Navajo Flatbread

From Jessica: This recipe was easy and good. I’m trying to spare my yeast so it was nice this didn’t have any.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons canola oil

Addition 1-2 tablespoons canola oil for frying.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and oil in mixing bowl and add most of the water. Continue mixing and adding water until the consistency of tacky pizza dough.
Knead for a few minutes.
Let rest in the bowl for 30-60 minutes.
Divide into 6 pieces and roll very thin (tortilla thickness) onto a flour surface.
Heat cast iron skillet or griddle to 350° and add 1 tablespoon oil. Heat oil til hot but not smoky hot. Cook until golden brown spits appear on one side then flip and cook other side. Jessica used some for pizza and some for dessert with cinnamon, sugar, honey, and butter.

Avocado Pita Wedges

From Shelly: Our family loves this recipe. It is simple and delicious. Really we just treat it like tacos—all the ingredients are available and everyone just puts in whatever they want into it.

3 whole wheat pita rounds, cut into halves or quarters
1/3 cup mayo
1 med  avocado, halved then cut into slices.
1/4 c mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 small tomato, chopped
2 Tbsp shredded carrots
1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts
Put mayo inside pita. Toss together the cheese, tomatoes, and carrots. Spoon into the pita. Top with avocado and sprouts. Secure with toothpick if necessary.

Halloween Beef Stew

From Shelly: Here is a yummy beef stew recipe we love.

We like to have it at Halloween cooked in a pumpkin. The stew is best when cooked in a baking pumpkin (hollowed out), not a pumpkin you use to carve a Jack-o-lantern. Let simmer in a pot for awhile and then cook in the pumpkin at 350° for 30-45 minutes sitting on a cookie sheet covered in foil. 

INGREDIENTS 

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice

1 cup water 

3 Tablespoons instant tapioca

1 Tablespoon beef bouillon granules

2 teaspoons white sugar 

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 

4 carrots, cut into 1inch pieces 

2 celery stalks, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

3 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 onion, roughly cut

1 slice bread 

DIRECTIONS

To cook without a pumpkin: Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly grease 9 x 13 baking dish. 

To cook in pumpkin, follow directions at beginning of recipe. 

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the stew meat; drain and set aside. 

In a mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, water, tapioca, beef bouillon granules, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir in beef, all the vegetables, and bread cubes. Cook on stovetop for awhile if cooking in a pumpkin of pour into the prepared baking dish if not using pumpkin. Cover and bake for 2 hours, or until meat and vegetables are tender or follow directions for cooking in a pumpkin. 

Meatball or Chicken Gyros

These are the gyros recipes Shelly’s kids made for her birthday. Can’t wsit to try them!

Mediterranean Meatballs

1 lb ground chuck
1/4 cup Italians breadcrumbs
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons chopped flat-leaf Italian parsle
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Preheat oven to 425°. Mix all ingredients together. Form into small balls and place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake for 4 minutes or until no longer pick inside

Greek Chicken
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brush
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/3 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon coriander
Salt and pepper, to taste

Tzatziki
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill (or 1 tsp dried)
Freshly ground black pepper

6-8 Greek Pita Flatbread
Diced Roma tomatoes, peeled and diced cucumbers, chopped romaine lettuce, diced red onions, feta cheese, cilantro, kalamata olives (olives optional)

To make Greek chicken
1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, Greek yogurt, red wine vinegar, chopped red onion, oregano, thyme, coriander, salt and pepper.
2. Place chicken in a gallon ziplock bag, pour marinade over chicken, seal bag while pushing out air, and transfer to refrigerator to marinate for 2-4 hours. Remove chicken from fridge 40 minutes before cooking, leaving in the marinade.
3. Brush grill grates lightly with oil and preheat grill over moderately high heat. Once hot, add chicken and grill till cooked through (internal temp should be 165°), rotating once halfway through.
4. Remove from grill, transfer to plate and brush lightly with olive oil and allow to rest ten minutes. Dice into strips.
To make tzatziki:
1. Place cucumber in a mesh strainer or colander and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat evenly, and allow to rest 30 minutes at room temperature.
2.  Rinse cucumbers and place over several layers of paper towels. Squeeze some of the liquid out by wringing the paper towels. Place cucumbers in food processor and pulse until desired size.
3. Add in Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, parsley, and dill and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pulse to blend (or if you want it chunky you can simply stir it in. Store on fridge in air tight container up to three days.

