Tasty Thursday: Lazy Bread

A few of my food allergies are often induced by an unsuspected piece of bread.  Lately most store bought (even bakery) breads contain my two deadly ingredients: soy (flour) and corn syrup.

So to avoid the choking that comes with my throat swelling up or the red and swollen skin, I make my own bread.

This is a recipe a friend shared with me while we were bored in church (shhhhh).  It has been the best bread ever and takes out the step I hate in bread making: kneading.

Lazy Bread

3 cups all pourpose flour

1/4 tsp yeast

1-1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 cups cold water

Mix ingredients together (yup, no blooming the yeast!) and let the dough rest in an oiled bowl 12-18 hours

covered with Saran wrap.

Then fold it over twice in both directions, and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Place in a well floured tea towel for 2 hours (I put mine in a bread basket to get the lines)

Heat a large pizza stone in the oven for an hour at 500 degrees.

Reduce the temp to 450 degrees.  Place bread in the middle of the stone - be sure not to adjust the after it touches the stone or you'll have a mess.  Cover it lightly with a piece of foil and bake for 30 min.  Remove the foil and bake another 15-30 uncovered.

Let it cool on a rack for about an hour.  The crust is crusty and the crumb is silky and chewy.  It's amazing!!!

TASTY THURSDAY: Veggie Soup = Summer Ready

I know that I've been MIA the last few days, but I've had a horrible flu, turned pneumonia...in MAY!! Thank you to the gentleman coughing on my last flight and the extra three hour layover in the Vegas airport. But enough of the shout outs... :)

So as I'm lying on my couch, watching some Bridget Jones Diary and thinking about the beautiful weather outside and my plans to soon be in a bathing suit, my sister sent me this delicious recipe. Not only did it help "heal" me (just like mama's chicken noodle soup did when I was little), it also helped with my bikini readiness goals. This is going to be my summer go-to recipe (cook up a big pot on Sunday and enjoy the rest of the week). Feel free to add in any other veggies that you enjoy or swap out some of these for your faves. ENJOY and feel guilt-free and summer-ready!

Anytime Vegetable Soup
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
• Olive oil cooking spray
• ½ cup onions, chopped
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 cup spinach or cabbage, sliced thin
• ½ cup broccoli
• 1 32-oz box fat-free, reduced sodium chicken stock
• 1 15-oz can diced or crushed tomatoes
• Pepper and parsley to garnish

Instructions:
1. Spray a saucepan with cooking spray and heat on medium.
2. Add onion, garlic, celery, carrots, spinach and broccoli, and sauté for a few minutes until they soften.
3. Add broth, tomatoes, pepper and parsley, and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked. 

Tasty Thursday: No Bake Cookies = Cookie in a Cup = Heaven

Happy Tasty Thursday!! So today my post will be a delicious recipe (because it's Tasty Thursday) and a tip on how to make a smaller version for individual portions.

NO BAKE COOKIES (or as my family calls them...Buffalo Chip Cookies):

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

2/3 cup cocoa

2 cups oats

Heat butter in a saucepan while adding sugar. Stir in milk and bring to a boil. Add in cocoa and stir until cocoa has dissolved. Take off heat and add in oats. You can also add a few chocolate chips for extra chocolatey flavor. Drop spoonfuls onto wax paper and let cool.

COOKIE-IN-A-CUP:

Same recipe as above! This is the perfect variation if you just want a small treat, rather than the temptation of a tray of cookies.

1/2 stick butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup oats

Mix the same way as above - spoon into a mug and add a few chocolate chips to  the top. Makes two mugs full. 

Stuffed Bread

I was one of the last to get on the Pinterest bandwagon.  I knew it would consume me so I put it off as long as possible (as in I just joined just a few weeks ago).  While I have copious boards detailing every corner of the house I plan to DIY from scratch, I have found an amazing wealth of new recipes that fit my diet needs.

I am not a professed vegetarian or vegan, but I mostly eat vegetarian or vegan dishes.  Meat and I get along on an as needed basis.  I have several severe food allergies and a handful of intolerances so I'm hoping I can show you how to still eat fabulously on a budget!!!

This recipe was a brilliant Pinterest find.  The original recipe can be found here:

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Acharuli-Khachapuri-Cheese-and-Egg-Bread

I have to be careful with the amount of dairy and eggs I consume so this is my take (based on what I had in my pantry).  If you want it cheesier, add more ooey gooey cheese!!!  I've been even more in love with this the day after when it's cold.  The key is that the dough recipe is spot on.

