Recently I have become fond of baking the “five minute artisan bread” that has been rising in popularity. It truly does require little effort, although you will need to plan ahead both in having the dough mixed and ready in your refrigerator as well as in getting it back out for a lengthy rise before baking. We’re a wheat bread family, and you can find the recipe I have been using here. The bread makes acceptable sandwiches, but it really shines when served next to soup or salad. We especially enjoy it spread with honey butter (mix equal parts honey and softened butter) or garlic herb butter (mix 1 teaspoon each basil, oregano, and parsley and 1-2 cloves minced garlic into 1/2 cup softened butter).

Bon appetit!

Breakfast Porridge

This is one of our most-used recipes from Nourishing Traditions; I have been making it at least once a week this winter. For those not familiar with the book, its basic premise is that many traditional methods and foods are more healthy than their modern processed counterparts. Fascinating reading–I never did like margarine and now I have reasons for my dislike! That said, I have not been persuaded to give up coffee, tea, or chocolate. . .especially not chocolate.

Back to the porridge, though. According to the author, grains are better digested when they are soaked prior to cooking. I have not been very successful in baking bread that we enjoy using soaked wheat flour–especially not bread conducive to sandwich making. But I find that soaking definitely improves the texture of a bowl of oatmeal. I had long avoided regular cooked oatmeal, objecting especially to the gluey feeling in my mouth. Soaked oats are soft and creamy, but the glueyness (well, it should be a word! ) that makes my throat feel pasted shut is gone.

Now, my directions are not straight from the book; the recipe has evolved somewhat in my kitchen to suit our family’s needs and tastes. Feel free to take what I do and make it work for you! The quantities below serve the 8 of us, however one big boy does not like oatmeal and the little boys’ appetites aren’t constant, so I am probably only making 5-6 servings (varies based on how much fruit I add).

In the evening, measure two cups of rolled oats into a medium sized bowl that has a lid. Pour over two cups hot (not boiling water) and add a couple heaping spoonfuls of plain yogurt. Stir to mix; cover and set aside until morning. I also set out my pot (3 quart) and toss in a teaspoon of salt as well as set out any extra ingredients. A custard cup with lid will hold about 1/3 cup sweetener (honey, maple syrup, etc) plus any spices or flavorings (cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon peel, etc). You could also add 1/3 cup or so of chopped nuts, but I’ve found my family does not care for nuts in their porridge. . .except for coconut. I usually also add about a cup of fruit; dried can be set out the night before but fresh usually requires some morning preparations.

In the morning I add another two cups of water to the salt in my pot, and heat to boiling. Stir in the soaked oats, sweetener, fruit, what have you, and turn the heat down to low. Replace lid and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes or until it thickens to desired consistency. Serve hot with milk.