Pressure Cooker Refried Beans

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb dry pinto beans, rinsed
6 cups water
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 Tbsp vinegar

Add to pressure cooker. Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.

Let the pressure naturally release.  Reserve two cups of the liquid in a separate bowl.

Drain the rest of the liquid off the beans.

1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp Chili powder

Add remaining ingredients.   Using an immersion blender process/mash to the desired consistency, adding reserved cooking liquid if needed for a smoother/softer consistency.

Refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for several months.

Focaccia Bread

INGREDIENTS:

Bread:

5 cups bread flour

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons instant yeast

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups water, at room temperature

Extra olive oil, for greasing the pan

Herb olive oil (recipe below)

Herb Oil:

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup chopped fresh herbs (any combination of basil, parsley, oregano, tarragon, rosemary, 
     thyme, cilantro, savory, and sage) - OR - 1/8 cup dried herbs  (I used basil, parsley, oregano, 

     thyme, and rosemary)

1 tsp coarse kosher salt

1 garlic clove, minced

DIRECTIONS:

1. To Make the Herb Oil: Heat olive oil to about 100 degrees F. Add herbs. Add the salt, pepper, and garlic. Stir together and allow to steep while you prepare the dough.

2. Stir together the flour, salt, and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Add the olive oil and water and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until all the ingredients form a sticky ball. Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough is soft and sticky. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl.

3. Sprinkle enough flour on the counter to make a bed about 6 inches square. Using a scraper or spatula dipped in water, transfer the sticky dough to the bed of flour and dust liberally with flour, patting the dough into a rectangle. Let the dough relax for 5 minutes.

4. Coat your hands with flour and stretch the dough from each end to twice its size. Fold it, letter style, over itself to return it to a rectangular shape. Mist the top of the dough with spray oil, again dust with flour, and loosely cover with plastic wrap.

5. Let rest for 30 minutes. Stretch and fold the dough again; mist with spray oil, dust with flour, and cover. After 30 minutes, repeat this one more time.

6. Allow the covered dough to ferment on the counter for 1 hour. It should rise but not double in size.

7. Line a 17 by 12-inch sheet pan with baking parchment paper and drizzle olive oil over the paper. Spread the oil with your hands or a brush to cover the entire surface. Lightly oil your hands and, using a plastic or metal pastry scraper, lift the dough off the counter and transfer it to the sheet pan, maintaining the rectangular shape as much as possible.

8. Spoon half of the herb oil over the dough. Use your fingertips to dimple the dough and spread it to fill the pan simultaneously. Only use your fingertips to avoid tearing or ripping the dough. Try to keep the thickness as uniform as possible across the surface. Dimpling allows you to degas only part of the dough while preserving gas in the non-dimpled sections. If the dough becomes too springy, let it rest for about 15 minutes and then continue dimpling. Don’t worry if you are unable to fill the pan 100 perfect, especially the corners. As the dough relaxes and proofs, it will spread out and fill the pan. Use more herb oil as needed to ensure that the entire surface is coated with oil.

9. Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough overnight (or for up to 3 days).

10.Remove the pan from the refrigerator 3 hours before baking. Drizzle additional herb oil over the surface and dimple it in. This should allow you to fill the pan completely with the dough to a thickness of about 1/2-inch. Cover the pan with plastic and proof the dough at room temperature for 3 hours, or until the dough doubles in size, rising to a thickness of nearly 1 inch.

11. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Place the pan in the oven. Lower the oven setting to 450 degrees F and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue baking the focaccia bread for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it is lightly golden brown. The internal temperature of the dough should register above 200 degrees F (measured in the center of the loaf).

12. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately transfer the focaccia out of the pan onto a cooling rack. Allow the focaccia to cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting and serving.

