Cheesy Baked Grits for Christmas Dinner

This is especially for niece Heather.

Cheesy Baked Grits is/are a family favorite for our Christmas Dinner. They are delicious hot and also as they cool down on a buffet.

4 C. water
1 C. grits
1 t. salt
1/3 C. butter
6 drops Tabasco hot sauce
3 eggs
2 C. sharp cheddar cheese

Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the grits and salt and bring back to a boil and cook for minute or two. This tends to splatter so I use a hot mit while I stir with a whisk.

Take off of the heat and whisk in the butter and Tabasco sauce.
Have eggs ready to pour in all at once while whisking.
Add the cheddar and whisk that in until smooth.

Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 casserole dish with some kind of cover.

Bake at 275 for 1 hour. Cover the baking dish for 50 minutes, and then uncover it for the final 10 minutes.

If you choose a smaller deeper casserole, then it will need a longer baking time. This casserole re-heats very well too.

I've also used cornmeal and loved it. The basic recipe is quite versatile.

Brian's Old Smokey Chili

My nephew Brian is know for this special chili recipe

Ingredients

¼ Cup Olive oil

½ onion, chopped (chunky)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 T chili powder

1t paprika

1T cumin

1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 can chopped tomatoes with mild green chilies
1 can black beans
1 can red beans, drained
 ¼ cup corn meal
2 cans green chilies
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 pound ground turkey
1½ t liquid smoke

4 or 5 rings jalapenos rings

¼ cup vinegar
1 large chunk roasted red pepper

Instructions
Start by drizzling one “ring” of oil around the bottom of the pot.
Add the garlic (fresh from the press) and onions. Let them sauté while you drain the garbanzo beans. Stir occasionally. After draining the garbanzos, add in the ground turkey with the onions and garlic. Let it cook and absorb the flavor.

As they sauté, mash the garbanzo the beans on a plate or cutting board until they are a thick paste. Finely chop the jalapeños and carefully mix into the garbanzo paste with the masher. Pour just a smidgen of the jalapeño pickle juice into the meat and onion mix.

Dump in the garbanzo/jalapeno paste and mix thoroughly until the mix is uniform. Turn down the heat, because the chili is very thick. Stir in the chili powder, the cumin, and the paprika. Next, dump in the tomatoes. This will add more liquid to the chili, so you can turn the heat back up. Let the chili simmer for a minute or two. Then mix in the black beans, juice and all. Once they are mixed in, drain the kidney beans and add them in.
Let it simmer for another minute, and then add both cans of green chilies.

Let it simmer some more. Once the juice comes to the top, plop in the brown sugar (lightly packed) next add a little less than ¼ cup cornmeal.

Next, add the vinegar, ¼ cup. Add the remaining oil. After that, add in the 1 and ½ teaspoon of liquid smoke. Let it simmer for a minute again, and then add the finishing touch, the roasted red pepper. Chop it up into small squares.

You are done with the ingredients. Now let it cook until it begins to smell really good (It should already smell good, but after it cooks for a little, A delicious smell almost like barbeque will become more prominent.) This is when you know it is ready to eat.

Extra tips:
- using a rimmed plate is best for mashing the garbanzos, as they won’t spill.
- make sure to mix the jalapenos really well, you don’t want any clumps.
- be sure to get all the green chilies, they really make the chili

-Do not be afraid of the jalapeños, there are so many other ingredients that the chili does not get too spicy.

-Same thing for the chili powder (It looks like a lot.)

-Use a large pot, the last time I made the chili was a double recipe, and I cannot remember if the normal recipe will fit in a small pot.

-Feel free to modify (improve) the chili. I am always happy to have better chili. In fact, I think the next time I make it I will try adding some Texas Pete. I would suggest trying the chili normally before you make many changes, so you can tell me what you think about it. (Please do)
Happy chili making!

Salmon Salad-A Quick Summer Supper-for two

1/2 C. chopped fermented dilled carrots
2 spring onions sliced diagonally
1 Can drained Salmon with all the skin and bones included
2 T. Vinaigrette dressing.

2 Stalks celery sliced diagonally.
1 Red bell pepper cut into sixths, roasted or fried.

2 Eggs- hardboiled and sliced for garnish.
2 Tomatoes sliced for garnish.

Fresh ground pepper over everything.
No salt is needed because the salmon has enough.

Mix the salmon with everything except the tomatoes and eggs. Place on the plate with tomatoes, eggs, and roasted peppers for garnish.

This "recipe" was constructed from the items I had on hand. I do like to keep salmon in the pantry and I always have eggs, celery, and fermented carrots. The onions were from the garden and the tomatoes were very good ones from the grocery, not actually in season and were the red peppers.

