Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Ninety Two (Father's Day Spelt Orange Crumb Cake Muffins)

FATHER’S DAY SPELT ORANGE CRUMB CAKE MUFFINS

I have allowed my self-imposed chaos to interfere with the ritual I created over the past few years of sharing personal recipes and the moments that inspired them.  Months have passed since I have posted a recipe, though I have a backlog waiting to be shared when I steal that moment of time. Father’s Day is too important of a day to let the meal and the men who inspired this recipe to go unnoticed.

I slowed down today, to honor my father, a great soul who I have missed every day since his passing in 2002, a man with a gruff outer self and the gentlest of souls, who provided the profound the lesson that being kind to the world is the best we can do in this complex web we call life; my husband, who is one of those one in a million dads, taking the time to listen, teach, guide, and simply have fun with his children as he joins them daily in their journey from infancy through adulthood; and for my many father friends both near and far, who have found both great joy and sorrow as they meander their way through the labyrinth of parenthood.

Here is a recipe that, similar to parenthood, is seemingly complicated, but if taken step by step, is not too daunting.  Though unlike parenthood, the rewards from this recipe come without any talking back.

Prepare 12 large cupcake/muffin pans with cooking spray or papers (I used coconut oil spray from Trader Joe’s)

Preheat Oven to 350F

STEP ONE – Mix Dry Ingredients in Step One in A Large Mixing Bowl

3 cups Vita Spelt flour

1 cup and 2 tablespoons organic sugar (I substituted with half coconut palm sugar)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

       

                        STEP TWO – Mix Wet Ingredients in Step Two in A Separate Bowl (put eggs in last so the warm butter does not cook them)

1/2 cup melted butter (skimmed – meaning, I boiled the butter on low and skimmed off the foam on top and left the settlement on bottom to make rendered butter)
1 cup orange juice

3/4 cup buttermilk  (I used whole milk, plus squeezed in 1/2 fresh lemon)

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 eggs

STEP THREE – Make an indentation in the dry mix and pour in wet mix.  Mix ingredients together until well blended.  It is o.k. if it is lumpy.

STEP FOUR – In a separate bowl, mix the following.

       

1/4 cup and 1 teaspoon brown sugar (I used organic white sugar)

2-1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

chopped walnuts (about 1/4 cup)

       

STEP FIVE – In yet another bowl, crumble together the following ingredients.

1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons of vita spelt flour

1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons organic sugar sugar

2-1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons softened butter

1/4 to 1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Once you have the steps done, create an assembly line for yourself:

• First, scoop batter into muffin pans until about half full. 
• Second, after you have the twelve cups half full, sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon/nut mix in the batter and swirl slightly.
• Third, scoop the remaining batter to cover the swirl.
• Fourth, top with struessel (crumble)
• Fifth, place pan in oven and bake for 22-25 minutes
• Sixth, let cool to touch
• Seventh, enjoy with the fathers in your life!

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Ninety-One, Updating Day One-Hundred Thirty-Three (Three Studies Point to the Gut As A Place to Find Better Health)

During the summer of 2011, an on-line customer informed me she eats Spelt Right products because her diet change, which included replacing wheat with spelt, helped her reduce the symptoms of metabolic syndrome.  She said that, on the recommendation of her endocrinologist, she removed white starchy flours from her diet and replaced them with ancient grains like spelt and quinoa.  As a result, she lost 30 pounds.

I have heard similar stories, but this piqued my curiosity. 

I started researching and found an interesting article in the Annals of the New York Academy of Science, entitled Adjuvant Diet to Improve Hormonal and Metabolic Factors Affecting Breast Cancer Prognosis.   This article contains some incredible information based on medical studies.

In a nutshell, it states what many of us already know, but hate to admit. Americans (and others adopting the "Western Diet") eat a lot of junk, don't exercise much, and are getting sick as a result.  The good news is that there are ways to turn this around. One way is to eat better, and one of the recommendations for better eating is to chose spelt and other heirloom grains over processed grains.