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 tsp rapid rise yeast

2/3 cup water (115 degrees)

1/4 tsp sugar

1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil (and more for  coating the bowl)

1 1/4 cups bread flour (I had it on hand so I used it.  They used AP)

1 tsp sea salt (they used kosher, but sea salt has natural iodine which I severely lack)

Filling:

1/4 cup Feta cheese

1/2 cup frozen spinach (thawed and drained)

1 handful marcona almonds chopped 

1/4 cup fresh Parmesan 

2 Tbsp chopped white onion (or 1TBSP of dried)

1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic 

1/2 tsp rosemary chopped

1 TBSP olive oil

Sea salt & ground pepper to taste

Start by heating the oven to 500 degrees with a pizza stone (I used two small stones) in from the beginning.  Turn the oven on before you mix the dough.  It will be heated perfectly by the time the dough rises and is ready to go.  (About an hour)

Add yeast, sugar, and water to a bowl or stand mixer bowl.  Let it bloom for 10-15 minutes.  Add the flour, salt, and olive oil,  mixing with a wooden spoon or the dough hook of your mixer (on 4) until incorporated.  Lower the speed, you don't want to over work the dough.  Add flour if needed, or water if needed, depending on your climate, until the dough is a little wetter than satiny (sticky but not oatmeal).

Take the dough out, oil your bowl (don't fret about dough pieces left) and put the dough back in.  Lightly oil the dough and set a piece of siran wrap over it.  Let it rise in a warm place (I just set mine on top of the pre-heating oven) for 45 min.

In a small/medium bowl toss in all the filling ingredients and mix until everything is evenly distributed.  (Side note: use what you have on hand, change up the cheeses, veggies, or the nuts!)  Let them marry together while you watch an episode of Suits! 

When the 45 min is up, divide the dough into two halves.  Press each into a circle on a lightly sprayed surface or a bit of parchment.  Put 1/4 of the filling in the center of each.  Roll up the two sides of the circle like a scroll until you get to the majority of the filling (sides should be about 2-3 inches apart).  Pinch the ends together and tuck them into the "bowl" a bit so you have a boat shape.  Once both loaves are formed, top them off with the rest of the filling and a splash of olive oil.

Quickly and carefully place them on the pizza stone in the oven, making sure not to adjust them once they touch.

Bake for 18 minutes at 500 degrees.

Let them cool, and enjoy!  I can usually eat about half of one in a sitting.  But the best part is, they are fabulous leftover!  Be the girl bringing the artisan stuffed bread for lunch at work!  

PS for those gluten free readers - stay tuned!  With several gluten intolerant family members, I have some fan favorite recipes that I love myself.  

Potato Soup...

So from here on out, Maggie and I are going to post various recipes every Thursday and ways to save money through cooking at home - forever known as TASTY THURSDAY. Going forward, we will share our ideas on cooking with minimal ingredients and using recipes for more than one meal - perfect way for a single gal to save money. Like Maggie said in the beginning, we have different perspectives, but both have a love of cooking and have found ways to save in the process.



Let the first TASTY THURSDAY begin...

The other day, we had a random cold, rainy day, one of those days where you feel like it's instantly Fall and you should be getting ready for Halloween - but it's actually April. The kind of day that you have to make soup - it's an unwritten rule. So I wanted to share my new found and slightly altered recipe because it's AMAZING!! AND...it makes enough to last a week of meals. I know it sounds simple and possibly boring, but this isn't your normal potato soup...this is dinner every night for a week and an occasional lunch. This is the kind of soup that you make meals around - this is another Sunday afternoon experiment that turned out wildly successful. I have paired it with a yummy cobb salad, packed it for lunch, added chicken to it for a meal in-and-of itself and had it as an appetizer to a BBQ chicken and salad dinner. Plus, let's be honest,  you can always cook up a yummy grilled cheese to pair with it for any meal.

TIP: Prepare one to two dishes every week (I like to cook on Sundays - we'll talk more about that later) to eat throughout the week. If you're like me and are thinking, "But I hate leftovers" - choose things to cook that you don't mind eating again. I used to hate reheating meat or rice or eating a leftover salad with dressing on it so I've found that I just make a sauce (spaghetti, alfredo, etc.) that can be added to fresh noodles or salad the night you eat it. Soups are another good choice (like this AMAZING one) or dishes that can be paired with many different options throughout the week so that you don't get tired of eating the same thing. Here are a few suggestions (I'll post my recipes for these items throughout the month of May): chicken enchiladas, potato soup, chicken tortilla soup, spaghetti sauce, alfredo sauce and tuna salad to just name a few. In addition, I always keep items on hand to make a yummy Cobb or Greek salad to add some freshness to any meal. As my mama always says, "You gotta get your greens!"

RECIPE: LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP (adapted from this recipe)

http://damndelicious.net/2013/10/14/loaded-baked-potato-soup/ 

5T butter (salted)

1/4 cup flour

4 cups whole milk (you can also use heavy cream, but I prefer Whole Milk)

2 cups shredded cheese (I used Swiss and Sharp Cheddar - feel free to experiment)

15 oz. chicken broth

Basil and Celery Salt and Salt and Pepper to taste

4 Large red potatoes (I keep the skins on - cut into chunks) - feel free to add more for a thicker soup

1 white onion

1 container mushrooms

Garnish: 

Bacon

Chives

Sour Cream

• Melt butter in a large stockpot or saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and chicken broth, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. 
• While butter mixture is cooking, sautee mushrooms and onions in a skillet over medium heat - you can use butter or olive oil. 
• Stir in potatoes and sauteed mushrooms and onion to butter/broth mixture. 
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper, to taste. If the soup is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.
• Serve immediately, garnished with green onion, cheese and bacon, if desired. 
• ENJOY!!!