Adapted from 

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/focaccia-bread/

Lion House Dinner Rolls

• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water
• 
  
• In a large bowl, combine the yeast and water. Let stand 5 minutes (no need to do this if using instant yeast – just add the yeast and water together with the other ingredients).
• 
  
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
• 5-6 cups flour (see note)
• 
  
• Add sugar, butter, salt, dry milk, 2 cups flour and egg. Beat together until very smooth. Add remaining flour gradually (about 1/2 cup at a time) until a soft but not sticky dough is formed.  Knead the dough for at least five minutes if using an electric mixer and for at least 10 minutes if mixing the dough by hand. When the dough is smooth, supple and elastic, place it in a lightly greased large bowl covered with greased plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled.
• 
  
• Separate the dough into two portions. Roll each section out to an 11X14-inch rectangle. Brush the top with melted butter. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into two pieces, the long way (see photos below). Then slice the dough into five or six strips across so you end up with 10 to 12 small rectangles. Roll each small rectangle up like a snail and place on a silpat-lined or lightly greased baking sheet with the roll resting on it’s open edge. Repeat with the second portion of dough.
• 
  
• Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap and let them rise until doubled. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes until they are nicely browned.

Whole Wheat Waffles

1. 1 1/2 cups 100% whole wheat flour
2. 1/4 cup wheat germ (Optional - or just use another 1/4 cup of wheat)
3. 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal (optional)
4. 2 teaspoons baking powder
5. 2 tablespoons sugar
6. 1/2 teaspoon salt
7. 
   
8. Whisk together in large mixing bowl. 
9. 
   
10. 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
11. 1/3 cup canola oil
12. 1 egg
13. 1 teaspoon vanilla
14. 
    
15. Mix together in a separate bowl and whisk until combined. 
16. Add wet ingredients to dry and whisk until just mixed together, (it's okay to have some lumps) don't over-mix.
17. 
    
18. Ladle into an electric waffle iron and cook according to your waffle-maker's instructions until golden brown. Serve warm with desired toppings.

http://ourbestbites.com/2013/01/healthy-whole-grain-waffles-3-ways/

Alfredo Sauce (Heather's)

In a saucepan combine with whisk over medium heat:

1 c. Butter
8 oz. Cream Cheese

Add and combine until smooth:

1/4 c. Flour
1 c. Heavy Cream
2 ½ c. Whole Milk
1/2 c. Real Parmesan Cheese, grated

http://www.recipesrevamped.com/alfredo-sauce/

French Bread Alfredo Pizza

Prepare Chicken:

1 Chicken Breast, cooked and shredded

Slice in half lengthwise:

1 French Bread Loaf

Spread on top of halves:

2 c. Alfredo Sauce

Top each loaf with:

Cooked Chicken

Additional topping options:

2 c. Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
2 c. Spinach, softened
2 Tomatoes, sliced
2 Green Onions, sliced
6 slices Bacon, cooked & crumbled

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

http://www.recipesrevamped.com/alfredo-chicken-french-bread-pizza/

Slow Cooker Stew

Ingredients

• ½ C all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2-3 lbs. stew meat or boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 inch pieces

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a large zippered plastic bag. Add in meat and toss to coat.

• ¼ C canola oil

Heat oil in a large pan over medium high heat and cook meat until browned on all sides.

Place meat in slow cooker.

1 large onion, chopped

Add onion into same pan that you cooked the meat in and cook until onion is golden brown.

4 C beef broth
4 tsp chopped garlic

Add in beef broth and garlic. Bring to a boil. Scrape up pieces of food from bottom of pan.

2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp dried parsley
½ tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves

Add in parsley, thyme, bay leaves, sugar, soy sauce and tomato paste.

Pour mixture over meat in crock pot.

Cook on high for 4 hours

1 lb. red potatoes, quartered
3 carrots, peeled and cut into one inch pieces

Add in potatoes and carrots and cook one additional hour.

*This was good but next time I will cut the beef into smaller pieces, and cut the potatoes and carrots larger.

http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/slow-cooker-irish-stew/

Homemade whole Wheat Bread (Single and Double Recipe)

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten
• 4 teaspoons instant/quick-rise yeast

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together first three ingredients.

