Recipes for the Health Conscious but Clumsy Chef Whole Wheat Waffles

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbl sugar*
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups almond milk (or organic milk)
1/3 cup olive oil

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. 
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and oil. 
3. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients; stirring just till combined.
4. Cook the waffles as directed in the instructions that came with your waffle 

*I prefer to use less sugar, and, in fact, sugar is not even necessary. Try substituting chopped fruit for the sugar!

Recipes for the Health Conscious but Clumsy Chef: Veggie Burgers

2 cans garbanzo bean (chic peas)
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 onion chopped
7-10 crushed Whole grain Melba snacks crackers
1 tablespoon oil just for cooking

1. Mash the beans. You can put beans in the blender and puree them.
2. Add the eggs and salt. .
3. Slowly add in the crushed crackers until the mixture looks like chunky hummus. You may not have to use all of the crushed crackers.
4. Stir in the onions.**
5. Make meatball size patties.
6. Depending on what you idea of a good size meatball is this recipe should make 10-12 patties. You can make smaller patties and create sliders.
7. Put oil in a skillet and cook patties on medium heat for 7-10 minutes on first side and 7 minutes on the other side

**You can get creative and add peppers, squash, celery, garlic, corn or cucumbers.
I have added all of these veggies and all tasted great.

Recipes for the Health Conscious but Clumsy Chef Quick and Easy Whole Wheat Pizza

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon or one packet of yeast

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup of hot water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon raw sugar*

1. In a big mixing bowl, combine whole wheat flour, yeast, and salt.
2. Add hot water, olive oil, and sugar.
3. Stir until it has a doughy consistency.
4. Let the dough sit for 15-30 min. It all depends on the room temperature. I found that in the winter it takes the full 30 mins, but in the summer it only takes 15 min. 
5. You can roll the entire thing out to create a 16 inch pizza, or split in half to make two 8 inch pizzas.
6. Add toppings. Our favorites are mushroom, garlic, peppers, and onions
7. Bake at 425 degrees for 17 min.

 All ovens are a little different so check after 15 mins. You may need to leave it in closer to 20 min.

You can make extra and freeze it to use at a later date. Make sure when you freeze it that the bag or whatever you freeze it in has some flour in it so the dough doesn't stick. Or you could just make sure the dough is floured. If you freeze it in a bag, keep the bag open to give the dough space to rise.when defrosting it.  

Enjoy! Remember if you have any question or comments please let us know.

*Yes, there is sugar. Sugar is needed to fuel the yeast which makes the dough rise. After the yeast uses the sugar, it is metabolized into a gas!

Recipes for the Health Conscious but Clumsy Chef Hummus

Hummus can be used for any meal!

When we first made the commitment to eat healthier and live greener we often felt like we couldn't eat anything. It was very frustrating. We like to be active and love to hike, and when we can't, we walk or ride our bikes. When we do go on a hiking trip, the hike usually lasts all day. With all of this activity we need food. I mean real food. Most people thing we eat salads all the time, but that is far from the truth. We need protein and carbohydrates to keep us going. We decided that we needed to make our own food. By making our own food we don't have all of the chemical preservatives and additives that store bought, prepared food has. We needed recipes that were quick and easy. When I say quick and easy, I really mean it. I am horrible at cooking, and I didn't want Rob to shoulder the responsibility of making most of our meals. I needed a recipe with no more than 5-6 ingredients and as few steps as possibles to put those ingredients together. Any more than that and I could swear that the room starts to spin, and I feel like I am reading another language. Rarely is there a time in the kitchen (even today) when I am preparing a meal that I don't burn myself or cause a finger to bleed.  So for all of you who find it an accomplishment to make an edible peanut butter sandwich, there is hope. All of these recipes that we will be posting have been successfully made by me. I know they are a success when people go back for seconds instead of drinking large amounts of water during the meal or search the cabinets for something to eat immediately after dinner. If you have any questions about this or any of our recipes, please feel free to ask. If there is a mistake to be made with any of the recipes chances are I have already made it, and I can help. Here is one of the first things that I made that actually tasted good. Enjoy!

Hummus

•  4 garlic cloves, minced and then mashed
•  2 15-oz cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
•  1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
•  1/2 teaspoon of salt

1. You can use a food processor, a blender, or just smash the beans with a potato masher. 
2. Add the garlic, lemon juice water and olive oil. Mix together until smooth.
3. Add salt to taste. 

I sometimes I add canned tuna or tomatoes to this. You can use this as a dip or in a sandwich. Spreading this over a couple of slices of tomatoes in between two pieces of whole wheat bread is a great lunch or dinner. The chickpeas are filled with protein and, since we don't eat a lot of meat, this is a great way to get our protein.

Recipe by Joann Agoglia