What does it mean???

Okay, so we know we are supposed to be eating whole grains, right??? We used to live in Denver and I would go to the store and get "wheat bread". I thought everything was fine and I was feeding my kids healthy, whole wheat bread. Here was my checklist... Is it brown? Check. Does it say "Wheat bread"? Check. Is it healthy... of course...it says "wheat"! Then, my friend Stacey, who is a dietitian, told me that it can say "wheat" without being "whole wheat" and told me I needed to check the label, which I did and...wait a minute!!! Things were very different than I originally thought!!!

How do you know if it is 100% whole wheat or enriched, or colored to look like wheat? Flip it over and look at the back of the package. The first ingredient should be WHOLE wheat flour...if it instead says "bleached", "enriched", or "unbleached", chances are good it's not the real deal!!! Other trap words are "multi-grain", "made with whole grains", and "whole grain". These terms tell you NOTHING concerning the percentage of whole grains in the product. So, always check the label to make sure it says 100% whole wheat or 100% whole grain so that you are getting what you are paying for!!!


FYI: If you use my bread recipe and make your own...you'll never have to worry about how confusing that darn label can be!!!

P.S. Thanks Stacey for all of your wisdom in the nutritional area...I still can't believe your kids snacked on peas!!!

Chicken Gyro recipe!!!

This is a great one for your weekend plans...its great for your family, fancy enough for company, and easy enough for you!!! My brother even liked this one and he is a tough one to please!!!


Chicken Gyros

Tzatziki Sauce:

12 oz. + 2 T plain Greek yogurt
½ English cucumber (needs to be seedless)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ tsp. red wine vinegar
¼ tsp salt

Shred cucumber and put in a paper towel. Squeeze to remove most of the water. Mix in garlic, vinegar and salt and let sit for 20-30 minutes.



Chicken Marinade:

4 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of one lemon, squeezed
3 tsp red wine vinegar
2 T olive oil
2-3 T Greek yogurt
1 T + 1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

Mix together marinade and coat chicken in it. Cover and refrigerate to marinate for at least an hour. Cook in a skillet until chicken is no longer pink inside. Warm flatbread. Spread tzatziki sauce on warm flatbread and add chicken. Top with tomatoes and onions, if desired.

Whole Wheat Flatbread!

I've been wanting to come up with a recipe for flatbread for a while because I didn't have one and there are a lot of fun recipes you can make with a good flatbread. Tonight, we had delicious chicken gyros...I know "real" gyros aren't made of chicken, but these are and they are wonderful. These are SO good, soft, supple...and healthy, too!!! I'm going to give you the flatbread recipe first...I'll give out the gyro recipe a little later this week!!!

Here is the flatbread recipe:


Flatbread

3 C whole wheat flour
1 ½ C boiling water
½ C potato pearls (can use potato flakes, too)
2 T + ½ tsp vegetable oil
1 ¼ tsp yeast
½ tsp gluten
½ tsp dough enhancer
1 tsp salt

Mix together the boiling water and the potato pearls (for about a minute) then add 2 C flour. Knead until thoroughly mixed (its okay if the potatoes aren’t completely dissolved…they will soften as they sit). Set aside for about 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, put the mixture in a bread maker. Mix the final cup of flour, oil, yeast, gluten and dough enhancer. Add salt. Dump the second mixture (with flour, oil, yeast, dough enhancer, gluten and salt) into the bread maker and set on the “dough” cycle.

Note: If you don’t have a bread maker, knead for about 10 minutes and then let rise in a warm place for about 1-1 ½ hours. It will be hard to mix in all the flour, but eventually, it will all mix in. Add flour, if needed, until dough is just barely sticky. I don’t need to add any more than the three cups.

After dough has risen, divide into 8 segments. Cover and let rise for another half an hour. Roll into circles. You may need to grease your hands, the surface, and the rolling pin to make sure they don’t stick to the dough. Heat a skillet on medium-high heat, but don’t add any oil. Lay circles on heated skillet, turn circles with your hand to ensure an evenly heated flatbread. When they begin to puff and form brown circles, flip them over and cook the other side. This takes me about 30-60 seconds for each side. Stack on a wire rack, cover and let cool. Either serve warm or put in a sealed baggie and serve later.


