Mary-Helen’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

• Pastry dough for a single crust pie
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 can full fat organic coconut milk
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place pastry dough in pie pan. Cover with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.

Remove foil & weights. Place back in oven for another 5 minutes.

While baking, mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.

Lower temperature to 375 degrees.

Remove pie shell from the oven and fill with the filling. Place back into the 375 degree oven and bake for 60-70 minutes (or until filling is set).

I was experimenting with my bread machine recipes today to come up with a dairy free sandwich bread that uses rosemary and this one turned out to be delicious.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup of coconut milk (I used So Delicious unsweetened.)
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 egg
• 3 cups of all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 3/4 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of active dry yeast
• 1 tbsp of fresh rosemary, minced

Put it all in the bread maker and set it on basic. Wait 4 hours or so and you will have a wonderful treat!

I made this casserole for our Easter potluck lunch and everyone seemed to enjoy it. This recipe can be made to be either Feingold Stage One or Two and is a great base for using up leftovers.

Ingredients:

• Water
• 2 cups cooked rice (I used brown, but any kind works.)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 20 oz broccoli (I used frozen)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tbsp flour
• 3 slices whole grain bread toasted and crumbled into bread crumbs (I used the mini food processor for this)
• 1/2 cup white cheddar cheese
• salt & pepper to taste (I use cajun season salt, but that makes it Feingold Stage Two)
• dash of hot sauce (optional - would be Feingold Stage Two with hot sauce)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat enough water in a large pot to cover the broccoli. Bring to a boil and add broccoli. Cook for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium low heat. Saute onions for several minutes until they turn clear. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add cream cheese and 1/2 cup of the milk. Stir regularly until the cream cheese is melted.

While you are waiting for the cream cheese to melt, stir the 3 tbsp flour into the remaining 1/2 cup of milk. Stir until smooth.

Add the milk and flour mixture to the pot with the onions. Stir constantly until the mixture is thickened.

Stir in the rice and the broccoli so that the sauce covers all of the rice and broccoli. Add salt and pepper (or cajun seasoning) and optional hot sauce to taste. Stir well.

Put mixture into an oiled 9×13 inch baking pan. Top with the shredded cheddar cheese and bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

NOTE: There are tons of variations to this dish. You can substitute vegetables, pasta for the rice, add meat or beans. Be creative!

This Feingold Stage One dairy free chocolate cake is probably the BEST chocolate cake I have ever made. This started out as a test to see how it would turn out and it is now the final version. I love it when things work out the first time! The only downside is that I didn’t take a picture because it was really the test version. Here is the recipe I used (warning do not use Crisco vegetable shortening or you will be putting TBHQ in your otherwise fabulous cake.):

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour (I used the 365 brand organic)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder ( I used Ghiradelli)
• 1 cup coconut milk (I used So Delicious brand)
• 2 eggs (use organic if you can)
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract (do not use artificial vanilla)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour cake pan(s). I greased mine with Spectrum organic vegetable shortening made with pressed palm oil.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients with a wisk. Add eggs, coconut milk, vanilla and vegetable oil. Mix with your mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add boiling water and mix until combined. This results in a very thin batter.

Pour batter into the prepared pans and bake 30-35 minutes for 2 9″ round pans or 35-40 minutes for one 9 1/2″ x 13″ pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan.

For the Frosting:

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp spectrum organic vegetable shortening
• 2 2/3 cup powdered sugar (I used organic powdered sugar and sifted it first to get out the lumps.)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used Ghiradelli)
• 1/3 cup of coconut milk (I used So Delicious brand)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Beat together ingredients with a mixer on medium speed until the frosting is smooth and creamy.

This makes enough frosting to frost one cake.

I made this cake yesterday for the Brenham Hospice fundraiser luncheon. It was absolutely delicious, but definitely not diet friendly. Save it for a day when you want to indulge. It is Stage One Feingold if you use approved milks.

Vanilla Bean Tres Leches Cake

from Latin Flavors, the Latin Women’s Initiative Houston cookbook

Cake

6 extra large eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 pinch salt

½ cup whole milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Soaking mixture

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 vanilla bean

2 cans condensed milk (14 oz each)

2 cans evaporated milk (12 oz each)

3 egg yolks

Topping

3 egg whites, at room temperature

¼ cup light corn syrup

¼ cup sugar

Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a deep 9×13 inch cake pan and set aside. In large mixing bowl, beat eggs with sugar until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly mix flour mixture into eggs o low speed until completely incorporated. Add milk and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Pour batter into buttered pan and bake until toothpick inserted I center comes out clean, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Soaking Mixture

While cake is baking, bring heavy cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Slice vanilla bean and scrape seeds out with flat edge of a knife. Add both seeds and pod to cream. Turn off heat and whisk until seeds are dispersed. Cool for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine condensed milk, evaporated milk and egg yolks. Discard vanilla bean, and slowly whisk cream into condensed milk mixture. Set aside.

