Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Archives for October 2012

Homemade Tortilla Chips – You pick the flavor!

by Filed Under: Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Homemade Chips, Mexican, Snacks, Vegetarian 1 Comment

If you’re like me, you hate buying chips from the store.  Even the baked versions taste like “manufactured” food.  We do it out of convenience but really, after whipping up a bunch of these homemade chips, you won’t go back to the store bought version.  You control the spices, flavors and how crispy you want them.  Perfect for game day or any party.  Also, perfect alongside guac or salsa.

 

This recipe is so easy.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and pull out two baking sheets.  Set aside.  Then take your package of corn tortillas and place about 8 stacked up on a cutting board.  Cut them in half (doing this 4x) or cut to your desired size.  Cut in half.  Then rotate and repeat, so you have 4 equal triangles.  Then half those.  Place on your baking sheet.

Now if you’re going a savory route, I spray with an olive oil mister (light coat) then top with you favorite spice.  Cumin, cayenne pepper, chili lime sea salt, sea salt.  In this batch I used chili lime sea salt from The Mystic Blue Spice Company.  First I squeezed fresh lime juice on each chip, then topped with a pinch of the seasoning.

If you’re going sweet… spritz with olive oil and then top with cinnamon, cinnamon and sugar etc.

If you’re going plain… spritz with olive oil.

Baked for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

— Knead to Cook

Homemade Chicken Broth & Soup.

by Filed Under: Chicken, Soups 4 Comments

Yesterday I made a roasted chicken that I purchased from my local Amish farmer.  I roasted it yesterday and then I wanted to make chicken stock and soup from the carcass. I know, many people just toss the carcass out without much thought but I promise, if you try this recipe, you’ll never do that again!  Plus I got two meals for 5 people for $11!  Can’t beat that with a stick.  Ha!

 

I’ll write this up in easy step-by-step instructions.  Take creative license with it as you need to as I encourage that!

Place your Dutch oven (I use a Le Creuset Dutch Oven) over a medium flame on your stove.  Into the pan add your chicken carcass (with much of the meat removed) and add 10 cups of water.  Then add 2 or 3 carrots, thick slices, 1/2 of of onion, 2 celery stalks with leafy tops, 4-6 sprigs of Rosemary, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Once it boils, turn it down to the lowest setting and cover.  Let this simmer for 2-6 hours.  Add additional water as needed.

Once the simmering stage is complete, strain the broth (reserving it) and discard the other items.  At this point, you can store/freeze the broth or you can choose to make soup.

If going the soup route, return the broth to the dutch oven.  Add carrot slices (3 carrots), 1/2 diced onion, 4 celery stalks with leaves and season as necessary.  I don’t keep the vegetables I cook the broth in because they tend to get really slimy and my kids won’t eat it.  If you don’t mind, add those veggies back in to the broth.  Make your choice of noodles and you have dinner!

I hope you give this a try… it is unbelievably good.

 

— Knead to Cook

Juicy Roasted Chicken.

by Filed Under: Chicken 2 Comments

Today I ran quickly to the farmer’s market fully knowing that I needed a great dinner that I wouldn’t have to babysit.  I’m the process of painting pretty much all of my house and trim – so no time to waste.  I went to my favorite Amish farmer and picked up this sweet little chicken and knew I wanted to roast it for dinner tonight and make broth and soup with it tomorrow.  Two meals from one bird… can’t beat that!

This recipe, as many of my recipes are, is quite flexible.  First, wash the bird and remove the “inner package” of goodies from the bird.  Thankfully, my father was around to do that for me (big happy dance).  Place the bird in a large enough roasting pan and then surround it with fresh veggies, fruits and herbs.  You can also stuff the cavity with these items as well.  I used a fresh pomegranate, 3 apples sliced, 4 carrots that were sliced, one onion, 4 stalks of celery that were chopped, a few sprigs of Rosemary and salt and pepper.  I also rub the skin (and under the skin as well) with butter.  Give it a good massage.  Then I pour about 2 cups of chicken broth in the roasting pan.

Place this in an oven that is preheated to 375 degrees.  I cooked this for about 2.5 hours (because I filled the cavity it will take longer).  Cook until the temperature reaches 180 degrees and juices run clear.  Remove from the oven and tent with foil to let it rest.  Then slice and enjoy.  This juicy chicken will have you coming back for more.

Once your done, use the carcass and extra meat for chicken noodle soup.  That’s my plan for tomorrow.  Recipe to follow.

 

— Knead to Cook

Sea Salt topped Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

by Filed Under: Cookies, Vegetarian Leave a Comment

Get your milk ready kids!  These cookies are quite sophisticated with a subtle sea salt topping to a rather classic flavor combination of peanut butter and chocolate chips.  While waiting for my paint to dry on my walls today (of course, spot checking for any areas I missed) I thought it would be fun to whip up a treat that both the adults and kids in my house will love.  Plus, I needed a reward for this monumental undertaking of painting my entire house before our kitchen remodel next month.  I’ve already eaten two of these while photographing them (sadly one too a header into the glass of milk and I had to eat that one). Ha ha.