FYI: I'm going to try to do this with millet or quinoa so I have a gluten-free flatbread recipe for those of you who are gluten-intolerant.


P.S. I'm going to start a little bit of a natural section on this blog. I am a girl who has always been into Western Medicine...and I still am. I go to doctors...but I have had some of the most amazing experiences with alternative medicine. I thought it might be beneficial to tell others about this...so I may be starting this up with some personal experiences and stories soon. If you are in no way interested, don't worry, they won't be that often and you can just skip over them if you are uninterested. Any comments on this??? I'd love to hear some input from people...

Natural Sugar Vs. Refined Sugar...any guesses who wins???

Okay, do this little experiment for me. Go into your kitchen and pull out your white sugar. Put your face down near it and take a whiff...stinks, doesn't it? Now, keep in mind, you are talking to a sugar addict. Until the past week, white, refined sugar was pretty much a staple in my diet (I hate to admit that, but it is true).

I have noticed the "stink" before, and just kind of let it pass right through my mind without a lot of thought. However...I was in a health-food store and the owner brough up some "organic cane sugar" for me to see. She mentioned how it doesn't stink like normal white refined sugar. Sure enough...I did the experiment I'm telling you to do and the organic cane sugar was without a smell and the refined white sugar smelled like chemicals. Why would this be?

Well...let's discuss sugar. First of all, I did a little research as to how they make "white" sugar. Hmmmm...a little disheartening to say the least. So...the sugar begins as sugar cane. Initially, it is pressed, mixed with lime, evaporated, centrifuged and then it dries to evaporate the rest of the liquid. At this point, the sugar is still a light brown color. Why? Because the sugar still has molasses in it. Now...to get that pure, white, refined sugar that we all so adore...it is treated with sulfur dioxide and then with either a mixture of calcium hydroxide and phosphoric acid or a mixture of carbon dioxide and calcium hydroxide. It is then filtered through a bed of activated carbon that helps remove any further discoloring impurities. It is then crystallized in a vacuum and dried again... YUM!!!!!

Dr. William Coda had this to say about refined sugar:

"In 1957, Dr. William Coda Martin tried to answer the question: When is a food a food and when is it a poison? His working definition of "poison" was: "Medically: Any substance applied to the body, ingested or developed within the body, which causes or may cause disease. Physically: Any substance which inhibits the activity of a catalyst which is a minor substance, chemical or enzyme that activates a reaction."1 The dictionary gives an even broader definition for "poison": "to exert a harmful influence on, or to pervert".

Dr. Martin classified refined sugar as a poison because it has been depleted of its life forces, vitamins and minerals. "What is left consists of pure, refined carbohydrates. The body cannot utilize this refined starch and carbohydrate unless the depleted proteins, vitamins and minerals are present. Nature supplies these elements in each plant in quantities sufficient to metabolize the carbohydrate in that particular plant. There is no excess for other added carbohydrates. Incomplete carbohydrate metabolism results in the formation of 'toxic metabolite' such as pyruvic acid and abnormal sugars containing five carbon atoms. Pyruvic acid accumulates in the brain and nervous system and the abnormal sugars in the red blood cells. These toxic metabolites interfere with the respiration of the cells. They cannot get sufficient oxygen to survive and function normally. In time, some of the cells die. This interferes with the function of a part of the body and is the beginning of degenerative disease."

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/refined-sugar-the-sweetest-poison-of-all.html


Okay, so what minerals, exactly are depleted from the sugar? Well, to answer this, lets look at sucanat. What is sucanat? It is SUgar CAne NATural (refer to the first picture). It is an unprocessed sugar that is essentially evaporated sugar cane juice. It is soft and has a sweet molasses flavor...because the molasses has not been removed. It tastes like a strong brown sugar. It is soft, not crystalline. It also has the highest nutritional content of all of the forms of cane sugar.

