Happy Friday everybody! 

I went back to the zesty well from 4 years ago and decided to share a classic “impress yourself recipe”.

Homemade bread made easy.

The smell. The flavor. Melted butter.

Today’s post (like the rest of the week) is dedicated to super easy to prepare food that tastes great.  I was talking to my great friend yesterday and I asked him what I should make and post about for Thursday.  He said “Zesty, why don’t you make a killer loaf of homemade whole wheat bread that is super simple to make”.  I said “JT, that is an awesome idea!”  So here I am, getting ready to share with you a quick and easy version of whole wheat homemade bread.

This is a great and versatile recipe that is open for variations and additives of your favorite flavors.

Ingredients

• 2 Tsp. honey
• 2 2/3 Cup lukewarm water
• 4 Tsp. dry yeast
• 3 Tbsp. Molasses
• 5 Cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 Tsp. salt
• 1/4 Cup wheat germ
• 1 Tbsp. Oatmeal (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F.
2. Stir 2 teaspoons honey into 2/3 cup lukewarm water.



3. Sprinkle yeast over the mixture. Set aside for 10 minutes.
4. Combine 3 tablespoons molasses with 2/3 cup warm water and combine with yeast mixture.
5. Stir into flour. Add salt, wheat germ and 1 1/3 cups warm water. Dough will be sticky.



6. Pour dough into a non-stick loaf pan.



7. Smooth top with wet spatula.



8. Sprinkle Oatmeal over top of loaf, if desired.



9. Allow to raise to top of pan.
10. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.
11. Cool 10 minutes on a rack, then turn out of pan.
12. Cool before slicing.
13. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When working with Yeast – it is very important that the yeast is still active (therefore not expired) so be sure to check your labels.  Also make sure to dissolve all the yeast in the liquid before adding dry ingredients.

Wow, I must say I really do love homemade bread and it really does not get any easier than this recipe.  As well, look at the ingredients… so healthy and natural - it really is that simple.  Give this loaf a try and let me know how you do.  Would you suggest any ingredient substitutions or additions?

Have yourself a great Friday!

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

The day is finally here!  After a lot of hard work and countless hours I am pleased to announce that the first ever zestycook recipe e-book is ready for download.

The book, Simply Zesty, consists of 22 recipes, 10 of which are zesty’s and the rest from 12 other fabulous food bloggers.  I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with these bloggers and feature their recipes in my very first recipe e-book.

The idea for this book came about when I was trying to come up with ideas on how to give back to all of my readers.  As a thank you for all of your support over the past 7 months, I am offering a free copy of Simply Zesty to download.

To download the free ebook, I’ve made the process as simple as possible.  You just have to subscribe to zestycook either by email or RSS feed and that’s it!  Once you do that, the book will be available for download at the bottom of every post via the feed or email.  From there you can print the book or save it on your computer for future cooking and baking opportunities.

Contributing Authors

So with all that being said, I think the only thing left to do is sign up, download the ebook, and enjoy the recipes. I am really happy with the way the book turned out and for the opportunity to share this with all my readers.

Many thanks to all the contributors!  If you would like to contribute to a future release of a zesty e-book,  contact me!

Get your Free e-book (via email or RSS feed)

Have a great Monday and I’ll see you tomorrow.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Can you believe it is Thursday already?  It’s the time of year where the weather is cooling off and winter is drawing near.  I thought I would make one more crack at the outdoor grill and whip up a simple salad packed with flavor.

Recently, I have been on a maple kick so I thought I would create a Maple Vinaigrette for this salad.  Salad dressings are so easy to make and have much better flavor than store bought dressing.  Give this one a try and tell me what you think.

Grilling vegetables is a great way to add a fresh flavor compared to the normal run of the mill boiled vegetables that we sometimes get trapped into.  What’s the proper way to grill vegetables?  First, make sure your grill is hot.  Then add oil to both the vegetables and the surface of the grill as you do not want them sticking.  Furthermore, stay close by as they will not take too long.

Maple Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 cup balsamic or sherry vinegar
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns

Method

1. Combine mustard and basil in a small bowl.  With a whisk, add vinegar, maple syrup, lemon juice and garlic.
2. Add olive oil and continue whisking until ingredients are mixed well.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Refrigerate, the dressing will keep for several weeks.

Salad

Ingredients

• 8 Oz Sirloin (grilled to your liking)
• 4 Cups Baby Spinach
• 1 Grilled (sliced) Zucchini
• 1 Tomato (sliced) Grilled
• 1 Red Onion (sliced) Grilled
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Preheat grill (indoor or outdoor).
2. Season and grill beef to your liking and set aside to rest.
3. Chop all vegetables and place in a bowl.
4. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.
5. Mix and coat evenly.
6. Place on the grill and cook until almost tender (you do not want them to soft).
7. Prepare baby spinach (wash and dry).
8. Using your final salad bowl, place some of the dressing in the bottom.
9. Add spinach and vegetables on top and toss gently to coat.
10. Add the Steak on top.
11. Drizzle with remaining dressing and season with coarse salt (if you like) and pepper.
12. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: To avoid an uneven coating of dressing on the salad, try adding some dressing to the bottom of the bowl before adding the ingredients  – then gently tossing them and topping the dressing off with the remainder.

One note, as I was eating this salad, I realized that some toasted nuts would also be great on here so I went ahead and threw on some walnuts.  It added another dimension of flavor that I suggest everyone tries.  For all the vegetarians out there, by all means just remove the beef and add more of your favorite vegetables.  It is still delicious.

I hope everyone has a great Thursday!

Take Care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty