Slow Cooker Wild Rice, Wheat Berry & Chicken Soup

Yes, we might just be infatuated with slow cookers (aka crockpots) around these parts.  So anytime we see a recipe that looks as mouthwatering as this Wheat Berry, Wild Rice & Chicken Soup and it's a slow cooker recipe, you better bet we'll be trying it soon.

We added Joseph's Grainery Hard Red Wheat Berries to the recipe to make it a little more hearty and give it a little more texture.  We think you'll love it, so pull our your crockpot and get a cookin'.

You'll notice the recipe calls for something called mirepoix.  What?  We'd never heard of it, so we thought you might like to know too...it's just a fancy way of saying a mix of chopped carrots, celery and onion.  We just chopped up equal parts of the three and added 2 cups worth to the soup.

Slow Cooker Wild Rice, Wheat Berry & Chicken Soup

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adapted from Pinch of Yum

Ingredients:

1 c wild rice, uncooked

1/2 c Joseph's Grainery Hard Red Wheat, uncooked
1 lb chicken

2 c mirepoix (what in the world is mirepoix??? see definition above)

6 c chicken broth

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1/2 c butter

3/4 c Joseph's Grainery Soft White Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

2 c whole milk

up to 2 c additional milk or water

Directions:  Rinse the wild rice and wheat berries.  Place the uncooked wild rice, wheat berries, mirepoix, chicken, chicken broth and poultry seasoning in the crock pot.  Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.

Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked, remove it from the slow cooker and allow to cool.  Once it's not too hot to touch, shred the chicken and then return to the crockpot.

In a saucepan, melt the butter.  Add the flour and let bubble for 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in the whole milk until a thick creamy mixture forms.  Add this to the contents in the crockpot and stir to combine.  Add additional milk or water to achieve the desired constancy for the soup.

Spaghetti Squash with Garbanzo Beans and Kale

If you love spaghetti squash, then you'll love this recipe for Spaghetti Squash with Garbanzo Beans and Kale.  It's a crazy and unexpected match up of bold flavors that makes every bite so delicious.  This dish is definitely a great taste of Fall!

Spaghetti Squash with Garbanzo Beans and Kale

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Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

2 Tbs olive oil

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic

1/2 Tbs fresh rosemary, minced

pinch of chili flakes

1/4 c Joseph's Grainery Garbanzo Beans, soaked for 24 hrs, drained and rinsed

2 c kale, chopped

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/4 c sun dried tomatoes, chopped

1/4 c roasted cashews

salt & pepper

parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  

Slice your squash in half length wise, scoop out the seeds and pulp.  Put the squash on a baking sheet with the cut side up.  Drizzle the squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Let the squash roast for about an hour or until the flesh is tender.

Remove the squash from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes so that you can use a fork to scrape the squash into strands.

Place enough oil in a large skillet to coat the pan.  Add the shallot, garlic, rosemary, chili flakes, salt and pepper.  When the shallot is just starting to soften add the garbanzo beans.  Cook for a few minutes until the start to turn a light golden brown.

Add the kale leaves and lemon juice.

Once the kale has started to wilt, add the squash, sun dried tomatoes, cashews and more salt and pepper.  Give it a good stir to mix it all up and then top with grated parmesan cheese.

Lentil & Brown Rice Burritos in the Slow Cooker

Have you tried the recipe for Lentil and Brown Rice Burritos yet?  Do you love it as much as we do?  Well guess what we did?  We put it in the crock pot and made the recipe even easier!

If you haven't tried these burritos yet, you'll definitely want to now. They are the perfect dinner idea for a busy day. We cooked the lentils and brown rice for about 6 hours - starting on high and then switching to low about 3 hours into it. Our slow cooker doesn't have a medium setting, so if yours does, choosing the medium setting would probably be perfect. Happy Slow Cooking!

