Fruited Bread Basket

This is more of a method than an exact recipe…a completely edible fruity bread basket.  I use a can of refrigerated pizza crust, but any pizza, bread, or pie dough will do.  This basket is berry themed, but any combination of fruit can be used.  Let the florist in you shine!

I make two (approx. 7 inches wide) bread baskets from one can of  pizza crust that has been cut into strips and twisted.  This is not an exact science; make one, two or several smaller baskets.  Just keep in mind, the larger baskets require longer strips of dough which are a little more difficult to handle than shorter ones.  

Fruited Bread Basket

1 13.8 ounce can of refrigerated pizza crust

1 tbsp. butter, melted

1 tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon (or more if you’d like more cinnamon flavor)

cut up fruit of your choosing
a few sprigs of herbs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove pizza dough from can and unroll on a flat work surface.  Gently stretch and shape dough into a rectangle as best as possible.  Use a pizza cutter or a knife to cut nine strips along the length of the dough.  Strips should roughly be 3/4” x 12”.  Cut six of the nine strips in half.  

For the bottom of the basket:

Take one of the half pieces and twist to create a spiral (I hold an end in each hand and twist the ends in opposite directions).  The dough will stretch as you work with it.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Repeat four more times, placing the new spirals underneath the previous ones.  Make sure they come in contact. 

Use a pizza cutter to cut and taper the sides (wider on top, narrow on bottom).  

For the handle:

Twist one of the longer strips and attach handle to the top of the basket.  Note: the longer the handle, the more fruit can be added to the arrangement.

Repeat steps for the second basket.    There should be unused strips which could be used as replacement pieces if needed.

Combine sugar and cinnamon.  Brush the melted butter onto the baskets and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top.  Bake on upper half of oven for about 18 minutes or until golden brown.  Check oven at the 12 minute mark.  If the baskets bake unevenly, cover the dark areas with foil to prevent over browning.  Allow to cool.  Decorate with fruit and herbs.  Makes 2 (approx. 7 inch wide) baskets.   

  

Dinner Cupcake

Here is a fun way to serve barbecue chicken and mashed potato—in the form of a cupcake.  It not only looks pretty, but also allows me to hide vegetables; in this version I tossed in mushrooms and onion.  There is an array of vegetables that would work well…broccoli, cauliflower, corn, and spinach to name a few.  It’s a great way to use leftovers!

My group of little kids love this presentation. 

Dinner Cupcake

1 cup finely diced mushrooms (I like button or baby bellas)

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1 1/2 cup finely diced cooked chicken

about 2 cups mashed potato

1/3 cup honey barbecue sauce

1 heaping teaspoon flour

1/8 tsp. salt 

dash of pepper

olive oil

water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Preheat a medium size skillet on medium heat.  Coat bottom of skillet with olive oil.  Add mushrooms, onion, salt and pepper.  Cook until tender, about 8 - 10 minutes adding a splash of water if the content sticks to skillet.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Sprinkle flour over mixture, stir for about 1 minute.  Add barbecue sauce and water.  Stir to combine.   Blend in chicken and remove from heat.

Place six paper muffin cups on a small cookie sheet (filled cupcakes will be hard to remove if placed in muffin tins).   Distribute filling equally among each cup.  Handle gently to help muffin cups retain their shape.  Scoop mashed potato into a plastic bag, twist the opening closed, and cut a half inch opening off the tip of one corner.   Squeeze about 1/3 cup of potato through the half inch opening in a swirling motion over the chicken filling in each cupcake.  Bake 8 – 10 minutes. 

Cheddar Crackers

Why make your own crackers when you can easily buy them at the store?  I can give you seven good reasons:  flour, cheese, butter, flaxseed, water, salt and pepper.  That’s it!  They are all natural ingredients that we can pronounce.  By making it at home, you can control the amount of salt as well as fiber by using wheat flour and/or adding flax.  It’s actually not as intimidating as it seems.  I have only recently attempted to make crackers and love how simple it is.  I promise, you won’t have a hard time finding taste testers!   

I got this recipe from HomeCooking in Montana who cited Savory Seasoning as her source.   When trying out a recipe, I like to cut it in half whenever possible to avoid waste in the event that it does not turn out right or it doesn’t suit my taste.  I followed the cracker recipe (mostly) as written, but cut the ingredients in half and added flaxseed (of course).  The crackers are supposed to taste like Cheez It or Goldfish.  To, me it tastes more like the former.  Either way, it is very appetizing. 

In these photos I used ½ to ¾ inch fondant molds that can be found in a kitchen or craft store.  They make cute little perfectly sized crackers for young children, but they are time consuming to mold.  Using slightly larger molds, a pastry or pizza wheel, or cutting freehand will save time.  As Ellie from Home Cooking in Montana recommends, chill the dough before cutting out shapes, and chill it again just before baking if the dough has been worked on a while to allow for maximum cracker puffiness. 

This is a perfect recipe to make with the kids on a rainy day.

