Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies ~ Made with Whole Wheat

Pudding cookies are an awesome thing. They stay moist for days and they taste fabulous. I have been a chocolate chip cookie addict for as long as I can remember. However, in the last year, I discovered pudding cookies. Despite the fact that we try to avoid as many packaged foods as possible, I can not resist occasionally buying the pudding necessary for these cookies.

So far, pudding cookies are the only variety of Chocolate Chip Cookies that I have been able to successfully convert to a whole wheat variety that is still soft and chewy. So, I compromise on the pudding, by telling myself the whole wheat makes up for it. That makes sense, right?

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies ~ Made with Whole Wheat
Yield: 6 dozen cookies

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, I used freshly ground hard white wheat *
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 oz) packages instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flours and baking soda and set aside. In a large bowl or kitchenaid mixer, cream butter and sugars. Add in the pudding mix and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Slowly add in the flour mixture, making sure that it is well incorporated. Last, add the chocolate chips and stir well to mix them throughout the dough.

I use my medium scoop to make the cookies an even size. I like to bake up about half of the batch and then freeze the remaining dough. When I am ready to use it, I simply set it on the counter for 20-30 minutes and then scoop out the number of cookies that I want to bake at the time.

I bake these on a silpat mat for 11 minutes. Let them cool on the sheet for 5 minutes and then remove to wire racks. The cookies freeze beautifully, as does the cookie dough. For the record, both the cookies and the dough taste awesome straight out of the freezer. Yes, I did just admit that. Enjoy!

* Feel free to substitute AP flour for the whole wheat flour amount if you would like. It works just as well as the whole wheat version.

Click here for printable recipe

Red Wine and Honey Salad with Fruit

I love fruit in a summer salad. The combination of fruits along with the sweet and tangy dressing was a great balance. I used the dehydrated pineapple for the first time and I could not be happier with the result. Fresh pineapple would work every bit as well or possibly better, but honestly, the re-hydrated pineapple tasted very much like fresh.

We had this salad for dinner, along with Grilled Ono and Grilled Pattypans. It was a simple, light and easy summer meal.

Red Wine and Honey Salad with Fruit

SALAD
6 cups mixed salad greens
1/2 lb fresh strawberries, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh or rehydrated pineapple, sliced very thin (approximately 1/8" thick)
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1/8 red onion, very thinly sliced

DRESSING - Orange, Red Wine and Honey Vinaigrette
recipe inspired by Whisked Away
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup light olive oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

Whisk dressing ingredients together and set aside. Prep salad and drizzle just a tiny bit of the marinade over the top. The recipe makes almost 3/4 of a cup dressing and I only used about 1/4 cup. Store the remaining dressing in the refrigerator. Toss the salad gently to coat with dressing before serving.

Click here for printable recipe

Strawberry Peach Jam Ice Cream

Who knew that an accident with a jar of jam could result in such deliciousness? I am giddy with how this turned out and I will definitely be making this again.

A friend gifted me with a jar of homemade jam this past weekend. We were headed to lunch, so I tucked it into the console of the car, planning to take it in the house after lunch. Well, I forgot to do that and when I remembered, the jam had spent hours enjoying the car's toasty 115+ degrees. I crossed my fingers and put it in the fridge, but once liquified, jam is liquified forever.

I tasted it and it was fabulous jam, so I knew there would be a use for it. I considered simply using it as a syrup, or pouring it over vanilla ice cream, but then I wondered if I could freeze it into my next batch of ice cream. Why not try?

It turned out so well that I have already decided to set aside a good bit of my own peach jam this year to use for making ice cream. The small pieces of peaches and rehydrated berries, along with a hint of jam, combined to give this ice cream a unique flavor that we all really enjoyed.

Strawberry Peach Jam Ice Cream

3 cups whole milk
1 cup cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup peach jam
1/2 cup fresh or dehydrated strawberries, chopped small

Combine all of the above ingredients and then pour into your ice cream maker. Freeze according to your machine's instructions.

This ice cream had a thick, soft serve consistency straight out of the ice cream maker. Since, I prefer mine a bit firmer, I froze it overnight. This picture was taken the following day.

Click here for printable recipe

Grilled Pattypan Squash

My love for pattypan squash has reached an all new level. You might think I'd be tired of these squash by now, but I am still thrilled to have so many from our garden. We grilled these pattypan squash with the Ono and they were wonderful together. The squash texture was absolutely perfect.