In case you need to order some Joseph's Grainery Lentils...


on Square Market

Lentil, Grape & Radicchio Salad

Perfect for a warm summer evening, this Lentil, Grape and Radicchio Salad hit the spot for a light dinner.  I thought MaMa had fallen off her rocker when she started pulling the ingredients for this salad out of the fridge and cupboards, but it turns out, even I, at three years old thought this salad was scrumptious.

It all started when the fine folks at Royal Rose sent MaMa and I a cooler full of their tastey Radicchio.  I could see the gears in MaMa's head start to turn.  She was determined to come up with a recipe that would deliciously pair our whole grains (or as it turned out, our lentils) and Royal Rose's Radicchio.

Unfamiliar with radicchio?  I was when it showed up at our house.  MaMa was a little concerned that I was more excited about the box it came in, but then again, I am three years old.  I now know that I should expect something delicious when MaMa pulls a radicchio out of the fridge.  There are a few different varietals of radicchio.  MaMa used Radicchio di Chiagga for this salad, as it's known for it's sharp flavor that's pleasantly bitter.

If you're looking for a salad with a lively combination of flavors, then this one's for you!

Ingredients for Lentil, Grape & Radicchio Salad:

3/4 c Joseph's Grainery Lentils
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp honey
3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 c walnuts, roughly chopped & toasted
1 1/2 c seedless red grapes, halved
1/2 head of Royal Rose Radicchio, torn into bite size pieces
2 tsp parsley
1/2 c feta, crumbled
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:  In a small saucepan, bring 2 1/2 c of water to a boil.  Add the lentils, reduce heat, cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.  Drain and rinse under cool water.

While the lentils are cooking, in a large bowl whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil.  Once the lentils have finished cooking, stir them into this dressing, along with the walnuts, grapes, radicchio, parsley and feta.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve along side a main dish, or let it be the feature...either way, you'll thoroughly enjoy it!

New Photos for Tijuana Delight

Tijuana Delight - A quick & easy whole grain dinner idea. 

Looking back at some of our early posts, we realize that you probably wouldn't be enticed to make the dish, because our photos weren't that appetizing, so we've been going back through some of our favorites and taking photos that are [hopefully] more appetizing.

Tijuana Delight is a quick and easy whole grain dinner that you're whole family will enjoy.  Think Mexican Lasagna.  It's good, you'll definitely want to give it a try!

Cracked Wheat Creamy Chicken Bake

Cracked Wheat Creamy Chicken Bake

 MaMa was stumped and lacking inspiration when it came to making dinner the other night...her friend Michelle came to the rescue with one of her favorite, easy dinner recipes - a creamy chicken bake.  MaMa added some cracked wheat to make it Cracked Wheat Creamy Chicken Bake.

Ingredients for Cracked Wheat Creamy Chicken Bake:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (frozen or thawed)
1 stick of butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
about 2 c of cheese, shredded
1/4 c bread crumbs
1/4 c Joseph's Grainery Cracked Wheat Breakfast Cereal

Directions:  Place chicken breasts in a 9x13 baking dish.  Using a Cheese Grater, grate the butter over the chicken, spoon the cream of chicken soup over the chicken.  Sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs.  Bake at 350 for a total of 30-35 minutes.  With 20 minutes remaining, sprinkle the cracked wheat over the chicken bake, and return to oven for the remainder of the time.

Gluten Free Cheese Enchiladas

This is NOT a re-post...this is a Gluten Free version of the Cheese Enchiladas that we posted on Wednesday!

We had such a good response to the post for the Gluten Free Chocolate Cake in a Mug, that we thought we'd share another Gluten Free/Lentil Flour recipe with you!

While they don't look exactly the same as the Whole Wheat Cheese Enchiladas, these Gluten Free Cheese Enchiladas don't miss a beat when it comes to the taste.  My Dad says he wouldn't be able to tell them apart in a blind taste test.  Now that's pretty good!

