Spinach Puff for One -- Revisited

Spinach Puff for One -- Revisited

This was one of my favorite recipes from my first book, "Low Carb Cooking at Sharron's Place."  It was also in my 2nd book, "Extreme Lo-Carb Cuisine," published by Adams Media, Inc.  I'm back to eating much lower carb, so I fixed this for myself this morning.  Yup!  It's just as yummy as I remember it!  It is very rich, though, so be sure to be hungry.



Spinach Puff for One -- Revisited

In a small bowl combine and set aside:

1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon Everything Seasoning blend or seasoning salt of choice
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

Melt over medium heat in a small sauce pan:

1 1/2 teaspoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons coconut oil

Add and cook until softened:

1/4 cup finely diced sweet onion
1/4 cup diced mushrooms
1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 teaspoon Real Sea Salt or pink sea salt

Pour the egg mixture over the veggies in the pan.  Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan for about 5 minutes or until the egg mixture is set and puffy.

Top the egg mixture with:

2 slices Swiss cheese
1 teaspoon chives

Re-cover the pan, remove it from the heat and allow it to set up for about 3 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

Orange Honey Blueberry Muffins with Maple Crumble Topping

Orange Honey Blueberry Muffins with Maple Crumble Topping

Here's another frugal recipe, believe it or not!  Remember, frugality isn't necessarily about being cheap or inexpensive, rather it is about using what is on hand and not being wasteful.  So, I had a little honey in the bottom of a jar, some orange juice in the fridge, some blueberries from picking yesterday that had been left out, and just a bit of maple sugar left in the bottom of a container.  Hence... 

Orange Honey Blueberry Muffins with Maple Crumble Topping
Makes 12 muffins

Pre-heat the oven to 400F and spray a muffin pan with olive oil cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, combine:

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg

In another mixing bowl, combine:

2 cups whole wheat flour (pastry preferred)
2 tablespoons potato or corn starch
1/2 cup oats 
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberries

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir them until they are just combined.  Divide the batter up between the muffin cups.  Set the muffins aside and prepare the crumble topping.

In a bowl mix together until it resembles fine crumbs:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (as above)
1/4 cup maple sugar
1/4 cup sugar (organic if available)
4 tablespoons butter 

Sprinkle the topping over the muffins by tablespoonfuls, using all of the topping on the muffins.  Bake the muffins at 400F for about 15 minutes or until they are firm in the center.  Let them rest on a baking rack or trivet at least 5 minutes before using a knife slipped in around the sides to remove them from the pan.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Sour Cream Scones

Whole Wheat Blueberry Sour Cream Scones

To most, this probably doesn't look like a frugal recipe...  However, they wouldn't know that we got donated a whole lot of sour cream!  I need to get it used up, so it's going into everything that's reasonable.  On Sunday, it was:

Whole Wheat Blueberry Sour Cream Scones
Makes 8

This wholesome recipe feels like it's totally decadent!  The icing at the end is optional, honey would be marvelous.

Pre-heat the oven to 400F.  Line 1 large or two medium sized baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer or by hand, combine until the mixture resembles fine crumbs:

2 cups whole wheat flour (pastry preferred)
2 tablespoons potato starch or cornstarch
8 packets Truvia-type sweetener
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons butter

Add and combine till the mixture sticks together:
1 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I make my own.  Recipe here.)

Add and carefully mix together with the batter:
1/2 cup blueberries

Don't over mix or the blueberries will get broken and the dough will become purple.  I let my paddle go around maybe twice.

Place about a 12" sheet of either parchment paper or waxed paper on a work surface.  Sprinkle it with some flour and turn the dough out onto it.  Put some flour on the top of the dough and press it out into about a 10" circle that is about 1/2" thick.  Using a knife dipped in flour, cut the dough into 8 pieces.  Carefully place the wedges of dough onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.



Please note:  I used 1 medium sized baking sheet for my scones.  When they were done, they were all stuck together -- they puffed up a lot more than I expected!  I would recommend only putting four of them on a sheet and baking them in two batches.

Bake the scones at 400F for about 15 minutes.  Allow them to rest on the baking sheet about 5 minutes before frosting, (if desired), and serving.

Basic Vanilla Glaze instructions here.

Enjoy!

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls, a healthier way!

These whole wheat, reduced sugar darlings are simply amazing!  

In a small bowl, place 1 packet or equivalent active dry yeast.  I used the "fast rise yeast" in a jar -- on the label it says 2 1/4 teaspoons of jar yeast = 1 packet yeast.  For this type of yeast, dissolve it in 3/4 warm water (90F to 100F.)  For regular yeast, use 110F to 115F water.  I do not recommend trying to "just guess" temperatures.  A reasonably good thermometer is only a few dollars and is an investment well worth making.

