Easter Bread Fun

Happy Easter friends! Today I thought I'd share a special family recipe for our Greek celebration bread. We make this bread every year for both New Year's Day and Easter. 



On New Year's, a tin foil wrapped dime is placed in the bread before baking. Luck for the year is promised to the happy recipient of the slice with the dime. For Easter, red eggs are placed in the bread symbolizing the blood shed by Christ on the cross. 


We made this bread on Friday and I will say it does take a significant amount of time to do, it's fairly easy work and fun for the kids to help with. Plus, it's DELICIOUS! you can make this anytime and freeze extra loaves for later. We eat this bread with holiday dinners, but it also makes a tasty breakfast treat when toasted and topped with butter and honey.


Greek Sweet Bread

Makes 3-4 Loaves

Organic Ingredients

5 lbs Flour

3 Packs of Yeast

½ T Salt

1 ½ Cups Sugar

3 Cups warm milk…  about 125°

1 Cup warm Water… about 110°

1 ¼ (5 sticks) Butter- melted

4 Eggs

1 T Almond Extract

In a large bowl melt the yeast and water.  Add the warm milk and salt.  Stir in 6 cups of the flour (batter will be lumpy).  Cover and set aside in a warm spot for about 1- 2 hours until doubled in size.

Before

After

Stir with a wooden spoon and add sugar, the eggs, & the butter (mix almond flavoring in butter first).  Add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.  Place the dough on a floured surface and knead thoroughly (your arms will be tired!).  Return to bowl and brush surface with butter.  Cover and let rise again.

Lightly knead again and let rest for 10 minutes.  Divide dough into 3 or 4 parts (depending on the size of your loaves).  Divide each of those in three and roll each section into long strips.  Braid and make into a circle to fit into the greased pan (approx 8- 10 inches round).  Let rise again in pan until double in size. 

Braided Dough

In Pan

Before

After Rising Again

Red Eggs

Ready to Bake!

Brush the tops with a mixture of egg yolk and water ( 1 yolk to 1 T water).  You call also sprinkle with sesame seeds, almonds or add a few walnuts to the top. Bake at 350° for about 40-60 minutes or until done.

Baked to Perfection

Enjoy!

Friday Night Kale Pizza, Wait, What?!?

Yep, that's right. I fed my kids pizza with kale in it last Friday. And they ate it (evidence below). 

Its super easy and actually really delicious!

I use the wheat Trader Joe's pizza dough (in the refrigerator case) and their pizza sauce (right next to the dough). Follow the dough directions for rolling and baking. Mix about 1 cup of kale (frozen... from whole Foods) right into the sauce and spread on the dough. Top with organic mozzarella and parmesan and bake to perfection! 

Its delicious, healthy and easy!

The "secret" ingredient

Red Beans and Rice

I have to admit, I love beans and rice. I'm always looking for new combos to enjoy this delicious duo. Not only are they easy to prepare, they are really good for you. Beans are FULL of antioxidants, fiber and protein. Plus, they keep you feeling full longer. Who doesn't need that??

Here's a fairly simple recipe I made the other night... the kids liked it (notice I didn't say loved it). I believe it's important to keep exposing them to a variety of heathy options and new foods.

Red Beans and Rice with Chorizo and Apples

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 apples peeled and chopped
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 links of chorizo sausage (pork or turkey like in picture below)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 quarts water
• 1 pound red kidney beans, rinsed and picked of debris
• Cooked brown rice (follow package directions)

Directions: 
Place the vegetable oil in a 7-quart Dutch oven and set over medium-high heat. Add the onion, apples, salt and pepper to the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions and are semi-translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the sausage, thyme, water and beans to the pot and increase the heat to high (mixture will be very soupy, see picture below). Cook, stirring frequently until the mixture comes to a boil, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat slightly to maintain a steady simmer and continue to cook for another 30 to 40 minutes or until the beans are tender and the sauce is thickened to your liking. If you prefer an even creamier texture, mash some of the beans with a potato masher. 


Serve the beans over the rice.

Max enjoying the meal. 

Annie's plate... she ate about half!

Why We LOVE Trader Joe's Broccoli Slaw!

1. It's fun to eat right out of the bag!

2. It's organic.

3. It's broccoli and carrots. Period. 

4. It's great in hot recipes, like sauteed with a little olive oil, garlic, white wine and tossed with whole wheat pasta.

5. It also makes a great slaw! I mix up mayo (1/4 cup), buttermilk (1/4 cup), a splash of white wine vinegar, 2 tsp of honey, salt and pepper.  Toss with broccoli slaw, dried cranberries, diced apples and walnuts. Its awesome!!!

The ABCs of CSAs

Spring is almost here and that means we will once again be able to get organic fresh produce directly from some of our local farms! I'm sure most of you are familiar with farmer's markets, but have you heard of CSAs?


CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and is a fun way to get a variety of very fresh fruits and vegetables (and sometimes meat and dairy) from your local farmer. Essentially you buy a "share" of the farm and each week you get a box full of the produce that was just picked. It's a great way to support a local farm and also introduce your family to a larger variety of fruits and vegetables. 


At our home, each week is like an adventure when we unpack our box and explore the variety of fruits and vegetables we have for the week. Annie loves to pick the first thing we eat! It's fun to get kids excited by showing them the variety of colors in the box and encouraging them to try the new veggies they have not seen before. Some farms also offer tours... this is an awesome way to teach kids where their food comes from. What kid doesn't like to visit a farm?


If you're thinking about joining a CSA, many of the farms have local drop off locations near large cities. Here in Chicago, farms have drop off locations all over the city and suburbs. For those of you near me, I'm actually participating as a produce drop off site for Grass is Greener Gardens out of Monroe, Wisconsin. I can send you more info if you're interested. The Local Beet also has a full list of local farms offering CSAs. 


Most CSAs start deliveries in June, but now is a great time to sign up and reserve your spot! 


I know in our family, we are looking forward to spring and new adventures in organic local produce!

Red Lentils- Super Easy and Healthy!

Here’s a quick, inexpensive and very healthy vegetarian recipe we made earlier this week. In all honesty, I gave it to the kids “deconstructed” with the lentils on the side and the rice by itself. You can even leave out the spinach from the recipe if you want to keep it even simpler.

Red lentils are a great staple to have available in your pantry. They have a mild flavor, cook fast and are full of fiber, folate and iron. 

1 cup dried red lentils (can use canned too- just skip the lentil cooking part below)

1 tbs olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can of chopped organic tomatoes

1 cup chopped frozen organic spinach (defrosted)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbs turmeric

Splash of red wine vinegar

1. Cook the lentils over medium heat with 2 cups of water for about 10-15 minutes.

2. While lentils are cooking, sauté the garlic in the olive oil on low heat.

3. When lentils are just tender, add them to the oil and garlic. Stir in the tomatoes, spinach and spices. Let simmer for a few minutes until heated through. Stir in the splash of vinegar right before serving.

4. Serve over brown rice, whole wheat cous cous or quinoa.

Enjoy!

Google Recipes... Another Awesome Update from Google

Google had done it again. They have launched another update to make all of our lives just that much easier. I'm particularly fond of this one because it has to do with food. 


It's a customized recipe search in Google! When you type a recipe in, you now can see a new section in the left column that gives you filter options for ingredients, cook time and calories. Want to make grilled salmon in 15 minutes or less with no butter, no problem! Just filter and go!

Google, you're awesome! Now if you could only come over and cook for us too.