Chili Lentils on Homemade Tortillas

Extended Shelf Life for: Onions and Peppers (probably)
I have allowed entirely too much time to pass from the making of this dish to the posting of the recipe - however, there is a picture which means there is proof that I "saved" some food from being wasted and that is cause for making me happy :) What I do know is that this recipe is a combination of two I've previously posted: Indian Dal and Chili Spice Mix. Therefore, rather than using the spices which are called for in the Dal recipe, simply substitute your favorite Red Chili Spices, a few chili vegetables and prepare in the most sensible way you can manage.

I made the tortillas using the Master Mix, which is extremely easy but...I do not remember the full details. If I were to guess, I do believe you use about 2 cups of Master Mix and about 3/4 cups of Water. Ultimatley, you want a dough that is not too stick and runny, so add the water little by little. Create about 8 or so dough balls, let them sit about 10 minutes before rolling them out flat. Heat them up in a hot pan with barely any oil and voila - you will have homemade, delicious tortillas! Throw a little Mexican-style Dal on top, sprinkle with cheese if available and eat up!

Raspberry Coffe Cake Roll

Extended Shelf Life for: Raspberries

This is quite possibly the dish I have been most proud of and impressed with in the last couple of months. Easy. Beautiful. Delicious.

Inspired by a Mennonite cook-book and using the versatile Master Mix, I present to you the Raspberry Coffee Cake Roll.

Ingredients:

2 cups Master Mix

3 oz. Cream Cheese

2 Tbsp. Butter

2 Tbsp Sugar

1 Egg, beaten

1/4 cup Milk

1/2 cup Raspberry filling or Jam (any fruit will do)

Glaze:

3/4 cup Powdered Sugar

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp. milk to mix

Directions:

Mix first four ingredients together until crumbly. Combine milk and egg and stir into crumb mixture until moistened. Turn dough out on a flour surface and knead. Roll into a 12 x 8 inch
rectangle on waxed paper. Spread with fruit leaving a 1/2 inch margin around edges. Fold each side to the center, pinch ends to seal. Now, the tricky part, transfer to a greased baking sheet. Make 1 1/2 inch cuts about 1 inch apart on the top of cake, about 1/3 of the way through. Bake at 360 for 20-25 minutes. Pour glaze over cake while warm. Enjoy in bed with a hot cup of tea.

Note: If using fresh berries, simply heat in a skillet, add sugar to taste. As juices begin to escape add a cornstarch/water mix to thicken up berrie sauce, when the correct consistency and flavor have been attained, use as you would other perserves.

Skillet Pizza

Extended Shelf Life for: Mushrooms, Tomato and Onion Another great recipe inspired by none other than Vegetarian Times! With an abundance of produce, a craving for melty gooey-cheese, a lack of motivation to prep ingredients and a quick to fix home-made pizza crust using the Master Mix, this recipe is simply perfection in a cast iron skillet!

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 1/3 cups Master Mix
1/4 to 1/3 cup Water

Filling: Your choice I used
1 1/2 cups Mushrooms and Onion, sauteed in garlic and oil prior to adding to the pizza
1 med. Tomato diced
1-2 cups Cheese
Itailan Seasoning to taste

Directions:

Combine Master Mix with enough water to make a soft dough. Knead in the bowl a dozen or so times. Roll or pat out into a circle or rectangle. Place dough on bottom of greased cast iron skillet or round cake pan. Add ingredients till they reach near the top lip of pan, cover in cheese. Bake in an oven at 425 for 15 Minutes or until done. Enjoy with a glass of wine and a tossed salad.

Banana Pancakes

Extended Life for: Bananas Usually, bananas get thrown in the freezer to be turned into Banana Bread when I'm feeling a need for such a treat. However, I'm a little tired of Banana Bread. So, pancakes it is!

Just like the apple pancakes, this recipe uses the Master Mix: 2 cups combined with 1 1/4 cups water or milk, 1 egg, 2 mashed bananas and a dash of vanilla. Cook on griddle as you would with any pancake, well, maybe a little more cooking spray - mine were a little sticky.

Best enjoyed with syrup and members of the African's Children Choir on a snowy Thursday morning.

