Category: Nutrition

March 30, 2022April 6, 2022

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Sourdough Peanut Butter Ball Recipe

Made Interesting With Organic Pumpkin and Whole Wheat and Rice Flour

*Sourdough peanut butter balls, complete with ballerina*

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I’ve been enjoying the world of sourdough baking lately. I enjoy the classics but what I really love is coming up with my own creations, quite often to the dismay of my wife — She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed. Come on; I jest. Earlier this month I unleashed my Sourdough Focaccia recipe. Yesterday I came up with this sourdough peanut butter ball concoction.

It all started as a brain-storming session for a dog treat variation. I already make my own chicken jerky for dog treats. One similarity betwixt that one and this is that they are both suitable for both human and canine consumption. Win-win!!

Our vet had recommended adding canned pumpkin to our homemade dog food both the nutrition value and to maintain peak “regularity” if you get my drift. And the peanut butter? Loads of nutrition and protein. Not to mention flavor! Approved by all our rescue dogs.

If you make these balls 1″ to a quarter inch larger, like I do, this one batch will yield about 60 servings. Yes, you and the kids will love these, but so will your dog. But, tell me again, how much are you paying per paltry ounce for dog treats? (Forehead-slapping moment.)

Sourdough Ball Ingredients

Use organic ingredients when possible.

1 cup sourdough starter
1/2 cup organic steel cut oats
3/4 cup canned organic pumpkin
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup coconut flour
Approximately 2 cups whole wheat flour
2 large eggs

Preparation

Mix sourdough starter and oats in a large mixing bowl. This allows the oats to absorb liquid from the sourdough starter.
cover the bowl with a damp washcloth and let the mixture rest for at least 3 hours. You could do this before going to work and do the baking this afternoon.
Stir or whisk in the pumpkin, peanut butter, eggs, and coconut flour.
Start mixing and stirring in the whole wheat bit by bit. You know the drill; it’s like preparing bread dough. When it gets hard to stir, cease and desist. Time to move on.
Preheat the oven to 350℉.
Get out your pizza pan and a medium-sized sheet pan.
Roll ball of dough in the palms of your hands and place them on the parchment paper, one by one. Each ball that I make is 1″ to a quarter inch larger, but you make it to suit you. They don’t rise much so they can be neighborly and sit close.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove (after passing the toothpick test) and set aside to cool.

Frankie dog waiting for a homemade treat. — *Frankie doesn’t see much sense in the cooling-down phase*

Sourdough Focaccia Recipe

This Spiced Italian Comfort Food is Excellent as an Appetizer, Side Dish, or Main Course

Considered Opinions Forum

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Sourdough focaccia is one of those wonderful Italian dishes that is enjoyed by itself as an appetizer or as a meal unto itself. In our home, we do either, depending on our mood, just like my guacamole recipe. With this recipe, it emerges with a delicious, chewy tang and a mouth-watering golden crust. It all starts with your beloved starter. Don’t have one yet? Here are three ways to get your sourdough starter going.

Is focaccia the same as pizza crust? No! However, it is thought to be a precursor of pizza when it was a flatbread known to Romans as panis focacius, to which toppings were then added. Modern pizza evolved from similar flatbread dishes in Naples, Italy, in the 18th or early 19th century.

Sourdough Focaccia Ingredient List

1 cup sourdough starter
1 cup warm water
1 tablespooln honey
1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup diced onion
Approximately 5 cups of flour

Preparation

Mix the starter, honey, and water in a large mixing bowl. A cast iron skillet is perfect. It will look like a big blob, and that’s okay! Us your hands to pull the edges out to gently stretch them. Your dough should be about 1 1/2 inches tall. Don’t stretch any more. Let it rise in a warm spot. Cover it with another piece of cookware, upside down, so it has room to rise for 2-3 hours hours until it is puffy and very bubbly.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Drizzle the top of the dough with olive oil Press your fingertips using your whole hand into the risen dough. Your fingertips should go all the way down through the dough until you feel the pan.
Put your pan in the oven on middle rack. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove it for a moment and brush the top with melted butter, garlic, and oregano. Turn your oven down to 400 degrees F. Bake it for another 10 or so minutes until the crust is golden brown and bounces back a wee bit when you press down on it. Let it cool for 15 minutes, cut. and enjoy.

