Tex Mex Sloppy Joes with Corn and Peppers

1 lb ground elk or other VERY LEAN ground meat
1 large red onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
4 tsp chile powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, diced
the corn from 2 ears of fresh corn
1 tbsp low sodium tomato paste
1 cup water
2 tsp soy sauce

Brown ground meat. Add peppers and cover. Steam for 2 minutes. Add onion and cover. Steam for 4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes.

Makes 7 one cup servings. Serve open face on whole wheat buns (calories for bun not included)

Number of Servings: 7
Calories: 159.6
Total Fat: 2.0 g
Cholesterol: 47.3 mg
Sodium: 153.4 mg
Total Carbs: 14.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.6 g
Protein: 22.0 g

Mexican Quinoa Bake

1/2 lb ground beef or turkey
1 Cup cooked pinto beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn, drained
1 can black olives, drained
2 C cooked Quinoa (instructions below)
1 C grated cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp Taco seasoning (equal parts garlic pdr, onion pdr, chili pdr, cumin, oregano)

Brown ground beef.
Cook Quinoa JUST like you would white rice. 1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

Put quinoa in the bottom of an 8x8 casserole. Mix Meat, beans, tomatoes, and corn together. Spoon over top of meat. Sprinkle with cheese and olives. Bake at 350 for 20minutes.

Number of Servings: 8
Calories: 284.7
Total Fat: 15.4 g
Cholesterol: 38.9 mg
Sodium: 269.7 mg
Total Carbs: 37.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.1 g
Protein: 15.9 g

Lasagna Primavera

12 whole grain lasagna noodles

4 Tbsp butter or olive oil
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
2 C fat free 1/2 and 1/2
1/2 C whole wheat flour

3 C cut broccoli florets
2 cups shredded carrot
1 green pepper, diced

2 C part skim ricotta
1/2 C parmesan cheese
1 egg

2 C mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles. To make alfredo sauce, melt butter and stir in garlic and seasoning. Stir in flour. Add fat free 1/2 and 1/2. Stir until thickened.

Mix ricotta, parmesan cheese, and egg.

Layer sauce, noodles, ricotta mixture, veggie mixture, and mozzarella. Repeat until ingredients are used.

Number of Servings: 12
Calories: 315.8
Total Fat: 13.1 g
Cholesterol: 56.9 mg
Sodium: 397.0 mg
Total Carbs: 35.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.7 g
Protein: 17.4 g

Blueberry Apple Cobbler

Blueberry Apple Cobbler

2 cups frozen blueberries
one peeled, sliced apple or pear
2 tbsp agave nectar
2 Tbsp minute tapioca
sprinkling of cinnamon

1 cup whole wheat baking mix (listed in a previous post)
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup agave nectar
one egg
pinch each of salt, cloves, and nutmeg
zest of one orange

Put first list into the bottom of a 8 inch square pan.

Mix second list and pour over the top.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes until the top of the cake portion is cracking and no longer moist looking.

6 good sized servings.

Calories: 240.1
Total Fat: 8.0 g
Cholesterol: 54.3 mg
Sodium: 174.6 mg
Total Carbs: 39.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.1 g
Protein: 5.0 g

Ezekiel Pancakes

1 cup Ezekiel Flour
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix thoroughly and add more milk if needed. Cook on a medium-hot sprayed griddle. Flip when bubbles in center begin to pop.

Ezekiel Flour

I mentioned this in a much earlier post, but I've been doing some more experimenting, so I'll share more now. Ezekiel, in the Old Testament, was told to make a flour out of a combination of beans and grains and to make a cake with it. He lived on this cake, along with water, for nearly a year before other foods were again available to him. Here's a recipe that includes all the grains and beans mentioned in the bible verse, Ezekiel 4:9:

2 1/2 cups hard red wheat berries
1 1/2 cups spelt berries
1/2 cup barley
1/4 cup millet
1/4 cup lentils
3/4 cups mixed beans

mix all of this together and then run it through a grain mill.

Spelt is very similar to wheat but more expensive. I use all wheat, and I use hard white instead of hard red. Barley and millet are gluten-free grains. You can substitute other gluten-free grains like brown rice, quinoa, or amaranth if you prefer. As for the beans and lentils, use whatever dry beans you have. I have a bucket of pinto beans so I often use just those.

You can replace the flour in any recipe with Ezekiel flour to make it more nutritious. It will change the texture and flavor. In yeast breads, I've replaced 1/4 of the flour with desireable results. I've made pancakes with Ezekiel flour only, and they are a favorite around here. I told the kids the story about Ezekiel and they latched right onto it. They make for a very filling meal.

Easiest Whole Wheat Bread

click on image to enlarge

I have a giant loaf pan that holds both loaves. You'll probably make 2 smaller ones. This is how mine looks. See the tiny holes on top? They are from my instant read thermometer. And the white bubbles are BUTTER. Click on image to enlarge

Lemon juice in this recipe acts as a dough enhancer which gives bread a fine, light texture. Gluten, a natural protein derived from wheat, provides elasticity and strength, added texture, helps retain moisture, prevents crumbling, and extends the shelf life of the bread.

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (freshly ground hard white wheat preferred)
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten
1 1/4 Tbsp. yeast
2.5 cups hot tap water
1 T salt
1/3 C melted butter
1/3 cup honey (can use part molasses for depth of flavor)
1 1/4 T bottled lemon juice (or a crushed vitamin C tablet)
2 1/2 more cups whole wheat flour

Mix together first 3 ingredients with dough hook. Add water all at once and mix for one minute. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Add salt, butter, honey, and juice (or vitamin C) and beat for one minute. Add last flour, 1 cup at a time, beating between each cup. Beat for 6-10 minutes until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Preheat oven for one minute to lowest temp setting and then turn off. Turn dough onto oiled counter and divide. Shape into loaves into 2 standard-sized sprayed bread pans. Let rise in the warmed oven until dough rises above the top of the pans. Do not remove bread from oven; turn oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30-40 minutes, unitl the internal temperature is 200 degrees. Unwrap the end of a stick of butter and rub this all over the loaf to make the crust softer.

Servings Per Recipe: 32
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 99.7
Total Fat: 0.5 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 1.3 mg
Total Carbs: 20.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.8 g
Protein: 5.5 g

To make a 2 loaf recipe of this bread every other day for 1 year, you will need 275 lbs of wheat ground into flour, 32 sticks of butter, 46 lbs of honey, 8 lbs of yeast, 61 cups gluten, 2 2/3 quarts of lemon juice or 52 vitamin C tablets, and 7 lbs of salt.

I have been known to substitute up to 2 cups of the flour in this recipe with "Ezekiel flour" which I'll elaborate on in another post.