Grain Mill

I was talking with a friend of ours one day and mentioned that I wanted to get a manual grain mill.  Unfortunately, they are a couple hundred dollars new and I just wasn't willing to pay that.  Well...she called me the next day and found one in the Good Will store in her town for $10!!!  Can you believe that?!  The Lord is good! 

So, we're going to start grinding our own grains.  Here is our first effort today...

Yes sir!  That's stone ground whole wheat flour!

Chinese Wonton

Here is the final phase of Operation Chinese Dinner.  Wonton!  I stole the idea from my Mayberry cookbook.  If you have ever watched the Andy Griffith show then you might know the Fun Girls.  This recipe was called Fun Girls Wonton, however, I changed it up...surprise, surprise. 

Here's the skinny.

You will need:
2 cups whole wheat flour that you have grown, harvested, and stone ground yourself.
Just kidding. 

We'll start over.  You will need:
2 cups whole wheat flour (white wheat works best)
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup lukewarm water (you might need to add a teaspoon or two)

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl.  Make a well in the center and pour the water into the well.  With a wooden spoon stir until the dough forms a ball.  Add a couple teaspoons of water if it seems too dry.

Turn onto a floured surface and knead until stiff.  Cover with a damp cloth and let the dough stand for 30 minutes. 

While you're waiting...make the fried rice!

On a floured surface, roll the dough into a long strip 6 inches wide and less than 1/8 inch thick.

Ok, so, mine isn't perfect.  It's no fun being perfect anyway!

Cut into 3-inch squares.

I actually measured these.  They're pretty close to 3 inches.

Next, place a spoonful of fried rice in the center of each square.  Moisten the edges of the squares with beaten egg and press the opposite corners together to form a triangle.  Fry in hot coconut oil until golden brown.

Here are three of about 16 total:

The recipe said it makes 36 wontons....how in the world did they get 36?!  I even measured my squares!  Who needs 36 wontons anyway?

Now, dip into some sweet and sour sauce and enjoy!

These reheat well in the oven so you can make them ahead if you need to.

Breaded Chicken Patties

Growing up, we frequently had breaded chicken patties for supper.  They were so good!  You know what I’m talking about…those round Tyson patties.  Well, seeing as how Mr. Right and I don’t eat those, I was happy when I ran across a homemade alternative.

I found it in a Taste of Home cookbook.  Here’s the Natural Blog version of the recipe:

¼ cup finely chopped onion

¼ cup finely chopped celery

6 tablespoons butter, divided

3 tablespoons whole wheat flour

1-1/3 cups milk or water, divided

2 tablespoons parsley flakes

2 teaspoons Real Salt

2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken (be choosey about the chicken you use)

1 cup dry bread crumbs or whole wheat flour

Homemade whole wheat buns, split

Any toppings you might like

In a large saucepan, sauté onion and celery in 3 tablespoons butter until tender.   

Combine flour and 1 cup milk (or water). I tripled my recipe...

Gradually add to pan.   

Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.   Add parsley, seasonings and chicken.  Remove from the heat.  Chill until completely cooled.  ...My chicken was still boiling so I just added the parsley and seasonings then let it cool completely.  I added my chicken later.

Shape chicken mixture into six patties, using about 1/3 cup mixture for each patty.  Place crumbs (or flour) and remaining milk (or water) in separate shallow bowls.  Rolls patties in crumbs, then dip into milk; roll again in crumbs.

In a large skillet, cook patties in remaining butter for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Serve on rolls with desired toppings.

Cooking to perfection

All done!  These are just some of them...

 Uncooked patties may be frozen for up to 3 months.  To prepare frozen patties:  Cook in butter for 5-6 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Yield: 6 servings

These are soooo yummy!  Mr. Right and I could eat them everyday!

*Note:  I tripled my recipe to have plenty to freeze.  This will give us chicken patties to eat when baby gets here.  Also, I used water instead of milk and whole wheat flour instead of bread crumbs.  I've done it both ways and they are equally delicious.

Homemade Self-Rising Flour

So, you have a recipe that calls for self-rising flour and you don't have any.  No worries!  Make your own.

Here's a 1 cup recipe:

1c whole wheat flour
1tsp baking powder (we buy aluminum free)
1/2 tsp salt (real salt)
1/4 tsp baking soda

Problem solved.  You're welcome.

Breakfast Menu

Something new I've discovered is I like to keep a breakfast menu.  I cook breakfast each morning for Mr. Right and myself so it makes the mornings go much smoother if I have a plan.  This way, I can have the table set and breakfast on the table by the time he makes it to the kitchen.  I even light a candle.  :)  Hey, he works hard all day and should get to start his mornings off right!  Plus, he's so handsome...I just can't resist.