Nutritional Analysis of Sucanat:


approximately one cup
* water.........................................2.7g
* calories......................................570g
* carbohydrate.............................135.g
* fat...............................................0g
* sodium.....................................0.5mg
* potassium..............................1,125mg
* vitamin A.................................1600IU
* thiamin (B1).............................0.21mg
* riboflavin (B2)..........................0.21mg
* niacin.....................................0.20mg
* calcium....................................165mg
* iron..........................................6.5mg
* vitamin B6...............................0.60mg
* magnesium...............................127mg
* zinc.........................................2.3mg
* copper.....................................0.3mg
* pantothenic acid........................1.8mg
* chromium.................................40mcg
* phosphorus................................48mg

Source: USDA Handbook of Nutrient Content of Foods

Notice all of those vitamins and minerals??? That is what Dr. Martin is referring to. We get rid of ALL of them with refined, white sugar. So, Dr. Martin is right and "the body cannot utilize this refined starch and carbohydrate unless the depleted proteins, vitamins and minerals are present" and if in fact, "nature supplies these elements in each plant in quantities sufficient to metabolize the carbohydrate in that particular plant," then we have a big problem.

Now, this being said, sucanat is not easy to bake with. You can easily substitute it for sugar on your cinnamon toast (we use just sucanat now to flavor it). You can also use it on your hot cereal (we do this, too) and to topically sweeten any foods. However, for baking, it will definitely leave you with a different texture. So, what can you do?

Organic Cane Sugar(refer to the second picture). Why is this better...it has more nutrients. Yes, it is more processed than the sucanat, but way less than refined white sugar! I have yet to bake with it, but I believe it can be substituted for white sugar and is easier to bake with than the sucanat. It still retains some of the molasses (giving it a light brown color)and it has been treated with less pesticides. So, is it healthy, no. Is it as healthy as sucanat? No. Is it better than refined, white sugar? YES!!!

Sorry if this is of no interest to anyone else. And...yes...I know this has nothing to do with whole wheat. There are more recipes coming, but since I am learning so much more about health foods, I thought maybe the rest of you out there might be interested in learning this stuff as well. Maybe??? Maybe not??? Oh well, I like learning it!!!

FLIP FLOP #1 Navajo Tacos/Elephant Ears or Scones

It is so nice to find a recipe that can serve two functions instead of just one. These are the recipes I like to refer to as "flip-flop" recipes. You can use it once, then turn around and use it again for a different recipe. This meal is a quick one that you can use when you have some extra ground beef you want to use and you don't want "normal" tacos. Sometimes you just want something different. You can easily do it vegetarian by omitting ground beef and substituting refried beans (as in the picture above). Here is a recipe for Navajo tacos (Indian Fry Bread) that my family loves. Use enough of the dough for your family's tacos and use the leftover dough to make scones or elephant ears. If you stretch them out and fry them they are elephant ears (that was what we called them in the midwest). They are delicious and taste different enough that you can have them in the same meal!!!

Indian Fry Bread (Navajo Tacos)

4 C freshly ground or sifted whole wheat flour
1 tsp dough enhancer
2 tsp gluten
3 tsp baking powder
½ C powdered milk
1 ½ tsp sugar
1 ½ C hot water

Add all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Knead for about five minutes. Divide into 8 equal segments. One by one, stretch each segment very thin with your hands. (they are even better if they have a few small holes) Fry in hot oil (I like it medium hot) until golden brown one side, turn it over and fry the other side until golden brown. Top with taco toppings such as ground beef flavored with taco seasoning, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sour cream.

**V**Omit ground beef and serve with refried beans.

HINT: Make the last 2-3 into elephant ears!!!

Elephant Ears:

Make Indian Fry Bread dough and fry until golden brown on each side. Smother generously with butter on both sides. Coat in either a mixture of cinnamon sugar on both sides or powdered sugar…both are DELICIOUS!!!


Scones:

Don't stretch them as much. Separate them into dough balls, whatever size you desire. Mold them into rectangles, fry and serve the same as above.

Family Fun:

Let your kids stretch their own dough. Be sure you are there to fry them up for them because hot oil is DEFINITELY not something for kids to be around. After it is fried, let them add their own toppings and later, let them butter and sugar their own elephant ears. They will love this!!!


