homemade

Olive Oil Butter Spread

By in Condiments 10 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

I generally try to stay away from margarine as best I can, but butter is just so darn hard to spread straight from the fridge, that I always have a small tub in my fridge for spreading on toast or other such things. I”ve been using olive oil margarine for years – it”s supposed to be the healthy kind. I”ve known for a long time that it really can”t be that healthy because there”s still tons of additives in there and when I was finally brave enough to check the back, I found there were sixteen ingredients in that little tiny tub. Sixteen! This recipe has three. And, it works like a dream.

The final product is a little more set then the store-bought stuff but it spreads just as easily. If you take a taste with your finger it does have a strong olive oil flavour (which is kind of the point) but I don”t notice the olive oil flavour at all once it”s spread on toast. It”s perfect tossed with cooked veggies, spread on toast or sandwiches, used for grilled cheese, tossed with pasta – you name it!

Now that I”ve realized just how easy it is to make my own “margarine” at home, I”m not ever going back. Our eating habits are definitely not perfect, but one by one we”re making healthier changes and recipes like this, that take no effort with great results, make our end goal that much more achievable.

Olive Oil Butter Spread

  • 1 cup softened (not melted) unsalted butter

  • 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Whip butter until loose. Slowly beat in olive oil, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally, until fully incorporated and smooth (mixture will be runny). Beat in salt. Pour into storage container and refrigerate until set.

Adapted form The Highlandview Pantry.

Maple Roasted Almond Butter

By in Breakfast, Condiments 9 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Max is my good little eater. He”ll eat basically anything and everything under the sun. But for some strange reason he doesn”t like peanut butter. He always loves helping me make scrambled eggs and toast in the morning but he”s always adamant that his toast have only “just honey”, nothing else to adulterate it.

But, to my excitement he loved this almond butter. We were eating it by the spoonful right after I churned it up in the food processor. I”ve never been a big fan of almond butter myself, but this stuff has turned me into a convert. Not to the store-bought stuff though, because it simply can”t compare to homemade.

The biggest plus for me in making it homemade, besides that it”s far more flavourful, is that it”s sweetened with maple syrup instead of sugar. I feel far better about eating hoards of it knowing that it”s so much better for you. I used canola oil  in this recipe because it”s what I had on hand, but I”m planning to buy the walnut oil called for because I”m sure it adds that much more of a nutty flavour. But, if you don”t have it on hand then canola oil is a fine substitute.

Maple Roasted Almond Butter

  • 2 cups raw almonds

  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 2 tablespoons walnut oil (or canola oil)

Place almonds on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with maple syrup; toss to coat. Bake at 325ºF for 20 minutes, until nuts are browned and syrup has darkened, stirring once halfway through. Allow to cool 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle.

Place almonds in a food processor making sure to include any bits of roasted maple syrup. Pulse to break up the nuts. Add salt and a little drizzle of oil. Process for 30-45 seconds, scrape down, add another drizzle of oil. Repeat the process until the almonds take on a buttery consistency (you may not need all of the oil). Scrape into a jar and store in the fridge for up to one month.

Makes approximately: 1.5 cups

Adapted from Food in Jars.

Homemade Baking Mix – Healthified

By in Breads, Homemade 24 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

I love my regular homemade baking mix, it makes some of our favourite pancakes (and according to the comments I”ve received, many others favourite too). I like the quick and filling breakfast it makes during the week, but I”ve never felt like it had enough nutritional value for an everyday type of thing. If my kids are going to enjoy pancakes once or twice a week I want them to be healthier and have more fibre. I got asked quite often how to make it with whole wheat flour or how to make it the equivalent of the Bisquick Heart-Smart mix, so I thought it was about time to make the move.

I”ve taken the original recipe, subbed a portion or the white flour for whole wheat flour and wheat germ, and upped the baking powder a bit to make up for the heaviness of the whole wheat. My family loves whole wheat bread so I don”t really know why it took me so long to try this. So far I”ve used the mix for pancakes and biscuits – they were both delicious. Although I haven”t tried it in my other baking mix recipes, I”m fairly confident this will work, as the original, and be able to be substituted in any recipe that calls for bisquick or other baking mixes.