My only advice is to make sure that your slices are as even as possible. If your slices are not even, then the thinner portions will be overcooked while the thicker ones are still finishing. I have the perfect use now for the random over-sized squash that appear in the garden every so often.

Remember to season pattypans generously. This is a very mild tasting squash and will be rather bland on it's own.

Grilled Pattypan Squash

Large pattypan squash
Olive oil
Salt, coarse sea salt or kosher salt
Freshly cracked pepper

Wash the squash, cut out the stem and trim the bottom of the squash as well. Make thin horizontal slices through the width of the squash. I made ours about 1/2" to 3/4" thick and they grilled beautifully.

Brush both sides of the slices with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Grill approximately 8-10 minutes, or until tender. Turn once as the squash is cooking.

Click here for printable recipe

Grilled Ono

Have you tried Ono? I hadn't even heard of it until recently. This is an excellent fish. I am already planning what I will make with it next time. The texture was perfect, not at all mushy. The flavor was very mild. Ono is considered a perfect fish for grilling, so we did just that. I grilled this along with some huge pattypans for dinner. They were great together.

Grilled Ono

3 large Ono fillets
1/4 cup light olive oil
Juice from one large lemon (approximately 1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place the fish in a gallon size ziploc bag or in an airtight container. Whisk the other ingredients together and then pour over Ono. Let it rest on the counter for about 15 minutes to marinate.

Grill approximately 3-4 minutes on each side. The fish will continue to cook for another minute or two after it is removed from the heat. Be careful not to overcook it.

Click here for a printable recipe

Dehydrated Strawberries - it just isn't pretty

Second attempt at rehydrating the strawberries was not pretty. I poured boiling water over them this time and it worked, but they were not attractive at all.

As my five year old described it, "they sure look yucky, but they taste yummy." I had lofty ideas of tossing them onto a salad, but that was not going to work. So, for now, they are in the fridge and I'll find a use for them tomorrow. The flavor is there, but they are the most wilted berries I've ever seen.

Edited to add: They were perfect for making ice cream!

Frothy Banana Smoothie with Dehydrated Strawberries

 

My first attempt to rehydrate strawberries was a mixed success. This smoothie tasted great, but it simply didn't look at all like what I am used to when blending strawberries. I soaked the berries in milk for 20 minutes first, the same way I did with the dehydrated bananas. Unlike the bananas though, the strawberries did not have nearly the same amount of flavor for the amount of fruit used in the smoothie. They also did not puree completely smooth (you can see little flecks of pink in the photo). It was also a very frothy smoothie. Overall, this was quite different from our usual blends in many ways, but the kids still loved it and I thought it tasted great.

If I make this again, I'll probably double the amount of strawberries in order to increase the strawberry flavor. I definitely prefer the taste of the frozen strawberries in a smoothie to the dehydrated ones, but in a pinch, these would be a completely acceptable substitute. 

2 cups milk

1/2 cup dehydrated strawberry pieces

2 frozen banans

2 tablespoons honey

Soak the strawberries in the milk for at least 20 minutes. When they are soft, pour that mixture into the blender. Add the bananas and the honey. Blend until smooth.

Makes (3) 12 oz smoothies

Click here for a printable recipe.

Cucumber Salad with Spicy Tomato Vinaigrette

There were several cucumbers and tomatoes waiting on my counter this morning and I wanted to put them into a salad. I scanned a couple cookbooks looking for something different in a dressing. This was what I found.

The salad was spicy and tangy and different from any I'd tried in the past. My husband really liked this salad. My son even requested more of it later as a snack, so I'm thinking that we'll be making this again.

Cucumber Salad with Spicy Tomato Vinaigrette
vinaigrette recipe adapted from Cooking Light Complete Cookbook

3 medium size cucumbers, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
6 medium size Roma tomatoes
1/3 red onion, very thinly sliced
3 tablespoons tomato juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, I used Sriracha
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine cucumbers, tomatoes and onion in a large bowl. Whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour over the vegetables and toss well to combine. Chill in the fridge for at least an  hour before serving.

Click here for printable recipe

Summer Squash, Onion, Bell Pepper and Tomato Skillet

After dehydrating so many bell peppers, I wanted to try using a few of them with our dinner. So, I threw together a vegetable skillet with the other vegetables from the day's harvest. It was good! I'll be making versions of this all summer long.

