Yemeni Fasoulia

1/4 cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, crushed

1 jalapeño, chopped

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. coriander

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cardamom

1/8 tsp. cloves

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

4 15-oz cans cannellini or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes

1/2-1 cup water

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in a dutch oven or something similar and sauté the onions until they start to brown. Add jalapeño, garlic, and spices and sauté for another minute or so. Add beans and tomatoes and 1/2 cup of water and simmer with the lid on for at least 15 minutes. Adjust salt level to taste and make sure the water has cooked down. You can also mash some of the beans a little as it cooks. If you want to simmer it longer, add a little more water and let it cook down again. Stir in the cilantro, consider drizzling more olive oil on top, and eat it with Arabic bread or naan or just a spoon. On the two Yemeni restaurant menus I've seen, this dish is a breakfast dish and can be eaten with an egg on top, but I haven't had it for breakfast so far. And do not leave the jalapeño out! Mine didn't turn out spicy at all and you have to have it for the flavor.

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

I've been using this recipe for years, and I will give credit to my friend Angie for it. She brought them to one of our coffee mornings when our kids were tiny and I've been using it ever since! I've adjusted the sugar level but you can add more if you think they should be sweeter. I think they're fine with this amount.

Beat thoroughly:
1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 C mashed bananas
1/2 C oil
2 eggs

Then add:
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour (regular or pastry)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt

At this point you can add anything else you want, like:
sunflower seeds
sesame seeds
flax
nuts
coconut (this is our favourite and I add about 1 C or more)
chocolate chips (today I threw in some butterscotch chips I had leftover from Christmas baking!)

Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes.

Hearty Whole Wheat Waffles

This recipe is from the King Arthur website, and is our most-used waffle recipe.

1 1/2 cups King Arthur whole wheat flour,  white whole wheat or traditional
 (I use any combination, any brand, of course)
2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups milk

1/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and butter or oil. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients, stirring just till combined. 

Cook the waffles as directed in the instructions that came with your waffle iron. 
Yield: about eight 8" waffles.

Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles

Here is the original recipe in all its glory, and I quote:

For the Bacon

10 slices of bacon

1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray and line with foil. Arrange bacon in a single layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar. Place in the upper third of the oven and bake until sugar is caramelized and bacon is brown and crispy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Immediately remove bacon slices using a pair of tongs. Place them on a cutting board (not paper towels, they’ll stick!) to cool before chopping. Once cool, chop the bacon into bite size bits and set aside.

For the Waffles

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

2/3 cups canola or grapeseed oil

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups buttermilk

*If you don’t eat bacon for some reason, try adding 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon to the batter. Yum!

Set up your waffle iron on a level, clean surface and turn on to preheat.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar. Whisk to blend. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold. Once almost fully incorporated, add the bacon bites. Stir. Try not to over mix the batter or the waffles will become tough. It’s ok if a few lumps remain in the batter.

Cook according to your waffle machine instructions.

End quote. Now, let me tell you that last time we cooked up some maple bacon with no brown sugar added, and used our favorite whole wheat waffle recipe and enjoyed them every bit as we ever did using the original recipe. The point is: bacon + waffles = yummo!

Banana Sour Cream Bread

• • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/2 (16 ounce) container sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease two 7x3 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoon white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda and flour. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans. Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

My notes: I made a few changes to this recipe: I substituted some brown sugar for the white sugar it asks for, and also used some whole wheat flour. I also changed the temperature it's baked at, as well as halving the original recipe. The loaves turned out kind of thin, so next time I would just make one big loaf. I'd also cut way back on the sugar. You can find the original recipe here.

Date Muffins

Combine the following and let stand 15 minutes (then mash them up):
2 C coarsely chopped dates
3/4 C boiling water

In a separate bowl, combine and set aside:
2 C flour (I use whole wheat)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

In another bowl, cream the following together:
1/4 C unsalted butter
1/2 C brown sugar (dark brown if you can)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

In the bowl that has the butter mixture, add mashed up dates alternately with the flour mixture. Mix together well but don't over mix! Divide between 12 muffin cups and top with streusel:
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons rolled oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Bake at 375F about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Spinach Quiche

1 pkg (8oz) light cream cheese
6 large eggs
1 pkg (20 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 C grated sharp Cheddar cheese
2 C sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 C chopped green onion
1 tsp salt (I like seasoning salt)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 C skim evaporated milk (or cream if you want)

Beat cream cheese and 1 egg together in a bowl. Beat in remaining eggs, 1 at a time. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Pour into 2 unbaked pie shells.
Bake on lower shelf of oven at 350F, for about 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.

To Die For Blueberry Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

My notes: I really didn't change much of anything with this recipe, but be aware that it only makes about 8 muffins. I suppose you could make them small and get 12, but where's the good in that? Also if I remember right I used brown sugar in the topping instead of white. I then ate the leftover topping on toast, but be warned that it's addicting.