Cheddar Crackers 

(Adapted Home Cooking in Montana.  My version is half the original recipe.)

1/2 cup all purpose or wheat flour (I used all purpose)

1/4 heaping tsp. salt

2-3 tsp. golden flaxseed meal (optional)

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

2 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

4 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese (I like to use freshly grated)

about 2 tbsp. cold water

Pulse the flour, salt and pepper, then add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add grated cheese a little at a time until the mixture again resembles coarse meal.

Slowly add 1½ tablespoon water while pulsing.  If the mixture does not come together, add a little more until it forms into a ball.  This process will take about a minute or two. 

Place dough in a plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes or up to 24 hours.  Place dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper and roll out to 1/8” thickness, the desired thickness for maximum puffiness and crispiness.  Use molds, a pastry or pizza wheel, or knife to cut out shapes.  Transfer cutouts onto a greased cookie sheet.  Chill in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. 

Place cookie sheet on the top or second-down-from-the-top shelf of a preheated 350 degrees F oven. The bottom of the crackers will brown too quickly on the lower shelves.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crackers are golden brown.  Place crackers on paper towels to cool.  Makes about 5 to 6 ounces of crackers. 

Crazy Cake Cupcakes

There is a type of cake called Crazy Cake or Wacky Cake.  It does not contain butter or eggs and gets its leavening from chemical reactions between the baking soda and vinegar.  If you have ever had one, you know that it is absolutely moist and delicious and that you would never know there was anything different about it. 

What I love about this type of cake is that it’s so simple to prepare.  My twist on it is the addition of avocado.  Although avocado contains fat, the majority of it is in the form of monounsaturated fat (the good fat).  Avocado is also  heart-healthy, a good source of fiber, and is rich in vitamins.

And, no exaggeration, you can’t taste the avocado in this cupcake, and I mean not even a hint of it!

This is a quick, no fuss, feel-good-about-eating cupcake for any occasion.  I top it with a ganache or a dusting of powdered sugar.  To keep my ganache on the lighter side, I use milk instead of the more commonly used heavy cream.

Crazy Cake Cupcakes

1 1/2 cup flour

2 tbsp. flaxseed meal

1 tbsp. Stevia Powder

1/2 cup sugar (if you want to omit Stevia, use 1 cup sugar)

1/2 to 2/3 medium avocado, well mashed with fork

3 tbsp. cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tbsp. vinegar

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup cold water

Ganache:

¼ cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 scant tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Use a whisk to blend.  Make three holes in mixture.  Put oil in one hole, vanilla in the second, and vinegar in the third.  Add water and avocado.  Blend using a whisk (about 50 strokes).  Line a muffin tin with baking liners or coat with cooking spray.  Fill each cup 2/3 full with batter.  Bake about 16 - 18 minutes.  Allow to cool.

To make the ganache, place chocolate chips and milk in a small microwaveable bowl.  Microwave for 20 seconds.  Stir until smooth.  If needed, microwave for an additional 10 seconds and stir.  Spread over top of the cupcakes.  Store ganache topped cupcakes in the refrigerator. 

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Baked Coconut Chicken Tenders

I love coconut, but I know many little kids who do.  The only other person in my household who liked coconut was my daughter, but somehow she has grown out of favor with it over the years.  However, the entire family does like to eat coconut shrimp and coconut chicken.  In my attempt to also share my love of coconut with the daycare children, I came up with my version of coconut chicken for them.  

The one thing that I discovered about kids and chicken is if it looks like nuggets or chicken strips, but appears a little odd, many of the children will be reluctant to even try them.  There will be THE LOOK, the one that clearly says, “Ewww! I’m not going to eat THAT!”  My strategy is to make the chicken look as much as possible like the ubiquitous nuggets and strips in order to entice them to try it.

My secret to achieving this is to alter the look of the coconut.  Shredded coconut usually gives the chicken a bristly look, one that children would not associate with nuggets.  To remedy this, I fine-chop the coconut in the food processor, resolving the bristly appearance.

To provide additional goodness, I added flaxseed for fiber, lignans (antioxidants) and Omega-3s and almonds for healthy fats, vitamin E, potassium and magnesium.  Why not, right?  Just make sure that no one has nut allergies before serving.

These baked tenders actually look as if they were fried.  My secret is to toast the coconut and panko crumbs first to give the tenders an absolutely delicious golden brown finish without frying and without drying out the chicken.  The result, baked coconut chicken that looks good enough for all kids, big and small, to enjoy!

I tested this recipe a couple of times with my group of one, two and three year olds.  Although some of the kids embraced it, others were not impressed.  Even with the mildly favorable results with the youngest of children, I decided to post this recipe because it was a hit with the older kids and adults and actually won over non-coconut lovers.

