Chicken Shawarmas

{like a gyro}

3 chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 cup plain yogurt
2 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne
3 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbs oil

3 slices of pita bread, cut in half to make pockets
veggies (such as cucumber and tomato), sliced
hummus (optional)
plain yogurt (optional)



Mix chicken through oil together in a container and marinate for 8 hours, or overnight. Remove chicken from marinade and cook in a skillet.

Fill pitas with chicken, veggies, hummus and yogurt.

Serves 6.

High Protien Pancakes

We eat these with strawberries and syrup (or Levi likes them rolled up with jam). Any way you make them, they're good and good for you. Makes about 20 pancakes.

8 eggs
16 oz cottage cheese (low-fat is fine)
1/2 c oatmeal
1/2 c oat bran (I usually use flax meal or wheat germ)
2 T canola oil

Put all ingredients ina blender and process until smooth. Cook 1/4 cup at a time in a griddle 1-2 minutes per side.

{per pancake}
Calories: 68.1
Fat: 3.8g
Carbs: 2.8g
Protein: 5.7g

Light Baked Potato Soup

{from Cooking Light}

4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

6 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, divided

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup reduced-fat sour cream

3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided

6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash. Discard skins.
3. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Sprinkle each serving with cheese, onions, and bacon.

Soft Pretzel Bites

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 pkg active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda

1 large yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine water, sugar and salt in a large bowl of your stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit 5 minutes until it foams up. Add in the flour and the butter and use the dough hook attachment to mix on low speed until combined. Up the speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Remove the dough, clean the bowl and oil it up with a bit of vegetable oil. Place the dough back inside the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it sit in a warm place for about an hour until it has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 450F and line 2 sheet pans with Silpat liners (or brush with vegetable oil) and set aside.

In a large pot, bring the 10 cups of water along with the baking soda and bring to a rolling boil.

In a small bowl, combine the salt, sesame seeds and garlic powder.

Meanwhile, divide the dough into 4 sections (like cutting a pie) and roll out the dough using your hands into a long snake. Cut the dough into 1 inch sections. Repeat with the remaining dough. Lightly roll each section into balls.

Drop the pretzel bites one at a time into the boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto the prepared sheet pans. Brush each ball with the yolk & water mixture and then sprinkle with the salty seed mixture. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes or until the pretzel bites take on a dark brown colour. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving. Makes about 60 bites.

These are best fresh out of the oven, but still are great cooled off. Next day reheat in the oven. Serve with mustard or fondue.

{Adapted from Alton Brown and poppytalk}

Chocolate Hazenut Biscotti

3/4 cup butter
1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

1/2 cup chopped chocolate (or mini chocolate chips)

1/2 cup chocolate chips melted with 1 T canola oil for dipping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

1. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; mix into the egg mixture. Stir in the hazelnuts and chopped chocolate. Shape dough into two equal logs approximately 12 inches long. Place logs on baking sheet, and flatten out to about 1/2 inch thickness.
2. Bake for about 30 minutes in preheated oven, or until edges are golden and the center is firm. Remove from oven to cool on the pans. When loaves are cool enough to handle, use a serrated knife to slice the loaves diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices. Return the slices to the baking sheet.
3. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, turning over once. Cool completely, and store in an airtight container at room temperature.               
4. If desired, dip one side of the biscotti in the melted chocolate mixture and put chocolate side down on some waxed paper to cool completely.

Vinarterta

1 C Butter

1½ C Fine Fruit Sugar (Baker’s Sugar)

2 Eggs

1 T Almond Extract

3 T Cream

4 C Flour

2 tsp Cardamom

¼ tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Powder

Cream butter. Add sugar, beating well, until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until fluffy. Add almond extract and cream, beating well. Mix together the dry ingredients. Gradually add to the butter mixture, mixing well. Form dough into an even mass on waxed paper; divide into 5 equal parts.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cut 5 pieces of waxed paper to fit a 9-inch cake pan. Spray the bottom of pan(s) with Baker’s Pam (the type that includes flour). Place a piece of waxed paper into pan(s), and spray again. Pat one part of dough evenly into each pan. Bake at 300 degrees F until cooked through but not brown, approx. 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Repeat until all dough is baked.

Assemble cake by layering with lingonberry preserves between each layer, ¾ C to 1 C preserves per layer. Do not put preserves on top. Allow the cake to sit, covered, for a week or more before serving.

Variations and Notes: To make a 9×13 Vinarterta, double the recipe. Mix it in 2 batches (most mixers cannot accommodate a double recipe all at once). Each layer will use about 1 pound of dough. Bake approx. 18 minutes.

Canadian-style Vinarterta calls for prune filling and icing. Prune filling is made with 24 oz. of pitted prunes, 1½ C sugar, 1 C prune juice (may use ¼ C brandy for ¼ C of the juice), and 2 T cinnamon. Cover the prunes with water. Cook, boiling, until tender. Drain while reserving the water (which is now prune juice). Process or mash prunes. Add remaining ingredients and cook until thick like pudding, approx. 45 minutes. Icing is made by beating together 5 T butter, 3 C powdered sugar, 4+ T cream, and ½ tsp almond extract.

Magic Chicken

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 onion, quartered

4 pound Whole Chicken
Directions

1.In a small bowl, mix together salt, paprika, onion powder, thyme, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Remove and discard giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken cavity, and pat dry with paper towel. Rub each chicken inside and out with spice mixture. Place 1 onion into the cavity of each chicken. Place chicken in a resealable bag or double wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 to 6 hours.

2.Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).

3.Place chicken in a roasting pan. Bake uncovered for 5 hours, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Let the chicken stand for 10 minutes before carving.