Sourdough Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

For a beautiful and delicious whole grain sourdough hamburger bun please go here:  http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2010/03/25/sourdough-whole-wheat-hamburger-buns/.  I made these today and they are delicious.  Recipe by weight makes so much more sense when baking bread.

Basic Pizza Dough

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
 1 tablespoon honey
 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-4 cups of flour, depending on the ration of whole wheat to white flour

 Mix the honey, water, and yeast in a small bowl, cover, and let stand until foamy, 5-10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, mixing in one cup of flour at a time. If dough seems too wet add 1/4 cup at a time until slightly firm. The dough should not be too stiff. I usually keep it fairly soft. Grease your pan and roll it out on the pan. This recipe is from The Food Nanny. I just didn't want to lose the recipe! I love it because you don't have to let it rise.

Thai Red Curry with Tofu

I loved this recipe from The America's Healthy Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (pg. 343), but my kids did not.  I'm wondering if they would like it with chicken, or shrimp.  Nevertheless, I was happy to have it for lunch for 3 days because I adored it.

1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
1-2 red curry paste
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
14 ounces extra firm tofu, pressed dry and cut into 3/4" cubes (Although I used soft tofu and thought it was fine)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 red bell peppers, stemmed seeed, and cut ito matchsticks
8 ounces snap peas, trimmed and sliced in half on the bias
1 onion, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt

1. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the curry paste and cook until fragrant, about  30 seconds.  Whisk in the coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar.

2.  Whisk the broth and cornstarch together, then whisk the mixture into the pot.  Stir in the bell peppers, snap peas, and onion and simmer until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the sauce has thickened slightly, 8-10 minutes.

3.  Add the tofu and simmer until tofu is heated through, 3-5 minutes.

Healthier No-Bake Cookies

I finally found it! A healthier version of No-Bake Cookies. They weren't as sweet but they were almost the same and they worked! They set up just fine! It's from Vicki's Vegan Kitchen

1 cup Sucanat
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup soymilk
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups rolled oats

Combine the Sucanat, cocoa powder, soymilk, and oil in a medium pot. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a rolling boil and cook for 1 1/2 minutes.

Add the peanut butter and vanilla to the pot and stir until well mixed. Add the oatmeal and stir well.

Drop rounded teaspoons of the oat mixture onto a sheet of waxed paper. The cookies will harden as the cool.

Soft Pretzels

This was so fun to make with my kids!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe/index.html

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt

Directions

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Summer Frozen Fruit Cocktail

At the same activity they made this yummy frozen fruit treat. The said it tastes really good in the winter time when summer fruit isn't available.

12 oz. can frozen orange juice reconstituted
1-2 cans pineapple tidbits with juice
2 mangoes, cubed
2 cantaloupe, in small pieces or balled
1 bunch seedless grapes
1 bunch Bing cherries
1 pint fresh or frozen blueberries
Watermelon, cubed or balled
Fresh sliced peaches

Mix thoroughly with orange juice. Ladle into freezer containers making sure to leave 1/2 to 3/4 inch head space to allow freezing expansion. Serve partially frozen in cups as is.

Double Apples Breakfast Sauce

1 cup apple sauce
1 cup apple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
dash of salt 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cloves

Combine all ingredients and cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until thick and syrupy. (Stir continually to prevent scorching.)