1 yellow onion, sliced very thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large patty pan squash (or a medium size Italian Zucchini), thinly sliced
1 medium size yellow crookneck squash, thinly sliced
5 roma tomatoes, halved, seeds removed and them sliced in 1/2" pieces
2 tablespoons rehydrated red bell peppers, finely diced (fresh ones work great as well)
Olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Drizzle olive oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and then onions and stir to coat with oil. Let the onions cook without stirring for a few minutes to brown them slightly. Stir them and continue cooking until done and then remove to a small plate.

Add a little bit more olive oil to the skillet and then add the squash. Allow it to cook without stirring for a few minutes while it browns slightly. Then stir and turn as needed while it cooks to your desired doneness. We like our squash with a good bite, not at all soggy or wilted. Once the squash is almost done, add the tomatoes and the bell peppers to the skillet and stir to mix. Allow the vegetables to cook until the tomatoes and peppers are warm, but not overcooked at all.

Serve with the onions on top or you can add the onions back to the skillet and toss to make sure everything is warm. I served it with the onions on top and didn't notice that they were any cooler than the other vegetables. My intent was to warm them again, but I inadvertently skipped that step.

Side note: None of us were in the mood for a big dinner, so I simply cooked a few eggs and we had eggs over easy on top of our vegetables. It might sound odd, but it was easy, filling and surprisingly delicious.

Click here for printable recipe

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Applesauce

This is not your average applesauce. This applesauce is thick, chunky, sweet and full of flavor. You can eat it with a spoon or a fork. If you've never tried homemade applesauce, then you have no idea what you are missing. I started making this a few years ago and it has forever changed my taste for applesauce.

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Applesauce
recipe adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking

8 apples, peeled, halved and cored, I used honeycrisp apples
Juice from one lemon or the equivalent amount of lemon juice concentrate, no more than 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tablespoon water

Place your apple pieces in the crockpot. Add lemon juice, water and vanilla, sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar on top. Toss to coat thoroughly.

Cover and cook on low for approximately 6 hours. When the apples are very tender, mash them with a potato masher or a fork until they are the consistency you desire. I like to leave a lot of chunky pieces in the sauce. If you are in the mood, you can even try this.

Click here for printable recipe

Cinnamon Baked Apple

In the midst of making applesauce this morning, I simply couldn't resist the aroma. So, I scooped out one of the apples and devoured it with a scoop of the Vanilla Ice Milk (minus the chocolate) we made last night. This was a really great surprise treat and I am already thinking about making it again for a dessert one night.

In order to recreate this, just cook the apples until they are almost ready to crush and them remove then carefully, one at a time. I might even drizzle some warm caramel over the top next time.

Click here for printable recipe

Vanilla Ice Milk with Dark Chocolate Stracciatella

Vanilla ice cream with dark chocolate pieces swirled into it sounded just about perfect to me. The fact that I could give it a fancy name, just made me laugh. Stracciatella is simply a vanilla base ice cream or gelato with chocolate shavings swirled into it.

I wanted to make something quick and easy and not heavy at all, so I used a basic vanilla ice milk formula and then swirled in the chocolate last of all. We really enjoyed this dessert. It is not a typical ice cream. It was very soft straight out of the freezer, almost like a thick milkshake in consistency. I, personally, preferred it the following day when it had solidified a bit more.

6 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or pieces

Whisk together the milk, sugar, vanilla and salt. Pour that into your machine and freeze it according to the machine's directions. When it is almost finished, melt the chocolate on medium heat in the microwave. Check it every 30 seconds after the first minute and remove from the microwave as soon as it is melted.

When the ice cream is finished, pour it into a 9x13 pyrex pan. Drizzle the chocolate over the top as thinly as possible. A fork will help with drizzling it into the ice cream. As it hardens, break it up and stir it into the ice cream. As soon as the chocolate is in the ice cream, put the pan into the freezer for at least half an hour. Stir lightly to make sure that the chocolate is more or less evenly distributed. Then, you can either enjoy it immediately as a very soft serve ice cream, or the next day with a firmer texture. The above picture was taken the next day.

If you wait until the next day to eat the ice cream, set it out on the counter for at least 30 minutes prior to serving. This is not a cream based or egg based ice cream recipe and because of that, it will be frozen almost completely solid after a while in the freezer.

I saved some of the vanilla mixture by itself as well. I'm thinking about making a mixed berry sauce to pour over it. This time of year, anything with berries sounds good to me.

