Whole Grain Waffles

Continuing on my quest to have lots of food in my freezer pre-baby, today was waffle day! I made a double batch adapted from this recipe: Whole Grain Waffles.

Whole Grain Waffles
Ingredients:
4 eggs
3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup applesauce or mashed banana
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup flax seed meal, or 1 cup combined flax seed meal, ground oatmeal, brewer's yeast, etc.
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Optional: blueberries, chocolate chips, other berries

Directions:
In a 2 L juice pitcher, mix the eggs, milk, oil, applesauce/banana, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Cook on waffle iron. If freezing, spread waffles on cooling rack and let sit until cool. Place in ziploc bag or airtight container and freeze. Thaw in toaster. Also makes a great PB&J sandwich.

Yields around 26 individual waffles.

Aloo Paratha (Curry-stuffed flatbread)

The library had a gift for me: Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes A Day. I got the original book for Christmas, and love it to death. The sequel is equally fabulous. I haven't actually mixed up a dough recipe yet, but this Indian dish had to be made and eaten as soon as possible.

Aloo Paratha

1 pound bread dough (whole wheat, white, pizza dough, whatever)
2 potatoes, boiled with skin on
1 1/2 tbsp ghee (or butter or margarine), melted, plus a bit for brushing on the top
1 1/2 tbsp neutral oil
1 tsp curry powder (know your curry - mine is mild, so I added a bit of cayenne for kick)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup frozen peas

Preheat oven to 450*. If you have a baking stone, preheat that too.

Boil potatoes, drain, and mash. Add ghee, oil, curry and salt. Mix well. Fold in peas (don't mush the peas).

Roll dough out into large circle, 1/8" thick (use lots of flour to prevent sticking). Put potato mixture on half. Wet edge, fold over, and seal edge. Brush with ghee, sprinkle with curry.

Bake 25 minutes on a stone (or parchment lined cookie sheet).

Freezable Pizza Dough

I love pizza. And pizza is really, really quick when the crust is already made. Sure, you can buy them, but this is better. And cheaper. And customizable to your every whim. I first made this recipe in Home Ec class about a decade ago, and it's served me well ever since. The recipe doubles or triples well if you're doing it by hand. Make sure you have enough pans to freeze it on, though. It's fine to use a cookie sheet for pizza.

Pizza Dough

• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F to 115 degrees F)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 1/2 whole wheat and 1 all purpose)
  

Mix water and oil, then add yeast, sugar, and salt. If you wish, add 1 tsp. seasoning, such as garlic powder or Italian seasoning. Add 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Also works well in bread maker - set to "basic dough" or "white dough".

To freeze: after dough has risen, flatten out onto your pizza pan. I just use my hands to make it into a circle. Freeze on pan. Wrap in plastic wrap/bags the next day.

To use: no need to thaw. Top while frozen with your favourite pizza toppings - we usually do tomato sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms, and mozzarella. Also makes nice bread sticks to go with pasta - brush with Italian salad dressing and top with some Parmesan.

Bake 10-12 min at 450*F. Serve with a salad if you're seeking more vegetables.

Variations:
Chicken Pesto Pizza: use basil pesto in place of tomato sauce, top with slices of chicken breast, mushrooms, other veggies, mozza.

Teryaki Chicken Pizza: teryaki sauce (thick), chicken, green onions, pineapple, cheese

BBQ Chicken/Beef Pizza: bbq sauce, sliced chicken or beef... you get the idea.

Gourmet pizza is such an easy thing to make! Look at your favourite delivery menu and DIY.