Monday, May 13, 2013

Honey Wheat Bread (Bread Machine and Oven)

Adapted from a recipe I found online

Note: bread machine required

Ingredients
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/4 c honey
1 (.25 ounce) package bread machine yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups bread flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place the water, sugar and yeast in the pan of the bread machine. Let the yeast dissolve and foam for 10 minutes.

2. Add the oil, flour and salt to the yeast.

3. (option 1) Select Basic or White Bread setting (3 hours), and press Start.

OR

3. (option 2) Select Dough setting (1.5 hrs), press Start.  When dough is ready, place on a lightly floured surface, then punch, fold, and roll into a loaf-sized blob. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and place dough in the pan. Place in unheated oven for 1 hour to rise. Turn on oven to 350 (ideally on Convection Bake setting) and set timer for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, turn off oven but do not open door or remove bread. Set timer for 5 more minutes, then remove pan. Let cool 10 minutes and remove from pan.

4. Let cool entirely before placing in plastic bag to store.

Makes 1 loaf, about 1 1/2 lb. -- 16 sandwich-size slices

Per slice (approx): 120 cal; 19 g carb; 4 g fat; 3 g protein; 148 mg sodium; 2 g sugar     

Lemon Curd

Adapted from a recipe I found online

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:
6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
2 Tbsp grated lemon zest
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter (1 stick butter), cut into 1/8-in slices

Preparation:

1. Add 1 or 2 inches of water to the bottom pot of a double boiler and bring to a simmer over low heat.

2. In the top pot of the double boiler (away from heat), whisk the egg yolks and sugar for about 2 minutes until smooth. Whisk in the lemon juice and zest until combined.

3. Place the top pot on the double boiler. Stir the mixture constantly with a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as you stir, until it begins to thicken and will coat the back of a spoon. This will take approximately 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat.

4. Whisk in the butter, one slice at a time. Wait until each piece almost disappears before adding the next. Spoon into clean glass containers and allow to cool with a piece of plastic wrap laid on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.

5. Refrigerate until needed. This lemon curd will keep for 2 to 3 weeks (or longer, if sealed in a jar).

Alternatively: can/jar and prepare for longer periods!

Fill boiling water canner with enough water to cover half-pint jars by 1 to 2 inches. Sterilize in boiling water for 10 minutes, then remove jars and lids. Let water cool; use a thermometer to ensure the water is 180°F by the time filled jars are ready to be added.

Caution: Do not heat the water in the canner to more than 180°F before jars are added. If the water in the canner is too hot when jars are added, the process time will not be long enough. The time it takes for the canner to reach boiling after the jars are added is expected to be 25 to 30 minutes for this product. Process time starts after the water in the canner comes to a full boil over the tops of the jars.

Fill hot strained curd into the clean, hot half-pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel; apply two-piece metal canning lids.
Process in the prepared boiling water canner for 15 minutes (if you are at sea level or up to 1000 ft above sea level; see http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/lemon_curd.html). Remove from canner and let cool, undisturbed, for 12 to 24 hours then check for seals.

For best quality, store in a cool, dark place (away from light). Plan to use canned lemon curd within 3 to 4 months. Browning and/or separation may occur with longer storage; discard any time these changes are observed.

Potato Onion Frittata

Adapted from a few recipes I found online

Ingredients:
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
2 lb potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
1 lb onions, sliced thin
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 - 1 tsp finely chopped dried rosemary
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste)
1/2 c milk
4 whole eggs
10 egg whites
1/2 c shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F

In large oven-safe pan (I use a 5 qt saute pan with metal handles), heat olive oil on medium-high and cook potatoes 5-10 minutes until soft. Add onions, garlic, and spices and cook until onions are soft and potatoes are turning golden brown, about another 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk milk and eggs, then mix in parmesan cheese. Pour over potato-onion mixture and cook 2-3 minutes until eggs begin to set. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly on top.

Place pan in oven and cook for 15+ minutes, until cheese on top is golden brown and eggs are set (may take up to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the pan and how deep the frittata is).

Serves 8.

Per Serving: 263 cal; 27 g carb; 11 g fat; 15 g protein; 312 mg sodium; 3 g sugar

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Mushroom Sauce

Adapted from Moosewood Low Fat Favorites

Ingredients:
1/2 oz dried mushrooms (porcini, shiitake, chanterelle, morel, etc) - about 2/3 cup
2 c finely chopped onions
1 tsp canola
4 c cleaned, stemmed, and sliced fresh mushrooms
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp each: dried marjoram, basil, rosemary, thyme, sage
1/2 c Madeira or sherry
1 tsp salt

Directions:
Boil 2 c water and soak dried mushrooms; set aside for at least 30 min
Remove the mushrooms from the liquid, chop and remove hard stems, and strain reserved liquid through coffee filter.
In saucepan, saute onions in oil over medium-low heat for 10 min, stirring regularly.
Add fresh mushrooms, raise heat, and stir until mushrooms begin to release juices (3 min).
Add bay leaf, herbs, Madeira/sherry, salt,  (no-longer-)dried mushrooms, and reserved mushroom water.
Cover and simmer 15 minutes, until mushrooms are tender.
Remove bay leaf and serve over chicken or pasta.

To make the sauce creamy, mix 1 T corn starch with 1 T cold water, then add to sauce and stir.

Makes 3 cups.
Per 1 oz serving: 15 cal, .4 g protein, .3 g fat, 2.2 g carb, 0 mg chol, 100 mg sodium, .4 g fiber

Mushroom Spinach Crepes

Adapted from Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites

Crepes: follow instructions/ingredients in Cinnamon Apple Crepes, omitting vanilla

Filling:
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
3 c sliced mushrooms
1/3 c sherry
1-2 t minced garlic
1 t dried basil
1/4 c grated feta or parmesan cheese
1/2 c low-fat cottage cheese
salt to taste

Directions:
Make crepes according to directions.
Preheat oven to 350.
Cook and drain spinach.
Combine mushrooms, sherry, garlic, and basil in saucepan and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes; remove from heat. Add spinach and cheeses, mix well, and add salt to taste.
Spray glass baking dish.
Place 3 Tbsp filling in each crepe, roll, and lay seam-side-down in pan, and bake for 15 min or until cheese are hot and bubbly.

Serves 5-6 (14-16 7" crepes total)
Per serving: 157 cal, 11.9 g protein, 2.9 g fat, 19.1 g carb, 51 mg chol, 463 mg sodium, 2.0 g fiber


Cinnamon Apple Crepes

adapted from Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites

Crepes:
3/4 c white flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 c evaporated skim milk (note: works better with low-fat)*
1/4 t vanilla

Filling:
1 1/2 c cottage cheese
1-2 Tbsp sugar
1 t grated lemon peel (optional)
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 c peeled, grated apple, firmly packed (1 large apple)
1/2 t cinnamon

Directions:
Heat oven to 350.
Sift flour, salt, and baking powder. In a blender, whirl  all the crepe ingredients for 30 seonds until well blended.
Heat the crepe pan and make/stack crepes according to directions provided.
In blender, puree the cottage cheese, sugar, lemon peel, and salt. Mix in apple and cinnamon.
Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Place 3 Tbsp filling in each crepe, roll, and place in pan seam-side down.
Bake pan of crepes for 15 min, until hot.

Serves 5-6 people (makes 14 -16 7" crepes)
Per serving:
184 cal, 14.9 g protein, 2.5 g fat, 25.2 g carb, 50 mg chol, 634 mg sodium, 1.3 g fiber

* to make 12 oz evaporated skim milk using powdered milk, mix 1 c powder and 1 1/3 c water