Texas Flour Tortillas

For Christmas I got a tortilla press and I've loved making home-made tortillas. I searched for a recipe that used oil instead of shortening and found this yummy one: http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/03/and-end-to-my-quest-flour-tortillas.html.

The tortillas really raise up and are more like a thick pita bread than the thin tortilla I expected. But they make for a delicious and filling breakfast burrito. I think sometime I might use them to make individual pizzas by covering them with toppings and cheese and baking them for 5-7 minutes.

I've adapted it for two reasons:
-I like large tortillas and the recipe didn't make very many.
-I found that it was too dry and needed more milk.

Texas Flour Tortillas (makes 16)
3 c. white flour
3 c. wheat flour
4 1/2 tsp (1 1/2 Tbsp) baking powder
2 1/4 tsp salt
6 tsp (2 Tbsp) oil
2 1/2 c. warm milk

Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the oil to the warm milk and slowly add to the flour mixture. Stir into a ball and knead for a few minutes. (Most recipes recommend you let the dough rest for 20 minutes or so here, but I'm not that patient and don't have that much time, so I skip this step.)
Divide the dough into 16 pieces, rolling them into balls. Cover with a damp paper towel and let rest for 10-30  minutes. (The more time you let it rest the more the dough softens up and makes it easier to roll out.)
Press the dough into tortillas (I use my tortilla press, but you can use a floured surface and rolling pin).
Cook in a skillet on medium heat (preheat your skillet for best results). When the dough starts to raise a bit turn it and cook the other side (about 45 seconds to one minute on each side). Because these are so thick they won't get big bubbles like thin tortillas, but keep an eye on them and it's pretty easy to figure out how long they need to cook. They taste best if you eat them when they're warm, but you can store them in the fridge for a few days and reheat them on the skillet or in the microwave (but they taste better fresh) or wrap them tightly and store in the freezer (I use a gallon zip-lock bag).

Workout Smoothie

(This is called a "Workout Smoothie" because it has some protein for the yogurt, unlike the other recipes.)

Ingredients:
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1-2 kiwi
2 cup fresh spinach
1 cup room temperature water
1/2 banana
1 cup collard

Directions: Place yogurt, water, banana, and kiwi in blender. Pulse and blend until smooth. Add greens and blend for one minute or until smooth.

This is my husband's favorite (probably because of the kiwi).

Variations: See Beginner's Smoothie.

***Warning: Do not gulp down a green smoothie! It will give you really bad indigestion because your body thinks you're just drinking a normal liquid. You need to "chew" (yes this sounds weird) it until it warms up and then swallow. Yes, it takes awhile to eat this, but think of all the health benefits you're getting (that you wouldn't have normally gotten.

Fall Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 pear
1/4 zucchini
2 cup kale
1 cup room temperature water
2 inch chunk cucumber
2 Tbls fresh parsley

Directions: Place pear and water into blender. Pulse and blend until smooth. Add vegetables and blend for one minute.

Variations: See Beginner's Smoothie.

***Warning: Do not gulp down a green smoothie! It will give you really bad indigestion because your body thinks you're just drinking a normal liquid. You need to "chew" (yes this sounds weird) it until it warms up and then swallow. Yes, it takes awhile to eat this, but think of all the health benefits you're getting (that you wouldn't have normally gotten.

Beginner's Green Smoothie

We had a church activity where a friend introduced me to "Green Smoothies." Basically, it's a way to get your fresh vegetables if you aren't good at eating them regularly. Here are a few that she shared.

Ingredients:
1 Granny Smith apple
1/2 banana
1 cup room temperature water
2 cup fresh spinach

Directions: Place banana and chunks of apple with water into blender. Pulse and blend until smooth. Add spinach and blend for one minute or until smooth.

I would say enjoy, but remember you aren't drinking this specifically because it's yummy (think of it as an acquired taste), but because it's healthy for you. :)

Variations: Everyday (if you drink it this often) replace the spinach with romaine, lettuce, cabbage, kale, collards, etc. (If you don't use variety you could develop food allergies.) After a week, cut down the apple to 1/2 or omit the banana and increase the greens by another 1 cup.

***Warning: Do not gulp down a green smoothie! It will give you really bad indigestion because your body thinks you're just drinking a normal liquid. You need to "chew" (yes this sounds weird) it until it warms up and then swallow. Yes, it takes awhile to eat this, but think of all the health benefits you're getting (that you wouldn't have normally gotten.

