September | 2013 | My Foodie Call | Page 6

Monthly Archives: September 2013
- Peanut Butter Cookies
  
  Posted at 8:00 am by myfoodiecall
  
  Sep 5th
  
  Up for today is a recipe for peanut butter cookies made with spelt flour.
  
  Simply put: I do not use white flour. Ever.
  
  I mean I have some and all, but if a recipe calls for white flour, I always swap it out with something else. That’s what I do. Tweak recipes for the family. Although, even I will admit that at times whole wheat flour can not successfully be substituted for white.
  
  In comes spelt flour. I like to use spelt flour in baked goods because it is healthier that white flour, and can be incorporated nicely in cookies and pancakes. Great flavor, great nutrition.
  
  Peanut Butter Cookies
  
  Ingredients
  
  1½ cups spelt flour
  
  1 tsp baking soda
  
  1 tsp sea salt
  
  1 cup natural peanut butter
  
  ⅓ cup maple syrup
  
  ¼ cup coconut oil (melted down)
  
  1½ tsp vanilla extract
  
  Instructions
  
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  
  Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  
  In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients.
  
  Pour the peanut butter mixture over the flour mixture and fold to combine.
  
  Once combined, drop small rounded balls of dough onto a parchment lined or greased baking sheet.
  
  Press down on each one gently with the back of a fork.
  
  Bake for 10 minutes, the cookies will still be slightly soft but will harden as they cool.
  
  Let cool for 15 minutes. Enjoy!
  
  Kids are going to like me today.
  
  I love all things peanut butter. It is definitely my flavor of choice for pretty much any dessert: cookies, ice cream, granola bars…
  
  Posted in Desserts
- Whole Wheat Broccoli Lasagna
  
  Posted at 8:46 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Sep 4th
  Everyone loves a good lasagna.
  
  Lasagna with broccoli.
  
  School is back in session. Homework, nightly sports or other activities… Full speed ahead. No time to make a meal with a ton of prep involved.
  
  I have made many time-consuming lasagnas, this one not so much. This has frozen broccoli in it. Sound the alarms. Frozen. I realize that many may take issue to the idea of not using fresh, but hey it’s better than running through Chick Fil A, right?
  
  Give this one a shot. It turned out pretty good.
  
  Whole Wheat Broccoli Lasagna
  
  vegan
  - 1 (12 oz) box whole wheat lasagna noodles (use whole wheat, ok? just do it)
  - 1 16 ounce package of frozen broccoli, thawed
  - 1 14-ounce package of extra-firm tofu
  - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  - 2 teaspoon onion salt
  - 1 teaspoon basil
  - 1 teaspoon oregano
  - 1 12 ounce package of meatless crumbles
  - 4 cups vegan mozzarella (or use regular cheese , no worries!)
  - 5 cups of marinara sauce
  Cook the lasagna noodles according to package instructions.
  
  (ok, a little prep. I lied.)
  
  Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  
  Drain and then mash the tofu in a mixing bowl.
  
  Mash tofu with the back of a fork.
  
  Chop the thawed broccoli (I let mine thaw in the fridge overnight.)
  
  Chop it as fine as you’d like. Most kids do not do “chunky”, am I right?? My kids are a tad older so I will leave it like this, but I am guessing younger kids might need it fine-chopped.
  
  To your mashed tofu add:
  
  Your chopped broccoli, meatless crumbles, garlic powder, onion salt, basil, and oregano.
  
  Getting there…
  
  Spray the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking pan or casserole dish. Place 1 layer of noodles on the bottom of the pan and spoon on some of the broccoli-tofu mixture. Then sprinkle some of your of shredded “cheese” and 1 cup of marinara sauce, making sure the sauces are evenly distributed over the whole pan. Add a second layer of noodles and more broccoli-tofu mixture.
  
  This is after a couple of layers.
  
  Continue layering until you have used all of your noodles, tofu mixture, sauce, and cheese. I like to end my lasagna with cheese so that the kids can’t see what is underneath to minimize the complaints!
  
  Ready for the oven.
  
  Wrap the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling. Then uncover switch to broil (low) for an additional 7-10 minutes. Your cheese should be lightly browned and have a little crisp to the surface layer.
  
  Out of the oven.
  
  Dinner is served.
  
  This was a slam dunk.
  
  One of my kids had 3 servings of this. Another actually said he liked it. Shocker. This child rarely compliments my food.
  
  Any fast meals for you soccer families out there?
  Posted in Meatless mealtime | Tagged broccoli, whole wheat pasta
- Zucchini Cheese Casserole
  
  Posted at 9:00 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Sep 3rd
  
  Zucchini has taken over my house.
  
  My kids will divorce me for sure if I serve them one more zucchini dish. Add my veggie obsession to mealtime, and I guess I am asking for the heavy sighs. I still occasionally get the rolled eyes, but funny how there were no zucchini shreds left behind.
  
  Here is one of the things I have been serving up at Zucchini Central. This was breakfast, 2 Sundays ago.
  