The abstract of this article states that “western lifestyle, characterized by reduced physical activity and a diet rich in fat, refined carbohydrates, and animal protein is associated with high prevalence of overweight, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and high plasma levels of several growth factors and sex hormones….[T]hese factors are associated with breast cancer risk and, in breast cancer patients, with increased risk of recurrences.  Recent trials have proven that such metabolic and endocrine imbalance can be favorably modified through comprehensive dietary modification, shifting from Western to Mediterranean and macrobiotic diet.”  (Emphasis added).

Among the other dietary recommendations, the article suggests that breast cancer patients should “reduce high glycemic index and high insulinemic index foods, such as refined flours, potatoes, white rice, corn flakes, sugar, and milk, using instead whole grain cereals (unrefined rice, barley, millet, oat, spelt, quinoa)."  

The human body's ability to "heal" itself  when fed the proper foods is the topic of a recent Harvard study published in Nature in December 2013.  The study indicates that the types of foods (plant based proteins vs. animal based proteins) influence the bacteria in the gut almost immediately, and that the human gut rapidly adapts to positive dietary change.

Similarly there are recent studies demonstrating that gut health is related not only to physical wellness, but also is connected to brain function.  A study conducted by CalTech published in Cell in December 2013 demonstrates that there is a connection between the gut and the brain, suggesting that the use of probiotics may alleviate the symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders.  "Traditional research has studied autism as a genetic disorder and a disorder of the brain, but our work shows that gut bacteria may contribute to ASD-like symptoms in ways that were previously unappreciated," says Prof. of Biology Sarkis Mazmanian. "Gut physiology appears to have effects on what are currently presumed to be brain functions."

All of these scientific studies support what my family has been unscientifically proving over the past eight years.  A balanced diet rich in whole foods (no additives or highly processed foods or grains) leads to a healthier, more productive life, with less "down time" and a stronger immune system.  The benefits of our "clean diet" lifestyle are most prominent with our son whose health and behavior have improved dramatically as a result of the change.

Americans have been in a state of amnesia, forgetting to listen to their bodies which have been the primary indicators since time immemorial of what is good and what is not.  We ignore the signs when we abuse our bodies with bad food choices and we are led down a false path that a simple pill will fix it.  We simply need to look to the past for our answers today. As the Ancient Greek Physician Hippocrates is oft quoted, "Let food be thy medicine; let medicine be thy food."

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Seventy-Nine (Let Good Prevail Over Evil)

(Writer's Note:  This piece was written shortly after the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013)


Tell me it is not so.  I like to believe you don’t exist, that you are not so lost and disconnected from the beauty of life.  Please tell me that your choice is not to destroy it.

But, you show me otherwise.

You rattle my psyche.  You unnerve my children.  You bring terror in a backpack.  I like to think you do not exist.

But you are there.

And, you rattle, unnerve, terrorize, and destroy.

But we are here.   And, we calm, comfort, protect, and create.

You almost silenced me.  But, I won’t let you.  If I am silent, you have won. I am here to tell a story – simple as it is, of family, love, and food; of good over evil.  

There are stories of hope, of sharing, of simplicity that are wedged in between the episodes of tragedy.

And one day, a simple meal was created with love, by cousins lost and found.  Strangers the day before, now forever entwined by blood.  They worked together to recreate the flavors of those who preceded them.  And the spirits of their common great granddads and great grandmoms danced in the crowded kitchen whispering secrets from 100 years past when they landed on Ellis Island in the same City in search of a better life.

10, 10s have passed, and those great grandchildren have unknowingly returned to the same place to hear the stories, smell the scents, and taste the flavors that were brought here just for this moment.

And locked in time, cloistered from the noises from without, the stories unwind from within…..

“Kristen, did you know your granddad, my uncle, was a war hero, with his picture in Life Magazine?”

“And that your grandma, my aunt, was perhaps one of the best cooks on the planet?”

“Olivia and Spence, did you know your granddad, my dad, worked on airplanes during WWII…?”

“And that your grandma and granddad, my parents, had a big pool, where people paid to swim, and all the relatives visited, and laughed, and danced, and ate?”

“And all of you, did you know that your great great granddad was a slave to a sultan somewhere in the Middle East?  He was told he could win his freedom if he fought and killed a bear with his bare hands.   Do you think he won?”

“Are you here today because of the bear?”

“And, kids, please just keep chopping the onions, squeezing the lemons, and measuring the olive oil.”

