Ham & Swiss Sourdough Pancakes

This is a great recipe to use up excess starter and can easily be halved. It is easy to keep a sourdough starter (I promise)! - please check out my Quick Start Guide for more information.

Red Beans and Rice

With the weather getting cooler, my mind turns to soups and other comfort foods. This recipe for Red Beans and Rice is really delicious and it makes enough for leftovers or to freeze for future meals.

Boneless Chicken Stuffed with Ham

Don't let the "fancy" name deter you from trying this super easy, throw it together chicken dish.

Ham and Beans

You can probably tell we have a ham to use up from New Year's Day. This ham and bean soup is delicious and would be especially yummy served with cornbread, like this pumpkin cornbread.

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

This is a great use of leftover ham. These scalloped potatoes are fabulous.

Ham & Cheese Stuffed Crepes

This is a great way to bring crepes to the dinner table in a savory dish that will soon be one of your favorite "comfort food" meals!

 

Grilled Ham and Cheese

About 8 slices of no-sugar added sliced bread, like French Meadow Bakery brand
About 4 ounces of organic cheddar cheese, sliced thinly (for 4 sandwiches), try Organic Valley
Butter (softened) try Organic Valley
Ham, four slices, I recommend organic and nitrate-free

Heat a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Melt a tablespoon of butter on the bottom and spread around. In the mean time, prepare your sandwiches by arranging the cheese and ham inside two slices of bread. Spread a thin layer of butter on one side of the bread. Then, add your sandwich to the saute pan, butter side down (I find two at a time works well). Spread a little butter on the top side and cook a few minutes, until browned. Flip and cook another few minutes, until that side is also browned and the cheese inside is melted. Serve warm.

Comments: This makes four sandwiches. As far as the butter goes, try to use as little as possible and if the butter is soft, a small amount will go a long way. This is fairly quick to make and so extremely good. Grilled cheese is a real favorite in our house and you can make this a more nourishing option by using a high quality bread and high-quality, organic dairy. We serve with tomato soup.

Ham & Cheddar Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
8 slices whole grain bread with seeds, like Ezekial Genesis 1:29 Sprouted Grain and Seeds
A little butter (to grease ramekins)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or any cheese on hand)
1/3 cup diced onions (white, green, red)
3/4 cup whole milk (raw is great if you have it)
1/2-3/4 cup chicken broth (homemade stock or low-sodium, organic store bought)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
3 - 4 ounces cooked ham, diced (no added nitrites/nitrates, lower-sodium if possible)
3 large pasture eggs
4 tsp sour cream or greek yogurt mixed with a sprinkling of thyme and chives or other fresh herbs (optional garnish)

How To:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice bread into cubes and place onto a lined or greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted (turning once). Alternatively, toast bread and then slice into cubes. Remove from oven and let sit to cool for a couple of minutes.

In a large bowl, combine bread, most of the cheese (reserve a small amount to sprinkle on top), onions, milk, broth, pepper, ham, and egg yolks (lightly beaten). In a small bowl, whisk eggs with a fork about 30 sec. and then gently fold into bread mixture.

Spoon one-fourth bread mixture into each of four (7 oz) ramekins coated with cooking spray (or greased otherwise). Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. Top each with sour cream or greek yogurt when serving.

Comments: This recipe is a modified version of one from the September 2011 edition of Cooking Light magazine. If you have ghee or organic butter from grass fed cows, add a tablespoon to your bread mixture. Otherwise, don't worry about it. This was a great recipe to kick off fall weather, very much a comfort food. We all enjoyed it.