Caramel Bananas

Almost every time I eat oatmeal I think about putting bananas on it but I can never quite bring myself to do it. So this morning I thought I'd try this and it was pretty good! Tell me what you think.

In a skillet melt 1-2 Tbsp butter (depends how fat/thin you feel at the moment).
When it's melted, throw in a bunch of brown sugar (again, use your good judgment).
When that's all yummy and melty, dump in some cinnamon and nutmeg, and then
slice in about 3 bananas.
I happened to have some already-toasted almonds sitting there so I put those in too.
This would also be awesome with pecans.
As soon as the bananas are all sliced, turn off the burner and stir them up a bit. You don't want to cook them!!! Just warm them up.

We ate this on steel-cut oats, but they would also be good on ice cream, or yogurt. (Oh, next time I might also use maple syrup instead of brown sugar.)

Scottish Oat Scones

Combine in bowl:
1 1/2 C flour (I am sure these would be good w/ whole wheat - I just forgot to use it)
2 C rolled oats
1/4 C sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C dried cranberries (or raisins or currants)

In a separate bowl, combine:
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 C melted butter
1/3 C milk (I had to add a little extra as I was mixing)

Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry, just until combined.
On a greased baking sheet, pat dough into two 6"-7" rounds. Score each top into 8 wedges. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake at 425F for 15 min until risen and golden.

Instant Oatmeal Mix

18 oz (2 1/4 c.) quick oats
3.2 oz (about 1/3 c.) dry milk
1/3 to 1/2 c. brown sugar
2/3 to 1 c. raisins
2 tsp. cinnamon
salt to taste

Mix together and store in an airtight container. To make: combine 1/2 cup of mix and 1/2 cup water or milk in a bowl. Microwave on high for about one minute. Makes about 16 servings.

Of course, the sugar, raisins, cinnamon and salt are optional. This recipe is from Woman's Day (December 09 issue, page 190), and changed a little by me. I think it's pretty handy!

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour (I did part whole wheat)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

This is from allrecipes.com and it is so good (duh)! Kirk and I both love that the pumpkin actually stands out really well. We just had this for breakfast with bacon and eggs and I liked it so much I just had to get it on here aqap (that means "as quickly as possible;" only slightly different than the similar "as soon as possible"). Yep, this one's a keeper.

Overnight Sticky Buns

20 frozen *raw* bread rolls (I make my own and freeze them raw)

1 C brown sugar (I cut back to about 1/2 C, but you can go all the way if you want)

cinnamon to taste

1/4 C instant vanilla pudding powder

1/4-1/2 C melted butter

raisins if you want



Before you go to bed, put the rolls in a greased bundt pan. Sprinkle with sugar, pudding powder and cinnamon. Add raisins if you want them. Pour melted butter over all.

Cover with a damp towel and leave on the counter.

In the morning, bake at 350F for about 25 min. or until centre tests done.

Invert onto serving plate and serve warm.



Note: Last Sunday I made these and didn't bake them until about 1pm. They didn't rise too high and they were perfect.



Another Note: I use the recipe on this blog called Rich Sweet Dough for Cinnamon Rolls (you'll find it under "bread"). I make one recipe (half whole wheat), let it rise in the bowl until doubled, make into small balls, freeze on cookie sheet, throw them in a bag and freeze until I need them.

Orange Bran Muffins

I feel like a traitor to my in-laws, posting this recipe. Until recently, I never made any bran muffins unless they were Jim and Barb's recipe. But, now I found this recipe and it's my new favourite. *hanging head*

It probably makes it worse that it comes from the Nisly cookbook. *shoulders slumping*

But, they're so good, you have to try them. :)

Mix together:
1 1/4 cup wheat bran
1 cup toasted wheat germ (I don't have any right now, so I use bran for this)
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp grated orange peel

Mix together:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup oil
2 cups buttermilk (I use 1/2 plain yogurt, 1/2 milk)
1 cup boiling water
(I usually squeeze in a few squeezes of orange juice from the orange I scraped the peel off of...but the recipe didn't call for that.)

Combine 2 mixtures. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins, filling each 2/3 full. Bake at 350* 15-20 minutes. Batter may be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 month and used as needed.
Yield: 2 dozen muffins

Gran's Breakfast Pockets

Dough:
2 Tbsp yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp salt
3-4 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in water in large bowl. Let sit a few minutes, then add milk, oil, sugar, egg, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat well. Add enough flour to form soft dough. DO NOT KNEAD. Cover, let rise for about 1 hour.

Filling:
1 lb. sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1-2 cups shredded cheese
7 eggs, lightly beaten
3 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
2 1/2 cup frozen shredded hashbrowns, thawed

Fry sausage and onion, drain. Add hashbrowns, eggs, milk and seasonings. Cook and stir until eggs are set. Sprinkle with cheese. Keep warm.

