Rice Balls

This is a new idea for me, but I love it. This post is done by a guest author, my talented sister Heidi. She wanted to make this recipe and I hadn't yet. So we figured it would be a great opportunity for her to guest-blog! Enjoy her wonderful recipe!

~ Julie

Like many moms of young children (mine are 18 months and *almost* 3) I often struggle with what to make for lunch. I find myself in the same rut: mac & cheese, pb&j, grilled cheese, and quesadillas. I like chicken nuggets (as do my kids) but after watching an episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution where he shows how chicken nuggets are made (ewwww) I can't ever do that to my children again. So I set out on a mission, to find easy but healthy food to feed my kids. Of course, the first thing I turn to is Mrs. Jerry Seinfeld's book, Deceptively Delicious. I thought the Rice Balls looked easy and wondered if I made a double batch, would they freeze well. I called my baby sister Julie and discussed the possibilities. She invited me to try it and then do a guest post on her blog. And here I am.

The recipe is as follows:

1/2 cup short grain brown rice (or 1 cup leftover cooked rice) - I have come a long way in eating whole grains and whatnot, but when it comes to rice, I will never cross over to the dark side. It was long-grain, nutrient-lacking white rice for me, which was leftover from dinner a couple of nights before.
Nonstick cooking spray
3 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 pound chicken cutlets, rinsed and dried - I made boneless skinless chicken breasts for dinner the night before and just cooked up a couple of extra then.
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese - Frankly, I think reduced fat cheese is almost as much of an insult to all that is yummy as american cheese is. Yuck.
1/4 low fat buttermilk - I didn't have buttermilk so I used plain whole milk.
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup spinach or broccoli or butternut squash puree - I used butternut squash
1 1/2 cup whole wheat cracker crumbs or breadcrumbs
*Her recipe didn't call for flax seed meal, but most of her breaded recipes do so I threw in a couple of tablespoons just for good measure

Instructions:

1 - Place the rice in a small saucepan with 1 cup of water; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low and cook until the rice is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. You can also use your rice steamer.

2 - Meanwhile, coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 tsp oil. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/4 tsp salt and the pepper, and cook until no longer pink in the center, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

3 - Cut the chicken into chunks and place them in a food processor or blender. Add the sweet potato puree, cheese, 1 tsp salt, and the buttermilk, and blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the cooked rice.

Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls and place them on a sheet of waxed paper or aluminum foil.

4 - In a shallow bowl, beat the egg and vegetable puree with a fork. Put the crumbs (and flax seed) in the bowl. One at a time, dip the rice balls in the egg mixture, then roll them in the crumbs to make sure it has an even coating.

**This is where I deviated from the recipe. I stuck them in the freezer on cookie sheets until they were frozen. then I put them in freezer safe bags and waited for a few days to see how they would work as a frozen food.

5 - Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Add the rice balls and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally and spraying with cooking spray until browned and crisp all over. Serve warm.

I found that they did very well going straight from freezer to pan. You just need to make sure that when you cook them, the pan isn't so hot that you burn the outside before the inside is warm.

Now, for the purposes of full disclosure, when I put this in front of the kids, my younger one dug right in. She even picked them over the strawberries. My older one, on the other hand, ate a few strawberries then took a bite of the rice balls and immediately declared them "icky". Of course, at that point, the little one heard that big brother had called them icky, so the little monkey-do had to call them icky too and now neither kid will eat them now. But I would comfortably say that your standard kid is really going to like them.

Flaxseed Tip

I know I've mentioned a bit before how flaxseed is an easy addition to punch up the health of your meal. In last month's Reader's Digest, there was an article all about the great benefits of flaxseed and they had some suggestions for using it. I used one, and it was so easy. I thought I'd share it with you as well some reminders of nice and simple ways to add flaxseed in your meals and snacks.

Sprinkle it on your peanut butter when making a pb&j. I put mine together and then remembered to take a picture, so it's on both sides. But I originally just covered my peanut butter in it and then closed it to eat. I couldn't taste any difference.

Other great and easy ways to use flaxseed:

breadings (for fish or chicken)

any red sauce (chili, spaghetti)

sprinkle it in yogurt

blend in a smoothie

add to muffins

I'm sure there are a million other ways to use it? Are there any that you've used that I didn't list?