 

Click here for printable recipe

Dehydrated Bell Peppers

I'm laughing as I write this, because I'm about to confess that a sale on bell peppers made my week. I was so excited to see a great price for the first time in a year. I picked a bunch of them up just to dehydrate. This is 16 large bell peppers being prepped for the dehydrator. I had no idea what to expect with regards to how well they would rehydrate, so I cut them several different ways.

 Finely diced, medium 1/2" or smaller dice, matchsticks, and my favorite size 3/4"-1" pieces. The smaller pieces were completely dry overnight, approximately 9 hours at 125 degrees. The larger ones took another couple of hours to completely dry out.

I poured the dehydrated pepper pieces into jars and was amazed once again by how much smaller everything is now. The tiny jar on the top right contains three peppers worth of  finely diced pieces.

I was anxious to see how they would rehydrate, so I used some of them in our dinner tonight. This is one tablespoon of finely diced and then dried bell peppers. I poured boiling water over the pieces and then let them soak in that for about 20 minutes.

Once the pieces were soft, I drained the water and this was the result. Perfectly rehydrated pieces of bell pepper. I tasted one of them and it was perfect. The flavor was the same, the texture was softer of course, but they worked great with our dinner.

I'm looking forward to trying the other dehydrated sizes soon. In the meantime, I am definitely going back to the store for more peppers to dehydrate.

Baked Herb Zucchini

We had a great harvest from the garden this morning and I wanted a dish that would be a bit more substantial than simply sauteing or roasting, without being heavy or too filling. It was well over 100 degrees here today and a heavy dish just didn't appeal. This was even better than I had hoped to find.

My entire family ate this for dinner and really liked it. I am already looking forward to making this again with different vegetables and possibly some meats as well. My non-squash-loving son even requested the leftovers for breakfast. I'm calling this a huge hit!

Baked Herb Zucchini
Recipe adapted from Allrecipes

1/3 cup uncooked Jasmine rice
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds zucchini and other summer squash
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 cups seeded and chopped tomatoes
1 cup medium cheddar cheese, shredded

Combine the rice and water in a small pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic, onions and squash for about 5 minutes or until almost tender. Season with the spices and mix in the tomatoes and cooked rice. Continue to cook and stir just until heated through. Transfer to a 1 1/2 - 2 quart casserole dish and top with the cheddar cheese.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Click here for printable recipe

Way Too Hot Chili Oven Fries

I planned to make Roasted Red Potatoes with our dinner last night. As I was making them though, I decided to make some of them spicier for my husband and oldest son. Apparently, I was a bit too generous with the hot chili powder, because I was unable to eat them.

However, my husband and son really enjoyed these potatoes and requested that I make them again in the future. Fortunately for me, I also made a pan of potatoes without all of the extra spice, so my younger boys and I were happy with our own potatoes as well. 


8 small red potatoes, washed and quartered lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder, I used New Mexico hot red chili powder - I might have used more than a teaspoon. I generously sprinkled it onto the potatoes and then tossed them with my hands to ensure an even coating.
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt

*adjust all the seasonings to taste, this is approximately what I used. Beware of the heat.

Preheat oven to 350. Combine olive oil and all the spices in the bottom of a large bowl. Add the potatoes and toss gently with your hands to coat all of the potato slices. Coat a large baking sheet with olive oil and then spread the potatoes out across it. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, turning the potatoes with a spatula once while cooking. Then turn the oven to broil and let the potatoes get crispy. This was about 8 additional minutes for my oven.

Click here for printable recipe

Homemade Lemon Lime Soda

A few weeks ago, I saw a cute post over at I Am Baker. Amanda had made homemade soda for her kids and they loved it. I thought that was a great idea; especially since I love knowing exactly what the ingredients are in the foods we eat. I picked up the sparkling mineral water, but then forgot all about making the soda until yesterday.

My middle son wasn't feeling well and he asked if I could get him some 7-up. I had exactly zero interest in going to the store. So, I was thrilled to remember that I had some sparkling water in the fridge just waiting to be used. Making this was easy and it tasted great. My kids thought it was delicious.

2 cups sparkling water, I used S. Pellegrinno
3/4 cup simple syrup - basic recipe can be found here
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Extra slices of lemon and lime

Put all the ingredients in a small pitcher and stir to combine. Garnish with sliced lemons and limes if you like.

