Whole grain pizza crust

From my friend, Mo, who made good pizza crust, amidst chaos with 4 kids. Must work.

1.5 c warm water
1.5 T honey or sugar
.5 T dough enhancer (Bosch store)
3/4 c cooked crack grain (kamut, oat groat, wheat, whole millet, whole quinoa) - nutritional option
1.5 c flour (high gluten preferred)
1 T yeast

Mix well. It'll be a little runny. Let it sit and sponge for 10-15 minutes. Then pulse to release air.

Add:
2 T olive oil
2 c flour (to separate sponge from salt)

On top of flour add:
1 t salt

Mix/knead. Add flour a little at a time while mixer is kneading until the dough pulls away and cleans sides and bottom of mixing bowl.

Then knead 10-15 minutes.

Form into a ball (should weigh about 2 lbs). Oil top of ball if you want, let it relax 5-10 minutes. Roll out to desired size and thickness. Place it on a piece of parchment paper. Oil top if you want. Let it rise a bit. Put toppings on. Bake at 450-500 on oven stone for 5-9 minutes.

Lemon Butter Sauce for Salmon

If you like lemony stuff (especially for fish) I could drink this stuff. We had this with salmon cooked on the bbq, orzo pasta with sundried tomatoes, steamed broccoli, and salad with poppyseed dressing. Mmmmm.

1 c dry white wine
3 lemons, peeled and quartered
2 T lemon zest
2 T minced garlic
1 T minced shallots
1 t salt
3 turns freshly ground black pepper
dash Worcestershire sauce
dash hot pepper sauce (optional)
1/2 c heavy cream
1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter cut up, at room temperature
1 T finely chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat a skillet or frying pan over high heat. Add wine, lemons, garlic and shallots and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Break up and mash the softened lemons in the pan with a wooden spoon or a wire whisk.
3. Add the salt, pepper, Worcestershire and hot sauce if using, and stire until the mixture is a little syrupy (about 4 minutes).
4. Add the lemon zest.
5. Stir in the cream and cook for 1 minute at high heat.
6. Reduce the heat to low and add butter, a few tablespoons at a time, while continuing to stir the mixture.
7. Remove the pan from the heat and turn off the range. Keep stirring the sauce to blend in the butter until it is completely melted.
8. Strain the sauce into a bowl; press down on the mixture to extract all the liquid.
9. Stir in the parsley, and serve the sauce warm.

Mango and Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Last night, we came home around dinnertime from a trip, so I wanted to throw something together pretty quick. A little quinoa with extra fruits and vegetables and a vinaigrette put together a pretty filling, vegetarian dish. The leftovers were pretty good too!

*Note: The recipe calls for cooked quinoa. I used about 3/4 cup dry quinoa and cooked it in chicken broth to get the 2 cups cooked (I measured out the two cups cooked and had a bit leftover in the pot).

*Serves 4-6

3/4 c. dry quinoa, rinsed, and cooked in either vegetable or chicken broth. I actually had neither, I so I cooked it in half/half water/pineapple juice to give it some flavor. once cooked, have ready at room temperature or chill it
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium mango, peeled and diced
4 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced
1 cucumber, peeled, quartered, cut into smaller chunks
1 avocado, cut into small chunks
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

4 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar (as needed)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper


Place the cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add mango, cucumber, green onion, black beans, and cilantro.
In a small bowl combine vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice. Whisk until the dressing is smooth and pour on top of salad. Toss to combine and add salt and pepper (add more to taste if desired). Chill the salad for at least one hour before serving.

Mango Avocado Shrimp Salad

The other night for dinner, we made this shrimp salad. It was fresh, filling, so simple to make and really good. The secret was purchasing shrimp already cooked. I grabbed some tequila-lime shrimp for a little extra flavor from the Whole Foods meat department, and the whole meal went together in a few minutes.

