A Breakfast, Brunch, or Supper Dish

I just have to share another recipe from the More-with-Less cookbook. If you haven't figured it out by now, this cookbook is a great investment in any kitchen. I made this Cheese Strata this evening, and it was gobbled up without complaint. It is so simple to make, and I'll bet you already have everything on-hand to throw one together later this week.

Here's how it goes:

Ingredients:

12 slices bread (I used homemade, gluten-free bread, and it was fantastic!)
butter
2 cups cheese
2 2/3 cup milk
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dry mustard

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Lightly butter one side of each slice of bread. Lay six slices in the baking dish. Sprinkle with the cheese. Layer the next six slices of bread next. Then, mix the remaining ingredients well and pour over the bread. Bake 40 minutes, or until puffy and golden.

Adjustments:

• My homemade, gluten-free bread is smaller than a "regular" loaf. I still used 12 slices, but found that a 8x8 pan was large enough.
• I sprinkled 2 cups of the cheese between the bread layers and reserved the remaining 2/3 cup for the top of the strata. I topped the strata with the cheese during the last 10 minutes of baking.
• I also added about 1/4 tsp of black pepper to the milk/egg mixture.
• I served my Cheese Strata with grilled chicken-apple sausage, and then realized we were having a version of breakfast or brunch for supper. This meal is really versatile. We're saving our small amount of leftovers to have for breakfast tomorrow morning!
• Make this dish gluten-free and dairy-free by using GF bread and rice milk instead of regular milk.
• The cookbook gives a variation of adding vegetables along with the cheese between bread layers.

Thank you, More-with-Less, for another wonderfully simple, wonderfully inexpensive meal!

Submitted by Lindsey @ Penny-wise

Wheat- and Gluten-free Pancakes

Ingredients:

2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup white bean flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup fresh buttermilk
1 Tbsp. honey
3 egg whites beaten stiff (this is optional)
2 Tbsp. canola oil (this is optional)

Mix all ingredients except the egg whites for 30 seconds with a whisk or if using electric use low speed. Fold in egg whites gently. Drop by tablespoon onto a lightly oiled griddle. I use a cooking spray, and only re-spray if really necessary. Cook until golden brown over medium to low heat, turn once. This recipe will serve 4 people. If you are using oil in the recipe, then use only 1 egg white.

Submitted by Linda @ Penny-wise

Instant Oatmeal {Part 2}

Here's another make-your-own oatmeal recipe from our friend Gaeleen. She says this one is great for camping {or just for those days when you want something quick and easy}.

Ingredients:
3 cups quick oats or fresh rolled
salt (not necessary, but you can add it if you like)

Put 1/2 cup oats in blender and blend at high speed until powdery. Reserve in a small bowl, then process another 1/2 cup oats. Into each bag, put 1/4 cup unchopped oats, 2 Tbsp. powdered oats and 1/4 tsp salt. Seal and store packets in an airtight container.

To serve: Empty packet in bowl and add 3/4 cups boiling water. Stir and let stand 2 minutes.

Flavor options:

Apples & Cinnamon: To each bag add 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon and
2 Tbsp. chopped dried apples.

Cinnamon Spice: To each bag add 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon and
1/8 tsp. nutmeg.

Raisins & Brown Sugar: To each bag add 1 Tbsp. brown sugar and 1 Tbsp. raisins

Fruit & Cream: Powdered milk or coffee creamer with dried fruit in the bags.

Submitted by Gaeleen

Apple-Cheese Muffins

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt, if desired
3/4 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup sharp cheese, grated
1/4 cup milk
1 cup apple pie filling, chopped apple, or applesauce,
1/2 cup nuts

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. Grease or line muffin tins.

In a large bow,l cream the margarine and sugar. Add the eggs and beat well. In another bowl sift the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Then stir into the creamed mixture. Stir in the oats, apple, cheese and nuts, and mix well. Add the
milk last and mix in well. Spoon the batter into prepared pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until done.

Makes approximately18 muffins.

Submitted by Linda @ Penny-wise

Applesauce Bran Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup All Bran cereal

1/4 cup milk

1 cup applesauce

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour two 12-cup muffin tins or line with paper liners.

Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Next, combine bran cereal, applesauce, oil and egg; mix well. Add the bran mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing just until moistened. Fold in nuts and raisins, if desired. 

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Makes a great addition to breakfast or a wonderful any-time snack!

Submitted by Heather @ Penny-wise

G-free Cake Donuts

We have been happily inundated with gluten-free recipes! Apparently many of our readers have this dietary restriction, so we are happy to share with our online community. Making your own gluten-free meals and baked goods is penny-wise in itself because the packaged stuff is generally very expensive.