Click here for printable recipe

Cashew Chicken Salad with Grapes

I opened the refrigerator early this morning and saw a package of red grapes next to some leftover chicken. That did it. All I could think of was the fabulous chicken croissant served at Christy Mae's in Albuquerque, NM. I decided to work with what I had in the house and I am quite happy with how it turned out for me.

This is a very simple chicken salad, minimal ingredients and truly delicious. I loved the sweetness of the grapes with the slight tang of the dressing. I will be making this again and again. I enjoyed my chicken salad on a simple bed of spring mix lettuces. My son ate his on the bread that I made yesterday. With that and a handful of vegetables, his lunch was served. He liked it so much he had two servings and asked if I could make it again tomorrow.

Cashew Chicken Salad with Grapes
Very loosely adapted from a Southern Living recipe

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
2 cups mixed dark and white meat chicken, cooked and chopped
1 1/2 cups red grapes, halved
1/2 cup cashews, halved and toasted

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken and the grapes and toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

For the salad, top with toasted cashews right before serving. For the sandwiches, I skipped the nuts.

 

Click here for printable recipe

Dehydrated Strawberries

 Strawberries are my favorite berry. I adore them. I could eat strawberries for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert any day of the week. I dehydrated 8 lbs of them a few weeks ago and my kids are now eating them like chips. I am not a huge fan of them dry, but I am seeing lots of potential for winter salads and desserts, provided they rehydrate well.

I have yet to play with rehydrating them, since we've had an abundance of fresh ones available recently. As far as I'm concerned, fresh is always going to be best with any produce item. So, I've been making the most of the strawberry season while it is here.

As far as the dehydrating goes, wash the berries and remove the tops. Don't throw them away! Freeze the tops and toss them into your smoothies, I swear that you won't taste anything but strawberries.

I used an egg slicer to make even slices. The slicer made quick work of cutting up all the berries.  Here are the finished berries waiting for the dehydrater.

Spread them out across the trays in a single layer. Spray them with lemon juice before dehydrating or they will turn a dark brown color once they are dry. However, if you'd care to learn from my experience, do not get crazy with the sprayer. They don't require much lemon juice and too much lemon will make them more tart than usual.

Once they are dry, store them in jars. This jar contains 4 pounds of strawberries. It still boggles my mind how much everything shrinks. 

I am looking forward to trying these in smoothies and salads very soon!

Honey Whole Wheat Bread with Soft White Wheatberries

For this bread, I used the exact same recipe as I do every week when I make Honey Whole Wheat Bread. The only change I made was to use soft white wheat berries instead of the usual hard white wheat berries. My husband really liked this bread and I thought it was excellent as well; although I prefer the somewhat stronger wheat flavor produced with hard white wheat. The bread was lighter in color and it also has a slightly sweeter flavor. The texture was a bit softer and the crust was almost flaky in comparison to the regular crust on our bread. 

When baking with freshly ground wheat, the dough is always more wet than it would be with all-purpose flour. It's important to adjust the flours to match what the dough consistency is supposed to be. I found that with soft white wheat the dough was even more wet than it typically is with hard white wheat. If I'd been paying closer attention, I would have added an additional 1/4 or so of flour per loaf. That would have resulted in a more nicely rounded top crust on my loaves of bread. 

Now that I've tried soft white wheat, I'm going to try it again in some of my cookies, breads and muffins. I really like the idea of producing a lighter flour with less wheat flavor, but still maintaining 100% whole wheat with many of my baked goods.

If you are interested in learning more about the different wheat varieties, I found the following information at wheatfoods.org:

White wheat contains the same healthy levels of whole grain fiber that red wheat does but does not have as strong a flavor and dark color. White wheat is actually golden in color, tastes sweeter and is lighter than its hard red wheat cousins. There are two types of white wheat – hard white and soft white. The differences between the two are found mainly in the end products for which they are used. Soft white has a lower protein level than hard white.

Uses of White Wheat
Hard White wheat can be used for the same products as hard red wheat. Bakers like it because HWs are excellent for use in the bread-making industry. Because it has a naturally sweeter flavor, bakers can use less sweeteners.

Soft white wheat is used mainly for bakery products other than bread. Examples include pastries, cakes, and cookies. It is also used for cereals, flat breads and crackers. Both white wheat classes make quality 100% whole wheat products.

Frozen Strawberry and Dehydrated Banana Smoothie

My first try at rehydrating the bananas was a success. There was a stronger banana flavor than I expected, but I'll simply adjust how many of the banana slices I use for next time. I am thrilled to know that I now have great tasting, smoothie-ready bananas stored in my cupboard for those days when we run out of fresh ones.

