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WOW your cooking with Garden Breadsticks!

Monday, June 25, 2012

 I recently went to a class where I learned how to better follow what us Mormons call the Word of Wisdom.  If you are unfamiliar with it you can read the scripture here.  
It's where we get the commandments not to drink or smoke.  For me that's the easy part.  Really no temptation there.  For most of us we just aren't that good at eating fruits and vegetables in season and lots of whole grains with only a little meat.

The lady who taught the class had a serious disease which led her to learn more of how to eat better and more closely follow the commandment.  Her solution was to create a veggie blend and then add that to whatever she was cooking.  I am seriously trying to incorporate more veggies into our diet and this is a relatively simple way to do it.  Usually it gets added to pasta sauce.  If your family is squeamish about new veggies, that is a great place to start.  Plus the breadstick recipe I'm going to share has 2 full cups of veggies!  I will be sharing more veggie blend recipes as the weeks go by.  I've definitely found some yummy ones.  But before we get to all that, here's what goes into the blend.

Buy one, or a small bunch of each of the following:
Asparagus
Beet (try to get a white beet, otherwise it will turn your meal a pinkish color)
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Butternut Squash
Celery
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Carrot
Eggplant
Green Beans
Kale
Mushroom
Parsnip
Radish
Rutabaga
Rhubarb
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Turnip
Yellow Squash
Zucchini

A ton right?  I was amazed at how many of those I'd never bought before and now I eat them on a regular basis. Plus think of all the veggies you aren't adding.  She doesn't add onions, or peppers because they have a strong and overwhelming flavor.  I usually add the others in depending on the meal.
Like:
Corn
Peas
Potatoes
Onions
Bell Peppers


 Wash and cut off any stems or peels.  Next chop them fairly fine.  If you have a food processor, use that, a few veggies at a time.(this is important so you don't overwhelm your machine)  Don't worry about which ones because you will be mixing it all together.  I have a Vita-Mix so I put some water in the blender and a few veggies then chopped the veggies until I got the size I wanted, small but not pureed.  Drain and put them in a large bowl.
 It will look like something like this.  Since one batch will make a ton, put some in freezer bags to save for later.  One batch lasted me about 1 month using the blend 2-3 times a week.  It freezes well, just thaw and drain the veggies and they are ready to use.  Next time I will put the blend in my muffin tin to freeze 1 cup portions for easier use.
 Now that's done, lets get to the Garden Breadsticks.  I was so excited when I got my King Arthur Flour Baking Sheet in the mail with this recipe!  It's super yummy and has a ton of veggies in it!

Garden Breadsticks

You have some options with the veggies.  You will need a total of 2 cups of shredded vegetables.

The recipe says:
1/4 cup shredded zucchini
1/4 cup shredded yellow squash
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup chopped scallions

I used 1 zucchini and 2 carrots shredded finely to make 1 cup shredded veggies.
 Add the shredded veggies and 1 cup of the veggie blend to a sauce pot and cook slightly to soften.  About 5 minutes on Medium high stirring regularly to prevent over browning.

Grind some grains to get 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour.  I usually do a blend of wheat, quinoa, and kamut.

When the veggies are done, measure 1 cup and add them to your mixing bowl.

Then add: 
1 large egg
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Pizza seasoning or chopped fresh herbs of your choice.  I added some Herbs de Provence.
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp instant yeast. 

The warm veggies take the place of the water in this recipe.

Mix for about 2-3 minutes until the dough comes together then add:
1 more cup of the warm veggies.

Knead for another 4-5 minutes.  The dough should relax more and become tender.  Add a little flour as needed to clean the sides of the bowl.
 Cover and let rise until double in bulk.
 Get out a sheet of parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil.  Put olive oil on your hands and rolling pin.  This makes the rolling easier and the dough doesn't stick.

Roll dough out to a large rectangle filling the parchment.
 Using a pizza cutter, cut up the dough into breadsticks.
 Brush tops with olive oil or egg wash and sprinkle with 1/2 cup parmesan cheese or other grated cheese.  Let rest for another 20-25 minutes while the oven heats to 375 degrees.

Bake on pizza stone for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve warm.

Labels: recipe, Veggie Blend