Rave Reviews - Recipes!

Most of these are recipes that we've had during the year. Hot Chicken and Wheat Casserole and Chicken Fried Steak (minus the hen) are new!

Chicken Fried Steak (minus the hen)
by The Prudent Homemaker

Click here for the Chicken Fried Steak recipe!

Hot Chicken & Wheat Casserole
by I Dare You to Eat It

½ cup butter, plus 2TBSP butter, divided
1 cup celery diced
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup green pepper, diced
6 cups cooked wheat berries
2 cans chicken chunks, drained (12.5 oz.)
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup mayo
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 cup breadcrumbs

Sauté diced fresh veggies in 1/2 cup butter until they are partially cooked and color brightens. Add wheat berries, drained chicken, soup, mayo, and water chestnuts. Stir to combine. Pour mix into an oiled 9x13 pan and sprinkle top with breadcrumbs that have been combined with the 2TBSP melted butter. Bake 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

Perfect Whole Wheat Bread

1 TBSP instant yeast
2 ½ cups hot water
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey or raw sugar
1 TBSP salt
6-7 cups whole wheat flour

Combine all ingredients. Kneed for 10 minutes. Form into loaves. Place in prepared bread pans and let rise until double. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

TVP Tacos

1 1/3 cup TVP
¼ cup Taco Seasoning (1 pkg)
1 (14 oz.) can low sodium beef broth

In a large skillet, heat the broth over medium heat. Add TVP and stir well. Allow the TVP to reconstitute for 2-3 minutes. Add taco seasoning & stir well. Allow to cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve in place of ground beef in your tacos.

Apple Betty
by Becky Gamett

apples (rehydrated dried apples)
2 TBSP lemon juice mixed with ¼ cup water
½ tsp cinnamon & ½ cup sugar mixed together
1 cube butter
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup of oatmeal
½ cup of oat flour (pulse oatmeal in blender to make oat flour)

Slice enough apples to fill a greased square pyrex baking dish & pour lemon juice & water mixture over apples. Sprinkle cinnamon & sugar mixture over the apples.

Mix butter, sugar, salt, oatmeal & oat four together until it is a crumbly consistency. Place on top of apples, covering all the apples. If you make a 9x13 baking dish full of apples, double the crust recipe. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Top with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, roasted chopped pecans, and a dollop of whipping cream.

Corn & Black Bean Salsa

1 cup cooked wheat berries
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1 (14.25 oz) can corn, drained
1 medium tomato, diced
1 small red onion, diced
¼ cup lime juice
1 tsp cumin
1 bunch cilantro, diced

Mix together and serve with tortilla chips.

Herb Butter

6-8 oz butter, at room temperature
4 TBSP fresh chopped parsley
1 1/2 TBSP snipped chives
1 tsp fresh chopped tarragon or thyme
1 large clove garlic, crushed
2 TBSP lemon juice
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Combine all the above ingredients together. Store, covered with foil, in the refrigerator in small 2 oz portions (or use a plastic wrap lined ice cube tray within a plastic bag). This can also be a good way of storing fresh herbs in the freezer.

Lemon Bars (with Whole Wheat)
by Jamie Perkins (page 179 in the Galleria Gourmet)

Crust:
1 cup butter
½ cup powdered sugar
½ tsp salt
2 cups whole wheat flour

Filling:
4 eggs, slighly beaten
2 cups sugar
½ tsp baking powder
¼ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup lemon juice

Cream butter and powdered sugar. Add other crust ingredients and mix. Pat into 9 x 13 greased pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Mix filling and pour over hot crust. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Black Bean Brownies
by I Dare You to Eat It

1 (19 oz) box brownie mix
1 (15 oz) can black beans

Rinse and drain the black beans. Then spoon the beans back into their can and fill the can with fresh water. Pour beans and water into a blender and puree until smooth. Add puree to the brownie mix and stir. Pour into a sprayed cake pan and follow the directions for baking as printed on the back of the brownie mix box.

Only 2 points per brownie for Weight Watchers!