Small handful of dried bananas, approx 1/4 cup (I'll use a bit less next time)

8 frozen strawberries

2 cups milk

1-2 tablespoons honey

First, pour a 16 oz glass of milk. Add the dehydrated bananas and let them soak for at least 20 minutes. After the bananas are fully rehydrated, pour the banana milk mixture into the blender. Add the strawberries and the honey and blend until smooth. 

This made a good smoothie. Both of my boys liked it a lot. I don't think they even noticed it wasn't our usual version. It was creamier and smoother than our typical smoothie. In the interest of honesty, I'll admit that I prefer a thicker smoothie made with frozen bananas. However, for those days when I am out of fresh bananas, I will certainly be making this version again. 

Click here for printable recipe

Cavatappi with Sunburst and Grape Tomatoes

Cold pasta salads were never really my thing before I tried this one. Tomatoes, garlic and a handful of herbs marinate in olive oil for several hours and create the entire flavor of this salad. I love the simplicity of it and the absolute ease of making it ahead of time.

Cavatappi with Sunburst and Grape Tomatoes
recipe loosely adapted from Good Housekeeping

2 pints grape tomatoes, each cut in half
1 pint sunburst cherry tomatoes, each cut in half (if you can't find these, just use cherry tomatoes)
1/2 cup (loosely packed) fresh italian parsley leaves, chopped
1/2 cup (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
16 ounce cavatappi pasta (or your favorite pasta)
Optional: 6 ounces mozarella cheese, diced into small cubes

In a large serving bowl, stir tomatoes, garlic, parsley, basil, salt, pepper and oil. Let that rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 4 hours.

Cook your pasta and then drain well. Add the pasta to the tomato mixture and toss well. This can be eaten immediately, or if you can resist, let it rest in the refrigerator for a few hours before eating.

This is also great with diced mozzarella cheese mixed in as a final step.

Click here for printable recipe

Dehydrated Blueberries, Blackberries and Raspberries

Dehydration failure, how sad. I thought it might be worth my time to dehydrate blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, but I was wrong. 2 small cartons of blueberries spread out on the trays. Then each blueberry was slightly slit with the knife to improve the drying time.

A small carton each of raspberries and blackberries. Nothing much I could do to improve their drying time, so they went into the machine as they were. I figured it was worth trying at least once.

Now I know. It was a waste of great produce. How sad. None of these berries were edible once they were dehydrated. Most of them were still wet in the center or on a side after almost 30 hours in the dehydrator. At that point, I tried eating one, gagged and dumped everything into the garbage. I can't even describe the taste, it was almost like it was charred. Is that even possible with a dehydrator?

For whatever reason, my berries did not dehydrate properly at all. I am going to do some more research though and see if there are tricks to making it work. The thought of having berries at my fingertips year round tempts me to try again someday.

Dehydrated Corn and Green Beans

Did you know that you can dehydrate frozen vegetables straight from the freezer? Are you wondering why on earth a person would want to do that? I wondered that as well. Until I thought about it some more and read some more about it. It makes sense for long term storage and dehydrated vegetables take up considerably less space than vegetables in the freezer.

Frozen vegetables are the easiest thing in the world to dehydrate. There is no prep at all. Just take the vegetables, still frozen, spread them out on trays and start the dehydrator.

You'll know that they are fully dehydrated when they click when you drop them on the counter. At that point, remove them from the trays and pour them into a storage jar.

The real question here was whether or not they would rehydrate properly. I already knew what not to do. So, I was anxious to see how just pouring boiling water over them would work. I'll tell you now that it did work and they were great.

I poured about a cup each of dehydrated corn and green beans into a bowl. Then I filled the bowl with boiling water. Once the vegetables were soft, I drained the water and had perfectly rehydrated vegetables to use in my Italian Vegetable Soup.

I love this soup, because it is the most versatile of all the soups I make. This time I added some sauteed orange bell peppers as well as some bigger pieces of sauteed sweet onions. I used a bag of pinto beans and a bag of small red beans straight from my freezer as well.

I was very happy with the end result and I absolutely love that I now have corn and vegetables stored in my pantry that are perfect for cooking into different recipes as I need them.

