1. It calls for whole wheat flour so it’s hearty and healthy.
2. It requires no kneading and takes only a minute to mix.

Ingredients
12 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp easy-blend dried yeast
5 cups warm water (95-100 degrees F)
1 tbsp brown sugar

Makes 3 Loaves
Note: I only had 6 cups of whole wheat flour so I halved the recipe.

Directions
1. Thoroughly grease 3 (in my case, 2) loaf pans. Sift the flour and salt together in a large bowl.

2. Sprinkle the dried yeast over 2/3 cup of the water. After a couple minutes stir in sugar and let sit for 10 minutes.

3. Make a well in center of flour and stir in yeast mixture and remaining water. The dough should be slippery. Mix for about 1 minute.

4. Divide among prepared pans, cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise, in a warm place, for 30 minutes or until the dough has risen by about a third to within 1/2 inch of the top of the pans.

5. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for 40 minutes or until the loaves are crisp and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.

All of the dry ingredients.

Loaves are resting.

Just out of the oven. Hurry up and cool down. I’m hungry!

The post Homemade Bread Recipe: Grant Loaves appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

Ingredients
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove minced garlic
white sugar to taste
3/4 pound thinly sliced red cabbage
2 radishes, thinly sliced
2 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons crumbled feta
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 sprigs dill, chopped (optional)
Apple cider vinegar (optional)

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Blanch asparagus until just tender, drain, and immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process. When the asparagus is cold, drain and slice on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces. In a small bowl, stir together tahini, water, lemon juice, and garlic. Stir in sugar to taste. Toss together asparagus, red cabbage, radishes, green onions, feta, pine nuts, and dill in a large bowl. Pour in tahini dressing and mix to combine.

The post Red Cabbage-Asparagus Salad with Tahini Dressing appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced
1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
16 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

Directions
Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.

Saute onion and garlic in pan until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.

Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.

Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts.

Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream (or yogurt) and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.
— recipe from Foodnetwork.com

The post Chicken Enchiladas appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

Directions
Place peanut butter, garlic, ginger root, honey, vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce and cayenne pepper in a food processor or blender. Process until finely ground. Place chicken thighs in baking pan and pour peanut pesto over. Bake in 375 degrees F oven about 35 minutes. Remove to serving platter and sprinkle with peanuts and green onions. Makes 4 servings.

Recipe from The Chicken Book: the 43rd national chicken cooking contest.

The post Thai Chicken Thighs with Peanut Pesto appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, and add the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add half the garlic and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir together for a minute, just until the garlic is fragrant, and add the tomatoes and their liquid. Turn up the heat slightly and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in lentils, water, bay leaf, sprigs of thyme and parsley, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add the remaining garlic, salt to taste and add the greens. Continue to simmer, covered, for another 15 minutes. Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in pasta, and continue to simmer until the pasta is tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve. Yields 6 to 8.
(recipe from nytimes.com)

The post Lentil Minestrone with Greens appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

Ingredients
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped
2 cups coconut milk (I used low-fat)
1-2 tbsp green curry paste
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp fish sauce
4 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil or coriander leaves
4 tbsp finely chopped cilantro

Directions
Cook chicken pieces in 2 tbsp peanut oil. Once lightly browned, add coconut milk and curry paste. Cook for approx 15 minutes. Add fish sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add basil simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve over rice.

The post Green Curry Chicken appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

Ingredients

For the crust:
1 cup pie crust mix
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1/4 cup ice water

For the filling:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium-size green pepper, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
4 scallions, white part thinly sliced; green tops thinly sliced (optional garnish)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp each ground cinnamon, coriander, and cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup black olives
1 can (10 oz) red kidney or black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (optional topping)