Chili Upgrade

So we were making our normal chili but really wanted to make it a bit tastier, give it a little upgrade. So we combined it with the recipe for our white chicken chili and came up with something pretty yummy. It was kind of an on the fly recipe change, so bear with me. But I can still remember the gist of how we changed it. I know we started out with the original recipe.

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green sweet pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (Can't go wrong with more garlic either)
1 15-oz can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (may use dried beans)
1 14 ½ oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2-3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil, crushed
1/2 cup flax seed

Then we added some bits from the white chicken chili.
1 can of kernel corn

1 (4oz) cans diced green chiles
1 tbs ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

I want to say that was most of the additions.

Brown meat, chop veggies, toss it all in a crockpot and cook on high for 4-5 hours. You can saute your veggies before hand if you want to, as well.

Sunrise Smoothie

I am very pleased with this, my very own creation. You have to try it. Delish!

Ingredients
1 cup orange juice - You can substitute other juices. I've tried apple and grape. Both worked fine, but orange is my favorite by far.
1 cup frozen strawberries - You can use fresh. I did, but found that the strawberry flavor was much stronger when they were frozen.
1 medium to large banana - This surprisingly adds a lot of the sweetness.
2 tbsp flaxseed. - This blends right in and is a great healthy boost for a morning drink.

Put orange juice in the blender.  You'll want to put your liquid in first, to help it blend smoothly.  Add other ingredients and blend until all chunks are gone.

I love this. My kids love this. I broke my blender a few weeks ago and have been dying ever since. I can't wait til the replacement part comes, because I want my smoothie!

Stir Fry

Or, you can call it Hu-Hot if you want. This is our middle of the line version. We've done it more authentic, but this is a lot easier and simpler to make for a whole family.

Ingredients
chopped carrots
chopped celery
chopped garlic
chopped onion
chopped bell pepper
other options: olives, mushrooms, corn, black beans, broccoli (I highly recommend broccoli. So great in stir fry.)
Chicken, cut in 1-2 inch cubes
*You can really use whatever vegetables you want, and in the quantities you choose. That's the beauty of it.
Cooked rice
*optional: Cooked spaghetti noodles

Sauces: Hoison Sauce, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, General Tsao's, Black bean and Garlic sauce, hot chili and garlic, any sauce you find in your asian foods section at the store. (You can easily sprinkle flaxseed on your plate, or just add it to your sauces.)

Prepare vegetables and chicken (you can use whatever type of meat you want, or multiple types together.) In one pan, saute the vegetables. In another, begin cooking the meat. When mostly cooked, add your choices of sauce to your meat. It's meant to be saucy, so keep adding! Mix and match, or if you're not familiar with them, try them one at a time. (Meaning, for one meal, use one sauce to get familiar with it. Then when you're more confident, begin making combination sauces.) Let it heat through and combine the sauces if necessary. Then when the vegetables are sauteed to your liking, add it to the meat and sauces and combine thoroughly. I like to go heavy on the vegetables. The flavor is still great, so it's such an easy way to get your veggies. Serve on fresh rice, or with a combo rice and noodles. It's quite good if you've never tried it.

This has easily become a family favorite for us. It's different every time, you use the quantities you want and are comfortable with. You can feel good about it because it's packed full of veggies and it just tastes really good!

Turkey Chili

This is a deceptively delicious recipe. It turned out pretty good. It was a very mild chili, which for our kids is good, since they're not crazy about spicy.

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 lb. ground turkey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder, or to taste
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sweet paprika (I don't have that. I used regular paprika)
1/8 tsp pepper
1 15-oz. can chopped tomatoes
1 26-oz. can chicken broth
1/2 cup red pepper puree
1/2 cup carrot puree (I didn't have red pepper puree, so I used 1 cup carrot puree. Her recipes are all designed to do that. You can use them as listed, or just use the whole amount in one puree.)
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Coat the bottom of a large pot with cooking spray and set it over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add the oil. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle the turkey with the garlic, chili powder, salt, paprika, and pepper. Add the turkey to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the turkey is no longe rpnk, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes. Add the broth, red pepper puree, carrot puree, cornmeal, and flaxseed meal, and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, 15 to 20 minutes, or until the flavors have blended. Stir in the beans and cook a little longer, just to heat them through.

