eatin diffrent

bekah had another great idea the other day.

feeling a need to look more closely at what we were putting into our bodies after we read something my brother showed us (basically it said it's more important to eat food that hasn't been processed than anything else) and inspired by the book Plenty, we started shopping for locally produced food. This blog's recipes will from now on reflect that.

pizza crust recipe

so even though pizza isn't the best thing to eat (what with the amount of bread and cheese therein) we can't seem to shake it. the next best thing, then, is to make it at home. we've been trying different recipes - the last one went way wrong - and this one seems just right. we used wheat flour and it even works for calzones.

Oven 400 Degrees
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup water
1 tbsp cooking oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare pizza pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl.
Add liquids and stir to incorporate dry ingredients.
Knead dough by hand 6-8 times on a lightly floured surface.
Roll dough thinly.
Place rolled dough onto prepared pizza pan, add favorite sauce and toppings.
Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes, depending on crust thickness.

i stole this from www.easypizzacrusts.com.

Mexican Taco Stew

Here.

a delish jambalaya

from whole foods - but we have changed it up a bit to be more locally flavorful

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 (12-ounce) package andouille sausage, sliced in 1-inch pieces
1 cup Louisiana rice
2 or 3 creole tomatoes
1/8 cup hto peppers (or more if you please)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound (16-20 count) fresh raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

Method:
1) Heat oil in 4-quart pan over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots; season with salt and pepper. Cover; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2) Add sausage; cook 2 minutes.

3) Add rice, tomatoes, broth and shrimp; stir to evenly distribute. Cover; cook 5 minutes.

4) Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as desired. Serve immediately.


Comments:
we found this when we were getting tired of the boxed jamby, though we do believe still that Mam Papaul's mix is pretty darn good

Rating:
Five high fives (out of five)

Italian Soup in a Flash (Minestrone with crazy fun pasta)

Courtesy of wholefoodsmarket.com.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dry pasta, shapes or noodles (broken if long pasta)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can beans, kidney or great northern
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, roasted or with Italian seasoning
• dried Italian seasonings (basil, oregano, etc.)
• black pepper
• 4 ounces fresh or frozen spinach (about 4 cups fresh)
• veggies of your choosing
• ground meats

Steps:

1) Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2) While pasta cooks, pour the broth into a medium-large saucepan and gently heat to a boil over a medium-high flame. When broth is boiling, add entire can of beans, liquid included. Then add canned tomatoes. Sprinkle with Italian seasonings and black pepper. Bring to a simmer.  Add veggies and meats.

3) Just before serving, add the spinach and heat until it is bright green.

4) Place pasta, about 1 cup per serving, in soup bowls. Ladle tomato bean soup on top and serve.

Comments: It's just good.

Rating: 5 high fives (out of 5)

Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cheese

Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine (Dec. 07, pg. 205)

Ingedients:
1 (1-pound) package uncooked ziti (short tube-shaped pasta)
1 pound hot turkey Italian sausage links
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Steps:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2) Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta; set aside.

3) REmove casing from sausage. Cook sausage, onion, and garlic in a large nonsitck skillet over medium heat until sausage is browned, stirring to crumble. Add tomato paste, salt, black pepper, and diced tomatoes to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4) Combine cooked pasta, sausage mixture, and basil. Place half of te pasta mixture in a 4-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Top with half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Repeat layers. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Makes 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups).

Comments: This makes a whole lot. Yummy and perfect for Italian night. Can also use turkey sausage.

Rating:
5 high fives (out of 5)

Sirloin and Vegetable Stir-Fry

Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine (Dec. 07, pg. 272)

Ingedients:

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (1-lb) sirloin steak, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3/4 cup fat-free, less sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoonns canols oil

1 cup (1/4 inch thick) diagonally cut slices carrot

1 cup broccoli florets

1 1/2 cups snow peas, trimmed

3 cups hot cooked rice

*we added 1 cup of water chestnuts and 1 cup of sliced mushrooms

Steps:

• Combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well; sprinkle evenly over steak. Combine cornstarch, sugar, and red pepper in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in broth and soy sauce.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet (or wok, right? that's what we used) over medium-high heat (and then it gets real fun). Add carrot to pan; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add steak and broccoli (we threw in the water chesnuts and mushrooms here, too); stir-fry 1 minute. Stir in both mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add snow peas; cook 30 seconds or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with rice (or quinoa).

Makes 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups beef mixture and 3/4 cup rice).

Comments: This was our second time and dang we are so proud. Next time we'll see how it does with chicken.

Rating:

5 high fives (out of 5)