FYI:

We have soccer again tomorrow morning...we'll be thawing out muffins and having them for a quick breakfast on the go!!!

About the meeting last night: I will review my notes and try to do an entry for those with

Celiac's Disease. In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to email algurugarcia@yahoo.com. He is the doctor who conducted the meeting. It was very informative and I learned a lot.

Reminder

Just a reminder...if you're interested in learning more about treatments of Celiac's disease, you can attend a class tonight, Thursday, at Kitchen Kneads in Ogden at 7:00.

Tomorrow, I'm going to give out my first "flip-flop" recipe. A flip-flop recipe is a recipe that can be used once and then used again for a different purpose. The recipe tomorrow can be used for dinner and then again for dessert. So, just hang tight!!!

Just in case you're interested...

Hi guys! I have two announcements...the first is concerning essential oils. Is anyone out there a fan??? I have recently become a big fan. I went to a class a while ago at my friend Lara's sister-in-law's house and then again last night. I have tried out quite a few of them already and I ordered quite a few more of them...I'll let you know all of my results. Yes, I know, this has nothing to do with whole wheat...but it is a positive, proactive way to care for your body, so it kind of fits, right??? Maybe not...but its cool anyway, so I'll be posting some results as I experience them.

The second announcement. I just learned yesterday that Kitchen Kneads in Ogden is offering a class concerning Celiac's disease. It is being conducted by Dr. Al Garcia and it includes some promising results in the treatment of those affected by the disease. Apparently, Stanford University has had some impressive success in this area. Want to learn more...come to the class! It is tomorrow night, Thursday, and I believe it starts at 7:00.

End of Summer...Quick Breakfast...Veggies...what is it???

What one food exemplifies the end of summer to you? For me it is those huge zucchinis that are just perfect right now!!! So...how do you get zucchini for breakfast? Zucchini bread of course!!! However...this is my tip for the day, make them into muffins and they are PERFECT for breakfast!!! You can even freeze them and get them out in time to thaw and keep them for breakfast all week. Here's a little tip...after you make them...give your kids a couple and then get them away from your kids...the last picture I tried to take is on here...I had my little boy's hand sneaking one as I was taking the picture!!! Mine were gone by breakfast the next day!!!

I have already posted this zucchini bread recipe, but I thought I'd repost it as it was my first post and it was for zucchini bread NOT muffins...the baking instructions are different. Also, I wanted to call attention to it because, if you have a garden...you are probably thinking, "What on earth am I going to do with all of this zucchini?" I also have a fabulous zucchini soup recipe...sounds kind of gross...tastes FABULOUS!!!


Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
2 C sugar
2 T vanilla
½ C oil
½ C applesauce
2 C. grated zucchini
2 ½ C + 1 T whole wheat flour
3 ½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix eggs, sugar, vanilla, oil, applesauce and zucchini. Add flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix well. Fill greased muffin tins ¾ full and bake for about 15 minutes. Makes about 24 regular sized muffins.

Just for the Insiders

Hi guys...refer to the recipe for the Sausage and Egg Casserole on page 25 in the cookbook. Remember to follow the instructions TONIGHT for a stress free morning. I'm planning to get it prepared and in the fridge tonight. Then, I'll pull it out tomorrow and preheat my oven, while I get ready to go for a run. I'll put it in the oven...go for a run and when I get back...HOT BREAKFAST FOR EVERYONE...just in time for our crazy day of soccer!!!

Oh...the other picture is of the crepes...I'll be giving some specific instructions on those coming up soon, too!!!

For my bloggers who are not "insiders", I have a great idea for a quick breakfast that is healthy and your kids will LOVE! I already made them and my kids devoured them...next time, I'm going to put them away right after I make them so they actually last more than one day!!! Oh...and I also made some AMAZING pumpkin pie bars...so keep on checkin'!!!