100% Whole Wheat Bread (Bread Machine)

I started with the 100% Whole Wheat Bread recipe that came with my bread machine instruction booklet, but found that I really had to tweak it to work with my machine. This is the result.

Ingredients (for 1 1/2 pound loaf):
1 1/8 cup water
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 cup wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp yeast

Add ingredients into your bread machine according to manufacturer's instructions. My machine says to put liquids in first, flour 2nd to last, and yeast on top (in case you decide to use the delay start). I use the whole grain setting (3 1/2 hours).

A few tips: Measure the oil and then use the same measuring spoon for the molasses - it will slide right out.
I do a little more than 1 cup of water (1 cup was too little, 1 1/4 was too much).
More bread tips.

Variations: Instead of 3 cups of wheat flour, do 2 3/4 cups wheat flour, 1/4 cup ground flax seed, and 1/3 cup cracked wheat (be sure to put the cracked wheat on top of the flour so that it doesn't soak up all the water). I like this variation because it gives the bread texture.

Homemade Maple Syrup

My parents always made this syrup and I really don't like store-bought syrup. It's too thick and fake tasting. This recipe is great and so easy!

Combine the following in a saucepan

1 cup white sugar**
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water

Stir and cook on medium heat until it boils. Remove from heat and stir in:
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. maple flavoring

Allow to cool before you serve because it's very hot. Enjoy! (My husband and I usually triple this because it stores easily in the fridge.)

**For a lower sugar recipe we use 1 cup of Splenda instead of the white sugar.

Granola

Normally granola at the store is not very healthy and pretty expensive, so I've been wanting to try to make it at home for some time now and finally had time to do it. I did a Google search for granola, looked at about four recipes, and then made up my own.


Granola Recipe
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl (I thought my bowl was big, but it was barely big enough):
4 1/2 cups rolled oats (quick oats don't work as well)
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds, unsalted (I don't like their taste, so I always skip these.)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped almonds (I used slivered almonds, but many people use sliced)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves (optional, but I think it brings out the cinnamon flavor)

Combine other ingredients in a medium saucepan:
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar (Splenda also works fine)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil (some recipes use as much as a cup, but I've done as little as 2 Tbsp and noticed that my granola is just more chunky and crispy)
2 tsp vanilla (or 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp mapliene or almond extract)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a large cookie with parchment paper. (You can use wax paper, but I found my pans were getting a wax residue and didn't like to think about what I was eating so I splurge for the parchment paper.)

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well.

Combine other ingredients in a saucepan and warm (I stirred it over medium heat for a few minutes until everything was well combined and the sugar and salt dissolved).
Drizzle the wet ingredients over the dry, stirring well (everything should be thinly covered with the syrup mixture). Spread evenly onto the prepared cookie sheet. Cook for one hour, stirring every 20 minutes to cook evenly.

Allow to cool and then store in an airtight container. (Most websites said it lasts 1 week on the shelf or 3 months in the freezer.)

My thoughts: At first I was surprised when I tasted it because it smelled so rich but is not very sweet. However, once I got over my surprise I decided that I really like it this way.

Serving suggestions: Eat as cereal, stirred in yogurt, or just as a yummy snack. Eat with Crasins, raisins, or other dried fruit.

Variations: Add coconut for the last 10 minutes of baking.
Use honey instead of maple syrup.
Some people suggested using All Bran instead of wheat germ.

My take on this: I was worried that this would be expensive, but I'm lucky enough to have a WinCo Grocery Store near me and they sell everything I needed in bulk. I estimated how much I would need; it was about $3 and I didn't use all of what I bought. This was quite an easy recipe, but does require "tending" since you need to stir it every 20 minutes for an hour.

Making life easier:I always double the recipe, but have to mix it in two bowls because of the large amounts of ingredients. I also use two cookie sheets (some people commented that if you don't spread the granola thin enough then it won't cook and remains soggy). I stir it after 30 minutes, and then 20 minutes and 20 minutes, increasing the cooking time to 1 hour and 10 minutes. I usually throw a bag in the freezer since we don't usually eat it within a week. When my husband is running late for work and doesn't have time for breakfast I send him with granola in a small bowl and a container of yogurt and it makes for a great, easy breakfast.

I used the following recipes to create my own:
Jennifer's Granola (this was my base recipe)  (Allrecipes.com)
Megan's Granola (Allrecipes.com)
Easy Cranberry Granola (Allrecipes.com)
Food Network Granola
CDKitchen Granola