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Sourdough Graham Crackers

As I was making a fresh batch of soaked graham crackers this week I thought it might be fun to try making sourdough graham crackers. Rebecca and I set to work right away 🙂  I used this recipe as my base and adjusted it to use my sourdough starter.

The graham crackers turned out quite well. I think I made them a little too thin, so they are quite crispy. But still delicious. I also used all coconut oil (out of convenience…it’s hot enough that it’s already liquid…so I didn’t have to add a step of melting anything 🙂 instead of all butter or a butter/coconut oil combo. I think using all coconut oil makes them a little more crumbly. Next time I’ll use some butter. But if you can’t have dairy using all coconut oil definitely works.

I love graham crackers. And this is another great, healthy variation. A perfect snack for kids or adults.

I wasn’t able to get many photos…I had a little boy in my arms that had just woken up from a short nap 😛

This post is linked to Fat Tuesday and Real Food Wednesday and Fresh Bites Friday.

Sourdough Graham Crackers

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cups sourdough starter

1/2 cup rapadura (dehydrated cane sugar)

1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 – 6 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1 stick butter or 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (Works very well to use half butter and half coconut oil)

Heat oven to 350. Melt butter/coconut oil in sauce pan. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the liquids: honey, sourdough, vanilla, butter. Stir well until a nice ball of dough is formed – not crumbly (if too dry add more butter/coconut oil or honey). Taste the dough for sweetness. Add a little rapadura or honey if the dough is too sour. It will get a little sweeter as you bake it.

Split dough into 2 equal parts. Cut 3 pieces of parchment paper the size of a cookie sheet. Lay one piece on table. Put 1/2 of dough on the paper. Lay a 2nd piece of parchment on top of dough. Squish the dough down a little with your hand. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough between the parchment paper. Roll until the dough until it is about 1/8 in. thick. Remove the top piece of parchment paper. Cut into squares (with pizza cutter). If the dough sticks to the pizza cutter wait until the crackers have been baking 5 – 8 minutes to cut them (pull them out, cut and put them back in). Place the dough on a baking sheet (on the parchment paper…just move the whole thing onto the baking sheet). Repeat for other half of dough.

Bake for 12-18 minutes, until the crackers are just barely turning golden. Let cool completely. Store in airtight container or in the freezer.

Red, White and Blue Parfait

I made this dessert for the Fourth of July…but never got around to posting the recipe. Oops. This was a simple, fun treat that everyone enjoyed. Layers of vanilla pudding, graham crackers, sweetened cream cheese and fresh berries – delicious! A perfect holiday summer treat.

Red, White and Blue Parfait

Vanilla Pudding (from Heavenly Homemakers)

2 1/2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup real maple syrup (grade B is best for you) or honey
4 T. arrowroot powder (or organic corn starch)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, egg yolks, maple syrup, arrowroot powder and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring CONSTANTLY until pudding begins to thicken. Stir over the heat for about 15 more seconds. Remove immediately from the heat, and continue to stir until pudding is creamy. Add butter and vanilla and continue to stir until mixed. Allow to cool at least 30 minutes. You can prep this ahead and keep it in the refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Filling

2 cups yogurt
3-5 Tbsp. sweetener (honey, maple syrup, sucanat)
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)

Strain yogurt in cheesecloth to make cream cheese (do this ahead of time). Stir sweetener into cream chhese until it is to your liking.

Parfait:

Crumble thin layer of graham crackers (organic store bought or whole wheat homemade, soaked homemade, sourdough or gluten free. Use gluten free grahams or cookies to make this gluten free.) into the bottom of small dishes or 1/2 pint mason jars. Layer pudding, then fruit, then cream cheese. Add another layer of graham crackers and repeat other layers. Repeat process until the jar is filled. Top with graham cracker crumbs and berries. Chill and serve.

I made a couple full jars, and I made a couple not quite so full for a kid’s portion.

