Navajo Tacos

I love navajo tacos. But, what I don't love is the canned chili my mom would typically serve on top of the fry bread when I was younger. I am not really a fan of canned chili so I knew I needed to give this dish a little bit of a make over. I know that I probably could have used my homemade chili in place of the canned chili but I wanted something with a bit more mexican type flavor. I checked a book out from the library called "Not you mothers slow cooker cookbook". I have really liked the book and it has lots of different ideas that I have never seen before. The recipe that caught my eye was the "easiest black beans and rice chili" recipe. It got me thinking that I could swap out the canned chili for this black beans and rice chili. The result was a huge success. I even called my mom right after we finished dinner to let her know that I had improved the already yummy navajo taco.

Black bean and brown rice chili:

This chili would be really great on its own too. When everything was done cooking, I did add about 3/4 c. of water to get the thinner consistency I wanted.

2 (15 oz.) cans black beans

1 (14.5 - 16 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 c. brown rice

1 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 -1 whole canned chipotle chili, cut into small pieces (These can be pretty spicy so be aware. Also, you can freeze the remaining chilies for another time.)

Pour the beans and their liquid and the tomatoes into the slow cooker. Add the brown rice and spices. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. (I think this cook time will depend on your slow cooker. I used my smallest slow cooker and the low setting was not high enough so I turned it to high after and few hours and it was fine.)

Here is the recipe for the fry bread. I know that Amy has posted her recipe on here as well so if you have tried that one and like it go ahead and stick with that one. This is the one that I have always made.

3 c. flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 1/2 c. warm milk

1 tsp. salt

Combine ingredients and knead into a smooth ball. Cover and let stand for 30 min. Cook in about 1c.- 1 1/2c. hot oil. I just usually cut off a piece of dough, stretch it out the the size/thickness that I want and drop it into the oil. Cook both sides until lightly browned.

Top Navajo tacos with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, olives, guacamole or salsa. Also, I usually break up the fry bread into smaller pieces before I top it with the chili and the other toppings so that it is easier to eat. The picture shows it in on whole piece because I thought it would look better for the picture. You can eat it however you want I just thought I would suggest it.

Focaccia Bread

I love focaccia bread. But, you know what I love about this focassia bread? It's quick and easy. It dresses up soup nights when I finally decide what I'm making for dinner with only an hour to go (someday I'll be on the ball and try out that "planning ahead" thing). I found this recipe at allrecipes.com and made a few changes. I don't have a picture at the moment, but I wish I did, because it is very pretty... I'll have to take one next time I make it.

Focassia Bread

adapted from allrecipes.com

1 c very warm water

1 Tbl active dry yeast

1 Tbl sugar

2 1/2 - 3 c flour

1 tsp salt

1 Tbl oil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 Tbl olive oil

A few sprinkles of course salt

4-ish Tbl grated parmesan cheese

1/2 - 1 c mozzarella

*Pre-note: I do this in my mixer, so the instructions go that route. Obviously, it would be easy to do this by hand - you just don't get to be lazy in the kneading process.

Proof the yeast in your mixing bowl with the water and sugar. Add flour, salt, oil, and seasonings and mix in. Knead with dough hook for about 6-8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add enough flour that it pulls away from bowl, but no more than that. Remove dough from bowl to lightly oil the bowl, then return it to bowl, cover with a cloth, and let rise in a warm place for about 20 minutes or until doubled in size. Punch dough down and place on a greased baking sheet. Pat it into 1/2 inch rectangle (err on the side of thicker, rather than thinner). I bake this on a jelly roll pan, but it does not fill the entire sheet. Brush the top with olive oil, sprinkle with course salt, then sprinkle on the parmesan and mozarella. Cook at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Peach Cobbler Muffins

I had some peaches in my Bountiful Basket that were REALLY ripe on the outside and hard near the pits.  But I still wanted to use them, and figured any cooked peaches are good.  These really tasted like peach cobbler.  I got the recipe from allrecipes, but I have totally tweaked it.  Sarah and Lizzie each had several after dance yesterday, so there's the kid endorsement factor.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups white flour
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups applesauce
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups peeled, pitted, and chopped peaches-I like even more, and the smaller the pieces the better.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 16 muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the applesauce, eggs, and sugar. Stir the wet mixture into the flour mixture just until moist. Fold in the peaches. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Fry Bread, a.k.a. scones

So, I'm posting two recipes today: What I think of when I hear the word 'scone' (deep fried goodness), and also the more biscuit-like, English version of the word. Both recipes are yummy and easy.