Luckily we had some last-minute company to share it with, and although I'd normally pull together a more traditional meal for company, this actually worked out great. A nice evening walk after dinner to the ice cream shop and some great conversation pulled off a great night. Definitely making this again. And so, up it goes on my blog of favorite recipes.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons grapeseed or vegetable oil

1 tablespoon sugar 

2 large firm-ripe mangoes (2 lbs. total)

2 medium firm-ripe avocados (1 lb. total)

2/3 cup each thinly sliced green onion and chopped cilantro 

1 tablespoon minced fresh hot red or green chile (or 1/2 tsp. dried red chile flakes) (I omitted this)

1 pound (70 to 110 per lb.) peeled cooked shrimp

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, oil, and sugar until sugar dissolves.
2. Dice mangoes and avocados into 3/4-in. cubes; add to bowl. Add green onion, cilantro, chile, and shrimp. Mix gently. Serve or cover and chill for up to 1 hour.

adapted from: myrecipes.com

Roast Chicken Salad with Fresh Peaches

This is a perfect summer meal. We loved it and it's making it into my eat again and eat often stash.

• 2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 2 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
• 2 cups sliced peeled peaches 
• 1/2 cup vertically sliced red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 1 (5-ounce) package gourmet salad greens 
• 2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese

Preparation

1. 1. Combine first 8 ingredients; stir with a whisk.
2. 2. Combine chicken and remaining ingredients except cheese in a large bowl. Add vinegar mixture; toss gently. Sprinkle with cheese.

adapted from Cooking Light

Curried Chicken Salad

Every year, J's family gathers at this perfect cabin built more than 50 years ago on a lake in Utah. For a week, we eat, swim, lounge, talk, play, sleep, relax, and eat some more. When Jared's tall and svelte little sister, Bubba, made this recipe, I loved it. Then she reminded me that I'd given her the recipe a few weeks earlier. I'd love to take credit, but I cannot. I just happen to love Cook's Country. And that's where the recipe that we all chowed down came from. Here it is. I'm making it for this week in lunchtime sandwiches. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder (a good curry powder is at www.penzeys.com)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 large rib celery, chopped fine
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1 cup fresh or canned diced pineapple
• 1/2 cup currants
• 1/2 cup pistachios, toasted and chopped
• Table salt
• optional: cut grapes (husband likes these)

Instructions

Mix mayonnaise, lime juice, curry powder, cumin, and coriander in bowl until combined. Toss chicken, celery, onion, pineapple, currants, and pistachios together in bowl. Add mayonnaise mixture and toss until coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Salsa Verde and Creamy Tomatillo sauce

I'm going to give frozen chicken enchiladas a try and these are my two recipes to choose from for salsa verde.

Salsa Verde

Kosher salt
1 lb. tomatillos (about 15 medium), husked and rinsed
3 jalapeños, stemmed and halved lengthwise (seeded, if you like)
1 large yellow onion, half cut into 4 wedges, half chopped
1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tomatillos, jalapeños, and onion wedges; cover and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a blender along with 1/3 cup of the cilantro. Purée until just slightly chunky and season to taste with salt.



Creamy Tomatillo Sauce
 

1 lb. fresh tomatillos, husks and stems removed, rinsed
2 or 3 fresh serrano chiles, cored and seeded, or 1 canned chipotle pepper, seeded
4 slices white onion, each 1/4 inch thick
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
3 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup crème fraîche or heavy cream
3/4 tsp. salt; more to taste

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Position a rack as close to the broiler as possible and heat the broiler. Arrange the tomatillos, fresh chiles (if using), onion slices, and garlic in a small, shallow baking pan. Broil, turning to ensure even cooking, until the tomatillos are soft and slightly blackened, about 10 minutes. Transfer the broiled ingredients to a blender and add the cilantro (if you’re using a canned chipotle, add it now, too). Blend until smooth.
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the tomatillo mixture and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 cups of the broth and simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes. Taste the sauce. It should be a little tart, but it shouldn’t make your mouth pucker. If it’s too tart, add more broth and simmer until the sauce thickens again. Remove from the heat and whisk in the crème fraîche or heavy cream and the salt. Let cool slightly before making the enchiladas.

Make Ahead Tips

The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to a month.