Fresh Ricotta and Whole Wheat and Flaxseed Rolls (with the whey!)

Fresh Ricotta and Whole Wheat and Flaxseed Rolls

Fresh Ricotta (or Paneer) cheese is so easy to make. The challenge is to find a good use for the leftover whey. About a year ago I started to use the whey for making bread and it is now a routine. The whey is not a "leftover" any more, but part of the process since I generally make them at the same time. Sometimes we save the ricotta for pizza, pasta or kale paneer, and sometimes we smear it on the freshly baked rolls and call it a meal. Either way, it is a delicious way to spend an afternoon. The bread recipe makes enough to last us for two weeks if we pop most of it into the freezer right away.

Start with the cheese:

Ricotta (or Paneer)

1/2 gallon whole milk- (non-homogenized if you can get it)
1 cup plain yogurt (optional, but adds flavour)
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tsp salt

Cheesy Lentils and Greens (gluten free)

Cheesy Lentils and Greens (gluten free)

"Super Really Good," said five year old G-man, when I asked how to describe Cheesy Lentils and Greens. While that endorsement makes me smile, I'll have to tell you myself that it is like a grown up mac'n'cheese. Minus the mac, with lentils and added bites of kale. Is it a side or an entree? Yes.


1 cup red lentils
2 cups water
2 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 small mushrooms, finely diced
1 bunch kale, ribs removed
1 cup grated cheddar

In a lidded saucepan (an Ultimate Pan if you have one) gently heat the lentils, water, milk, and salt to a low boil. Turn the heat down, put the lid on and simmer until the lentils are al dente, between twenty minutes to half an hour.

Meanwhile, finely chop the kale and mushrooms. Add them to the lentil mixture, and continue to simmer until the kale is softened.

Stir in the cheddar, then serve.

I shared this recipe with Fight back Friday and Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love,  Empty Your Archive (veggie collection),  Homestead Barn Hop,  Fat Tuesday,  Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Hearth and Soul Blog Hop,  Gluten Free Wednesday,  Healthy 2Day Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday,  Thriving on Thursday and the HomeAcre Hop.

www.stealthymom.com

Kale Paneer (gluten free)

Kale Paneer

Saag Paneer is a creamy, spicy dish of greens (saag) and homemade cheese (paneer). It was one of my favourites when dining out in college and a rarely seen delight here in the Midwest. The March 2013 issue of the Food Network Magazine had a recipe for Saag Paneer using fresh spinach. It looked really good, but I could not help but to adapt it to kale, simplify it, and tweak a few more ingredients. The result? Scrumptious. (And gone. Next time I'll double the greens so we have a few leftovers. ) For a really authentic experience, there is a great looking recipe for Naan (flatbread) at Plus Other Good Stuff.

This is not a spontaneous kind of dish but the homemade paneer can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days and brought out when you are ready to enjoy it.  Our version is as mild as you can possibly make a curry, so feel free to double (or triple!!) the coriander and cumin and even add hot peppers if your family likes a little heat.

Homemade Paneer  (about half a pound, recipe below)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup flour- wheat or rice (gluten free) for dredging
1 small red onion, diced
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
1 tbsp garlic
1 tsp coriander, or more for a spicy dish
1/2 tsp cumin, or more for a spicy dish
1/4 tsp tumeric
(optional: chopped or dried chili, jalapeno, or other spicy pepper)
1 large bunch kale, stem removed, finely chopped
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup plain yogurt

1 tbsp butter
1 tsp tapioca starch


Heat the oil on low to medium heat in a wok or ultimate pan. Cut the paneer into cubes, about three-quarters of an inch. Dredge them in the flour, then fry them until golden in the olive oil. Fish them out and set them aside.

In the same pan and oil, sautee the onion. Add the salt, and spices, then the kale and water. Cover the pan and simmer until it bubbles. Stir in the yogurt, butter and tapioca starch and cook, uncovered, until the sauce thickens, about five minutes. Stir in the cheese cubes and cook just long enough to heat them back up.

Serve right away over rice, couscous, or quinoa.


Homemade Paneer 

1/2 gallon whole milk- (non-homogenized if you can get it)
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tsp salt

Heat the milk up, stirring, until it just starts to bubble. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the salt, yogurt, and lemon juice.