Gluten Free Cheese Enchiladas

by Joseph's Grainery

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A great gluten free dinner idea.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp Joseph's Grainery Lentil Flour
• 1 c chicken stock
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp corriander
• 1 tsp chili powder
• Salt &Pepper to taste
• 1 can chili (with no beans) - but if you look closely you'll see we accidently used chili with beans...no biggie.
• 1 can red mild enchilada sauce
• 8 or so corn tortillas
• 2 c cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 c monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1 small sweet onion, diced
• 1 can mild green chiles, diced

Optional toppings:

• Sour cream
• Guacamole
• Sliced olives
• Chopped red onion
• Chopped tomato
• Chopped scallions

Instructions

• In a large skillet heat butter over medium high heat and whisk in your flour to create a light golden roux. Add in your chicken stock, spices and salt and pepper. Let this bubble a bit until it’s thickened up a bit and then add in your chili and half of the enchilada sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes or so and get your tortillas ready.
• Microwave each tortilla for about 20 seconds.
• Pour a few ladles of your sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. Dip the tortilla in the sauce mix and then fill the tortillas with a combo of the cheddar and jack cheese, onions and chiles. Roll the tortilla up and place in the dish. Continue to fill the remaining tortillas until your dish is full.
• Ladle more of your chili sauce mixture over the top of your enchiladas then top with the remaining enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with more cheese and bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Serve.

Thanks again to Alex at Ma What's For Dinner for sharing the original recipe!  You can tell we like it by the fact that we made it twice in the same week!  

Cheese Enchiladas

Whole Wheat Cheese Enchiladas - mouthwatering!

My MaMa likes spicey (my 2.5 year old pronunciation = "spikey") foods, so it was a no brainer that she'd try these Cheese Enchiladas when we saw them on Ma What's For Dinner?.  Boy, were these ever good!  My Dad kept saying "Mmmmmmm" all the way through dinner.

Ingredients for Whole Wheat Cheese Enchiladas:

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp Joseph's Grainery Soft White Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1 c chicken stock

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp corriander

1 tsp chili powder

Salt &Pepper to taste

1 can chili (with no beans)

1 can red mild enchilada sauce 

8 or so whole wheat tortillas (need a whole wheat tortilla recipe?) 

2 c  cheddar cheese, shredded

2 c monterey jack cheese, shredded

1 small sweet onion, diced

1 can mild green chiles, diced

Optional toppings:

Sour cream

Guacamole

Sliced olives

Chopped red onion

Chopped tomato

Chopped scallions

Directions:  In a large skillet heat butter over medium high heat and whisk in your flour to create a light golden roux.  Add in your chicken stock, spices and S&P.  Let this bubble a bit til it’s thickened up a bit and then add in your chili and half of the enchilada sauce.  Let this simmer for 5 minutes or so and get your tortillas ready.

Microwave each tortilla for about 20 seconds or so each to get them nice and soft.  

Pour a few ladles of your sauce into the bottom of a baking dish.  Dip the tortilla in the sauce mix and then fill the tortillas with a combo of the cheddar and jack cheese, onions and chiles.  Roll the tortilla up and place in the dish.  Continue to fill the remaining tortillas until your dish is full.

Ladle more of your chili sauce mixture over the top of your enchiladas then top with the remaining enchilada sauce.  Sprinkle with more cheese and bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.  Serve.

Thanks again to Alex at Ma What's For Dinner? for sharing this recipe.

Stay Tuned for a gluten free version of these yummy cheese enchiladas coming in the next day or two!

Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos

Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos awaiting a dose of Lemon-Garlic Yogurt Sauce.

This is one good way to get your family to eat their vegetables - with Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos drizzled with a Garlic-Lemon Yogurt.  MaMa's friend Michelle was raving about this recipe, found in Appetite for Reduction, in fact she served it for lunch one day when MaMa and I were visiting.  MaMa knew it would be delicious with Wheat Berries added to the mix.

Ingredients for Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos:

1 tsp olive oil
2 zucchini, diced small (about 1 lb)
1/4 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 c Hard Red Wheat, cooked
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 (6 oz) can salsa verde (we used regular salsa, because MaMa forgot to get Salsa Verde)
1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
8 corn tortillas

Directions:  Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the zucchini, wheat berries and onion to the oil and sprinkle with salt.  Saute for about 7 minutes, until the zuchinni is lightly browned.  Add the garlic and spices and saute for another 2 minutes.

