Chunky Sweet Potato Stew a.k.a. Dragon Stew

I got this recipe from Joel Fuhrman's "Eat for Health: Book Two". It was quick and easy to make but I knew the boys were going to take one look and throw a fit. They did.

But with much bribery ("No Crystal Light until your food is gone!") and coercion, they tried it, and actually sorta liked it, both finishing their whole bowl!!! VICTORY!

(Although Sam would only take a bite along with a bite of toast and Max said "It was good but I don't want it again." Hmmpf. I'm totally making it again..)

Here it is:

Chunky Sweet Potato/Dragon Stew

Serves: 2 - Prep Time: 25 minutes (It served 5 the way I made it. And it was super good served with toasted Rudi's Organic, 7 Grain with Flax bread!)

Ingredients

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, thickly sliced (I will dice it smaller next time. The boys didn't like the stringy onions)

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 14-ounce can stewed tomatoes with juice (low or no salt) (I used no-salt petite diced tomatoes)

1 large sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (Mine was super large!)

1/2 cup canned garbanzo beans or white kidney beans (low or no salt), drained. (I used the whole can.)

3/4 tsp dried rosemary (Didn't have any. Left it out.)

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds, or cut into bite-sized pieces

black pepper, to taste

Mrs. Dash seasoning, to taste

Since I used a HUGE sweet potato and the whole can of beans, I needed a little more liquid. So I added half a can of low sodium chicken broth.

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes, until slightly softened, separating slices into rings. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.

Mix in stewed tomatoes with juice, sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans and rosemary. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Add zucchini. Cover and cook until sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Season to taste with pepper and/or Mrs. Dash.

One Serving Contains (if you follow the original recipe exactly...)

Calories: 286.5; Protein 9g: Carbohydrate 48g; Fat 8.5g; Sodium 73.1mg

Enjoy eating a healthy, flavorful meal with no guilt!!!

Thick and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

Doug is the one who likes to try new recipes in this family. I like to stick to "tried and true" so I don't waste my time or ingredients. But I must admit, using America's Test Kitchen recipes leaves very little room for error. They've tested a million different ways to make the recipe so they're SURE the one they give you will turn out. And we have ALWAYS been pleased with the results. These cookies Doug made were no exception; adorable, chewy, and delicious!

(Instead of frosting them, I just made a runny powdered sugar glaze and dipped them in it. They turned out perfect.)

Happy Holidays!!!

Thick and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

from "The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book"

(Thanks for the awesome Christmas present Jay-Bird! We love it!)

3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup packed (5.25 ounces) dark brown sugar

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

12 Tbsp (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup light molasses

2 Tbsp milk

1. Process the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt together in a food processor until combined, about 10 seconds. Add the butter and process until the mixture is very fine and sandy, about 15 seconds. With the machine running, add the molasses and milk in a steady stream through the feed tube and continue to process until the dough comes together, about 10 seconds.

2. Divide the dough into 2 even pieces and roll each out to a 1/4-inch thickness between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Leaving the dough sandwiched between the parchment, stack them on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, 15-20 minutes.

3. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Working with one piece of dough at a time, transfer it to a clean counter and gently remove the top sheet of parchment. Stamp out cookies using cookie cutters. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets with a thin metal spatula, spaced about 3/4 inch apart.

5. Bake the cookies until they are light golden brown and show a slight resistance to touch, 8-11 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. (Do not overbake.)

6. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Faezer's Peanut Butter Pie

If you're looking for a yummy new recipe that will likely become a family favorite, you've got to try this. It ain't easy, but it's WORTH IT!!!

First, here is the history of this tasty treat. I’m relying on memory here, so I hope I get it right. My mom, Faezer, first made this in college for her boyfriend. (Not my dad.) She got the recipe from hismom because it was his favorite dessert. I think she said his family was from “the south”. (So maybe that's where it originated.) We’ve had it every year for Thanksgiving my whole life and it’s DEFINITELY a family favorite. YUM!!!!!
World Famous Peanut Butter PieFirst you need: one deep dish pie crust or two shallow (ya know the Marie Callendar tin size) pie crusts already  already baked.

Step 1: Custard Filling
4 cups scalded milk
1 cup sugar
6 Tbsp. butter or marg.

6 Tbsp. flour
Pinch of salt
6 egg yolks (save the whites)

Scald 2 cups of milk in a heavy pan. (It’s scalded when foamy bubbles start to form around the sides and it starts smelling “cooked”. Use Med/MedHigh heat and stir constantly.) Add sugar and cold butter then set aside to COOL. (So that flour and eggs won’t go lumpy.)
When the milk mixture is room temp./cool add flour, salt and egg yolks. (Don’t try to save time by pre-mixing the flour and yolks. It will only lead to pain and suffering.)
When flour and yolks are incorporated, put back on the stove and bring custard to a gentle boil while stirring (it should be thickening) and remove from heat.

