Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (Bread Machine)

From www.recipezaar.com

1 3/8 cups whole wheat flour (3/8 cup = 6 Tbsp)
3/4 cup bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup water
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Place ingredients in bread pan fitted with kneading paddle. Select Dough/Pizza Dough cycle. When completed, deflate dough and use to make your favorite pizza.

Try #1 - March 6, 2010
Placed ingredients in order listed in my bread maker manual - dry first, then wet, then yeast into yeast dispenser. Decided not to add Italian seasoning this time.

Dough came out great! Needed hardly any extra flour to roll it out. Turned out a funny shape, but baked and rose well. I didn't prebake the crust, and it turned out fine. I did it on 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Next time I think I will try adding the seasoning, to give the crust a little more flavor. A fairly thin crust (but not super thin), just the way we like it.

Try #2 - March 19, 2010
Added the Italian seasoning this time - definitely an improvement.

Pumpkin Enchiladas

From Angela's blog

½ rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded
6 scallions, thinly sliced
1 can black beans (or 1 ½ cups cooked)
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 cups pumpkin puree (or 1 15oz. can)
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 jalapeno chile, quartered (remove ribs and seeds for less heat, if desired)
1 tsp. chili powder
8 corn tortillas (6-inch) (I can usually get at least 10 tortillas filled)
1 ½ cup (6 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, beans and scallions. Season generously with salt and pepper; set aside.
2. In a blender, puree the pumpkin, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, 2 ½ cups water, 2 teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper until smooth (hold the top firmly as the blender will be quite full).
3. Pour 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of an 8-inch square (or other shallow 2-quart) baking dish.
4. Lay the tortillas on a work surface; mound the chicken mixture on half of each tortillas, dividing evenly. Roll up each tortillas into a tight log; place seam side down over the sauce in the baking dish.
5. Pour the remaining sauce on top; sprinkle with the cheese. Place the dish on a baking sheet; bake until the cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbling; 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Try #1 - November 7, 2010
This was pretty good. I made a few changes based on what I had - fresh pumpkin, regular onion instead of scallions (next time I would try to use scallions or else saute the onions a bit first - they didn't cook very much and were a bit too strong for my taste), 1/2 a green pepper instead of jalapeno, and 8 homemade flour tortillas. The pumpkin mixture was interesting - the spices changed it from sweet to savory. I did feel like something was missing though... I think the jalapeno (or diced green chiles) would definitely give it a good kick, and perhaps next time I would add cheese (or sour cream or yogurt) to the chicken filling.

Chicken Enchiladas

1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cooked small chicken breasts, shredded (or the equivalent amount from a whole roasted chicken) - I used 3 large chicken breasts
1 4oz. can diced green chilies - I used a 7 ounce can
1 cup chunky salsa, divided
4 oz. cream cheese
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 cup total Cheddar and Monteray Jack cheeses, divided
8-10 tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 350. Heat large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add chicken, green chilies, 1/4 cup of the salsa, cream cheese, cilantro and cumin; mix well. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese; mix well.
2. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture on each tortillas; roll up. Place, seam-side down, in 13x 9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining 3/4 cup salsa and remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
3. Bake 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

Source: Let's Eat!

Try #1 - March 11, 2010
YUMMY!!! I made my own tortillas, too, since I forgot to get them from the grocery store... so delicious! I will definitely be making this recipe again.

I shredded the chicken breasts this way: Boil chicken, let cool, cut breasts in half, then pull apart with your fingers.

Note: Black beans with cilantro would be good as a side to this dish.

Shrimp Spaghettini with Vegetables

From Whitney's blog

1/2 lb whole wheat spaghetti
Shrimp (about 20), thawed (rinse with cold water to thaw)
1 small head of fresh broccoli
1 carrot
2 stalks celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Olive oil & garlic salt

Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
Salt
Pepper
Dash of Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups milk

Read all directions first - #1-3 kind of need to be started at the same time. Sauce can be done last (or started after everything else is well underway).

1. Cook spaghetti. Drain when done. Return to pot. Toss with a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Set aside.
2. In skillet put butter, shrimp, onion, bell pepper, Italian seasonings and 1 Tbsp minced garlic. Cook until shrimp turns pink. Add to spaghetti noodles.
3. Meanwhile, steam broccoli, carrots and celery. When done, add to the pot with the spaghetti, shrimp and veggies.
4. To make sauce: Saute butter, garlic and spices (I just used the same pan that I steamed the veggies in). Add flour and salt, stir for about a minute. Slowly add milk over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Pour into pot with other ingredients and mix well.

Try #1 - March 5, 2010
Really creamy and delicious! I forgot to add salt, though, which it needed. We will definitely make this again!

Peasant Bread

"A yummy, moist, chewy white bread with a crispy crust!" ~Melissa

Our first ever foray into the art (or science?) of breadmaking, using my brand new birthday bread maker. DELICIOUS! Thanks for the recipe, Melissa!

3 cups bread flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup water
2 tsp yeast

Bake on basic cycle, medium loaf.

Vegetarian Moroccan Stew

Tried the Moroccan dish again tonight, with some significant changes:

3 russet potatoes, diced
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 carrots, cut in whatever shape you'd like
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup dried fruit (apricots and raisins)
2 cans garbanzo beans, drained
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk
1/2 cup orange juice
Salt to taste
Whole wheat couscous

1. Place potatoes and carrots in a large stockpot (I used our kazan). Add peppers and dried fruit. Add garbanzo beans. Drizzle soy sauce and sprinkle curry powder over beans; toss with beans until coated. Add coconut milk and orange juice around the edge of the pot, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, or until potatoes and carrots are tender. Add salt to taste.
(Alternate: Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook 4-6 hours.)
2. Serve over cooked couscous.

Turkey Meatballs

I love meatballs... but I hate making them. They usually fall apart in the pan as I try to turn and brown them... so I usually don't bother. But, I found the secret to great, non-frustrating meatballs: the oven! Baking the meatballs is way easier, especially since we usually use ground turkey (which I think falls apart more easily in the skillet) instead of ground beef.

Here's a delicious meatball recipe (actually an adaptation of Shirley's 20-minute meatloaf recipe):

1 to 1 1/4 pound ground turkey (or beef)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 egg
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs (I like to use Italian style)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine ingredients, shape into meatballs. Bake on a cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes. (Note: I baked them for 15 minutes tonight, and it was too long. I'll go for less time next time.)