Spelt Thins

I found an amazing blog that I just love!  It's called Oh She Glows.  I found a great recipe I wanted to try, Wheat Thins. I am trying to get away from using a lot of wheat,  so I made a substitution or two to her recipe.  This is HER recipe all the way!  But I do love that I could make my variations and it still turned out fantastic!  These home made crackers are, to me, so much better than the origional "Wheat Thin" crackers.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Spelt Thins
1 1/4 cups spelt flour
1 1/2 tablespoons unrefined sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 tablespoons chilled extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water (maybe more)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment.  In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients.  With a pastry cutter, cut in coconut oil until the mixture is in fine crumbles.

Mix vanilla and water and then pour into the flour mixture.  Stir this mixture until it comes together.  Flour your hands and get in and work the dough with your hands until the mixture is soft and pliable. 

Split dough in half and flour your counter.  Roll the dough very thin and cut into squares or with a small cookie cutter, cut shapes into your dough.  With a spatula, move the cut pieces to your large baking sheets.  Bake 10 minutes.  Watch closely.  Rotate your pan halfway through baking.  (I did overbake my first batch and they were still very yummy)

*my variations were using coconut oil instead of Earth Balance.  I also decreased the amount of salt, but did sprinkle some on top of the crackers.  I used spelt instead of wheat.

Enjoy!

Raisin Pecan Bars (Vegan)

This recipe is an adaptation of one of my favorites. The Original is completely different, but if you want it for reference you will find it in the book Set For Life "Alan's Cookies".

We have recently decided to go "Vegan". I know what you're thinking, really?! Will she ever make up her mind on what to eat? The answer is probably no. The more I study the more I learn and I am just trying to find the "right" thing for me. The funny thing is, if you read over this blog, you will find I started by eating low carb. I have decided that is definitely not for me. It is not a way of eating that can be maintained long term. Also, in light of several documentaries and several books I've read, I have learned that eating that way is a sure way to develop cancer. I would like to live a long time and so I have decided to cut out all meat and dairy products. Let me just say that, for me, this works. I have battled anxiety and weight problems for quite a long time and I have been doing this for two months and I am finding many symptoms I've experienced starting to disappear! I feel so much better!

In an effort to feed my family and to find variety, I have been recipe hunting like crazy! I am not a professional chef nor do I claim to even be that great of a cook, but I am a Mom and when I find something my kids will eat and that I like, I will continue to post it! Hope you enjoy these bars. They were gone in 10 minutes. They were so incredibly nummy!

Raisin Pecan Bars (Vegan)

1 C Coconut Oil

1 C Agave

1 C. turbinado sugar or any unrefined sugar

4 T. Ground golden Flax

1/2 C. Water

2 t. Vanilla

3 C. Spelt flour

1 C. ground Oat flour

2 C. Rolled Oats

1/2 C. Ground almonds

1 t. Salt

1 1/2 t. Soda

1 t. Baking Powder

1 C Raisins

1/2 C Coconut

1/2 C. Pecans

Cream oil, agave, and sugar. Add flax, water and vanilla. Mix well. Add all the flour, one cup at a time until well mixed. Add rolled oats, ground almonds, salt, soda, baking powder and mix only until combined. Add raisins, coconut and pecans, mix in. Bake on a large cookie sheet in bar form for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Ever since I took a class about beans/bread/grains at a local health food store called Kitchen Kneads, I feel so much more confident in using my food storage! I am now on a serious budget with my husband looking for work that I've pulled out all of these recipes and am now a cooking machine! I have modified the recipe that they use and they turned out beautifully!

Homemade Flour Tortillas

2 cups whole wheat flour (If using your own grinder, grind it very fine. If you do not have your own grinder, do not worry about making the flour fine, regular whole wheat flour will work. Also, you can use spelt.)

2 cups white flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup cooking oil (I used canola oil)

Mix all dry ingredients in a mixer. Combine oil and warm water in a large cup, pour into mixer while mixing on a low speed. Mix 1 minute. Rest 5 minutes. Form into 18 balls or so, roll very thin. In a large fry pan, spray with nonstick spray and cook on both sides. They cook quickly. Do not brown them as then will be too crispy to fold.

I have a tortilla press and it is uh-mazingly easy! Doing this by hand is not bad, but if you like them and ever want to invest in one of these, you will have loads of fun! Enjoy!

Oatmeal Bread

This is one of my favorite bread recipes! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Oatmeal Bread

1 1/2 boiling water

1 cup oatmeal

Combine these two ingredients and set aside.

