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COOKING CLASSES
Before my long and wonderful roadtrip this summer, I was hosting some fairly regular cooking classes in my home. I loved sharing what cooking knowledge I had and ways to make cooking work as a mom. Now that I am back some previous attendees have expressed interest and so, here is the new “style” of cooking class:
1. You get a group of 5-8 others together as well as a date and time (weekdays and evenings seem to work best).
2. I email you a list of cooking themes to choose from- you choose your theme.
3. You come, learn, have fun, and pay {Rate: $10 per person}. You go home with recipes from the theme, a fun night, some food in your belly, and hopefully some new tools for home.
RECIPES
I will send you the recipes that correspond to My Weekly Menu for $3 a week. If you are interested email me at wholediligence@gmail.com.
Sunday-Whole Wheat Pasta (make sure you cook in well salted water and toss with EVOO when done) with Roasted Veggies (a mix of zucchini, squash, onion, tomato tossed in fresh crushed garlic, EVOO, s/p), goat cheese (crumbled on top) and bacon (crumbled on top), sliced fruit, raw milk
Monday-Peanutty Noodles with Chicken and veggies, salad with lemon vinaigrette, toasted pecans, and parmesan
Tuesday- Whole Roasted Chicken, roasted potatoes, steamed green beans with butter and lemon zest, sliced tomato salad
Wednesday- Salmon cakes with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce, sliced tomato salad (we have lots of tomatoes right now!), sauteed greens
Thursday- Leftovers Night, salad or veggies
Friday- Pizza night, Caesar Salad
Squash
Where to buy: Farmer’s Market, CSA
How to Make
- If you are going to use it mushy- put the whole squash in the oven until it is soft- cook at 375
- If you are going to cube it and roast it or throw it in a dish- cook it in the oven until the skin is softening, let cool, remove skin
Ideas: throw into a veggie pasta dish with alfredo sauce; roast and cool put in a salad with sautéed onion, dried cranberries, honey candied walnuts; throw into mac and cheese; put on top of pizza with red onions and goat cheese or gorgonzola; in a salad with roasted leeks or onions and fennel; cook with maple syrup or butter and honey like you would sweet potatoes; put into a coconut curry dish
Recipe Search Ideas: Butternut squash and apple soup; butternut squash lasagna; pasta stuffed acorn squash; cubed and added to pasta
Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Cabbage
Where to Buy: Farmer’s, CSA
HOW TO COOK: steam and top with butter, salt and pepper; roast tossed in EVOO, s/p, garlic; saute blanched veg with mushrooms, shallots, and bacon or pancetta- season with salt and pepper.
Ideas: Add broccoli to mac and cheese, roast and serve with parmesan on top; add to a salad; eat raw with hummus; top baked potatoes with them; top pulled pork sandwiches with a coleslaw, use cabbage on top of fish tacos; add chili flakes to your roasted veggies; use in a curry; smash broccoli and/or cauliflower and cheese into mashed potatoes; use broccoli and cauliflower in quiche; top roasted Brussels with parmesan and bread crumbs- bacon and gorgonzola too if you want; add to stir frys; add to pasta; Alfredo, broccoli, chicken + pasta; add some roasted to a pizza with a stronger cheese and some chicken and onions; Brussels sprouts with brown butter sauce; Brussels with bacon or pancetta; Brussels with pecans and cranberries; Brussels with a Caesar Dressing; Brussels with Walnuts and Gorgonzola; Chinese Chicken Salad with Cabbage; Cabbage with Apples and Onions; Cabbage added to a stir-fry;
Root Veg: Beets, Parsnips, Turnips, Carrots, Onions. Leeks, Fennel, Potatoes
Where: Farmer’s Market and my CSA are my favorite
Roasted Vegetables
Toss whatever veggies with EVOO, S/P, and crushed garlic. Roast in your oven at 400 until the edges are crispy. Beets are great when you slice them thin.
Serve as a side dish, tossed in pasta with goat cheese or Parmesan, cooled and put into a salad, topping on a pizza, layered into lasagna or baked pasta, laid out on an appetizer tray with dip, thrown into soup or pasta salad or potato salad…
Greens: Spinach, Chard, Kale, Collard Greens, Beet Greens…
Where: Farmer’s Market, CSA
Sautéed Greens- use any greens- mixing works well too
Sauté chopped greens with 1-2 cloves crushed garlic, 1-2 T apple cider vinegar, EVOO, salt and pepper. If you cook bacon for the pasta dish below- you could sauté in the bacon fat.