Add the salsa verde and black beans.  Cook for 5 more minutes.

Place tortillas in a moist paper towel and heat in a microwave for 1 minute on high.  Serve with the Garlic-Lemon Yogurt (below).

Garlic-Lemon Yogurt:

1 c greek yogurt
3 cloves garlic
zest from 1/2 lemon
juice from 1 lemon (about 3 Tbs)
1/2 tsp honey

Scoop the yogurt into a small bowl.  Use a microwplace to grate the garlic and lemon zest.  Add the lemon juice and agave.  Using a fork, mix well.  Spoon over your tacos and enjoy!

Dinner time!  Enjoy your Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos.

This recipe was adapted from one found in Appetite for Reduction.  Yes, MaMa took a vegan recipe and made it non-vegan by using honey...just replacethe honey with agave nectar to make it vegan again.  And yes, I'm a smart 2 year old!

No Rise Whole Grain Pizza Dough

I'm begging MaMa to make pizza night a weekly event at our house.  She's considering, now that she's found a quick and easy No Rise Whole Grain Pizza Dough!

Mouthwatering Pizza Margherita on a No Rise Whole Grain Pizza Dough

Ingredients for No Rise Whole Grain Pizza Dough:

1 Tbs yeast
1 1/2 c warm water
1 1/2 Tbs sugar
3 Tbs olive oil
3 c Joseph's Grainery Soft White Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
3 c Joseph's Grainery Barley Flour

Directions:  In a large bowl add the warm water (not too hot...don't want to kill the yeast!) to the yeast and lightly stir for a brief moment.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  While waiting, gather the remaining ingredients.  Once the yeast is proofed, you can add the sugar and oil.  Then mix in the flour until the dough is no longer sticky.  Knead until the dough is smooth.

No Rise Whole Grain Pizza Dough all pressed out and ready to load with toppings.

Sprinkle a generous layer of corn meal onto your pizza stone.  Press the dough out into shape on the  pizza stone (or a cookie sheet if you don't have a stone).

Fresh ingredients make the best pizzas!

Add toppings to the pizza...we like to put mozzarella and tomatoes, with a little mix of Italian spices sprinkled over the top.

Pizza Margherita on a No Rise Whole Grain Crust ready to stick in the oven.

Place in a cool oven.  Turn the temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes.

MaMa says she loves this recipe because the only fore thought it requires is purchasing the ingredients...no waiting for the dough to rise and no warming the oven (she has trouble remember to preheat the oven sometimes).

Apple & Brie Quesadillas with Whole Wheat Tortillas

Whole Wheat Tortillas served up as Grilled Apple & Brie Quesadillas with an Apple Compote

Our next door neighbor over bought on some groceries and offered us some, so they wouldn't go to waste...so we had her over for dinner!  This is part of what MaMa made when she came over, as a large round of brie was one of the grocery items our neighbor had shared with us.  These Apple and Brie Quesadillas on Whole Wheat Tortillas were absolutely delicious!

Apple & Brie Quesadillas

by Joseph's Grainery

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Apples & Brie take your taste buds on an unexpected twist for an anything but typical quesadilla!

Ingredients

Ingredients for Whole Wheat Tortillas:

• 1 c Joseph's Grainery Hard Red Whole Wheat Bread Flour
• 1 c Joseph's Grainery Barley Flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 Tbs olive oil
• 2/3 c water

Ingredients for Grilled Apple and Brie Quesadillas with an Apple Compote:

• 1/2 lb brie cheese, cut into thin strips
• 2 apples, sliced thin
• 1- 8 oz jar of strawberry jam
• 1/4 c applesauce
• 1 pinch of cinnamon

Instructions

Directions for Tortillas:

• Whisk together the dry ingredients, make a well in the center for the liquids. Using a fork stir in the liquids, keep stirring until a ball of dough forms, then use your hands to knead the dough a few times. Divide the dough into 8-10 small balls.
• Heat your cast iron skillet on medium-high. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the small balls until the dough is no more than 1/8 inch thick. Cook on each side for 30-40 seconds.