In a mixing bowl large enough for the dough to double in size while rising, with an electric mixer, combine:
1 egg
1/4 cup liquid coconut oil, olive or or melted butter
2 tablespoons sugar (this sugar is for the purpose of feeding the yeast)
4 packets Truvia-type sweetener
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Beat the mixture on medium speed until it is smooth, about 2 minutes.  Stir until it is combined, another

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

This will form a very soft, sticky dough.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula (scraper.)  Don't knead the dough.  Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator, preferably in the back, in the coldest area of the refrigerator.  Refrigerate the dough overnight up to about three days. Sooner is better, but when I made these the first time, I wasn't able to put them together after that first night.  I ended up doing them two days later. Just be aware, there is a risk of the yeast over-proofing and fouling the dough.  Thankfully, mine worked out just fine!

When ready to roll out the dough, pre-heat the oven to its lowest temperature setting, usually marked "warm," for 1 minute.  Turn off the oven.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking oil spray and set it aside.

Combine the filling ingredients in a small bowl and set aside:

1/4 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut sugar
4 packets Truvia-type sweetener

Prepare a work surface with a sheet of either parchment paper or waxed paper at least 22" long sprinkled lightly with flour.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn the dough out onto the prepared work surface.  First, roll the dough into a long cylinder, then flatten it into as close to an 18"x12" rectangle as possible.  Spread the filling onto the dough within 1/2" of the edges.  Roll the dough up the long way ("as for a jelly roll" -- but really, how many of us have ever made a jelly roll??)  Using a piece of thread or clean fishing line, make 12 even cut marks on the top of the rolled up dough.  To slice the cinnamon rolls, slide the thread under the dough to one of the cut marks.  Bring it up and over the dough, then pull it together.  It will make neat slices without smashing the rolls.  Pretty nifty!

Place the rolls carefully as to not loose the filling, onto the prepared baking sheet.  Cover the rolls with a clean, non-fuzzy towel and place them into the oven.  (Oven is off and has only been preheated to "warm" at this point.)  Allow them to rest and raise for about an hour, until the rolls have doubled in size.  Remove them from the oven, keeping them covered in a safe, non-drafty location and pre-heat the oven to 375F.  Once the oven is ready, remove the towel from the rolls and place them into the oven.  Bake them for about 20 minutes or until they are golden brown and baked through.  

While the rolls are baking, prepare the glaze.
Basic Vanilla Glaze recipe.




When the rolls are done, remove them from the oven and drizzle them with the glaze.  

Enjoy!!

PS:  I'll have pictures of the cinnamon rolls soon, but I wanted to share this recipe right away because it is so good!

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

About being frugal...

What does it mean to be frugal?  Is being frugal being a cheapskate?  Is it being a dumpster diver or what??

Here's the dictionary.com definition of frugal: (3) not wasteful.

That's it!  Frugality is simply not being wasteful.  Sure, there are other definitions, if you want them; but I don't.  The way I mean being frugal is simply not being wasteful -- using what I have on hand to make what I want to make.

How does this apply to my recipes?  My recipes  nearly always start with what I have on hand.  I might need to pick something up from the store if I want to make something special like Egg Rolls, (which will be coming, I assure you!)  However, most of what I make just comes from what I have on hand and from my heart <3

Today, I found myself with a couple of very ripe bananas.  I, also, have a whole lot of sour cream on hand from a donation.  That got me thinking...  Sour cream + bananas = Sour Cream Banana Bread!  

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Makes 1 loaf

This is a delicious, all natural, reduced sugar treat.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

In a mixing bowl, combine:

~1 cup mashed very ripe banana (about 2 medium sized bananas)
1/4 cup coconut sugar
4 packets Truvia-type sweetener
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup coconut oil (liquid -- if necessary warm it to above 72F for it to become liquid)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I make my own, Here is the recipe)

Add:
2 eggs, lightly beaten 

Mix the above ingredients until they are combined, then add all at once and stir until just combined:

2 cups whole wheat flour (pastry type preferred)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Finally, add:
1 cup chocolate chips (I had dark chocolate, but any would be fine, even carob.  Also, 1/2 cup chips would be sufficient.)

Spray a 9"x5" loaf pan with olive oil cooking spray.  Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top.

Topping:

In a small bowl combine:

1/3 cup whole wheat flour (as above)
2 tablespoons liquid coconut oil (as above)
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
4 packets Truvia-type sweetener
Pinch sea salt

Distribute the topping evenly over the batter.  I had to use my hands and break it up into clumps.

Bake the bread at 350F for about 45 minutes, or until it is firm to the touch.  A knife test won't work because of the chocolate...

Remove the bread from the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes, then tip it up on its side to cool completely.  Remove the bread from the pan and slice it as desired.

Enjoy!