Nutritious and Delicious

Soft Pretzels

2011-11-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

This was so fun to make with my kids!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe/index.html

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt

Directions

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Summer Frozen Fruit Cocktail

2011-09-01T21:38:00.002-06:00

At the same activity they made this yummy frozen fruit treat. The said it tastes really good in the winter time when summer fruit isn't available.

12 oz. can frozen orange juice reconstituted
1-2 cans pineapple tidbits with juice
2 mangoes, cubed
2 cantaloupe, in small pieces or balled
1 bunch seedless grapes
1 bunch Bing cherries
1 pint fresh or frozen blueberries
Watermelon, cubed or balled
Fresh sliced peaches

Mix thoroughly with orange juice. Ladle into freezer containers making sure to leave 1/2 to 3/4 inch head space to allow freezing expansion. Serve partially frozen in cups as is.

Double Apples Breakfast Sauce

2011-09-01T21:36:00.002-06:00

1 cup apple sauce
1 cup apple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
dash of salt 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cloves

Combine all ingredients and cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until thick and syrupy. (Stir continually to prevent scorching.)

Appletts (Apple Candy)

2011-09-01T21:30:00.002-06:00

They mad these at an activity in Relief Society about preserving food. These were good. Enjoy!

2 Tablespoons unflavored gelatin
1/2 Cup apple sauce (cold)
3/4 Cup apple sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup broken walnuts
1 Tablespoon vanilla
powdered sugar for coating

Soak gelatin in cold applesauce for 10 minutes. Combine 3/4 cup applesauce with sugar and boil for 10 minutes. Add gelatin and applesauce mixture and boil about five to seven minutes more stirring so as not to burn. Remove from heat and add walnuts and vanilla. Pour into slightly greased 4"x8" pan. Set in refrigerator to cool, cut into squares and roll in powdered sugar. Keeps well in a cool place.

Cheesy Kale Chips

2011-08-12T20:40:00.002-06:00

My whole family loved these. I couldn't believe how E loved them too. I finally found a way to get toddlers to eats greens!

http://prideandvegudice.com/2011/06/12/cheesy-kale-chips/

(Makes: It doesn’t matter because you’ll eat them all in one day anyways)

1 bunch curly kale
1 cup cashews (soaked for a couple hours)
1 red bell pepper, deseeded
Juice of half a lemon (2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)

Remove the toughest parts of the kale stems (save them for a green smoothie, green juice, or add them to a stir-fry!), and tear the leaves into bite-size pieces.

Whenever I’m working with leafy greens – especially for this recipe, where I want the pieces of kale to be as dry as possible so that the coating will stick as well as possible – I find it easier to cut or rip up the leaves first, and wash them afterward by submerging them in a bowl of water. Then I swish them around with my hands a little so any debris can float to the top, drain them, and dry them in a salad spinner!

Place kale pieces in a large bowl (you want enough room so that you can mix the coating in later without having to deal with leaves falling out of the bowl!)

To make the cheesy coating: combine soaked cashews, bell pepper, lemon juice, nutritional yeast (nooch), and sea salt in a blender or food processor (a high-speed blender like the Vitamix is best), and run for a minute or two until smooth.

Add the cheesy coating to your bowl of kale and massage it in with your hands. Don’t worry too much about uneven distribution, as the big globs taste delicious in the final product!

For raw kale chips (my method of choice, as they will retain the nutrients and enzymes of all the healthful ingredients!): place on dehydrator screens and dehydrate at 115 degrees until crispy. The time will vary, but make sure ALL the moisture is gone and they are genuinely crunchy.

Alternatively (if you don’t have a dehydrator), spread kale pieces on parchment paper on baking trays, and bake at 200 degrees until crispy, about 45 minutes (but again, all that matters is that they MUST be crunchy).

Roasted Veggie Pesto Pizza

2011-07-17T09:25:00.003-06:00

Mom had another recipe for a pizza while we were there. This is the basic recipe from memory:

Roast your veggies with a little olive oil and rosemary. Veggies used were: red pepper, green pepper, red onion, mushrooms. While roasting these, make your pesto sauce of choice.

Spread the pesto sauce on pizza crust of choice, add mozarella if desired, then top with roasted veggies. Yummm!!!!

Fast Easy Dinner Ideas

2011-07-13T21:30:00.002-06:00

Some times I think I spend way too much time in the kitchen cooking. I discovered this fact, this vacation. I'm writing down some easy meal ideas here so I don't forget what they are. If you have any other ideas, edit the post and add them! I'm trying to reduce the time I do the three C's: cooking, cleaning and chauffering.

From my friend Ginger:
cook some quinoa add the mango salsa from Costco to your liking and serve with sides.
enchiladas with cooked veggies (zucchini, tomatoes, corn) with hummus on the inside and salsa on top

From Lisa:
Ramen noodles and tons of veggies.

From Kissy:
Rice with pico de gallo, corn and bean

From Mom:
Baked potato bar
Chinese Sunday

Any more ideas?

Moroccan Chickpea Stew

2011-07-13T21:13:00.002-06:00

Here's another yummy soup Mom made for us. Don't forget the lemon. It's essential!

1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 cinnamon stick
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups cubed butternut squash (we used sweet potatoes)
1-15 oz. can garbanzo beans (kidneys were good too)
1 can (14-1/2) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 medium red potato, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and into 1-inch cubes
1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 small zucchini, cubed
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

In a Dutch oven, saute onion in oil and butter until tender. Add the garlic, cumin, cinnamon stick and chili powder; saute 2 minutes longer. Stir in the broth, squash, chickpeas, tomatoes, potatoes, lemon and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes and squash are almost tender. Add zucchini; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Discard cinnamon stick and lemon slices. Stir in cilantro.

Thai Peanut Noodles

2011-07-13T21:01:00.003-06:00

Mom made this for my family and it was a hit!!!!!! We think it's from Light and Tasty magazine.

8 oz Udon or linguine noodles
1/2 cup broth
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1-2 teaspoons Sriracha chili sauce (this is really hot, be careful, I wouldn't add for kids at all)
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
chopped green onions
chopped cilantro
chopped peanuts
2 limes, cut into quarters

Cook noodles in salted water according to package instructions.

While noodles cook, combine chicken broth, peanut butter, chili sauce, honey, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic in small sauce-pan over medium heat. Whisk until smooth and remove from heat.

Toss cooked noodles with sauce and divide among 4 bowls. Sprinkle with green onions, cilantro, chopped peanuts, and garnish each serving with 2 lime quarters. Before eating, squeeze lime juice over noodles and stir to combine.

Twice-cooked Refried Beans

2011-05-24T14:10:00.000-06:00

At the suggestion of my friend, Sheralie, I decide to make my own refried beans. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they are super easy and much much much tastier, and healthier then Old Elpaso Refried Beans from Costco. I use refried beans at least once each week. I add them as a layer in quesadillas for my nine-year-olds lunch. After making this unscientific recipe, I think I'll make them even more because they make an excellent side dish or chip dip.

Ingredients:
Pinto Beans, 1 regular grocery-store sized bag
Water
Bay Leaves
Vegetable Broth, Butter, Coconut Oil, Corn Oil, or Canola Oil
One gigantic onion (softball sized), chopped
Salt, to taste

Pour pinto beans into the crock pot and soak overnight. In the morning, dump the soak water, and put new water back in so that the water level is at least 1.5 inches over the beans. Add Bay Leaves (I used 8). Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours, or so.

After the beans are cooked to nice and mushy, put your oil/broth of choice in a big sauce pot, along with your gigantic onion and cook until soft. Add cumin to taste, around 2 tablespoons. Using a slotted spoon, move your mushy beans into the pot with the onions. Stir like crazy. You may need to mash, but I didn't, stirring blended the beans to the perfect creamy texture. Add salt, to taste. Yum!

Almond Butter Cookies

2011-03-24T22:07:00.003-06:00

1 cup almond butter
3/4 cup sucanat
1 tablespoon flax mixed with 3 tablespoons water
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
3 oz. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend first 5 ingredients. Add the chocolate.
Drop in balls. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

I love these cookies. I also make them with peanut butter, which I actually like better, but both are good. I also prefer them straight from the freezer! The batch doesn't make too many, so I would recommend doubling. Also, you might not need that much sucanat. They would still be good with less sugar. the original recipes call for an egg instead of flax. The flax works awesome though.

Chocolate Date Peppermint Shake and Ice Cream

2011-03-16T12:28:00.003-06:00

2 cups milk beverage of choice
1 large or 2 small ripe frozen bananas
5-6 medjool
4-5 ice cubes
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. peppermint extract

The Shake:

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy and smooth, about 60-90 seonds.

The Ice Cream:

Follow shake directions and then pour into ice cube trays. Send them through a champion juicer. Add another banana and omit ice cubes for a creamier texture and add another date. Try it will frozen banana ice cream.

Or try it with orange extract or anything other extract. Try freezing coconut milk and running it through the juicer.

From Recipes for Health Bliss

Manzana Chili Verde

2011-02-27T17:13:00.001-07:00

1 lb baby Yukon golds or other thick skinned potato, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I used four medium/small potatoes)
2 T vegetable oil
1 lg yellow onion, cut into small dice
3 jalapeños, seeded and sliced thinly
2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped into 1-inch pieces (I used bell peppers)
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano - I used regular and have no idea what makes the Mexican kind so special)
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup dry white wine (I used white wine vinegar)
1 lb tomatillos (about 10 small to medium ones, I used 8 lg ones)
2 Granny Smith apples, cored, quartered, and sliced thinly
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped scallions, plus extra for garnish (I used green onions)
1 (15-ounce) can small white beans, such as navy or cannellini, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 c)
Juice of 1 lime
Avocado slices for garnish

Place the chopped pototoes in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Let boil, covered, for a little less than 20 minutes, until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside. Of course, you should be preparing everything else while it is boiling.

Preheat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Sauté for 1 more minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the white wine and tomatillos, raise the heat a bit to let the wine reduce and tomatillos release their juices, about 5 minutes. Add the apples, vegetable broth, scallions, and 1/2 cup of cilantro. lower the heat to simmer (medium-low), cover, and cook for 20 minutes.

Use an immersion blender to partially puree everything. If you don't have one, then let the mixture cool slightly and transfer to a blender or food processor; pulse until just slightly chunky. Don't forget that if you are using a blender you need to be careful not to have a steam explosion, so pulse quickly and then lift the lid to let steam escape, then pulse again and repeat.

Taste for sweetness/tartness. Tomatillos are sometimes bitter; if that is the case, add a teaspoon or two of sugar and that should level things out. Add the cooked potatoes and the beans, and simmer for a few more minutes, until everything is heated through. Add the remaining cilantro and the lime juice. Ladle into bowls, garnish with avocado and scallions, and serve.

My tomatillos were sweet, so I didn't need to add the sugar and my fingers are burning because of the jalapeño seeds I scooped out (I saw some jalapeño gloves at the Panhandler last time I was there....maybe a worthwhile investment....). I made cornbread to accompany it. It's a really tasty Sunday Chili!

Sometimes you just need pizza...

2011-02-15T19:44:00.001-07:00

Actually, my family likes to eat pizza at least once a week. Since we have this "need," I decided I'd better figure out how to make a healthy pizza, and today I finally nailed it. It was nutritious and completely delicious. The recipe is copied from this blog.

Kefir Sourdough Pizza

Makes about 4 small 8" or two to three larger size pizza.

500 gm (1.1 lb) [about 4 cups] whole wheat, spelt or unbleached white flour

Kefir-sourdough starter

1 tsp. sea salt

1/3 cup olive oil

1 cup warm water

Mix well with a strong wooden spoon, ladle or clean bare hands. If the dough is too thick (firm and not sticky), add a small amount of warm water and mix for 2 minutes until the dough is moist and sticky with elasticity. The dough should stick to the fingers when touched and should stretch quite easily (it should be wetter than conventional dough).

For the next step, to stop the dough from sticking to your hands. Wet fingers and palm of hands with olive oil. Pinch off 1/4 of the dough. Make a round ball by rolling the dough in your hands. Place dough in a pre-greased cast iron skillet or pizza pan (OR what I used... big cookie sheet). Press the dough with fingers and stretch an even layer over the bottom of the pan right up to the edges. Form a thickness of no more than about 3/4" thickness. Do this with the rest of the dough in other pans.

(NOTE: I used the whole dough for my pizza in a big cookie sheet. Worked great!)

You can add your toppings on the crust and then let it rise OR you can let it rise than put your toppings on. I put my toppings on after I let it rise, but I don't think one way is better than the other. After you put your toppings on make sure you drizzle olive oil (about 2 Tbsp) over everything, then sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.

