Plain Burrito (Bean, Rice and Cheese)

For the last two weeks I haven't been eating anything lower than pH 5.  Is it helping?  No improvement. :(  Thomas loves burritos but obviously tomatoes and everything else good is way under pH 5.  I made some "minute" rice and added a can of black beans (drained) a few minutes before the rice was fully cooked.  In theory I figured out how to properly fold a burrito, but these tortillas were too small for a good fold.  Darn! For flavor, there was a lot of cheese added.  I poured the extra rice and beans over the dish and added more cheese (of course!) Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
I'm really hoping that cheese (I doubt bleu cheese or the English one with cranberries in it would qualify) is above pH 5.  Surprisingly, the beans added good flavor to the dish and wasn't as blasé as expected.  I made them twice, here are the pictures from both nights.

 March 11th-- first attempt

 March 13th-- second attempt

Second attempt-- plated

Experiment! Irish Soda Bread

In the cooking blogosphere, there are a lot of soda bread recipes featured this month, in honor of St. Patrick.  I thought I'd try my hand and it, but with my history of dense breads, the result was the usual, hearty bread.  The original recipe came from Farmersgirl Kitchen, who lives in the UK, so I got to use my kitchen scale.

First, measure out the dry ingredients:

275 grams (from my math, 2 cups) wholemeal flour {I used wheat flour}

75 grams all-purpose flour (from my math, 1/2 cup)

50 grams steel cut oats (from my math, 1/4 cup)

Then add 1 tsp. baking soda, 1-1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp. sugar:

Now for the wet ingredients...

Beat one egg

Measure 234 ml buttermilk (from my math, just under 1 cup.  It's just on the scale for looks!)
Pour the beaten egg into the buttermilk and whisk together.

Pour into the flour mixture and mix first with a fork then with your hands.

  Shape into an oval, place on a greased baking sheet.

Cut an X into the top and sprinkle 1 Tablespoon for rolled oats (more steel cut oats can be used, too)
Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.  It may take longer, so be sure to monitor it.

Slice and enjoy your REAL Irish Soda Bread.  Maybe it turns out a bit better than mine did!

Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie

I've been wanting to make this for a week now.  Finally, last night it was on the dinner menu. With leftover rotisserie chicken, it was a breeze to make.  This recipe is a cross between two, but the result was just what I expected~ yummy comfort food, indeed.

4-5 small-medium red potatoes, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots (approx)
1 cup frozen peas (approx)
4 cups cooked and cubed chicken (approx)
1 can cream of chicken chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
Biscuit recipe

Wash and dice potatoes and carrots.  Boil them in a medium saucepan.  Once tender, drain and pour into a 9x13 baking dish.  Either mix the soup and milk in the baking dish beforehand or on top of the vegetables.  Add frozen peas and chicken.  Stir gently incorporating the sauce with the vegetable-chicken mixture.  Spoon on biscuit topping.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, until biscuits are baked and golden brown.

"Stir n' Drop Biscuits" (from Set for Life*)
2 cups unbleached white flour [I used 1 cup wheat pastry and 1 cup all-purpose]
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 T oil
1 egg, beaten
1 cup 1% or skim milk

Mix flours, baking powder and salt together.  Beat egg in a separate bowl, adding oil and milk.  Combine together just until set.

Can't wait to dig in!

* Inspired by this book: Merrill, Jane P. and Karen M. Sunderland.  Set for Life.  Salt Lake City, UT: Sunrise, 1995. pg 94; and a recipe given to us from Jill Musselman.

BOMB (Burst of Mega Blueberry) Muffins

The batter makes 15, which is a big amount compared to my usual recipes.  I love how moist these are and really highlight the blueberry taste.  I combined three recipes in my favorite low fat cookbook Set for Life, to make these scrumptious muffins, just what the birthday boy ordered!

1 cup whole wheat- or pastry wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup honey or sugar
1 egg
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup oil
1 cup blueberries

Combine flours, baking powder and salt.  In another bowl, whisk honey, egg, skim milk and oil.  Pour wet ingredients into the dry mixture. Stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries.  Spoon into nonstick muffin tin or paper lined tin and bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.  Yield: 15

Merrill, Jane P. and Karen M. Sunderland.  Set for Life.  Salt Lake City, UT: Sunrise, 1995. 89-90.