Let's name these eggs "Tuesday", "Thursday" and "Friday" :)

Here is my menu:
Sunday: fruit, yogurt, homemade sausage biscuits
Monday: baked oatmeal (tasty and economical)
Tuesday: Omelet and homemade hashbrowns (or oven baked potatoes)
Wednesday: baked oatmeal
Thursday: pumpkin muffins (his fav), eggs
Friday: sweet potatoes (mashed or oven baked), eggs
Saturday: pancake day! and yogurt

I feel like sticking to a menu also helps keep things natural.  You won't need to grab something quick and unhealthy because you're out of ideas. 

Give it a try.  :)

Frozen Burritos

I remember having frozen burritos in the freezer as a kid.  We'd pop one in the microwave for a quick snack.  Well, things are different now.  We don't buy frozen burritos and we don't own a microwave.  So, here's a better solution.  Make your own!

If you remember, a while back I posted about making homemade tortillas...here

Now I've discovered that instead of cooking the tortillas..
1.  roll them out into the usual circle
2. stuff them with some homemade spanish rice, cheese and beans
3. fold them up like a chimichanga
4. freeze!

When you get read to cook them, just pop them out of the freezer and into your oven.  Not cooking the tortillas first means you won't have dry, brittle burritos.

Note: To freeze, I lay them in a baking dish and put them in the deep freeze for a few hours.  Then, once they're good and cold, remove them, wrap individually in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag.  done.

Ready to go in the deep freeze for a while

Sour Dough Bread Update

Last Friday, we had another one of these...

 

 

 

 

(It's upside down)

Now, we've decided we're tired of sour dough bread for a while.  So, I put the starter in the frig to go dormant for a while.

I did this over Christmas too and it didn't kill the starter so I hope it doesn't this time!  I just couldn't bring myself to travel the state with my jar of sour dough bread starter...

You can read all about my sour dough bread adventures here:
Making Sour Dough Bread

Bulk Food from Country Life

Eating natural is something I enjoy.  Something I don't enjoy, however, is grocery shopping (plus, some of these things can't be purchased at the super market).  So, in case you are interested, here is a list of things we order in bulk from Country Life Natural Foods.

Sucanat 

Garlic, Powder, Domestic  17oz

Peanut Butter, Smooth, NS  35#

Whole Wheat Flour, Prairie Gold, CCF (white) 10#

Tortilla Chips (non GMO) Yellow OG, Whole Grain  16oz

Real Salt 

Cornmeal (non GMO) yellow, OG (whole grain w/ germ) 25#

Navy Beans, OG 25#... will last you a long time

Peas, green split 25#

Sunflower seeds (raw) 5#

Peanuts, Spanish, RNS 25#

Raisins, black flame, large 30#

Rumford Baking Powder (Aluminum free) 5#

Coconut oil 50#... lasts us one year

Yeast, SAF- Instant Red (Baking) 1#

Oats, Regular Rolled 25#...lasts us a year and a half

Pineapple dices, low sugar, IMP 5#

I think that’s it.  The things in bold are what I would consider “must haves” and would suggest getting them to start with. 

We mix peanuts, raisins, (dried pineapple when we order it), and sunflower seeds and eat as a healthy snack.  This is something we always have a jar of in the car for road trips.

Beef Stroganoff

Here is an awesome Beef Stroganoff recipe I adapted from Better Homes and Gardens...

1lb ground home-grown, grass fed beef
8oz organic, plain yogurt
2T whole wheat flour
1/2c water
1/2c chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups hot cooked wheat noodles or brown rice

Cook ground beef and onion in skillet. 

In a small mixing bowl stir together yogurt and flour.  Stir in water.

Add yogurt mixture to meat along with garlic and salt to taste.

Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly.

Serve over noodles or rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Beef...it's what's for dinner...

The Skinny on Flour Types

I've heard of different kinds of flour like rye, spelt, etc but I didn't know what they were.  So, I looked it up.  Here's the skinny:

All-purpose Flour

All purpose flour has a medium protein content that makes it suitable for most baking uses.

Arrowroot Flour

This flour is made from the fleshy root stock of the tropical arrowroot plant. Its white, fine, and powdery texture is very similar to cornstarch but it has no flavor at all. It is typically used as a thickener for puddings, sauces and other cooked foods.

Barley Flour

Barley flour is made from barley ground very finely.  It is rich in protein, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, and B vitamins.  

Bean/Legume Flours

Made easily by grinding all types of beans, this flour can be used to enhance the flavor and health benefits of your breads, and they also make easy soups and dips.