After a few minutes, large curds will form. Strain the contents of your pot through a clean tea towel or handkerchief. (Not a terry towel.) The leftover whey can be used elsewhere, like for soup or bread. Gather up the corners of the cloth into a bag and gently squeeze out more of the whey. Either secure the end of a pouch with an elastic or tie a knot through the ends, and hang the bag over the pot with a wooden spoon. After ten minutes of dripping, you will have a delicious, lemon ricotta. Twist the bag again to get out more of the whey, then place it between two plates to compress. You won't be able to reshape it once it is hardened, so flatten it out an smooth the edges while it is still warm. Place a can over the top plate for weight, then stick it in the fridge for an hour to harden. Take it out of the tea towel an store in an airtight container.

www.stealthymom.com


I shared this post with   Fight Back Friday,  Foodie Friends Friday,  Foodie Friday, the Homestead Barn Hop, Fat Tuesday, the Hearth and Soul Hop, Scratch Cookin' Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday,  Gluten Free Wednesdays,  Simple Lives Thursdays, Thriving on Thursdays and Empty Your Archive (veggie collection)

Burger Assistant (Gluten Free)

Burger Assistant with Sweet Potato Noodles

"I don't know why they call this stuff Hamburger Helper. It's just fine by itself, huh? I like it better than Tuna Helper myself. Don't you, Clark?"  - Cousin Eddie, National Lampoon's Vacation

There must be millions of people who think highly of boxed noodles and sauce because it has been jumping off grocery store shelves and into consumers' carts for years. It is easy. Full of questionable things, but easy. This real-food version is pretty darned easy, too:

First, pick your noodles. If you are in a hurry, you can cook up store-bought noodles. If you have an extra, say, fifteen minutes, you can fix up:

Sweet Potato Noodles (gluten free) Skip the spices.
Tamale Noodles (gluten free)
Whole Wheat Egg Noodles

When put the water on for noodles, make the sauce. Note that grassfed beef is leaner than regular, store-bought beef, so you will not need to pre-brown it and drain off grease. If you do pre-brown the beef, mix the cold milk and tapioca starch together before stirring it in.

Stir these ingredients together in a large pan:

1 pound grassfed ground beef
1 cup milk
2 tbsp tapioca starch
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1/4 tsp salt (or more to taste after cooking)

Stirring periodically cook everything together until the meat is cooked through and the sauce is thick. Allow at least fifteen minutes.

Add the cooked, drained noodles and stir them together. Cook together until the sauce is bubbly, then serve.


Need a smile today? Here is a clip from a classic movie:






I shared this recipe with Make Your Own Monday, Homestead Barn Hop, Hearth and Soul Hop, Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday the HomeAcre Hop,  Fight Back Friday,  Fat Tuesday,  Allergy Free Wednesday and Gluten Free Wednesday.


www.stealthymom.com

Fast and Cheesy Veggies (in ten minutes)

Fast and Cheesy Veggies

Broccoli and cheese. When you are short on time, that is when the cheese sauce comes out of the jar in the fridge and gets popped into the microwave... Don't do it!  Don't "Whiz" on perfectly good vegetables! You know what's in that stuff? (Me, neither. I have heard rumours, and have attempted to read the tiny print of the ingredient list many-a-time.) 

You can make a cheese sauce from scratch, using real cheese and real milk, in a few short minutes. As an entree or as a side, vegetables in this cheese sauce are a win at our house. 

Fifteen Minute Mac 'n' Cheese Dinner (gluten free option)

Fifteen Minute Mac 'n' Cheese Dinner

"If I had a million dollars,
We wouldn't have to eat Kraft Dinner
But we would eat Kraft Dinner
Of course we would. We'd just eat more..."
      - Barenaked Ladies, If I had a Million Dollars

K.D. That's what we called the stuff in school. It was cheap, fast, and, well... fast. What if you could make real macaroni and cheese from scratch in the same time, or less? Our boys would eat this every day if we let them.

Gather up two pots- one to boil the pasta and one to make the sauce- a mixing spoon, a silicone-coated whisk, and a colander. Fetch these ingredients:

2 tbsp flour (sweet rice flour for gluten free*)
2 tbsp butter
2 cups milk (whole works best)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 12oz package of macaroni shells, elbows, or alphabets. Use gluten free if you wish.

Ready, set, GO!

Rich Hot Cocoa (Just Three Ingredients)

Rich Hot Cocoa (Just Three Ingredients)

Today is a grey, drizzly day. What better time for hot cocoa and popcorn? Instead of analyzing the list on the side of a box of Swiss Miss, you can make your own and keep it simple.

For three generous mugs, gently heat the following:

5 cups fresh milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp local honey

If you like your hot cocoa sweeter, double the honey. For a lighter cup, more like "milk chocolate" double the honey and use only two tablespoons cocoa powder. Mint exact or vanilla extra can dress it up a little. 

[We received a Mr Coffee Cocomotion hot chocolate maker for a housewarming gift a few years back. I laughed out loud because I had always wanted a stirring hot plate for the kitchen like I used in my past life... Here is a simple kitchen appliance that uses the same principle as the laboratory staple: a little magnet whizzing around to stir the contents as it heats. No more scorched milk!]


I shared this recipe with Fight Back Friday,  Monday Mania, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Full Plate Thursday,  Simple Lives Thursday and Real Food Wednesday.