 

Baked Coconut Chicken Tenders

2 lbs. chicken tenters (about 14 pcs)

1 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut

2/3 cup panko crumbs

1/3 cup slivered almonds

2 tbsp. flaxseed meal

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 eggs + 2 tbsp. water

Pinch of salt and pepper
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Bake coconut and panko separately on greased cookie sheets.  Panko crumbs will take about 4 minutes to become golden brown and the coconut about 5 minutes.  Keep a close eye as they will brown quickly.  Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

Place coconut and almonds in food processor and grind until crumbly.

Combine coconut, panko, and almonds on a plate.  On another plate, combine flour, flaxseed meal, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Beat eggs and water, a pinch of salt and pepper to make an egg wash in a third plate.

 toasted coconut

coconut and panko crumb mixture

To assemble chicken, dip each piece first in the flour mixture, then egg mixture, then coconut mixture.  Placed on a greased cookie sheet.  Generously spray the top of the tenderloins with cooking spray.  Bake for about 20 minutes, turning over after 12 minutes.  Smaller pieces of tenderloin might be done around 20 minutes while the larger pieces might require a couple of additional minutes.  To test for doneness, make a small slit in the thickest part of the chicken; it should no longer be pink.

Serve with heated apricot preserve, sweet and sour sauce, or a sauce of your choosing.

Banana Peaches and Cream Pancake

                                                                                                                                                                   QP3T3X6G3R3P

Start the family's morning right with delicious and fruit packed pancakes.  The banana and peaches make them perfectly moist.  I freeze leftovers for a quick, convenient breakfast at a later time.

Banana Peaches and Cream Pancake

1 cup flour

2 tbsp. golden flaxseed

1 tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1 ¼ tsp. baking powder

1 egg slightly beaten

1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp. vegetable oil

15 oz. can peach slices in 100% juice, drained and pureed (use only 3/4 cup of the puree)

1 ripe medium banana, pureed

Combine dry ingredients.  Add remaining ingredients until blended, be careful not to over mix.  Preheat a large skillet on medium heat.  Spray skillet with cooking spray.  For each pancake, pour 1/4 cup batter to skillet, spreading in circular motion with a spoon.  Leave a couple inches of space between each pancake.  Allow the bottom to turn lightly brown and top to slightly bubble, turn over pancake and cook for an additional 1 -2 minutes.  Repeat until all of the batter is used up.  Makes about ten 4-5 inch pancakes.

Topping options:

My favorite topping is margarine, light whipped cream and a dusting of powdered sugar. Or, serve with heated (to liquefy) peach preserves and light whipped cream.   Or, use your own creativity and have fun with the topping!

Garbanzo Bean Crust Pizza with Turkey Pepperoni

My teenage kids were the first set of guinea pigs for this creation.  My son was reluctant to try it declaring, “No, it looks like hummus!” when he saw the uncooked batter.  But, immediately after taking the first bite of the pizza, both he and his sister asked for more.  The only problem, there were no more! I made only a small sample batch to avoid waste in the event it didn’t go well.  Delighted by the kids’ enthusiasm, I immediately whipped up a new batch from scratch.  My husband, who can be harder to feed than the daycare children because he is acutely aware that my creations tend to have secret ingredients that are good for him, also gave the pizza a thumbs up.

I had a good feeling the little daycare children would like the pizza as well.  My feelings were confirmed; the kids loved it. They devoured it like they would any other pizza.

Now, why bother with garbanzo bean flour?  Per serving, it contains 5 times more fiber and twice as much protein as regular all purpose flour.  This is such an easy switch with big rewards.

For the topping, turkey pepperoni is a great choice at 70% less fat than regular pepperoni (at least that’s what the packaging claims) and has only 70 calories for 17 slices compared to 140 calories for 14 slices of regular pepperoni.  So, when you must have something salty, chewy, and meaty on your pizza, reach for the turkey pepperoni!

In this recipe, I used a small quantity of regular flour because it really balances the flavor of the bean flour.  It definitely makes a big difference in taste, but feel free to leave it out for a gluten free crust.

Garbanzo Bean Crust Pizza with Turkey Pepperoni

Pizza Dough:

1 cup garbanzo bean flour

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. flaxseed

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 cup water

Topping:

1 cup shredded pizza cheese

1 cup pizza sauce

about 3 oz. turkey pepperoni

Thoroughly combine all dough ingredients in a medium bowl.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes.  Dough should be the consistency of pancake batter.   

Preheat skillet on medium heat.  Move skillet off heat and spray skillet with cooking spray.  Add 1/4 cup batter.  Swirl pan in circular motion or use a spoon to spread batter to 1/8 inch thickness.  Place back on heat and cook until golden brown on bottom, about 2-3 minutes.  Spray cooking spray on the top of  the crust. Turn crust over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.  Makes about eitght 5-inch individual crusts.  Crusts can be made ahead of time an frozen for convenience.

Layer each crust with about 1 tablespoon of pizza sauce, 2 tablespoons cheese, and 5-6 pepperoni.  Place pizzas on a greased cooking sheet and broil on high for about 2 minutes or until cheese becomes slightly golden and bubbly.