Cinnamon Roll Dough - Bread Machine

Ingredients

6 tablespoons milk - heated approximately 1 minute in microwave

6 tablespoons water (110°)

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3 Tablespoons dough relaxer (optional) - Vital Wheat Gluten

3 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Directions

Add all ingredients according to your bread machine instructions. Set machine to dough. Check dough occasionally. If dough to moist add a bit of flour. If dough is looking to dry add warm water at about a tablespoon at a time.

When bread machine has completed the dough cycle, remove the dough from the pan to a lightly oiled surface. Knead the dough several times and form the dough into an oval; cover with a clean towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

Roll and stretch the dough into approximately a 9x8 inch rectangle.

Fill dough with desired filling recipe. Roll and cut into 1 1/2 inch sections and place in a greased 9x13x2 inch baking dish. At this point the rolls can be covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight  and can be baked right out of the refrigerator (rolls can be frozen for up to one month, but must be completely  thawed and allowed to rise in a warm place before baking - usually 10 - 12 hours.)

Preheat oven to 350°. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake for 25 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Spread with frosting if desired.

White Chili

I call this white chili because it contains ground turkey (99% fat free) and white kidney beans (cannellini beans). I have been told is it is a little spicy, but I can’t tell. Also, if you don’t know me very well, I love to use beer and wine in my cooking. This recipe includes beer. You can make it without beer, but the flavor may differ. Perhaps use a non-alcoholic beer instead?

Ingredients

2 pounds ground turkey, browned with a bit of pepper and powdered garlic

1 medium to small onion, chopped

3 large cloves garlic, chopped

½ green pepper

½ yellow pepper

½ orange or red pepper

2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes

1.5 15 oz. cans tomato sauce

2 15 oz. cans white kidney beans (a.k.a. cannellini beans) drained

½ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

1 bottle beer (I like to use an amber or ale beer)

1 teaspoon crushed red peppers

½ tablespoon ground pepper

1 tablespoon cumin

½ tablespoon paprika

½ tablespoon oregano

½ tablespoon chili powder

Directions

In a large pan sprayed with cooking spray, brown the ground turkey add about 1 tablespoon of garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Meanwhile, in a large pot sauté the onion and bell pepper in 1 teaspoon of olive oil until onion is almost translucent. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for one minute more. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, drained kidney beans, hot sauce and beer. Add all of the spices and stir. Cook on low heat for approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. This is a thick chili so you will not look like a soup.

You can also do this in a crock pot. Brown the turkey as stated above. Saute the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Add all of the ingredients into the crock pot and stir. Cook on low heat for approximately 3.5 to 4 hours.

Chicken Avocado Salad Sandwich

The only bad fat in this sandwich is the 6g found in the chicken. Use a low fat bread and you have a fairly good for you sandwich.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon yellow onion

1 tablespoon green zucchini

1 tablespoon carrot

1 cup cooked chicken thigh meat

Fresh spinach leaves

1 half avocado

1 teaspoon lime juice

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic

1 teaspoon fat free mayonnaise

Directions

Finely chop the onion, zucchini, carrot and chicken. Place in a bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the avocado, lime juice, pepper, garlic and mayonnaise and mash together (I use a food processor for this process.) Mix the avocado mixture together with the chicken mixture and place on bread. Add spinach leaves and serve.

Breakfast Cookies

I made these low fat high fiber cookies to eat during my gallbladder attacks. They are scrumptious. 

¾ cup brown sugar

½ cup sugar

1 cup non-fat yogurt

¾ cup applesauce

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup unbleached flour

½ cup rye flour or wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ cup flax seed

¼ cup wheat germ

2 ½ cups quick cook oats

¾ cups dried fruit (like raisins or cranberries)

½ cup chopped nuts (like walnuts, pecans, etc.)

¼ cup high fiber cereal, crushed (like grape nuts)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugars, yogurt, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir together until completely combined. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flours, soda, flax seed, and wheat germ. Pour flour mixture into liquid mixture and stir until combined. Stir in oats. Stir in dried fruit, nuts, and cereal.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet immediately after baking..

Chicken Paprikash

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless whole  chicken breasts

1/2 cup chopped onion, chopped

3 cans chicken broth.

16-ounce sour cream

A LOT of Paprika

1/4 flour

3 or 4 cloves garlic, chopped

Pepper

Directions

Cook chicken by boiling in seasoned water until cooked. Once done, chop chicken breast into bite size pieces. In a large cooking pot, add chicken, chopped onion and all but 1/2 cup of the broth - chicken should be submerged. Add a lot of paprika (about 1/4 cup).  Add garlic, pepper, and bay leaves. Simmer until onions are fully cooked.  Mix corn starch or flour into the 1/2 cup of remaining broth (if broth doesn't resemble a medium thick gravy you may need to add more flour/water mixture to thicken it even more.) Add to chicken mixture and simmer and stir until thickened.  Add sour cream and maybe some more paprika. Serve over Spaetzel, egg noodles, or rice.

Tomato Basil Salad

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

5 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Salt

1/2 teaspoon spiced mustard like Dijon

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

5 Roma Tomatoes

1/3 cup fresh shredded basil leaves

1 small red onion chopped

3/4 cup Mozzarella (best if purchased in small ball size)

In a food processor add the red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, sugar, salt, mustard, and pepper. Pulse until mixed thoroughly and garlic is chopped into very small pieces. Set aside.

Cut tomatoes to bite size pieces and place in a large bowl and add chopped onions. Remove stems from basil. To cut basil stack several leaves together and roll basil leaves into a slightly tight roll. Slice basil in the middle along full length of leaves, then slice across basil leaves several times. Sprinkle basil on tomato and onions. Add mozzarella balls. Toss ingredients with vinegar concoction and serve.

This is very good the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. It can be used to top a hamburger patty or on a sandwich.

(Recipe adapted from the Weight Watchers cookbook)

Kalua Pork

Ingredients

Any size pork shoulder (with or without bone)

Liquid Smoke (found next to the Worcestershire sauce in the grocery store)

Sea Salt

Garlic Powder

Directions

Place pork shoulder in crock pot. Stab the roast several times with a fork or knife. Rub liberal amounts of sea salt into the meat (about ¼ cup for a 3 lbs roast.) Sprinkle garlic powder over top of roast (about 3 tablespoons for a 3 lbs roast.) Pour liquid smoke into crock pot (about 1 tbs, per pound). Cook on high for about 9 or 10 hours.

The pork shoulder should fall apart when you try to remove it from the crock pot. Place cooked roast onto a cookie sheet with sides. Start shredding the pork with two forks removing most of the fat.

Kalua pork can be served with rice; or add BBQ sauce (I prefer Jack Denials BBQ sauce – original) and serve in sandwich rolls with a tangy cabbage salad.