Alegria

Here is a neat activity you can do with your kids with amaranth (which you can buy at health food stores). This is a Mexican treat that is kind of easy to make and actually relatively healthy. All of my kids loved it, except for my pickiest one. Your kids will think it is fun to watch the amaranth pop. But...the syrup gets VERY hot...don't let them touch it!!! The first picture shows the popping amaranth. The white stuff is the popped amaranth, the brown is unpopped. You will NOT get it all to pop (at least I never have). Oh, by the way, I know I didn't make it pretty...I just flattened it and let my kids eat it. It would have been cuter if I'd used a cookie cutter or something...but I'm not that cute...I'm more the functional type.


Alegria

2 T amaranth
2 T real maple syrup

Heat a skillet over high heat for at least five minutes. It needs to be VERY hot. Pour in 2 T amaranth. Use a rubber spatula to move amaranth around continually. It will start popping and will turn white. You want to pop it until most of it is white. Then, remove the skillet from the heat and gently shake skillet to continue stirring. Set aside. Heat maple syrup in a sauce pan over medium-high heat until it begins to boil. Continue to boil and stir for a few minutes…don’t let it burn!!! Remove maple syrup from heat and stir with popped amaranth. Use the back of a spoon to flatten it (the syrup is too hot to touch!!!). Let it cool and break into pieces. Let your kids devour this whole grain treat!!!

We have soccer tomorrow morning and life gets really crazy when soccer starts!!! So, to my Insiders...check tonight for some instructions so tomorrow morning goes smoothly for your family as well as mine!!!

Just for the Insiders:

You need:

3 slices whole wheat bread
1 C cheddar cheese
6 eggs
¼ tsp salt
1 lb. breakfast sausage (comes in a roll)
2 C milk

Oh, and Insiders...I'm going to be giving specific instructions for the bagels, donuts and cinnamon rolls coming up...so stay tuned.

For the rest of you...I have some other really fun recipes coming up, so keep checking!!! I made a S'mores dessert that was delicious and, of course, 100% whole wheat!!! I've also got some soup recipes for those crisp fall days.

Amaranth Waffles

Okay, so why the push for other grains? Isn't this a whole wheat website? Of course it is! That is why almost every single recipe has whole wheat in it. However, I decided to look into other grains because of the fact that each grain has its own unique health benefits. I know I keep stating this, but it is true...getting a variety of grains is SO GOOD FOR YOU! Remember, the American Heart Association recommends a variety of grains. Anyway, I've already told you all of this AND I've told you the health benefits of amaranth. So, here is a great waffle recipe which is 100% amaranth flour (a gluten-free flour). By the way, you could substitute all or part of the amaranth flour with whole wheat flour, but I thought it would be great to have a gluten-free waffle for those of you who are or who know someone allergic to gluten.


Amaranth Waffles

2 C amaranth flour
1 T baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 T brown sugar
3 eggs separated
1 ¼ C milk
2 T oil

Mix flour, baking powder, salt. Add egg yolks, brown sugar, milk and oil and beat until smooth. Beat egg whites to soft peaks. Fold egg whites into mixture. Bake in greased waffle iron until golden brown. Serves 4-5 people.

Amaranth...I'm such a fan!!!!!!!

Okay, first of all, am I just ignorant of all of the different types of grains out there or are amaranth, teff, etc., grains that we just don't know much about in our society? I decided to try some amaranth today and before I began cooking with it...I thought I'd do a little bit of research about it. So, let's discuss amaranth.



Amaranth has an interesting history which includes being used for human sacrifice. It was ground up, mixed with human blood or honey (I think I would have preferred the honey), and shaped into idols and eaten by the Aztecs. This appalled the Spaniards, so when they conquered the Aztecs, they outlawed amaranth! Thank heavens for Guatemala, India, Nepal and Mexico where it is again being cultivated. It is actually making an appearance in the US and is gaining popularity.

In one cup of COOKED amaranth there are nine grams of protein, five grams of fiber and almost 30% of your daily iron! So...when I had my amaranth cereal this morning...I felt great! As a woman, I struggle keeping my iron at a healthy level, so I am always looking for foods that will increase my iron level. Amaranth works!!! Amaranth also has a glycemic load of 21 out of 100...which means it won't spike your blood sugar like other foods. Oh...I almost forgot...amaranth is gluten-free!!! So, if you are avoiding gluten...amaranth is a great food for you!