Place in a warm spot and leave to rise for about 2 to 6 hours (8 hours is best) until the base almost doubles in height. Bake in a hot oven set to 450 F and bake for 15-20 minutes. To determine if the pizza is ready, lift an edge of the pizza to reveal the base. It should be golden brown.

Our family (except for Bardo) enjoyed sweet onions, red peppers, sliced roma tomatoes, fresh cilantro, and fresh basil. I sprinkled soy cheese on 3/4 of it and just a little feta on the other 1/4. The crust turned out amazing using the kefir start I started growing last week. I'm now a believer in kefir, especially since I can make it with soy milk. Next time I will put the crust on parchment paper for easier clean-up.

Thick and Hearty Split Pea Soup

2011-02-03T16:10:00.001-07:00

this is an amazing soup I found on Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, diced
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 cups dried split peas, checked carefully for debris and rinsed
6-8 cups water
2 medium potatoes, coarsely chopped
1 large bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1-2 teaspoons liquid smoke
2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Lightly spray the bottom of a pressure cooker or Dutch oven with canola oil. Sauté the onions for about 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan often, until they begin to caramelize. Add the garlic, carrots, and celery and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the peas to the pot. If you’re using a pressure cooker, add 6 cups of water; forregular cooking, add 8 cups water. Stir in the potatoes, bay leaf, celery seed, basil, and thyme.

For pressure cooking: Seal the cooker and bring to high pressure. Lower heat and cook at high pressure for 6 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the pressure to come down naturally. If beans are not completely cooked, cover loosely and cook (without pressure) until they reach the desired tenderness.

For regular cooking: Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over very low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until peas are soft and disintegrate when stirred.

Add the liquid smoke, salt, and pepper. Check the seasoning and add more herbs if necessary. Cook several minutes uncovered to thicken (or add water to thin). Serve with warm whole-grain bread.

Makes about 8 servings, and tastes even better the next day!

Per serving: 216 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (2% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 41g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 565mg Sodium; 15g Fiber.

Spiced Butternut Squash Muffins

2011-01-13T20:08:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

(makes 12 muffins)

Dry:

1.5 C whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 C cane sugar
1/3 C finely ground flaxseed
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Wet:

1 C pureed butternut squash (canned or fresh)
1/2 C raisins (or chocolate chips)
1/2 C skim milk
2 small very ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

1) In two separate bowls, mix dry, then wet, and then combine, adding wet to dry and stirring gently until the mixture is uniform-ish.

2) Spoon the mixture into a non-stick (or sprayed with PAM) muffin tray. Don’t forget to sprinkle some raw oats on top to make ‘em look pretty!

3) Pop them in the oven for about 25 minutes. Fork check to make sure they are done.

My notes: I used half an avocado instead of the second banana, wheat germ instead of flax meal, and squirted a little bit of agave into the wet ingredients, and of course used soy milk, oh, and I put vanilla in the wet ingredients, too. I used the white sugar, but I think I'll just use a few dates next time because they were a teensy bit too sweet. We put this in the dinosaur pan the Warlock's mom gave our family for Christmas. They were a huge hit. This recipe is from this website.

Yams and Apples

2010-11-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

This recipe is stolen from my friend Christine's private blog. It's so good that I will be making it on Thanksgiving. It's not particularly healthy. Sorry.

Yams and Apples

6 medium yams

5 golden delicious apples

1 cup sugar

2 cups water

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon salt

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 cube of butter

Boil yams and cool. Place peeled, sliced yams and peeled, sliced apples alternating in casserole dish starting with apples. Combine remaining ingredients. Cook until thickened then pour over yams and apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. *I cut the yams in half and boil them with the skin on. Allow them to cool for an hour or so, then with a small knife remove the skins and slice.

Blueberry Corn Pancakes

2010-11-06T10:31:00.001-06:00

This recipe is awesome. MY friend has been trying new recipes and this recipe is from a cookbook call Veganomican. I'm definitely getting the book. I think the recipe calls for too much liquid. I reduced the milk to just 1 cup.

3/4 cup all purpose flour (I use whole wheat)

1/2 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil (I used coconut oil and not that much. I used 2 tablespoons and tripled the recipe.)
1 1/4 cup soy milk
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (I used lemon extract because I didn't have lemon zest at the moment and it worked well.)
1 cup fresh blueberries
cooking spray or a little oil for greasing the pan

Preheat a large non-stick pan on medium high heat.
Sift together flour, cornmeal, bakig powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine all other ingredients. Add wet to dry, mix until just combined, then fold in the blueberries. Do not over mix or pancakes will be tough.
Spray pan with cooking spray. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup or an ice cream scoop to pour ot batter into pan. Cook pancakes until brown on bottom and bubbles form on top, about 4 minutes. Flip pancakes over with a thin spatula and cook until bottoms are brown and pancakes are barely firm to touch. Transfer to plates. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Fresh Tomato Soup Mmmmm Yummmmm

2010-10-18T21:14:00.000-06:00

This soup recipe taught Silas to say yummmmm. It sounds more like mmmmum when he says it but I think it counts.

I called mom for this recipe and maybe it has been posted before either on this blog or moms, but I figured I needed to put it somewhere I could find it!

1/2 C. chopped onion
1/4 C. butter or margarine
1/4 C. all purpose flour
combine over medium burn to make a paste
2 C. water
gradually add water while mixing with a wire wisk.
6 med. tomatoes peeled and diced
1 T. parsley
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. Thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 t. pepper
add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender.

Pickles

2010-08-28T22:48:00.000-06:00

This is the recipe I got from mom and she received it from someone else. I am not sure who deserves the original credit.

Rinse and wash pickling cucumbers thoroughly.

Combine 3.5 c. vinegar, 6.5 c. water and 1/2 c. pickling salt and boil for 15 minutes

Sanitize jars

Pack jars with dill at the bottom, then cucumbers, more dill at the top, garlic clove (peeled) and 1 Tbsp. sugar. - all of this should be 1 inch below the top of the jar.

Cap with sterile lids.

Bring your canner water to a boil and then turn it off 15 minutes prior to immersing jars. Let the jars sit in the water overnight, preferably outside.

The next morning remove you sealed pickle jars from the canner.

Choke-Cherry Syrup

2010-08-28T22:36:00.000-06:00

First for this recipe you need to live in an area where you can find the berries because you have to pick them yourself.

Rinse 12 lbs of choke-cherries run them through a food grinder so that the pit breaks and you can smell a nutty smell. A hand meat grinder works perfect. Add 3 oz. tartaric acid and 2 qts water.
Let it sit for 48 hours.

Next strain the mixture through a cheese cloth or in my case the corner of a clean pillow case.

For every one cup of juice add 1.5 cups sugar.

Stir until the sugar dissolves.

Pour into jars and can in a hot-water bath canner for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

This is my favorite syrup, EVER!

Solely Delicious - Cream Carmel Popcorn

2010-08-15T08:44:00.002-06:00

Last summer Mom and I attended a class on how to make snowflakes out of stiffened fabric. They were really pretty, but an awful lot of work...if I were ever to make them again, I'd just use paper. What we really got out of the class, however, was an AMAZING Carmel Popcorn recipe. I tried it today, and it is WAY too tasty not to share...in fact I'm sharing it with my church class today :).

2 Cups sugar
1 Cup real butter
1 3/4 Cup corn syrup
2 Cups cream - divided

10 Cups popped corn (I used more like 15, and it probably would have been easier to manage if I'd used 20)
1 Cup sliced almonds
2 cups ribbon coconut (the big flakes that you can get in the bins at the Real Food Store)

Combine the sugar, butter, corn syrup, and 1 cup cream. Bring to a rolling boil. SLOWLY add remaining cup of cream so boiling doesn't stop. Cook to soft ball stage. Pour half over 10 cups of popcorn, ribbon coconut and sliced almonds. Mix well, then add the remaining popcorn and Carmel and mix again (this last bit, wasn't in the original instructions, but it's the way Mom and Dad always do it, and it's much more successful than trying to manipulate all of the Carmel and all of the popcorn all at once). Stir well and spread to cool. I spread mine out on waxed paper to cool, and that was a mistake (it stuck to the waxed paper), next time I'll just spray the counter with some cooking no stick spray and I think that will be more successful. Enjoy!

Chipotle Black Bean-Barley Soup

2010-08-11T20:11:00.003-06:00

I've tried several of the Green Smoothie Girl's recipes, and I have not yet been disappointed in any of her salads, but I haven't been as big of a fan of her other recipes. This one, however, was really tasty. I forgot to soak beans the night before, and I didn't feel like waiting an hour to eat (it was already time to eat when I started cooking) so I just used canned beans and added them towards the end. I also used pearled barley, because I couldn't find hulled barley in the tiny store in my town, but in the end it was probably a good thing because it cooked much more quickly than I anticipated. I also couldn't find dry chipotle peppers or chipotle sauce, so I used canned chipotle peppers, and took a couple out, added water, blended them up and used that as the chipotle sauce. Also, I pureed the peppers with some of the soup as she says you can, and this made it pretty hot, but it wasn't so unbearable that I couldn't eat it. I rather enjoyed the kick it had to it; but I'll admit that I wished I'd made corn bread to go with it because it kicked hard!

2 C dry black beans, rinsed well
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
2 small yellow onions, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 medium green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp ground cumin
3 dried chipotle chilies
2 tsp hot chipotle sauce
8 C water
2 bay leaves
1/2 C barley (hulled, not pearled - pearling partially refines the grain)
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 C fresh orange juice
1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Soak the black beans overnight, then drain and rinse well. Heat coconut oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, peppers, carrots, and garlic and saute 5 minutes. Reduce heat and add the oregano, cumin, chilies, and sauce and saute for 1 minute. Add the water, bay leaves, beans, and barley. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower it to a simmer and cook uncovered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the beans are tender. Stir in the cocoa powder, cinnamon, orange juice, cilantro, vinegar, and salt and simmer for 5 minutes uncovered. Remove the dried chipotle peppers before serving (either throw them away or puree them with a bit of soup and add them back in). Optionally serve with Cornbread or Whole Wheat Biscuits.

Spinach-Orzo Ensalata

2010-08-11T19:51:00.005-06:00

Oh this is so tasty! I think I could eat it every day for every meal and never grow tired of it.
1 C uncooked whole-wheat orzo pasta (boil it approx 6-7 minutes and rinse well to keep grains separate, then cool)
10+ C spinach (about 2 10-oz. bags, chopped)
1 pkg. fresh basil, cut into ribbons
2 tomatoes, diced small
1 can black olives sliced
2 oz. capers (half a 4-oz. jar), drained
1/2 C raw pine nuts
optional: shaved Parmesan to taste

Tangy Dill Dressing
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
1/4 C fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
2 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp. dried (or 1/4 C fresh) dill weed

Toss all salad ingredients except optional Parmesan. Blend dressing ingredients. Add dressing to taste and toss. Top each plate with saved Parmesan if desired.

So, that's the original recipe. Because I'm cheap and lazy and there's only one of me, I do things a little differently. I half the recipe, substitute pumpkin seeds for pine nuts (since they cost an arm and a leg right now), I add more tomatoes than it originally calls for, and I use frozen orange juice from concentrate in my dressing and it all turns out just fine. Oh yeah, and when Mom and I made the dill dressing from the fresh dill weed she has in her garden it turned the most beautiful green color! I eat the Tangy Dill Dressing on everything. It is delicious!

Pesto Sauce

2010-08-11T19:44:00.003-06:00

Lisa asked for this recipe, so I thought, why not make it easily accessible to all. Our dear Silly Witch did an excellent preparing it while we were at home, didn't she?

2 cups fresh basil leaves*
2 medium cloves of garlic - peeled and minced
1/8 cup lemon juice
1 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

*May substitute cilantro

Directions: Blend on high speed in blender, or, if you have a Blendtec just hit hte Sauces/Dips button.

Chilled Blueberry Pie with Lemon Crust

2010-06-22T16:10:00.004-06:00

We went blueberry picking. It was fun.

When I got home, I had just enough blueberries to make a pie. It was hard, but I sent my perfect blueberries through the blender to make the blueberry "cream." The color was gorgeous. I should have taken a picture. Here's the recipe I used:

Lemon Crust

2 cups cashews, ground to flour
1/3 cup agave
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pinch of sea salt

Grind the cashews to flour in a coffee grinder. Add the cashew flour to a food processor along with the remaining ingredients and process until well incorporated. The mixture should turn into a ball like paste. Place the piecrust in a bowl and transfer to a refrigerator for an hour or two, or freeze for a half-hour. This helps the piecrust firm up and makes it less sticky and easier to handle.