We made quite a feast that night.  Enough to serve multiple generations.   We made fitayers with ground beef, fitayers with spinach, red-pepper pies, and tabouli (with quinoa – not something our ancestors would have recognized, but something we believe they would have appreciated.)

And here we share one of those recipes, Tabouli with Quinoa, that combines tastes and cultures from across the globe that weave in and out of generations.  Here is to good eating, and good people.

Recipe for Tabouli (with quinoa rather than cracked wheat)

2 bunches of fresh curly parsley – rinsed, destemmed, finely chopped

1 small bunch fresh spearmint – rinsed, destemmed, finely chopped

1 onion or 3/4 cup scallions finely chopped

2-3 red plump tasty tomatoes finely chopped

2 fresh lemons squeezed

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 to 1 cup quinoa cooked and drained according to instructions (let cool)

Toss the parsley, spearmint, onions, and tomatoes together.  Add lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Toss.  Add cooled quinoa.  Gently toss.

ENJOY your favorite dishes, BROUGHT to you by your great grandparents, MADE by your parents (and first cousin once removed).   TOAST to family, food, love, and PRAY for GOOD over EVIL.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Seventy Seven (Forks Over Knives: Day Three, No Cheating)

Thanks to Netflix, we saw the documentary Forks over Knives.  It told us what we suspected.  Made us feel guilty for many foods we eat.  And, motivated us to make some dietary changes - at least until we can't stand them anymore or run out of ideas, or worse, get really grumpy.

So, the synopsis is this: meat is evil; red meat is the worst; animal based products are bad; give up your beloved cheese, eggs, and butter.  People who eat animal based diets have higher rates of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and all the horribles that haunt those who consume products made by or with fellow creatures that once breathed.

Man! That is a harsh pill to swallow.  What if we have just a little meat?  A little cheese?  Our beloved eggs in the morning and cream in our coffee?  What if we just cut out some, but not all those animal based products?

Apparently, the real deal is that we are supposed to go cold turkey.  Cold Turkey?  More like Cold Kale.

We were ready to introduce this change to our daily routine. Tim did the shopping.  I did the cooking.  Lots of green stuff, beans, rice, and veggies in our fridge and cupboards.  I cheated on Day One - eating my friend's baked chicken that he did not eat while visiting him as he was recuperating from surgery at the hospital.  How could I possibly admit to my family that, in my desperation, I ate chicken from hospital fare?   I cheated also on Day Two, even though I did make enough rice and beans the night before to last a week.

The rice and black beans were not finished until late night because I did not anticipate the 4 hours of cooking after the eight hours of soaking.   So, we had them for a late night snack, for breakfast the next day, and for dinner the following evening.  The family was being surprisingly cooperative at dinner facing beans and rice again, but were looking a bit forlorn.

Enter cheat number two.  More poultry.  We happened to have some chicken in the fridge so I sauteed it up with some olive oil, garlic, and wine.   Everyone was happy with the addition of the poultry because the steady diet of beans and rice was causing slight gastric distress in all of us.  Day two was a semi-success.

So tonight, day three, we all sighed at the thought of consuming anything that contained beans.  Yet, I was resolute not to cheat again.

As I looked at a beautiful bunch of dark green kale that Tim brought home like a bouquet of flowers (thanks honey, so beautiful!), I prayed for my culinary instinct to divine something to me.  My prayers worked.  All I needed was a little organic tofu, some nuts, and some tasty oils (probably against the diet...but, heck, I needed some tools).   Here it is. Forks Over Knives, Day Three - No Cheating.

Ingredients and Directions

Make a cup and half of rice, according to instructions - organic brown rice is recommended, but if you are pressed for time (as we were), use white rice.

One large bunch kale, de-stemmed, rinsed, and chopped and half chopped onion.  Saute onion and kale in frying pan with freshly minced garlic (crushed with a mortar and pestle), extra virgin olive oil (about 1/4 cup), 2-4 TBL of organic toasted sesame seed oil, and salt to taste.   Saute until onions are soft and kale is limp.  Set aside.

Take one pound of organic extra firm tofu, and cut into equal size chunks.  Coat thoroughly with organic spelt.  Heat about 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil in a separate stainless steel frying pan.  As soon as the oil is heated, add coated tofu.  Cook until brown on all sides.  Add about 2TBL of toasted sesame seed oil.  Add about 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts.   Add kale, onion mix, and toss together.