This morning, I was really ambitious and made 100% amaranth waffles for my kids and amaranth cereal for myself. The waffles were AWESOME!!! I LOVED them! My husband and my kids loved them, too!!! So...we had a healthy breakfast and my kids loved it!

Something I want to try is "alegria" a Mexican recipe that pops the amaranth and mixes it with a sweet concoction...we'll see how it works.


Recipes to come...

Did you know???

Did you know the American Heart Association recommonds 6-8 servings of grains each day and that at least HALF should be whole grains??? Once again, that means that the bran, germ and endosperm are left intact. They mention that you should use all different types of grains because each type has its own nutritional benefits. The American Heart Association also recommends getting 25 grams of fiber PER DAY!!! They also state that you should try to get your fiber from food rather than supplements. Hmmm...very interesting. Try counting your fiber intake for the day...are you getting enough?

So, when doing your shopping this week, look for the above symbol. It means that the food contains at least 51% whole grains AND is low in saturated fat and cholesterol!!!

Of course, if you plan your menus around my recipes...you'll be sure to get your whole grains!!! That is why I add grains to almost EVERYTHING my family eats...we boil it, puree it, sprout it, grind it, etc. When fiber is so very important and whole grains are so essential to nutrition...why not pack your food with grains!!!

FYI: I am trying to incorporate a larger variety of grains into our diet...as you have noticed with all of my posts on different grains. Tonight, we'll be having calzones and I'm going to see if I can incorporate some Teff flour into the dough...we'll see...I'll let you know how it turns out!!! I'm also looking into some recipes with amaranth...so hang on...there's more fun recipes to come!!!

Just for the Insiders

Fresh from the Garden Veggie Pizza

Pizza Dough...refer to page 86 of my cookbook. I can tell you honestly that this pizza dough is truly one of the best I have ever had. I haven't had anyone try it and dislike it. You can check the comment on the section titled mmmmm... down below for a review of the crust. Thanks Stacey!!! The dough recipe makes two pizzas, but this recipe is only for one pizza, so either freeze ½ the dough for later or double the ingredients and split between two pizzas. If you freeze the dough and want to use it again later, get it out the night before you need it and put it in a greased bowl. Cover with greased saran wrap and put in the refrigerator. The next day, before you need it, get it out and let it continue rising on the counter until it is doubled in size. Finish dough as directed.)

Here is the recipe for the Fresh from the Garden Veggie Pizza:

1 T olive oil
1-2 tsp Italian seasoning (or to taste)
½-1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
½-¾ whole red onion, thinly sliced
½ - 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips
1-2 ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 ½ C grated mozzarella cheese
1 ½ C grated cheddar cheese
1 ½ C Dubliner cheese (this is found at Costco and it is AWESOME!!! You can use any of your favorite cheese in place of Dubliner…fontina, asiago, etc.)
1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese
1 T minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
½ tsp salt
Grated pepper to taste
Jalapenos (to taste…this is optional if you like a kick!!!)

Mix together the grated mozzarella, cheddar, and Dubliner cheese. With a basting brush, rub olive oil over crust of pizza. Sprinkle Italian seasoning all over crust. Sprinkle ½ of the cheese blend over the crust. Layer vegetables over the cheese, completely covering the pizza. Top vegetables with the rest of the cheese blend. Sprinkle minced garlic over the cheese. Sprinkle salt evenly over the pizza. Grate pepper to taste over everything. Add jalapenos if desired. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

My baby and my 3-year old were devouring this today and I can't say I wasn't a bit proud of myself for getting them to eat all of these wonderful veggies!!!

Note: If there is anything you don't like on here (onions, peppers, etc., just leave them out.) Oh, and my family isn't really "in" to mushrooms, but they would be wonderful on the top as well!!!

Stay tuned! Just for the Insiders

This will be my first "Just for the Insiders" post. I'll be posting the recipe soon. I wanted to leave up the cobbler so everyone had a chance to get it down. It is not in the cookbook, so I wanted to make sure that if you wanted it, you got it. I've put together a grocery list for the Fresh from the Garden Pizza. So, go pick these veggies from your garden and buy anything you don't have.