As I said, it's like a beginner's chili (not for making, but for eating.) Joseph definitely preferred it, I think, to our normal, more flavorful chilis. And ours had a full cup of carrot puree in it. It was mild, but good.

Chicken Nuggets

This is a deceptively delicious recipe. I've made it many times. It really makes a great chicken nugget. They're a little soft (from the puree, and not in a bad way) but have a great flavor. The smaller you make the pieces, the better they cook. You're better off having long strands of chicken, versus small, thick chunks. Just a tip. Even if you don't use the puree, the breading is really yummy.

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat, white or panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 cup broccoli or spinach or sweet potato or beet puree (for the first time, I highly recommend sweet potato)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast or chicken tenders, rinsed, dried and cut into small chunks (tenders are easer to keep them from being too thick. That's the key, not too thick!)
1/2 tsp salt
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tbsp olive oil

In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, flaxseed meal, Parmesan, paprika, garlic, and onion powder and mix well . In a shallow bowl, mix the vegetable puree and egg with a fork and set the bowl next to the breadcrumb mixture. Sprinkle the chicken with salt. Dip the chunks into the egg mixture and then toss them in the breadcrumbs until completely coated.

Coat a large nonstick skillet cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Place the chicken nuggets in the skillet in a single layer, being careful not to crowd the pan, and cook until crisp and golden on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Then turn and cook until the chicken is cooked through, golden brown and crisp all over, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Check the centers for any pink (of the biggest pieces anyway).

The key really is making them thin. Then they cook fast, and don't get too dark. Mine always end up being a tad dark. And they never fit in the skillet in one shot, so I do them in waves. I don't feel like I've perfected the cooking part, but in the end they always taste great anyhow. I do find that as long as you have a small layer of oil in the pan, you can usually shake the skillet and the chicken will be able to move around on its own. This is good because that means the breading won't come off. I've made the mistake multiple times of thinking I can turn then with tongs or something similar. Don't make this mistake. It only squishes the breading and puree and you end up losing breading. Just keep them loose on the skillet (the oil and shaking mentioned before) and use a spatula to turn them. These are a great recipe we all enjoy. If it takes multiple waves to cook them all, it can be quite time consuming. But in the end I always find it's worth it when there are none left for leftovers.

Homemade Pancakes

This is my mom's wonderful recipe. I adore her homemade pancakes. This said, I altered the recipe (sly grin) with a few of my own special changes. The pancakes were still good. Not as great as hers, but considering the changes, I think they came out great. The flavor wasn't the same, which was the main difference, but it was still good.  I'll give you the original recipe first, then my changes.

Ingredients
3 eggs
3 cups milk
3 cups flour
½ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp butter, melted

Combine eggs and milk. Add dry ingredients, mix well. Add butter and mix. Bake on griddle sprayed with Pam.

Now, the root of my changes was in the sugar. I did some research on brown vs. white sugar out of curiosity. What I was able to find said that white sugar is just brown sugar that's been processed more. I believe the most raw and natural form is the dark sugar. It has a few different names. You can find them on Wikipedia pretty easily. Anyway, I was curious about substitution. I read one source which said you could substitute 1 for 1, making sure to pack the brown sugar. Someone else said it would alter the moisture because brown sugar naturally has more moisture. So I started out with 1 for 1, then ended up adding more flour. If I could do it again, I would limit the milk and go about it that way, instead of adding more flour in the end. This was the way it turned out for me:

Ingredients
3 eggs
3 cups milk
*4 cups flour
*½ cup brown sugar packed
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp flax seed
3 tbsp butter, melted

Yup, I added flax seed. You might even be able to get away with 2 tbsp without altering the flavor. Anyway, this is the edited, hopefully slightly healthier version. If doing it again, like I said, I would start with 2 cups milk and slowly add until it was the right texture. Easier than adding flour after. But I would still use 3 eggs. I don't Mom, what do you think?

Anyway, the original recipe is great, the altered one was pretty darn good as well.

