My New Breakfast Syrup Solution!!

So, back in the day, I used to buy Aunt Jemima type syrup. Yuck, I know. Then, my mother in law taught me to make "homemade" syrup like this:

1 cup boiling water
2 cups white sugar
1/2 tsp Mapleine (or other maple extract)
a splash of vanilla (optional)

It tastes better and isn't as thick as store bought fake syrup, and it is WAY cheaper. BUT it isn't exactly healthy either. I decided that I was okay with that since I was putting it on top of wholesome whole wheat pancakes. But I always had a tinge of hypocrisy when I served this. It isn't, after all, what I really believe in, right??

So, I switched to REAL maple syrup. Obviously, this is the most wholesome choice, and it is the most delicious as well. Maple syrup is SOO expensive though, and getting more so all the time.

So....I recently was able to score a 50 lb bag of sucanat for a good price. I found some that was NOT organic, so much cheaper, then I got a discount for buying in bulk. I won't tell you how much it cost (even with my "good find" it is way more expensive than white sugar...but I don't buy white sugar). Having all that sucanat makes me not even consider buying white sugar anymore. I don't have to think about how much it cost, since I own it.

Long story short, I stopped buying real maple syrup. I just use my mother in law's recipe for "fake" syrup, but I use sucanat in place of the white sugar. It has more flavor than the original, because sucanat still contains the natural molasses, and we love it.

1 cup boiling water
2 cups sucanat
1/2 tsp maple flavor
splash of vanilla (optional)

I bring this all back to a boil to dissolve the coarser-than-sugar sucanat.

'Tis the Season For Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

This is actually adapted from a pie recipe I've made dozens of times. I was craving this pie but couldn't bring myself to buy white sugar or white flour and have them sitting in my cupboard. I haven't had either for months now. You could certainly make the crust for a one crust pie (see "pastries" within this blog) and put a crust under this. I was just too lazy tonight for that.

4 cups chopped rhubarb
4 cups sliced strawberries (1 lb package)
1/3 cup sucanat
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup water

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sucanat
1 cup whole wheat flour

Mix rhubarb, sucanat, honey, and flour. Stir until flour is distributed throughout. Add water. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat when liquid is thick and bubbly. Stir strawberries into the hot mixture. Pour into deep dish pie plate or 2 qt casserole dish.

In a food processor, pulse together butter, sucanat, and flour until crumbly. Pour over fruit mixture and spread around. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Tomato Cream Shrimp Linguine, a fast gourmet dinner

7 oz whole grain linguine
2 T butter
½ cup chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
¼ cup whole wheat flour
2 cups milk
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 lb raw, peeled, deveined shrimp

Boil pasta in salted water. Saute onion and garlic in butter. Add flour and stir. Add milk and tomatoes. Stir until thick. Do not boil. Add salt and pepper. Add shrimp and cover. Steam shrimp until they are pink throughout.

Peanut Butter Bars: and how I adapted the recipe

(click on image to enlarge)

The original recipe (notice the naughty brown sugar, white sugar, and white flour)

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 tsp soda
½ tsp salt
2 cups flour
2 cups oats

With my modifications. Sugars are replaced, flour is replaced. I also opted to use all-natural chunky peanut butter in mine. These are LOVED by all my family and no one is missing the processed ingredients at all:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sucanat
1/2 cup honey
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 tsp soda
½ tsp salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups oats

Preheat oven to 325. Beat the first 6 ingredients together. Stir remaining ingredients together and add to the rest. Drop blogs of dough all over a greased lipped cookie sheet and press out using greased hands or rubber spatula. Bake for 15 minutes.

The original recipe also suggested frosting these with chocolate frosting. Instead, I made up the chocolate sauce below. I found this concoction here:
http://thefrugallyrichlife.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/homemade-reeses-peanut-butter-cups-refined-sugar-free/

1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla

I put the ingredients in a squeeze bottle, microwaved them, and shook the bottle. It was a perfect topping and so easy to drizzle on the top.

A shameless plug for Meg Dickey's recipes

Meg Dickey, I gotta say I love you. Love the soaked buttermilk biscuits and make them all the time. Now, I am in love again. This soaked applesauce cake is perfect for breakfast. Start the soak the night before and measure the rest of the ingredients. When you wake up the next morning, you just take one minute to stir it all up and put it in the oven. By the time you take a shower and get dressed, you have hot cake, ready to serve.

http://megdickey.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/soaked-applesauce-cake/#comment-348

Here's a great site all about grains and what to do with them!

Thanks, Andrea, for the tip. This site is full of great information!

http://www.versagrain.com/

Simple Cinnamon Drop Cookies

click on image to enlarge

This is just an adaptation from the red/white checkered "Better Homes" cookbook

1 cup room temperature butter
1 1/2 cups sucanat
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups whole wheat flour (freshly ground hard or soft white wheat preferred)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

Blend together butter and sucanat. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat one minute. Add flour and baking powder and mix thoroughly. Drop onto a silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8 or 9 minutes.