Here is what you need for the Fresh from the Garden Pizza:


olive oil
Italian seasoning
½-1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
½-¾ whole red onion, thinly sliced
½ - 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips
1-2 ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 ½ C grated mozzarella cheese
1 ½ C grated cheddar cheese
1 ½ C Dubliner cheese (this is found at Costco and it is AWESOME!!! You can use any of your favorite cheese in place of Dubliner…fontina, asiago, etc.)
1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese
minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
salt
Grated pepper
Jalapenos (to taste…this is optional if you like a kick!!!)

It's that time!!!

Fall is just around the bend. The weather is cooler, the leaves are starting to change colors and PEACHES ARE RIPE!!!!!!!!! I wanted to take advantage of both the sweetness of fresh, ripe peaches and the fact that they are one of the cheapest fruits right now, so I made Peach Cobbler. I made it last night and it was really good...I made it tonight and it was FABULOUS! I have two different versions. Some people prefer a sweeter peach cobbler and some prefer to have it less sweet...so I have cobbler for both types!!! I made them both tonight and had taste-testers for both and they loved both of them...so pick your type and try it out!!!

The first pictures are of the sweeter cobbler...baked and served. The second ones show the biscuit mix spread out (uncooked) and then baked and then served. They are both delicious!

Peach Cobbler

5 large peaches, peeled and sliced
2 T lemon juice
2 T orange juice
1 tsp cornstarch
¾ C sugar

½ C butter
1 C finely ground, sifted whole wheat flour
¾ C sugar
1 T + 1 tsp baking powder
1 C milk
¼ tsp salt

Melt butter in 13X9 pan. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add milk to flour mixture. Stir to combine and pour over melted butter. Do not stir. Mix peaches, lemon juice, orange juice corn starch and sugar to-gether in sauce pan. Bring mixture to a boil stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute. Remove from heat and pour over batter in pan…don’t stir it in. Bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees or until crust is golden brown. Serve hot with ice cream!!!

Variation: If you like a less sweet version of peach cobbler, use the following recipe.

2 C Biscuit mix (use the recipe I gave you for the strawberry shortcakes)
¼ C whole wheat flour
2/3 C milk
2 T softened butter
2 T sugar

Make the peach mixture as directed above (you may want to double the peach mixture though, because the biscuits are thicker than the cake in the above recipe). Spray 13X9 pan with cooking spray. Put peaches in the bottom of the dish and top with biscuit mix. You will have to spoon out the biscuit mix and spread it a bit to make it cover the whole pan. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot with ice cream!

mmmmmmmm........

I made peach cobbler last night and it was SOOOO good! I have to perfect one part of it first and then I'll share!!!

I'm going to start a section of my blog titled "Just for the Insiders". This is for people who have bought my cookbook. There will be helpful hints for recipes from the book and instructions for certain procedures. So, for those of you who have the cookbook...you'll want to pay attention to this section of the blog. The first "Just for the Insiders" post will the be Fresh from the Garden Pizza...so stay tuned!!!

Did you know?

Have you ever gone to make cornbread, or another recipe and been out of corn meal? This used to happen to me frequently because my cornbread recipe calls for quite a bit of corn meal, so I go through it quickly, but I use it rarely (only when I have cornbread), so I don't think to replace it. Well...the last time I went to make it, I was out...again. However, I had been told that if you have a wheat grinder, you can grind unpopped popcorn kernals and make cornmeal. Well...I tried it and it worked!!! I have the Wonder Mill wheat grinder (same as the Whisper Mill). I am assuming you can do this with other wheat grinders as well, but always check your manual. Anyway, I thought this was kind of cool.

Oh, FYI...Sam's Club has bulk popcorn VERY cheap!!! Popcorn has LOTS of fiber and very few calories...so its a perfect snack. So, buy in bulk, save money, lose weight and don't stress if you are out of cornmeal!!!

Oh and for those of you who have my cookbook...the cornbread recipe is GREAT! We LOVE it!!! I've given it to LOTS of people and so far, EVERYONE has loved it!