Cheesy Flatbread

Source: About.com Dairy Free Cooking

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 t. baking powder
• pinch of baking soda
• 1 ½ t. salt
• ½ t. garlic powder
• 2 T. cold dairy-free vegetable shortening or soy margarine (I used the Earth Balance buttery spread made from 5 plant-based oils that we keep in the house for me and Katie)
• 1 T. tahini (I didn't have any, so I omitted)
• 1 1/3 cup cold water

Preparation:

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour, nutritional yeast, baking powder, baking soda, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the shortening or margarine and tahini until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Using a wooden spoon, mixed in the water until forming a soft dough. (Do not over-mix.)
2. On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Roll out each piece so that it is about 6-8 inches in diameter, and prick the surface of the dough with a fork.
2. Heat a lightly oiled heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, and cook one flat bread circle at a time, flipping when golden brown and cooking the opposite side until cooked through and golden. Transfer the flatbread to a covered plate while repeating with the remaining dough. Serve warm.

Notes:
I was going to make pita bread (I'll try to get that recipe up soon) for our dahl meal, but even though that recipe was quick, I was hoping to find something even quicker and more like naan. I was excited by how fast this recipe was (no rise time) and the fact that it uses nutritional yeast, which I've just started using. Nutritional yeast is yeast that is chock full of B vitamins. You can get it in bulk at natural food stores (also in little shakers, but cheaper in bulk). It's like little flakes, kind of looks like fish food, I guess. It tastes salt (but has no salt in it) and cheesy, which is great if you're on a low-salt, dairy-free diet (that would be me). You can add it to any food as a seasoning. This bread was so quick and easy and tasted SO good. It was a hit with everyone. I will definitely be making this regularly. Oh, and I've learned from my Indian friends that bread like this does not keep well. We did have a little leftover that I put in the fridge and will probably eat tomorrow, but I'm expecting it to be pretty dry.

Dahl

Source: About.com Dairy Free Cooking

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 T. sesame oil or, alternatively, olive oil (I used olive)
• 1 cup finely chopped white onion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I used garlic powder because out of fresh)
• 1 T. finely chopped fresh ginger (I used powder)
• 4 cups water or vegetable broth (I used vegetable broth)
• 1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 1 t. cumin
• 1 t. coriander (I used curry seasoning because the first ingredient is coriander and I didn't have any plain)
• 1 t. tumeric
• ¼ t. cardamom (didn't have; omitted)
• ¼ t. cinnamon
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper (I thought I didn't have cayenne---I do---so I used paprika instead)
• 1 t. salt, or to taste
• 2 T. tomato paste

 Directions:

1. In a 3-quart stockpot or other medium-sized soup pot, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.
2. Stirring constantly, add the water or broth, lentils, spices and salt. Bring to a low boil, then turn down the heat to low, cover and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes, or until lentils are very tender.
3. Stir in the tomato paste until well combined. Cook several minutes more, or until the soup is desired temperature and consistency, adding more water to the dahl if needed. Serve hot with Dairy-free Cheesy Flatbread and garnish with a dollop of dairy-free soy yogurt if desired.

Notes:
When we lived in NY I was friends with two neighbors from India and they made me and Ryan some of the most amazing meals we've had in our life. I will never forgive myself for not having them teach me more (I did start using a pressure cooker because of one friend) while I had the opportunity. Anyway, I finally decided to go for it with red lentils when I found them at a natural food store I just went to for the first time. This soup was incredibly easy and turned out nice and thick and actually pretty mild. Perfect comfort food. Next time I might kick it up a notch with the spices though. Normally Dahl is made with Ghee (clarified butter = yummy fat) instead of broth, but I don't have any and won't in the near future since I'm off dairy (for a few reasons, mostly because I'm nursing E and there is some concern about allergy because she's started getting eczema). Anyway, I will definitely be keeping this in my repertoire.

Oatmeal Raisin Yogurt Muffins

Source: The seal from my Dannon Vanilla Yogurt container

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (I accidentally added 1/2 cup quick oats before I realized I should have used the other ones - so my batch was half and half and it worked perfectly fine)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspooons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (I probably did closer to 1/2 teaspoon - I like cinnamon)
1/2 cup raisins, plumped (just cover 'em in really hot tap water and let 'em soak for about 5 minutes, then drain the water and you have nice plump raisins)
1 cup yogurt (I used vanilla, the recipe also suggests strawberry as an option)
1 large egg, beaten lightly
2 Tablespoons canola oil

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Lightly grease 1/2 cup muffin tins or use paper liners.  In a medium bowl stir together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and raisins.  In a small bowl whisk together yogurt, egg and oil.