If I'd had radishes, they would have gone in and probably a few chopped leaves of spinach for more color. Potatoes would have been very good on the side. I would have fried them with the peppers in coconut oil. I've been enjoying warmer weather cooking which includes cold and hot on the same plate. The salmon salad was cold and the peppers and eggs were warm. A very nice salad composé.

Baked Oatmeal

When I made this recipe for the first time, I thought that it must need liquid added before baking, so I did. I like the results but I've double checked the original recipe from Candace and indeed there is no additional liquid. I like the mistake.

Soak overnight:

3 C. Oatmeal
1 1/2 C. Yogurt
1/2 C. water

Next morning, stir together:

1/2 C. melted butter
2 eggs
1/2 C. Sucanat or organic sugar, possibly maple syrup, or nothing if you like savory.

Add:

1 1/2 t. Baking Powder
1 t.Soda
1 t. Salt
1/2 C. Raisins
4 1/2 C. Milk-(this was not in the original recipe)


8" by 13" glass pan
350 degrees
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Oven Baked Pancake - Sprouted Wheat

1 C. Whole wheat pastry flour ideally made with sprouted wheat .
1 C. Milk
3 eggs
1/2 t. Vanilla
1/4 t. Sea Salt

6 T Butter
1 T Sucanat or unrefined sugar
3/4 C. fruit like blueberries or cherries.

Pre-heat oven to 400 and melt the butter in a 9 x 13 pan while heating.
Mix the first 5 ingredients and pour into hot baking pan.
Sprinkle fruit and sugar on top and return to oven.
Bake for 20 - 25 min.

It is better to use fresh or thawed fruit otherwise the frozen fruit seems too cold to allow proper puffing. This recipe is similar to Yorkshire pudding and the French dessert Clafoutis aux cerises. They all puff in a dramatic way that makes the baking a spectacle.

I serve this with Maple Syrup or cream.

YUM

Hot Dog Chili - Texas Pete

Hot Dog Chili – Texas Pete

1 lb. Ground beef
7/8 C. Onions chopped
2 t. Chili powder
2 t. Paprika
1/3 C. Texas Pete hot sauce
2/3 C. Tomato Sauce
6 oz. lard

Brown beef
Add everything except tomatoes
Cook using very low heat for 45 minutes, uncovered.

Add tomatoes
Cook one more hour using very low heat, uncovered.

To top hot dogs, use yellow mustard, chopped onions, and this chili sauce.

Mayonnaise - No Mess Version

In a wide mouth pint mason jar:

2 yolks from pastured chicken eggs
1 T. raw vinegar or lemon juice
1 t. Dijon mustard
1/2 t. salt - unrefined
1/4 t. white pepper - optional
1/2 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 C. Expeller pressed Sesame oil
1 clove garlic sliced into 4 pieces

I actually use the markings on the jar to measure these ingredients into the jar so that there is no mess.

Put the stick blender down into the bottom of the jar and hold firmly while turning on the blender and slowly drawing it up to the top of the liquid. The mayonnaise is formed almost instantly. Push it up and down several times to make sure the garlic clove is blended. This recipe makes such a good flavored mayo with really quality oils that are not in danger of being rancid. I've kept this mayonnaise for weeks without any problems. You can store it in the same jar you made it in, thus the "no mess". All you have to wash is the blade part of the blender!

Sprouted Grain Flour Tortillas

I'm excited to taste my new experiment with sprouted wheat/spelt. I sprouted them separately and then ground them together-keeping the flour in the freezer.

Flour tortillas:

2 C. flour-sprouted grain
1 t. salt-unrefined
1/4 C. Lard - Update: or use 5 T. Butter and cut back on the water by a teaspoon.
1/2 C. Water-warm

Toss with fork to make a stiff dough and knead thoroughly. Coat with olive oil, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours. Divide into 8 pieces and roll out using arrowroot.

Heat a griddle to a medium hot setting and cook each tortilla for about 25 seconds on each side. I used a cast iron griddle and just left it hot between each tortilla because it took me more time than that to roll each one out. I did roll several and stacked them raw while the skillet heated up and that worked too. I spread butter on each as I removed it and stacked them, covering them with a towel.

These are delicious and the texture is very soft and pliable, not what I expected from whole grain dough! I believe the sprouting caused several enhancements in the grain. Neutralizing the phytates (an important nutritional process), taking the bitterness out of the flavor, and allowing the soft texture.

