I AM IN DESPERATE NEED OF COMFORT FOODS

You know, when I sit back and think about it, I’m really a comfort food junkie.  I basically want to be a good southern gentleman with good southern food values.  It’s much like they say on that most manly of shows “Hot in Cleveland,” (It’s got Betty White, for cryin’ out loud!) “We want our men to be ungroomed and our vegetables to be meat.”

It’s really a simple equation.  Not much to me.  I used to be made of cheese... but now... I’m just a poor substitute made of tapioca starch and other “flavor bits.”  C'est la vie.

This weekend was all about comfort.  We were very excited to share Mother’s Day time with both my lovely bride and my mother for mother’s day and comfort just seemed to go right along with what many moms give to their kids.  We ended up having Daiya nachos (again) with a little different recipe and then made our own homemade cinnamon rolls, which are TO DIE FOR.  I think several small children were actually harmed in the making of these recipes.  So, let’s get to it.

Daiya Nachos Redux

Our previous Daiya nachos, while tasty, were a little more complicated to make due to the number of ingredients, and at the end of the day, don’t have a lot of that kick that we Texans are used to in our nacho cheese.  So, we decided to make it again with every man’s favorite vegetable... Rotel.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C Daiya Cheddar Shreds
1 C chicken or veggie broth
1/4 C Tofutti Sour Cream
2 Tbps. Tofutti Cream Cheese
1 can of Rotels (in the spice of your choice)

You’ll need:
a medium sauce pan

Directions:
Combine your tofutti products and chicken broth together over medium head until you have a creamy sauce.  Add your Daiya shreds and stir to melt.  Add your Rotels to the mix and heat through and through.  Enjoy in good health.

Optional: Put the Rotels into a blender to make fairly smooth before adding to the recipe.

My Moo Rating:  4/5






Yup, it’s as good as I remember, and funny enough, when cooled, it acts EXACTLY like Velveeta.  You know, “LIQUID GOOOOOLD!”  But enough about me...

We used that and made nachos with other leftovers from the night before.  What?  There were vegetables... ROTELS... remember?  WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE ME!??  j/k

Moving on

Opinionated Cinnamon Rolls
About a year ago, my wife came upon this recipe for cinnamon rolls that will make your slap your momma (can I have a less violent menu).  So, naturally, it’s become popular in our home.  Benton’s been on a jag lately about food (shocker, I know), asking for specific items.  Who gave this kid an opinion?  That’s what I want to know.  The other things he’s asking for is my wife’s AWESOME kolaches, I’ll share that recipe coming up.  So, here you go.


Dough:
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F (43 degrees C))
1/2 cup instant potato flakes
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
6 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup margarine, softened

Filling:
1/3 cup margarine, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups unsifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons warm water, or as needed

You’ll need:
A LOT OF STUFF
a small sauce pan
several measuring cups/spoons
two mixing bowls

Directions:
  Proof your yeast as directed on the package.  Stir the potato flakes, milk, 1/2 cup water, white sugar, and salt together in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture reaches 110 degrees F (63 degrees C). Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl until smooth, then whisk in the warm milk mixture and yeast. Stir in the flour and margarine until a dough forms. Turn out onto a floured work surface, and knead until smooth and satiny, 10 to 20 minutes.
  Place the dough into a greased bowl, and turn over to grease both sides of the dough. Cover, and set in a warm spot to rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down, and knead again briefly to push out the air. Cover, and let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, stir 1/3 cup softened butter with the brown sugar and ground cinnamon until blended. Feel free to make extra if you like more filling in your cinnamon rolls.
  Once the dough has rested, turn onto a floured surface and divide in two. Stretch and roll one half into a 10x14-inch rectangle. Spread half of the cinnamon filling onto the dough, and sprinkle with half of the raisins. Roll up the dough from the narrow end, and pinch the edges together to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Grease two baking sheets, and cut each roll into 12 pieces. Arrange the cinnamon rolls onto the prepared baking sheets. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  Bake the cinnamon rolls in the preheated oven until light golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool. Prepare the glaze by stirring the confectioners' sugar with 1 Tbsp butter, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons warm water until smooth. Use additional water if needed to make a pourable glaze. Pour the glaze over the cinnamon rolls while still warm.

Whew... I’m exhausted just writing down that recipe!  What you’ll end up with is really amazing to eat and to share.  And it makes a ton of rolls.  You have probably enough to make two dozen of them.  You can also take the leftovers and turn them into a cinnamon raison loaf, which would be FANTASTIC.

I PROMISE they are not that green when you make them.  Stinking fluorescent lights at the church...

My Moo Rating: 5/5

Helping Hamburger

Both the boys had water day today at school, so we decided something easy was in order for dinner.  That seems to be a recurring theme.  It’s also the theme that is missing from most dairy-free cook books, but we’ll return to that when we have a book deal.  We decided that it would be great if we could have helper for our hamburger, even if we can’t have the brand name one since it’s chock full of milk products.  

It’s not super healthy out of a box, but in this recipe, it’s not nearly as bad for you. Maybe not the healthiest, but it's quick, easy and the boys like how it tastes.  

Here’s what we did.

It looks better in person.  Hi, Gabriel!

Help!  My Hamburger is Tasteless and it Can’t Get Up!

Ingredients:

1 box Road’s End Organics Organic Dairy-Free Mac & Chreese (Cheddar Flavor)

1 lb lean ground turkey

2 Tbps margarine

1/4C non-dairy milk

1/2C Daiya “cheese”

Items to taste: onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder

Directions:

Cook Mac & Chreese (yes, that’s really the name) as directed.  While the noodles are boiling, cook your turkey in a skillet and add onion, salt, pepper and garlic to taste.  We went heavy on the spices, knowing that without these, it wouldn’t be very good, as the M&C on its own doesn’t have a lot of flavor.  After draining your noodles and but before adding your cheese sauce, add your margarine and Daiya to the drained noodles.  Add your sauce and mix until incorporated.  

There you have it, a helper for hamburger that passes the kid test.  We served it with wilted spinach.  Here’s that recipe:

Easy-Peasy Wilted Spinach

Ingredients:

1 package of pre-washed spinach

2Tbps olive oil

2 intact slices from a large, sweet onion (1015, yellow or white)

To taste: minced garlic, pepper, salt

Directions:  Add the olive oil, garlic and onion to your skillet and cook over medium heat until the onions begin to look translucent.  Add your spinach and cook uncovered until they “wilt,” or about 5-10 minutes.  Their color will be very deep and rich.  Serve. 

How easy is that?  Overall, this entire meal took about 15 minutes to prepare, and gave us all some comfort food at the end of the day that nobody turned their nose up at.