Stir the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and mix the batter until it is just combined.

Divide the batter among 10 cavities and bake the muffins on the middle oven rack for 22-25 minutes (mine were done at 20 minutes exactly).

Notes:
Yep - back on the muffin train!  I noticed this recipe when I opened a container of yogurt recently and I rinsed and saved the lid just so I could try them out.  The house smelled amazing as they were cooking - not unlike when we make oatmeal raisin cookies.  And the muffins themselves were quite delicious.  I personally liked them warm better than room temp, so after they had cooled, I nuked mine in the microwave for a few seconds.  Love that warm raisin flavor!

Creamy Enchilada Casserole

Source: adapted from Slow-Cooker Cookbook by Debbie G. Harmon, a gift from my Grandma Elwood

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

15 corn tortillas

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup milk

2 cups cheese, grated

1 large can enchilada sauce (I used this homemade version because I didn't have the canned stuff on hand)

sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa for toppings

Directions:

Brown meat with salt and pepper to taste.  Drain.  Mix with onions and garlic.  In a small bowl mix cream o' mushroom soup with milk.  In slow-cooker, layer tortillas (I did five per layer, kind of overlapping each other and folding up the side slightly), soup-milk mixture, ground beef, 1/2 cup cheese, and enchilada sauce.  Repeat for 3 layers total.  Top with remaining cheese.  Cover and cook on high 3-4 hours (I find my slow-cooker to be on the hotter side, so our casserole was done closer to 2) or low 6-8 hours.  Serve with sour cream, lettuce, diced tomatoes and salsa.

Notes:

I had some leftover corn tortillas that I was wondering how to use up, and it was a hot day that I didn't really feel like turning on the oven for, when I remembered this book from my grandma and peeked inside to see if there were any good ideas floating around there.  Bingo!  Just what I needed.  This recipe reminded me quite a bit of a similar Dutch oven enchilada recipe that I grew up making at home.  But I liked the twist of the corn tortillas in this one.  I admit I had my doubts that it would turn out okay since I was using the homemade enchilada sauce that tasted weird by itself, and when it was cooked it really did not look that pretty (hence no picture), but Gregg gobbled it right up.  In fact, he kind of raved about it.  It's just his kind of food - good flavor and all mushed together.  :)

Banana-Oat Muffins

Source (altered by me, based on suggestions made in the comments on the original recipe)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour (I used whole white wheat, sifted)
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed bananas (I used 2 med-lg bananas)

Directions:
1. Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg lightly. Stir in the milk, applesauce, and vanilla. Add the mashed banana, and combine thoroughly.
3. Stir in the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. Stir in additions, if desired (chocolate chips, nuts, etc.)
4. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper baking cups, and divide batter among them. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes.

Notes: After not using a bunch of bananas during our camping trip last week, then getting a new bunch in our Bountiful Basket yesterday, we're scrambling to use up the yellow fruit before they all turn too ripe. I wanted a healthy muffin recipe for breakfast this morning and found this after a quick google search. What a lucky find! Easy to whip up, not too sweet (like banana bread), and very healthy and hearty. Upon the request of my sweet-toothed husband, I added some chocolate chips (which was delicious!), but if I had my way, I would have added nuts instead.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked rice, warm or at room temperature
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken (or other leftover meat, like shredded pork or beef)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts) (I didn't have a green onion, so I just used a little bit of regular yellow onion - not too much, and finely diced)
1/2 red or green pepper, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 cups shredded cheese
Sour cream (optional)
6 burrito-sized flour tortillas

Directions:
Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. Dollop little bits of sour cream over the cheese before arranging chicken and rice mixture down the center – it makes the wraps delightfully creamy.  (Mel says that sour cream step is optional, but I wouldn't leave it out!) Roll stuffed tortillas (more like fold it in thirds - see this post for details on how I did it), leaving edges open and slightly flatten the wraps with the palm of your hand. Spray seam-side of the wrap lightly with cooking spray.

Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange wraps, seam-side down, in pan or griddle and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Cooking them seam-side down first helps seal the long edge so they don’t fall apart. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve warm.

Notes:
I knew this would be a good one, and it didn't disappoint.  :)  I especially loved the zing the lime juice gave to everything.  Really yummy and really filling and really quick to pull together.  Win, win, win.