Shaping the crust

Grease the pie dish with a about ½ tablespoon coconut oil; set the pie dish aside. Remove the dough from the refrigerator/freezer and place it on a cutting board or working surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough enough to make it 9-inches round in diameter. Lift the dough from the cutting board with a spatula and place it into the pie dish. Mold and shape the dough to the pie dish. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Blueberry Cream

3 cups fresh organic blueberries, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup agave
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup coconut oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Blend the blueberries, agave, lemon juice, coconut oil and sea salt together in a high-speed blender. Strain the blueberry cream through a mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing and stirring with a rubber spatula, to remove most of the blueberry skin particles.

Yields 2 ¼ cups

Assemble the pie

Pour the blueberry cream into the prepared piecrust spreading it evenly using with a rubber spatula or spoon. Place in the refrigerator or freezer to allow the blueberry cream to firm up.

Remove from the refrigerator/freezer and garnish with fresh whole blueberries.

Makes one 9-inch pie: about 8 servings

This is posted on Natural Living Cuisine by Ingrid. We all agree that this pie was delicious, but maybe a little too sweet. Next time I make it I'll use much less agave in the "cream" and make a cashew-date crust.

Veggie Fajita Marinade

2010-05-10T18:11:00.002-06:00

Here's a yummy marinade I put on my vegetables for fajitas. After you mix the marinade with veggies, put the veggies on a cookie sheet and bake them until they are as cooked as you want! My family loves this! I use zucchini, mushrooms, assorted peppers, onions and carrots.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon lemon juice
dash salt & pepper, to taste

Peanut Butter Fudge Pie

2010-05-05T04:37:00.002-06:00

1 (10 inch) pie crust
1 1/3 cups water
3 tablespoons agar flakes or 2 tsp. agar powder
3/4 cup mashed firm silken tofu
1 1/4 cups pure maple syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter (or almond)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Bake pie crust as directed unless using a raw nut crust. I used a crust that used 1 cup almonds, 1 cup walnuts, 3/4 cups dates, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Yummy!

For filling, combine water and agar flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a boil stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until completely dissolved about 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Pour into a blender along with remaining ingredients. Process several minutes until completely smooth. Pour into prepared pie crust. Refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving (best served thoroughly chilled.)

I didn't have agar flakes so I tried tapioca. It thickened but not even so I froze it a little and it still turned out and tasted awesome.

From the Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak

Vanilla-Yogurt Pound Cake

2010-04-14T06:40:00.001-06:00

Another one from my friend . . . . . . . We had this on Easter. It was amazing!

1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt

1/2 cup blended silken tofu (blend first, then measure)

3/4 cup vanilla or plain soy milk

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp lemon extract or grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp orange extract or grated orange zest

2 cups all purpose flour

3 tablespoons arrowroot powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

For the sugar I put in a little less (1 cup) and I used date sugar. For the oil, I used half oil and half applesauce. For the flour I used whole wheat pastry flour. I didn't have arrowroot powder, so I did some combination of cornstarch and additional flour. To make those two bunnies, I 1 1/2 the recipe. So, this will make a little less.

Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan. A metal pan with dark finish is best.

In a large bowl combine soy yogurt, blended tofu, soy milk, sugar, oil, and extracts. Use an electric mixer to beat until smooth, about 2 min.

Sift in the flour, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a rubber spatula to combine, then beat with mixer for 1.5-2 minutes until a very thick batter forms. Don't overmix

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake 60-65 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a little moisture is ok). Don't open the oven to peek for at least the first 45 minutes of baking. (my bunnies only took about 45min to bake because they were thinner).

Cookbook tip: This cake has a very thick batter and requires a well-preheated oven at just the right temp to rise properly. Allow oven to heat for at least 20 minutes.

Lower-fat deep chocolate Bundt Cake

2010-04-13T06:25:00.003-06:00

This recipe is from my friend. These are her alterations and directions for this cake. I'm going to try it for my hubby's birthday.

1 3/4 cup soy milk (in the original this was brewed coffee, I used the milk)
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup applesauce
1/2-3/4 jar of black cherry jam
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup date or palm sugar (original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Between the jam, maple syrup, and "healthier sugar" I feel that was covered. You could also use sweetened soy milk.)
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract (I would use less, as this is a pretty strong flavor, or leave it out all together if you don't like that flavor)
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Frozen cherries, 1 bag

The cherries was my addition to add moisture and sweetener with the jam. If the commissary does not have frozen cherries, try a different fruit flavor. Raspberry or strawberry? Raspberries are tarter, though. For Julie's shower, the cake was drier. I used a little less soy milk because i was adding moisture with the jam, maple syrup, and frozen cherries, so I thought I should cut back on the milk. When I made it for my birthday, I used the full amount of milk and a whole bag of cherries and the cake was significantly moister. So, you can decide how you might like it and adjust accordingly.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Lightly grease an 8 or 10 inch bundt pan. Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat stirring so it does not burn. Just before it reaches boiling, turn off heat and whisk in the cocoa. Then mix in the jam and maple syrup. Set aside and allow to cool a little.

In a mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, oil, applesauce and cornstarch until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved, about 2 minutes. (I could never tell if they actually dissolved, I just mixed it well).Mix in the vanilla and almond extract. Add the soy milk mixture from the stove.

Sift in the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Beat until relatively smooth. Add frozen cherries and mix in. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes (or a little less if you want it moister) until toothpick inserted through its center comes out clean. If your pan is on the smaller side it could take longer. Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate to cool completely.

Another variation I thought of instead of baking fruit into it, is to make a fruit topping to serve with it. Like if you did strawberries, use jam in the cake, but then serve it with fresh cut up strawberries instead of baking frozen ones into it. Sorry, a lot of experimentation when you have to adapt these vegan, yet not so healthy recipes.

Mushroom Pecan Burger

2010-04-13T00:37:00.001-06:00

This comes from epicurious.com and they are outstanding!!!
1 1/2 pounds (685 g) cremini mushrooms (I think that any kind would be fine)
1/2 cup (30 g) fresh parsley (or dried, just use 1/3 the amount…so 3 TBSP)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, divided (I did not use this much)
2 large-size yellow onions, finely chopped
3 large-size garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 to 2 cups (165 to 220 g) bread crumbs or cracker meal
3 tablespoons (45 g) tahini
2 tablespoons (30 g) hoisin sauce
3/4 cup (85 g) toasted pecans or walnuts, chopped
3 tablespoons (45 ml) tamari soy sauce
1 teaspoon (2 g) dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
salt and ground pepper, to taste
Preparation
In a food processor, mince mushrooms and parsley. Remove and set aside.
In a sauté pan over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil and cook onions and garlic for 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to a large-size bowl, and combine with minced mushrooms and parsley, bread crumbs, tahini, hoisin sauce, chopped nuts, tamari, oregano, sage, salt, and pepper.
Place mixture in refrigerator for at least half an hour. Mixture will be soft, but you should be able to form patties. Add additional bread crumbs or tahini, if needed.
Create patties using your hands. In a sauté pan, warm remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil, and fry patties over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and crispy. Be careful to keep patties intact.
Serving Suggestions and Variations Instead of making patties, put mixture into 5 x 9 x 2-inch (13 x 23 x 5 cm) loaf pan and bake at 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Rainy Day Lentil Soup

2010-01-27T19:14:00.001-07:00

(serves 6) .

2 cups lentil, uncooked
8 cups water or vegetable stock (I usually do 6 stock, 2 water)
1 med. onion, chopped
2 carrots, thickly sliced (I do more)
1 rib celery, chopped ( I do more)
1 large potato, cut in to cubes
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. crushed coriander
1/2 tsp. cumin
freshly ground pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced
2-4 ounces spinach chopped (I probably use more and I have used kale as well)
2 tsp. red wine vinegar (I love this flavor in the soup)

Start stock and lentils heating in a pot while you chop vegetables. Add all ingredients except garlic, potatoes, spinach, and vinegar. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the potatoes (and kale if you are doing kale) and simmer for another 10 minutes or so. Check to make sure lentils, potatoes, and vegetables are tender. If yes, add garlic and spinach and cook for just a couple of minutes to allow spinach to wilt. Stir in vinegar at the end and serve.

Shelley's Holiday Ribbon Salad

2009-10-26T21:25:00.002-06:00

I'm posting this recipe because my hubby LOVED it. He didn't even eat it with salad dressing. I couldn't find radishes and I only had a few pomegranate seeds so I added craisins as well. I ate it with the dressing and really enjoy it too. This recipe is also in the greensmoothiegirl's book.

2 cups each, kale and collards, cut in fine ribbons
2 cups cabbage, shredded or finely chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 cup radishes, finely chopped
2 apples, shredded
1 large mango, finely
3/4 of a pomegranate
2 avocadoes, chopped

Mix all well, and serve with any tangy dressing.

Optional dressing:

Dill Lemon-Honey Dressing

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. honey
2 garlic
1 Tbsp. dry dill (or 1/4 cup fresh)
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Blend all ingredients in mixer. Excellent on whole-wheat veggie wraps or Shelley's Holiday Ribbon Salad.

Chipotle Black Bean Soup

2009-10-26T21:02:00.002-06:00

I love this soup! It's from the greensmoothiegirl. www.greensmoothiegirl.com. I highly recommend downloading her book. I love her recipes. Here's a taste of what's in there.

2 cups dry black beans
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
2 small onion
2 carrots
2 medium green bell pepper
2 cloves
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
3 dried chipotle chilies
2 tsp. hot chipotle sauce (I didn't use this)
8 cups water
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup barley (hulled is you can find it)
1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 tsp. sea salt
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Soak black beans overnight, drain and rinse well. Heat coconut oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, peppers, carrots, and garlic; saute for 1 minute. Reduce heat and add oregano, cumin, chilies and sauce; saute for 1 minute. Add water, bay leaves, beans, and barley. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook uncovered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until beans are tender. Stir in cocoa powder, cinnamon, orange juice, cilantro, vinegar, and salt; simmer 5 minutes uncovered. Remove dried dried chipotle peppers before serving (either throw them away, or puree them with a bit of soup and add them back in.) I removed the chilies because it was spicey enough for me.

Serve optionally with corn bread or whole-wheat biscuits.

Honey Bun Popcorn

2009-05-05T21:22:00.001-06:00

One of my friends here in Japan gave me this recipe. It is sooooo good! I love caramel popcorn so this slightly healthier version is great. I made it even healthier by substituting pure maple syrup for the honey. I also did not put any sugar in the honey/maple syrup and reduce the oil and the sugar in the popcorn to just a sprinkling. I also added only a tsp. of butter. It was great and the maple syrup works really well. I also reduced the cinnamon and you can add some vanilla. Enjoy!

Honey Bun Popcorn

1/4 c. Honey
2 tsp cinnamon (I don't usually add this much, lately I've just left it out)
1 T butter
1/2 c. sugar: divided
1/4 c. unpopped popcorn (I add more)
1/4 c. oil (I think I use less)

Combine honey, cinnamon, butter and 1/4 c. sugar in saucepan. Bring to boil over med heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside. Pop popcorn in hot oil and remaining sugar in large pan with lid. (pop it over the stove.) (Our stir crazy popcorn poppers work better!) Remove from heat when the popping stops. Quickly pour in honey mixture and shake to mix well. (I just stirred the honey mixture into the bowl of popcorn with a spoon) Pour into bowl and stir. Cool. Makes 2 quarts.

Spring Rolls and Stuffed Peppers

2009-04-07T00:43:00.002-06:00

Spring Rolls (Baked)

I start with sauteed onion, celery, garlic in a broth or light oil. Then I add veggies like carrots, edamame, broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms. Lastly I add finely chopped cabbage and spinach, bean sprouts, and finely chopped water chestnuts. Cook to taste, add salt (flavoring) to your liking. Cool the stir fry (very important). Wrap in lumpia wrappers (I stuff them pretty big) and bake on a cooking sheet. I added a spritz of fake butter to the top but I'm not sure if that matters. The outside will be crunchy. There are several dips you can make, find one your family likes.

Fresh Spring Rolls (My Favorite)

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons sweetener

2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic

1 ounce rice sticks

1 cup peeled, shredded carrot

1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons shredded fresh basil

1 cup shredded green leaf lettuce

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/4 cup finely chopped scallions

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup seeded red bell pepper

16 medium shrimp or mushrooms

8 8-inch round rice-paper sheets

Mix first 6 ingredients together and set aside. This is the Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce. Cook rice sticks to instructions about 3 minutes, drain under cold water, drain again. Combine rice sticks, carrots, cilantro, basil, lettuce, garlic, scallions, red pepper flakes, and bell peppers in a large bowl. Cut each shrimp in half lengthwsie or mushroom. Place one rice paper sheet in a shallow bowl or pain. Cover with 1" lukewarm water and let stand for 30 seconds or until soft. Place the sheet on a flat work surgace. Place 1/2 cup rice stick filling in the center of the sheet. Place the roll on a plate and cover with a damp towel. Repeat with the remaining rice-paper sheets, filling and shrimp. Place the dipping sauce in a small bowl and serve with the rolls.

