Lasagna

15 May 2012 No Comments

Lasagna

Lasagna is a favorite around here even though it isn’t made often. Why? I’m not really sure, because it is really rather simple, even when making everything from scratch. This recipe has the perfect balance for me. Not too much sauce or cheese plus it holds together well when taken out of the pan.

A quick thought on transitioning to all whole wheat pasta, if you have found your family doesn’t like the taste of it. The whole wheat you buy in the store in normally hard red wheat which is a heartier flour. I use hard white wheat which is a softer wheat and bakes and tastes a little more like white flour which could make is easier for you and your family to like whole wheat.

Here is what you will need to make homemade lasagna:

Pasta
(this will make enough pasta for about 2 lasagnas. I like to make a double batch to have some for later.)

4 cups Whole Wheat Flour
4 T Whey
About 1 cup Water

Mix flour and whey add about 1/2 cup water and start mixing add more water as needed until a smooth but stiff dough is formed. Let sit 6-8 hours.

Sauce

1 can (14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes
1 can (8 oz) Tomato Sauce
2 Cloves Garlic -Minced
1/4 t. Salt, Pepper, and Onion Powder
1/2 t.  Thyme, Basil, and Oregano
1 t . Sugar
2T Water

Mix all together and heat on low until it just starts to bubble, then turn off heat.

Toppings

1 lb ground meat (whatever you have or like) – cooked
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Green Pepper- Diced
4 oz Mushrooms- Sliced
1 cup Ricotta or Cottage Cheese
1.5 lbs Mozzarella Cheese -Shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

At least two hours before you plan to eat start rolling out the pasta to dry. (If you have pasta already made you will only need 1 hour)

Roll out pasta to the thickness of a dime cut into strips that are 2 inches by however long your pan is (in my case I make them 2 x 13 and 2 x 9 because I like to do one layer the long way and one layer the short way.) Let dry for about 1 hour. 

While the pasta is drying cook the meat, add salt and pepper to taste, and cut veggies.

(Start here if you already have your pasta made) 1 hour before you want to eat start putting everything together. Put a little sauce in the bottom of the pan to keep the first layer of pasta from sticking. Put one layer of pasta in pan add a 1/4 of the sauce  and then 1/3 of the meat, mushrooms, peppers, and ricotta. Top with 1/4 of the of the mozzarella. Repeat with another layer of pasta, sauce, meat, mushrooms, peppers, ricotta, and cheese 2 time. By now the meat, mushrooms, peppers, and ricotta should be gone. Put on one more layer of pasta the last of the sauce and mozzarella, then top with Parmesan.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Take out and let cool for 5 – 10 minutes before cutting and eating.

by withaittlefaithandhope in Uncategorized

Mango Yogurt Pops

24 Apr 2012 No Comments

Mango Yogurt Pops

This is a quick and fun snack for kids and adults to enjoy during the summer. It has only two ingredients and no added sweetener. A treat you can feel good giving to your little ones, or a teething baby. Using Greek yogurt makes these pretty mess free as when they melt as the yogurt holds them together. 

2 Large or 3 small Mangos . Peeled and cubed.
1 Cup Greek Yogurt* (you could also use regular yogurt or thick kefir)

Place both the mango and yogurt in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a freezer mold of your choice and freeze.

Makes about 8 small pops or 4 large pops.

*to make your own Greek yogurt simply place yogurt in a tea towel or something similar and hang to let the whey drip out.

 

If you are interested in more real food recipes, click on the Eat Nourishing link on the right. There you will find all my recipes posted here along with a few others. You can create a profile and start your own recipe box full of real food recipes.

 

by withaittlefaithandhope in Snacks

Cocoa Roasted Almonds

18 Apr 2012 No Comments

Cocoa Roasted Almonds

Cocoa roasted almonds seem to be the new snack food. But often times they are loaded with unnecessary sugar and not so good for you oils. These are a great snack for any type of snacker, they are slightly sweet, crunchy, have a little heat, and of course chocolatey.

Here is my recipe.

2 cups Soaked and Dehydrated Almonds (or any nut you choose)
1 T Honey
2T Cocoa, plus more if wanted
Dash Cayenne (optional)
Pinch Salt

Put the almonds in a bowl and add honey mix to evenly coat all almonds. Warming the honey slightly will help with this but is not necessary.

Sprinkle on the cocoa, salt, and cayenne. Remember just a little cayenne goes a long way. You can always taste and see how you like it (taste a whole almond not just the coating)  and add more if you need. Mix this in to coat the almonds. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 250 for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the almonds are fragrant and the honey starts to dry some.