I believe I got this recipe from my sister in law, Dani. What I like about this recipe is that it is fast. I love scones, but I don't usually plan ahead and get the dough going in advance. These don't require much raising time, so it works very well with my unorganized self. These are great for Navajo tacos (I use the 'taco plate' meat mixture that I sort of posted on here a while back).


Fry Bread

4 c. flour (more if needed)
2 tsp salt
1/3 c sugar
2 oil
1/2 c milk
1 1/2 c very warm water
1 Tbl yeast (I usually use regular yeast, but I imagine that quick-rising would be better)

Dissolve yeast & half the sugar in the warm water and let sit for a few minutes. Mix flour, salt, and the rest of the sugar. Add milk, oil, and yeast mixture to the flour and mix to a soft dough (until it pulls away from your bowl). Add more flour if necessary. Knead for about 5-7 minutes. Let rise in warm place for about 20-25 min. Punch down. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick and cut into lengths (I just pull off pieces of dough and stretch to the thickness I want). Fry in hot oil until golden brown.

Good for you blueberry muffins

For the last few months the only thing Sam will eat for breakfast are muffins. As if that request was not specific enough, he will only eat the "tops" of the muffins. So, every morning I have plenty of "stumps" leftover. Until lately, Sam's muffin of choice has been these. After three solid months of making these almost daily, the other 3 kids don't want anything to do with the applesauce muffins. I realized that I probably should find another recipe to please everyone. I found this recipe on Annie's Eats. These muffins looked like a good and healthy option. The list of ingredients is packed with good for you things with minimal oil and sugar. I did make a couple of minor adjustments. The first time I made these I followed the recipe exactly and the batter was pretty runny. The next time I made them I added an other 1/4 c. flour, more blueberries and switched the brown sugar for white sugar. As a result, the muffins baked up a little taller and so the had more of a "top". Here is the recipe with my changes.

I will post a picture the next time I make them (which should be tomorrow).

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c. quick oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 4/ tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. unsweetend applesauce
1/2 c. buttermilk (I just used 1/2 c. milk with 1 tsp. vinegar)
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 -1 1/2 c. blueberries

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl combine applesauce, buttermilk, egg and oil. Stir wet and dry ingredients together just until dry ingredients are incorporated. Gently fold in blueberries. Divide batter evenly between 12 muffin cups. Bake for 16-18 minutes at 375 degrees.

Biscuits

Adam loves biscuits and sausage gravy (because they're so heart healthy). I love them because biscuits are super quick and easy to make, and my boys will also eat them up. So, if you have a hankerin for some biscuits, give these a try.


2 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
4 Tbl butter, chilled, cut into pieces
4 Tbl shortening (I use butter flavored shortening)
3/4 c. milk (or 1 c. buttermilk)

Mix dry ingredients in bowl. Cut in butter and shortening (I use my fingers), until it's a coarse meal (don't over-work the fat). Make a well in the center and pour in milk. Stir until dough just comes together - will be sticky. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Dust with flour and fold over about six times (try not to add too much additional flour). Press into a 1 inch thick circle. Cut out (I just use a 3 inch cup for this) and place on greased cookie sheet so that they are just touching. You can gather scraps and reform into another circle. Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes, or until golden. Makes about 10-12 biscuits, depending on the size you make them.

*Notes:

You can use all butter, if you don't care for shortening.

Lightly brushing the tops of the biscuits with a little melted butter after taking them out of the oven, gives a nicer look, and an extra bit of buttery goodness (I didn't do it in this picture).

