Tag: Recipes

Breadmaking: Water Bagels
Recipes

Breadmaking: Water Bagels

Sarah

I was having lunch on Thursday, and my fortune said this:

Who knew how right that would be…I didn’t predict I’d spend a rainy Sunday morning working on water bagels. I’ve wanted to master bagel making, as the boys like them in their lunches. It’s been one of the few things I don’t make from scratch, but why not I asked myself. It was time to get back to trying at it.

My Mom and I often made bagels when I was growing up. We usually made the vintage 1970s “water bagel” recipe from my Mom’s favorite bread cookbook. It was not a bad recipe, but it made a bagel like the ones you still find in the freezer section in grocery stores—so teeny-tiny bagels if you remember the Lender brand ones.

I found this recipe in a vintage bread machine cookbook from the late 1980s/early 1990s. It made a small amount of dough, so I doubled the recipe, making enough dough to be worth my time. I wanted to use the bread machine to get a good rise.

The dough was good, and it made a tasty treat.

However, being from that period, it isn’t a perfect recipe. While they were pretty tasty, I need to work on them more. For most people, this would be a great recipe, but I want them to be the dark hued, chewy water bagel. These were very, very delicious but were more like a chewy bagel roll.

Don’t get me wrong: They taste amazing. The boys loved them.

However, I will make a second version soon, where I work on the bagel crust.

The dough shaped and resting.

Just out of the oven.

Water Bagels

Ingredients:

  • 1½ cups water
  • 2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 480 grams of all-purpose flour + 30 grams more, in case*
  • 1 Tbsp dry active yeast

 Directions:

Add to a Zojirushi bread machine in the order listed, starting with water and ending with flour. Sprinkle the yeast on top, ensuring it doesn’t touch the liquid. Set the machine for the “Dough” setting. It will take 1 hour and 50 minutes in this machine.

If using other brands, follow the directions as called for and the temperature of water needed.

See the notes section below and watch if the dough needs more flour during the first kneading cycle.

Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring to a boil near the end of the dough cycle. You want a wider pot rather than a tall one.

Preheat the oven to 375° and lightly oil a large-rimmed baking sheet.

Take out the dough and divide it into 8 sections. Roll each section gently into a ball and then into a log about 8″ long. Turn into a circle and pinch the ends together.

Let sit for 5 minutes.

Add half the bagels to the boiling water, let simmer for a minute on each side, then remove and drain carefully (use a large slotted spoon). Transfer to the baking sheet. Repeat with the other half.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden on the top.

Take out and lift off the pan with a thin spatula, and let cool on a wire rack.

Once cooled, store the bagels bagged up or wrapped and freeze for later.

Best if eaten in a day or two, at most.

Notes:

*The amount of extra flour you need depends on the flour used and the humidity. Start with 480 grams and add a bit more as needed. You want the dough to not be wet or sticky but rather tacky when you press a finger against it. Bagel dough is denser than regular bread dough.

Makes 8 bagels.

~Sarah

Banana Honey Muffins
Recipes

Banana Honey Muffins

Sarah

These banana honey muffins are easy to mix up and bake and are a great way to use up ignored over-ripe bananas. Not too sweet and nicely moist. Be sure to measure your mashed bananas to ensure you are not short, as you will get a drier muffin.

Banana Honey Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 ripe bananas (1 1/3 cups mashed)
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup avocado oil
  • ¼ milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1¾ cups of all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 12-count muffin tin with parchment liners.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the banana, honey, egg, oil, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until smooth.

Stir in the baking soda and flour till just mixed.

Divide between the cups evenly (use a 2 Tbsp disher)

Bake for 20 minutes and check; they should be lightly browned on top and not look wet.

Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.

Note:

The muffins can be frozen in plastic freezer bags or glass containers. Thaw on the counter, covered,

Makes 12 muffins.

~Sarah

Dill Pickled Carrots
Preserving · Recipes

Dill Pickled Carrots

Sarah

I’ve been considering adding more easily preserved pickled vegetables to our meals. I decided to do carrots first. The hands-on time is very short, and I was done within an hour and had all my water bath canning gear packed back up. And that is how canning should be – quick and easy.

Dill Pickled Carrots

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
  • 2 cups filtered water
  • ½ cup pickling/canning salt
  • 7 cloves garlic
  • 7 tsp dillweed
  • 3½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 5 pounds of baby carrots

Directions:

Place 7 wide-mouth canning jars in a water bath canner. Fill the jars with water and the pot about ¾ full of water. Bring to a simmer.

Place the lids and bands in a small saucepan of water, bring to a simmer, then let sit.

