Whole Wheat French Toast Casserole

Want comfort food on a cold snowy morning without the guilt? Whamo!

• 1 small loaf of hearty crusty whole wheat bread (the kind from the bakery, not the soft stuff)
  
• 10 eggs
• 3 cups unsweetened soy milk (most recipes call for 3 cups of half & half. Seriously?!)
  
• 1 tablespoon Sugar in the Raw
  
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I know it seems like a lot, but it was good)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I did way more)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• real maple syrup
  

Cut the bread up into 1 inch cubes and dump into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Mix the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and pour over bread.

Bake at 350 for 45 or so minutes (I'm at 9,000 feet so I did about an hour), until the egg is cooked and the bread is browned. I took it out, lightly drizzled grade B organic maple syrup over it and returned it to the oven and turned the oven off. I did this because I wanted the syrup flavor there, without adding additional syrup to our portions. (I'm terrified of sugars and hate adding them, can't you tell?)

It was delicious. We didn't add butter or syrup to our servings because the flavors were balanced. Perfect for a cold, snowy morning where you end up sitting around in sweats and drinking coffee until 1pm. Next time I'll add orange zest and maybe a few raisins. You really can't mess this up.

Chicken and Whole Wheat Dumplings

This picture sucks, I know.

Jesse was really sick this weekend and requested chicken and dumplings. I got the recipe from his mom (she's the queen of this dish) and made it with the things we had. (ex: whole wheat flour instead of enriched white)

I was actually nervous in my own kitchen making this! Normally I'm the confident boss over all things culinary in my home, but I was keeping my fingers crossed that my chicken and dumplings would pass the test. I'm not kidding, his mom's is awesome.

• 3 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts
• large onion, diced
• 2-3 ribs celery, diced
• Tony Chacheres seasoning
• Chicken stock (I had and used "Not-Chick'n" cubes because I swear, they taste better)
• 3 large carrots, diced
• 1 medium Yukon Gold potato
• Frozen peas
• can of corn
• handful of fresh green beans, about an inch long
• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour, double sifted
• 4-8 eggs
• Salt and pepper
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Bay leaves
• Sage
• Marjoram

Saute onion and celery in extra virgin olive oil and 1.5 tbsp butter until done. Add chicken and 1/2 stock and 1/2 water and boil. I added Tony Chacheres for flavor as well as salt and pepper.

When chicken is done, remove it and set aside. Add more broth if needed. Add the carrots, potatoes and cook until almost done. Add peas, corn and green beans. Add rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, sage and marjoram. I measured each with my palm, so season to your taste.

Dumplings: Add eggs one at a time to the flour and mix with a fork until a consistency you prefer. (I think I ended up using 6 eggs?) Drop the dumpling dough into the boiling soup with a tablespoon- I ended up with about 12-15 large dumplings. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Jesse's mother wrote: "your dumplings should look like heavenly clouds of goodness".

Add cut up chicken and cook for another 20 minutes or more for the soup to thicken.

I was impressed. It turned out great and I'll definitely be making it again.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Prune Decadence Cake

Maximus' 3rd birthday was a couple days ago and you all know I'm incapable of feeding him even a birthday cake that isn't somewhat healthy. Each morning as he waits for his oatmeal to cook, he gets a prune in his mouth and one in each hand. The kid loves his morning prunes and it would be impossible for him to leave the house without eating 3. With that in mind, I set off to make a cake that incorporated prunes.

I asked what he wanted on top of his cake and he (in his adorable little language) said: blueberries, strawberries, bananas, cold pineapple, prunes and raisins. Alrighty then.

I used an old recipe that I worked with when I was a sous chef and made some substitutions and additions. Keep in mind that I live at 9,000 feet, so decrease the flour by 1/4 cup and lessen the boiling water if you live anywhere else.

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I used half whole wheat and half quinoa flour and sifted together twice)
2/3 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened (Earth Balance works great)
1 cup Sugar in the Raw
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 vegan sour cream
handful of pureed prunes (they break down better with water or simple syrup)
1/2 cup boiling water

Convection ovens work best, but use what you have- preheat to 375. Grease and flour a 9" cake pan. Sift the flours, baking soda, salt and cocoa together and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar for 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Add vanilla and beat again.

Gradually stir in the sifted flour mixture in approximate thirds, alternating each time with 1/4 cup of the vegan sour cream. (It doesn't have to be vegan- it's what we had and I prefer)

Stir in the boiling water. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 23 minutes. Don't wreck this by over baking! Allow to cool and frost with whatever you want. I used a traditional chocolate frosting made with soy milk, vanilla, butter and 1/4 of the powdered sugar a typical recipe calls for.

