Grilled Flat bread

1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees)
pinch of sugar
1 1/3 cup flour (plus more for dusting)
1 Tbsp olive oil (plus more for brushing)
1 tsp Kosher salt

*I use a stand mixer for this, but you could stir by hand.
Stir yeast and sugar into water. Let sit about 5 minutes (until foamy).
Add olive oil, salt, and a little bit of flour to yeast mixture and mix with a paddle attachment on mixer. Keep adding little bits of flour and then switch to the dough hook attachment. Add remaining flour until a sticky ball forms.
Remove from mixer bowl and knead by hand until smooth and elastic.
Place in an oiled bowl and let rest, covered, for 30 minutes. Get your grill heated up to medium-high.
Divide the dough into 4-6 equal portions. Roll out into small circles. Brush with olive oil and place on heated grill. Flip after 2 minutes.
* I make the circles all different sizes for my kids and you really can't mess these up. This week, my grill broke so I quickly moved these flat breads under the broiler in my over. They cooked even faster and tasted great, though I love the flavor of the grill.
I use these as pita breads.

March- a month of meals

So this may be completely obnoxious, but I've planned out a month of meals and am now going to post them. I'll try to add links to the recipes.

s 3/6: Red Beans and Rice
m 3/7: Mini Meatloaf, mashers and peas
t 3/8: Fat Tuesday!!! Waffles w/ whipped cream and berries; turkey sausage
w 3/9: leftovers
r 3/10: Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan
f 3/11: pizza!
sa 3/12: Spaghetti
s 3/13: Greek Chicken Pitas and oven fries
m 3/14: Sloppy Joe's, roasted cauliflower, and fruit
t 3/15: leftovers
w 3/16: Breakfast Dinner (usually pancakes)
r 3/17: Irish meat pies
f 3/18: pizza!
sa 3/19: Homemade "Cafe Rio" salads
s 3/20: sushi, edemame, and Asian meatballs
m 3/21: Roast chicken, mashers, something green
t 3/22: Chicken enchiladas, chips and salsa
w 3/23: leftovers
r 3/24: breakfast tacos
f 3/25: pizza! (seeing a pattern here?)
sa 3/26: Turkey chili and corn cakes
s 3/27: Frogmore Stew
m 3/28: leftovers/freezer dinner
t 3/29: Veggie burgers and oven fries
w 3/30: Chicken and Dumplins
r 3/31: Burger Beef Cups, applesauce, and roasted green beans

Barley and Lentil Soup

This recipe was so delicious! Loretta made it this weekend while she was here. It was a snowy Saturday and we warmed up quickly with this delicious soup. Enjoy!

Veggie Patties

I love this veggie burger recipe so much! I do tweak it a bit, omitting the cheese and adding shredded zucchini. These are great to freeze as well.

Ingredients:
2 portobello mushrooms (8 ounces), stems removed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small zucchini
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1/4 cup minced shallot (1 large shallot)
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions (2 cups cooked)
2 teaspoons coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs
6 whole-wheat buns, split

Directions
Pulse mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped, and transfer to a bowl. Shred zucchini, place on paper towels, and squeeze to remove excess moisture. Add to mushrooms.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add shallot and red-pepper flakes, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and zucchini, and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and add Parmesan, quinoa, and salt. Season with pepper. Let cool completely, then stir in egg and breadcrumbs. Cover, and refrigerate until cold and firm, about 1 hour.
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Shape mixture into six 1/2-inch-thick patties, pressing firmly. Cook in batches until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
Wipe pan clean, and return to medium heat. Brush cut sides of buns with oil, and heat buns, cut sides down, until toasted, about 1 minute. Spread yogurt-garlic sauce on cut sides of bun halves. Divide burgers, sprouts, and cucumber among bottom halves. Sandwich with top halves. Read more at Marthastewart.com: Veggie Burgers - Martha Stewart Recipes

Happy Waffles

We really love waffles around here, as you can tell by the photos I posted. This waffle recipe is amazing if you want light and fluffy Belgian waffles with a slightly crunchy exterior. Enjoy!

Vanilla Begian Waffles

2 cups flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 Tbsp sugar

pinch of salt

3 large eggs

8 Tbsp melted butter

1.5 cups milk (or rice milk)

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

* Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

* In a large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer until thick (2 minutes).

* Add butter, milk and vanilla.

* Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Do not overmix!

* Pour into waffle maker and enjoy!

No joke-these are the BEST cookies!

My friend Kara made up a recipe for whole-wheat chocolate chip cookies that is AWESOME. So, I have tweaked it a bit and am pleased to introduce the most amazing cookie I have ever had. I was thinking it kind of reminded me of Mike- designed just for me and has everything I want in a cookie. Is that sick? They are somewhat nutritious, which makes it easy to justify eating half a dozen in one day. Watch out!

* Note: the cookie jar is almost empty!

Whole-Wheat and Flax seed Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c. whole wheat flour (sifted)

2 c. quick-cooking oats

2 Tbsp. milled flax seed

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. Kosher salt

(in a medium bowl, mix these dry ingredients)

1/2 c. shortening

1/2 c. butter

1.5 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

*chocolate chips and for extra fun: Williams Sonoma Hot Chocolate Mix (it's really a bunch of amazing shaved semi-sweet chocolate pieces)

* In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugar by hand, with a FORK (this is Mark Searcy's secret technique- and it works!).

* Add eggs and vanilla until mixed in well.

* Add previously-combined dry ingredients and mix until blended STILL with the fork.

* Incorporate the chocolate. Don't over-mix!

Scoop by tablespoons onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (the parchment is crucial) and bake in a preheated oven 350 degrees for 5 minutes, rotate and bake 5-6 more minutes. Cool on a cooling rack. As soon as they are cool, and you've already sampled a few, store them immediately in a container so as not to dry out.

Gone Fishin'

Mike went ice fishing yesterday and brought home the bacon- I mean fish!
He showed the kids how to clean and filet the trout, then I dredged them in some seasoned cornmeal and friend in a shallow pan of oil. They were delicious!!!