Serve over rice.   DELICIOUS.

We did it.  We accomplished Forks over Knives, Day Three...

As noted by Tim, "Served with red wine, thank god, that hasn't been eliminated..."

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Seventy-Six (Blizzard Blues: Spelt Blueberry Banana Muffins)

Blizzard Blues.

Experiencing a major blizzard in coastal Maine is a different experience than in the Big Apple. 

In Maine, Tim would have shoveled the drive and walkway, shoveled them again, shoveled them again, loaded wood in the woodstove, and we all would have hunkered down to stay snug in the house all day.  I probably would have baked something too. 

In NYC, we had no shoveling (except for digging a car out), have no woodstove, and had tickets to see Blue Man Group.  So, we hailed a cab, met some friends, and went to a very bizarre off-Broadway production.  A little loud for my taste.

But, the habits of Maine linger.  So before embarking on the Blue Man adventure, I felt compelled to make blueberry muffins– appropriate for a snowy blue-themed day.

Problem #1, there was no organic sugar in the house, and I was not about to use bleached white sugar, nor was I going to pay $7.99 for a pound and half of organic sugar at our local grocery store.

 

Spelt Blueberry Banana Muffins with Honey

Problem #2, we had very few blueberries, and as with the organic sugar, I was not going to pay triple for the convenience of buying them in our neighborhood.

Solution #1: create a recipe with honey

Solution #2: use blueberries in combination with some other fruit we have in the house: bananas!!

Here is a recipe for Blueberry-Banana Spelt Muffins – made especially to prevent stormy day blues, and to keep you from going bananas.

Blueberry-Banana Spelt Muffins – with no sugar

1 and 1/4 cups white spelt flour

1 cup whole spelt flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 TBL baking powder

1 cup buttermilk (made with 1 tbl fresh lemon juice and 1 cup milk, mixed and set aside for 10 minutes)

7 TBL honey

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup blueberries

1 and 1/2 ripe bananas

Combine dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.  In a larger bowl (I used the Kitchenaid), combine all the other ingredients, except the blueberries, and mix the dry into the liquid until blended.  Stir in the blueberries. 

Scoop enough batter to fill the muffin pans 3/4 way either lined with muffin papers or in well oiled muffin pans.  Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.

Lunch Box Chronicles, Day One-Hundred Seventy One (On Being a Flexitarian - Vegetables with Chicken)

flex·i·tar·i·an noun \ˌflek-sə-ˈter-ē-ən\

Definition of FLEXITARIAN  (
source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flexitarian )

: one whose normally meatless diet occasionally includes meat or fish

— flexitarian adjective

Origin of FLEXITARIAN

flexible + vegetarian

First Known Use: 1998

This recipe is dedicated to my formerly vegetarian, now flexitarian friend.   We both aspire to be completely meat free in our diets, but sometimes we just need a little comfort food – both for our bodies and our souls.

Baked Chicken with Vegetables, or in Flexitarain Lingo: Baked Vegetables Accented by Chicken. (adapted from A Taste of Lebanon by Mary Salloum)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 green peppers, de-seeded and sliced in rounds

2 large tomatoes sliced in rounds (field tomatoes are great for this)

2 large onions sliced in rounds
2 large zucchini sliced in rounds

1 large leek sliced in rounds

4 potatoes sliced in rounds

1 chicken cut up, or two-three bone-in breast of chicken

1-2 teaspoons of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1 tsp dried basil

4-5 cloves of garlic (crushed with salt)

1/2 bunch of fresh parsley (destemmed and chopped)

Set oven at 400F.  Wash and dry chicken (I do this by cleaning with salt and then rinsing – taught to me by my mother and grandmother).  Place all vegetables and chicken in roasting pan.  Add oil and all remaining ingredients.  Coat vegetables and chicken with oil, herbs, and spices.  Cover roasting pan.  Bake for 1 hour or until chicken is tender.

This is an easy comfort meal.  Perfect with Spelt Right rosemary bread - toasted with EVOO.  The kind of food to enjoy after weathering a storm.