Gluten-free Cake Donuts

Ingredients:

1 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour)

2 Tbsp. hazelnut or almond flour (or sub more sorghum flour)

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder (make sure it's gluten free)

1/2 tsp. baking soda (make sure it's gluten free)

1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Additional Ingredients:

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup sour cream (or yogurt) 

1/4 cup milk (rice, soy or nut)

1 large egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Add shortening, by spoonfuls. Use whisk attachment (if using a KitchenAid-type mixer) or cut in with a pastry cutter. Add sour cream, milk, egg, and vanilla. Mix until dough forms a smooth and pliable ball. It should be slightly sticky.

Divide dough into 12 sections and roll each into a golfball-sized ball. Using your palms, gently roll the dough into a log shape and carefully continue rolling into a cigar shape, about 4-5 inches long.

Drape dough into the well of donut pan and slightly overlap the ends. Using oily fingers, smooth out the donut dough evenly.

Bake 15 minutes. Add confectioner's sugar to top when cooled.

Carrie says, "These donuts were a HUGE hit in our home. Easy to make and very very yummy! I hope you all enjoy them!"

Submitted by Carrie

A Tea Time Favorite

I like to make scones from time to time as a little luxury to have with our afternoon tea. Here's one of my favorite recipes:

Buttermilk Scones

Ingredients:

2-3 Tbsp. buttermilk - plus a little for brushing tops

8 oz. self-rising flour

pinch of salt

3 oz. butter at room temperature

1 1/2 oz. caster sugar

1 large egg

Sift flour and salt into a bowl.

Rub butter lightly into the mix until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs, then add the sugar. In a jug beat the egg and 2 Tbsp. of buttermilk together, then add to the mixture with a palette knife.

When it begins to come together, finish off with your hands. It should be soft but not sticky. If dough is too dry add a little buttermilk a teaspoon at a time.

Form the dough into a ball. Place on a lightly floured surface and roll into a circle about an inch thick. Use a circle cutter to cut out the scones and carry on until you have used all the dough.

Place scones on a baking tray, brush the tops lightly with buttermilk. Bake on top shelf of oven for 10-12 minutes or until they are well risen and golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks.

Serve with clotted cream (or whipped cream if clotted unavailable) and raspberry butter (recipe below) or preserves of your choice.

Scones should be eaten fresh as they do not keep well; however they can be frozen.

Raspberry Butter 

Ingredients:

1 lb. raspberries

6 oz. sugar

Puree raspberries in food processor, then pass through a nylon sieve and press with a spoon until all the juice possible strains through (about 15 fl. oz.). Place puree in a medium saucepan with the sugar and heat very gently until all the sugar has dissolved stirring all the time. Turn up the heat and boil rapidly for 8-10 minutes and keep stirring. When it is done, it should be reduced by a third. Do not overcook.

Pour into a serving dish and let it cool at least an hour. Butter can be kept in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

It is delicious with the scones and fresh butter.

Written and submitted by Linda @ Penny-wise

Cranberry Lemon Muffins

Right after Thanksgiving I found bags of fresh cranberries on sale, two for $1. This was too good a deal to pass up, so I snagged a couple bags. Then I got home and realized I had never made anything with fresh cranberries before! I searched and searched for a recipe to help me use up all those cranberries. Well, I found a yummy (and quite healthy) recipe on AllRecipes.com. I tweaked it a bit to suit our tastes and our nutritional needs, and what resulted was a fabulous muffin recipe! Hope you enjoy!

Dry ingredients:

1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar (feel free to experiment with honey, xylitol, or stevia)
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Wet ingredients:

1 cup milk
2 eggs (or 4 Tbsp. water)
1/4 cup applesauce (or vegetable or canola oil)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. pure lemon extract
1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped or run quickly through the food processor
zest of 1/2 a lemon

Mix the wet ingredients together. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Line your muffin pan, if you hate washing muffin tins as much as I do. Bake in a 400-degree oven 15-18 minutes. Remove to cool on a wire rack or wax paper.

These kept fresh in our unheated pantry for 7-8 days and were eaten with breakfast and as afternoon snacks.

Written and submitted by Lindsey @ Penny-wise

Chile Relleno Casserole

I love this recipe! First, it's simple. Second, it requires very few ingredients, most of which we will all have in our pantries already. Third, it's versatile. It can be served for breakfast, brunch, or supper. It can be made with or without meat, and tastes great either way. It's easily doubled or tripled, freezes well, and is very economical. Try it!

Ingredients:

2/3 lb. Monterrey Jack cheese, grated (can substitute Colby Jack, Mild or Sharp Cheddar)
1 can whole green chiles, drained
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cracker crumbs, crushed (I usually use saltine crackers.)

