Dairy Free Orange Julius

If you remember my previous Orange Julius recipe, you know it has ice cream in it, so it isn't exactly dairy free.  This recipe is for my friends and family who may need to or wish to exclude dairy from their diets.  Really I'm just a sucker for trying to outdo myself and find out if it is possible to make a healthy substitute for a favorite food.  We love milkshakes, smoothies, any blended drink of the non alcoholic nature.  This was an experiment truthfully.  I used my family shamelessly as guinea pigs and had them drink it even before me.  My daughter's tend to be an either one or the other likes the smoothie or milkshake I make.  Lucky for me they both liked the Orange Julius.  Then I asked if it was a recipe worth sharing and my second daughter was confused, but she figured it out when we explained whether I should share it with you, and she said yes.  After they both said it was good, I tried it.  Guess what, they were right, and I agree it was good.  

We love blended drinks and this one is almost a guilt free treat.

Ingredients:

12.3 Ounces of Silken Tofu
1 Navel Orange
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Cane Sugar (White Granulated Sugar may also be substituted)
Orange Juice
Half Blender of Ice

Peel the orange, because this part just doesn't taste good.

Add orange and tofu to blender.

Pour enough orange juice in blender to come up to the three cup line.

Blend until smooth, or if using a Vita-Mix, use the smoothie setting
and blend until the program ends.

Enjoy!

Dairy Free Orange Julius

Ingredients:

12.3 Ounces of Silken Tofu

1 Navel Orange

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup Cane Sugar (White Granulated Sugar may also be substituted)

Orange Juice

Half Blender of Ice

Process:

Peel the orange.

Add orange and tofu to blende

Pour enough orange juice in blender to come up to the three cup line.

Blend until smooth, or if using a Vita-Mix use the smoothie setting and blend until the program ends.

Enjoy!

Peach Galette

When I went to Lewin Farms recently, they had the last of the seasons fresh peaches, so of course I picked some up.  My parents and mother in law came to visit this weekend for my son's Baptism.  My dad really likes peach pie, so this morning I made the next best thing, a peach galette.  Galette is like a pie with crust and filling.  It is made on a flat sheet instead of in a pie pan.  Galette is like a French country version of the American pie that we have all come to love.

Summer dessert, perfect for those fresh peaches you found at the store.

Ingredients for Crust:

8 ounces cold Unsalted Butter
4 ounces Lard
5 to 7 tablespoons Water
18 ounces All-purpose Flour, approximately 2 3/4 cups, plus extra for dusting
1 1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 tablespoon Turbinado Sugar (white sugar can be substituted)

Egg Wash of 1 Egg Yoke and 1 tablespoon Water

Ingredients for Peach Filling:

5 large Yellow Peaches

3 tablespoons Tapioca Flour

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 cup Cane Sugar (white sugar can be substituted)

1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

Cut butter into 1/2 inch cubes.

Mix butter, lard, flour, and salt together in a mixer with a paddle attachment or
use your fingers to combine.

Cut peaches into 1 inch wedges.  Sprinkle tapioca flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg
over peaches and gently stir.

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Refrigerate crust for 20 minutes.

Cut dough in half and roll both halves into 1/4 inch circles.  Place on a cookie sheet.

Divide peach mixture between both crusts.  Fold crust over the filling.

Brush egg wash onto galettes and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake peach galettes for 50-60 minutes.

Enjoy!

Peach Galette

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients for Crust:

8 ounces cold Unsalted Butter
4 ounces Lard
5 to 7 tablespoons Water
18 ounces All-purpose Flour, approximately 2 3/4 cups, plus extra for dusting
1 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 1/2 tablespoon Turbinado Sugar (white sugar can be substituted)

Egg Wash of 1 Egg Yoke and 1 tablespoon Water

Ingredients for Peach Filling:

5 large Yellow Peaches

3 tablespoons Tapioca Flour

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 cup Cane Sugar (white sugar can be substituted)

1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

Process for Crust:

Cut butter into 1/2 inch cubes.

Mix butter, lard, flour, and salt together in a mixer with a paddle attachment or use your fingers to combine.

Refrigerate crust for 20 minutes.

Cut dough in half and roll both halves into 1/4 inch circles.  Place on a cookie sheet.