Lunch Box Chronicle Day One Hundred Sixty-Eight (In the Shadow of the Storm, Make, Bake, Eat Cookies)

This day is beyond surreal.  One of the largest natural disasters is about to hit NYC, and I'm waiting impatiently in my apartment for all hell to break loose.  All public transportation is closed - no subways, no buses, no rail service.  All flights are cancelled.  The threatened eleven foot water surges have caused the closure of the tunnels.  More than a quarter of a million people have been ordered to evacuate from their NYC homes.  

The talking heads on the t.v. are murmuring non-stop, holding on to swaying trees, sopping themselves, repeating to us again and again The Obvious.  This storm is going to be Big.  Bigger than Big.  How-to-survive messages from friends and family who are out-of-state and out-of-country are appearing on my Facebook, in my email, and through texts.  

All kids are home from school - indefinitely.  The apartment building has become a refuge for all the children, huddled together, roaming the halls and apartments as if the world belongs to them; playing make believe, and showing the adults that a hurricane is nothing but a chance for all kids to just be kids.

Somehow, this close living, the quick stop with neighbors to share goodies, the endless play of the kids in the building, the Super making storm preparations, all make this impending event seem less lonely, more communal, and perhaps safer.   But, what do I know?  It is only the shadow of the storm that has reached us thus far.

So, I retreat to doing what I do best in these situations - cooking, baking, and writing.   Here is a recipe to offer a little bit of calm before the storm.   

Whole Grain Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies.

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter - REAL BUTTER softened

1 and 1/2 cups organic cane sugar (this stuff has sooo much flavor)

2 TBL pure molasses

1/2 teaspoon baking SODA

2 eggs

1 teaspoon REAL VANILLA 

1 1/2 cups organic whole spelt flour

1 cup organic white (sifted) spelt flour

12 ounces mini semi sweet Ghiradelli Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth.  Add sugar and  molasses.  Keep beating until smooth, add in eggs and vanilla.  Keep mixing.  In separate smaller bowl, mix together spelt flours and baking soda.    Beat flour mixture into butter mixture, slowly adding in the flour.  Stir in chocolate pieces.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake in 375 oven for about 10 minutes.  Because these are spelt, they tend to flatten out.  Done when edges are slightly brown.  Transfer to a wire rack for cooling.  

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Nineteen: ADHD and Hyperactivity in Kids. Help us Spread the Word!

Great news!  The FDA has just announced that it is considering banning certain food dyes (specifically Red 40 and Yellow 5), because of a possible connection between the consumption of these additives and hyperactivity in children.

Of course, this isn't news to us.

We've been talking/writing/blogging about this issue for years ever since our son began experiencing health and behavioral problems when he was 3 or 4 years old.

Those of you who have followed our son's story know that he is now a healthy, thriving 13-year old. But that wasn't always the case. When he was younger, his health and behavioral issues were so severe that doctors suggested he had everything from ADHD to Asperger's Syndrome.

And every diagnosis came with a drug solution.  HOGWASH!

We weren't buying it. Instead, we started paying close attention to the relationship between what he ate, and how he behaved. It took us several years to figure it all out, but by eliminating artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners, along with removing industrial wheat from his diet (and adding in spelt), we were able to completely turn his health and behavior around.

No drugs. Just good - and real - food.

So we couldn't be happier to hear that the FDA is finally catching up with Spelt Right on the issue of synthetic food additives and their negative effects on our kids.

This is such an important issue - Please help us spread the word!

Also, check out some of our past articles on the relationship between synthetic food additives and hyperactivity in kids.

Down East Article on Spelt Right and Its Mission

http://www.feastnh.com/articles/900538-236/womans-use-of-spelt-in-sons-diet.html?CSAuthResp=1234%3A%3A5000%3A1%3A24%3Aapproved%3A0F4585785573305EC4153626DBD917C5

So, here is picture of the kid, now 13, additive free for 6 years, always

 drug free, all natural diet, and one of the sweetest brightest folks I know.  

He is an incredible chef.  Last night's dinner was made completely 

by Spencer.  Marinated beef tips with a reduction sauce, sauteed tofu, 

tons of garlic, fresh veggies, special homemade sauces, all in a stir fry. 