Add the vinegar, water, and salt to a large saucepan and bring to a boil.

Once the jars are simmering, drain them and place them on a clean kitchen towel.

Add garlic clove, 1 tsp dillweed, and ½ tsp red pepper flakes to each jar.

Pack in baby carrots, pushing down. Depending on how they fit in the jars, you may not use the entire amount of carrots.

Ladle the hot vinegar mixture over the carrots. Remove air bubbles, then add more liquid for a ½” headspace, if needed.

Wipe the rims of the jars with a damp paper towel, then put on lids and bands, tightening to fingertip-tight.

Place in the canner, ensuring they are fully covered in water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Turn off the stove and let it sit uncovered for 5 minutes.

Transfer to a towel-covered cooling wack and let it cool fully.

Remove the bands, ensure the lids are flat and sealed, and mark the contents and date on the lids.

Use within a year for best results.

Letting sit for a month before eating allows flavors to develop for pickled items.

Makes 7 pints.

~Sarah

Lower-Sodium Beef and Mushroom Rice-A-Roni
Recipes

Lower-Sodium Beef and Mushroom Rice-A-Roni

Sarah

My sons love this dish, even with mushrooms added. By chopping them finely, they don’t stand out in the final dish, but add a deep flavor.

Rice-A-Roni is made with rice and thin pasta, like vermicelli (which is tiny pieces). However, I have found that orzo pasta works even better and has a better texture. Compared to actual Rice-A-Roni, this serves bigger portions and is healthier.

Ingredients For Commercial Beef Rice-A-Roni:

RICE, WHEAT FLOUR, SALT, ONIONS*, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, CARROTS*, SUGAR, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, CARAMEL COLOR, BEEF BROTH*, NATURAL FLAVOR, HYDROLYZED CORN, WHEAT, AND SOY PROTEIN, GARLIC*, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, CHICKEN FAT, DISODIUM INOSINATE, FERRIC ORTHOPHOSPHATE, NIACIN, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, FERROUS SULFATE, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, TOMATOES*, SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK (MILK, SUGAR), FOLIC ACID, RIBOFLAVIN.
*DRIED.

Ask yourself why it needs wheat flour. Soy protein? Sugar? MSG? Caramel Color? Hydrolyzed Corn? Soy protein again? Yeast extract? Chicken fat? Sweetened condensed milk? It doesn’t need any of that!

Unlike the commercial stuff, this is a one-pan meal made with clean ingredients. It is full of rich flavor but not a salt fest. It also doesn’t cause my face to turn red from yeast extract (a niacin flush).

Lower-Sodium Handcrafted Beef and Mushroom Rice-A-Roni

Ingredients:
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 pound hamburger, preferably grass-fed
  • 8-ounces white mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 tsp granulated onion
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1 Tbsp dried parsley
  • ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 cup long-grain white rice
  • ½ cup orzo pasta
  • 3½ cups lower-sodium beef broth
Instructions:

In a heavy-bottomed stainless steel skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the meat and mushrooms until well done.

Add the rice and orzo, and sauté for about 2 minutes or until pasta is golden brown.

Add the seasonings, broth, and soy sauce, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir every couple of minutes—in the last 5 minutes, you may need to turn the heat down to low.

Let it sit off the burner for 5 minutes, then stir well.

Makes four servings.
Notes:
Use whatever beef broth you enjoy. I use ones without yeast extract or MSG. Keep it simple. You can always add more salt if needed.

~Sarah

Low Carb Turkey Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Recipes

Low Carb Turkey Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Sarah

I am not generally a huge mushroom fan because I find fungi to be “slimy” and “wet” unless they’ve been seared on a flat top. So when Kirk asked for this recipe, I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to it. I was won over, though. It works, and the mushrooms are solid and meaty. It is also a fast and easy dinner to prep.
The only downside is those mushrooms were $7.99 a pound. Ouch. The turkey was only $5.49 a pound. But I do know that these low-carb/keto-friendly dinners make me feel that much better, so it is worth the cost.

Turkey Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • 1 pound large portobello mushrooms
  • 1 Tbsp + more as-needed olive oil
  • ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Wipe down the mushrooms’ caps carefully. Remove the stems, then gently scrape the dark brown gills from under the caps with a teaspoon, discarding them.

Flip over the mushroom caps and brush on the olive oil. Place on the baking sheet with the caps down.
Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium. If cast iron or stainless steel, add a drizzle of olive oil. Cook the meat till done.
Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top, turn off the burner, and cover. Let it rest for 2 minutes to melt, then mix it up.
Spoon equally into the mushroom caps.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is golden.
Serves 2.


~Sarah