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Process for Peach Filling:

Cut peaches into 1 inch wedges.  Sprinkle tapioca flour, sugar, cinnaon, and nutmeg over peaches and gently stir.

Divide peach mixture between both crusts.  Fold crust over the filling.

Brush egg wash onto galettes and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake peach galettes for 50-60 minutes.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Whole Grain Bread

I love Fall.  The good news is, we have been having Fall weather here in Queens.  Recently I bought 4 Sugar Pumpkins, for 99 cents each.  My daughter Haley really wanted to color one and make a Jack O' Lantern but I said no.  These pumpkins were destined for wonderful recipes.  My children are divided into two groups, half are Pumpkin Pie eaters and the other half like Apple Pie.  This bread actually appealed to three of my four children.  My fourth child is the pickiest eater EVER.  He has few things he isn't afraid to eat. We can claim that 3 out of 4 of my children love this recipe and you should try it out.  I also had a chance to use my pressure cooker to prepare the pumpkin, it is a really good way to cook a pumpkin quickly.  

 My home smelled amazing while this bread was in the oven baking, and it is  delicious too.

Ingredients:

1 cup Brown Rice Flour
1 cup Oat Flour
1 cup Spelt Flour
      *You can substitute these three flours for only whole wheat or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground Cloves
2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
3 cups Cane Sugar (or white granulated sugar)
3/4 cup Coconut Oil (1 cup melted butter)
3 Eggs
16 ounces Pureed Pumpkin (or 16 ounce can of pumpkin puree)

Cut a sugar pumpkin in half, remove seeds, place on rack in pressure cooker with 1/2 inch water                    cover with lid and cook on high for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit

Mix flour(s), cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl
or a zip top bag like I did.

 Mix eggs, sugar, and coconut oil in mixing bowl with whisk attachment on low until combined.

 Add pumpkin puree.

 So far so good and all mixed.

 Add flours in three stages and mix in between.

 We are all ready to go.

 Pour batter into 1 large or 2 small bread pans coated with non-stick spray and flour.

Bake for one hour or until knife comes out clean.

 Remove from oven and allow to cool on rack.

When it has cooled, slice and serve.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Whole Grain Bread

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1 cup Brown Rice Flour
1 cup Oat Flour
1 cup Spelt Flour
      *You can substitute these three flours for only whole wheat or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground Cloves
2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
3 cups Cane Sugar (or white granulated sugar)
3/4 cup Coconut Oil (1 cup melted butter)
3 Eggs
16 ounces Pureed Pumpkin (or 16 ounce can of pumpkin puree)

Process for Pumpkin Puree:

Cut a sugar pumpkin in half, remove seeds, place on rack in pressure cooker with 1/2 inch water                    cover with lid and cook on high for 20 minutes.

Process for Pumpkin Bread:

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit

Mix flour(s), cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl.

Mix eggs, sugar, and coconut oil in mixing bowl with whisk attachment on low until combined.

Add pumpkin puree.

Add flours in three stages and mix in between.

Pour batter into 1 large or 2 bread pans coated with non-stick spray and flour.

Bake for one hour or until knife comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on rack.

Enjoy!

New York Style Spelt Bagels

Remember, I promised bagels with the Neufchatel cheese?  Well here you go, a recipe for bagels. These are no ordinary bagels.  They are New York Style and are made with spelt.  What does New York style mean?  Here in New York, bagels are chewy and just a little crusty.  Do you like New York bagels?  We love bagels in my home, and the other day my friend Angela and I had bagels at Brooklyn Bagel.  I was excited to make bagels again.  The bagels were the right amount of chewy and just a little crispy on the outside, as they should be.  You can't buy bagels from a grocery store that will have those same characteristics.  This style bagel doesn't hold up to a long shelf life.  The New York bagel isn't just named for where it comes from, it is so much more.  If you aren't as blessed as I am to be in close proximity to amazing New York bagels, then this recipe will give you that opportunity.  I have made bagels before, and yes they are worth the effort and time.  Since I made the Neufchatel cheese, I wanted a bagel to spread it on.  These bagels are very yummy.  