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March 3, 2022March 18, 2022

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How to Make a Sourdough starter

If You Love That Tangy Sourdough Taste And Love To Bake, Here is How to Get Started

*San Francisco style sourdough starter culture*

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Who doesn’t like the tangy taste of freshly baked sourdough bread? How about pancakes, cupcakes, bran muffins, focaccia, and buttermilk biscuits? The actual baking part doesn’t differ much from the traditional yeast-in-a-package process, but now you’ll need a sourdough starter to replace the yeast.

What is a Starter?

Although the concept may seem a bit esoteric, a starter is a mix of flour and filtered water that provides an environment for a stable blend of beneficial bacteria and wild yeasts. The baker must continually maintain the mixture is with regular refreshments (or feedings) of water and flour. There are basically three ways to get it going.

Hit up a friend for a cup. This is the easiest way, if you know someone who is an avid sourdough baker.
Buy an affordable packet of wild yeasts all over the place.

You will need:

A glass jar; don’t use metal. Silicone spatula“>silicone spatula. This is used for stirring and scraping the inside of your jar.

Whichever way you go, use filtered water. Tap water contains chlorine or chloramine, which are disinfectants used to clean tap water. This can impede fermentation. If you go with the first method, you will just need to feed it every day with equal measures of organic white flour and water until you have more than enough for your recipe.

If you go the packaged route, the instructions will be on the package. This usually entails feeding it more every day for a week or so.

Starting from scratch is a bit different. Here’s a basic recipe.

Day 1: The starter adventure begins. Combine 4 ounces all-purpose flour (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) and 4 ounces water (1/2 cup) in your jar. Stir well until it is combined into a smooth batter. Scrape down the sides with your spatula and loosely cover the jar. Place your jar somewhere with a consistent room temperature of 70°F to 75°F. Let it sit for 24 hours.
Day 2: Feed your starter. For this, use 4 ounces all-purpose flour (3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) and 4 ounces water (1/2 cup). You might see small bubbles here and there. Bubbles mean that the wild yeast have began being comfortable and active in your starter. They eat the sugars in the flour and continue to release carbon dioxide and alcohol. Additionally, they will increase the acidity of your starter, which assists in fending off any unwanted bacterias. At this point, your starter should begin to smell fresh, mildly sweet, and yeasty.
Day three: Feed your starter again. This time, use the same quantities as day 2. By now, the surface of your starter might be speckled with bubbles and be larger in volume. If you stir the starter, it will still feel thick and batter-like, but you’ll hear bubbles popping. It should also start smelling a little sour and musty.
Day 4: Feed your starter again. Use the same amounts of water and flour. The starter will feel looser than day 3 and have embeded bubbles.
Day 5: Your starter should be ready to begin using. It should be doubled in bulk since day 4. It should also be very bubbly. If not, it can still be used but it won’t have the same leavening power. Feed it again.
Day 6 and going forward: Maintain the starter. Discard (or use) about about 1/3 of the starter and then feed it with new flour and water; you know the drill by now. If you’re using the starter every few days, leave it out on the counter and continue discarding half and feeding it daily. But, say, you are only using it on the weekend, cover it tightly and place it in the refrigerator. You must still take it out and feed it once a week; let it sit out overnight to give the yeast time to gather strength before returning it to the fridge.

There will be times when you go out of town on business or on vacation and you won’t be able to tend to it properly. When this happens, you can feed the starter double the amount of flour to make it thicker and dough-like before you store it in the refrigerator.

Now you know how to make a sourdough starter. It’s not rocket science but it may seem like a lot of work. But, like shaving or brushing your teeth, the process soon becomes just another small effort in life, albeit one with palatable rewards.