Apple Pancakes

Extended Life for: Apples Ingredients:

2 cups Master Mix
1 1/4 cup Water or Milk
1 egg, beaten
1 Apple, diced
Cinnamon
Vanilla

Directions:

Combine first 3 ingredients until just moistened. Then add apple pieces, a splash of vanilla and dash of cinnamon. Drop by spoonful onto a hot nonstick, greased griddle or fry pan. Flip when bubles appear on the surface. Enjoy with syrup and hot cup of chai!

Strawberry Yogurt Pancakes

Extended Life for: Yogurt, Strawberries, Whole Milk (Whey), Eggs and Orange Juice On occassion, when foraging, Mike hits certain departments pretty big! Recently, he hit it big with dairy, a rare luxury, however a welcome one. With numerous eggs, yogurts and a smattering of other products I went ahead and made some old favorites with some new twists!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Vanilla Yogurt or whatever yogurt happens to be available

1/4 cup Orange Juice

1/4 cup Whey or Milk

2 eggs

1 cup Fresh or Frozen Strawberries

Shake of Cinnamon

1 cup Spelt or Wheat Flour

1/3 cup All-Purpose Flour

1/3 cup Oats

2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

OR You can replace the last 5 ingredients with 1 2/3 cups Master Mix.

Directions:

Simply mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients seperately then together and procede to cook on a griddle as with any and all pancakes.

Blackberry Pancakes

Extended Life for: Blackberries Mike's specialty is fruit pancakes. More often than not, the fruit is banana. However, one recent Friday night, Mike came home with a handful of beautiful blackberries. Saturday morning came and he was eager to make a delicious breakfast for the two of us taking advantage of our semi-fresh berries. Saturday mornings don't get much better than that!

Ingredients:

2 cups Master Mix
1 1/4 cups Water
1/2 cup Blackberries

Directions:

Mix ingredients together. Cook on medium-high heat on griddle or in skillet. Flip when bubbles start to appear then cook for another 5-7 minutes until golden. Enjoy with syrup and a loving husband or good friend on a Saturday morning.

Raspberry Cobbler

Extended Life for: Raspberries Ingredients:

2-3 cups Raspberries
2-4 Tbsp. Sugar
2 cups Master Mix
1/2 cup Water
Whipped Topping

Directions:

Mix berries with sugar in a square baking dish. Mix master mix with water. Drop mix by spoonfuls on top of raspberries. Bake in oven at 400 for 20-30 minutes until biscuit topping is golden. Scoop onto small plates and top with a healthy serving of whipped cream!

Goose and Cabbage Turnovers

Extended Life for: Carrots and Celery

While in High School, I had the opportunity to work in a quaint and wonderful local downtown bakery. Donuts and cookies were a huge bonus! But, one of my very favorite food items were the cabbage buns. Having recently uncovered my Master Mix recipe and noticing a recipe for "turnovers" I decided this was my best chance to re-create the familiar, yet updated flavors, of an old favorite.
Ingredients:

Pre-made Goose and Cabbage Filling
http://519kitchen.blogspot.com/2009/10/goose-and-cabbage-filling-for-turnovers.html
Feta Cheese
4 cups Master Mix
1 cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Mix Master Mix and water. Divide into 12 equal parts. Roll each biscuit ball out to 5 or 6 inch diameter. Place 2 Tbsp. or so of Goose/Cabbage filling on flattened dough, sprinkle with feta cheese, bring edges together and press closed. Continue process until you have 12 turnovers. Prick each turnover with a fork. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes until brown.

Orange Pancakes using Master Mix

Extended Shelf Life for: Oranges (juice)

Master Mix is quickly becoming one of my ultimate "staple" products in the kitchen. This recipe was given to me in a High School Life Skills course as part of the Centsible Nutrition Cook Book. Until recently, I hadn't given it much thought. However, I then had a craving for pancakes, I wanted them to be quick and easy and have my choice of flours in them. Generally, when I make the mix I use half enriched white flour and then a combination of spelt flour and oats - I love it! I hope you enjoy this recipe and the many more to come that include the soon-to-be-infamous MASTER MIX!

Ingredients:

2 cups Master Mix (recipe posted on right hand side of blog
1 1/4 cups Orange Juice (fresh squeezed if possible)

1 egg, beaten

Cinnamon to taste

Pinch of Orange Zest

Splash of Vanilla

Directions:

Combine all ingredients; stirring just until batter is moist. Drop by spoonful in a hot greased griddle or fry pan. Turn over when bubbles appear on surface. Cook until well browned.