The Volumetrics Eating Plan by Barbara Roll, PH.D. pg. 82-83

Dipping Sauce Ideas:

Hoisin-Chili Sauce:
3/4 cup prepared hoisin sauce
1/4 cup minced onion
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 to 3 teaspoons Asian Red Chili Paste
2 tablespoons minced salted roasted peanuts

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine Hoisin sauce, onion, rice vinegar, and water; heat and stir approximately 3 minutes until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in chili paste. Let sauce cool at least 30 minutes. Just before serving, stir in peanuts.

Curried Mayonnaise Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon water
2 teaspoon curry paste (or to taste)

In a bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, lime juice, water, and curry paste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Garlic-Lime Sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup hot water
1 red serranto chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fish sauce

In a medium bowl, combine sugar and hot water; stir to dissolve the sugar. Whisk in chile pepper, garlic, lime juice, and fish sauce. Serve at room temperature.

Strawberry Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon strawberry preserves
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, strawberry preserves, ginger, and red pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Spicy Peanut Sauce:
Bunch fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoons hot chili sauce
1 tablespoons rice vinegar

In a food processor or blender, place the cilantro leaves, peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, chili sauce, and rice vinegar. Process until smooth. Serve at room temperature.

Lemon Vinaigrette Sauce:
Juice of one lemon
Juice of one lime
Juice of one orange
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced

In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and ginger. Allow mixture to sit fifteen minutes; strain out the ginger and any citrus seeds. Add the shallots and slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Appetizers/SpringRolls.htm

Stuffed Peppers

Cut the very top of peppers and clean the inside. Boil the peppers for 5 minutes. Make a simple mixture for the inside- start with onions in a little oil/liquid (I used one whole onion), next add TVP (I used 1/2 bag), next add frozen corn (I used nearly 2 cups), next add brown rice (I used 2+ cups and could add more), and lastly add with 1/2 can tomato sauce and simmer for a few minutes. Stuff the mixture inside the peppers and top with sauce to taste (also suggested is mozzerella cheese but I omitted and it was fine). Bake until ready. You don't need to bake them too long because everything is already hot.

Recipe for Family Fun

2009-01-19T04:29:00.002-07:00

Here is something I did for family home evening tonight. I read about it in my book called The Potentially Sane Mother's Guide to Raising Young Children by Tamara A. Fackrell. The first section is about the family team. We read Matthew 12:25 and discussed being united as a family team and working together. The family teaching activity was called: Homemade Ice Cream Team. Here is the recipe (if it wasn't healthy for our bodies it was healthy for family unity!):

Ice Cream Ingredients:
1 quart whole milk
1 quart half and half (I only bought half the amount by accident, but it still worked)
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Other items:
Ice (tons!!!!)
Rock Salt (Lots!)
1 gallon-sized zipper bag
1 pint-sized zipper bag for every two people

Mix the ice cream ingredients together and pour the mixture back into the containers.
Have family members pair up or rotate bags (that's what we did).
One partner takes a large bag, and the other takes a small bag.
Fill the large bag half full of ice and sprinkle in plenty of rock salt (two adults handfuls, 3-4 small child handfuls).
Pour the milk mixture into the small bag until it's half full. Press all the air out of the small bag and place it inside the large one. Press all the air out of the large bag.
To make ice cream, the bag needs constant movement. Work in teams to keep it constantly moving until you reach your goal. The process takes about fifteen minutes--ten if you prefer a milkshake!
Add toppings to make your treat even more delicious.
Talk about how this activity involved teamwork. Sometimes the team members' hands got cold--sometimes teamwork can be uncomfortable--but it is nice to share the burden with another person. Explain that working together is sometimes hard, but sweet is the reward. Matthew 12:25.

This was a great activity even for my young family. I have never had all my kids attention at family home evening and not one of them left to do something else! They all wanted to help, and we did have cold hands afterwards. We also ran out of ice, so my hubby ran outside to get some!!! Thanks goodness it's winter time. The ice from outside worked like a charm. Hopefully you can all do this activity sometime. I'll never buy an ice cream maker now that I know all you need it are a couple of plastic bags!!!

Sour Chick-Peas

2009-01-12T16:26:00.002-07:00

Here's one more Indian recipe that our friends made for us.

2 1/4 cups chick-peas, washed and drained
7 1/2 cups water
3 medium onions
2 1/2 teaspoons salt (yikes)
1 fresh, hot green chili, finely chopped
1 tablespoon peeled, very finely, grated ginger
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Soak the chick-peas in the water for 20 hours. Put the chick-peas and their soaking liquid into a large pot and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours or until the chick-peas are tender. Strain the chick-peas and save the cooking liquid.

Put 2 tablespoons of the copped onions, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the green chili, ginger, and lemon juice into a small cup. Mix well and set aside.

Put a little oil in a heavy, wide pot and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put tin the remaining copped onions. Stir and saute for about 8-10 minutes or until the onion bits develop reddish brown spots. Add the tomatoes. Continue to stir and saute for another 5-6 minutes, mashing the tomato pieces with the back of a slotted spoon. Put in the coriander, cumin, and turmeric. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds. Now put in the drained chick-peas and 1 3/4 cups of their cooking liquid, the remaining salt, garam masala, and cayenne. Stir to mix and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn heat to low, and cook very gently for 20 minutes. Stir a few times during this period. Add the mixture in the cup. Stir again to mix. Serve hot or lukewarm.

Mixed Vegetables in a Mustard and Cumin Sauce

2009-01-12T16:25:00.001-07:00

This past Friday our neighbors had us over from some Indian food. It was really, really good so I'm posting the recipes before I forget and have to return his book!

1 lb. potatoes, boiled, cooled, and peeled
1 medium-sized cauliflower, broken into fairly chunky florets
8 cloves garlic
3 inch piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds (If only I could find these here!!!)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon kalonji (I have no idea what this is and our friend admitted to leaving it out)
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/4-1 1/2 teaspoons salt (I would probably not use this much. It's a little to much for my piece of mind!)
2 cups finely chopped tomatoes
2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
1/2 teaspoon garam masala (this is a spice blend)
2 cup peas, fresh, or frozen and defrosted

Cut the potatoes into thick "chips" about 1 1/2 inches long. Put a little oil in a wok or frying pan and saute until golden. Remove and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with cauliflower. Remove.

Put the ginger and garlic into the a food processor or blender with 4 tablespoons of water and blend until you have a smooth paste, pushing down with a rubber spatula when necessary.

Put a little oil in a pan and when hot add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop put in the kalonji and 2 seconds later the fennel seeds. Give one quick stir and add the paste from the blender. Stir and saute for 2 minutes. Put in the turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, and cayenne. Stir once or twice and put in the salt and tomatoes. Stir and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the tomatoes are soft. Add 2 1/2 water and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for about 7 minutes. Put in the carrots, cover again, and simmer for 3 minutes. Now put in the garam masala, peas, potatoes, and cauliflower. Mix gently and bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer on low heat for 6-7 minutes, stirring gently now and then.

Sweet Potato, coconut and shrimp soup

2009-01-06T03:57:00.001-07:00

My friend has this soup on her blog. It was really really good. I didn't add the shrimp but I can imagine how yummy it would be with shrimp in it. Our soup was exciting because the sweet potatoes here are purple at the moment! My oldest thought it was the greatest idea to have purple soup!

smidge of olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped red bell pepper
3/4 c. chopped celery
2 cloves minced garlic
4 c. peeled, cubed sweet potatoes
1 T grated ginger root
3/4 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp coriander
3/4 tsp curry
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 cups chicken broth
1 can light coconut milk
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 T cilantro
3 T basil leaves, fresh, chopped
2 T peanut butter
1 T brown sugar
1 T lime juice
1 lb cooked medium shrimp, tails removed

In soup pot, cook onions, pepper, celery and garlic until soft. Stir in sweet potatoes, ginger root, and bottled spices. Cook for 30 seconds. Add broth, coconut milk, and pepper. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, just until sweet potatoes are tender.
Transfer half the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Return pureed soup to pot with remaining soup. Stir in cilantro, basil, peanut butter, brown sugar, and lime juice. Mix well. Add shrimp and heat for about 2 more minutes, just until shrimp is hot.

Brownie Fruit Pizza

2009-01-01T21:56:00.001-07:00

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup sweetener (I've used maple syrup, date sugar, and pureed dates into the tofu)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 12.3 oz. package Mori-Nu Lite Silken Tofu, firm or extra firm (I've used other types of tofu and it is fine)

1/2 cup fortified soy milk or rice milk

1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat over to 350. Stir flour, sweetener (if dry), cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Puree tofu in a food processor or blender until completely smooth, then blend in milk, vinegar, and vanilla. Add tofu mixture to dry ingredients and stir just enough to mix. Spread batter on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 10-15 minutes. Cool. I spread a macadamia nut cream on the brownie. (Macadamia nut cream: 2/3 cup dates, 1 1/3 cup macadamias, 1 cup soymilk) You could try spreading a low sugar jam on it as well or whatever you want. Then add fruit of choice. I added apple, banana, pineapple, kiwi, mandarin, oranges and a little coconut on mine.

Crispy Caribbean Veggie Wraps

2009-01-01T21:46:00.001-07:00

These are so good. My youngest daughter kept eating these and wouldn't stop! Be sure to double the recipe. You'll be glad you did.

1 medium sweet potato

1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained (I actually added the whole can of beans)

1/4 cup red onion

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon each ground cumin and chopped jalapeno

1 garlic clove

1/4 cup water

22 wonton wrappers (I couldn't find them so I used lumpia wrappers cut into fourths)

1 1/2 cups salsa

Bake or microwave the sweet potato until tender. Cool. Slit potato and scoop pulp into a small bowl. Mash pulp; stir in the next eight ingredients. Lightly brush water over all four edges of one wonton wrapper. (Keep wrappers covered with a damp paper towel until ready to use.) Spread 1 tablespoon filling along one edge of the wrapper; roll up tightly. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Place on a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Lightly spray wraps with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with salsa.

Veggie Turkey Roast

2009-01-01T21:38:00.001-07:00

8 oz. cashew nuts, raw, whole and ground

4 oz. whole wheat bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten (optional)

1 onion, small and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 parsnips, medium-sized, coarsely chopped (or any other white root vegetable, parsnips, potatoes etc.)

1 teaspoon rosemary, fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon thyme, fresh, or 1/2 teaspoon dried

pinch of sage (I put in more)

1 teaspoon miso (Asian food section)

1/2 cup water, hot

3 tablespoons olive oil

8 oz. mushrooms, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ground cashews with breadcrumbs. If using egg, add to dry ingredients. Steam parsnips until soft and then mash. Add parsnips and herbs to nut mixture. Water saute onion, garlic and mushrooms and then add to the nut mixture. Dissolve miso in 1/2 cup hot water, then add to mixture and mix thoroughly. Grease baking tray with olive oil and shape mixture to look like a turkey or place in a loaf pan, or shape like a loaf on a baking tray. Bake for 1 hour covered, last 15 minutes uncovered. Check earlier as sometimes it is done before an hour.

I've been trying out new recipes!

2008-12-04T22:31:00.008-07:00

For dinner today I tried out a new soup Recipe that I found in a Magazine I like to read: Real Simple. I liked it.

Squash and White Bean Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion

1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 - inch pieces (4 cups)

1 Tbsp fresh thyme

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 15-oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed ( I used white beans)

1 bunch spinach, thick stems removed

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes

Stir in the squash, thyme, 5 cups water, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the squash in tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the beans and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted and the beans are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

The recipe included some biscuits but I found a recipe online at allrecipes.com that I used

Cheese Biscuits

1 c flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 c. milk
1/2 c. cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix together and fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes. Super Easy!

Adam really liked these even though the soup wasn't his favorite.

Yesterday I made some Christmas cookies out of the Real Simple magazine (I told you I've been trying out recipes!)

Pecan Snowballs

1 c. pecans

1 c. unsalted butter at room temperature

1 3/4 c confectioners' sugar

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp pure almond extract

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 c. all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 350. Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes. Let cool and roughly chop. ( I chopped them finely in the Cuisinart so that Kael could eat them)

With an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1 c. of the sugar until fluffy. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts and salt. Gradually add the flour, mixing until just incorporated. Mix in the pecans.

Shape the dough into tablespoon-size balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Transfer half the balls to a second parchment lined baking sheet, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until lightly golden, 18-22 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes.

Place 1/2 c. of the sugar in a large bowl. Toss the warm cookies in the sugar and return to the backing sheet. Sift the remaining 1/4 c. of sugar over the cookies before serving.

This picture shows what Kael is like while I am cooking. First he is happy then bored and then desperate to be picked up!