Do you see the beautiful sponge inside that bagel?  The golden spelt?  Plus the white creamy goodness spread on top is delicious.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons Cane Sugar (or white granulated sugar)
1 1/4 cups warm Water
2 cups Bread Flour
1 1/2 cups Spelt Flour (or Whole Wheat Flour)
1 teaspoon Vital Wheat Gluten
1 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt

 Pour 1/2 cup water, yeast, sugar, and salt into mixing bowl.  Allow to foam for 5 minutes.

Look how happy the yeast is now?  I love happy yeast.  It validates my ability to bake. 

I killed yeast a lot when I was first learning to bake bread.

Add the rest of the water, flours, and vital wheat gluten.  Mix with a dough hook.
When a ball has formed increase speed to medium and knead for 10 minutes.

 Place dough in an oiled container with lid.  Allow to rest and double in size.

 Punch the dough.  Deflate its ego.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.

I weighed my dough and figured out the weight and divided it by 32, but the recipe above
 makes 16 small bagels or 8 regular size bagels.  

Roll each dough piece into a snake, wrap the dough around your hand and roll the ends together under your palm on the counter.  I used a different method to shape my bagels,  making a ball then poking the center and creating a ring.  The first method will create a much smoother equal bagel.  

Preheat Oven to 425 Fahrenheit 

Boil the bagels for 1 minute on each side.  Remove with a slotted spoon to a parchment
paper lined cookie sheet or greased cookie sheet.

Bake bagels for 10 minutes, until golden brown.  

My family now has a lot of freshly made New York style bagels to enjoy.

Enjoy!

New York Style Spelt Bagels

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons Cane Sugar (or white granulated sugar)
1 1/4 cups warm Water
2 cups Bread Flour
1 1/2 cups Spelt Flour (or Whole Wheat Flour)
1 teaspoon Vital Wheat Gluten
1 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt

Process:

Pour 1/2 cup water, yeast, sugar, and salt into mixing bowl.  Allow to foam for 5 minutes.

Add the rest of the water, flours, and vital wheat gluten.  Mix with a dough hook.  When a ball has formed increase speed to medium and knead for 10 minutes.

Place dough in an oiled container with lid.  Allow to rest and double in size.

Punch the dough.  Deflate its ego.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.

Weigh the dough and divide the weight by 8 for regular size bagels.  

Roll each dough piece into a snake, wrap the dough around your hand and roll the ends together under your palm on the counter, or make a ball then poke the center and create a ring.  The first method will create a much smoother equal bagel.  

Preheat Oven to 425 Fahrenheit 

Boil the bagels for 1 minute on each side.  Remove with a slotted spoon to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet or greased cookie sheet.

Bake bagels for 10 minutes, until golden brown.  

Enjoy!

No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

This cookie dough, when prepared, is meant to be eaten raw.  It doesn't contain any eggs.  I love cookie dough, and I ran out of eggs this morning after using them all for breakfast.   Since cookie dough is so yummy, I decided to make something that didn't need to be cooked.  Cookie dough is delicious, and lets just say I was having a pregnancy craving.  Sure let's use that excuse.  I'm allowed to use that excuse, right? Of course I am, and you get to enjoy it with me too.  This recipe really did fill my craving.  You should try it.

Do you have a craving for cookie dough, but don't want to eat raw eggs?
This recipe will work for you.

Ingredients:

1 cup Multigrain Flour (Brown Rice, Barley, and Spelt) or Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Turbinado Sugar (or Brown Sugar)
1/3 cup Cane Sugar (or White Sugar)
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1/4 cup Softened Butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/3 cup Almond Butter
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

 Blend the flour, baking soda, sugars, and salt together in a blender until fine.

Blend almond butter, butter, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl using a paddle
attachment until smooth.

 Add flour mixture and blend until smooth and combined.

 Add chocolate chips, mix gently with a wooden spoon.

 If the dough still seems crumbly, place in a gallon size bag and gently massage until combined.

Enjoy!

No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1 cup Multigrain Flour (Brown Rice, Barley, and Spelt) or Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Turbinado Sugar (or Brown Sugar)
1/3 cup Cane Sugar (or White Sugar)
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1/4 cup Softened Butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/3 cup Almond Butter
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Process:

Blend the flour, baking soda, sugars, and salt together in a blender until fine.

Blend almond butter, butter, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl using a paddle
attachment until smooth.

Add flour mixture and blend until smooth and combined.