To assemble:
Layer chicken in a row along center of pita, top with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, olives, onion, feta, cilantro, and tzatziki sauce.

Healthy Peanut Butter Bites

I got this recipe from Shelly. It’s delicious! Caution: it’s addictive!

Mix:
28 oz natural peanut butter
1 cup honey
1 cup ground flaxseed
1 tsp vanilla

Add:
3 cups oats
1 1/2- 3 cups mini chocolate chips.
Form into discs and freeze.

Lemon White Chocolate Cheesecake

I love cheesecake and I love lemon. So this one was a hit for not only me but my whole family. Really, it was so good! I got this recipe off of Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.

Posted by Jessica

Ingredients: 

Crust:

-1 1/4 cup (6.25 oz) all purpose flour 

-2 Tbl powered sugar

-1 tsp lemon zest 

-8 tbl cold butter, cut into chunks 

Cheesecake Filling:

-4 packages (8oz each) of full fat cream cheese, softened

-1 1/4 cups (9.25 oz) granulated sugar

-2 Tbl all purpose flour 

- 4 Tbl freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2-4 lemons-zest then first. You’ll need the zest later) 

-2 Tbl heavy cream

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-4 large eggs, beaten 

-8 oz white baking chocolate (melted and cooled to room temperature) see note below

-1Tbl lemon zest

- whipped cream for topping 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and make sure an oven rack is in the middle position (with another oven rack one level lower for a pan of water).
2. FOR THE CRUST, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar and lemon zest. Toss in the butter cubes and cut the butter into the dry ingredients with two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly. Press the crust mixture onto the bottom and about an inch up the sides of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan. I find it easiest to press the mixture around the sides of the pan before spreading the rest evenly over the bottom and pressing lightly (with the bottom of a measuring cup).
3. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack.
4. Place a pan of hot water on the lowest rack below the rack where the cheesecake will bake and let the water heat up while preparing the cheesecake filling. I use a metal 9X13-inch baking pan filled 3/4 full – it’s easiest to fill the pan with water after the pan is placed on the oven rack to minimize spillage.
5. FOR THE FILLING, in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer, beat the softened cream cheese until well-combined and fluffy, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the sugar, flour, lemon juice, cream, and vanilla and mix until well-combined, 1-2 minutes. Add the white chocolate and lemon zest and mix until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
6. Add the eggs and beat on low speed until just combined (over beating after adding the eggs can cause the cheesecake to crack while baking).
7. Pour the cheesecake filling over the crust, spreading evenly. Bake the cheesecake (placing the pan on the rack above the pan of water) for 65-75 minutes until the filling is just set (it’s ok if the very center jiggles just slightly). Add more time if needed. I ended up cooking mine for about an hour and a half. 
8. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, 8-12 hours (the flavor will get better as it chills as well). Serve the cheesecake slices with sweetened whipped cream and lemon slices, if desired.

White chocolate chips generally do not melt well (they clump and seize easily while melting), so I highly recommend white baking chocolate, which incidentally is NOT the same as almond bark or melting wafers. Don’t use those; they have a fake, sugary flavor that may ruin this divine cheesecake. 

This is one of our family favorites. It is one of the few meals that everyone eats. It is probably our most requested dinner. Anytime I take this meal to people, I always get asked for the recipe. Like they hunt me down until I give them the recipe. Hope you like it too!   -Shelly

Honey Lime Enchiladas

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 tablespoons honey
• 5 tablespoons lime juice (1-2 large limes)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder (I normally use less when making it for others)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 pounds chicken, cooked and shredded (3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
• 8-10 fajita-size flour tortillas
• 1 pound Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 16 ounces green enchilada sauce (like the Herdez brand)
• 1 cup heavy cream, sour cream or half-and-half

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk together the first four ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the marinade into a Ziploc bag (or other covered container) and toss with the shredded chicken. Refrigerate and let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour and up to 8 hours. 
2. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and pour about 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan.
3. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream (or sour cream/half-and-half) and leftover marinade (if you have any).
4. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

NOTES:

Freezable Meal: Freeze prior to baking. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas, covered (without thawing first) for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until brown and crispy on top.