  Zucchini Cheese Casserole
  2 cups shredded zucchini (make friends with your food processor everyone!)
  1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  1 cup shredded light cheddar cheese mix (or non-dairy Daiya cheese)
  1 tsp dried basil
  1 tsp sea salt
  1 cup whole grain pancake mix (I used Buckwheat pancake mix, but any other would work)
  3 egg whites
  4 whole eggs
  2 tablespoons olive oil
  
  Preheat oven 350F.
  Use cooking spray to coat a medium size round dish.
  In a small bowl combine the eggs, egg whites, olive oil, salt and basil.
  In a larger bowl combine the zucchini, onion, cheese and pancake mix.
  Mix the egg mixture into the zucchini mixture. Mix well and transfer to pre-oiled dish.
  
  Bake for 45-48 minutes or until cooked through and golden.
  
  Crunchy outer coating. Warm and chewy on the inside.
  
  Posted in Breakfast, Meatless mealtime | Tagged zucchini
- 5 Non-dairy Sources of Calcium
  
  Posted at 8:47 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Sep 2nd
  So I am not into dairy. After reading the China Study 4 years ago, I pretty much swore off cow’s milk, yogurt, and cheeses. Despite my daily routine, I have been known to sneak a piece of pizza (I’ve gotta live.) or indulge in my fro-yo obsession with Menchies (holla!) Overall, I stay away from dairy on my regular day-to-day diet.
  
  Question I am always asked from milk drinkers…
  
  “Where do you get your calcium?”
  
  Surprisingly there numerous ways. Minus the dairy.
  
  Here are 5 sources you may not have known about.
  1. Blackstrap Molasses
  Use this in baked goods or put a tablespoon or two into your oatmeal.
  
  2. Sardines
  
  Don’t be afraid. Sardines in mustard are pretty darn good.
  
  3. Collards
  
  Yes, super-celebrity kale gets a ton of star treatment, but collard greens have 268 mg calcium per cup, while cousin kale has 101 mg.
  
  4. Tofu
  
  Pan-fry, add to smoothies, whip into desserts. Possibilities are endless.
  
  5. Chia Seeds
  
  Protein, calcium, fiber, Omega 3’s….Ok, what does Chia not have??
  
  Also, don’t forget almonds, cooked broccoli, sesame seeds, parsley…
  
  See? No need to fret.
  Posted in Random stuff | Tagged chia
- Easy, healthier, microwave popcorn
  
  Posted at 8:23 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Sep 1st
  So we all know that microwave popcorn is bad for us right?? And I am not talking about the butter. Buying “light popcorn” does nothing, by the way.
  
  Why??
  
  One of the biggest issues with prepackaged microwave popcorn are the PFC’s within the bags. These are toxic, toxic, toxic. PFC’s are used to coat the inside of popcorn bags to make them more grease-proof. Okay, so maybe this works, but in the meantime these chemicals just flat-out wreak havoc in the body. And have been linked to cancer. Deal breaker.
  
  That said, I do like popcorn and I do not have any desire to purchase, store, or deal with a popcorn maker. No thanks.
  
  Luckily there is an awesome trick that you can do in a snap. Still microwaved, but much healthier.
  
  I am even going to let you in on my go-to topping.
  
  Watch the magic.
  
  Easy, HEALTHIER, microwave popcorn
  
  What do you need?
  - Popcorn kernels (duh)
  - Paper lunch bags (remember the ones we had as kids?? yah, those)
  My handy-dandy scooper in that jar holds 1 tablespoon.
  
  Drop 5 tablespoons into your bag. Bird’s eye view. If a bird were viewing your kernels.
  
  Fold the top down about an inch.
  
  Fold again. And maybe even a third time. your choice :).
  
  Put your bag in the microwave. No oil. Nothing. Just put in microwave as is.
  
  Now for the timing.
  
  Here is where you may have to experiment a tiny bit. 5 tablespoons in our microwave takes 2 minutes 3 seconds. Odd I know. Not 2 minutes 2 seconds. 2:03. No popcorn setting. Just 2:03 and then push start.
  
  But…your microwave may be different. Play around a bit. You might burn a batch or two. It’s all good. Or have a few botched bags with un-popped kernels, but eventually you will figure out your golden number.
  
  Voila. A healthier, microwave popcorn.
  
  Now that the my-foodie-call family has our exact timing down, we have our popcorn kernels and paper bags on stockpile.
  
  A quick nighttime snack. My nine-year old makes this most nights.
  
  For the topping?
  - Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (a soy sauce alternative)
  - Nutritional yeast
  We keep Liquid Aminos in the pink squirt bottle.
  
  How to top your popcorn?
  1. Spray your kernels lightly with the liquid aminos.
  2. Shake a tiny bit of nutritional yeast on the moistened popcorn.
  3. Shake the bag to move kernels around
  4. Keep repeating steps 1 and 2 until you have reached desired taste.
  Posted in Small changes, Snacks | Tagged nutritional yeast
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