Update 2-6-2010 I did use butter for a batch and increased from 4 T to 5 T since butter has water in it and lard doesn't. I also learned that the ball of dough should be like soft playdoh which rolls out much faster and more easily. I used arrowroot to roll them and found that I could stack all 8 tortillas in their raw state before I began to fry them on the dry griddle.

Hermits - Extraordinary Cookies

1 C. Sucanat or brown sugar
1/2 C. Butter, unsalted (one stick)
1/3 C. Molasses
1 Egg

2 C. Sprouted whole wheat flour measure 2 C. if freshly ground or 1 & 3/4 C. if frozen
1/2 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Baking Soda
1 t. Cinnamon
1 t. Ginger
1/4 t. Nutmeg-freshly grated
1/2 t. Salt-unrefined
1/8 t. Cloves-ground

1 C. Currants or Raisins (I like currants best)

Mix softened butter and sugar, then add egg until fluffy.
Add molasses and mix.

Mix dry ingredients together and add to butter-sugar-egg-molasses mixture at a low speed.
Add currants and mix briefly.

Spoon onto two parchment covered baking sheets with two strips on each sheet. Smear the dough into 1 1/2 inch wide strips the length of the pans, but not to the edges.

Bake at 350º for 13-15 minutes.

Cool for 5 minutes and then cut into diagonal strips, finish cooling and pack into a tin between parchment paper and store in a cool room.

Sprouted Flour

I've learned to sprout grains to neutralize the phytates on the surface which are anti-nutrients when we eat whole grains that are not properly soaked. This also increases digestibility.

2 C. white whole wheat berries in
1/2 gallon jar
Warm water

I put this jar above my stove where the light keeps it warm-especially in the winter.
Soak overnight or 12 hours.

Pour out the water using a special mesh lid for the wide-mouth jar or a strainer if you don't have this.

Rinse several times a day until you see the sprout budding from the grain. I consider them perfect just before the tail flips out and becomes hair-like.

After each rinsing, drain well and keep jar on it's side with plenty of ventilation.

Drain when ready and layer on solid or small mesh screens in a dehydrator. If I didn't have a dehydrator, I'd dry the berries on a towel and put on a cookie sheet in the oven at the lowest temperature possible.

Put in dehydrator and leave on for about 8 hours. I always chew one to make sure it's hard and not wet so that my grain mill will have no problem.

Grind grains into flour and freeze for things like:

Cookies-Hermits are my favorite just now.
White sauce
Short bread
Pie crust

Sprouted flour is so useful where there is no liquid in a recipe to soak the grains. 2 C. of grain yields about 3 1/2 C. flour.

Lasagna with Gluten Free Soba Pasta

I learned to make soba (buckwheat and gluten-free) noodles from Kimi at Nourishing Gourmet. Two changes I made were to add 1 1/2 t. salt after I had soaked the mixture for 36 hours along with 1 T. arrowroot powder to help with the flexibility. It was no problem to work these things into the dough. There is no gluten to tense up and resist. I used arrowroot to dust the board and rolling pin.

Update 1-24-2010: I made soba noodles with great success when I ground my own buckwheat but when I bought buckwheat flour, it was very different. It was much darker and had a strong flavor when I cooked a test noodle. I didn't end up using the dough. I'm researching why this would be. I find my own ground flour to be delicious, but not the purchased flour. I don't know why yet.

I got my regular lasagna ingredients together and then rolled out the pasta onto a board, cut it into wide noodles (just like commercial lasagna noodles) and layered them into the casserole dish raw, along with everything else. I did wait to top with fresh mozzarella until it had baked for 45 minutes. If I don't do that, the mozzarella browns too much for me.

Tomato sauce with oregano and basil.
Sauteed hamburger, seasoned with salt (1 t./lb.)
White sauce made with sprouted whole wheat flour.
Collard Greens-cut up and raw
Soba noodles cut wide like lasagna
Peas-just a few sprinkled in.
Mushrooms-sauteed
Mozzarella cheese-fresh sliced
Cheddar cheese-I still like a little cheddar in my lasagna even though it's not authentic.

Layer the above ingredients and bake for 45 min.
Add mozzarella and cheddar cheeses and bake 15 to 20 min. more.

Cool a bit before eating-for best flavor.

Citrus Salad

I came up with this when I needed a salad but had no typical salad ingredients. I had several types of citrus fruit left after the holidays and these needed to be used. I peeled most of the fruit with a sharp knife and sliced the flesh so it was chunky.

Grapefruit
Blood Oranges
Clementines
Navel Oranges
Lime
Avocado
Celery
Red Onions

Balsamic Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt

The balsamic vinegar does color the fruit in a rather odd way, but this is delicious. A big surprise to me. The onion added so much good flavor.