Egg Substitute

I heard about this egg substitute and have been experimenting with it in various recipes. It's as follows:

Egg Substitute

5 TB plus 1 tsp water, divided
1 tsp unflavored gelatin

To make one "egg" (for substitution in baked goods), add 1 tsp of gelatin to 3 TB water and stir. Then, add 2 TB plus one teaspoon of boiling water to the mixture and stir.

NOTE: You may need to decrease the liquid in your recipe to make up for the additional liquid in the egg substitute. As a general rule, the reduction would be around 1/4 cup. In what little experimentation I have done, I found this to be somewhat accurate, but it really varies. I usually mix everything up then adjust. For example, in the case of brownies, I added additional flour to thicken the batter. Another time I didn't adjust at all and simply increased the baking time. This method produces very moist baked goods (especially compared to ground flax seed as an egg substitute), but you will need to experiment and adjust as best you can until you get it right.

Whole Wheat Brownies

This recipe is still in the experimental stage. We liked this version, but I think I can improve it further. These brownies were sort of fudgy and dense. If you like to live dangerously, give it a try:

Whole Wheat Brownies

2 1/4 cups whole wheat (I used hard white wheat and ground it myself)
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1/2 cup cocoa
5 "eggs" or eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1 cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the first seven ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix until combined. Pour into a 10X13 greased baking dish, sprinkle with chocolate chips and walnuts, and cook for 35 minutes. Cool for several minutes before cutting and serving.

Tip: My oldest DD highly recommends reheating these in the microwave for a few seconds to fully enjoy them.

Easy Fruit Smoothie

A variation of my favorite drink, the Orange Julius.

Easy Fruit Smoothie

2 cups of OJ
1 frozen banana (because I usually throw them in the freezer when they start to go bad)
1/2 c frozen berries (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, etc.)
1/2 c powdered milk
1/4 powdered sugar (less if you want)
1 tsp vanilla
4-5 cubes of ice

Add the first six ingredients to the blender and mix. Add ice cubes one or two at a time until totally crushed. Serve immediately. Makes 3-4 servings in our house.

Easy Tuscan Romano Basil Chicken

I am usually a from-scratch kind of girl, so this is out of the norm, but it was a great last minute save for dinner. And, it is Easy with a capital E.

Easy Tuscan Romano Basil Chicken

1 bottle of Wish-Bone Bountifuls Tuscan Romano Basil dressing
2-3 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or any other type of chicken pieces)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a pan with nonstick spray. Place the chicken pieces in the pan in a single layer and pour the contents of the dressing bottle over the chicken. Bake until done, probably around 30 minutes. I didn't time it, so this is a guess. :)

I served this dish with rice on the side and a spring mix salad.