Directions
For the crust: In a medium-size bowl, combine the pie crust mix, cornmeal, sugar, and red pepper. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the water and stir just until mixture comes together.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the dough to make a pastry shell. Press the dough into the pie pan and flute the edges. Poke the pastry with a fork in several places to prevent it from bubbling up when cooking. Bake, uncovered, until lightly crisped around the edges – about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
For the filling: Heat the oil in a skillet over moderate heat for 1 minute. Saute the scallions and garlic for a minute or so.. Stir in cocoa, chili powder, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, and salt, and saute 1 minute longer. Add the beef and saute until browned – about 5 minutes. Add the green pepper and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft – about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans and corn and black olives.
Spoon the filling into the baked pie shell and bake, uncovered, until bubbling – 12 to 15 minutes. Spoon dollops of sour cream on top of the pie and sprinkle with sliced scallion tops if desired. (Instead of sour cream, we used yogurt and also added cilantro as a garnish)
Recipe from Reader’s Digest One Dish Meals, The Easy Way

The post Chili Pie appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

Ingredients
1 butternut squash
1 Tbs butter
4-6 garlic cloves
2 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3-5 Tbs heavy whipping cream (My wife, Heather, used low-fat milk)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a sharp knife, slice squash in half. Remove seeds and discard or try roasting them later. Dot squash with butter (optional). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in shallow roasting pan, seed sides down, with about 1/8 inch water in bottom of pan. Roast for approx. 30-40 minutes or until you can easily insert a fork right into the rind of the squash. NOTE: About halfway through cooking the squash tuck unpeeled garlic cloves around squash in roasting pan. Alternative method – if there is still a lot of water in the bottom of the squash pan place garlic gloves in their own vessel or use a toaster oven – about 10 minutes at 400°F. Garlic is done roasting if you prod the clove and find it soft.

Removed squash from oven and, using a spoon, scoop out flesh from shells and place in food processor or blender. (If cooked nice and soft, you can also blend in a bowl with a spoon.) Discard (compost) squash shells.

Slip garlic cloves out of their skins and add to squash. Process until smooth, adding all but 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan cheese and then the cream (milk). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and reserved cheese. Best if served warm with pita chips, Melba toasts or cheese straw. Serves four.

—Recipe from February issue of Traverse Magazine

The post Butternut Squash & Parmesan Dip appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

Ingredients
2 Tbs cooking oil (I used peanut)
1 Tbs minced fresh ginger (or you can use 1/2 tsp ginger powder)
2 garlic cloves, minced (I used 4)
2 scallions (or green onions), white and green parts separated, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
1 eggplant (prefer Asian style), medium diced
1 carrot, medium diced (I used 2)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/3 C peanut butter
3 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs honey
1 Tbs rice wine vinegar
1 pack of firm tofu, press out water and medium diced
1 C vegetable stock (I used plain water)
1 medium broccoli, cut into small bite size (I didn’t have any)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Heat oil in large wok or skillet. Saute ginger, garlic, white scallion (whites of the green onion) and jalapeno. Add eggplant and keep sauteing for 2 more minutes or until eggplant it wilted a bit. add carrot and keep sauteing for 2 more minutes. Add cayenne pepper, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar and honey. Stir and add tofu and stock (or water). Keep stirring and slowly bring to boil. Adjust consistency by adding more peanut butter or stock (water). Finish by adding broccoli and adjust for taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with scallion greens. Serve with curry rice or steamed basmati rice. — Recipe by Paul Tseng, Willy Street Co-op Kitchen Sous Chef

Voila! And dinner is served.

The post Spicy Peanut Tofu & Vegetables appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil**
2 large onions, cut in thin lengthwise slices
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
4 beef bouillon cubes
1 cup ketchup or chili sauce
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
6 cups cooked* or 4 cans (15 oz.) garbanzo beans, drained
4 medium zucchini, cut in 1/4 inch slices

Meatball Mixture
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
(Mix all ingredients together.)

*2 cups dry makes 6 cups cooked.
**Omit oil if using non-stick cookware.

Directions

Roll meatball mixture into 24 equal balls. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add meatballs; cook, turning, until well browned. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon. To the pan add onions and garlic; cook, stirring until limp. Add 2 cups water, bouillon cubes, ketchup, oregano and garbanzos. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Return meat to pan. Add zucchini and cook just until zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes. Makes 9-1/2 cups. Recipe from California Dry Bean Board

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