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of I can’t believe it’s not butter or regular no salt butter, room temperature
1/2 cup of peanut butter (I used a pb with flax seeds in it)
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
1/3 cup of light brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1.5 cup of all purpose flour (I used King Arthur’s brand)
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
3/4 cup of chocolate chips (dark or milk)
Sea Salt (I used Trader Joe’s)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  If you have a baking sheet like Silpat, place that on your baking sheet and set aside.

In your stand mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter, both sugars, egg and extract.  Mix this for 4 minutes or until lightly fluffy.  In a separate bowl combine the flour, powder and soda.  Whisk to combine.  Then pour into your stand mixer bowl.  Blend well avoiding over-mixing.  Then, by hand, mix in your chocolate chips.

With a scoop, drop the cookie dough with about 1.5-2 inches apart.  Then sprinkle the top of each one with the sea salt.  A tiny bit goes a long way.  The salt with bring out the depth of the chocolate flavor big time.  Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly golden.  Remove and let cool for 5 minutes.  Serve with ice cold milk and enjoy!

 

 

— Knead to Cook

Crock Pot Beef Stew.

by Filed Under: Beef, Crock Pot Leave a Comment

I know it’s Meatless Monday but with all of the work and painting I’ve been doing in my house, I needed a good crock pot recipe for dinner that I could fix and forget about until I needed it.  This is a wonderful recipe that you can prepare for a big crowd by adapting the ingredient amounts or for an intimate family dinner. Perfect fall, chill-in-the-air kind of meal that warms  you right up.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of all purpose flour
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoon of olive oil
2.5 lbs of ground chuck (cut into chunks)
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 cup of red wine
1 cup of beef broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste

Directions:

Place the flour, salt and pepper into a deep dish or ziploc baggie.  Add the meat and toss to coat.

In a pan over medium heat, add a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Once hot, add the meat and let brown on each side for about 5 minutes.  Remove and place in your crock pot, turned to low.  Then add your wine, broth and paste and deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom bits.  Boil this mixture for about 3 minutes then pour over your meat in the crock pot.  Add your carrots, garlic and onions on top of the meat.  Cover and cook on low for 6- 8 hours or high for 4 -6 hours.  Season with salt and pepper before serving.

— Knead to Cook

Hamburger soup.

by Filed Under: Beef, Soups 7 Comments

 

Today started out with a 5am run.  Then the rain, once again, came back.  Rainy, drizzly and just kinda yucky out.  Weather like this… means one thing to a foodie like me.  SOUP!  Finally the rains have gone, the sun is out and I’m once again a bit more rejuvenated.  Yay. It has also been a bit of a celebratory day for me.  My little Facebook blog has officially grown up.  It now has over 7k fans.  My website has 91,801 hits in the past month.  I’m in shock and love what I’m doing.  I thank all of you guys who follow my crazy antics in the kitchen.  I’m humbled by all of this…

Okay enough sappiness… time for the awesomeness of the hamburger soup recipe!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1.5-2 lbs of ground beef (I used local organic)
4 carrots, peeled and chopped into small, bite-sized pieces
1/2 of a yellow onion, diced
Salt and Pepper
1 cup of baby spinach leaves
5 garlic cloves, smashed and given a rough chop
6 tomatoes cut into diced pieces or you can use a 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
32 ounces of broth (I used Organic Pacific Chicken Broth) but beef broth would also work – I was out so I used chicken.
1 teaspoon of Italian Seasonings
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley or dried if you don’t have it
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
Cheddar cheese (garnish)
Chopped onions (garnish)

Directions:

In your dutch oven (I use my Le Creuset dutch oven), add a about a tablespoon of olive oil and adjust the flame to medium heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the beef and cook until no longer pink.  Add the carrots, onions and salt and pepper.  Cook for 10 minutes. Then add the remaining ingredients.  I cook this all afternoon on very low heat, covered.  If you have less time, cook it over low-medium heat for at least one hour.  Adjust the seasonings to your preference.

I like serving this in bread bowls (I purchased these from Panera today) but a regular old bowl will work too.  I like bread bowl to serve as the bun, the meat is the hamburger, tomatoes/spinach as the toppings — you get the point.

Enjoy

— Knead to Cook

Outta the Ballpark BBQ Pulled Chicken.

by Filed Under: Chicken, Giveaway!!! 26 Comments

This post is sponsored by Outta the Ballpark BBQ sauce.  They generously sent me four bottles of their incredibly clean bbq sauce and I had to whip up a great lip smacking recipe that the family would love AND that was easy.  Lots of appointments this week after school so a crock pot recipe was necessary.  Along with them sharing BBQ sauce with me – they are going to share some with you guys!  2 bottles (spicy and regular) and two mini bottles (spicy and regular) to one fan of Knead to Cook’s Facebook page and who lives in the 48 contiguous states.