Directions for Apple and Brie Quesadillas:

• Preheat a grill pan over medium heat. Prep the pan with cooking spray before cooking the first quesadilla. Place a layer of cheese on the tortilla and then layer the apples and top with another tortilla. Place on the grill pan for and cook for about 3 minutes on each side.
• For the compote, add the jam, applesauce and cinnamon to a medium sized microwave safe bowl and cook on high for 1 minute.

We found the recipe for the quesadillas and compote on FoodNetwork.com and thought it was a perfect way to use up the brie the neighbor had shared with us!

Baked Greek Chicken with Cracked Wheat

Take a bite of Baked Greek Chicken with Cracked Wheat.

MaMa made this Baked Greek Chicken with Cracked Wheat Topping the other night for dinner and boy, was it yummy!  She used our Joseph's Grainery Cracked Wheat Breakfast Cereal in place of some of the bread crumbs for a fun twist.

Joseph's Grainery Cracked Wheat Breakfast Cereal makes a great substitute for bread crumbs!

Ingredients for Baked Greek Chicken with Cracked Wheat:

2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
10 oz box chopped spinach, thawed
Salt and pepper, to taste
nutmeg, to taste
3 Tbs butter
1/2 c Joseph's Grainery Cracked Wheat Breakfast Cereal
1/2 c breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried oregano
4 pieces skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese

Directions:  Preheat your oven to 425°. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and two-thirds of the garlic and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool, then add the spinach and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Melt the butter in the same pan, turn off the heat and add the panko, oregano and remaining garlic; toss.

Drizzle a baking dish with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Split each chicken breast across and open like a book. Stuff with the spinach and feta, letting the stuffing overflow at the edges. Place the chicken pieces in the baking dish and top with the breadcrumbs. Bake until the juices run clear, about 20 minutes.

Now it's time to enjoy a flavorful dinner of Baked Greek Chicken!

This recipe was adapted from one found in Rachel Ray Everyday.

Classic Macaroni and Cheese

Every kid loves Macaroni and Cheese, right? MaMa likes it even more when she knows it's made with whole grains and I put my stamp of kid approval on this whole grain version of the classic Macaroni and Cheese!

It's a little black on top because MaMa left it under the broiler for just a little bit too long (oops!), but it still tasted fantastic.

Ingredients for Whole Grain Classic Macaroni and Cheese

Bread Crumb Topping:
1/4 c bread crumbs
1/8 c Joseph's Grainery Cracked Wheat Breakfast Cereal

Pasta and Cheese:
1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 Tbsp Joseph's Grainery Soft White Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1 c sour cream
1 c Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
3 c cheddar cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon table salt

Directions: Heat butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add flour, mustard, and cayenne and whisk well to combine. Continue whisking until mixture becomes fragrant and deepens in color, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk; bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, bringing mixture to a full boil to thicken. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, whisk in cheeses and 1 teaspoon salt until cheeses are fully melted. Add pasta and stir to coat and cook for several minutes until mixture is fully heated and steaming.

Transfer mixture to a broiler-safe baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Broil until crumbs are deep golden brown about 3-5 minutes. Rotate pan, if necessary, to get even browning. Cool for a few minutes before serving.

Curried Apple Cracked Wheat

MaMa and I'll be doing something fun and then all of the sudden she looks at the clock and says, "Oh, no...dinner's in a half an hour! What are we gonna make?". This happens on an almost nightly basis (don't tell her I said that). Thankfully MaMa has a file of recipes she's been wanting to try, and she figures if she can, on the first attempt, get dinner on the table in 30 minutes then it can be classified as quick-n-easy. This recipe would be one of those.