 Diet change has been worth every moment.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day Eighty-Six (Guest Blogger from Cyberspace)

Wow, the internet and long term friendships can be VERY COOL. I am convinced that "6 degrees of separation" is more like "2 degrees of separation" with all of this cyber activity. I recently reconnected with my friend, Diana S., from high school. Prior to this year, the last time I saw her was about 30 years ago. I must say, we have both aged well! Diana is a wonderful fan of Spelt Right and recently sent me an email post from another high school acquaintance, posting a recipe from another friend in Boston made with Spelt Right dough. Given that we all live in different states, I think it is quite COOL. Here is the post, the link, and the recipe. Enjoy! http://heyspelty.blogspot.com/2010/08/happy-happy.html

spelt calzones
makes 2 enormous calzones

1 ball spelt right  frozen pizza dough, thawed and risen for around 2 hours
(make sure not to let the dough rise too quickly.  with wheat flour i would usually proof dough in the oven with the oven light on- this does not work for spelt.  i don't know why, my guess is that it has something to do with shorter gluten strands....?)

filling:
1 med zucchini, large dice
6 oz fresh spinach (1 bag)
4 scallions, small dice
4 oz feta, crumbled

olive oil
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes

preheat oven to 450

cover an inverted baking sheet with parchment paper

for the filling:

brown zucchini in a non-stick pan with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
remove from pan.

using the same pan, quickly saute the spinach until fully cooked.
once it is cool enough to handle, squeeze as much moisture from the spinach as you can.
chop.

mix zucchini, spinach, scallions and feta in a bowl.

for the crust:

after the dough has risen, dust the counter or a board with spelt flour and divide the dough ball into 2 equal pieces.  working one at a time, flatten each dough ball to roughly 10" diameter.

scoop 1/2 of the filling onto one side of each flattened disc, then fold the remaining dough over the filling.  crimp the edges.

transfer your calzones to the inverted baking sheet.

using a sharp knife or scissors, snip 3 holes into the top of each calzone to allow steam to escape.

brush the tops with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

bake for approx. 15 minutes until golden brown.

devour.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day Seventy-Three (PEACE of Pizza)

The humidity is putting a damper on home cooked meals.   No oven for me these days.  Thank goodness we have a grill.

We made some grilled pizzas yesterday.  The grill was bit too hot (500) so burned the bottoms.  Next time, the grill should be lower 400 with the center burner off to create convention but not direct heat in the center.   Here's a picture of our creations:   Spelt Right Pizza Dough, Anjon's Pizza Sauce, Hannaford Mozzarella, sauteed mushrooms and garlic, chopped onions.   As you will see, I prefer a thick crust on the grill so the goodies on top don't seep through.

Notice the Peace Sign?

Yum.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day Thirteen: Guest Chronicler

Here's a recipe from a friend who allowed us to post it in our Lunch Box Chronicles.

"It's a recipe I've been using for years, and was originally designed for use with refrigerated crescent rolls. When I made it, I used one ball of dough... It's a little breadier than the original, but a whole lot healthier, too!"

Salmon/Tuna Turnovers

1 stalk celery
2 green onions
1 T butter or EVOO
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
3 T snipped parsley
freshly ground pepper
2 cans 6-8 oz tuna or salmon (wild or sustainably caught)
1 pkg Spelt Right pizza dough, risen as directed
milk
1 tsp poppy or sesame seed

Preheat oven to 425. In a small skillet cook celery and onion in butter or EVOO until celery is crisp-tender.

In a small bowl stir together celery mixture, cream cheese, parsley and pepper until smooth. Fold in salmon or tuna.

Make the triangles with the dough, approximately five of them. Divide the filling mixture among the triangles, fold up and seal the edges. Place on greased baking sheet, brush with milk and sprinkle with seeds if desired. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Substitution: I have chopped up mushrooms and used them raw in place of the fish for vegetarians. They are delicious either way! Would love to hear from the "thumbs" in your house...

Thanks to Diana for this great idea! We can't wait to try it ourselves.

- Spelt Right

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day Twelve (Spelt Right Pita Rounds and Mediterranean Salad)

Pita Rounds (with a Mediterranean Salad)

The spelt pita is a great way to add something special to a meal or to use as a "pocket" for a cold sandwich.