Step 2: Peanut Butter Topping
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (Fae says crunchy is best)

Mix until it is as fine as meal. If you are making two: Put 2/3 of mixture in the bottom of crust. The other 1/3 is for sprinkling on top of the meringue. If you only make one, you wont need to use it all. But don’t worry, your kids will eat the left overs.

Step 3: Meringue
6 room temp. egg whites (Remember I told ya to keep ‘em.)
6 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Put room temp. egg whites in clean glass bowl or measuring cup. Mix well on high, gradually adding 3 Tbsp. powdered sugar. When it comes to stiff peaks, pile on top of hot or warn custard filing, (this helps cook the bottom of the meringue) spreading meringue to edges of pie crust to prevent shrinking. (Fae always does it perfect so there are pretty little peaks all over the whole top.) Sprinkle remaining P.B. topping over meringue and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until little peaks are golden brown. The meringue needs to cook or it will weep. Refrigerate until it’s dessert time. ENJOY

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Tastes like it came from your favorite Americanized Chinese restaurant!

(Warning: NOT HEALTHY!!! NOT for every day consumption!!!)

3 lbs. Chicken sprinkled with garlic salt

(I usually cut it into smaller strips.)

Dip in cornstarch and then beaten egg. Fry in oil until golden brown (not done) and place in 9x13 baking pan. Mix ingredients for sauce.

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

1.5 cups sugar

1/2 cup vinegar (I use Apple Cider Vinegar)

4 Tbsp. ketchup

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

Pour sweet and sour sauce over the meat and bake at 350 for 1 hour being careful not to burn sauce.

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER

2 cups shortening

2 cups sugar

1 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

4 tsp. vanilla

3 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

5 cups flour*

3-4 cups chocolate chips

Cream together shortening and sugars. Beat in eggs and mix for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, salt, and baking soda and mix. Slowly add flour and chocolate chips. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. These are cookie perfection!

ENJOY! (And send ME some!)

*Occasionally I add half whole wheat flour but they're not as perfectly/unhealthily delicious that way. If you want healthy cookies, make a different recipe.

Snobby Joes

They're better than the rest of the Joe's.

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked lentils

4 cups water

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced small

1/2 -1 Green bell pepper, diced small (Really small)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp chili powder (more to taste)

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/4 cup tomato paste

3 Tbsp maple syrup (or honey, in a pinch)

1 Tbsp yellow mustard (If you like gross things. I personally leave it out.)

Whole Wheat rolls or hamburger buns

Directions

Put the lentils in a small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.

About 10 minutes before the lentils are done boiling, preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and saute a minute more.

Add the cooked lentils, the chili powder, oregano and salt and mix. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the maple syrup and mustard (yuck) and heat through.

Turn the heat off and let sit for about 10 minutes so that the flavors can meld. Or eat immediately if you can't wait.

Fae's (half) Whole Wheat Bread in a Bosch

We LOVED it when my mom made homemade bread when we were growing up.  We'd come home from school to a delicious smelling house and bread, butter and honey laid out on the kitchen counter for our after-school snack.  We usually got to eat about two of the five loaves, and the others were given away; to a friend, neighbor, sick person, whatever...This bread was pretty popular in the ol' hood.  

You're not going to get Fae's illustrations to help you make this (like I have on my hand written/drawn copy) but this should suffice!  

Mix in Bosch with lid on:

5 cups hot water

7 cups whole wheat flour

Add:

2/3 cup oil

2/3 cup honey

2 TBSP. salt.  (Don't leave out the salt!  It's a flavor enhancer, you know!?!?) 

Mix well then add:

 2 TBSP. yeast

(to test your yeast, put it in 1/2 cup luke warm water with 1 Tbsp. sugar.  If it bubbles up after a few minutes, it's good.)

Add:  (optional)

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup powdered milk (if you're trying to use up some food storage)

Mix well

Add:

5-6 cups white flour (depending on if you added the 'optionals')

(put lid on Bosch)

Knead on medium (2) for 12 minutes.

After 2 minutes see if dough is pulling away from sides of bowl--if not add more flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough moves away from sides.

Dump dough on floured counter and separate into equal sized lumps.  (5 if you're making large loaves, 10 if you're making small loaves.)

Shape into loaves and place in greased pans.  Cover with a damp towel.  Let rise until double in size.

Bake large loaves @ 350 for 30-35 minutes

Bake small loaves @300 for 20-25 minutes

Enjoy!!!