pumpkin carrot cake

This cake is awesome.  Do you like carrots, coconut, walnuts, pumpkin, vanilla, and pineapple?  Even if you only like one of those things you'll probably still love this cake.  It stays moist and delicious several days later (I'm really amazed we still have any left).  I love the flavor, it's a lovely mix of everything.  Jeff hates carrot cake, and nuts in baked goods and even he really liked this cake.  I love cakes like this.  It needs minimal hardware to make, and is so easy to make, it's almost impossible to screw it up.  Who doesn't love an easy cake?

Even with whole wheat flour, cornmeal, and protein powder in the batter this cake stays soft and sweet.  Yes, there is a lot of sugar, it is a cake after all.  But pretty much everything else in the cake has decent nutrients.  This is probably the most nutrient dense cake that you'll ever taste (and enjoy).  

This recipe is definitely a keeper.  I plan on making again soon.  It isn't sickeningly sweet, but is sweet enough to make the though of frosting completely unnecessary. 

Disclaimer: This is not my original recipe.  I tweaked it a bit from the original recipe found here at the Gold Medal flour site.

Pumpkin Carrot cake

 Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup vanilla whey protein powder
• 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated fresh carrots
• 1 cup crushed pineapple
• 1 cup pure pumpkin
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1-1/2 cups flaked coconut

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a bundt pan. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, protein powder, cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.

3. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. The dough will be very thick at this point.

4. Fold in the pineapple and pumpkin until well combined. Fold in the carrots and then the nuts and coconut until just combined.

5. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until the cake is browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Turn it out onto the wire rack and let cool completely.

  

Notes:

Keep leftover cake refrigerated.

butternut squash and onion flatbread

This is what I would call a version of pizza, but Jeff won't let me.  He says it doesn't count as pizza unless it is smothered in cheese, which this is not.  So I'm just going to call it flatbread.  Just go with it.

I know this looks really simple but it tastes amazing.

Start by sauteing the butternut squash and the onions in separate pans with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt for each.

The onions should end up soft and smell very fragrant.

The squash should end up fork tender and golden.

By sauteing the squash and onions in separate pans, you can take them off the heat as soon as they are done, and it doesn't matter if they are finished at different times.

Roll out your pizza dough, I use The Pioneer Woman's recipe (listed below).  Then make sure to stab it all over with a fork so it doesn't rise too much.

Spread out the squash and onions evenly on your crust.

Sprinkle with parmesan, thyme, and a bit of cayenne.

Bake in a 500 degree F oven for 13-15 minutes, until the crust is golden.

The squash looks a little dark in the photos, but not so much in real life.  It turned out perfectly, soft, but with great texture.  The flatbread in general was so good!  Sweet and savory.

This made a perfect side dish to go with my lentil soup.

One Basic Pizza Crust

Prep Time:

 1 Hour

 

Cook Time:

Difficulty:

 Easy

 

Servings:

 12

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Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon (scant) Active Dry Yeast
• 3/4 cups Warm Water
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 3/4 teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Preparation Instructions

Sprinkle yeast over 3/4 cups warm (not lukewarm) water. Let stand for a few minutes.

In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined, and the dough comes together in a sticky mass.

Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside for 1 to 2 hours, or store in the fridge until you need it.

Note: it’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance.

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butternut squash and onion flatbread

by Liesl August-6-2014

sweet and savory almost-pizza

Ingredients

• 1 dough recipe
• 1/2 medium butternut squash, cubed
• 1 small yellow onion, cut
• 1 tsp thyme
• 2 tbsp parmesan
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp cornmeal
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 pinches salt

Instructions

1. Prep pizza dough according to directions. Meanwhile, in separate pans saute butternut squash and sliced onion in 1 tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt each. Stir often to prevent burning on medium-low heat. When the squash is fork tender and lightly golden, and the onion is soft and fragrant remove from heat.2. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Spread out prepared rolled out dough on baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray and lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Use a fork to stab the dough with tiny holes all over to prevent too much rising. Evenly spread out squash and onion. Top with parmesan, thyme, and cayenne. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the crust has lightly browned. Remove and let sit for 5 minutes before eating.

Details

Prep time: 1 hour 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 1 hour 25 mins Yield: 1 large pizza

manly muffins

Yes, these are my version of a manly muffin.  Jeff thought some of my muffin ideas were super girly (like strawberry basil, or anything containing lavender).  I know so many people are afraid of muffins, "Oh no!  The evil carbs!" but they make such an easy breakfast option!  Usually breakfasts for us are very speedy, or take place while driving to work so they need to be easy to eat one handed.

I do think the name says it all though.  What's manlier than corn muffins with bacon and cheddar?



Big on the bacon and cheese

Sorry about the lack of pictures, but really, all you missed is dumping everything together in a bowl and mixing thoroughly.

