Through the years there has been yet another chef that fascinates me - Graham Kerr, the Galloping Gourmet. Plus his amazing dedication to not only create food that tastes good but is just as good for your body makes it even better. Graham has been a TV chef for many many years and is famous for turning not-so-healthy home cooked favorites into very healthy dishes that are still yummy.
To fully understand his dedication and find out the reason he is so very diligent in his search to create good healthy foods be sure to read all about him on his website. He has many great cookbooks available, one of the favorites definitely has to be Day-by-Day Gourmet Cookbook: Recipes and Reflections for Better Living. Might just be time to reserve a copy at your local library to try it out.
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Gluten Free White Bread (for bread making machines)
(source unknown)
Ingredients:
1 egg
1 1/3 cups water
1/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon liquid honey
1 cup tapioca flour
2 cups rice flour
1/2 cup potato flour
1/2 corn flour
1 tablespoon xanthum gum
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons powdered milk
1 tablespoon dried yeast
Directions:
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Another Food Network fave of mine has been Sandra Lee and her Semi Homemade series. I enjoy cooking from scratch for most of my meals and desserts, but I still love to use her recipes. Plus, her tablescapes are truly incredible and inspiring.
I own a couple of her cookbooks and one of them is Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Gatherings. This book is so fun for planning parties, get togethers and so much more. Even if it's just a family day and you want to do something fun and creative, you'll find it in this book.
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When I'm looking for something homemade and yummy but not exactly dessert-ish, I love finding recipes for sweet breads. One of the faves around here is Orange Sour Cream Bread, but if we're looking for something a little different this is a fun one to make. It’s a recipe I’ve had in my files for a long time, and I’m not sure where I got it from.
Lemon & Yogurt Bread
Makes 2 loaves
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup poppy seeds
3 eggs (preferably organic), lightly beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 cups lemon yogurt
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions:
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Last week I shared my interview with Melissa d'Arabian, but there was absolutely no way to get all the information into one post. So I thought I'd follow up with a little more info and another recipe that I think you will all enjoy.
More bread cooking tips from Melissa d’Arabian
During our conversation, Melissa talked a little bit about the versatility of bread and how we tend to see it as only being for sandwiches. She recommends thinking outside the box a bit when it comes to bread.
Think of bread as a great addition to any meal, it can be used for snacks and desserts just as well as sandwiches for lunch. Spreading some chocolate on bread or putting sweet apples on it makes a delightful treat!
Weekday Crisper Drawer Penne Pasta
(Developed by Melissa d’Arabian for the Grain Foods Foundation)
Yield: 4 servings Prep time: 20 minutes Ease of preparation: Easy
Ingredients:
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I love Food Network and had the pleasure of speaking with Melissa d'Arabian last week. Melissa is the host of Ten Dollar Dinners, a great show helping families cook on a budget, but recently she's also been focusing on a great cause, The Bread Art Project. The great part is that you can join the cause, too.
Bread Art Project
Nearly 17 million children in America – almost one in four – struggle with hunger. The families of these children have a hard time putting food on the table. The non-profit Grain Foods Foundation has teamed up with Food Network host Melissa d’Arabian and Share Our Strength®, a non-profit leading the charge to end childhood hunger in America by 2015, to help give hungry children in our country access to nutritious meals.
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Feeding a brood of boys can definitely be a challenge, especially since they seem to wake up and immediately want to eat...and eat...and eat. I am continually shocked by the amount of food they can consume, especially in the morning.
While oatmeal, granola and eggs are the typical breakfast staples in our home, when we have a free morning we will go out of our way to make what we consider to be the worlds best pancakes. This breakfast recipe from the book Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer: Great-Tasting Meals You Can Make Ahead by Susie Martinez, Bonnie Garcia and Vanda Howell is actually for waffles, but we prefer it as pancakes since they’re amazing!
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I have to admit, we eat a lot of oatmeal around here. It's inexpensive, healthy and filling - three very important things in our household of growing boyhood.
That said, my boys do get a little burned out on oatmeal after a while if there isn't a little variety.
You didn't know you could have variety? Well, here we go...
No, I'm not talking about instant oatmeal. Although I don't particularly mind instant in and of itself, I’m not crazy about the high salt or sugar content. It also simply isn't enjoyed by anyone in my family, plus it’s much more expensive.
One way you can mix it up is to try out steel cut oats. Here again, there’s a taste/texture thing, and I think I’m the only one out of the eight of us that likes it. But there are some great recipes, even crockpot overnight ones, if you are interested in giving it a try.
Taking your usual rolled oats and making it into something that doesn't resemble mush is definitely the goal here.
Consider offering some options with oatmeal to let each family member “make it their own.” Here's a few ideas:
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A little over a year ago, my husband and I were very fortunate to be able to go to Cozumel. It was an amazing trip and the food was wonderful.
The two dishes that stand out to me the most both prominently featured coconut. One of them was coconut ice cream and I found a great recipe to share with all of you.
Coconut Ice Cream
(from AllRecipes.com)
Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 (14 ounce) can cream of coconut
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut (optional)
Directions:
Combine the milk and cream of coconut in the container of a food processor or blender, and mix thoroughly. Stir in cream and flaked coconut.
Pour into the container of an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
It really is that simple! I would definitely recommend trying this with peach, pineapple or papaya chunks if you really want something tropical, summery and fresh! Enjoy.
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