Pumpkin Pancakes

I have to make these a few times every year.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter milk (or milk)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2/3 cups canned pumpkin

Directions:

1. Whisk together all the dry ingredients with a fork.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, oil, egg and pumpkin and combine.
3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, just until combined. (If you over stir the batter, the gluten will start to form in the flour and you will get a chewy pancake)
4. Cook pancakes on a griddle or skillet over medium heat very lightly sprayed with oil. Once bubbles start popping up, gently flip the pancake.

Pita Bread

I am so excited that I finally found a pita recipe that works! I have been trying recipes but have not really been happy with any of them. These pitas are delicious and I made them with a little whole wheat flour so they are a bit more healthy for you. Homemade Pitas with homemade hummus and fresh vegetables is one of the best things ever. And the second best thing ever is the next day when you take a left over pita and melt cheese on it. YUM!!

Ingredients:

2 2/3 cups warm water
3 teaspoons sugar
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 1/2 - 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting.
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Combine the water, sugar and yeast and let proof for ten minutes.
2. Stir in the flour, salt and olive oil and knead until dough is soft and barley sticky. Or make the dough in a mixer with a dough hook and knead the dough on low until the sides of the bowl are clean, but the dough is still sticking to the bottom of the bowl.
3.Place the dough in a oiled bowl and cover, let dough rise until doubled.
4.Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
5.Divide the dough into 16 equal portions.
6. Roll each piece of dough out on a floured surface into about a 6-7 inch circle.
7. Place 2-3 pitas directly on your oven rack and bake for 4-5 minutes or until puffed in the center and golden.  Or you can place the dough onto a metal cooling rack, then move the cooling rack into the oven.
8. Repeat with remaining pitas.
9.  Let the pitas cool slightly before eating (they are full of hot steam) Cut in half, fill and enjoy!

*For the first couple pitas you may have to experiment with the size. It takes me a few tries to get the pita dough rolled out to the right thickness. If they are too thin they will not puff up. When I roll mine out, they are about the size of my hand. Luckily, the ones that don't puff up are still good to eat!

Hummus

We love hummus. When we moved to Pennsylvania, Tyson bought me a food processor and some Tupperware. The food processor I have been wanting for a lot of years, and I had been telling him that I could make homemade hummus if I had one. The Tupperware we desperately needed. Now I make homemade hummus all the time and put it in the same Tupperware container every time..... I wonder who Tyson really bought those gifts for?


Ingredients:

3 cups cooked chickpeas, or 2 15 ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained and warmed in the microwave
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup tahini

salt and pepper if desired

Directions:

Puree warm chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic and 2/3 cup water in food processor for 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl when necessary. Add tahini and puree 2 more minutes, or until the mixture has the consistency of soft cream cheese. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water if needed.

Directions on how to cook dried chickpeas:

(hummus has the best flavor and texture if you use dried chickpeas. Any leftover chickpeas can be frozen)

Rinse and Drain 1 pound dried chickpeas. Place in a large bowl with 10 cups water and soak overnight.
Drain chickpeas and rinse and drain again. Bring chickpeas to boil with 10 cups of water in large pot. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 90 minutes. After the first hour stir in 1 teaspoon baking soda. Remove from heat, cover pot and let stand for 30 minutes. Drain well.

No Bake Cookies

What? You don't make no bake cookies all the time for your family and eat the whole batch in one day? Well you should, and this is THE recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa (preferably Dutch processed cocoa, or a mixture of dark cocoa powder)
1/2 cup peanut butter (or any nut butter, try Nutella too!)
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 heaping cups quick cooking oats
a pinch of salt

Directions:

Combine butter, sugar, milk and cocoa in sauce pan over medium heat. Cook and stir until it comes to a complete boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and stir in the remaining ingredients until combined. Drop spoonfuls of cookie mixture onto wax paper and let cool.
Store cooled cookies in the fridge or at room temperature.

Veggie Enchiladas

Warm, healthy and delicious.


Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 zucchini, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
2 cups potatoes (cooked and diced) or country style hash browns
1-2 cups beans (any variety)
1 can diced green chiles
adobo seasoning, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 cans mild enchilada sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
12-15 whole wheat tortillas
grated cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Spray a 13x9 inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
3. Saute onion in olive oil until soft.
4. Add bell pepper, garlic, zucchini and jalapeno and cook for a few minutes until vegetable become tender.
5. Stir in potatoes, beans, green chiles and seasonings and combine.
6. In shallow dish, combine enchilada sauce and tomato sauce.
7. To assemble, dip both sides of the tortilla in the sauce. Fill with cheese (optional) and the veggie mixture. Roll tightly and place in the 13x9 inch pan (there will be two layers of enchiladas, or you cold do two single layer pans). Pour remaining sauce over the top of enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese if desired. Cover with tinfoil and bake for about 40 minutes, then remove tinfoil and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Mini Cinnamon and Sugar Puffs

Now come on, doesn't this look yummy?

Ingredients:

1-¾ cup Flour
1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoons Salt
1/4 teaspoons Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/3 cups Oil
3/4 cups White Sugar
1 whole Egg
3/4 cups whole Milk
_____
FOR THE TOPPING:
1/2 cups Butter
2/3 cups White Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

Directions:
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Combine oil, sugar, egg and milk. Add dry ingredients and stir only to combine.
Spray mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a bowl.
Combine the white sugar with the cinnamon in another bowl.
Shake muffins out while still hot.
Dip muffins in butter, then into the sugar/cinnamon mix. Let cool.

This makes 24-30 mini muffins

Orange Glazed Mini Pumpkin Muffins

It's October! Yea, time for all the yummy pumpkin recipes. I love these yummy cute little things. Kids love them too, they are the perfect way to get your kids to start liking pumpkin. This makes about 40 mini muffins. It sound like a lot, but don't worry you will find that you will eat about 12 at a time and you will have to hold yourself back so that you will have enough to send in the kids lunches the next day.

Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can 100% pure pumpkin
1 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Orange Glaze:
1 to 2 cups confectioners' sugar
the zest of 1 orange
the juice of 1 orange (you won't use it all)
a pinch of salt


Directions1.Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Spray mini-muffin cups with vegetable cooking spray.
3.Bring pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon and cloves to a simmer in a medium saucepan until puree thickens enough to start sticking to pan bottom, 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Turn hot puree into a bowl. Whisk in brown sugar and oil, then slowly beat in eggs one at a time.
5. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; whisk into pumpkin mixture until just combined.
6.Divide batter among the muffin cups and bake until golden and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. 7.Let stand a few minutes, then transfer mini-muffins to a wire rack to cool.

For the glaze, combine ingredients adding orange juice until it is a good drizzling consistency. Drizzle glaze on each muffin, or dip top of muffins into the glaze.

Apple Wrap

This one has made it into the boys lunch rotation. It is simple and healthy.


Ingredients:

Whole wheat tortilla
Apple, sliced or diced
Peanut butter
Cinnamon

Directions:

spread 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter onto tortilla, top with apple slices and a sprinkle of Cinnamon. Roll up the tortilla and serve, or wrap tightly in plastic wrap for later.