Whole Wheat Biscuits

Who doesn't love flaky or golden, buttery biscuits?  I know I sure do.  Melt in your mouth yummy goodness.  But what I do NOT love is the amount of fat and calories that go into the store-bought or restaurant-style biscuits.  I shudder thinking about it.  And although these aren't a vast improvement, they certainly are way better because I make them with whole wheat and a lot less butter.  Yet they were still, surprisingly just as tasty that you were reaching for more.  From now on, I'm making these for my family.  Pillsbury can kiss my butt!  ;-P 

Whole Wheat Biscuits
(Makes 8)

 - 1 and 1/3 cup of whole wheat flour (I use the White Wheat kind by King Arthur - it's my favorite - great taste and not as harsh of a texture like other wheat flours!)
- 2 Tbsp sugar (or Splenda/Truvia alternatives)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 Tbsp (1/2 of a stick) of butter (I use the light kind or Smart Balance) - 1/2 cup of fat-free or light buttermilk (or use regular milk with a drop of lemon juice)
- optional seasonings: dash of onion, garlic and Parmesan grated cheese (I used a 1/2 tsp combo of them all)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease a baking or cookie pan then set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the first five ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Sift and mix well.  Cut in your butter with a knife until it blends into the mixture and crumbles.  Pour in the buttermilk (or just regular milk with a drop of lemon).  Sprinkle in your seasonings if you decide to use any. 


Use your hands to mix and blend.  Now knead by shaping the flour mixture into a ball then flattening and pulling the edges outward and back inward into a ball.  Repeat for 8 - 10 times.  Now place the dough on a floured surface like wax or parchment paper.  Roll it out and use a round drinking glass to cut into circle.  Make them into circles that are about 2 inches think. 




(Note: I made mine too thin, closer to 1 and 1/2 inches.  They still came out tasting great but they were a bit crumbly when I went to slice them in half to butter them!)



Spread out on the baking pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until your desired brownness.  Let them cool for about 3-4 minutes before you cut them in half to butter them or place jam on them.  I served ours with dinner (spinach ravioli).  We all really enjoyed them! 

I hope you enjoy them too!  Try making your own biscuits so you can save yourself the calories and unwanted additives in store-bought biscuits!

Island Rice

This is a wonderful sweet rice side dish.  It would greatly accompany a meat such as teriyaki chicken or pineapple ham or even pulled pork.  It has hints of sweetness with a bit of spice so it would be paired perfectly with a salty meat or even a bean dish too.


Sit back and pretend you're in the Caribbean seas while you eat this meal, minus any hurricanes or stormy weather that is!   Sip a cocktail with a little umbrella too!  :-)





Island Rice

(Serves 4)

2 cups of cooked brown rice
1 cup (8oz) crushed pineapples, with juice
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 roasted red pepper, diced, with oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp of curry powder

Prepare your brown rice according to package directions.  Meanwhile, grease a skillet with cooking spray.  Toss in your diced roasted red pepper, green onions, pineapple pieces and juice and garlic.  Cook for about five minutes.  Toss in the cooked brown rice.  Sprinkle in the curry powder.  Mix well.  Heat for another 5 to 7 minutes.  Serve immediately with your main dish.

What foods remind you of the islands?  Or is it just the fruity drinks?  :-)

Cauliflower Bread Sticks

Did you ever imagine eating (or making) bread sticks made with cauliflower?  I know I sure didn't!!  But my friend Briony raved about it on her blog.  Then I saw other food bloggers share similar recipes with it too; so finally last week I made them.


The end result was that it did taste surprisingly good.  But I have to be honest, you can STILL taste the cauliflower in it.  Don't be fooled into thinking you're going to bite into what tastes like a "normal" pizza style bread stick.  However it's still very good and worth trying out!  This is yet another way that I bet you can get your kids (and husband)  to eat a veggie!  :-) 




Cauliflower Bread sticks

(Makes 8)

2 cups of pureed or finely chopped cauliflower - About 1/2 head of cauliflower (I steamed mine then pureed it in the food processor)
1/2 cup of egg whites (or use 2 eggs)
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated
1 and 1/2 cups shredded cheese, whatever kind you like
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt or other seasoning
parchment paper


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Generously grease two different 2 qt pans (8x11 rectangular or 8x8 square is fine too) with cooking spray.  The place parchment paper over the greased pan and press it down so it sticks.  You need this paper so you can easily lift up and flip over the bread sticks later on.


Place the cooked, pureed (or finely chopped) cauliflower in a large bowl.  Add in the egg whites (or eggs), Parmesan cheese, 1 cup of the shredded cheese, oregano, garlic powder, salt and any other seasonings you wish to use.  Stir and mix well.  Pour the batter into the greased baking pan.  Bake for 30 minutes.  The tops should be lightly browned. 


Gently lift and flip over the cauliflower bread sticks.  Place them in your second greased and parched baking pan.  Use a pizza cutter tool to slice and slightly separate the bread sticks (I cut mine into 8 pieces). Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese and a dash of garlic powder and oregano too.  Turn the oven up to 450 degrees and bake for another fifteen minutes.  The finished look should be lightly browned.





Let the bread sticks cool before serving.  Enjoy them!  We ate ours with Sneaky, Upside Down Pizza and a side salad.  So I had a veggie in each of my meal components!  And then I washed it down with a beer.  :-)


Try these out and let me know what you think!   Don't forget you can save the other half of the cauliflower for later or puree it for future recipes.