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January 31, 2022February 17, 2022

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Creamy, Zesty Guacamole Recipe

My Take on This Mexican Food Classic For an Appetizer or Main Course

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Who doesn’t like Mexican (or Tex Mex, if you prefer) guacamole? I know everyone in my home does! I set out to make a batch the other day. Love to cook, love to explore. When I enter my experimental kitchen, anything can happen.

The avocado is the base ingredient, of course; it is one of God’s greatest gifts. In my opinion. This fruit was originally called the alligator pear. I don’t see any correlation between the critter and the food, but still, interesting trivia. The nutrition is solid ― one cup supplies 21.4 g fat (mostly the good kind), 12 g carbohydrates, 2.9 g protein, 14.6 mg Vitamin C, 0.4 mg B-6, 708 mg potassium, and 42.3 mg magnesium. This recipe just adds to the nutritional spectrum. By the way, it pays to grow your own avocado tree when the fruit gets pricey.

Ingredient List

4 or 5 large avocados
2 packages of guacamole seasoning mix; I used the Kroger brand
1 package cream cheese; again, Kroger brand. Yay, frugality!
3/4 cup chopped red onions
red pepper flakes to taste
pepper to taste
Pink Himalayan salt to taste
Juice of one lemon
4 diced roma tomatos

Preparation Steps

In a large mixing bowl, mash the avocados. Use your device of preference; I just used a fork. Throw the husks in your compost pile.
Mix in the seasoning packets.
Mash in the cream cheese. You did let it come to room temperature, right?
Mix in salt, pepper, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes.
Mix in the tomatos.
Chop and mix in the red onions.
Break out the chips and enjoy!

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June 28, 2021June 30, 2021

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Creamy Turkey Mushroom Couscous Recipe

This Pasta and Lean Meat Dish is a Real Crowd-Pleaser

by Kelly R. Smith

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I’ve long wanted to try a couscous recipe just because the word sounds cool. How shallow, right? But, anything pasta is tickety-boo here in the Smith abode. Pasta forms the basis of many recipes that I keep going back to again and again. Who doesn’t like Beef Stroganoff, for example?

But hey, you are here for a more specific recipe, right? I looked at a lot of different recipes that were similar but not. quite. right. So, here we go!

Ingredient List (Organic When Possible)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. Turkey sausage
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced and chopped, cremini or baby bella
3/4 cup onion
3/4 cup bell pepper
3 tablespoons butter
3 eggs, whisked
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup), plus more for serving
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons pink Himalayan salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound dried pearl couscous pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups whole milk
4 cups packed baby spinach (about 4 ounces)

Preparation Steps

*Creamy turkey mushroom couscous preparation*

Finely grate the Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup), mince the garlic, and slice the mushrooms 1/4-inch thick.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or similar pot using medium-high heat until shimmering. Add in the sausage meat and brown it. Add in the mushrooms, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the pink salt, the onion, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are slightly browned and tender. This should take 5 to 8 minutes. Next, add in the garlic, the and the dried pearl couscous pasta (about 2 1/2 cups) and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in the 2 cups of broth and the 2 cups of whole milk and bring it all to a boil. Next, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently to keep the orzo from sticking, until the orzo is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed and has formed a creamy sauce, about 10 minutes or according to package instructions.
Remove your pot from the heat. Add the eggs, packed baby spinach, the bell pepper. and the Parmesan. Stir it until the spinach is just barely wilted and the cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Serve topped with more grated Parmesan cheese.

I hope you found this creamy turkey mushroom couscous recipe as delicious as we did! I love experimenting in the kitchen and this was somehow my first time cooking with couscous and now I’m a fan.