One of the main reasons she could get this from recipe file to the dinner table in 30 minutes was that she always has a bag of Hard Red Wheat Berries that she's previously cooked, sitting in the freezer waiting for her. MaMa says that if you cook with wheat berries on a somewhat regular basis, it only makes sense to cook up a large batch and then freeze them. Not sure how to cook wheat berries? You can can watch this video or read this post.

Ingredients for Curried Apple Cracked Wheat:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 medium apple, cored and chopped
3 green onions, washed, trimmed, and thinly sliced
1 cup Joseph's Grainery Hard Red Wheat, cooked and then cracked in a blender to the size of couscous
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp sea salt

Directions: In a large saucepan over medium-high heat add 3 tablespoons of the butter, the curry powder, and salt. Cook for a minute or until the spices are fragrant. Stir in the chopped apples and cook for about 3 minutes, enough time for the apples to soften up a bit and absorb some of the curry. Scoop the apples from the pan and set aside in a separate bowl.

In the same pan, again over medium-high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Stir in the green onions, let them soften up a bit and then add the water. Bring to a boil, stir in the cracked wheat, cover and remove from heat. Steam for 5 minutes and then use a fork to fluff up the cracked wheat. Stir in the apples. Season with more salt and curry powder to taste.

New Photos for Lentil and Brown Rice Burritos

We absolutely love this recipe at our house, but by the photos that used to be on the post for these Lentil and Brown Rice Burritos you'd never guess it, because the photos weren't the most appetizing, so here's (hopefully) a better representation of what is a regular dish on our menu.

This recipe is so simple and easy to make, the only drawback is that it takes two hours in the oven, but it's definitely worth the wait.

This is MaMas favorite recipe to take when someone is sick or has a new baby, as it's so easy to make a double batch and cook them at the same time, it's easy to transport and always gets rave reviews.

Chicken Tortilla Soup with Lentils

Fall is here...time for some Chicken Tortilla Soup!

We had some friends over the other night and MaMa knew it was going to be a busy day, so she chose one of her trusted and easy recipes, Chicken Tortilla Soup, but this time she made it with a twist...lentils.  She says she'll always add lentils when she makes it from now on!  What a perfect dinner idea for a cool Fall day.  This recipe actually comes from my grandparents next door neighbor, Robin.  Thanks for sharing it with us, because it is definitely a family favorite!

Chicken Tortilla Soup with Lentils

by Joseph's Grainery

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Stick it in the crock pot and forget about it till dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz can enchilada sauce
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 pkg taco seasoning
• 1 lrg can stewed tomatoes
• 1 lrg can tomato sauce
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 can kidney beans, drained
• 1 can great northern beans, drained
• 1/2 c dry Joseph's Grainery Lentils, rinsed
• 3 raw chicken breasts

Instructions

• Place all ingredients in a crockpot and let cook for a minimum of 6 hours on low (4 hours on high).
• We like to serve the soup with sour cream and tortilla chips, eating it more like a dip than a soup.

By omitting the chicken, this would make a fantastic vegetarian soup.

Wheat Berry Pasta Salad

This is one of MaMa's favorite things to make for lunch or a quick dinner.  She usually makes it with miniature bow-tie pasta, but she was all of out it when she made it for this photo.  It's a great blend of flavors and tastes pretty gourmet consider how quickly she can throw it together.

Wheat Berry Pasta Salad

by Joseph's Grainery

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A quick, easy and delicious way to incorporate Hard Red Wheat Berries into your diet.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb of a small pasta - miniature bow ties, macaroni, etc
• 1 c walnuts, chopped
• 2/3 c craisins
• 1 Tbsp olive oil + 1/4 c olive oil
• 1/2 c Joseph's Grainery Hard Red Wheat, cooked
• 1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
• feta cheese to sprinkle

Instructions

• Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Strain and set aside.
• In the same pot, pour 1 Tbsp olive oil and saute the walnuts and the wheat berries for about 5 minutes over medium heat.
• Then add back the pasta and the remaining ingredients, tossing to make sure the oil coats.
• Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve.

