Breakfast: Cinnamon Bread or Cinnamon Bun Doughnut
Lunch: Leftovers + elderberries, grapes, plums, or pomegranates
Dinner: Turkey Asparagus Casserole, French Bread Pizza, Saucy Spareribs, or Sesame Ginger Chicken, rice or French fries, Jerusalem artichokes, jicama, kohlrabi or mushrooms
Dessert: Upside Down Lemon Meringue Pie
Cinnamon Bun Doughnuts with Vanilla Glaze
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray doughnut pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 3 Tbsp of light brown sugar, 3 Tbsp of regular sugar, 1 tsp of baking powder, 1 tsp of cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp of salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup of applesauce, 2 Tbsp of lowfat buttermilk, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp of vanilla and 1 Tbsp melted butter. Whisk or stir to combine. Slowly add to the dry ingredients. Stir until *just combined.* Do not overmix.
Using a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner cut off, pipe the batter carefully into prepared doughnut pan making sure each cavity is only 2/3 full. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan, about 5 minutes. Dip into glaze.
While doughnuts are baking or cooling, combine 1/2 cup of icing sugar and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. Add 2 tsp of milk or cream, one teaspoon at a time. Dip the donuts into the glaze after they’ve cooled for 5 minutes out of the oven.
Saucy Spareribs
Brown 2 lbs of pork spareribs in a large nonstick skillet. Drain. Add 2 cans of cola and 1 cup of ketchup. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
Remove ribs and keep warm. Transfer 2 cups of sauce to a pot. Bring to a boil. Combine 2 Tbsp of cornstarch and 2 Tbsp of cold water in a small bowl. Stir into sauce. Bring to a boil. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Serve over the ribs.
Note: Can also be made in the slow cooker. Combine all ingredients, set to low, and cook for 4-6 hours.
Sesame Ginger Chicken
Combine 2 Tbsp of soy sauce, 2 Tbsp of honey, 1 Tbsp of toasted sesame seeds, and 1/2 tsp of ground ginger in a small bowl. Set aside. Pound 4 chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness. Grill over medium-hot heat, turning and basting frequently with soy sauce mixture, for 8 minutes. Cut 2 green onions with tops into thin strips. Garnish chicken with green onion.
Gluten-Free Upside Down Lemon Meringue Pie Part I – Filling & Topping
Put 4 egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk well.
In a pot, whisk to combine 1/3 cup of cornstarch, 1 1/2 cups of water, 1 1/3 cups sugar and 1/4 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently, and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add about ¼ of the hot mixture to the egg yolks. Whisk well. Add the rest of the mixture to the eggs gradually, whisking well. When all the hot mixture is added to the egg yolks, pour the mixture back into the saucepan, turn the heat to low and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly. The mixture should be thick. Take mixture off the heat and gently stir in 3 Tbsp of cold unsalted butter, 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1 Tbsp of finely grated lemon zest.
Put mixture into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, placing the plastic wrap right on the surface of the lemon mixture. Refrigerate until cold – about 2 hours.
Whip 1 cup of heavy cream with one tsp of sugar until stiff peaks form but do not over mix.
Just prior to serving, pour the lemon mixture into the meringue pie crust. Top with whipped cream. Garnish with lemon slices.
Gluten-Free Upside Down Lemon Meringue Pie Part II – Crust
Spray a 9 inch pie plate with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment beat 2 egg whites, 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar and 1/4 tsp of salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/2 cup of sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is very stiff and glossy. Rub a little of the mixture between your thumb and forefinger and see if the mixture feels gritty. If so continue to beat until smooth, this will mean the sugar has completely dissolved. Add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and mix in well.
Spread mixture into the prepared pan forming a shell by spreading the mixture up the sides of the pie plate. Bake for 50 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the meringue crust in the oven for another hour. Remove from oven and allow it to cool completely.
This crust is best used the day it is baked as humidity will soften the crust. It is also preferable to fill the crust just prior to serving.
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Combine 1/2 cup of warm milk, 1/2 cup of warm water, a quarter-ounce package of yeast and 2 tsp sugar in a measuring cup and let sit for 10 minutes until foamy.
While the yeast is resting, combine 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 3 Tbsp softened butter, 1 1/4 tsp of salt and 1 Tbsp cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the water mixture to the dry ingredients and knead on a floured surface or in a KitchenAid until smooth.
Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place dough ball in. Cover with a cloth and let rise for 1.5 hours in the warmest spot of the house.
While the dough is rising, mix together 3 Tbsp butter with 1.5 tsp cinnamon and 1 Tbsp sugar in a small bowl. After the dough has risen to double it’s size, roll out with a rolling pin on a floured surface to a long rectangle. Smear the butter mixture all over the top and roll up tightly.
Place dough in a greased loaf pan, cover with cloth and let rise for another hour in a warm spot.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together an egg and 2 Tbsp of warm water and then brush all over loaf. Bake for 40 minutes. Let cool and slice.
French Bread Pizza
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook 1/2 lb of ground beef over medium heat in a skillet. Drain. Stir in a can of pizza sauce and a drained jar of sliced mushrooms. Set aside. Cut a loaf of French bread in half lengthwise and then into eight pieces.
Spread meat sauce on bread. Place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Note: Feel free to add veggies or sub out the meat for something else.
Turkey Asparagus Casserole
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook a package of frozen chopped asparagus in a small amount of water for 2 minutes in a small pot. Drain. Place in a greased baking dish. Cook and cube two turkey breasts. Top asparagus with turkey. Combine a can of cream of chicken soup and 1/4 cup of water. Spoon over turkey.
Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with a can of french-fried onions. Bake 5 minutes longer.
Note: Chicken can be substituted for turkey.
SHOPPING LIST:
Heavy cream
Lowfat buttermilk
Eggs
Mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
Loaf of French bread
Elderberries
Grapes
4 lemons
6 plums
4 pomegranates
6 Jerusalem artichokes
3 jicamas
Green onions
3-6 kohlrabis
Mushrooms
1/2 lb of ground beef
2 lbs pork spareribs
2 turkey breasts (or chicken)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Pkg of frozen chopped asparagus
Can of condensed cream of chicken soup
Can of pizza sauce
Jar of sliced mushrooms
Can of french-fried onions
Applesauce (unsweetened)
Unsalted macadamia nuts
Sesame seeds
Yeast
Whole wheat flour
2 cans of cola
[Also needed: milk, butter (unsalted), all-purpose flour, cinnamon, salt, sea salt, sugar, cream of tartar, vanilla extract, soy sauce, ground ginger, ketchup, cornstarch, light brown sugar, baking powder, icing sugar, cream]
Sugar
theshortchef 