Serving Suggestions: as a side, with pasta (bacon or pancetta and goat cheese added- butternut squash and/or fresh sage or thyme would also be nice additions), added to a marinara sauce and pasta, layered into lasagna or enchiladas, with eggs, in quiche or a frittata or scramble, served with or without meat over brown rice with a miso or rice wine vinegar dressing, added to roasted veggies as a side, Penne with greens (sausage, pine nuts, sprinkle feta on top), add to white beans (sage, parmesan, and a vinaigrette would work nicely together- add chicken if desired for a meal); add nuts and raisins; add an onion; serve as a salad with a Caesar or Peanut dressing or blood oranges and nuts; use white wine instead of apple cider vinegar; add to risotto
Greens Cooked with Chicken Broth
Cook chopped greens with a couple garlic cloves in chicken broth (homemade preferably.
Serving Suggestions: as a side, layered into lasagna or enchiladas, with eggs; put in a baking dish and top with bread crumbs, butter and parmesan- bake until golden
Steamed Greens
Steam and serve with butter, salt, and pepper. Could squeeze some lemon onto them, grate some ginger on them, sprinkle some chili flakes on them… Warm spinach salad with fresh or roasted tomatoes, bacon, and toasted pecans and red wine vinaigrette.
Raw Greens
- In a smoothie with fresh squeezed oj or whole milk, plain yogurt, banana and whatever fruit you have on hand or frozen (pear, mango, berries, pineapple, apple…)
- Added to soups, stews
- Spinach salad with blood oranges and fennel
- Spinach salad with feta, pine nuts…
- Spinach salad with steamed or roasted beets, avocado, feta, red onion, pistachios, blood oranges with lemon vinaigrette
My Favorite Yogurt Recipe (I use a yogurt “machine”)
- Bring 1 qt of whole milk to a boil- transfer to a non-metallic container
- Cool to 100-105 degrees
- Mix 2 T plain yogurt with 2 T cold whole milk- mix into cooked milk
- Put in yogurt maker for 8-12 hours
- Drain excess liquid
- Refrigeratie- 4 hours
To eat: use plain, add honey and cinnamon, add honey, cinnamon, and applesauce, add a tsp or two of jam… be creative.
This recipe is simple in ingredient and executuion. It lasts for a couple weeks in a sealed container in my pantry. Everyone loves it! With milk, with fruit, with nuts and raisins, with yogurt, in trail mix, plain…
GRANOLA
12 c uncooked oats, 1 c shredded coconut, 1 c whole wheat flour, 1 T cinnamon, 1 ½ tsp salt, 1 c coconut oil, 1-1 1/3 c honey, 1 T vanilla
Mix dry ingredients together. Melt coconut oil and honey in a glass liquid measuring cup in a pot of water- add your other wet ingredients once melted and off the stove. Pour and stir this into your well-mixed dry mixture. Spread a thin layer onto 2 cookie sheets. Bake at 300 degrees for 40-45 minutes. You must stir every 15 minutes- and don’t let it get too dark- you want it to be a nice light golden color. Feel free to add dry fruit and nuts, flax seed (with dry) or whatever to your mixture- or just leave plain and add as you are inspired.
Inspirations:
-raw or cooked apple
-yogurt and apple sauce
-banana
-dried cranberries and almonds
-walnuts and raisins
-berries
-yogurt and …
-put into trail mix
We all love this recipe!! May I suggest making it the night before, covering it in the fridge and then baking it in the morning. It also a nice thing to bring to a brunch or breakfast. We serve the leftovers cold with milk or yogurt and banana or other fruit on top.
Mix:
1/2 c coconut oil
1/2 c honey
2 eggs
3 c oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c milk
Optional additions:
flax
1 chopped apple
raisins or cranberries
blueberries
nuts
Pour into a 9×13 Pyrex. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes, until golden
I had a bunch of apples, so I decided to make up a batch of applesauce. I am always trying to figure out the best way, least mess, most mom efficient way to make things…
How to:
1. Boil or steam 4 apples until soft (whole darn apple)
2. Put them in your blender. Blend to smooth.
3. Pour into a 1-quart jar and put in the fridge. You can do a water bath if you are so inclined or want to do a whole batch. But, this works nicely for making a quart of applesauce.
Cost: $0.98
Uses: eat plain, put on top of pancakes or waffles or cottage cheese, make apple bread or muffins, top pork chops…
Whole Diligence 
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