To enter:  Leave a comment on this post or on this post on Facebook to enter.  Be a fan of Knead to Cook and Outta the Ballpark BBQ facebook pages.  Reside in the 48 contiguous states.  A random winner will be selected on Thursday, October 5th at 9 pm EST.  The winner must email robin@kneadtocook.com to provide their shipping address within 48 hours of being announced.  If the winner fails to do that, another winner will be selected.  

This recipe is super easy!

Ingredients:

1 bottle of Outta the Ballpark bbq sauce
1/3 cup of chicken broth
6 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
Directions:

Place all of your ingredients into your crock pot.  Turn to the low setting and give all of the ingredients a good stir.  Cover and let cook for 4 – 6 hours.  Remove and place the chicken in a bowl.  With two forks, shred the meat.  Ladle some of the sauce over top of the chicken and serve on a bun.  Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Peanut Butter Banana Chobani Chocolate Chip Bread.

by Filed Under: Quick Bread, Snacks, Valentine's Day, Vegetarian 6 Comments

I was so happy to finally find my favorite chocolate chips at my local grocery store.  They’ve been sold out for about 3 months and after faithfully checking, every time I walk in the store, I was elated!  9 bags were on the shelf and I purchased 8.  Happy dance shall commence!  So I wanted to make something fun, different and tasty with them.  What better to go with chocolate than peanut butter?  It’s like a warm peanut butter cup in bread form.  Yum!

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter, softened (I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter)
1/2 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of peanut or any other nut butter you prefer
1/2 cup of vanilla Chobani yogurt
2 ripe bananas
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 Chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  I made this recipe for mini loaf pans.  Whatever you use – spray with nonstick baking spray and set aside.

In your stand mixer, blend sugar and butter until fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla.  In a separate bowl whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.   Add to the butter mixture.  Then add the peanut butter, Chobani, bananas and cinnamon.  Blend well and scrape the sides down and mix again.  Mix the chocolate chips by hand.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Let cool completely and slice and enjoy!

 

— Knead to Cook

Pumpkin Cider Steel Cut Oats in the Crock Pot Overnight.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Crock Pot, Vegetarian 4 Comments

My kids love steel cut oats prepared in the crock pot.  It’s easy, healthy and makes breakfast a snap because the crock pot does all the work for you while you sleep.  Tuesdays are an early, 5 am, run for me so when I get back I shower, grab a bowl and recharge for my day.  I was lucky to find this great pumpkin cider but if you can’t locate any, cherry apple cider or regular apple cider works perfectly too!

Ingredients:

Non stick butter spray (I use Pam)
1 cup of steel cut oats
3 cups of pumpkin cider (apple or apple cherry cider would work too)
1 cup of water
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 pinch of salt
One apple, cored and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup of dried tart cherries (raisins or other dried fruit will work beautifully too)

Directions:

Spray the insert to your slow cooker then add all of the ingredients.  Stir gently. Cover and cook overnight on low.  I normally make this around 8 pm and eat around 6-6:30 am.  I like to remove the lid of the slow cooker for about 10 minutes prior to serving – helps release the condensation that’s built up.

Top with your favorite nuts, chia seeds, honey, brown sugar, agave… whatever you like!

— Knead to Cook

Coconutty Chocolate Chip Granola Bites.

by Filed Under: Desserts, Snacks Leave a Comment

Back to reality and Monday is here again!  It is so sunny outside and absolutely gorgeous yet I’m still plagued with a bit of allergies.  What would make me feel better?  Chocolate!  Yes!  Toasted Coconut?  YES!   So I went tearing through my pantry and came up with some lovely ingredients and knew what I had to do.  I made these bars last year during swim season and my kids loved them, and admittedly, so did I.  I hate buying granola bars at the store because they’re filled with preservatives and other ingredients that I can’t identify.  So… I made these beauties.

And yes, they are as good as they look!

Ingredients:

1 cup of almond, peanut or whatever nut butter you prefer
1.5 tablespoons of coconut oil
1/2 cup of honey, maple syrup or agave
2 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
3 cups of rolled oats
1/2 cup of toasted coconut flakes
1/4 cup of light brown sugar
1 tablespoon of chia seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon of flax seed meal.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of chocolate chips (white chocolate, butterscotch or toffee chips would also work)
1/2 cup of toasted coconut flakes

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line your 9×9 pan with parchment paper with the paper hanging over so they are easily removed from the pan.  Set aside.

Melt your nut butter in the microwave.  Once melted, add the coconut oil and stir to combine.  Add this mixture to your stand mixer with the paddle attachment.  Add all of the remaining ingredients through the salt.  Add the chocolate chips or whatever chips you use at the end so they aren’t broken and crushed from the mixing process.

Press the mixture firmly down into the baking pan.  Sprinkle the coconut flakes on top and spread out evenly.  Then bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until lightly golden.  Let cool completely before cutting.  This will allow the bars to keep their shape.  Store in a covered container for up to one week, if they last that long.

— Knead to Cook