Blueberry Bread Pudding

Last night I tried a new bread pudding recipe that I got from our local newspaper. It was submitted by Sharon Heethuis. It’s called Over the Top Blueberry Bread Pudding. If you make it exactly according to the recipe it would be quite over the top with a white chocolate sauce to pour over top! I scaled it back a little (no sauce, less chocolate). But it was still so good  (then again I’ve never met a bread pudding I didn’t like :P)! The main thing that makes it a bit more over the top is adding white chocolate chips. I know they aren’t healthy. But I did add a few. Blueberries are in season right now, so it’s the perfect time to make this. We all enjoyed it. I would definitely make it again. It would be great with some peaches added as well. Blueberries and peaches always go well together. You can absolutely make it without the chocolate chips…it just won’t be so over the top 🙂

I only made a half recipe. I’ll post the full recipe, with some healthier substitutes. You can make it gluten free by using gluten free bread. You could even try making it grain free using a nut butter, almond flour or coconut flour bread.

This makes a great breakfast, brunch, snack or dessert! I served it with scrambled eggs for dinner.

The pictures don’t really do it justice. I had to bake it in the toaster oven, so the top got a little dark.

Over The Top Blueberry Bread Pudding

3 eggs
4 cups cream (I used a combo of raw cream and milk)
1 cup cane sugar/sucanat (maple syrup or honey would probably work as well)
3 tsp. vanilla
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 (12 oz.) package of white chocolate chips (you can omit this or use less)
1 loaf bread, cut into 1″ cubes (use whatever bread you like…we used fermented wheat bread. This is a great job for little kids…Rebecca loves to rip up all the bread)

Sauce:
1 (12 oz.) pkg. white chocolate chips
1 cup cream

In a large bowl combine the eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla. Stir in blueberries and chips. Stir in bread. Let stand for 15 minutes. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

For the sauce, place chocolate chips in a small bowl. Heat the cream in saucepan just to a boil. Pour over the chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Serve with bread pudding.

You can add coconut and pineapple for variation. Drain pineapple before adding.

RR – Rice Balls

It’s time for this’s week’s Rebecca’s Recipe. Rebecca decided to have rice balls for dinner. I’ve never made or eaten a rice ball. But it sounded good. We came up with a very simple recipe that actually was really good! Even Justin really enjoyed them. They are basically a combination of rice, cheese, egg and seasoning. You can dip them in pretty much anything (salsa, spaghetti sauce, honey mustard, ketchup, pesto…whatever) or eat them plain. They are delicious either way. You can add variety by using different cheeses. I used garlic and onion last night. A sharp cheddar or parmesan would be great too. They reheat very well. I’ll make these again for sure! Another winning recipe from my little chef 🙂

Rice Balls

1 cup cooked rice (I used white rice since I’m experimenting with how my tummy handles it…you could use any kind of rice you like)
1 egg
1/2 cup finely grated cheese (I used garlic and onion)
seasoning of choice (I just used salt + the seasoning in my bread crumbs)
bread crumbs (use gluten free bread crumbs to make this gluten free)
oil for frying (I used coconut oil)

Cook rice and let cool partially (or cook the rice ahead of time/use leftovers and warm it slightly). Add egg, cheese and seasoning. Mix well. One at a time roll a small portion into a ball and cover with bread crumbs. They will be fragile, so I found it easiest to sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the rice ball in my hand and gently lay it in the pan.

Cook in hot oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) in large skillet. Cook over medium heat on all sides until golden brown, about 15 minutes total. Serve plain or with dipping sauce. They would also be good on a salad.

Strawberry Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches

It’s summer…and it’s HOT. It might even be in the 100s today. It hasn’t been that hot in Michigan in a long time. When it’s hot the best thing to eat is ice cream 🙂  And sometimes it’s nice to have an ice cream treat…that isn’t filled with chemicals and vegetable oils. Yesterday Rebecca and I created a homemade ice cream sandwich. I used my basic vanilla cookie recipe and created a banana cookie. This cookie is ideal because it stays very soft. It’s even easy to eat when frozen. And it just so happens that we made a big batch of strawberry ice cream on Tuesday. Put them together and you’ve got a unique, healthy ice cream treat that you won’t find in any box.