• 2 1/2 cups very warm water (120°F to 130°F)

Add water and mix for one minute, scraping down bowl halfway through if necessary. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted and cooled) OR vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice

Add and Beat for 1 minute

• 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time, beating between each cup.  Knead dough in mixer using dough hook for 10-15 minutes  or until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and feels smooth rather than sticky.

Preheat oven to lukewarm by setting it to 350°F and then turning it back off after exactly 1 minute. Grease two nonstick bread pans (8 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 2 1/2" or 9? x 5? x 2 1/2") or grease two regular bread pans and line with parchment paper. Turn dough onto greased surface. Evenly divide into two loaves and place into prepared bread pans, gently pressing dough into corners.

Place pans in warm oven and allow to rise for 20 to 40 minutes, or until dough is nicely domed above the tops of the pans. Without removing pans from the oven, turn on oven to 350°F and set timer for 30 minutes. Once baked, immediately remove hot bread from pans and cool on rack.

Notes

*I use coconut oil in this recipe. It works wonderfully and doesn't make the bread taste like coconut at all.

Doubled Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

(Makes 4 loaves)

Ingredients

• 7 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
• 4 teaspoons instant/quick-rise yeast
• 2 TBSP dough enhancer

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together first three ingredients.

• 5 cups very warm water (120°F to 130°F)

Add water and mix for one minute, scraping down bowl halfway through if necessary. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

• 1 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 2/3 cup coconut oil (melted and cooled) OR vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup honey
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice

Add and Beat for 1 minute

• 6 cups whole wheat flour

Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time, beating between each cup.  Knead dough in mixer using dough hook for 10-15 minutes  or until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and feels smooth rather than sticky.

Preheat oven to lukewarm by setting it to 350°F and then turning it back off after exactly 1 minute. Grease two nonstick bread pans (8 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 2 1/2" or 9? x 5? x 2 1/2") or grease two regular bread pans and line with parchment paper. Turn dough onto greased surface. Evenly divide into two loaves and place into prepared bread pans, gently pressing dough into corners.

Place pans in warm oven and allow to rise for 20 to 40 minutes, or until dough is nicely domed above the tops of the pans. Without removing pans from the oven, turn on oven to 350°F and set timer for 30 minutes. Once baked, immediately remove hot bread from pans and cool on rack.

*Yeast - doesn't need to double

*Salt multiplied by 1.5

*Active Dry yeast use 25% more than SAF

*This makes 3 large loaves and 2 medium loaves

*9 C. Wheat = 13 C. Wheat flour

 Recipe Adapted from: http://www.fivehearthome.com/2013/07/08/the-very-best-homemade-whole-wheat-bread-plus-free-printable-kitchen-labels/

Honey-Cinnamon Butter

Honey Cinnamon Butter

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Whip together all ingredients in a medium-size bowl (about 2 minutes, until fluffy). Serve on rolls while warm or store in an airtight container in the fridge

Tomato Soup

2 cans diced tomatoes
1-2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
4 C. Chicken Broth
Salt & Pepper to taste

Bring to a boil, simmer on low for 20 minutes

Make a roux:
1/2 C. flour
12 c butter
Melt butter in sauce pan.  Whisk in flour.  Continue whisking and cook for a minute or so.

Add to soup - blend in a blender or with immersion blender.
If you want a creamier soup add cream or half and half.

Optional, add pasta.

Easy Tomato Soup (Helen)
1 small can tomato soup (add can of water)
1 (15 oz) can diced or whole tomatoes (put in blender)
1 c. whipping cream or half and half
¼ c. butter
1 t. dried basil
½ t. dried oregano
1 T. sugar

Add all ingredients in pan and heat.

Makes about 8 to 10 servings.


(I doubled the recipe and only used 1 c. cream and it was still good.  Could use milk instead of water
for the tomato soup)