Real Food Store Gravy

2008-11-05T03:24:00.001-07:00

Mom sent this to me a long time ago. I tried it and it was really good, although my was salt for some reason . . . .

¼ rice flour (I use white flour whenever I feel like it)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
¼ c. soy oil (I use only 1-2 T. olive oil)
2 ¼ c. stock/water
¼ cups Braggs Aminos (It tastes just like soy sauce. You get it at the Real Food Store. I think soy sauce could be substituted here if you can't get Braggs Aminos)
1 1/2 t. minced garlic
3 ½ t. prepared mustard
¾ t. horseradish
¾ t. Worcestershire sauce
Dash of pepper

In a heavy bottomed pan, over medium high heat toast flour and yeast for one minute, stirring constantly (I didn't do this the first few times and I thought the gravy was fine). Whisk in oil and garlic and stir constantly four 30-40 seconds.

Whisk in remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer and allow to cook 15 minutes on low heat. (I just cook until it's thickened.) Add tamari or water if necessary.

The gravy I made tastes just like the Real Foods Store's to me. If you have a mathematician at your house who could do a more precise job reducing the recipe.

Here is the original:

1 c. nutritional yeast
1 c. soy oil
2 T. minced garlic
9 c. stock/water
1 c. Braggs
1/3 c. prepared mustard
1 T. horseradish
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
½ t. black pepper

Orange-Honey Marinade for Salmon

2008-11-02T19:51:00.006-07:00

You all know that I stopped eating a lot of meat . . . so in honor of my once a year meat consumption, here is a picture of me and my friend Karen, at the Salmon Festival with the salmon we caught. Since I caught it with my own hands, I couldn't waste it . . .. (Although I did feel a littel bad after I caught it thinking about the poor fish suffocating!)! And here is the recipe I used to cook it . . . We invited people over from my hubby's work to share it with us.

Salmon Orange-Honey Marinade

1/3 cup orange juice

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp. olive oil

3 tbsp. Ketchup

1 tbsp. honey

1/2 tsp. groung ginger

1 clove garlic

24 oz. of salmon (I had a whole salmon so I made a lot of marinade)

Mix it all together and let marinade for as much time as you remember to marinade it! For me that was 2 hours. I think it's even better if you do it over night.

Quick Breakfast Pudding

2008-09-02T19:51:00.002-06:00

This breakfast is almost like dessert!

8 dried apricot halves
5 or 6 dried figs
1/4 cup raisins
1 green apple
1 cup quick rolled oats (I used regular and it worked)
3 cup soy milk (vanilla)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Chop apricots, figs, and raisins in a food processor. Cut apple in quarters and remove core. Add to dried fruit in food processor and chop fine.

Transfer to a saucepan and add oats, milk, and cinnamon. Heat to a simmer, then cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Pecan Maple Salad

2008-09-02T19:47:00.002-06:00

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup regular soy milk
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 dates
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Mix in blender half the chopped pecans with the other ingredients. Then when creamy, take our of the blender and add the rest of the pecans so the dressing remains lumpy, with some crunch. Pour over romaine, spinach or whatever salad you have. When I made it I used romaine and spinach with apples and peaches in the salad. Yum!

Anything New?

2008-08-14T06:31:00.002-06:00

With Turkey Legs gone I haven't really been experimenting lately in the kitchen. It's very unmotivating to cook when I don't have him around! I have found one way to get my son to eat something green. I pureed up kale and some fruit (like a smoothy) and then froze them in Popsicle molds and he eats them up like crazy. If I put it in a cup he won't touch it, but if it's frozen he begs for a Popsicle!

Anything new in the kitchen with you all?

One last thought: Wouldn't it be fun to be like Michael Phelps and eat 10-12,000 calories a day? I guess that means I have to swim 5 hours a day as well . . . . Oh well . . . !

Mango Strawberry Mousse

2008-07-24T07:07:00.002-06:00

1 lb. tofu, soft (use the kind in the refrigerator)

1 mango

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 basket strawberries

Peel mango and cut of the meat.

Put all ingredients except strawberries into the blender and puree until smooth.

Slice strawberries and mix into mango mousse.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. This step is essential. The three hours develops the flavor. Don't skip this part! Enjoy!

Curry Cauliflower Soup

2008-07-20T06:02:00.003-06:00

Can you believe that here in Japan it is still not too hot to eat soup? Well, this one is healthy . . . but surprisingly good. My friend made it up mostly and then I made some adjustments. Sorry if this recipe doesn't make much sense, but here it goes . . .

One bag celery hearts
6 small zucchini
2 gigantic onions
1 head (is that what you call it?) of garlic
cashews (optional)
coconut milk (optional)

Combine these veggies in a little olive oil and bake around 350-400 degrees for 45 minutes or until soft when pierced with a fork. When done roasting put in a blender and blend until creamy. Add some chicken stock to help with the creamy consistency. At this point you can add cashews for some creaminess and blend them in or a can of coconut milk. My friend added a whole can. I only added 1/2 a cup. Another friend added cashews. Set mixture aside.

A little olive oil
1 TBSP curry
1 TBSP cumin
1 tsp red pepper flakes (or less)
1 tsp chipotle pepper
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper
2 bunches kale, mustard greens, collards green or combination
1 head of cauliflower
1 large sweet potato
1 box chicken broth or more

Combine spices and oil in a pan. Mix together. Add veggies except greens and then a little water to steam the veggies until tender. When tender add broth, reserved pureed veggies and greens. Heat through until greens are cooked.

This recipe is really good, however don't put too many red pepper flakes in it. I think I seriously over seasoned mine with that. Also, it tasted good with some toasted coconut on top. Enjoy!

Almost Caesar Dressing

2008-07-20T05:59:00.002-06:00

2 T. ground almonds
3 cloves of garlic (roast if you want, but add more if you do)
3 T. nutritional yeast (my friend used sesame seeds since she didn't know what this was)
2 T. soy sauce
3 T. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. water
1 T. olive oil

Mix together.

Bean and Tomato Casserole

2008-06-25T10:54:00.005-06:00

This recipe my dears is everything a dinner main course should be--convenient, delicious, fast, easy, healthy, versatile, and cheap. I put it in the oven on delay start and time bake while Pippi and Bardo and I played in the pool. When we arrived home the kitchen smelled like chili and the kids were READY to eat. I popped Jiffy muffins to go along with it to cook while I showered, and "voila!" dinner was ready the moment I was ready. This time, I used black beans and white beans. Next time I think I'll chop some greens into it. I found this Recipe on pg 512 of How to Cook Everything by Mark Bitman.

1 Tablespoon chili powder (I halved the reciped and still used a whole tablespoon)
6 cups drained cooked or canned beans, any type or a mixture
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons minced frash savory, marjoram, or oregano leaves or about 20 fresh basil leaves, torn (I used the basil.)
4 medium-large tomatoes, sliced
2 large onions, sliced
1 cup grated Jack or Cheddar cheese

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahreinheit. Stir the chili powder into the beans; taste and add more if you like.

Step 2 : In a baking dish or casserole, place a layer of beans; Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with a little of the herb. Add a layer of tomatoes, one of onions, and a sprinkling of cheese. Repeat until all the ingredients are used up, finishing with a fairly thick layer of cheese.

Step 3: Bake until the casserole is hot and the cheese melted and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Tropical Rice Pudding Parfaits

2008-06-05T03:53:00.002-06:00

This was yummy. I going through a sweet tooth stage right now. As I'm typing the baby is climbing up to the table and eating the left overs. Turkey Legs liked it better without the fruit, I liked it with the fruit. I also didn't use light coconut milk. My neighbor searched all over the city today for a red onion. She couldn't find one anywhere. Isn't that weird. If you can't find a red onion here there is no way you will find light coconut milk! The commissary was also out of bananas yesterday. I think we have reached an all time low . . . !

Serves: 6
Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup short grain brown rice (preferably brown sweet rice*)
2 cups water
2 cups unsweetened soy milk, divided
1/2 cup canned unsweetened light coconut milk*
1 cup date sugar*
4 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted, reserving 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Fruit Layer:
2 cups chopped fresh pineapple, drained
2 cups chopped fresh organic strawberries
1 tablespoon date sugar

Instructions:
Cook rice in water according to package directions. Bring 1 cup soy milk, coconut milk, and 1 cup date sugar to boil in medium saucepan and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Whisk arrowroot powder into remaining soy milk and add to boiling mixture. Simmer and whisk until thickened. Remove from heat.

Toast coconut over medium heat until lightly browned, shaking pan occasionally. Fold in cooked rice, coconut, and vanilla. Pour into bowl, cover and refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours.

Mix chopped pineapple and strawberries with 1 tablespoon date sugar.

Assemble: Spoon a layer of rice pudding into each of 6 clear parfait glasses. Top each with a layer of the fruit mixture. Repeat layers with remaining pudding and fruit mixture. Sprinkle reserved lightly toasted coconut on top.

*May be found in health food stores.

Summer Fruit Pie

2008-06-01T23:38:00.002-06:00

This was so good my husband and I put the left over in the freezer and ate the rest when the kids were in bed. Yum! One tip: If you freeze it longer than 2 hours your will need it to thaw a little before eating. It was way too hard to get a knife through.

Serves: 8
Preparation Time:

Ingredients:

PIE SHELL

1 cup almonds

1 cup dates, pitted (medjool are preferred)

PIE FILLING

3 bananas, sliced

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 kiwis, sliced

1 quart organic strawberries

1 pint blueberries

1/2 cup vanilla soy milk

1/2 bag frozen strawberries or 1 pint fresh organic strawberries

2 dates (I added a few more!)

Instructions:
Make pie shell by placing almonds in a food processor and processing until very fine. Add dates and process until chopped and mixed well. Press mixture in a pie plate to form shell. (This might be a little crumbling, but just keep pressing it down hard to get the dates to stick to the almonds.

To make the filling spread bananas on the crust, pressing down slightly. Sprinkle lemon juice over the bananas. Place kiwis, strawberries and blueberries over the bananas. Place the soy milk, frozen strawberries and dates in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour blended mixture over the fruit. Decorate with fruit as desired. Cover and freeze for at least two hours before serving.

Banana Muffins

2008-05-08T19:15:00.001-06:00

Adapted from Zucchini Bread

Adapted from _Sweet & Natural_ by Janet Warrington

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup + 1T soy flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup millet (do they mean whole millet or ground???)

1/2 cup applesauce

2 large egg equivalent

2 cups mashed over-ripe bananas

1/4 cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350 F In a large bowl, mix together flours, baking soda, salt, and millet. Set aside In blender, puree on high speed the applesauce, egg or equivalent, bananas and raisins. Add wet stuff to dry, moisten evenly. Spoon batter into non-stick 12 muffin tin dividing evenly and bake 40-50 minutes at 350 F or until browned. Remove muffins from pan, cool to room temperature. Wrap and chill. Or eat on the spot.

Hot Apple Kasha

2008-05-08T19:13:00.002-06:00

This one looks really really good. I'll have to find something to replace Kasha since I have no idea where to get it here!

1 / 2 c. uncooked millet (do they mean whole millet or ground???)
1 1 / 4 c. water
1 / 4 c. uncooked roasted buckwheat kernels of Kasha
1 / 4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 / 4 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. apple juice
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
1 / 4 c. raisins (optional)
1 / 4 c. brown couscous (optional)

1. Combine millet and water in a pan and bring to a boil over high heat.(watch that it doesn't boil over) Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for15 min. without stirring. 2. Add buckwheat, cinnamon and nutmeg to millet. Add Apple juice, choppedapple, raisins and couscous stirring into pan. Cover and cook for 10 to 12min. or until liquid has been absorbed and grains are tender. 3. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 min. Serve hotGood plain, with milk, sucanat or brown sugar on top.

Oatmeal-Millet Bread

2008-05-08T19:11:00.001-06:00

I hope mom doesn't mind if I post these millet recipes. I just don't want to lose them and I really want to try them!

1 tbs yeast (or 1 pkg)
2 cups thick rolled oats
1/3 cup millet
8 cups stone-ground WW flour
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1/2 cup dark honey
boiling water
sea salt

In one bowl, combine oats, 2 cups boiling water, sea salt, and
sweeteners. Mix and set aside until it cools to just over room
temperature (should be kinda brown and pasty). In a pan, combine
millet and 1/2 cup water; bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover
and let it return to just above room temperature.

Proof yeast. Add grains. Add enough of the flour so that the
dough leaves the bowl. Transfer to dry flat surface. Encorporate
the rest of the flour in by hand. Let dough sit for 5 minutes.
Knead. Transfer to a bowl and let rise until doubled. Punch it
down, shape it into loaves and let it rise again. Bake at 375-400
for about 40-50 minutes.

Broccoli And Tomato Pasta

2008-05-08T19:09:00.001-06:00

Again another one from my friend I haven't tried, but would like to try!