Bread Flour

The best flour for bread making, it is ground from hard wheat. It has a high protein (gluten) and low starch content.

Brown Rice Flour

Ground from brown rice, this flour has a slightly sweet flavor. It is used alone or combined with wheat flour in breads and batters.

Buckwheat Flour

Buckwheat flour is ground from the seeds of a plant originating in Asia, has an earthy, slightly sour flavor that is usually tempered in commercial products by the addition of a little wheat flour.

Corn Flour

A yellow, finely ground version of cornmeal, corn flour is used to add a mild corn taste and a pleasing texture to baked goods.

Millet Flour

Made from a small round grain resembling mustard seed, this flour has a slight nutty flavor.

Oat Flour

Oat flour is a fine flour ground from dried oats, has a characteristic nutlike flavor. It is used in combination with wheat flour.

Pastry and Cake Flours

Pastry flour is lighter and has a lower protein level of ~9-10% as opposed to ~ 12-13% found in bread flour. The soft, flakiness of pie crust is attributable to the softer flour. Cake flour is lighter than all purpose flour.

Potato Flour

This is a gluten-free flour made from cooked, dried and ground potatoes. It is mostly used as a thickener. It is also known as potato starch.

Rice Flour

This very fine powdery flour is made from pulverized long-grain or glutinous rice, used to thicken cakes and puddings as well as to make noodles and very fluffy breads.

Rye Flour

Rye flour is a fine flour ground from grains of rye grass, a close relative of wheat. It has a slightly sweet-sour flavor.

Self Rising Flour

Self-rising flour contains 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt for each cup of flour.

Semolina Flour

Semolina flour is made from the finely ground endosperm of Durum wheat.  Usually used in pasta making, it is a tasty, high protein addition to breads.

Seven-grain (or nine-grain) Flour

Seven-grain flour is a commercial blend commonly made up of millet, rye, corn, wheat, barley, oats, and flax or triticale. It is found in health-food stores and well-stocked markets.

Spelt Flour

This flour is lighter in protein and more easily digested than regular wheat flours.  This flour is sometimes known as Farro.

Whole Wheat Flour

Whole wheat four is made from milling the entire wheat berry.  it is brownish in color.

This was slightly adapted from here. 

Now you know!  So the next time someone tries to get fancy and talk about spelt flour you can join in.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

I didn't realize homemade cinnamon rolls were so important to my husband until this weekend.  We were out of town and stopped in this bread/kitchen store to look around.  They had fresh cinnamon rolls straight from the oven and ready to buy.  We didn't get any, of course, because we don't eat half of the ingredients they put in it.  That started a challenge from Mr. Right.  He wanted me to master the cinnamon roll.  So, as soon as we got home, I began trying.  I didn't take a photo of the first batch I made....no need in embarrassing myself.  However, I got a few pointers from Grandpa and went for round two with a new recipe.

Ohhhhhh brother!  They were yummy!  Here they are:

rising

risen

baked and iced

I used the homemade wheat hamburger bun recipe and instead of cutting them out for buns I rolled the dough thin, covered it in organic butter, sucanat and cinnamon then rolled it into a jelly roll.  Then I sliced it and put it in the pan to rise.  They rose for about 15 mins, then baked for 15.

The icing is a cup of cane juice crystals that I processed to powder.  Then I added enough milk to make a fairly thick icing.

You HAVE to try this.

Cheater French Toast

I know there is a proper way to make French toast but I like to cheat.

After you make those ooohhh sooo yummy homemade hamburger buns, cut one open, butter it, add some cinnamon and sucanat then toast it.  Ah.  Now, that's beautiful in the morning.

Making Sour Dough Bread

The original recipe came from Above Rubies but I've modified it for a smaller army. (This recipe makes one loaf.)
You'll need:
2c home grown starter
3 1/4c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2c filtered water

Add all ingredients to a big bowl.  "Knead" with a wooden spoon.  This dough is much wetter than any dough you're accustomed to so it can't be kneaded on the counter top.  Knead for 5-10 minutes.  It will look gooey.  It's supposed to have an oatmeal, goo consistency. 

Put the dough in a buttered pan to rise.  I let mine rise for seven hours.  If yours gets big before that, then bake it sooner.  However, seven hours is a good rise.  Keep in mind when you're mixing it that you'll be baking in seven hours so make sure it's not ready to bake in the middle of the night!  I usually mix mine in the morning and bake in the afternoon. 

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.  That seems like a long time for one loaf of bread so I kept checking it.  Sure enough, it took one hour.  However, I did cover it with foil after 30 minutes so the top wouldn't get too brown.

