The Ladies - Round Two

When we moved last June we were so excited to get chickens.  We had them within a week of moving to our little acreage and their coop and run were degenerating to say the least.  We lost 3 of 6 of those chickens before we ever got any eggs from them.  The remaining 3 became dinner... the last of which we had just last week.  Mmmm. There are 2 yogurt containers of stock in my freezer just waiting to be turned into pasta sauce or corn chowder one of these days.

This past month, one of our goals has been to fortify the chicken coop and rebuild their run and fencing.  Dave dug in a few solid posts and put on a new farm gate to the run.

Ground Beef Enchiladas - NO DRY SAUCE MIX HERE!

This was Dave's Brithday Dinner Request.  Again. I'm not brilliant enough to take photos, so I'll just post the recipe.  I consider it a HUGE success because the kids actually ate it without too much complaining. Remind me to make these when I run out of ideas.  I NEVER think to make wraps... I should.

Make 1&1/2 cups of brown rice ... as it's cooking make:


Sauce

2 garlic cloves (I like garlic)
1/4  onion - finely chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp sugar (optional, but it softens the flavor)
1/2 tsp chilli powder

combine in small pot and saute onions until clear then add

1 can crushed tomatoes
3-4 tablespoons salsa
and maybe a little water to thin it... your call.


 Beef Mixture

1 lb ground beef
Hys seasoning salt (no MSG in there baby)
pepper
2 cloves garlic
3/4 onion - finely chopped
2 cloves garlic


Brown the meat then add

1/3 cup of enchilada sauce (above)

Mix and take off stove

Warm wraps in damp towel in the oven or microwave (you'll need to preheat your oven anyway)

Grate 2 cups of cheese.
Add 3 Tablespoons of sauce to the bottom of of an 8x13 pan

WRAPS

In each wrap place:
meat mixture
rice
cheese
fresh spinach

Wrap up tucking in all sides and place in pan Making sure to put sauce in between them and on the sides of your pan so they don't stick so much.

Make a trail of sauce in the middle of the enchiladas... place remaining cheese on top of sauce.  If you're creative chop up some black olives and place on top.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted

serve with sour cream and the rest of the enchilada sauce

Yum. I can't believe the kids ate it. woop woop

Sprouted Whole Grain Bread

After I made my first batch of butter I was left with the liquid I've been assured is indeed buttermilk.  The only thing I was sure I could use it for was to make bread.  I let it sit on the counter so that it would warm to room temperature, and I set out to find a Whole Grain Bread Recipe that used buttermilk.

This week I made a visit to Anita's Organic Grain and Flour Mill in a tiny little hamlet called Greendale, 10 minutes from Chilliwack.  I picked up some stone-gound Sprouted Whole Grain Flour and some stone-ground Organic Kamut Flour (which I pronounced wrong the entire time I was in the store).  My intention is to add a bit of it to the bread that I make.  I've been making about half the bread we consume since Christmas and I hope if I can get the hang of it that I'll be making all of it.  I won't put that kind of pressure on myself just yet, but that's the goal.  My bread consists of mainly 4 or 5 natural ingredients.... and since I've been avoiding processed foods and especially anything with corn or soy in them, I am finding that making my own bread is more than worth it.  The Sprouted Grain and Kamut flours (among a host of other natural, unprocessed, heritage flours) are higher in fibre and nutrients and overall are just so much healthier for our bodies.

Thank-ful for my days cooking for a bunch of wild tree-planters.... where if I wasn't good at baking bread, I sure practiced.

Buttermilk Whole Wheat Bread from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

makes 1 9"x5" or 2 8.5"x4.5" loaves

Ingredients

 2 teaspoons instant yeast

3/4 cup warm water (105-115F)

1-1/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature 

1/4 c oil

1-1/2 cups white flour, approximately

3 cups whole wheat flour, (I used stone-ground sprouted)

2 tablespoons brown sugar or molasses [I used molasses]

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt which I forgot to add :(

Step 1 - In a large mixing bowl sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and stir briefly to dissolve. Set aside while allowing the buttermilk to reach room temperature.

Step 2 - When at room temperature, pour the buttermilk, bread flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, oil, brown sugar or molasses, baking powder, and salt into the yeast mixture. Blend at low speed (LOW people... I turned mine to the '2' and had flour spurt up all over my kitchen and newly washed dishes... like I want to wash them TWICE. argh!)

 in a mixer until the flour and the dry ingredients are absorbed. With the bread hook stir in the remaining whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and, when it becomes thick, work with the fingers. Allow 4 to 5 minutes for the whole wheat flour to fully absorb the liquid before adding more flour. The dough will be slightly sticky and soft.  

Step 3 - Cover in oil and let rise in a warm place until double (1 hour at least)

Step 4 - Punch down and shape into loaves, tucking the ends in. I always use parchment paper.... there's no hassel getting the loaves out of the pan that way. Let rise another hour. For a really beautiful crust, brush on a beaten egg.

Step 5 - Preheat oven to 425F 20 minutes before baking.

Step 6 - Bake the loaf or loaves in the oven until they are golden brown and loose in the pans, about 30-35 minutes.  The loaves are baked if the sound is hard and hollow when thumped on the bottom crust.  

Step 7 - Remove loaves from the oven and place on wire racks to cool.