8oz uncooked spaghetti
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a large kettle I boiled water and then added spaghetti, let it boil for 6 minutes. Then I added broccoli and let it boil another 3 or 4 minutes until both pasta and broccoli were tender.
At the same time in the skillet, I saute the tomatoes, garlic and pepper flakes in the oil for about 2 minutes. I then drain the pasta and broccoli mix and add it to the skillet. Then I add the remaining ingredients and toss to coat.

Spinach Lentil Stew

2008-05-08T19:07:00.002-06:00

A friend here gave this to me. I haven't tried it yet, but I didn't want to lose it!

1/2c chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon canola oil
5 cups water
1 cup lentils, rinsed
4 tablespoons vegetable granules (she sometimes uses chicken)
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
1 cup chopped carrots
1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes undrained
1 (10oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (I used cider vinegar because it is what I had)

In a large saucepan you saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add water, lentils, the bouillon, Worcestershire Sauce, salt, thyme, pepper and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add carrots, tomatoes and spinach then return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer again 15 to 20 minutes longer until lentils are tender. Stir in vinegar. Discharge bay leaf before serving.
-With this one, Brandon wanted it served in a bowl over a 1/2 cup of brown rice, which was fine. But then he also said how much he wished it had a few slices of link sausage in it. We might find a compromise on that one.

Cashew Caesar Dressing

2008-04-29T16:38:00.003-06:00

Here's another recipe from Dr. Fuhrman. This one is so good and the best part is no oil! It is kind of thick so it's great as a raw veggie dip and you can put lots on your salad and not feel guilty! Turkey Legs loved it, so did the kids.

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
4 - 8 cloves garlic, roasted *
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup cashew butter
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions:Roast garlic, then blend all ingredients together. * To roast garlic; break the cloves apart. Leave the papery skins on. Roast at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes until mushy. When cool, remove skins. Yield: 2 cups Serving Size: 1/2 cup

Kale Potato Soup

2008-04-22T18:04:00.001-06:00

I was pleasantly surprised with this soup. My oldest daughter ate 2 bowls and my 1 year old was even eating the kale. Give it a try!

1 large onion

1 clove garlic

2 big potatoes

1 large bunch kale

5 cups stock or hot water (stock tastes better)

1- 15 oz. can Great Northern Beans (drained and rinsed)

pepper to taste

Water saute onion, cooking and stirring until clear and slightly golden. About halfway, add the whole peeled garlic; when the onion is done crush the garlic with a fork. Add the potatoes and 2 cups of water. Simmer, covered, until potatoes start to soften around the edges. Meantime, wash the kale, remove stems, chop, and steam. (Don't try to cook it with the potatoes; the flavor will be too strong. Really.) I would recommend chopping the kale pretty small. When the potatoes are very well done, puree half of them with remaining water and the pepper. Combine all the ingredients and heat gently, correcting the consistency if necessary by adding hot water or milk. Makes about 6 cups and serves 4 if no extra water is added.

Another Chocolate Chip Cookie

2008-04-16T00:09:00.003-06:00

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. salt (optional, I didn't add it and it was fine)
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup light tasting oil or applesauce
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 T. water
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all the dry ingredients in and bowl and then the wet ingredients in a different bowl. Add the wet to the dry and stir until moistened. Let sit 5 minutes. They are a little hard to shape, but you can try patting them into a 1/8 or 1/4 measuring cup. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, one baking sheet at a time on the middle rack.

I used applesauce instead of oil and dates instead of chocolate chips. The applesauce changes the consistency of the cookie but it is still really good. My friend who gave me the recipe used oil and they were VERY good and addicting. Turkey Legs couldn't stop eating them, hence, the reason I used applesauce, not quite as addicting!

Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

2008-03-31T23:10:00.001-06:00

The past three recipes are from that same friend Lila.

I usually make at least double portion and save the rest for another day.

Ingredients:

1. 2c. whole wheat flour

2. 1 ½ tsp baking powder

3. 1 tsp salt

4. 1 ½ tsp. oil

5. 1 c. or more lukewarm water

Directions:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together then add oil and water. The mixture should be sticky. Transfer the mixture on a floured surface and knead well until the dough is no longer sticky. The dough should be as soft like an earlobe. If not add more warm water and knead well. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.

2. Divide the dough into several balls (the size it's up to you) and cover them well for 15-30 minutes.

3. Roll out each ball from the center into thin circle. If it's sticky add a thin layer of flour on the rolling pin and surface you are working with.

4. Warm a dry griddle (don't add oil) over medium high heat. Cook the tortillas for 30 seconds on each side or until the dough looks dry, started to form layers.

5. Wrap the cooked tortillas in a dry clean napkin(towel)

*You can cook 3-4 or more tortillas at the same time if you have a griddle or you can use one or two large cast-iron skillets at the same time

Broccoli, Apples, and Red Onion in Honey-Mustard Marinade

2008-03-31T23:06:00.001-06:00

If you are not going to serve this right away, you can leave out the apple slices and add them just before serving

Ingredients:

1. 1 ½ lbs of broccoli

2. 2 tbsp cider vinegar*

3. 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

4. ½ tsp minced garlic

5. ¼ tsp salt*

6. 2 tsp honey*

7. 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil*

8. ¾ thinly sliced red onion

9. 1 or 2 tart apples, sliced

10. Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk ingredients 2-7 together.

2. Cook cut broccoli into a water boiling pot for 1-2 min, or until the broccoli turn bright green. Meanwhile put thin sliced onion in a large colander then pour cooked broccoli over it, then run cold water over until the vegetables cool down.

3. Transfer the vegetables into a serving bowl and add sliced apples and black pepper to taste. Pour the sauce mixture over and toss well. Serve cold or at room temperature.

*These are optional. You can also use about 3-4 tbsp apple juice with Dijon mustard instead of salt, cider vinegar, honey and olive oil. At home, I use Dijon mustard and apple juice and maybe a drop of olive oil for dressing. Add almonds or other nuts if you like.

Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

2008-03-31T23:05:00.001-06:00

My friend Lila made this for a ward brunch. By the end of the activity, a 15 year boy was scraping the bottom of the pan to get the crumbs he liked it so much. It's really yummy and I don't want to lose the recipe!

This recipe can be made with Whole wheat flour tortillas rolled up Enchilada style. I made this dish into two 9x13 baking pans save one in the freezer for another day.

Ingredients:

1. 2 pkgs of yellow corn tortilla or whole wheat flour tortilla *

2. 2 cans of black beans*

3. 1 can of unsalted corn

4. 1 medium onion

5. 3 green bell peppers(or broccoli)

6. 2 pkgs of bottom mushroom

7. 1 can of tomato pasta sauce

8. 1-2 cups of chopped cilantro

9. Pinch of salt, garlic powder, and black peper (optional)

Directions:

1. Blend the black bean with its juice in a blender until creamy.

2. In a pan, sautee the diced onion with a bit of oil for few minutes or so and spoon it out and set aside.*

3. In the same pan, sautee the diced bell pepper, mushroom, and corn with its juice, add a bit of salt, black peper, and garlic powder(optional) then add about ½ cup of water, cook until tender.

4. Spoon a thin layer of pasta sauce on two 9x13 baking pans, then lay ¼ of tortillas evenly on each pan. Then another thin layer of sauce on the tortilla. After that, add ½ of sauteed mixture including onion(save the juice for later) then black bean evenly on the layer. Finally lay rest ¼ of tortillas on each pan, pour sauteed veggie juice on each pans, then add ½ of remaining pasta sauce on the top. Make sure all the tortilla is soaked in the sauce and juice.

5. Bake 375 uncovered for about 40 minutes. The top should feel a bit crispy but soft underneath of layer. Add cilantro before serving.

· If you'd like to use homemade mushed black bean just blend the cooked bean with its own cooked juice and seanson with a bit of salt, garlic and onion powder. The mushed bean should be creamy. I made a lot of this and save it in the freezer for eating with brown rice or tortilla.

· You can omit direction 2 and sautee the onion together with other veggies to save time. But I found it gives the dish more flavor if you cook it seperately.

Hard-cooked eggs

2008-03-23T21:22:00.003-06:00

Gently place 1 dozen eggs in pot. Cover with lots of water. Bring water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat, and let sit in water for 15 minutes. Gently drain eggs and rinse with cold water. Dye (if desired), peel, and enjoy.

Black Bean Lettuce Bundles

2008-03-13T22:45:00.001-06:00

I liked this because it replaces the tortillas with Romaine Lettuce. I did serve tortillas for the rest of my family. I thoroughly enjoyed the crunchiness of the green pepper in the dish. Also, by placing the lettuce on the table whole, my 2 year son hit a milestone and ate lettuce for the first time in his life!

2 c. black beans

1/2 large avocado, mashed

1/2 green pepper

3 scallions

1/3 c. cilantro

2 T. lime juice

1 tsp. cumin

1/3 c. mild salsa

8 large Romaine lettuce leaves

Mash together the beans and avocado. Add remaining ingredients. Serve bean mixture in lettuce leaves like a tortilla.

Bean and Kale Scramble

2008-03-13T22:30:00.001-06:00

I cooked this one up for my husband the other night. When he came home from work and saw what we were having he was very hesitant. However, after he ate it all he said how he was pleasantly surprised by the dish. So, if you are adventurous and willing to give kale a chance, this is a great dish to try.

Serves 3

Ingredients:

8 cups kale (about 2 bunches), chopped

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (I don't like them, so I used 1 fresh tomato, I could have used more)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 cup shiitake mushrooms, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic

water, as needed

1 T. no salt soup base or seasoning

1 cup canned, beans, no salt, any type, reserving liquid

1 1/2 T. of a sweet vinegar like raisin (I used red wine vinegar since that was all I had)

1 T. Dijon mustard

red pepper flakes, to taste

pasta sauce, as desired

1/4 cup any type of nut, chopped

In a large skillet, water saute the kale, tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, and garlic in a little water over medium heat for 5 minutes, adding water as needed so it doesn't scorch. Add bean liquid, soup base, and enough water to keep from scorching. Cover and steam for 10 minutes. Add the beans, vinegar, mustard and res pepper flakes, then cook for 3 more minutes or until mushrooms are tender and liquid cooks out.

You can also top with some pasta sauce and a sprinkling of nuts. I used pecans. I will definitely make this meal again.

2008-03-10T00:26:00.007-06:00

So . . . let me tell you abou these recipes and why they ended up on Neen's Bean's blog, posted by me . . . . I am not a traitor :)

Neen's Bean's was doing a health class the past seven weeks. A ton of people came who were interested in changing their diet and improving their workouts. I went for moral support for her and to have a good time. The classes were awesome. Along the way, I signed up for dr. Fuhrman's website. He has a fantastic recipe data base, including making desserts without white sugar. It's great! So for the last class, I made these two desserts and they were huge successes. There was not one piece of either one left. I personally prefer the Gingerbread Cake, however, the men seemed to prefer the Banana Cream Pie. Both were exceptional. Everyone wanted the recipe so I posted it on Neen's blog for the other people in the class. Neen's gave me privileges to post on her site because she is overwhelmed with recipes (from those in her class) she needs to type in, so I'm helping her. She's trying to collect a huge data base of recipes so we can have a variety of super healthy food to eat. I didn't even feel guilty when I ate these desserts. Turkey Legs loves the cake plain without anything on it. He has requested it as a snack on a winter hike he is going on. I don't mind because it's healthy enough to eat for breakfast or lunch or dinner . . . . .
Enjoy!
PS I did buy a Vita-Mix and it's the best appliance in the world!

Healthy Gingerbread Cake
Serves: 8
Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 cup date sugar (substitution: puree twice as many dates)
1 cup pureed pineapple
1 banana, mashed
1 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 teaspoons ground ginger (I only used 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup currants1 cup peeled and shredded carrots
1 cup peeled and shredded beets

BUTTERNUT LEMON SAUCE
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut in chunks
1/2 cup date sugar (substitution: puree twice as many dates)
1 cup carrot juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

MACADAMIA CREAM
1 1/3 cups macadamia nuts, unsalted
1 cup soy milk
2/3 cup pitted dates, preferably Medjool (soft and plump)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl. In a larger bowl, beat date sugar, pineapple, mashed banana, and applesauce together. Stir in spices. Add the flour mixture along with the chopped walnuts and currants. Now, add the shredded carrots and beets. Mix well. Spread in a nonstick 9 X 9 inch baking pan. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve with Warm Butternut Lemon Sauce and Macadamia Cream.

BUTTERNUT LEMON SAUCE - Cover and simmer squash and date sugar in carrot juice about 15 minutes or until tender. Puree squash with carrot juice, then add lemon, lemon zest, and lemon extract. Keep warm and drench warm cake with it.