Accidental 8-Minute Masterpiece

Maximus did 8 runs on his snowboard down the bunny hill at Keystone Resort today, so when we got home he was STARVING. So hungry he was asking for "mac en tease en bean en wice en nolk (milk)". We didn't have any boxed Annie's mac and cheese, so I whipped some up myself.

No joke, this took less than 8 minutes. (The power-boil feature on my stove made it speedy)

I'm a weirdo about dairy and I hate using a lot of it. It makes me sick, but not the others that live here, so they get to taste my experiments...I don't know if that's a good or bad thing? I had a half bag of some weird spinach and beet pasta spirals, so I boiled that and then added the following after I drained it:

1 tbsp Light Earth Balance spread
1 crushed up vegan chicken bouillon cube (used as "cheese" powder)

a tiny splash of unsweetened soy milk

a pinch of sharp white cheddar (maybe a tbsp total, or less)
a heavy pinch of Daiya (this stuff is epic)
Mix it all together and it gets all stringy and gooey like mac and cheese. Maximus devoured it saying, "Mama make mac en tease scwatch...me wuv taste!" Maximus approved.

Childhood Obesity

I read a few articles about childhood obesity this morning. Wow. Sick.

I'd rather my son break his arm from doing something outdoors than sitting on the couch and shoving junk into his mouth.

It's called prevention. DO SOMETHING. As a parent, it's your job to give your child all the opportunities you can. And I believe it's abuse if you don't.

Pumpkin Dip

Who doesn't love pumpkin treats?! I love it so much that I can eat an entire can of plain pumpkin puree. Yep, the whole thing. Today I made my second batch of pumpkin dip for an event tonight and maaaaan...it's good stuff. The stuff I made today uses neufchatel cheese (a healthier alternative to cream cheese) and Tofutti vegan cream cheese. Don't be all afraid of vegan stuff- you cannot taste the difference in this recipe. Next time I make this, I'm using all vegan! I'm sorry about the measurements listed below...I just add without measuring until it tastes right.

1 8oz package neufchatel cheese, softened
1 8oz container Tofutti vegan cream cheese, softened
1 small can of plain pumpkin puree
a heaping tablespoon ground cinnamon
maybe a tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
less than a teaspoon ground gloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup (I think) Sugar in the Raw (use this- the texture is better)

Blend all this up in a food processor until smooth. Adjust the spices until it's wonderful and serve with dark chocolate covered pretzels or whole wheat gingersnaps.

I mean, duh.

I was in the grocery store today and had to hold my tongue. Two women stood in the bread isle, comparing breads. One was Sarah Lee white and the other was Oroweat Whole Wheat. They came to the conclusion that the Sara Lee white was the HEALTHIER OPTION because it had far less calories, zero fat and fewer carbs. Yet, it contains high fructose corn syrup and the flour has been enriched (highly processed white flour "enriched" is missing the two most nutritious and fiber rich parts of the seed: the outside bran layer and the germ embryo. A diet of refined foods leaves many people malnourished, constipated, enervated and vulnerable to chronic illness. Popping fiber, vitamins and mineral supplements, in the hope of compensating for what's missing from our diet will not work. For just as "enriching" refined flour with spray-on nutrients can't make up for those lost during refining. SUPPLEMENTS CAN NEVER REPLACE WHOLE "REAL" FOODS.)...but as long as it is fat free it's healthy, right?! This is why "diet food" totally sucks and will make you fatter!

I started researching food online and came across this totally basic, no brainer list:

Of course everyone eats this stuff sometimes. A brownie here, a slice of pizza- nothing wrong with moderation. But if you're consuming these ingredients daily, it'll affect your mood and your health. Check the labels. These ingredients are in everything these days.

1. Hydrogenated oil (often labeled as trans fat) - A process that turns free flowing oil into a lard-looking solid at room temperature. The food industry uses it to increase shelf life of products and maximize profits. Eating this stuff increases the bad cholesterol (LDL) in your body and is bad for your heart.

2. Enriched flour – All the grain’s nutrients are destroyed in the refining process. Companies add a little bit of the lost nutrients back and label it “enriched” so it seems nutritious.

3. High Fructose Corn Syrup – Your body processes this differently than good old-fashioned cane sugar. It contains more fructose than sugar and converts to fat more easily, which adds to weight gain.

4. Refined Sugar – When you put sugar into your system, you experiences a “sugar high,” that rapidly raises your blood sugar levels. So 2 hours later you “crash,” feeling tired and empty. Sugar that’s naturally combined with fat or fiber sources, like in fresh fruits, will absorb into your body much slower. Then you can avoid the roller coaster sugar ride.

5. Saturated Fats – These are found mostly in animal products and oils. Avoid the ones that are solid at room temperature like lard. They increase your cholesterol levels and clog your precious arteries, which causes cardiovascular disease. Plus they can also be used for furniture polish - how appetizing is that?