After 7 hours of rising

All done!  I made that hole as I was checking it during baking.

Cooling as Mr. Right waits impatiently...

Ready to eat.  It was sooo delicious.

Our Family "Pet" (Part III) -It Worked!

I'm impressed.  Who would have thought you could catch wild yeast from the air to make bread?  Not me!  But you can.  I did it and it made beautiful, sour dough bread.  Here's what you do- sterilize a non metal bowl by pouring boiling water over it.  Then mix a 1/4 cup flour (I use whole wheat) and a 1/4 cup water (filtered if possible).  Cover with a breathable cloth and leave it sitting on your counter.  Each day for seven days, switch it to a new, sterilized, non metal bowl and add a 1/4 cup flour and a 1/4 cup water.  After seven days, you should have caught your yeast and your starter will be done.

Note: NEVER use metal bowls or utensils with your starter.  Also, wild yeast is more prolific in some areas than others.  So, you'll just have to give it a try to see if you can catch some.

My starter now lives in this home.  Now that it's started, feed it each day and give it a new, sterilized home once a month.  I wrote a date on mine so I wouldn't forget to give it a new home.

You can also check out Part I & Part II.

Start yours today!

Note:  You're ready to bake when you have 2 1/4 total cups of starter.  You'll need 2 cups for the recipe and 1/4 left over to continue growing.

Our Family "Pet"- Part II

Well, it's day four and the sour dough bread starter seems to be improving.  Maybe it's working?  I started it a few days ago with high hopes.  My hopes were even higher this morning when I discovered tiny little bubbles in it.  Is it supposed to look like this?

I sure would like some yummy bread by Monday...

Growing a Family "Pet"

I have tried making a sour dough bread starter before and it didn't work.  Well, I talked to my sister-in-law yesterday and she got me excited about it again.  So, I'm giving it another go.  A starter is basically a collection of living yeast that you feed and use to make bread.  It takes the place of using store bought yeast.  There are several ways of starting a starter and one way is to collect wild yeast.  That's what I'm doing. 

To collect wild yeast, you mix some flour with water in a bowl, cover it with a breathable cloth, feed it each day and transfer it to a clean bowl then it supposedly gathers wild yeast from the air.  hmm.  I started mine yesterday.  I noticed it smelling sour this morning (which is a good thing) so maybe it's working.

Our new family pet

You can't use any metal utensils or bowls while doing this which is really hard for me.  I like to whisk things (I'll admit it) and my whisk happens to be metal.  I whisked the pet this morning a few rounds before I remembered so hopefully I didn't kill it.

Once the starter is made, you feed it and it makes bread for you.  That sounds like a deal to me!  Sounds like more of a giving pet then those hens that aren't laying.

I'll keep you posted...

Homemade Wheat Hamburger Buns

These are FANTASTIC!!!!!!!  I got this recipe from my sister-in-law who got it here.  We've been eating our hamburgers on regular bread....until now.  It's awesome to have healthy, preservative-free buns.  By the way, in case you haven't ever read the ingredients in packaged buns...well, I'll say this...don't if you're planning a cookout tonight.  It's scary what they put in those things!  Think about it.  If you have ever made homemade bread, you know that it molds within days if you don't eat it.  Why don't the packaged breads mold that fast?  That's a discussion for another day.  Moving on.

The original recipe will feed an army so I halved it since I don't have an army (yet).

1 3/4 c warm water
1/2 c oil (I use coconut oil)
1/4 c honey
3T active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
5 1/4 c flour ( I use wheat)

Those involved...

That big honkin' jar is coconut oil.

Mix first four ingredients then let them rest for 15 mins.  It will get foamy.

Don't use a metal bowl.  Do as I say, not as I do.

Add remaining ingredients, mix then knead for 5 mins.

kneaded.

Preheat oven to 450.
Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thick

Immediately cut with lid to wide mouth jar (or whatever you want)

 Let rise 10 mins.

I'm a stoneware, cast iron kinda gal.

 Bake 10 mins or until done.

Pass the burgers!!!!!!

This hamburger made Mr. Right ask for more.  We had them for lunch and I'm making more for supper!  They are soooo goooood.

Whole Wheat Bread

Diving into the world of natural food can sometimes be overwhelming because there is so much to learn.  So, I have designed a section titled "Baby Steps" where you can learn and apply one element at a time.  I'll list a new one each week.  If you already practice something listed then you're just ahead of the game!  If you skip a week then just pick up whenever you can. 