Preheat your oven to 350. Grease an 8x8 baking dish. Then layer half the cheese and half of the whole chiles. Mix the eggs, milk, and flour. Pour half of that mixture over the chiles. Repeat the layers a second time, ending with the milk/egg/flour mixture. Top with cracker crumbs and bake 30 minutes.

Variation:
Add 1/2 a pound of taco meat to the milk/egg/flour mixture.

Serving Suggestions:

For breakfast, make the casserole without the taco meat. Serve a spicy breakfast sausage on the side.

For brunch, make with or without meat. Set out a tray of fresh fruit with fruit dip and two different types of muffins, scones, or both.

For supper, make with or without meat. Serve with beans and chips with homemade salsa or guacamole.

If freezing, assemble the casserole, but do not bake. Thaw before baking.

Written and submitted by Lindsey @ Penny-wise

Sprouted Grain Doughnuts with Coconut Vanilla Glaze

Adapted from the Ladies’ Home Journal Cookbook, published in 1960.   Makes approximately 12 – 18 doughnuts.   Everyone deserves a treat, so enjoy.

Sprouted Grain Doughnuts: Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups milk
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. unrefined sea salt
• ½ cup butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 packages dried yeast (2 Tbsp. of yeast)
• 4 cups sprouted flour 
• Coconut oil, peanut oil, pastured tallow or pastured lard for frying (I used peanut oil)
• 1 ecipe Coconut Vanilla Glaze (below) or glaze of choice

Sprouted Grain Doughnuts: Instructions

1. Warm milk, honey, salt and butter together.
2. Add yeast and wait five minutes for it to proof.
3. Mix liquid mixture with 1 beaten egg.
4. Add sprouted flour and knead thoroughly; add extra flour as needed to get right consistency.
5. Form into a ball and allow to rise until double in bulk. I prefer to allow mine to rise in my Excalibur dehydrator at 110 degrees for about 30-45 min.
6. Once the dough is doubled in bulk, roll it out with a rolling pin until ½-inch thick.
7. Cut with a doughnut cutter or other tool. You can use an inverted mason jar for the doughnut and an apple corer for the center. Be creative; use what you have on hand.
8. Heat a ½-inch to ¾-inch coconut oil or pastured lard in a cast iron skillet over a medium-high flame.
9. Fry doughnuts 3 – 4 at a time in the oil. They’ll puff up nearly immediately.
10. Turn when golden brown – a few seconds – and fry the other side.
11. Remove doughnuts, cool and drain.
12. Top with coconut vanilla glaze.

Coconut Vanilla Glaze: Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut oil, melted
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Coconut Vanilla Glaze: Instructions

1. Whip melted coconut oil, honey and vanilla together.
2. Keep warm and viscous, but not hot.
3. Pour over doughnuts

ENJOY!!


Written and submitted by Rachel

Do-It-Yourself Frozen Waffles

Tired of paying grocery store prices for my usual brand of organic, whole wheat waffles, I decided it was time to try something new. I wanted the convenience of frozen waffles (without the hefty price tag), and I wanted the wholesomeness of homemade waffles. I owned a waffle iron. I knew how to make waffles from scratch. Why not put two and two together and save a few extra dollars? I searched the Internet high and low for a waffle recipe that I would be proud to serve my family--one without too much oil and sugar, one that would be a good source of whole grains and fiber, one that I wouldn't feel guilty about. That's why I started buying the box of six organic, whole wheat waffles to begin with, wasn't it?

Well, turns out I couldn't find the *magic* recipe. I've never been a follow-a-recipe-to-the-letter kind of girl anyway. I finally bit the bullet and came up with my own recipe, and we LOVE it! I am happy to share it with you. I will list the exact ingredients I used, but you can feel free to substitute what you already have on-hand:

Ingredients:

3 cups Bob's Red Mill whole wheat flour
3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill flax seed meal (can substitute wheat germ)
1/2 cup Gold Medal unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. organic sugar
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine:

2 sticks butter, melted
4 cups organic, fat free milk
4 large eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. local honey
2 tsp. real vanilla

Pre-heat waffle iron. Slowly whisk wet ingredients in to dry ingredients until a batter forms. Don't over-whisk, but make sure most of the lumps are out of the batter. Add batter to your waffle iron, making sure not to overfill. Cook until golden brown. Remove to cool on wax paper.

To freeze, make sure waffles have cooled completely, otherwise they will stick together. They can be wrapped in foil or put in a gallon-size or larger freezer bag and frozen. When you're ready to cook, simply take out the waffles, pop them in the toaster, and serve with the topping of your choice. You may find these waffles have enough flavor (not necessarily sweetness) to serve with just a little butter.