After you take them out you can sprinkle another tablespoon of cocoa on them and coat. Let cool, place in an air tight container, keep in the fridge and enjoy.

by withaittlefaithandhope in Snacks

Turkey Spinach Feta Ravioli

12 Apr 2012 1 Comment

Turkey Spinach Feta Ravioli

Homemade pasta may seem like a lot of work. But for me the benefit of knowing what is in the pasta and how it was prepared is enough for me to take the trouble. It is also a great way to get small children interested and involved in cooking.

Pasta:

2 1/2 C. Whole Wheat Flour
3 T. Whey
2 Eggs Beaten
1T. Olive Oil

Filling:

1/2 lb Ground Turkey (or any ground meat you would like)
1/2 Bunch Spinach Chopped
4 oz Feta
Salt and Pepper to taste

To Make the Pasta:

Place flour in bowl, make a well and add the whey eggs and oil into the well. Start by slowly mixing in the flour pulling in only as much as needed. You will want a stiff but pliable dough. It shouldn’t stick to the counter or our hands but should be easy to kneed and not break apart while kneading. Add more flour if necessary or water if needed. (I keep a spray bottle of water on hand and spritz the ball if needed. This places the water evenly on the dough and makes it easier to work in.) After the dough is the right consistency kneed a few time to “smooth”  Let sit for 6-8 hours.

To make the Filling:

Brown meat, add spinach until wilted. Turn off heat and crumble feta into meat and mix.

Divide into 3rds and roll out pasta to 1/8 inch thick and 4 inches wide. Place 1 tsp filling in the center of one half (look at the picture for a visual) about 1/2 in from  short end. place filing along side 1/2  inch apart. Place a egg wash on half the short ends and length of pasta then between the filling, fold over the non filling side and press the pasta around the filing getting out as much air as possible. If there are large air pockets it can blow a hole in the pasta while cooking making the filing come out.

You can either cook right away or freeze for later.

To freeze: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place ravioli on sheet in a single layer and freeze. Once frozen place in a air tight container.

When ready to cook: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, remember there is no salt in the pasta so all the flavor will come from the water. How big the pot is and how much water will depend on how many you will be boiling. Place ravioli in boiling water and cook for 5 minutes if fresh about 7 if frozen. To check pull one out and tear off a little corner for al dente the center should be a little lighter than the outside, for fully cooked it should be the same color all the way through. If you need to make them in batches use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked ravioli to a strainer and place a pat of butter on them and toss to coat. Repeat as many times as needed.

Top with your choice of sauce or just a little butter and garlic.

by withaittlefaithandhope in Grains, Main Dish, Sides

Sourdough Carmel Apple Pancakes

06 Apr 2012 No Comments

Sourdough Carmel Apple Pancakes

I love these pancakes for their simplicity, you don’t have to stand around flipping pancakes, but pour them in the pan and let them sit until done. You also don’t have to worry about soaking anything the night before, just scoop out some sourdough starter and add the rest of the ingredients to it.

For the Carmel Apple “Topping”:

1 T. Butter
1 Small Apple Sliced Thin
2T. Sucanant

For the Pancake:

1 C. Sourdough Starter
2 T. Butter or Coconut Oil
1/2 T. Flax Seed Meal plus 1 1/2 T. Water or 1/2 Egg
1/2 t. Vanilla
1/4 t. Salt
1-2 T. Honey or Other Sweetener
1/2 t. Baking Soda

Put a 12 inch cast iron skillet on low heat and add the 1 T butter for the topping plus the 2 T butter or coconut oil for the pancakes to melt. Thinly slice the apple while you wait for the butter to melt.

Apples and Carmel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Put 1 cup of starter in a small bowl and when the butter is melted add the 2 tablespoons of melted butter to the starter. Swirl the remaining butter in the pan to coat evenly lay the apple slices on the bottom of the pan get them as close as possible but not overlapping. Next sprinkle the sucanant over the apples. Turn off the heat and then prepare the pancakes.

The pancakes are pretty simple, mix everything but the soda in a small bowl. Once combined sprinkle the soda  over top and mix in quickly. It will bubble up and just about double in size. Turn the heat back on to low and pour the pancake batter over the top.

Pancake Cooking

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let this cook for 5-10 minutes until the top starts to have a few dry spots. Turn the broiler on to about 350 degrees. When the dry spots appear place in the pan in the broiler for a few minutes until the top is dry and starts to brown lightly. 

All Done

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When done cut into 8 wedges flip onto plate, to show the apples and eat. These are very good topped with fresh whipped cream.

Ready to Eat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can use your favorite pancake recipe for this if yo don’t have any sourdough. 

 Note: The pancake recipe is adapted from http://gnowfglins.com/. They have wonderful recipes for using your sourdough other than to just make bread.

by withaittlefaithandhope in Bread, Breakfast

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