Wheat Berry Chicken Pasta Salad

Wheat Berry Chicken Pasta Salad

3-4 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed (can use canned)
2 cups diced Granny Smith green apple
8 ounces rotini pasta, cooked and drained
8.5 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained
½ cup red seedless grapes, halved
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
½ cup cooked wheat berries

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 tsp. lime zest (or more!)
3 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. grated FRESH ginger
¼ tsp. salt

Combine all dressing ingredients together and gently stir into chicken mixture. Cover and chill for 3-4 hours to allow flavors to blend. Serve on a bed of green or red leaf lettuce. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers or Casserole

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, diced
2 T. butter
1 28 oz can tomatoes, coarsely diced, reserve juice
2 garlic cloves
1 12 oz jar salsa
10 oz mozzarella shredded

Preheat oven to 325*. Cook traditional quinoa. Place 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed (10-15 minutes). When done, the grain appears soft and translucent. The germ ring will be visible along the outside edge of the grain.

Sautee onion and mushrooms in butter. Add the diced tomatoes. Add the crushed garlic and salsa. Cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Fold in quinoa.

Place mixture in casserole dish and top with mozzarella cheese OR
Place mixture in 4-6 steamed green peppers.

Bake in 325* oven for 30 minutes.

Rice and Quinoa dish- So good!

This is great comfort food and it is good for you too!!

In a large pot sautee ingredients in olive oil:

1 package of mushrooms, chopped
1-2 cans artichokes- depends on how much you like them
1 zucchini, chopped
1 squash, chopped
1 lb. Italian sausage-any kind you like, chopped

Next, add:
1 cup brown rice and 1 cup quinoa. Mix together and then add 3 cups boiling water, 2 cans diced tomatoes. Mix in 3-4 cubes of chicken bouillon.
Transfer all ingredients to an oven safe dish or use same pot if able to be put in oven.

Bake in oven, cover and bake at 350 until rice is soft (about 30-40 minutes).

Dominican Style Beans

1 lb beans
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 cubes chicken bouillon
2-3 cloves garlic
1 T. oregano
fresh cilantro (1/2 to 1 cup)
Butternut or banana squash
salt and pepper to taste

Soak beans. Drain and cover beans with fresh water. Cut all of your veggies and add to pot with beans. Cook on stovetop for 1-2 hours. Keep adding more water as needed. The longer you cook them the thicker the consistency of the beans. Enjoy!

Barbecued Lima Beans

Basic Risotto Recipe

In northern Italy rice is as important as pasta. Try this classic Italian dish.

When I lived in Vicenza, Italy, my landlord would often come to eat. He especially enjoyed my risotto, saying it was as good as his mother's. The highest praise!
Risotto can be simple or elaborate. The flavors and additions are up to you. It can be a quick dish made after a busy day at work, or served to company with a great veal dish. Risotto does take a bit more attention than cooking pasta. It is a gentler process, requiring simmering rather than boiling.

Heat a little olive oil and/or butter in a frying pan. You can use either or both. I usually use olive oil. When the oil is hot, sauté half a chopped onion. Sauté the onion until it's soft and golden.
Add 4 oz of rice per person as a main dish, or 2 oz of rice if serving as a side dish. Sauté the rice for a few minutes. Make certain the rice is well coated with oil.

Have 3-5 cups chicken broth ready. If you need to use bullion cubes, try and find porcini mushroom bullion cubes. Canned or homemade broth is best. You are not going to add all broth at one time. Add the broth slowly, about 1/3 cup at a time. Enough so that the rice stays wet, but never so much that it completely covers the rice. You don't want to see large amounts of liquid in the pan. When the rice has absorbed all the liquid from the last addition, add another one. Keep stirring. Be patient and keep the heat on simmer. You should hear the steam when you add the broth, but the rice shouldn't stick.

What happens if you use all the broth and you still need more liquid? Glad you asked. This is the place for the white wine. Add a cup or two, 1/3 cup at a time, to the rice. Stirring and simmering just as you did with the chicken broth. If you don't drink wine use more chicken broth.

When the rice is almost completely done add the final ingredients. I like a little saffron and Parmesan cheese. Let it set for a few moments. Many Italians like to add a little butter or oil at this stage. It helps to create a creamier risotto.

Additional ingredients can be added when you put in the cheese. There are some simple additions. Spinach works well. If you use frozen, chopped spinach, add it earlier in the cooking cycle, decreasing the amount of chicken broth needed. Fresh asparagus can also be added earlier in the cooking process. The heated broth will blanch the asparagus. You can add cooked shrimp or chicken at the end phase.

Don't be disheartened if your risotto comes out too hard the first time. Try again. This is one advantage to creating a simple risotto the first time. You can always let the rice cook a little more. Risotto is a fine dish for the fall and winter months. It's basic, filling, and comforting. You can serve it to your meat loving friends or vegetarians. Just remember, as with your friends and family, you need gentleness and patience.

Best Ham and Bean Soup

Best Ham and Bean Soup

Yield: 8 Servings

3/4 pound fully cooked ham cubed
1 cup peeled diced potatoes
1 medium onion chopped
3/4 cup diced carrots
2 cloves garlic minced
3/4 cup diced celery
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cans (16 ounces) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup frozen peas
3 cups chicken broth
2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 cups water

Instructions

In a 3 quart saucepan, saute ham, onion and garlic in butter until onion is tender. Add the next seven ingredients; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add peas and cook for 5 minutes. Add parsley and serve.

