Wonder Rolls

I've been experimenting with roll recipes this week. I wanted to create a recipe that is a whole-grain (close to 100%) roll that is still light and fluffy. And I think I finally found it! We loved these rolls! They have a wonderful texture. And the flavor is delicious. We'll be making these a lot! Hope you enjoy.

Wonder Rolls

Printable Recipe

*Makes 2 dozen rolls

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups Milk (or 2 Cups water and 1/4 Cup Non-fat dry milk)

1/2 Cup butter
1/2 Cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 Cup Gluten Flour
1-1/2 Cups unbleached white flour
4-5 Cups Wonder flour, divided

2 Tbsp. yeast

DIRECTIONS:

Heat milk in microwave for about 2 minutes on high or until milk is at least 110° F. In bosh mixer add milk, butter, eggs, sugar, salt, gluten flour, unbleached white flour and 2 cups wonder flour. Add yeast on top of the flour. Mix until smooth. Add the rest of the wonder flour a ½ cup at a time while mixing until dough barely cleans bowl. You may not need to use all of the flour. Leaving dough slightly sticky, makes the rolls lighter. Mix 6 minutes.

Shape into 24 rolls and place in greased pan, barely touching each other. Let rise for 2-3 hours or until double. Bake 350 F for 20-25 minutes.

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Butternut Squash Soup

We went over to a friend's house for dinner a few weeks ago and he cooked up this mouth-watering amazing butternut squash soup. I loved it so much. I thought for sure when I tasted it that it was full of cream and other fatty-no-good-for-you-stuff. I was shocked when I saw the recipe - simple, healthy ingredients. I made it last week for dinner - mmmh! The red pepper puree adds a wonderful little zip that is sooo yummy! This recipe's going down in my book of favorites - especially in fall and winter. We have so many squash still down in our basement that I'm sure I'll be making it again soon. Next time maybe I'll try it with a different kind of squash...

Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Red Pepper Purée

Printable Recipe

Butternut Squash Soup

*This Soup can be made a day ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and chill. Re-warm before serving, thinning with more broth if desired.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2¼ Cups chopped onions

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 2½-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces

5½ Cups (or more) chicken or vegetable broth

3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

½ teaspoon grated orange peel (or 1/4 cup of orange juice)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until tender, about 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring 1 minute. Add squash and 5 ½ cups broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until squash is soft, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return puree to pot. Add 1 teaspoon thyme and orange peel. Thin soup with more broth if desired. Simmer 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

When ready to serve, ladle soup into bowls. Swirl 1 tablespoon Roasted Red Pepper Puree (see recipe below) into soup in each bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons thyme and serve.

Roasted Red Pepper Purée

*This red pepper puree can be made a day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before using.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup coarsely chopped drained roasted red peppers from jar (or roast fresh red peppers to use)

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

¼ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Salt and Pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Puree all ingredients in processor until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Recipe Source: Adapted from a recipe given to me by my friend Colin

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Winter: Time to dream...

We've had a fairly mild winter so far where we live for which I am grateful! Probably only a handful of snowstorms so far, but winter's not over yet...

A few things that have helped me get through the winter are...

1. Flowers...My Cyclamen indoor houseplant always blooms about this time. I love it! It always brings me a breath of fresh air when I watch the flowers burst forth right in the dead of winter.

2. Dreaming...January is a great time to start thinking about next year's garden. I usually start my seedlings indoors around the end of January or first of February. There's something therapeutic about pouring through seed catalogs on a cold wintry day.

3. Windows...I'm a window kind of a person. Our front rooms are south facing - our kitchen has a beautiful bay window and our living room window is almost as large as the room itself. I love basking in the sun on an afternoon winter day. We pull out pillows and blankets and gather the sunlight as it streams in. It does the body and soul good to feel the natural warmth of the sun.

4. Winter Night Walks...It's only been in the last few years that I've discovered this winter-therapy treatment. If you've never gone on one before, you are missing out! We bundle up after dinner on a clear winter night (including the kids) - in snowpants and coats, hats and gloves and blankets. And walk. There's something beautiful about the silence of a winter night that you don't discover anytime else. Most of the world is bundled up inside their houses...and that leaves you and the world - the crisp, beautiful world. We like to walk up to a hill that overlooks the town near our house and enjoy the skyline and the stars and the beauty of the snow-covered valley. Then we come home and drink hot chocolate and warm up in front of the heater. I always look forward to these walks and they help me appreciate the beauty of winter.

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Applesauce Bread

A neighbor gave us a bunch of apples this fall and we still have 2 boxes of them in our basement. They are a red variety and have lost some of their crispness, but still good for baking. I've been trying to come up with creative uses for the apples so this year we made some applesauce bread to give to some of our neighbors for Christmas. It actually tasted like more of a cake (it was quite sweet), but very good. I think if I was to make it again I would probably experiment with eliminating some of the sugar.

Here's the recipe:

Applesauce Bread

1 cup wonder flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar, packed
1 egg
2 cups chunky applesauce
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 bread pans with nonstick spray.

Combine dry ingredients. Combine butter and both sugars in a separate bowl. Beat in egg then stir in applesauce. Stir in flour mixture until it is fully incorporated. Fold in pecans.

Pour into bread pans and bake 60 to 70 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from center.

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Back again

I feel like I've disappeared off the face of the earth - I guess I have as far as the blog world goes. I'm back, but will be here only sparsely for a while - we are redoing our kitchen and another million projects so blogging has moved to the back burner for while. I'm still trying trying to cook healthy, but am not doing 100% what I did before my kitchen exploded. I did make a really yummy dinner tonight that I'll share. I think it's going to be one of my new favorite recipes!

Polynesian Skillet
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4" strips
1 tablespoon oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
1 15-0z. can pineapple chunks
2 teaspoons, or two cubes of chicken bouillon granules
1 cup water
1/4 cup vinegar, any type
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 11-oz. can mandarin oranges, drained

In a large skillet, saute chicken in oil until chicken is lightly browned. If you prefer not to use oil, just spray some cooking spray on the skillet and use the chicken's natural juices to cook.
Add onion and green pepper. Stir fry until vegetables are tender.
Add 1/2 cup pineapple juice from the can of pineapple chunks, bouillon, water, vinegar and brown sugar to the skillet and stir.
In a small bowl, off to the side, combine soy sauce and cornstarch. Mix well to smooth out any clumps. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the chicken, vegetables and sauce in the skillet.
Simmer until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. This should take about 5 to 10 minutes, and the mixture will turn more transparent as it thickens.
Add pineapple and mandarin oranges.
Serve over rice (brown rice is delicious). Serves 6-8.

Yes this is gluten free and is very, very good! I served mine with just plain baby spinach - yum! Enjoy!

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