To get more tips on making it healthier and links to recipes, you should definitely scour the original post and comments. I love when readers chime in with their adaptations and recipes and there are plenty of good ideas to be found. I received an email from a reader, Elizabeth, who said “I am on a reduced salt diet and pancakes, waffles and biscuits are loaded with sodium. I changed your recipe just a little and got a great tasting alternative. I used unsalted butter, sodium free baking powder and half the salt. It is wonderful!” So, feel free to tweak these recipes to your liking and make them suitable for your family. Many people have also used the original recipe and subbed all of the white flour with white whole wheat flour and it sounds like it was a great success.

I”ve made the mixing process a bit easier by doing what has become the norm for me – grating in the cold butter rather than cutting it in with a pastry blender. This works great for me but feel free to go the normal route if you prefer.

For more recipes to use this mix in, head over to the original Homemade Baking Mix post.

Whole Wheat Baking Mix

  • 2.5 cups whole wheat flour

  • 2 cups white flour

  • 1/2 cup wheat germ (or additional whole wheat flour)

  • 6 tablespoons baking powder

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup butter (salted or unsalted), cold

Mix together flours, wheat germ, baking powder, sugar and salt. Quickly grate in butter (using a cheese grater), in a couple additions, tossing with flour to coat the butter so it doesn”t stick together. Store in the fridge (for as long as the butter stays good for), or in the freezer for longer storage.

Drop Biscuits

Mix together 1/3 cup of milk for every 1 cup of mix. Drop onto un-greased cookie sheets and bake @ 450ºF for 10-12 min.

*Add any additional ingredients you wish such as cheese or herbs before adding the milk.

* 1 cup of mix will yield about 6 biscuits.

Pancakes

Mix 2 cups of mix with 1 cup milk and 2 eggs. Cook on hot griddle.

*As with the biscuits you can add any flavouring or other ingredient you would like, such as chocolate chips or blueberries.

Homemade: Butter

By in Condiments, Homemade, How-to's 14 Comments Tags: , ,

OK. I can”t believe it took me this long to make butter. I knew that it was easy to make, but I think somehow in the recesses of my brain it just seemed like it had to be more difficult than it is. Now that I”ve made it, I”m wondering, why is this not a common thing? Why aren”t we all making our own butter? We make whipped cream all the time and butter is essentially over-whipped whipped cream. After you beat the cream for 10 minutes or so it separates into butter and buttermilk (not the same buttermilk that you buy from the store because this is not fermented). That”s it. Now you have butter. Does it get any simpler then that?

Now, this doesn”t mean I”m going to be making my own butter all the time. I”m still planning on using the sticks for baking and such because this is one instance where homemade is not actually cheaper. For me to buy 2 sticks of butter (1 cup) is cheaper than buying a pint of heavy cream (which makes 1 cup of butter), plus the bars are awfully handy for measuring. But, for those times when you”re wanting to use butter as a spread, I definitely think it”s worth it to make your own. The fresh taste and satisfaction of making your own butter just can”t be beat. Add herbs, spices, or citrus zest to jazz it up and give it some diversity. Just think what a star you”ll be when you whip some up for brunch to serve with scones or french toast.

Please, please do yourself a favour and don”t wait as long as I did, to make your own butter. You will not be disappointed.

Homemade Butter

  • 1 pint heavy cream (2 cups)

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste (optional)

Beat cream in a stand mixer* with the whisk attachment until solids form (butter) and separate from the liquid (buttermilk). Pour into a fine mesh sieve to strain buttermilk. Rinse with cold water. Press with a spatula (or squeeze with hands) to make it into a cohesive mass and to remove excess water. Mix in salt, if desired.

*According to other sources this can also be made in a food processor or blender but it was too thick for my cheap blender so I switched to the mixer. Also you could use hand beaters.