MACADAMIA CREAM - In Vita-Mix, Blendtech, or other powerful blender blend all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Place dollop over sauce drenched cake.source: http://www.drfuhrman.com/

Banana Cream Pie

This is so yummy! For the raw tahini I blended in sesame seeds. I don't have the medjool dates, so I added twice as many pitted dates. This may be a little too sweet, but everyone liked it. Enjoy!
Serves: 8
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:

CRUST
1 cup oats
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
3 tablespoons raw tahini1 very ripe banana

FILLING
2 very ripe large bananas
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla soy milk
12-15 medjool dates
1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
4 large romaine lettuce leaves (or other lettuce)
1 tablespoon ground flax seed (optional)
1 teaspoon raw sunflower seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon unhulled sesame seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

CREAM TOPPING
1/2 cups raw cashews
3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla soy milk
8 medjool dates
unhulled sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

CRUST: Blend oats into a flour. Blend banana. In a bowl, thoroughly combine blended oats, banana, tahini, and soy milk. Spread dough in a glass pie dish until bottom and sides are covered. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and cool.

FILLING: Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender. Spoon mixture into pie crust and bake for 40 minutes. Let cool.

CREAM TOPPING: Blend cashews, soy milk, and dates together in a high-powered blender. Spoon over entire surface. If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Refrigerate.source: http://www.drfuhrman.com/

**I made this again and it tastes even better if you put bananas on the bottom of the pan then add the filling. I also used almond extract instead of vanilla for the cashew topping and it was fantastic!

Tofu Nuggets

2008-02-08T23:15:00.001-07:00

One 16 ounce tub of extra firm tofu
1 tablespoon light olive oil
2 tablespoons cornmeal
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt (optional)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Quick Tartar sauce or prepared marinara
bbq sauce or teriyaki sauce

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil baking sheet.
Cut tofu into 1/2" thick slices crosswise to get 6 slabs. Blot well between clean tea towels or several layers of paper towels. Cut each slab crosswise into 4 sections to get 1/2 x 2" nuggets. In a large bowl, genlty toss tofu with with oil (or spray with olive oil cooking spray). Combine the remaining ingredients in a large plastic freezer bag or produce bag and shake to combine. Add the tofu and shake gently until evenly coated. Arrange in a single lalyer in the prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes, then turn carefully and bake another 10 minutes, or until golden and firm. Serve with sauces.

Quick Tartar Sauce
1/2 cup soy mayonnaise
1 tablespoon pickle relish
1 to 2 teaspoons prepared mustard

Combine ingredients in a bowl and stir together until well blended.

Vegetarian Family Cookbook

Apple Strudel

2008-02-08T23:14:00.001-07:00

I just came across a great apple dessert from Dr. Fuhrman. I wasn't really sure if it would be that good as I was making it, but it was fantastic. I ate half the pan! The great thing is that it has absolutely zero sugar! It filled my house with such a nice smell as well. I love guilt free desserts! Enjoy!

1/4 cup apple juice (I didn't have apple juice so I used pineapple, it was great)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg white
1/4 cup vanilla soy milk or milk or whatever you use (I jused unsweetened, plain vanilla soy)
3 apples, peeled and chopped (I didn't peel, too lazy)
1/4 cup raisins (dates could be used, I didn't use anything since my husband is anti-raisin)
1/2 cup rolled oats or oatmeal flakes (I'm going to use more next time, they were so good)

Mix together the juice, vanilla, cinnamon, egg white and soy milk.
Stir in the apples, raisins, and oats.
Pour into an 8x8 inch baking dish. Bake uncovered for one hour.

My recommendation is to double the recipe. A single recipe won't be enough!
I might also cover it with foil since I want it a little less crispy. Either way is delicious!
Bon Appetit

Ratatouille

2008-02-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

Ratatouille means "stew" or "soup" in French. I love this combination. It also reminds me of the fun movie "Ratatouille." Like the rat Remy, I hope fireworks shoot off when you taste the wonderful combination of these veggies!

1 large eggplant
2 medium zucchini
1 large onion
1 green pepper
1 whole clove fresh garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil (broth or water made be used)
3 fresh, ripe tomatoes, chopped or
5 tablespoons tomato paste and
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano

Dice eggplant into 1" cubes and slice succhini in 1/2" rounds. Chop onion coarsely and cut green pepper into squares. Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan with a lid. Saute the onion, garlic, and green pepper until they are soft; stir in eggplant and zucchini and saute a few minutes more. Crush garlic clove with a fork. Add tomato and seasonings. Cover and simmer gently for about 30 minutes or until all the vegetables are well cooked. Uncover and turn the heat up to evaporate some of the liquid, stirring as necessary. Serves 6 to 8.

Variations:
Imam Bayildi: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add a large potato cut in chunks, some sliced mushrooms if you wish, and a cup of broth or water. Instead of simmering on top of the stove, bake in a covered dish for 45 minutes.

Gvetch: Include not only potato chunks and sliced mushrooms, but also 4 carrots sliced in rounds and the juice of 1 lemon. Use only 2 tablespoons water instead of a whole cup and bake as for Imam Bayildi.

Sunshine Bars

2008-01-31T05:15:00.000-07:00

1 cup orange juice
1 cup apricots, loosely packed
1/2 cup honey
1 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins or dates, partly cut up (I prefer dates over raisins)
2/3 cup toasted almond meal (grind almond in a "coffee" grinder)

Preheat over to 350 degrees.
Heat orange juice to boil. Put dried apricots in pan, bring to a boil again, and turn off heat. Cover pan and let apricots absorb juice until tender enough to cut with a sharp knife, but not really soft.
Meanwhile, mix honey and applesauce. Stir oats, flour, wheat germ, cinnamon, and salt together. Drain apricots and add the juice to the honey-oil mixture. Chop apricots coarsely and stir into dry ingredients along with raisins and almond meal. Combine wet and dry ingredients and press mixture in to an oiled 9" x 13" pan. Bake about 30 minutes. Keep an eye on them. Cookies made with honey brown quickly. I go for less time and they turn out more moist. Allow to cool completely before cutting. Makes about 2 dozen large squares.

Playing Around with Amaranth

2008-01-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Pippi and I popped amaranth successfully for the first time. She was so excited, "Mom! It's Barbie popcorn."

So here are a couple more recipes with amaranth that I want to try:

Amaranth Date Nut Bread

1 Cup chopped dates
1/2 cup Amaranth
1 cup boiling water
2 eggs or substitute
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. non-aluminum baking powder
1 cup pecans

Soak dates and amaranth in boiling water 15 minutes. Beat eggs well, add honey and butter, and beat again. Stir in honey and butter, and beat again. Stir in all remaining ingredients, mixing well. Pour into an oiled loaf pan, and bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Makes 1 loaf.

Amaranth Salad Dressing

1 cup Hain Canola Oil
1/2 Cup toasted Arrowhead Mills Amaranth
1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
1 cloves garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients, mix well. Refrigerate overnight to blend flavors. Use as desired. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Healthier Cookie Recipes

2008-01-17T22:57:00.000-07:00

Can you really call a cookie healthy? Here are two recipes that are a little bit healthier. I thought they were good.

Magic Chocolate Chip Cookies, Four Ways

2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds, optional
1 cup applesauce
2 tablespoons safflower oil
Additional ingredients
-1 1/2 -2 cups chocolate chips and 1/2 cup walnuts
-chocolate chip and raisins
-chocolate chip-trail mix
-chocolate chip and granola

Mix Dry ingredients and then add wet ingredients. Stir in additional ingredients. Bake in preheated over at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or so. Let stand 1-2 minutes.

I flattened the cookies before I cooked them and watch the over because I over cooked the first batch.

Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies with Carrots or Apple

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats (I used regular)
2 tablespoons wheat germ or ground flax seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup applesauce
2 tablespoons safflower oil
1/4 cup firmly packed, finely grated carrot, or 1/2 cup peeled and finely diced apple
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Use same directions as above for baking.

Enjoy!

-The Vegetarian Family Cookbook

Fruited Couscous

2008-01-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

I thought it was really good. If you can find whole wheat couscous all the better! I, unfortunately, cannot find whole wheat couscous.

1 cup couscous, preferable whole grain
1 tablespoon light olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large sweet apple, peeled, cored and diced (I didn't peel it)
1/2 dark or golden raisins (I used golden because I actually like them better)
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots or mission figs
1/2 teaspoon good-quality curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup apple or freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup slivered toasted almonds or chopped toasted walnuts, optional
season to taste

Place couscous in a heatproof container. Pour 2 cups boiling water over it, then cover and let stand for 15 minutes. When done, fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet or steep-sided stir-fry pan. Add the onion and saute until trnaslucent. Add the apple and coninute to saute until the onion is golden.

Stir in the couscous, diced fruits, and spices. Add just enough apple juice to moisten. Cook over medium heat until well heated through, 5-8 minutes. Stir in the optional walnuts. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

-The Vegetarian Family Cookbook

Southwestern Rice and Black Bean Salad

2008-01-17T22:30:00.000-07:00

1 1/2 to 2 cups cold cooked brown rice
one 16 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups cooked fresh corn kernels (from 2 medium ears) or frozen corn, thawed
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into narrow 2-inch strips
1 medium firm ripe avocado, diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon or lime, or to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin or light olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
season to taste

Combine the rice, beans, corn, and bell pepper in a serving container. Toss the avocado with the lemon juice, then add to the rice mixture along with the remaining ingredients. Toss to combine. Serve at once or cover and refrigerate until needed. Cilantro or scallions can be added.
From The Vegetarian Family Cookbook

Raisin Bars Revised

2008-01-17T22:20:00.000-07:00

Since I first posted these I've tried making them again and have improved them. First add mostly dates instead of raisins. It tastes way better. I also substituted pineapple juice for the water and they were great. These resemble a Cliff bar. I adjusted the recipe because a few people commented how they didn't turn out that great. These adjustments worked great!

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup oil (I'm going to try 1/2 cup of applesauce instead next time)
1 1/4 finely chopped or ground raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3-1/2 cup water or juice (use 1/3 unless a little more is absolutely necessary to moisten)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Blend the flour, oats, salt, and oil (applesauce) with fingers until evenly mixed. Add raisins, nuts, and water, and mix them in, pressing together with the fingers. (Use larger amounts of water only if absolutely necessary to make it all hold together.) press down very well into a greased 8 x 8 pan and cut into squares with a spatula before baking.
Bake 1/2 hour. Makes 16 two-inch bars.

This was really good. The baby of the family especially loved these. I made them with oil the first time and they were good. I'm anxious to try it with applesauce and see what a happens!

-The New Laurel's Cookbook

Coconut Curried Vegetable Stew

2008-01-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

1 1/2 tablespoons light olive oil (I actually used vegetable broth)
2 medium onions, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
4 medium potatoes, any firm variety, peeled and diced
4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 medium head cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups frozen cut green beans, thawed
1-2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger or to taste
2-3 teaspoons good-quality curry powder or to taste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
one 15-ounce can light coconut milk
salt to taste
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

Saute garlic and onion over medium heat until tender. Add the potatoes, carrots, and 2 cups of water, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently until the potatoes are about half tender, 10-15 minutes. Add the cauliflower, green beans, ginger, curry powder, and turmeric. Cover and continue to simmer very gently until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon to thicken the base. Stir in the coconut milk and season with salt. If time allows, let the stew stand for 1 hour or so before serving. Just before serving, heat the stew and taste to correct the seasonings. Stir in the peas and cook just until the peas are heated through, then serve in shallow bowls.

I didn't add salt but added a little coconut flakes to it. I would recommend passing the salt around the table instead of adding to the pot. This way you won't use as much. You can also add 2 fresh mild chili peppers and 1/4 cup cilantro. I'll try it this way next time.

From the Vegetarian Family Cookbook.

Granola

2008-01-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

18 C grains
1 C sesame/sunflower seeds
2-3 C chopped nuts
2 C sucanat/pure cane sugar

1 C oil
1 1/2 C honey
2 tsp vanilla

Raisins, craisins, chocolate chips, and anything else you like in granola.

Mix together the grains, seeds, and chopped nuts. Mix the oil, honey, and vanilla. Heat until runny. Pour liquid over the grain mixture and mix together well, then add the sucanat. Spread granola two large cake pans and bake in the oven for 18 min. Stir granola, then (if not using a convection oven) place the pan that was on the bottom, on the top, and vice versa and bake for another 18 min.

This was my first time making granola. Mom gave me good instructions and it turned out really well. With the grains, make sure to use types that are rolled: oatmeal, Montana Wheat's seven grains, barley, etc. Also, it makes A LOT, I halfed my recipe and I have enough for breakfast everyday for a couple of weeks. Another delightful discovery: I came across chopped hazelnuts in the grocery store, so I decided to use them in my granola and it was so good (plus it made the house smell really yummy). I also included chocolate chips and craisins in my granola. It really didn't take much to have a super delicious mix!