Punch down dough. Roll dough into 14-16 7" circles. Top each with 1/3 cup filling and pinch edges to seal. Place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350* for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

These freeze well. Thaw overnight and warm in 350* oven for 8-10 minutes.

Rhonda's notes:
I've always needed more like 5 cups of flour to get a soft dough. It does need to be really soft, but less than 5 just gives me a batter.
I can't get breakfast sausage here, so I mostly use seasoned hamburger. (I have a mild Moroccan seasoning salt that is great for this...actually tastes like sausage.) For anyone in Mada, I have also used the saucisse de volaille and it was ok.
I tried adding the hash brown potatoes one time and thought they were unnecessary.
Since I don't use the hash browns, I use about 9-10 eggs.
Rather than messing with circles, I cut my dough into squares after rolling it out (16 squares, about 1/4" thick). Then I put the filling on, and pull the corners up to the middle, and pinch the edges. The pinched edges make an X, if that makes sense. Then I flip them over onto the baking sheet, and they are a neat square. Let me know if that doesn't make sense.
I usually give them another 10-15 minutes of rising time before baking.
I'd love to try adding green peppers for me or mushrooms for Matthew, but since the girls eat them too, and I'm not going to make custom food for each of us, I haven't. :)

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

Mix together:
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup white sugar
3 cups oatmeal
1 cup + 2 Tbsp flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp (heaping) baking soda
¼ tsp cloves
¼ tsp ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
1 scant tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

In a second bowl, whisk together the following:
1 cup milk
3 beaten eggs
½ cup melted margarine
1/3 cup oil
1 1/3 cup pumpkin (cooked and pureed)

Combine two mixtures thoroughly. Pour into a lightly greased 9”x13” pan and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until the center is set. Serve with milk. (This fed 6 with a little bit leftover.)

I had pumpkin baked oatmeal in a restaurant in Pennsylvania last year and have been thinking of it ever since. This is really close, except I think the restaurant’s version had pecans as well. Mmm. It’s so good.

Sour Cream Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Cake batter:
Cream 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter and 1 tsp vanilla. Add 3 eggs, mixing well. Add 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp salt and 1 cup sour cream (or plain yogurt).

Pumpkin layer:
Mix together 1 3/4 cup pumpkin, 1 beaten egg, 1/3 cup sugar (white or brown) and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves).

Streusel:
Mix together 1 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup butter, 1/3 cup flour, 2 tsp cinnamon and 3/4 cup chopped pecans.

Layer in 9"x13" pan in this order:

1/2 of the batter
1/2 of the streusel
all of the pumpkin
remaining batter (it won't completely cover the pumpkin)
remaining streusel

Bake at 325*F for 50-60 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers.

Carrot Muffins

In the Nisly cookbook, Aunt Becky has a recipe for Carrot Bread. I changed it up a bit to make muffins and am very, very happy with the result. I really love the texture, and I think it comes from the idea of finely shredding the carrots. (Like, "Kraft finally shredded cheese....Kraft finely shredded cheese." Anyone else remember that commercial?)

Beat together:

¾ cup oil

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

Mix together in another bowl:

1 cup white flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp soda

½ tsp salt

Add to egg mixture, but do not stir.

Add the following and mix just until everything is combined:

1 ½ tsp vanilla

1 1/3 cup finely shredded carrots (I believe this is the key to the texture of the muffins!)

1/3 – ½ cup finely chopped pineapple and the juice that is on the cutting board after you’re done chopping (I’d guess you could use canned pineapple tidbits or crushed pineapple, if you don’t have fresh)

1/3 cup (or more!) chopped walnuts

Bake in greased muffin pan at 350*F for 12-18 minutes. Do not overbake!! Makes 12 muffins.

Sticky Buns

1 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C corn syrup
1/2 C butter
1 C pecans
Cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Add pecans and pour into 9"x13" pan. Place cinnamon buns on top. Bake at 350F until golden on top. Invert onto serving tray. Don't share too many. :-)

Scrambled Eggs with Zucchini

This isn't really a recipe, I just wanted to pass this great idea along (which I sort of got from my mother-in-law).

grated zucchini, about 1 cup
diced onion, about 1/4 cup
1 fresh banana pepper, seeded and diced
Saute these together in some oil, and add a little salt and pepper.

When the vegetables have been cooking for several minutes, add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped tomato. Saute for another minute or so, then add 4 eggs, well beaten. Add a little more salt and pepper to the eggs. When the mixture is cooked to your liking, top with about 1/2 cup grated cheese.

It might not sound that great, but it was a lot tastier than it seems like it would be!

Kirk and I ate the whole thing for supper, so I guess it serves 2. Although, I eat for 2 right now, so maybe it serves 3. Anyway, I would add more zucchini next time; it just adds a great flavor to the whole thing.