The first baby step is to buy whole wheat bread.  Whether you're buying sandwich bread or hamburger buns, choose the whole wheat option.  Also, choose a brand with as little ingredients as possible.  Just because the bread is brown in color doesn't mean it's the best.  Read labels!  If the ingredients have a lot of words you don't know and the list is loooong then look for another brand.  Keep in mind that it really only takes a few ingredients to make bread so you shouldn't buy a brand with twenty ingredients if you can help it.

Gone are the days of buying white bread.  I remember all the commercials when I was growing up about "good moms buying white bread."  White bread seems good because a lot of the time it's fortified with nutrients.   Well, it's fortified because they bleach the wheat with chemicals which kill the nutrients so it will be white and fluffy.  Bleached bread then has to be fortified.  Most of the time, whole wheat bread will not read "fortified" across the package because the nutrients were never killed in the first place. 

This is a small step that can make a huge difference in your health.  After you have found a good brand, write it down (if your memory is as short as mine) so you'll remember the next time you go to the grocery store.  However, make an effort to recheck every few months to make sure the brand you're buying is still the best option.

I'm proud of you for choosing to make one small step!

Breakfast Burritos

My sister-in-law gave me the recipe for homemade tortillas and inspired these breakfast burritos.
When you try to eat natural you have to learn to do without some things most people are used to.  For us, one of those things was tortillas.  There might be some all-natural, no preservative tortillas out there but I knew there had to be some way to make them.  I just had not found a way until the beautiful day I received an email from my sister-in-law that said, "Do you ever make tortillas?"  NO!  TELL ME HOW!  Well, now I know how and they're fantastic.  So here goes...

By the way, "bp" is baking powder.  I tend to get lazy when I'm writing things in my own cookbook.

The first thing you need to do is gather your ingredients.

 That jar contains "real salt."  We buy it in bulk.  It has a great flavor and an earthy color.

Put the cup of warm water in a large bowl with the oil.  I used filtered water and warmed it on the stove (we choose not to own a microwave) then added it to a large bowl with coconut oil.  Then add the baking powder, salt and flour.  Knead the dough for about a minute until the ingredients are mixed.  Then take a 10 minute break....relax in your recliner, call a friend, paint your nails (wait, don't do that)...

Then, I shaped mine into seven balls.  This made large tortillas.  If you want smaller ones, then shape into 14 smaller balls (you get the idea).  Once you make the balls, roll them very thin.  I wasn't worried about making mine perfectly round...obviously.

Cook them on a lightly greased griddle until done... not brown.  I just used a cast iron skillet.

Here's a trick: if you stack them up after you cook each one, the bottom ones will remain soft and "rollable."  Otherwise, they don't roll into burritos well. 

Here are mine.  Cooked and stacked. They aren't pretty but they're yummy!

Once you finish those, it's time for the next phase of your breakfast burrito....hashbrowns!  I washed several potatoes and grated them on a hand grater.  The process would be faster with a food processor but if you don't mind building some muscle (or if you choose to be old-fashioned like me), break out the hand grater.

Can you tell which potato isn't real?  It's actually my scrubber!

If you're like me, after about two potatoes, your arm is asking you what the punishment is for.

Just persevere and remember, those breakfast burritos will be on your plate before you know it!

Next, toss them in a skillet with hot oil...

Keep flipping them until they're done and brown.  These shown are about half finished.

Once the hashbrowns are done, scramble some eggs and fold those in a tortilla with some hashbrowns.  Add salsa (or blackberry preserves if you're like my hubby) and its time to eat!
*I remembered to take a picture of a finished burrito AFTER we ate them all.  So, you'll have to make them and see for yourself!

Enjoy!
Of course, you don't have to make breakfast burritos.  You could fill them with refried beans, cheese, beef....  Let me know how you fix them!

My New Best Friend- Pita Bites

Ok, not really.  My husband is my best friend but these Pita Bites are sooo good!  They are made by Sensible Portions (World Gourmet Marketing) and are all natural with no saturated fat, no trans fat and cholesterol free.  However, the "all natural" part is my favorite.

It's hard to find crackers that don't contain BHT, bleached flour, soybean oil or canola oil.  These don't have any of those!  Here is the ingredient list for these Pita Bites:
Enriched flour (unbleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B1, riboflavin, vitamin B2, folic acid)
Water
Yeast
Sunflower oil
Sea Salt

Whoo!  One of my husband's coworkers sent a portion of this box home for me.  They were slightly stale and they were still good!  So, you can guess what I'm getting the next time we go to the supermarket!
They come in two other flavors...Garlic 'n Chive and Black Olive Feta.  I haven't read the ingredients on those boxes so I don't know if they're as natural but I'll be checking it out!

Man...now I wish I had some.  I just can't look at this empty box any longer!