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manly muffins

by Liesl July-6-2014

bacon cheddar corn muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 3/4 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cumin
• 5 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Add all ingredients except the cheddar and bacon into a large bowl and mix well. Fold in the cheddar and bacon. 2. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with PAM and divvy up with batter. Bake for 15 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes up clean. Cool before removing from pan.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 20 mins Yield: 12 muffins

polenta fries

I've got a few pantry staples that take up room that I really only use for one or two recipes.  Cornmeal is one of them.  I thought I'd try something new and make fries with them.  I cut mine like steak fries because I like them thick, and I thought they would hold together better if they were thicker.  They turned out pretty yummy.  They obviously don't taste like fries, but they were good (looked a bit like fish sticks), and Liam thought he was pretty cool helping me.

Just like real fries, they go perfectly with ketchup, or just plain.

The rule is 4 cups of liquid and 1 1/2 cups corn meal.  If you're desperate you can use all water, but you'd have to add quite a lot of seasonings to keep the fries from being rather bland.

For liquids I used 2 cups of chicken broth, then a cup each of milk and water.

Add your liquids and corn meal with the salt and stir until the mixture thickens.

Pour the thickened corn meal onto a lipped pan covered in foil and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Try to smooth out the top with the spoon for nicer looking fries.

Take out the cooled pan and cut fries.  Thick ones hold together better, but feel free to make thinner ones .

Spread the fries out on a lipped sheet lined with parchment paper.  Mine look a bit ugly because I manhandled them quite a bit.

Liam helped me drizzle olive oil over the fries, then I seasoned them.

He thought the olive oil and seasonings should be blended in, so he rubbed it all in.

Your fries should look golden and delicious.

Enjoy by themselves, or with ketchup.

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polenta fries

by Liesl July-3-2014

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups corn meal
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp oregano

Instructions

1. Add broth, milk, and water into a large pot with corn meal and salt. Bring to a boil, then let simmer, stirring until thickened. Stir often prevent burning or sticking.2. Pour the polenta into a lipped pan lined with foil. Smooth out the top, then place in the fridge for half an hour.3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cut the polenta into fries and lay them close together on a parchment lined lipped pan. Drizzle olive oil over top and season. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip and bake for an additional 20. Your fries are done when they are golden and smell wonderful. Eat warm alone or with ketchup.

Details

Prep time: 45 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 1 hour 25 mins Yield: 4 servings

tamale pie

It is really crazy how little free time you get with a VERY spirited toddler, a teething baby, a huge "to do" list, an actual job (sometimes), and the list goes on...

I realized I hadn't gotten a chance to post for a bit.  Oops.  Honestly, I would love to have a new post daily, but lately there has been mad chaos in the house.  Fun chaos, don't get me wrong, but chaos none the less.

This tamale pie recipe is one of my go-to recipes for a quick dinner.  It takes less than an hour from start to finish, and most of that time is just baking.  This recipe is great because it only requires a few basic ingredients which I try to keep stocked anyway, and there are a plethora of great add-ins to try depending on your mood (or the state of your pantry!)  I've listed the basic version, but I'll give you a few good extras to try as well.

Another reason why I love tamale pie, well, a few reasons...  It has a yummy comfort food vibe, it is pretty healthy and balances well with a side salad and some fruit, and it makes for great leftovers.  Seriously,  this reheats beautifully which definitely cannot be said of all foods!

The topping looks a bit sparse here because I was in desperate need of a grocery store run, so I cut the topping recipe in half.  I include the picture anyway to show that that is in fact a viable option if you want to make this, but eat fewer carbs.

Since tamale pie makes for great leftovers, and I just love it anyway, I often make a double batch (which works perfectly size wise in a 9x13 casserole dish).

ingredients:
2 tsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can tomato sauce
2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
2 cans (15 oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup corn
3/4 C corn meal
2 C milk (any percent)
1 egg

directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  In a large wide pot heat the oil on medium heat and add the garlic, stirring to avoid burning.  Once garlic has softened, add the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, beans, and corn.  Stir to combine.  Take off heat and pour into an 8x8 oven safe dish.  Set aside.
2.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan stir together the corn meal and milk on medium heat.  Continue to stir to avoid burning and sticking.
3.  In a small bowl crack the egg and whisk with a fork to separate.  Once corn meal mixture has begun boiling and has thickened remove from heat and quickly stir in egg thoroughly.
4.  Pour the topping over the bean mixture, trying to spread evenly.  It should cover or just about cover the entire top of the beans.  Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden.  The crust should still be soft.  Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes.  Don't worry, this dish really holds the heat in.  Eat hot.  Serves 2-4.


extras:
you can change this recipe up a lot by adding one or two ingredients.  I'm sure you can think of plenty original ideas, but these are a few of my favorites.  I only add one of these specific things at a time to my recipe, but feel free to go nuts!

• 1 red bell pepper, diced (add in with the garlic)  SWEET
• 1 small can of sliced black olives (add with the beans)   SALTY
• 1 small can of green chilies (add with the beans)   SPICY
• 1 small container of ground meat (add with the garlic)   MEATY
• 2 C shredded pork (add with the garlic)   MEATY
• 1 C cheddar cheese (sprinkle over the corn meal topping)  CHEESY