French Bread

I know I am probably stating the obvious, but I love cooking blogs. I love that at my fingertips I have countless recipes with mouthwatering pictures, tempting descriptions and helpful reviews. Since discovering all of these cooking blogs, I think the thing that I am most pleased about is my increased level of confidence in the kitchen. I am no longer intimidated to try new recipes, cook a turkey, bake bread, cook from scratch or invite people over for dinner (cooking food for other people used to give me major anxiety). I have now realized how easy and cheap baking bread can be. I have a few no fail recipes that I rely on so I am no longer paying over $2.50 for a package of dinner rolls or french bread. This bread usually makes an appearance when ever I make soup. So even if you don't bake bread a lot, try this recipe and I know you will love it.

1 Tbsp. yeast
2 c. warm water
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
4 1/2 c. to 5 c. flour

In a large bowl, combine yeast, warm water and sugar. Stir to combine. Add the salt and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Knead for about 6-8 minutes. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about one hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into 12 in. long loaves.

Place seam side down on a baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across the top of each loaf. Brush entire loaf with egg wash (1 egg and 1 Tbsp. water mix together in bowl). Bake at 450 for 15-20 min. (I have never had to bake mine longer that 15 min.)

Pumpkin carrot bread/muffins

I like veggie/fruit breads. I like them a lot. I make them a lot. For some reason, my mind has justified these as being 'healthy', as opposed to cakes or cookies or other baked goods. But, that's probably not quite the case, since I end up eating a good half loaf of bread or half dozen muffins vs. a couple of cookies. Anyways, since I eat them a lot, I like to come up with new combos, or new ways of cutting out some lard, while keeping in some moisture, or adding more hidden veggies in them so that I can use the word 'healthy' with less guilt. So, here is a recipe that I came up with that is moist and 'healthy'. I guess it's very similar to the pumpkin zucchini bread I posted, but it's more on the pumpkiny side and even more moist.


Mix:
2 cups pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1/2 c milk

1/2 c oil
1 3/4 c sugar

Add:
2 c shredded carrot

Add:
3 c flour
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

You can also add 1 cup of choc. chips for some extra yumminess. For bread (makes 2 loaves): grease loaf pans and bake at 325 for 50-65 min, or until toothpick comes out clean, cool for about 10 minutes before removing from pans. For muffins (makes about 24): grease muffin tins, fill almost to top and bake at 350 for 18-22 min, or until set, cool for a few minutes before removing. For mini muffins (makes about 48): grease tins, fill almost to top and bake at 350 for 12-16 min, or until set.

No Knead Bread

I've seen no-knead bread on a lot of blogs. I've tried two different recipes. They are slightly different, but have the same idea. Here are the links to both with a summary of the differences.

Sister's Cafe 5 Minute No-Knead Bread (this is the one I brought to playgroup)

• Makes 4 small loaves
• Uses lots of yeast--takes about 4 hours start to finish
• Bake on a stone with a pan of water for the crust.
• More mild flavor
• I used 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour and the rest white on the playgroup loaf.
  

NY Times/ Sullivan Street Bakery Bread (this is the one that seems to be the favorite in the blog world)

• Makes 1 large loaf
• Uses minimal yeast and takes 1-2 days to rise
• Bakes in a dutch oven to generate steam and the crusty exterior.
  
• Longer rise time gives the flavor more time to develop.

I haven't decided which I prefer. I do like that I don't have to plan so far in advance for the Sisters' Cafe version, but I kind of like the flavor of the other. You can be your own judge I suppose.

Light wheat rolls

I know I have given out this recipe to some of you, but I have done some tweeking. Basically I reduced the honey and water just a bit because it seemed like I was always adding more flour at the end so the dough would get to the right consistency. I have several roll recipes that I rotate through, but this is the only recipe that uses wheat flour. Since I like to justify eating things that are not good for you. I figure since these have half wheat flour you should be able to eat 2 maybe 3 more than your average roll with all white flour. If any of you have wheat but no wheat grinder, you may come over to my house anytime and use my wheat grinder anytime. Actually, even if you don't have any wheat you may still come over and I will grind some wheat for you to take home.