Once cake is finished baking, remove from oven and poke holes throughout top with a skewer. While cake is still warm, slowly ladle milk mixture over top, allowing cake to absorb each spoonful. Continue until cake looks as if it is flooded. Pan will be very full. Allow to cool, and transfer to refrigerator to chill for 2 to 4 hours, or preferably overnight.

Topping

To finish cake, make meringue topping. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites with corn syrup and sugar. Spread across top, or finish cake with homemade whipped cream.

Serves 10-12

I created this cookie recipe while trying to be a bit healthier with the goodies. We love our sweets around here, so it helps if we are getting some vitamins along with them. I liked the banana cinnamon taste, but I think they might be even better if I were to replace the banana with some pureed pears, apple butter or applesauce. I’ll have to try that next time!

Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup regular oatmeal (not quick cooking)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
•  ¼ tsp cinnamon
•  6 tbsp butter at room temperature
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg white
•  ½ cup mashed banana
• ½ cup pureed cooked carrots
•  ½ cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In medium sized bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg white, banana and carrots and stir until well combined. Add dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture and stir until just combined. Don’t stir too much or the cookies will be too dry.

Mix in the raisins.

Drop on to cookie sheets using rounded teaspoonfuls. Makes about 30 cookies.

Bake for 13-16 minutes or until browned on top.

Let sit on the cookie sheet for one minute, then move them to a wire rack to cool slightly.

Enjoy! They taste best when they are warm and reheat well after a few seconds in the microwave.

This tastes sinful, but it isn’t as bad for you as other coffee cakes you might try.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

3 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

¾ cup milk

2 eggs

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp oil

1 cup blueberries

Crumble topping:

2 tbsp butter (at room temperature)

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour

¼ tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 inch square pan.

In a medium sized bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together eggs and brown sugar. Add milk, vanilla and oil and mix well.

Stir in dry ingredients, mixing just until blended. Do not overmix or the cake will be tough.

Stir in blueberries and transfer batter to your prepared 9 inch pan.

To prepare the topping, combine brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in the butter with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbles. The butter could be in the size of small peas.

Sprinkle the topping on top of the cake batter.

Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

This is a recipe that you start the night before. Plan ahead!

Yesterday I was inspired by a recipe posted on the Weight Watchers site. I changed it up a bit to fit our family, but the idea of cooking oatmeal in the crockpot overnight intrigued me. It turned out to be some of the best oatmeal ever! We will definitely be doing this again. You can use the basics and then add any kind of spices, nuts or fruit you’d like from there. Here is what I used:

• 2 cups of regular steel cut oats (You have to use steel cut or this won’t work with such a long cooking time. Also, don’t use the quick cook variety.)
• 8 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp salt (I used kosher salt.)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (ALden added raisins to his as well after it was done.)
• 1/4 cup walnuts

Put everything except the walnuts in the crock pot. Cook on low (overnight) for about 6 to 8 hours. To serve, sprinkle some walnuts on top of each bowl.

How easy is that? We also topped ours with a little skim milk.

I didn’t take a picture, but I should have! This chicken turned out to be gorgeous, absolutely delicious and was so easy to make. Just start the chicken about 2 hours before you plan to eat dinner. 

• 1 whole fryer (preferably organic)
• 1 lemon
• 2 large springs of fresh rosemary
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• tony chachere’s to taste

Rinse the chicken in running water and be sure the cavity is empty of gizzards, etc.

Rub the chicken with olive oil.

Slice lemon in half and squeeze the juice on top of the chicken. Take the rest of the lemon halves and stuff them inside the chicken.

Place the chicken in the roasting pan and one spring of the rosemary (stem removed) on top of the chicken. Shake some Tony Chachere’ or other seasoning salt on top to taste.

Put the other whole spring of rosemary inside the chicken with the lemon.

Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Remove the foil and increase the heat to 450 degrees.

Bake another 15  -20 minutes to brown the outside of the chicken while you prepare your sides.

We had sauteed spinach, tomatoes and fresh chia bread from the bakery, but you can serve this with anything. It is really good with asparagus topped with lemon juice and rosemary roasted potatoes.

We also had a yummy salmon egg scramble this morning with some leftover salmon from last night’s dinner. You can vary this recipe to use up any amount of leftover salmon you have, just adjust the amount of eggs to get the right mixture. This was enough for six people. I served this with peppered bacon and muffins.

Here’s what I used:

8 oz cooked salmon, flaked into small pieces

7 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp milk

1 tbsp chopped parsley (I would have used dill if I had any fresh in the house - you can use any herbs you like)

1/4 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese (Gruyere would have been excellent here, but I didn’t have any in the house.)

salt & pepper to taste

Heat nonstick frying pan over medium high heat and melt butter in the pan. Add salmon and saute for a minute or two until the fish is warm.

While the fish is cooking, mix together the eggs, milk and herbs in a separate bowl.  Add salt and pepper (I use kosher salt). Pour the egg mixture over the fish in the frying pan and scramble them together until the eggs are almost cooked. Add the cheese and stir in. Cook a few minutes longer until the eggs are cooked.

Enjoy!