Add chocolate chips, mix gently with a wooden spoon.

If the dough still seems crumbly, place in a gallon size bag and gently massage until combined.

Enjoy!

Teriyaki Beef Roll

My husband has been on call working from home this week.  His co-worker Fernando misses my food every time my husband works from home.  Today Fernando wanted sushi rolls for lunch, homemade and from a nearby restaurant.  My husband's lunch break isn't long enough for a visit to the office for lunch or a restaurant.  Instead of eating out I made some sushi rolls at home.  I had to get creative and create a roll based on food I already had.  The good news was, I had left-over steamed brown rice from last night's Indian dinner and steak in the freezer.  Teriyaki sauce is so yummy, so that was also part of my plan.  This is a throw it together roll, at least it is for me.

The sauce and flavor were out of this world yummy.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. Skirt Steak
1 English Cucumber
4 cups Sushi Brown Rice (Recipe Found Here)
Nori Sheets
1/2 cup Brown Rice Wine Vinegar (Rice Wine Vinegar can be substituted)
1/2 cup Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Cane Sugar (white granulated sugar can be substituted)
Vegetable Oil

Mix 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 brown rice wine vinegar, 1/2 cup cane sugar.  Marinate the beef
in the mixture for 20 minutes.

Heat a 12 inch skillet over high heat.  Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.  Quickly brown the
steak on all sides.  

Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Pour marinade into small sauce pan over medium heat and reduce by half.  When it boils,
 lower heat to low.

Slice steak across the grain.

Place a 12 inch non-stick skillet over a medium-high heat.  Add steak and enough of the teriyaki marinade to coat.  Cook steak very quickly, slightly crisping the edges and remove from the heat.

Wash and cut cucumber into 4 equal pieces and julienne the pieces (cut small sticks).

Place nori sheet on prepared sushi mat.  Put a softball size mound of sushi rice on nori sheet.

Flatten rice using your hand wrapped in plastic wrap. (My friend Bridget taught me this trick.)
Leave the far 1/2 inch edge free of rice.  Place 9 cucumber sticks and teriyaki steak in a long
 strip in the middle of the rice.

Carefully roll as tightly as possible.  I'm still working on rolling tightly, so I'll need more practice.
Darn I have to make more of these.

Using a very sharp knife and a sawing motion cut the roll in half.

Place roll halves together and again with a sawing motion carefully cut into your desired
roll thickness.  Spoon on extra teriyaki sauce.

Since these do not contain anything that can go bad, they are great as leftovers, if you don't
eat them all when they are made.

Enjoy!

Teriyaki Beef Roll

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. Skirt Steak

1 English Cucumber

4 cups Sushi Brown Rice (Recipe Found Here)

Nori Sheets

1/2 cup Brown Rice Wine Vinegar (Rice Wine Vinegar can be substituted)

1/2 cup Dark Soy Sauce

1/2 cup Cane Sugar (white granulated sugar can be substituted)

Vegetable Oil 

Process:

Mix 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 brown rice wine vinegar, 1/2 cup cane sugar.  Marinate the beef in the mixture for 20 minutes.

Heat a 12 inch skillet over high heat.  Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.  Quickly brown the steak on all sides.  

Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Pour marinade into small sauce pan over medium heat and reduce by half.  When it boils lower heat to low.

Slice steak across the grain.

Place a 12 inch non-stick skillet over a medium-high heat.  Add steak and enough of the teriyaki marinade to coat.  Cook steak very quickly, slightly crisping the edges and remove from the heat.

Wash and cut cucumber into 4 equal pieces and julienne this pieces (cut small sticks).

Place nori sheet on prepared sushi mat.  Put a softball size mound of sushi rice on nori sheet.  

Flatten rice using your hand wrapped in plastic wrap. (My friend Bridget taught me this trick.) Leave the far 1/2 inch edge free of rice.  Place 9 cucumber sticks and teriyaki steak in a long strip in the middle of the rice.

Carefully roll as tightly as possible.

Using a very sharp knife and a sawing motion cut the roll in half.

Place roll halves together and again with a sawing motion carefully cut into your desired roll thickness. Spoon on extra teriyaki sauce.

Since these do not contain anything that can go bad, they are great as leftovers, if you don't eat them all when they are made.

Enjoy!