2 pkgs. active dry yeast or 4 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. olive oil
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
2 3/4 c. white flour

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 min. Combine honey, salt, olive oil and egg into yeast mixture. Add the whole wheat flour. Mix well. Stir in white flour 1/2 c. at a time, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (Sometimes I have to add as much as another 1/2 c. flour.) Continue to knead in mixer for another 4-5 min. Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Punch down dough, cover and let rise until it doubles again, about 30 minutes. Punch down dough, and divide into 24 golf ball size balls. Place dough onto a greased jelly roll pan or large cookie sheet. Let rise uncovered in a warm place for 40 minutes or until doubled. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan and brush with melted butter.

Whole Wheat Bread

I have tried 4,975 different whole wheat bread recipes. Liz told me that she heard this one was good so I gave it a go. It is by far the very best and easiest bread recipe. Start to finish one hour. Try it you will not be disappointed.

Whole Wheat Bread

makes 2 loaves

3 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1/3 Cup gluten flour or Vital Wheat Gluten

1 1/4 T. instant yeast(or quick rising)

2 1/2 C very warm tap water

1 T salt

1/3 Cup Oil (I used Olive Oil)

1/3 C honey or 1/2 C Sugar ( I used honey)

1 1/4 T Bottled Lemon Juice

2-2 1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour

Mix together the first three ingredients in mixer with a dough hook. Add water all at once and mix for 1 minute; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Add salt, oil, honey or sugar and lemon juice and beat for 1 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. This makes a very soft dough.

Preheat oven for 1 minute to lukewarm and turn off. Turned dough onto oiled counter top; divide, shape into loaves, place in oiled bread pans. Let rise in warm oven for 10-15 minutes until dough reaches the top of pan. Do not remove bread from oven;turn oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks.

Chocolate zucchini bread

Yet, another zucchini bread recipe. This recipe is adapted from one I found on allrecipes.com

Chocolate zucchini bread:
Mix:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar

Add:
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. sour cream (I use light sour cream) or plain yogurt
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce

Sift in:
2 c. flour
3/4 c. cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Add:
2-2 1/2 c. grated zucchini
3/4 c semi sweet choc chips

Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 325-350 for 50-60 min (or until toothpick comes out clean. Don't over bake). Let cool before removing from pan.

*since originally posting this recipe, I have found a way to cut out 1/2 of the butter and some of the sugar without sacrificing flavor. I think it may even be better than before (crazy). I have changed the recipe to the newer, healthier version.

Pumpkin zucchini bread

Here are a few more zucchini recipes for that plethora of zukes... oh wait, Luke keeps picking all of mine before they are longer than 4 inches, so I don't have a mountain of zucchini like I should. First one, you guessed it: zucchini bread. I like pumpkin bread and I like zucchini bread, so I decided to make a two in one.


Pumpkin zucchini bread:
Cream:
3/4 c. oil or butter, softened
1 3/4 c sugar

Add:

1/2 c. milk
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 c pumpkin puree
2 c grated zucchini

Sift in:
3 c flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
11/2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
few dashes cloves

Add 3/4 c semi sweet choc. chips (optional). Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 325-350 for 45-60 min (take out as soon as that toothpick comes out clean... don't over bake). Let cool before removing from pan. For muffins: fill greased or lined tins almost to the top and cook at 350 for 16-20 min. for reg. muffins or 12-16 min. for mini muffins.

Chocolate chip zuchinni muffins

These muffins are a great change from the usual zucchini bread. They have just enough sweetness to make them kid friendly. Last time I made them I baked up a bunch in my mini muffin tin so they were the perfect size for little hands. Emily even suggested that I could make for her to take in her cold lunch. I found this recipe last year on this blog. Last time I checked she had 19 zucchini recipes so this website might be a good spot to check if you have a crazy amount of zucchini to get rid of.