The ice cream sandwiches turned out great! Rebecca scarfed one down for snack last night. I would even feel good about serving them for breakfast 🙂  They are perfect for adults, kids and even the littlest in the family. Abram (13m) loves homemade ice cream and really enjoyed these cookies as well. They are soft enough that he can easily chew them. This is just one variation of many I hope to try!

I also cut open a cookie and put peanut butter on it like a sandwich as part of Rebecca’s lunch yesterday. She really enjoyed it.

This post is linked to Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Fight Back Friday and Fresh Bites Friday.

Strawberry Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches

Cookie:

1 cup whole wheat flour
3/8 cup rapadura
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1 egg
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)

Ice Cream:

1 cup strawberries
2 1/2 cups cream
1/2 cup maple syrup or honey (or a combination)
1 tsp. vanilla
3 egg yolks

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Prepare the ice cream:

Blend all ingredients together. Process in ice cream maker (mine takes about 20 minutes in my Kitchen Aid attachment). Store in container in freezer.

Prepare the cookies:

Heat oven to 425. Stir all ingredients together. Drop by spoonful (big scoops if you want big ice cream sandwiches) onto baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes. Let cool completely.

Assemble sandwiches:

Let ice cream soften slightly. Cut open a cookie*. Place a scoop of ice cream on the bottom half. Top with other half of cookie. Place on a wax paper lined baking sheet. Repeat for remaining cookies. Place in freezer. Once ice cream is solid wrap each sandwich individually in plastc wrap, wax paper or parchment paper.

*If you want really big ice cream sandwiches you can do a full cookie on bottom and top. You can also make smaller cookies for mini ice cream sandwiches that are perfect for kids or a small treat for adults.

Ice cream sandwich variations:

Chocolate cookies (omit banana, reduce flour to 3/4 cups, add 3 Tbsp. cocoa and 1/8 cup milk) with peanut butter, chocolate, mint , cookie dough or vanilla ice cream.

Vanilla cookies with chocolate, vanilla, caramel, cookie dough or strawberry ice cream.

Cinnamon cookies with vanilla or pumpkin ice cream.

Banana cookies with chocolate or peanut butter ice cream.

Strawberry Cream Pops

Rebecca and I spotted a delicous looking recipe in my Kiwi magazine this week. It sounded so easy that we decided to make it right away. It only has a few ingredients. It is so simple and so good!! Strawberry cream pops are a healthy, delicious treat. I gave one to Rebecca for breakfast yesterday! I always have homemade yogurt on hand. Strawberries are in season (and we have a ton that we just picked). And I happened to make a fresh batch of graham crackers this week. So it was the perfect time to try this recipe. I used a little bit of maple syrup and vanilla to flavor the yogurt. I also scaled back the recipe to just make four. These really are very good. It’s kind of like strawberry cheesecake in a popsicle.

I am so excited now for blueberries to be available in a few weeks…bring on the blueberry cheesecake pops!!! I plan to make a batch with soaked graham crackers and maybe a little raw sour cream mixed in. I think I’ll be having some popsicles for breakfast soon 🙂

This post is linked to Fight Back Friday and Fresh Bites Friday and Real Food Wednesdays.

Strawberry Cream Pops

1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt (I used homemade full fat yogurt w/ maple syrup and vanilla extract)
3/4 cups fresh or frozen strawberries hulled
3/4 cups crushed graham crackers (preferably homemade…even better use soaked)

Crush graham crackers into pea size pieces (I did this by pulsing them in the food processor a few times).

Combine yogurt and strawberries in a food processor. Process until strawberries break down and mixture turns light pink.

Pour yogurt mixture over graham crackers and mix.

Pour the mixture into 10 popsicle molds and freeze until solid.