Other toppings we like:
Peanut butter and raisins
Strawberry fruit spread
Pure maple syrup
Local honey

This recipe made 28 waffles on a Krups Belgian waffle maker. The number and size will vary, depending on the brand of your waffle maker.

Calculated savings from what I was buying before: $17.68

I don't ever want to go back to buying boxed waffles again!

I hope you and your family enjoy these waffles!

Written and submitted by Lindsey @ Penny-wise

Healthier Pumpkin Bread

If your family is anything like mine, pumpkin muffins and bread aren't just reserved for fall. We LOVE pumpkin! Kids love pumpkin because, when paired with delicious spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, it's just plain good. I love pumpkin for the same reason, but also for its health benefits. Pumpkin is a good-for-us-food, packing more than just flavor into that orange body. Pumpkin (canned and fresh) is high in Vitamins C and E, Potassium, and Fiber; and pumpkin is a great plant source of omega-3 and -6 fatty acids. Now that you know how good pumpkin is for you, try our friend Hope's recipe for muffins (or bread) with less sugar and fat!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ginger
2 cups or 1 can pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream together butter and sugar and add in eggs. Mix dry ingredients into wet mixture until well-blended. Fold in pumpkin. Pour into 2 buttered loaf pans and bake for 1 hour. (If making muffins, cook time is lowered to 25-35 minutes.)

As always, feel free to experiment with different types of flour, substituting all or part of the sugar with honey or agave nectar or stevia, or simply doubling or tripling the recipe to share with friends and family.

Submitted by Hope; written by Lindsey

Big Whole Wheat Biscuits

Hope writes, "As we have moved to eating only whole grains, I tried many recipes for whole wheat biscuits and finally tweaked some until I came up with one we love. This makes about 12, big, fluffy biscuits."

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour (Hope uses hard white wheat.)

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. sugar or honey

1/3 cup butter or coconut oil (or a combo of the two)

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the butter or oil until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

Written and submitted by Hope.

Do-It-Yourself Instant Oatmeal

Has anyone but me noticed how the price of boxed, instant oatmeal has shot up? I mean, seriously. It's oatmeal with lots of sugar, a few artificial flavors and colors, and fake fruit disguised as peaches 'n cream.

But, because it's so conveniently packaged in cute, individual servings, and because there's a Quaker guy on the front of the box, you better expect to pay over $3.00. Or, if you're like me and take a more organic approach, Lord help us. Not only do boxes of instant, organic oatmeal have six individual servings, rather than Quaker's eight, but they also cost between $4.00-$5.00.

Well, a while back, I quit that nonsense. I figured if convenience costs that much, I'll go the plain-Jane, regular, 'ol oatmeal route.

And then I decided convenience really was worth it, so I did what I normally do in these situations: I made my own.

The following recipe makes 15-16 half-cup servings of instant, flavored (sans artificial junk) oatmeal.

Easy, Do-It-Yourself Instant Oatmeal

Ingredients:

8 cups instant oatmeal (any brand will do, even Quaker)
1 cup dark brown sugar (I use organic.)
3 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix everything in a large bowl, transfer to gallon-size bag or an airtight canister, and voila! you've just spent less than $4.00 for 16 servings of oatmeal. To cook, add 1 cup of milk and microwave or 1 cup of hot water to 1/2 cup of oatmeal.

Now, if you want to get crazy and vary it a little, here are a few "knock-offs" from boxed, instant oatmeal:

• Add frozen blueberries before cooking with milk for Blueberries 'n Cream
• Add 1/4 of a mashed banana after cooking with milk for Bananas 'n Cream
• Cook plain oatmeal, then drizzle pure maple syrup and sprinkle brown sugar on top for Maple 'n Brown Sugar
• Add 1/4 of a peeled, diced apple, 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, and a dash of cinnamon before cooking for Apple Cinnamon
• Add 2 Tbsp. raisins and 1 Tbsp. brown sugar for Oatmeal Raisin

All of the variations are to be used when cooking with plain, instant oatmeal (NOT with the recipe above) and are one serving.

Enjoy NOT paying $4.00 a box anymore for eight servings of oatmeal!


Written and submitted by Lindsey @ Penny-wise

Yummy Oatmeal Pancakes

These pancakes are very filling and sweet enough that you really don't need much syrup.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups quick cooking oatmeal
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
4 Tbsp. melted butter or coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups buttermilk*

Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the wet ingredients and stir until combined. The oatmeal will want to hang out at the bottom, so make sure you make it join the party. Cook on a hot griddle, at about 300 degrees. 

*To make buttermilk with regular milk, add 2 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar to a measuring cup then add enough milk to make 2 cups.  Let it sit for about 5 minutes before using it in your recipe.

Submitted by Heather at Penny-wise Women