More Favorite Recipes and Nutrition Info

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June 7, 2021June 13, 2021

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Crustless Tomato Pie Recipe

Combine the Goodness of Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, and Lots of Cheese

by Kelly R. Smith

Crustless tomato pie right out of the oven

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I love to come up with new recipes. I’m especially partial to baking bread and comfort food casserole-type dishes. This tomato pie recipe was prompted by the fact that the tomatoes in my garden are coming in fast and furious, like a profitable jackpot from a slot machine. No complaints about that, but it’s use ’em or lose ’em; am I right? This year my vegetable garden is home to red and yellow tomatoes as well as herbs like basil and lemon balm, which not only makes great tea but has medicinal benefits. Using as many ingredients from my own garden means I can be sure they are organic. Anyhow, on to the recipe.

Crustless Tomato Pie Ingredients

4 tomatoes sliced, about 1/4 inch
Salt
3 tablespoons butter
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup onion (I like red ones)
3/4 cup bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons cilantro, chopped (that’s right out of my garden as well)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, plus extra for sprinkling over top
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Preparation Steps

Slice the tomatoes and lay them out on plates. Sprinkle lightly with pink Himalayan salt and let them rest for 30 minutes. This step is important to leech out excess water.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onions, and saute until they are soft.
Transfer mixture into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Mix in the eggs, cheese, bell pepper, pepper, and cilantro.
This is a good time to preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Spray cooking spray on your casserole dish. I used my 2 1/2 quart Corningware.
Tilt your plates to spill off the excess water. Then, lightly press down with paper towels to remove even more water.
Line the bottom of the dish with tomato slices and spoon a thin layer of the mixture on them. Keep going, in like fashion, building up layers. Spread a final thin layer of cheese across the final, top layer.
Bake for 30-40 minutes. It’s done when lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool a bit before serving.

And there you have it. There are other versions but this is my crustless tomato pie recipe. Are there other possible ingredients? Sure, depending on your taste. Try serving it with something like a raw Tuscan kale salad.

More Recipes to Try (and Some Nutrition Info Thrown In)

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May 24, 2021June 7, 2021

Baked Eggplant Fries Recipe

Eggplant is an Overlooked Vegetable That is Low-Calorie and High in Nutritional Value

by Kelly R. Smith

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You say, “Fries that aren’t potatoes? Blasphemy!” Well, call them whatever you want; baked eggplant fries are good. Unless you’re talking about Eggplant Parmesan, this nightshade vegetable gets comparatively little air-time. But it should. There are many varieties but at the end of the day, it originally came from India and Asia, where it grows wild to this day. Eggplants made their way to Europe with the Islamic empire in the 7th and 8th centuries.

Eggplant Nutrition?

This vegetable really stands out in this department. A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of eggplant has:

25 calories
1 gram of protein
0.2 grams fat
6 grams carbohydrates
3 grams fiber (we all love regularity, right?)

It’s also an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals. It has antioxidants like vitamins A and C, which help protect your cells against damage. It’s also high in natural plant chemicals called polyphenols, which may help cells do a better job of processing sugar if you have diabetes. It’s also rich in acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that helps lower blood pressure.

Baked Eggplant Fries Ingredient List

1 eggplant
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 large eggs, whisked
salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil cooking spray (or the spray of your choice that you have on hand)
Marinara sauce or your choice, for dipping

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place the whisked eggs into a shallow bowl and season them with a little salt and pepper. Place the breadcrumbs onto a plate, add the parmesan cheese to the breadcrumbs, toss to combine.
Wash and cut off ends of eggplant.
Slice down the middle and keep slicing until they are about 1/4″ thick.
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Coat each slice with the whisked egg, coat it with panko, and arrange them on the cookie sheets. You might have to change out the moist panko for fresh dry. Keep the wet panko!
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove and enjoy!

Additional Notes

Of course, I had some whisked egg and wet panko left over. So, waste not, want not. I mixed the two, added another egg, some grated cheese, and baked it. Not exactly a souffle, but the next best thing. Just throw in whatever you want. Well, that’s the Baked Eggplant Fries Recipe. Enjoy!