White fish filets

This was originally a filet de Sol recipe. However, it works with any white fish: Sol, tilapia, cod, or catfish. I'm sure there are others. And no, I don't know why they're called white fish. Anyway, this was the first fish I really started enjoying. And I love it! I have since altered the recipe a tad. This is by far a family favorite. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

Ingredients
4-6 filets (approx.)
½ cup flour
1 tbsp Alpine Touch (an all-purpose seasoner like Lawry's. It has onion, garlic, salt and pepper.)
2 tbsp flax seed
2 tbsp wheat germ
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp oil

Combine dry ingredients. Warm oil in saucepan. Dip sol in mixture and fry in oil (I use olive oil or vegetable oil) until browned on each side. It doesn't take very long. It should flake easily with a fork.

I was really pleased with this recipe. This is the first time I've measured the ingredients. Usually I just dump them together and make it. But I've wanted to measure it out so I can share it. The wheat germ is expenable, but I would definitely have the flax seed, as it has a stronger flavor and adds to the taste of the fish. This is another recipe that's easy to edit to your individual tastes. You could easily add other seasonings that are a family favorite. Or you can substitute the Alpine Touch with other all-purpose seasoners, like Lawry's or a Lemon Pepper Seasoning. It's easy to get creative if you want to. And Joseph just loves this recipe and can eat a good size filet all on his own. I think it's the most fish friendly recipe I've ever had if you don't want to feed your kids fish sticks. :)

Lasagna

So I'm pretty sure this was my first lasagna. I was getting a bit ambitious I think. But it worked out! I will tell you I was afraid to take the first bite. I thought for sure it wasn't going to work out. But it did! Woohoo! This was originally Mom's recipe, but I changed it a bit.

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef cooked (I'm sure turkey would sub great in here)
4-8 oz. mushrooms (I used a 4 oz. can. If you wanted to beef it up two cans would work well.)
3 cans diced tomatoes (could use seasoned ones and skip the seasonings.)
¼ cup flax seed (honestly, I forgot them. But just now realized it would go in just fine.)
1 tbsp basil leaves
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
8 oz. mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
8 oz. lasagna noodles (oven-ready)
parmesan cheese

In a 2-quart saucepan heat oil; add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. While sauce is simmering, in a bowl combine ricotta, egg, and mozzarella cheese with parsley; set aside. In bottom of a 8x13” baking pan, spread a thin layer of meat sauce; top with alternating layers of cooked lasagna noodles, cheese mixture and meat sauce, ending with a layer of meat sauce. Douse with parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand 15 minutes before serving.


When you hit the stage of adding tomatoes, etc. I'd put it in a soup pot. My saucepans aren't big enough anyhow. I would use as much noodle on each layer. You'll probably have to break them a bit. Since I used the oven ready noodles, they're stiff. Putting a layer of cheese mix on that is kinda hard. But I basically tried to spread it on the noodles like putting it on a cracker. It worked alright. I wasn't able to spread it too well, but I'm sure the heat helped it to spread when it was cooking. Make sure no noodles are exposed on that last layer. That's why it's important to end with a meat layer. Then I just doused the top with parmesan cheese. You can put as little or as much as you like. I liked it. It added a crunchy and flavorful crusty top to the lasagna. I didn't use all the lasagna noodles in mine. I probably could have if I had broken some of the pieces up. At first, I thought it had too much basil because I could really smell it. But once we were eating it, it was great. The taste wasn't at all overwhelming. I think it just has a strong scent. But the flavors balanced very nicely.
 

I didn't put this under kid friendly, however Joseph ate it without a complaint once it was cooled down. Maybe most kids are cool with lasagna. I didn't know that.

Chili!

So here's your standard crock pot chili! I've been making crock pot meals on Sundays with our church starting at 1 this year and choir practice right after, there's not time for elaborate cooking when we get home. This came out great. Like I said, it's a standard chili, but there's nothing wrong with that. It's refreshing every now and then.