Potato Cream Soup (using magic mix)

2 carrots, cut up
1/3 onion, diced
4 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 T. bouillon
3 1/2 cup water
2 cups magic mix
1 cup shredded cheese

Simmer vegetables in bouillon and 1 cup water. When tender add magic mix and remaining water. Season to taste and add shredded cheese.

Spaghetti Sauce and Gluten Meatballs

Spaghetti Sauce

1 large onion, sliced thinly
1- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 T. sugar (If needed, you can add more sugar after the onions have begun to flavor the sauce)
3 T. olive oil
1 Bay leaf
salt and pepper

Gluten Meatballs

2 c. ground gluten (pieces of steamed gluten can be ground in a food processor after they have cooled)
2 c. seasoned bread crumbs
¼ t. sage
½ t. minced garlic
1/3 c. milk
2 t. dry beef base bouillon
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
2-3 T. olive oil

Saute onions until carmelized in olive oil. Add crushed tomatoes, water, and tomato paste, sugar, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer for an hour.
While sauce is simmering, combine the ground gluten with seasoned bread crumbs, beef soup base, garlic, sage, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Beat together the milk and eggs. Add to the gluten mixture. Work the mixture with your hands and then shape into small meatballs. Refrigerate until firm. Fry in olive oil. After the sauce has simmered, add the meatballs and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Serve over cooked spaghetti.

Gluten Chicken Fingers

1 1/2 cups gluten (should yield about 20 strips)

2 cups bread crumbs
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 tsp. chicken bouillion

1/2 cup butter, melted

Steam gluten for 20 to 30 minutes. Can use chicken broth in place of regular water to steam to help flavor gluten further.

After gluten is steamed and cooled, cut into pieces the size you would like for chicken fingers (about 1/2 by 3 inches)

On shallow plate mix breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and bouillion together. In another shallow bowl or deep plate, melt butter.
Proceed to dip gluten strips in butter and then roll around in bread crumbs. After all gluten strips are coated, bake in a 350* oven for 7 minutes, then turn pieces over and cook for 5 more minutes. You are only cooking the strips to turn the crust to a golden color and warm the chicken gluten strips through.
When finished, serve with your favorite condiments; ranch dressing, bbq sauce or ketchup...

Pizza Dough

Like most yeast recipes, add the flour last to make sure you add just the right amount. Too much flour will make the dough stiff and difficult to rise.

1 cup warm water
1 Tbls. Yeast
2 Tbls. Oil (Olive oil is good for pizza dough)
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Sugar
2 1/2-4 cups of Flour
(Use whatever proportion of wheat to white flour you desire, 50/50 works well,
or try all wheat flour.)

Combine all ingredients. If you have time, let rest in a greased bowl. After dough has risen, take out of bowl and punch down. Roll out onto greased pizza stone or cookie sheet. Top with pizza sauce and toppings of your choice. Bake in 400* preheated oven until crust is done and cheese is melted. If unsure about crust, take a spatula and lift up crust to check for doneness.

Great Grains and Bean Salad

1 c. cooked wheat berries
1 c. black beans, rinsed and drained
¼ c. green pepper, small slices
¼ c. red onion, sliced thinly
¼ c. diced celery
1 c. corn, drained
1 c. white rice, cooked
¼ c. red pepper, cut in small pieces
½ c. petite diced tomatoes
Romaine Lettuce

Dressing suggestions: Salsa, Italian, Catalina, Mix of Ranch and Salsa, etc.

Mix all of the above ingredients and cover with a dressing of your choice.

Wheat Berry Chili

2 c. cooked wheat berries
1 onion, sliced
1- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes or 1-15 oz. can tomato sauce and 1-14oz. can of crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
chili powder (to desired taste)
2 t. McCormick’s beef soup base
1 green pepper, sliced
2 – 15 oz cans kidney beans
½ t. minced garlic
½ t. cumin

Saute wheat berries with soup base, minced garlic, onions and green peppers. Add tomatoes, water, red kidney beans, chili powder, and cumin. Cook down until thick and adjust seasonings.

Wheat Berry and Lentil Soup

1 c. uncooked lentils
4. c. water
5 small carrots, sliced
2 c. cooked wheat berries
1.5 T. McCormick’s chicken soup base
1 sliced onion
2 celery ribs, cut
½ t. minced garlic
1 cup cannelloni beans, pureed
salt, pepper to taste

Cook lentils in water with chicken soup base, onions, garlic, carrots and celery until lentils are soft.
Add wheat berries. Puree the beans and add as a thickener to the broth. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Wheat Berry Vegetable Soup

2 c. cooked wheat berries
(See wheat berry recipe)
1 T. McCormick’s beef soup base
1 onion, sliced
½ t. minced garlic
6 small carrots, sliced
½ c. lima beans
1 bay leaf
4 cups water
14 oz crushed tomatoes
7 oz diced tomatoes
1 cup cabbage, shredded
½ cup, cut string beans
3 celery ribs, cut
salt, pepper to taste

Saute the wheat berries, garlic, and onions in the beef base. Add water, bay leaf, carrots, celery, tomatoes, cabbage, lima beans, and string beans. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for an hour.

Cooking Plain Wheat Berries

The easiest way to cook wheat berries, the whole kernel of wheat, is with a crockpot.

Before going to bed at night--
Place 2 cups of wheat in crockpot.
Cover with 6 cups of water.
Set crockpot to low and let cook for 12 hours.

The next morning you will have wheat berries ready for breakfast!
Add brown sugar or milk to the berries, just like you would for oatmeal. You will have a satisfying and very healthy breakfast!

This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled, depending on the size of your crockpot. With the extra wheat berries, save to use for later in your favorite lunch or dinner recipes. The berries can be refrigerated for 1-2 days or frozen for a month.