More Recipes to Try (and Some Nutrition Info Thrown In)

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May 3, 2021May 11, 2021

Copycat Lofthouse Sugar Cookie Recipe

How to Make These Popular Store-Bought Cookies at Home

by Kelly R. Smith

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Although I love to cook, develop bread recipes, and eat copiously, I’m not real big on “sweets.” My wife, (She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed), on the other hand, enjoys her special treats. In particular, she likes Lofthouse Sugar Cookies. I do have a thing for dark (unsweetened) chocolate, and that dovetails nicely in my blood pressure control program because it’s good for that.

Normally, I buy them at the local Kroger when I’m out hunting and gathering. For the past few weeks, they haven’t been selling them. Unfortunate, right? So I decided, hey, why not make them myself? I found many copycat recipes on the internet, took the best of the elements, rolled up my sleeves, and went to work. Here’s what I came up with, and I hope you try it as well. Share the good news, I always say.

Lofthouse Cookie Ingredients

1 cup sour cream
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 3/4 cup organic pure cane granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract (more than other copycats specify, but yum)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
6 cups all-purpose flour (some copycats specify cake flour; your call)

Salute to Baking Experimentation

Preparation Steps

Preheat oven to 400°.
Line one or more baking sheets with parchment paper. I used 2 baking sheets for some really big cookies, seen in the photo above, and that only used up 3/4 of the dough.
Use your mixer in a large mixing bowl to cream together the butter and sour cream until smooth.
Add in the sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix until just combined.
In a much bigger mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (if you are using it). Add the dry ingredients to the wet in three additions, mixing well after each.
Keeping your hands wet with water, form drop cookies. Roll dough into 2″ balls and place 2″ apart on the prepared cookie sheet/s. Using a flat-bottomed glass dipped in water, press the cookie balls flat.
Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until the cookies just begin to set up and the bottoms are lightly brown; this is really the critical step. After the first 5 minutes, check every minute. Immediately remove them from the cookie sheet/s and let them cool completely on a cooling rack before applying the frosting of your choice.

I hope you enjoy this copycat Lofthouse sugar cookie recipe as much as She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed did. Let us know in the comment section and vote in the survey on the right.

More Info and Recipes!

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April 29, 2021May 23, 2021

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Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Recipe

Traditional Homemade Tex-Mex Comfort Food

by Kelly R. Smith

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Enchiladas are originally from traditional Mexican cuisine, but the ones I make have sort of crossed the border to Tex-Mex. They can be filled with a variety of ingredients, including meats, cheese, beans, potatoes, vegetables, or usually, a combination. The sauces are usually chili-based sauces, like salsa roja, various moles, or cheese-based sauces, like chile con queso. The recipe I present here is the one I made a couple of nights ago, but feel free to indulge in modifications!

Chicken Enchilada Ingredients

6 – 8 whole wheat tortillas
1 lb. cooked, shredded chicken; I simply used a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store to expedite the process.
3 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
4 – 4.5 oz diced green chilis with their juice
1 14 oz. can oz mild red or green enchilada sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup diced red onions
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican, Four Cheese, or Colby Jack)
1/4 cup chopped green onions or chives
Optional: chopped jalapeno, serrano, or (whew) habanero peppers to taste

Enchilada Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Grease a 9×13 casserole dish.
Add all ingredients except for the cheese and the chicken into a large mixing bowl.
Mix completely.
Transfer 1/3 of the mixture into another mixing bowl.
Add the chicken and 2 cups of your cheese to the 2/3 bowl and mix in well.
Generously add contents of the 2/3 bowl to the center of each tortilla and roll up tortillas tightly. Arrange them in your dish as you go.
Pour the reserved 1/3 of sauce over the tortillas, spread well, and top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese (you can add more cheese if you desire).
Cover the dish with foil and bake at 400˚F for 35 minutes.
Remove and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this Cheesy Chicken Enchilada recipe as much as we do. I always get an opinion from She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed and this dish got two thumbs up! Next time I’ll experiment a bit more. The basil in my garden is really taking off now so…

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