Pesto Sausage Cakes (GAPS legal, grain free, dairy free, nut free)

Last night for dinner I was going to make zucchini sausage muffins. But it was a HOT day. So I didn’t really want to turn on the oven. So I figured I’d make zucchini sausage cakes instead. I already had zucchini and sausage thawed. But the zucchini was not cooperating and was super stringy…which I knew Rebecca would not touch. So I came up with a new recipe for pesto sausage cakes. I happened to make a fresh batch of pesto yesterday morning. I also happened to make a fresh batch of mayo in the morning…which worked out well…I served these with pesto mayo. These cakes turned out very well! And they were really easy to throw together. I used ground pork. Ground chicken or turkey would work well too. I don’t measure ingredients when I make this kind of food, but I’ll try to give a rough estimate of quantities. If you want to make this grain free you can use coconut flour in place of the bread crumbs. I made 6 cakes with a bread crumb coating and 3 without. It works well either way. I like the crunchy coating, but it’s easier for the kids to eat without it.

I’m happy with how well these turned out. Even Abram kept saying “mmmm” as he was eating his. I liked them so much I had another one for bedtime snack and another one for breakfast today 🙂

This post is linked to Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager.

Pesto Sausage Cakes

1 lb. ground pork, chicken or turkey
1/2 cup pesto (My pesto is nut and dairy free. It is just peas, evoo, salt and garlic blended together. Use whatever kind you like.)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup bread crumbs or coconut flour (optional, but it helps bind things together)
salt, garlic powder, cumin to taste

bread crumbs or coconut flour to coat (optional)
fat for cooking (palm shortening, coconut oil, lard, butter)

Mix meat, pesto, eggs, bread crumbs and seasoning. Form into 8-10 patties. Coat patties in bread crumbs or coconut flour. Heat fat in skillet over medium heat. Cook patties in fat until cooked through, about 8 minutes per side.

Serve with extra pesto or pesto mayo (mix equal parts pesto and mayo).

Crockpot Baked Potato Soup

This week we need several prep ahead meals…which  usually means crockpot meals. By the third one I wanted to try something new. I decided to make potato soup. I’ve never made any kind of potato soup before. I checked A Year of Slow Cooking to see if Stephanie had a good one. I went with the first recipe I found for baked potato soup. It was super easy to make and tasted really good. I didn’t eat it for dinner since I can’t eat potatoes, but I did taste it…made me wish I could 🙂  Justin and Rebecca both really enjoyed it. I only made a half recipe. It still made quite a bit. I modified it slightly to our tastes/with what I had on hand. I also made a quick batch of homemade cream cheese to use in it instead of store bought. If you don’t have any cream cheese or want it to be dairy free this would be just fine without it. Or you could substitute sour cream. I served the soup with crumbled bacon and shredded cheese.

Crockpot Baked Potato Soup

2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 small onion, roughly chopped
2 cups broth or water (if using water add extra seasoning)
sea salt and garlic powder to taste
1 cup homemade cream cheese (or 8 oz. pkg. of cream cheese)

Toppings: crumbled bacon, shredded cheese, sour cream, olives, chives

Place potatoes, onion, broth and seasoning in crockpot. Cook on low 8+ hours or on high 4+ hours (until potatoes are tender…cooking longer won’t hurt anything). Mash or blend potatoes to desired consistency (I made it smooth with my immersion blender).

Add cream cheese. Stir. Cook on high about 30 minutes.

Pour into bowls and add toppings.

Roasted Cauliflower Au Gratin

I don’t often make Rachael Ray recipes. In my opinion most of them have too many ingredients, require too many steps and generate too many dirty dishes. The food may be good, but it’s just not my style of cooking. I did, however, make one of her recipes for dinner last night – roasted cauliflower au gratin.  I saw her make it on her show recently and it looked so good! And it was. I think I could have eaten the whole thing myself 😛  The whole family enjoyed it. I served it as our main dish. It would make a great side dish. Or you could add bacon, chicken or ham to make it a more complete main dish. As always it did require some work and some clean up. But I prepped it in the morning and got the kitchen cleaned up. So when it was time for dinner all I had to do was pop it in the toaster oven. No time in the kitchen and no mess to clean up after dinner. Perfect for a summer-like winter day 🙂  This is definitely a keeper recipe! I didn’t follow the recipe exactly. I only used 1 head of cauliflower. I also used a combo of milk, kefir and chicken broth for the cream sauce and didn’t make a full batch since I was using less cauliflower. I’ll post the original recipe with my mods in ().

