Ezekiel Bread

I have had many requests for this recipe.  It's simple to make; however, not everyone can make it if you are not in possession of a flour mill.

I have a Whisper Mill, which you can find here. They now call it the The WonderMill, but it still has all the great features of before.  It has a high speed motor, making the milling time a breeze and the hopper feed is large enough to accommodate legumes, essential for making Ezekiel Bread.

The last few years we have become more educated as to what is being done to our foods and how we need to be more proactive in the food that we eat.  It is scary to realize just where our meat comes from and what they do to it.  Well, don't be fooled!  What they have done to our bread was all done in the name of the bottom dollar.  Instead of me going into all of that, you can go here to educate yourself and to know why you should be milling and making your own bread.

Why you should eat Ezekiel Bread...well, it came from all places...the Bible!  Funny how God seemed to know what would give all the right nutrition before scientists were around that could test it's nutritional properties.  That's right!  It's a complete protein.   Ezekiel 4:9 (New Am Std version) "But as for you, take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and spelt, put them in one vessel and make them into bread for yourself; you shall eat it according to the number of the days that you lie on your side, three hundred and ninety days."  

It's a wonderful dense bread that is delicious, filling and highly satisfying.  Now for the recipe!

Combine the following whole grains:

• 2-1/2 cups hard red wheat
• 1-1/2 cups spelt or rye (Biblically spelt was used, Ezekiel 4:9)
• 1/2 cup barley (hulled barley)
• 1/4 cup millet
• 1/4 cup lentils (green preferred)
• 2 Tbs. great northern beans
• 2 Tbs. red kidney beans
• 2 Tbs. pinto beans

Stir the above ingredients very well.  Grind in flour mill.
(NOTE: all of these grains and beans can be ground in WonderMill or NutriMill with no problems).

Measure into large bowl or DLX:

• 4 cups lukewarm water
• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup oil

Add to liquids:

• freshly milled flour from the above mixture of grains
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbs. yeast

Stir or knead until well kneaded about 10 minutes. This is a batter type bread and will not form a smooth ball.

Pour dough into greased pans. You may use 2 large loaf pans (10x5x3) or 3 med. loaf pans or 2-9x13 brownie pans. Let rise in a warm place for one hour.  I usually use a pre-warmed oven but be careful not to let it rise too much or it will over flow the pan.  I like to use  (2) Pampered Chef's stoneware loaf pans as they create a wonderful crunchy crust.  Bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes for loaf pans and 35-40 minutes for brownie pans.  Since I use the stoneware, I find that 35-40 minutes is ample time.

You may also add fruits and nuts or use the flour made from this mixture in other favorite recipes. This healthy combination of grains and beans is worth experimenting with. Combining grains and beans makes a complete protein.

Enjoy!

Morning Goodness!

Over the last few months, life has taken me on a completely different venue. I became a VEGAN! I know....odd! How did I ever come to this decision, you might be asking yourself. From the time I was a child meat has never been a big love of my life. I pretty much stuck to chicken and turkey and had the occasional red meat in the form of burgers or a steak with as little fat as you can get. I had already made the switch to soy, rice and almond milk a few years back, but after a visit to my daughter's in January 2010, I made the decision to eliminate meat from my diet entirely.

A month or so before that visit to my daughter's I had watched a video that was recently aired about where our meat comes from and what is done to it. How disturbing! Now many of you may be thinking that the government mandates that our food is handled with utmost care when it comes to hygiene, however, they do not mandate the treatment of these animals before they even make it to the meat packing plants.

Animals are given obscene amounts of hormones and anti-biotics that cause these animals to grow in the most UN-NATURAL ways! This should frighten you! Chickens grow such huge chests, due to the demand of white meat in our country, that they cannot even walk. They are packed into such tight quarters with thousands of other chickens (all indoors) that they have to have their beaks cut off because they peck at one another from the stress that they are under. Now that is just chickens (and turkeys).

Our beef is raised pretty much under the same circumstances. In addition, they are fed a corn diet because they are raised in tightly penned areas with no vegetation. Cows are meant to roam the grassy hills of our land and feed on that grass. Corn just makes them fat and under nourished. Seems like a contradiction. I could go further to explain the horrible treatment of calves when they are born to milk cows, but I won't.

Consequently, I have come to the decision to eat only what grows in our country without the aid of pesticides and toxic fertilizers. I am now dedicated to bettering my life by living vegan. So, now I would like to share some recipes that I have found and modified to my liking that use only vegetable based products.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Mix together:

2 cups flour (I use soft white wheat that I grind myself along with a Tblsp of flax seed)

1/2 cup Sucanat or sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup poppy seeds

In separate bowl mix well:

3/4 cup rice milk

2 egg replacers (I use 1 Tblsp flax seed ground and mixed with a couple Tblsp water)

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tblsp lemon juice

1 6 oz container of Silk Soy Yogurt (lemon or vanilla)

Pour liquids into the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. Spoon into oiled muffins cups and bake @ 400 degrees for about 12 minutes. Remove from pan, place onto rack and glaze with the following:

Juice from 1 lemon sweetened with honey (to your taste)

American As Apple Pie!

Have a hankering for that classic American Apple Pie? Here's a tip to help you eliminate that air space between the fruit and the top crust as well as cut down the baking time.