I'm including one last close up of my bowl. I am absolutely thrilled with how well the corn and green beans rehydrated. I've read some stories that described frozen vegetables not rehydrating well after being dehydrated, but that was not the case for me. I suspect that using the better quality organic frozen vegetables might have something to do with it. Whatever the reason, I'll be using the same huge bags from Costco again and again. I love that I can now store 5 lbs of great tasting green beans and corn inside a quart size mason jar!

 

Dehydrated Pineapple

Dehydrated pineapple is a wonderful thing. I've been snacking on it all week. It tastes different from the store bought and sugared varieties. The flavor is intensified through dehydration. I am really looking forward to trying this as it is in salads and possibly re-hydrated in other dishes.

Here is the process:

Slice with a knife or mandoline and try not to eat half of it as it is waiting on the counter looking so tempting. Then spread the fruit out on dehydrating trays. The tray on the left is pineapple sliced approximately 1/8" thick. The tray on the right is sliced 1/4" thick. Place in the machine and dehydrate until the pieces click when dropped on the counter. This took approximately 8-12 hours, depending on the thickness of my slices.

When it is fully dehydrated, transfer to jars for storage. The jar on the left is the thicker slices and the one on the right is the thinner ones. In the future, I'll stick to the thicker slices as they were much more fun for snacking. Although, I'm thinking that the thin slices might be a fun addition to salads in the future. 

Spaghetti and Marinara with Baby Pattypans

Have you ever seen a squash cuter than a baby pattypan? On a whim the other day, I harvested several of them at just under 2 inches in size. They were adorable and I couldn't resist seeing what I could do with them whole. I have an absolute love affair going on with pattypan squash right now. They have such a mild flavor and if they are cooked just right, the texture is fabulous.

After last night's disaster and my first attempt to use dehydrated squash, I really wanted a great squash dish for dinner. Fresh is always better anyways, right? I haven't found a great oven roasted marinara sauce yet, so I'll spare you the details of this mediocre version, but the pattypans were so awesome, I couldn't resist telling you to try it. So, use your favorite marinara sauce, cook up some angel hair pasta and trust me when I tell you that the pattypans were perfect in that combination. Topped with fresh Parmesan this was a great meal.

To cook the baby pattypans, I trimmed the tops and bottoms slightly and then sauteed them in a tiny bit of olive oil. Turning them as infrequently as possible, so that they would brown slightly. Sprinkling with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper as they are cooking. After a few minutes, I added just a splash of water and put the lid on the pan, allowing them to steam and soften just slightly. They were still firm enough to have a great bite and dipped in the marinara sauce, they were delicious.

Side note: I used relatively flat pattypans for this meal. There were a couple of more rounded (cup shaped ones) included in the batch and they didn't cook nearly as well as whole pieces, so I wound up cutting them in half while they were cooking.

If you have small children at home, I'm all about making their plates as much fun as possible. Even if they aren't squash lovers, they will think it's fun to eat a squash face.

Click here for printable recipe

Dehydrated Squash - take one

My pattypans went crazy a couple weeks ago and I decided to try dehydrating them. I'd read that it could be done, so I dove in without reading any further.

Same dehydrating process as with most things:

I used a mandoline slicer to make my life simpler. After slicing up a couple baskets of pattypans, crooknecks and Italian zucchinis, I spread the slices out on the dehydrating trays.

Once they were done, I tossed them into jars and looked around for an easy way to use them. I didn't want to go crazy dehydrating a million squash before making sure they would be edible once I re-hydrated them.

 I decided to make a simple pasta dish with them. So, I poured them into the bottom of a pyrex dish.

Poured hot marinara sauce over them, cooked some noodles (letting the squash soak in the marinara sauce during that time) and then layered the penne over the squash and marinara and then added more marinara and some Monterey Jack cheese. Baked that at 350 until it was warm and bubbling.

The above picture is there to illustrate that not all food photos taste the way they appear. I was excited to try my first re-hydrated food creation. I took a big bite and it tasted bizarre. The squash was way too chewy and it didn't taste fully cooked. I was so disappointed.

After I did a little research (by way of my friend Google and a phone call with my awesome brother), I found out that foods really need to be re-hydrated in water. It basically replaces what was removed from them in the dehydrating process. By just placing the dry squash in the marinara sauce, it wasn't able to absorb enough moisture to fully rehydrate.

Oh well, I said I'd share what I discovered along the way, so I'm calling this "take one" of squash. Because I will definitely be trying this again, with properly re-hydrated squash!