Makes approximately: 1 cup butter

Homemade: Nacho Cheese Sauce

By in Appetizers, Homemade 67 Comments Tags: , , ,

nacho cheese sauce

When I was a teen (I feel old just for saying that) I was addicted to tortilla chips and cheese salsa. Addicted. Me and one of my friends would get together on the weekends and we’d eat the same thing every time – poutines, dill pickle chips (can you tell we’re Canadian?) and tortilla chips with cheese salsa. I’m not quite sure how any of us survived the eating patterns of our teenage years. I still love those same things but there’s no way I’d get away with that now without a huge belly ache.

I’ve tried many times to recreate both my favourite cheese salsa and the nacho cheese sauce you get poured over your chips at the theatre, but nothing ever came close. I’m proud to say I have finally conquered it! Well technically Kenji conquered it and I’m just reaping the benefits. Every cheese sauce I tried to make ended up grainy, gloopy and not even close to silky. And, the ones that promised to be smooth always had velveeta or some other processed cheese. This is the first one I’ve seen that doesn’t! And, just look at how silky smooth it is. The taste is so close to my favourite cheese salsa, just more real (woot!). And bonus, you can adjust the thickness according to your needs. Thicker for dipping and thinner for drizzling. I’m excited to make cheese fries and cheesesteaks, my mind is reeling with the possibilities of what I can pour this all over.

You can control the heat in many ways. As it is, it’s nice and spicy. For a mild sauce use only cheddar cheese. For super hot sauce add jalapeño peppers. For medium sauce substitute half of the pepper jack for more cheddar.

To be honest, I probably won’t be watching the Super Bowl on Sunday. But if you are, and are in need of a good dip, this is your meal ticket. ;)

Nacho Cheese Sauce

  • 4 oz. pepper jack cheese,shredded
  • 4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk, divided
  • 2 teaspoons hot sauce
  • pinch salt

Toss together cheese and cornstarch, in a medium-sized saucepan, until evenly coated. Stir in 1 cup evaporated milk, the hot sauce and salt. Cook, stirring often, over medium-low heat until thickened, smooth and bubbly. Stir in additional evaporated milk, if needed, until desired consistency is reached.

Adapted from Serious Eats.

Mocha Almond Biscotti

By in Christmas, Cookies & Bars, Sweets 8 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Mocha Almond Biscotti

Right now I”m in the middle of a big move – across the ocean. We”re tired, jet-lagged, nervous and excited. This Christmas will definitely be an interesting one, but we”re looking forward to it. I won”t be around much for the rest of the holidays, but I”m sure you understand right? ;)

I couldn”t let this Christmas pass me by without sharing this recipe with you, since it”s made an appearance on quite of few of our Christmas platters throughout the years. I”m not much of a coffee drinker (besides the wimpy sugary/flavoured kind) but biscotti makes me wish I was. I would gladly make a batch of coffee just to dip these into. This cookie is not a side. The coffee will become the accompaniment, not the other way around.

I made mine with caffeine-free instant coffee, so my son could have some too. He dipped his in warm milk and I had mine with some Brazilian Baia Tea (my favourite). These will definitely continue to be a yearly tradition for us. Just look at that melty chocolate, coffee-infused cookie with bits of almond. Yum! I”m already looking forward to making more once we”re settled in our new place.

Now if you”ll excuse me I have some sleep to catch up on… after I go shopping… and take care of my kids…. and look for new apartment furniture in Christmas crowds…. and unpack….. and… ok maybe that bit of sleep is lost forever. :)

Mocha Almond Biscotti

  • 2 eggs

  • 2 tablespoons instant coffee

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 2 cups flour

  • 1.5 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 cup chopped almonds

  • 4 ounces baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

Whisk together eggs and instant coffee until coffee is dissolved.

Beat butter and sugar in a separate bowl until well blended. Add egg mixture and beat to combine.

Stir together flour and baking powder; gradually stir into butter mixture until well blended. Stir in almonds and chocolate.

Divide dough in half and roll each, on a baking sheet lined with a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, into 14 inch logs; placing them at least two inches apart.

Bake at 325ºF for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool 10 minutes and then slice each log into 18 (3/4 inch) slices. Stand slices upright on baking sheet and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until crisp and dry. Cool completely before storing, covered, at room temperature.

Makes: 36 (3 dozen) biscotti

Adapted from Kraft Canada.

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