Place your cut fruit into a large pot and add the sugar, flour, butter, seasonings and 1-2 Tblsp of water. Mix well and allow the sugar to begin making its own syrup and then place on low heat. Continue stirring until apples have softened and syrup is slightly bubbling (may need to turn the heat up a bit). Pour fruit into dough-lined pie plate, cover with top crust, seal edges and cover with foil then bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling.

This works great with any firm fruit as they shrink in the cooking...hence the air pocket. Now don't forget to add a scoop of wonderful vanilla bean ice cream!

Where is Your Hope?

Lamentations 3

21 But in my mind I keep returning to something, something that gives me hope – 22 that the grace of ADONAI is not exhausted, that his compassion has not ended. 23 [On the contrary,] they are new every morning! How great your faithfulness! 24 “ADONAI is all I have,” I say; “therefore I will put my hope in him.

~The Complete Jewish Bible



I posted these verses from the Jewish Bible versus the KJV, not because I have an issue with the KJV, because it sounds so much more personal. I love the part "Adonai is all I have"! He truly is all we need and as you go throughout your day today meditate on the fact that God's grace is never exhausted and His compassion is never ending. Be blessed today and be a blessing!!!

Scope For The Imagination

"Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?"
~Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Truly one of my favorite book series of all time! And favorite character! Anne's plight in life started so miserably, yet in spite of her fragile circumstances she looked beyond the moment, I believe, in order to survive. I think that I sympathized with Anne because I related to her so very well. Not that I had/have her gift of flowery speech or unique way of seeing things, but that I used my imagination to overcome times of hardship.

This ability to imagine a better life or circumstance was what nurtured that gift of creativity inside of me. God has such an unique way of helping us to discover wonderful things about ourselves...something that is a weakness in us can also be something that is a great strength. Let me explain.

For reasons only known to me (and my sweet mommy), I have had this innate drive to know everything about anything. In part, this is due to self preservation, not wanting to depend on anyone lest there is no one to depend upon. For a time this was taken to an extreme in my life to the point of alienating myself in relationships and not entirely depending upon God and his strength. I would only give so much of myself and then close off. In His great goodness, God showed me, that really, this strength I thought I had was a weakness. As I allowed God to reveal things in my life he showed me that in my weakness He is made strong, which makes me truly strong. God turned a destructive pattern in my life for good so that I had a creative outlet.

Now, I'm able to direct that hunger for knowledge in a healthy way that is not destructive, but allows me to be more confident and full of a REAL strength. I stand on such a firm foundation...I cannot be shaken! I can look back on my life and see all the incredible things that I can do because of the gifting that God had put within me.

There are so many things to discover in this world and to discover about ourselves. Look to see what inspires you and allow God to show you that you are fearfully and wonderfully made! There truly is so much scope for the imagination...

Necessity, Mother of Invention!

Necessity has definitely become the mother of invention. Need that perfect cake for a little girl's fantasy birthday party but have very limited funds? You begin by pulling out your meager supplies and commence creating. That has certainly been the case for me over the last 23 years. Many of the talents I have started out of necessity and I've expanded from there. No, this is not a post on how to create a decorated cake, but one on recipes.

I'm sharing with you the cake recipes that I've developed over the years by using your most basic essentials and getting extraordinary results. You yourself can make a "box cake" and have friends and family clammering for more or begging to get your prized recipe!

Heidi's Box Cake Extraordinaire
I make the cake at least 1 day in advance

1 box cake (your favorite flavor)

Follow box instructions for cake then add:

3/4 cup mayonaise (I'm a bit less exact when it comes to measuring...it's usually a dollup here and a pinch there)

Variations:

Lemon Cake Mix
Also add:
Juice and zest from one lemon

Chocolate Cake Mix
Also add:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Carrot Cake Mix
Also add:
3/4 cup finely grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup crushed pineapple (drained or decrease your water by about an 1/8 cup)

Bake cake @ 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes checking for doneness. Immediately remove cake from pan by inverting onto flat board/plate that is covered with waxed paper. Completely cover cake with plastic wrap(do not cool first) and freeze.

Next day, remove cake from freezer, leaving it in wrapper and allow to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Frost (don't forget to remove the plastic wrap first). This technique locks in the moisture.

Butter Frosting (frosts a two layer cake)
1 cup butter (don't even think about using margarine)
1 cup shortening
2 lb bag powdered sugar
6 Tblsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and shortening together, add sugar 4 Tblsp milk and beat, adding remaining milk and vanilla until you have a light and creamy consistancy.

Variations:

Lemon Butter Frosting
Omit vanilla
Use juice of 1 lemon in place of milk
May need to add some milk to get a light consistancy

Chocolate Butter Frosting
Melt 4 oz semisweet chocolate in 4 Tblsp milk (can melt in microwave 30 seconds @ a time)

Add melted chocolate to creamed butter and shortening then add remaining ingredients decreasing milk to allow for milk in the melted chocolate. Beat as above.

For a wonderful dark chocolate variation use this Ganache recipe for topping your cake or as a filling to a two layer chocolate cake.

Chocolate Ganache
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Heat cream in pan to just before boiling. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes before pouring over cake.

I hope you try this recipe at least once and let me know what you think! Be creative yourself and share what variations you come up with. My cakes certainly had humble beginnings, but you have to start somewhere! I've posted my most recent cake that I made for my daughter Whitney's wedding. I hope this cake recipe becomes one of your "favorite things" as it has for me!