 

Roasted Cauliflower Au Gratin

2 large heads cauliflower
3 Tbsp. EVOO
Salt

For the Topping:
2 Tbsp. EVOO
3 Tbsp. butter
1 garlic clove, grated (I used about 2 tsp. minced garlic)
Zest of 1 lemon (I didn’t add this)
2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped (I used 1 Tbsp. dried parsley)
1 cup breadcrumbs (I used a combo of whole wheat bread crumbs and crushed pretzels)

For the Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk (I used a combo of milk, kefir and chicken broth)
Salt and black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup ricotta cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Chop cauliflower into medium to large bite-size florets. Toss cauliflower with EVOO and salt. Roast on a baking sheet until just barely tender but slightly crispy, about 15 minutes.
*I roasted my cauliflower the way I always do – lots of EVOO and salt. I roast it for more like 40 minutes.

For the topping, in a large skillet over medium heat, add EVOO and butter. When butter melts, add the garlic, lemon zest and parsley, and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add breadcrumbs and toast until golden. Transfer to a bowl and reserve.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: Melt butter in a saucepot over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook a few minutes, stirring constantly, until it starts to smell slightly nutty. Stir in milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg, and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and reserve
Mix the cauliflower and sauce in a casserole dish, then dollop with ricotta.
*At this point I covered it and stuck it in the fridge. If you are baking it immediately:

 Bake 15 minutes at 375, until golden brown. Finish it with a sprinkling of the breadcrumb mixture and a squeeze of lemon juice over top.

If you are baking it later:
Bake, covered, at 350 for about 35 minutes. Remove cover. Top with breadcrumbs. Bake another 10 minutes.

Soaked Graham Crackers

I’ve been making a lot of soaked baked goods lately. Through my recent experimenting I know that I handle them a lot better than unsoaked. One of my favorite foods is graham crackers. I used to live on them…the boughten, processed kind :\  But I haven’t been able to eat them in a long time, even my homemade grahams.

I have made them with sprouted flour in the past. That works ok, but the texture isn’t great. So I decided to experiment and see if I could make a soaked version. I used the graham cracker recipe I always use as a base and then added/adjusted ingredients.

I was quite impressed with the outcome! Crispy and sweet. A perfect treat for me…and my family. Rebecca had one with almond butter for breakfast yesterday 🙂  I made a small batch since I was experimenting. And next time I’ll try to get them a little thinner I think. But overall a great first attempt! I’m so excited to have soaked graham crackers. Now I just have to keep myself from eating them all in one day 😛

This post is linked to Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager, Real Food Wednesdays and Fight Back Friday.

Soaked Whole Wheat Graham Crackers

2 cups organic whole wheat flour, all purpose flour or a combination of the two

1 cup yogurt, kefir or buttermilk
1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil (I sometimes use half of each)

1/2 – 2/3 cup rapadura or cane sugar (adjust to your taste)
1/2 tsp. baking soda (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
6Tbsp. honey (you can substitute molasses for some of the honey for a stronger “graham” flavor)
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix flour, yogurt and butter/oil in a glass bowl. Cover and let sit 7-24 hours.

Heat oven to 350. Add remaining ingredients to flour mixture. Stir until well combined. The dough should be quite moist and sticky.

Split dough into 2 equal parts. Put 1/2 of dough on a parchment paper or silpat lined baking sheet. Spread with a spoon until you have a fairly even layer covering the baking sheet. It will be a bit lumpy, not smooth. Repeat with 2nd half of dough on another pan.

Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cut into squares (with pizza cutter). If the dough sticks to the pizza cutter bake them another 5 minutes and try again. After cutting them into squares, return the pans to the oven and bake another 5 minutes.

Remove the crackers from the oven. Transfer them to a dehydrator tray (you can keep them on the parchment until they are dry enough to handle without breaking) and dry them for 2-6 hours (until they are crispy/dry). Let cool. Store in an airtight container. You can also freeze them for long term storage.