Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread (Breadmaker)

We got a breadmaker for Christmas and, ever since, I have been trying different bread recipes. I don't think we've bought a loaf of bread since Christmas. I started with the book that came with the maker and they seemed to come out okay... or so I thought.

I decided to look online for recipes and found a couple that knock the others out of the running.

We are trying to eat healthy so I have been focusing on just whole wheat recipes. This particular one is really just a plain whole wheat bread but with oatmeal in it. I modified the recipe to include vital wheat gluten which, I have read, makes whole wheat bread rise better. I couldn't be happier with this recipe.


INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 c. warm water (70-80 degrees F)
2 tbsp butter or margarine, softened
2 tbsp honey
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp skim milk powder
1 1/2 c. bread flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. vital wheat gluten
1/3 c. quick-cooking oats
1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast


DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients in the bread machine pan, in the order suggested by the manufacturer (these are in the order I add them).

Select loaf size and crust color. This recipe makes a 1 lb. loaf and I usually use the light crust.



By the way, if you wondered what bread I used to make the portobello panini, this is it.

Chili and Cornbread

It's taken me a few days to post about our Superbowl snacks... I guess I wanted to wait for the wounds to heal just enough so that mentioning the Giants win would reopen them. Salt? Yeah, that too...

Over it yet? Okay, let's move on...

Chili, specifically this Spicy Vegetarian Chili from Simply Recipes. This chili has just the right amount of spiciness but can easily be adjusted to your taste.

The only change I made was a substitution for the eggplant. Instead of roasted eggplant, I used about six grilled portabellini mushrooms that were cut into 1/2-inch cubes. I love these mushrooms and since this chili isn't real juicy, having these little juicy bites of mushroom added a lot to the flavor. Scrumptious!

To go with the chili, I made a Chili Polenta Cake (or Chili Cornbread) with chopped red peppers and jalapeno peppers. Again, you can use as many jalapeno peppers as you like or none at all really. But then it would just be plain ole cornbread, wouldn't it?

INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups polenta or cornmeal
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup skim milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
2 tsp jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 oz butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Mix in cornmeal/polenta and cheese.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk sour cream, milk, eggs, red pepper, and jalapeno. Melt butter and stir into sour cream mixture.
4. Pour all liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Mix well.
5. Pour into greased pan (I used an 8-inch round pan); cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Enjoy! (Sorry, no pic...)