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green sweet pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (Can't go wrong with more garlic either)
1 15-oz can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (may use dried beans)
1 14 ½ oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2-3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil, crushed
1/2 cup flax seed

In a large saucepan, cook ground beef, onion, sweet pepper, and garlic until meat is brown and onion is tender; drain fat. Stir in kidney beans, undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, basil and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 20 minutes. -OR-
Cook ground beef, chopped onions, chopped green sweet pepper, and minced garlic. Drain fat. Combine in crock pot beef mixture; kidney beans, rinsed and drained; tomato sauce; diced tomatoes, undrained; chili powder; dried basil, crushed; and black pepper. Cover; cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high heat for 4-5 hours.

I made a few alterations to the recipe. It's a bit bulkier than the original (from Better Homes and Gardens.) I also used dried beans. I measured out two cups and then cooked them. This of course equaled more than 15 ounces of beans when they were cooked. However, with the added meat (it was originally 12 oz.) it's not super beany or anything.

We like to top our chili with cheese (cheddar or swiss) and/or saltines. Generally speaking, we also eat it with corn bread (coming next!)

Parmesan Chicken

I made this to originally go in my cream of broccoli soup, but didn't know how the breading would handle being in the soup, so we ate it on the side. This is a great recipe that's really easy to whip up and cook in the oven while you're doing other things. The chicken comes out super moist and it's really tasty. It's also easy to play with if you want to add other seasonings to the breading.

Ingredients

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tbsp margarine, melted
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp flax seed
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Heat oven to 400. Spray 15x10x1” pan with Pam. Dip chicken in margarine, coat with combined remaining ingredients. Place in prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until tender. Chicken tenders may be substituted.

Using chicken tenders or cutting up the chicken breast into smaller pieces makes them very child friendly. Joseph really likes this. I've cut them up into strips. You still cook them the same. Oh yeah, flax seed wasn't in the original recipe. That was me :) You can add less flax seed if you like, as well. I just pick an amount that seems good.

Pizza #2

So we did pizza again last night. It came out awesome! When I made the crust last time, I made 2. I precooked the second one and then froze it. (Like the directions say, without adding the toppings for the second bake) It worked out great. I also made sure to add some flax seed to my sauce for added fiber! The sauce was also leftover from last time. The recipe I shared makes 2 pizza's worth.  On this pizza we had pepperoni, mozzarella, sauteed green pepper, onion and garlic. We also had a few chicken tenders in BBQ sauce that we put in the pan too. I thought it might be weird having pizza sauce with BBQ chicken, but it was great. Oh yeah, we also had a few strips of bacon chopped up as well. Add some canned olives and mushrooms, and we had a monster pizza! It was really good!

Pancakes with Homemade Syrup

Well, I wanted to do something simple, and it came out great! We made some Krusteaze pancakes (equivalent to Bisquick) with a few modifications. The first was flax seed! Oh yeah. I made a recipe using 2 cups of Krusteaze. For that amount, I added 2 tbsp of flax seed (This is always ground flax seed, remember. Otherwise it's not doing much for you.) I also added some butterscotch chips. I thought about adding some blueberries (which yes, is the obvious healthy choice) but the butterscotch chips are almost gone, so I thought I'd try and get rid of them. However, I ended up using way more that I thought. So, to quote my husband "You made them healthy just to make them bad for you." They were still great. The flax seed didn't change the taste whatsoever. The butterscotch chips did.

I also made some homemade syrup! Woohoo!

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1 cup water
2 tsp mapleine

Boil sugar and water until sugar dissolves. Add mapleine and heat through.
 
I like to make this occasionally and store it in a store syrup container. I rarely buy syrup. It's awesome. You just can't wait too long to use it or the syrup will crystalize and be really hard to get out of your container.

Goulash

We were out and about yesterday and so I made dinner in a bit of a rush. We ended up having goulash and some yummy seasoned cheese bread. I didn't think I would want noodles or anything, but in the end it was a great dinner. Here are my last minute creations.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
approx. 15 oz. tomato sauce
approx. 3 oz. tomato paste
1 - 1/2 tsp basil, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder

This recipe is adjusted because I used half a can of tomato sauce and half a can of tomato paste in an other recipe. Just use the can size that is closest to those amounts. Boil the noodles and drain. Add the tomato sauce ingredients and heat thoroughly. Combine sauce with noodles and serve warm.