1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder (I upped it to 1 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup finely shredded zucchini
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
¾ cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional, I didn't do the nuts)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin tin cups with paper liners. Spray the paper liners with nonstick spray. (This is key, or the muffin will stick to the liner)In a medium bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar to blend them smoothly. Whisk in the oil and vanilla until blended. Use a large spoon to stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Stir in the zucchini, then stir in chocolate chips and walnuts (if using) until evenly distributed. Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter into each paper liner. Bake until the tops are light brown and a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 23 minutes. If the toothpick penetrates a chocolate chip, test another spot.Cool muffins in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Using pot holders to protect your hands, invert the muffin pan onto a wire rack and tap the bottom to release the muffins. Turn the muffins right side up to cool for about 15 minutes and serve warm, or let cool completely, about 45 minutes.

Applesauce Muffins

My kids love these muffins. I really like them too because they are a little more filling and not to sweet. Overall the muffins are a pretty healthy breakfast option too. I think you could get creative and add craisins, raisins, nuts, etc. to the recipe. To save time in the morning, I will prep the dry ingredients the night before and then finish the rest right before I am ready to bake them.

Combine and mix well:
2 c. flour (I like to use 1 c. wheat and 1 c. white flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Add:
1 stick of melted butter
3/4 c. sugar

Blend well, then add
2 eggs
1 c. applesauce

Blend mixture well. It will be similar to the consistency of oatmeal. Fill baking cups and bake at 350 for 19 minutes.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins

These muffins are so yummy. My mom got this recipe from a magazine or newsletter a while ago and they have become a favorite. These are more of a 'special occasion' muffin, because they are more like a dessert. As my husband always says, "Muffins are just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast."

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Cream:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. soft butter
1/2 c. sugar

Add:
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tbl. milk (I add more like 1/2 c.)

Mix in:
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Fold in 1 c. frozen blueberries (frozen work best... the batter is pretty thick, so they hold up better).

Fill greased muffin tins and top with struesel:

Mix together (will be crumbly):
1/3 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
3 tbl. butter, softened

Cook at 400 for about 20 min (or until done). If your muffins get too dark on the outside before being completely done, lower your temp to 375. Makes about a dozen muffins.

*Note: As you can see from the picture, I used strawberries (chopped very small) last time I made these: I had strawberries that needed to be used up. I thought they were really good with the strawberries. I would suggest that if you try another type of berry that tends to be mushy, to make sure it is frozen.

Banana chocolate chip muffins

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Carla. These are easy, tasty muffins and are a great way to use up those old bananas.

1 stick butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. milk
2 1/2 c. flour (I like to use 1/2 wheat flour, 1/2 white)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 c choc. chips (I use mini chips for mini muffins)

Mix butter and sugar. Add bananas, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Mix in flour, salt, and soda. Stir in choc chips. Fill greased muffins tins almost to the top. I would recommend using greased tins instead of cupcake liners... otherwise you wouldn't get the yummy crystallized (for lack of a better word) outside - the best part.

Mini muffins: 400 for 10 min, or until done. Makes about 4 doz
Regular muffins: 375 for 16-20 min or until done. Makes about 2 doz
Loafs: 350 for 50-60 min. Makes 2 smallish loafs. I 1 1/2 the recipe to make my loafs bigger, and cook at 325.

Naan

Danielle requested this recipe over Facebook, but since Facebook stresses me out I am glad to have another venue through which to respond. It is the flatbread we served this alongside our Infamous Third Place Red Curry Chicken With Basil. The recipe is from My Kitchen Cafe.

Naan

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 egg
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk

(These instructions are for a stand mixer, although you could do it by hand too.)

In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and yeast. In a smaller bowl combine egg, yogurt and milk. Add wet to dry and stir until fully incorporated.

Increase machine to kneading speed (2 on a KitchenAid) and knead until dough is smooth and shiny. Remove bowl from mixer, cover with a damp towel, and let rise until doubled in size, about one hour.

At 475 degrees, preheat a baking stone or heavy baking sheet on the lowest rack 30 minutes prior to baking.

When dough has risen, divide into 8 pieces and form flat ovals with your hands. They should be thin enough to measure about 6-8 inches across.

Cook two or three at a time by placing flattened dough onto hot stone and cooking 5-6 minutes, until they start to puff a little and turn brown in places. Remove from oven and serve warm.

(The original recipe says to spread with garlic butter after it comes out of the oven, but I haven't done that and neither did MKC.)

I'll take a picture next time.