2 cups warm water

2 tablespoons yeast (I use Saf Instant)

1/4 cup honey (optional, if you omit, use more molasses)

1/4 to 1/2 cup molasses

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

7 cups wheat or spelt flour

1 cup white bean flour

1-2 cups more wheat flour, if needed

Combine water, yeast, honey, molasses, olive oil in your mixer. Mix gently until combined. Add Oatmeal Mixture, then add all flour at once and salt. Mix on a low speed until combined. If dough is still wet, add more flour until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. I like my dough more soft than dry. If your dough is too dry, it will fall. Add more oil (not water) to your dough until it softens somewhat. Mix on Medium speed for 5-8 minutes. Shape into loaves using oil or water on your hands to prevent sticking. Makes 2-3 loaves. Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes.

Oatmeal and boiling water; set aside.

Water, oil, yeast, molasses, honey

Flour & Salt all added at once

Dough after 7 cups wheat & 1 cup white flour added (still too wet)

After two more cups of flour added, dough is cleaning sides of bowl. Not too dry. Remember to mix for 5-8 minutes after dough cleans side of bowl.

Shaped into loaves and set to rise until double (about 30 minutes)

Ready to go into oven (above)

Mac & Cheese

This is so yummy! I can't really claim it as my own though. I did make a few variations from the original. My inspiration came from Chef Brad and this meal he made during one of his classes during Education Week at BYU.

Mac & Cheese

2-4 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove minced

1/3 cup spelt flour

1 cup vegetable or chicken stock

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 to 1 cup cooked Quinoa (optional)

2 lbs Pinwheel Pasta

2-3 cups Mexican Cheese Shredded

salt

pepper

Cook pasta as directed on the package. Saute Onion and Garlic in a large skillet or Wok. Whisk in spelt flour, creating a paste. Add more butter if it is too dry. Let it simmer for a minute or so. Whisk in vegetable or chicken stock until well blended, as it thickens add milk, salt and pepper to taste. Add more milk if you'd like the sauce thinner. Add quinoa and pasta. sprinkle cheese on top and cover. Let simmer on low for 5 minutes or until cheese has melted. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

*The original called for half n half instead of milk and vegetable broth and a little more quinoa. I liked using regular milk because I just didn't have the creamier stuff in my fridge and I like the flavor of the broth.

Oatmeal Bars

Okay, so I love, love, love cookies! Actually I love anything that has even a remote amount of sugar in it. I'm not kidding you at all. I would eat sugar for every meal if my body would let me but unfortunately, I'm still trying to achieve that "perfect" size and it will never be achieved by eating this way. So, here I am trying to make my sweets a little more rational. I'm big on taking a recipe and substituting anything I can that will make it more healthy. I often do go too far to where the food I'm trying to make more healthy tastes nothing like the real thing. I'm trying to learn that balance! I love Oatmeal Raisin Cookies or Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, so I thought I'd try substituting in some of those grains that are so packed with nutrition and see if anyone would notice. To my great surprise no one noticed and the family ate the whole pan! Wahoo! Here's the recipe. I wish I had a picture to go with it, but they were eaten too fast, hehe.

Oatmeal Bars

3/4 cup Canola Oil
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 Xagave Syrup
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup spelt flour
3/4 cup white flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup 9 grain cereal, cooked
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup raisins or chocolate chips
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Cream oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients, except baking powder and mix well. Add baking powder last and stir ingredients only a few times until baking powder is mixed in. Spread batter in a 10 x 15-inch lightly sprayed baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Check the center to make sure it has baked through. It will be lightly browned on top.

Salmon Clam Chowder

This is the stuff! My husband loves this soup...so I'm posting it in his behalf ;)

3-4 tablespoons butter
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 red bell pepper chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cup spelt, barley, brown rice flour (equal parts of each) or just whole wheat flour
3 cups chicken, vegetable broth
3 large potatoes (red or yellow are my favorite)
2-3 cups half and half
1-2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons basil (dried) or fresh
2 small cans skinnless, boneless salmon with juice
1 can diced clams with juice
1/3 to 1/2 cup white bean flour

Saute onion, garlic, peppers and celery in butter for 2 to 3 minutes, add flour and whisk until it's a thick paste. Slowly add broth, whisk in until blended. Add potatoes. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are soft. Add half and half, spices, salmon and clams and whisk in white bean flour. You do not need to worry about clumping the white bean powder will help the soup thicken. Do not add the white bean powder if your soup is already thick. I like to add this last as it does not clump up like flour and I'm not a fan of cornstarch. Besides, this is a great way to use your beans and it makes the meal much more healthy! You can't taste it at all, I promise! Let the soup simmer on medium low for 10 to 15 minutes. This fully cooks the bean powder and lets the true flavor of the soup develop. This is the most important part! Be careful that your soup doesn't come to a full boil after you've added the half and half. Keep the heat below medium.

(if for any reason your soup is too thick, add water, broth or milk)

Enjoy!!!