Take one package of Spelt Right pizza dough. Let double in size in the bag. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Make 6-7 rounds, roll to 1/8 to 1/4 inch on board with finely ground corn meal (to keep it from sticking). Slide onto lightly oiled pan.

Bake until puffed and lightly browned! Here's how it looks through the oven window:

The beginning

Starting to puff

Puffed!


We made a Mediterranean Salad to go with the bread. This would be good in a small container in a lunch box or as a refreshing summer side salad. Yum!

Mediterranean Salad Recipe
Chop 3 small cucumbers, 2 fresh tomatoes (we used Backyard Farms), 1/4 c. Calamata olives. Combine.
Add juice from 2 fresh lemons, 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, salt & pepper to taste. Mix. Eat it up!

Mediterranean Salad with Spelt Pita

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day Eleven (Spelt Right Monkey Bread)

Here's a great recipe for a treat or to impress your friends, family, and neighbors at brunch.

News Flash!! We have provided you a step by step one minute slide show on how to make these.

Ingredients: 2 Spelt Right Pizza Dough Balls, fully thawed to double their frozen size
1/2 cup organic cane sugar (I never using bleached white sugar)
1 tablespoon cinnamon (I use organic)
6 tablespoons real butter, melted (and purified if you would like). Purified means skimming off the impurities from the top of the melting butter and pouring off and using the clear butter, leaving the sediment on the bottom. Throw away the sediment. Also, known as ghee.

And, you will need a bundt pan or other pan with removable sides.

Preheat oven to 400 F

Lightly butter a bundt pan. Be sure to put a cookie sheet or other pan on the shelf beneath where you place the bundt pan because it will drip. Place melted butter in small bowl. Mix together cinnamon and sugar in a separate bowl. Gently pull apart the thawed dough and make 1/2 inch 1 inch dough balls. Then take the dough balls and dip in butter. See picture. Take the dipped dough balls and roll in cinnamon/sugar. Place the coated dough balls in bundt pan. Repeat steps until you are finished with the dough balls.

Bake at 400 oven. Remember to place a pan on a rack under the bundt pan because it will drip and make a mess.

Bake for about 30-45 minutes. Done when balls are not gooey in center. WaaLaa! The perfect treat for a gaggle of 7 year old girls visiting, or for a troop of teenagers over to watch a basketball game. Not a bad surprise for a brunch either.



Click Play Button to Start

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day Five (Black Bean and Mango Spelt Stuffer)

Black Bean & Mango Spelt Stuffer

Dad and our two youngest, 12 and 8, made this new version of the classic fitayer (see earlier posts). We took a poll over breakfast and decided to go with a vegetarian Latin theme today. So, after a day of errands and exercise, we got down to work.

Starting with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil, we sauteed some garlic and finely chopped onions with salt and pepper. Then, we added some rinsed organic black beans, sauteed a bit more and put aside. We made six balls out of our thawed spelt pizza dough. After flattening into round disc-shaped circles, we put some beans on each, chopped chunks of Australian cheddar cheese, and a few small slivers of mango. For good measure, we put a dollop of Salpica all-natural cilantro green olive salsa. Yum! Getting everything satueed, cut and opened ahead of time made the preparation really quick. Be careful not to overfill (it's tempting) because you won't be able to make your triangle folds. We also found that the warm beans made the dough really soft and a little harder to handle.

Kids gave it a rousing two thumbs up!

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day Four (Ham and Cheese Fitaya)

Warning! These are not for the vegan and Kosher folks out there. I don't eat ham, but my kids do and they loved these.

Here's our next variation on our soon to be famous spelt triangles: the ham and cheese stuffer. Take a thawed Spelt Right pizza dough and follow the same technique as described in previous posts. We used Applewood Uncured Ham Steak (no nitrites or nitrates added) and cubes of aged Australian Cheddar Cheese. Chop ham and cheese in small cubes. Scoop about 2 teaspoons more or less in the center of the dough. Shape the triangle. See earlier posts for more explicit directions. Bake them at 450 for 10 minutes or until brown. These should be refrigerated or frozen if not eaten right away. Good if warmed with a microwave or toaster oven, but also fine cold. Two-thumbs up from everyone who tried them!!