Creamy Baked Chicken with Wheat Berry Crunch

My Grandma and MaMa came up with this recipe the other night while they were chatting on the phone.  It was pretty tastey, but I'll have to say, it definitely isn't photogenic.  So if you aren't going for looks, then this is a simple dinner idea that you can whip up with just about 10 minutes of prep time, you can't beat that.

The wheat berries paired with the bread crumbs make for a nice texture on top of the chicken, while the cream and cheese keep it nice and moist.

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Breasts

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 c Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded

1/2 c feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 c Joseph's Grainery Soft White Wheat Berries, cooked (don't know how to cook wheat? click here - you can cook up a bunch and freeze it, it makes recipes like this one much quicker)

bread crumbs

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish, then cover with the cream of chicken soup.  Sprinkle the top with the cheeses, then the wheat berries and finally the bread crumbs.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Bake for 45-50 minutes.

It doesn't get much simpler than that.  Pair it with a salad and you're ready for dinner.

Easy Dinner Idea with a loaf of Artisan Bread

Last night MaMa was feeling uninspired when it came to deciding what to make for dinner.  She said she'd put a loaf of the Joseph's Grainery Artisan Bread Recipe (found here) into the oven and that she'd have to figure it out by the time the loaf came out of the oven.  Well, this is what we had for dinner.  Pizza on artisan bread and salad with home made croutons.  I loved it!  Pizza is one of my favorites!

All she did was cut the loaf into about 5 slices (minus the ends, set those aside for the croutons).  She spread pasta sauce over each slice then layered with shredded cheese and pepperoni.  She topped it off by sprinkling Italian seasoning on top.  Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees and dinner is almost ready.

For the croutons she cut up the heels of the loaf into pieces 1 inch and smaller.  She also salvaged any large "crumbs" created while cutting the loaf.  She placed the pieces on a baking sheet, lightly sprayed them with cooking spray and then toasted them at 400 for about 7 minutes.  Then put the warm croutons on top of the prepared salad.  She says she could have seasoned them any number of ways, but they were just fine with nothing.

How's that for coming up with a dinner idea in less than 20 minutes with what we already had in the fridge and pantry?  I think MaMa deserves an A+ for this one!

Why Not Try...

Why not try substituting whole wheat flour in recipes when it calls for "flour"?  It's easy and a lot healthier for you than that all purpose stuff.  :)  Give it a try, what's the worst that could happen?  MaMa and I do this all the time in the kitchen.  If she says the recipe calls for flour, I say, "howl weeet" (tanslates "whole wheat").  Guess what, most of the time it works!  In some recipes it's a good idea to only start out by swapping out half the amount of flour with whole wheat flour.  And if that works, why not try pushing it a little further the next time?  The recipe in today's post is one that we swapped all the flour out for whole wheat flour.  And guess what, it tasted delicious...and MaMa feels better about it being healthier for us. 

Enchilada - Burrito

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey)

1/4 c Joseph's Grainery Hard Red Whole Wheat Flour

1 tsp chili powder

1/3 c diced onion

4 cloves garlic, pressed

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c water

16 oz can fat free refried beans

6 whole wheat tortillas

1 1/2 c hot sauce

1 1/2 c grated cheese (we like a combo of cheddar and pepper jack)

Directions:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Brown the beef in a skillet.  Drain.  Return the meat to the skillet and add the flour, chili powder, onion, garlic and salt.  Toss to mix the spices evenly.  Add the water and stir over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

In a seperate pan warm the refried beans over medium-low heat.

Place some refried beans and ground beef mixture in each tortilla.  Roll each tortilla up and place in a 9x13 baking dish.  Cover the enchilitos with hot sauce and shedded cheese and then bake in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes, just until the cheese is melted.

If you're like us, you'll be adding this recipe to your list of favorites soon!

Recipe adapted from original found in Healthy Meals for Less: Great-Tasting Simple Recipes Under $1 a Serving by Jonni McCoy, who is known as the "Miserly Mom".