If you're feeling adventurous, you can add 1/4 cup of flax seed to this for added fiber.

Pizza!

Oh yes. Yesterday was mom's night out, so that also equals pizza night. Last night's pizza ended up being some firsts for us too, which was fun. I used this simple pizza dough recipe:

Ingredients

1 package yeast
2 ¾ cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1 ½ tbsp olive oil

Dissolve yeast in water, add oil. Mix flour and salt; add yeast mixture. Mix till well blended. Kneed about 10 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl. Cover and let rise until double in size, about 2 hours. Punch down. Shape crust. Bake at 500 for 12 minutes.

I like to put a layer of shortening on my pizza pan and then sprinkle corn meal on it. This keeps the crust from burning and sticking.

My husband thinks it's totally sketchy and scary that it bakes at 500, but it only takes 12 minutes versus 20-30, and the crust doesn't burn! You just have to watch out for steam when you open the oven door.
 

I like to use part wheat flour, part white flour. I couldn't remember the ratio I used to use because it has been a long time, so I used 1 1/2 cups white flour and 1 1/4 cup wheat flour. It's a little wheaty, but we didn't mind it too much. I also like to pre-bake the dough about 8 minutes, then add the toppings and bake for a remaining 4-5 minutes.

This pizza was pretty plain for our standards. Had I not been rushed, it probably would've been a super supreme pizza with pepperoni, canadian bacon, mushrooms, olives, pineapple, and green or red peppers. Maybe even some onion. But I was rushed, so we got what was already prepared to go on the pizza.

The other surprise with pizza last night was I didn't have any pre-prepared pizza sauce! I was not happy when I realized this. So I went online and looked up homemade pizza sauce, hoping to find something I had ingredients for.  This is the recipe I ended up using:

Ingredients

2 cloves fresh garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar (reduces acidity)
1-16 ounce can of tomato sauce
1/2 of a 6-ounce can of tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste

Mince the 2 large cloves of fresh garlic. Saute the garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil (until lightly brown) Add the tomato sauce and paste and all the ingredients. Stir and heat until the sauce comes to a boil and then put a lid on your pot and turn it off. Let your pizza sauce cool and it is ready to use.

Since this recipe is more or less exactly what I do for spaghetti sauce (minus the ground beef of course) I added a few ingredients from another recipe I wanted to use but didn't have all the stuff for. I added Italian seasoning and pepper flakes. The pepper flakes gave it a real kick. We liked it.  And as usual, I added a bit more seasoning than it called for (except for salt. I didn't add any).  I would also recommend adding about 1/4 cup of flax seed to this recipe. It won't change the taste but it will give you a good dose of fiber!

Lentil and Sausage Soup

Tonight's cuisine was courtesy of the Better Homes & Garden Cookbook. This is one I became acquainted with in Missoula and have since come to enjoy very much.  I must say that it was pretty awesome. It's a really easy recipe and tastes pretty great. I must say that growing up I wouldn't have touched this type of thing. But I have since evolved to eat things like beans, vegetables, and yeah, that's what I used to avoid pretty much. But now I really enjoy these things and I feel good because I know they're good for me.

Ingredients
2 14-oz. cans chicken broth
1 ½ cups water
1 cup red lentils (brown are easier to find)
1 cup sliced celery (2 stalks)
1 cup sliced carrots (2 medium)
½ cup chopped onion
1 tsp snipped fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme, crushed
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz. cooked, smoked sausage links
Optional: shredded cheese, saltines or croutons

In a large saucepan combine chicken broth, water, lentils, celery, carrots, onion, dried thyme (if using), red pepper, and garlic. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables and lentils are tender. Stir in fresh thyme, if using, and sausage. Heat through.

I used shredded mozzarella. You could use swiss or monterey or maybe colby jack. I used mozzarella because it's what I had at the time. I prefer croutons to saltines because they can be seasoned and they don't get soggy as fast. I also added a tbsp of flax seed to my soup. One tbsp gives you two grams of fiber and in the soup it was basically tasteless. I'll have more posts about flax seed. It's great to add to different types of things.  I was also liberal with the spices. We prefer our food to be spicy versus bland.  Makes for good soup!