Whole Wheat Focaccia with Artichokes....it's a Hearts and Flours Improv!

It's time for another monthly Improv and this month--in honor of Valentine's day--our theme is "Hearts and Flours"! For those not in the know, the monthly Improv, hosted by Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker, is a friendly little competition where we create dishes based on two seasonal ingredients. Truth be told, I took this month's theme a little out of the box. Instead of creating a heart shaped food, I used "hearts" in my food--and made it heart healthy to boot!

Yum...I love artichoke hearts! Unfortunately, I've only ever had them in fatty appetizers or drenched in oil. These are packed in water.

If you haven't deduced from my last post, Healthier Mixed Berry Muffins, I'm trying to drop a lot a little weight and eat a little healthier. That is not to say that I won't continue posting some decadent stuff (I promise--those Orange-White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cinnamon Rolls will be up next), but I've found that a little moderation is in order. Luckily for me, my husband is on the same wavelength so it's easy for me to try out some new things.

One of the things that we discovered is that it's a lot easier for us to make better eating choices when we're at home. That said, it's hard to make dinner for the two of us after working all day. So, believe it or not, this focaccia bread recipe came about because I was tired and in a rush (thank goodness for my KitchenAid mixer!)

Whole Wheat Artichoke Focaccia

Printable Recipe

Dough:

1 cup warm water (like bathwater warm)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon fast rising yeast

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon salt 

Topping:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or black pepper)

1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts packed in water, drained and sliced

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh spinach leaves

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Combine the water, sugar, oil and yeast in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes, or until it starts to foam.

In the mean time, whisk together the white whole wheat flour, 1 1/2 cups of the all purpose flour, salt, and seasoning. Add it to the yeast mixture.

Using the dough hook on the stand mixer, knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until it cleans the sides of the bowl. Add more flour, a tablespoon at a time, if needed. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turning it once. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and set it in a warm, draft-free area to rise for 30-45 minutes.

Whole wheat flour can make the dough a little dry. Initially, I dumped all of the flour into the mix at once...I had to add a little more water. Luckily, the dough is pretty forgiving and it all turned out fine.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F; spray a 15" X 10" pan with cooking spray.

Gently deflate the dough and press it into the prepared pan. Brush the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with the garlic powder and the pepper. Evenly top the dough with the sliced artichoke hearts, drained tomatoes, onions,and spinach. Sprinkle the cheese and the Italian seasoning over the top.

I was going to bake this on a pizza stone, but discovered it had broken in half (!). Luckily, using the jelly roll pan made this even easier.

I loved this combination of toppings, but you can get creative here...add some olives, fresh herbs...whatever floats your boat. :)

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Cut into squares--this will make 6 servings at about 300 calories per serving.

I really loved how this turned out! If you aren't familiar with white whole wheat flour, you can read about it on the Whole Grains Council website...it's a great way to add whole grains if you aren't fond of regular whole wheat flour. Feel free to substitute your favorite spices. I used a little cayenne pepper to give it a slight kick, but regular pepper works fine. I'll bet some fresh basil (I didn't have any) would make a nice addition, too.

Don't forget to check out what everyone else is making!

Homemade Tomato Sauce

One of my earliest memories is of my mother putting tomatoes through a food mill. Of course, I had no idea what she was doing with them. The outcome was always tomato soup with little meatballs. Oddly, I hated tomato soup when I was a child. I also hated "noodles". Surprised? What kid hates noodles, right? I blame the nuns. One force-fed lunch and it took most of my life to come to terms with any kind of noodle. To this day, I prefer the term pasta....a word which didn't exist in that Catholic school so many years ago. Which brings me to today and a bowl full of tomatoes that were quickly going south.

The tomatoes started out green. Several weeks ago, my friend/coworker, Brenda, brought in a huge bag of them that she was about to throw away. She thought maybe I would make good use of them. I toyed with the idea of fried green tomatoes. I googled and found a recipe for green tomato cake. I thought maybe a green tomato chutney might be nice. But, with all of my procrastination, the tomatoes finally turned red, and were one step away from becoming rotten. I had to work fast and I had to work with what I had on hand. The decision was made: Tomato Sauce.

Tomato Sauce 
Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped carrots

2 cloves crushed garlic

10-12 ripe small to medium tomatoes, peeled and cut into wedges *

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

2 bay leaves

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup red wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Place the oil and butter in a large pot over medium/high heat. When the butter is melted, reduce heat to medium and add the onions, carrots and garlic. Sauté the vegetables until soft, about 5 minutes.

Oops, I forgot to peel my tomatoes. It's ok, though. I used a food mill when the sauce was cooked.

Add the tomatoes, seasoning, bay leaves, basil, and salt. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium/low. Simmer uncovered for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and the tomato paste. Adjust the seasonings, if needed. Continue to simmer uncovered until desired thickness is reached, about an hour.

I was doing everything backwards. Where are the onions? The carrots?

 Let the sauce cool for a few minutes. Discard the bay leaves and process the sauce through a food mill or a blender.

* If fresh tomatoes aren't available, use (2) 28 oz cans of whole plum tomatoes.

A quick swipe through the food mill will get rid of the skin and seeds and smooth out the sauce. I was an idiot and did it twice. I started with the tomatoes and did it again at the end. Once is plenty.

There they are!

Not sure what to do with the rest of the tomato paste? Plop it down on non-stick foil by the tablespoon, freeze, then wrap each one up in plastic wrap and put them in a freezer bag. 

 Brenda also brought me some homemade noodles. Perfect for homemade sauce, don't you think?

Now, wasn't that easy? I bet you'll never go back to jarred sauce again.

This is just a basic sauce recipe. Feel free to add whatever spices you like--maybe some red pepper flakes? Or some other fresh herbs? If the tomatoes are a little sour, add a pinch or two of sugar. Don't forget, this would make a great pizza sauce, too.

As for me, I made quite the mess of my kitchen today. No time left for dessert. Luckily, the husband stopped at See's and brought me back a Pecan Pie Truffle.

Crock Pot Italian Beef

Just in time for the Super Bowl, let me present to you some of the best crock pot meat you will ever have: Italian Beef -- made only the way an American from the Midwest can make it! Having been raised in Wisconsin and having lived in Minnesota for nearly twenty years doesn’t exactly make me an expert on Italian food. Heck—I’d wager a bet that they don’t even know of a recipe like this over in Italy (I’m sure my friend, Michele, from My Italian Grandmother will set me straight, Ha Ha). In the mean time, put aside those preconceived notions, haul out your crock pot and put together this simple, but very tasty, meaty treat.

I got this recipe from a co-worker about 3 or 4 years ago and I’m sure it has made its way around the potluck circuit, but whenever I make it at home, it elicits many satisfactory groans. Even my vegetarian, Taylor, admitted that it smelled sooo good!

Crock Pot Italian Beef

1 3-4 lb. rump roast
1 small jar of beef gravy
1 jar of water
1 envelope Au Jus mix
1 envelope Italian dressing mix

Place all ingredients in a crock pot and set to medium-low heat.

Egads--I don't want to think about the sodium content!

Not the most appetizing picture...it gets better, I promise...

Allow meat to cook for 12-18 hours. Pull the meat from the crock pot and shred or thinly slice and place back in the gravy. Serve on crusty rolls or soft hoagy rolls and top with banana peppers or spicy pickle slices. Alternately, pile some of it on white bread, serve it with mashed potatoes and smother it with the gravy. Or stand over the crock pot with a fork and shovel it your mouth.

Seriously, does it get any better?