Almost Ice Cream

2008-01-03T22:33:00.000-07:00

Try this one out! Turkey Legs was a huge fan of the blueberry flavor I made him today.

bag of frozen fruit
a few dates
milk of choice

Throw the fruit, dates and a little milk in the food processor and process. Don't add too much milk or it turns into a smoothie; just enough to get the processor to work. It should be thick enough to put in a bowl and eat with a spoon. I've tried blueberry, strawberry, and peach so far. I'm excited to try banana and pineapple. The blueberry was the best so far! Have fun experimenting!

Creamy Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

2008-01-03T17:24:00.000-07:00

Here's another one from the book The Vegetarian Family Cookbook that the Silly Witch gave me for Christmas. It's really tasty and even my husband Turkey Legs complimented me on it! That was a shock! It's definitely light so make it a first course and serve it with a salad and something of more substance like a healthy casserole or pasta dish.

1 large butternut squash
2 tablespoon oil
1 large red oinion, chopped
4 cups peeled, diced apply, any cooking variety
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups milk of choice
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the squash in the oven at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until tender. Saute onion in oil for 8-10 minutes. Add apples, broth, and spices. Bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Puree squash with 1/2 cup of milk. Puree apple mixture in separate pan. Add squash mixture to apple mixture. At this point, decide how creamy you want it and add milk to desired consistency. I didn't add any more milk because mine would have been runny. I'm assuming using a bigger squash will make it thicker.

Yummy Smoothies

2008-01-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

This is a smoothie I tried from Dr. Fuhrman. You will never believe how good this is!!! I couldn't believe it. Give it a try even if it seems a little weird!

1 bag of spinach
1 bag frozen blueberries
a couple of tablespoons flaxmeal
a few dates
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
soymilk (I used vanilla, I think he uses unsweetened)
a banana (I actually put in two because I was unsure how it would taste, I think one would be just fine though)

Put it all in a food processor and blend til smooth. It's so good. I made this drink because I was so sick of eating salad, but I still needed to eat some greens that day. Next time I do it, I'm going to soften the dates by putting them in a little water and boiling it for a few minutes and then pureeing them first. This way I won't have so many chunks of dates in it. It was hard to drink with a straw with the date pieces.

Here's another one I haven't tried yet:

spinach
kiwi
avocado
pineapple banana

I hope to try it soon, but if you do first let me know how it tastes.

Meal Time is Important!

2008-01-02T13:27:00.000-07:00

On New Years Day I had the opportunity to eat dinner with my twin sister and little brother. We made a yummy stir fry with tofu. The recipe is from the Betty Crocker Cookbook that my mom got me for Chistmas. (This book has everything!) It was an especially fun dinner meal because my sister sent me some Japanese place setting and table runner. So we ate our stir fry with chopsticks!

Here is the recipe and some other pictures from the meal!

Happy New Year!

Silken Peanut Spread

2007-12-26T23:13:00.001-07:00

The Silly Witch gave me a great cookbook for Christmas, The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas. It has some great recipes and I'm excited to try them. This one is so good. It give you the consistency of the unhealthy peanut butter in the stores but is much better for you!

3/4 cup Natural-style peanut butter
3/4 cup silken tofu
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey

Process until smooth. Transfer to airtight content. Keep 2 weeks in the fridge! Yummy! I love how this spreads on the sandwich or with apple slices!

Potato Carrot Kugel

2007-12-26T22:11:00.001-07:00

From The New Laurel's Kitchen cookbook. My WHOLE family loved this!

1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
3/4 cup vegetable stock or water
1 cup grated carrots or 2 cups winter squash
3 grated potatoes
2 beaten eggs (this recipe works with 1 egg as well)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (I cut the salt in half)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Saute onion in oil (I actually used vegetable broth) until well done, and add garlic. Add stock, carrots, and potatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in eggs. Mix together the flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and seasonings and add to vegetables. Pour into a greased baking dish and bake fro 1 hour. Serves 4 to 6.

Prudence's Pancakes

2007-12-01T02:30:00.001-07:00

Mix together:
1 c. whole wheat flour (freshly ground)
1 T. sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

In seperate bowl add:
3/4 c. milk or soy milk (add more if you like your pancakes a little flatter)
1 egg
1 T. safflower oil
1 grated apple
1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries (I add more, I love them!)
1/2-3/4 c. finely chopped pecans (food processor)

Stir together the wet and dry ingredients until just moistened. Cook
on griddle. Yum, Yum!
(I double this recipe for my family).

Lasagna al Forno

2007-11-25T17:16:00.001-07:00

Here is an attempt to make lasagna a little bit healthier. This recipe
is also from my Laurel's Kitchen cookbook. The Daddy really liked it!

3/4 pound whole wheat
or whole wheat-soy lasagna noodles
6 cups tomato sauce, Italian style (I used mine from a can)
2 cups cottage cheese
3 cups grated mozzarella or Swiss cheese
1-3 bunches of spinach, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts or almonds

Cook noodles in a very large pan of boiling , salted water until
almost tender: they will cook more in the oven, absorbing liquid from
the sauce as they do, and if they are slightly undercooked at the
point, they'll hold together better while you're assembling the dish.

Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13x2 1/2 inch baking
dish, add a layer of noodles, lengthwise. Keep the best noodles for
the top. Each layer of noodles should lie crosswise to the one below
it.

On the layer of noodles, spread the first layer of filling; one half
the cottage cheese, one third of the nuts, one forth of the Parmesan;
and a coating of sauce. Layer noodles again, then the spinach and most
of the mozzarella, and sauce. More noodles, another cheese and nuts
layer, and your prettiest noodles across the top. Add sauce and the
rest of the nuts and cheese for the top. Bake at 350 degrees for
30-45 minutes; then let stand 10 minutes before cutting-otherwise it
will be too runny to hold together and too hot to eat. Serves 8.

NOTE: This is the original recipe in the book. Let me tell you what I
did and what I'm going to do in the future. I added shiitake mushrooms
to the spinach layer as well. I made two casseroles using the same
ingredients. This way I had the flavors of the cheese but it didn't
go overboard. So I put a 1/2 cup cottage cheese on the cottage cheese
layer instead of 1 cup. It was still sooooo good. In the future I'm
going to add tons more spinach and mushrooms. I would cut back even
more on the cheese and maybe add some different veggies like zucchini
or summer squash, maybe some green peppers. In the Laurel's cookbook
it suggests using tofu instead of cottage cheese. Also, a topping of
bread crumbs with a little olive oil would be good too. This is
definitely good for company. We had guests the night I made it and
they really liked it. Don't omit the walnuts. They have that good for you omega-3 fat in them and added a nice crunch!

A Pretty Corny Pizza Recipe

2007-11-25T16:02:00.001-07:00

Here is an innovative pizza I tried from my Laurel's Kitchen cookbook.
It was really good and the WHOLE family really liked it. What a great
way to use up your abundance of summer squash!

Crust:
1 3/4 pounds summer squash
1 tablespoon honey
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/4 cups cornmeal
1 teaspoon (or less salt)
2 teaspoons baking powder

Topping:
1 large onion, chopped (next time I'm adding more)
2 tablespoons olive oil ( I used less)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil ( I added more, I love the flavor)
1 1/2 cups grated jack cheese ( I used mozzarella and only used half the amount)

(This recipe is also good with mushrooms and any other veggies you
want to add to it.)

Cut squash in large chunks and steam until tender. Puree; you should
have 2 cups. Mix honey, eggs, and oil with the puree. Combine the
cornmeal, salt, and baking powder. Mix the dry ingredients and wet,
stirring until smooth. Turn into a greased 12"x18" baking pan or a
large pizza pan (mixture should be about 3/4" deep) and bake 12 to 15
minutes, just until corn bread begins to pull in from the sides of the
pan.

While corn bread is baking, saute onion in olive oil along with chili
powder, oregano, cumin, and coriander. Spread onion mixture across
top of corn bread, then scatter tomato atop that. Sprinkle with
basil, then cheese. Return to oven to 10 minutes. Serves 6
generously.

Lebanese Fattoush

2007-11-11T06:04:00.000-07:00

I learned a higher way of eating when we lived across the street from someone from Lebanon. Her kitchen was always full of smells, and when she'd open up her pot, she'd show me something full of wonderful vegetables. She also served Tabouleh, a Lebanese salad, heavy on the parsley. Dod didn't make this particular dish; I adapted it from a recipe on allrecipes.com, but I was only attracted to it because of her. Incidentally, her kids were all HUGE vegetable eaters, as well.

6 lettuce leaves, chopped
3 cabbage leaves, chopped
4 small radishes, minced
1 medium cucumber, diced
1 red bell pepper, minced
1 carrot, shredded
1 small onion, sliced thin
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
12 sprigs parsley, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Toss together the lettuce, cabbage, radish, celery, red bell pepper, carrot, onion, garlic, parsley, olive oil, pomegranate seeds, and lemon juice in a large bowl.

Curried Rice Salad

2007-11-01T16:14:00.000-06:00

Rice
1 cup raw brown rice
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups water

Vegetables
1 2/3 cups diced tomatoes
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced red or green bell peppers
1 cup diced apples
1/2 cup currants or raisins

Dressing
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar or mild honey
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of cayenne

plain nonfat yogurt
toasted chopped cashews
peeled and cubed mango (optional)

In a small saucepan, combine the rice with the tumeric, cinnamon, salt, and 2 cups of water. Cover, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer very gently for about 40 minutes, until the rice is tender. Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, celery, peppers, apples, and currants or raisins in a large bowl. Whisk together of of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and pour it over the vegetables and fruit. Cool the cooked rice for 15 minutes; then toss it into the vegetables. Top each serving with yogurt and cashews, and mango, if desired. Note: Finely chopped mango chutney can replace the sugar or honey in the dressing if desired.

Whole Wheat Bread: Bosch Basic Bread

2007-10-31T20:08:00.000-06:00

This recipe came with my Bosch mixer from Pleasant Hill Grain.

Hot Tap Water: 2.5 Cups
Step A Portion of Flour:4 cups
Oil: 1/4 cup
Honey: 1/4 cup
Gluten: 2 T
Dough Enhancer: 1 T
SAF Yeast: 2 T
Step B portion of flour:1 cup
Salt: 1 heaping T

Maximum total whole wheat (6 to 8) cups

With dough hook in Bosch b owl, pour in hot water. Add the "Step A" quantity of freshly ground whole wheat flour, then the oil, honey, gluten, dough enhancer and yeast. With splash ring installed, jog switch to "Pulse" several times to prevent splashing, then mix well on Speed 1. Stop and add the "Step B" quantity of flour, add salt on top. Turn on to Speed 1 and within about 1 minute, gradually sprinkle in more flour until the sides of the bowl come clean enough to see bottom of bowl. This final amount of flour required depends on the humidity of the air and the protein content of the wheat.

After bowl sides come clean, knead on Speed 1 until gluten is developed, generally 8-10 minutes. (If using white flour, kneading time for gluten development may be much shorter.) Gluten development is checked by pulling off a golf-ball sized piece of dough with oiled hands and slowly 2-3 inches between fingers. Gluten is properly developed when you can stretch dough almost transparent without tearing. If it tears very easily, knead longer. Gluten will develop more quickly if you wheat has exceptionally good protein content. Finished dough will have a soft sheen. If over-kneaded, it will become stringy and bread texture won't be uniform.

Note: It's better to add too little four than too much; you bread will be lighter. The sound of the Bosch will become deeper and the tone will rise and fall somewhat when you've added most of the flour. This is normal--the Bosch is built to take the load! If you use four from the fridge or freezer, let it warm to room temperature before using for bread dough.

When gluten is developed, pour dough out on a greased surface. Shape dough into a circle and divide into 2 equal pieces (a dough divider is perfect for this.) The batch makes 2 large (8 x 3 1/2) loaves. Or each piece would make 2 mini loaves or 2 pizza crusts. Two pieces make a 9 x 13 pan of cinnamon rolls. Loaf pans 8 x 4 1/2 give a nice rounded top.

Shape the loaves by hand or by rolling out. To roll out, use a greased pin on a greased surface and roll to 8" x 16". Then, starting at the far end, roll up tightly in a spiral like you would cinnamon rolls. Tuck each end under and slam dough down (hard!) on the counter a couple times to get rid of air bubbles between lays of dough. Put in greased pans. Cover and let rise in warm, draft-free place until volume doubles (about 30 minutes). Bake in preheated oven at 350 F. After 30 minutes, est by removing loaf from pan and inserting probe of an instant-read thermometer through side or bottom, into the center of the loaf. Loaf is done when internal temperature reads 200 F at center. Cool on racks. Don't store in plastic bags until fully cooled. Freeze the extra loaves in bags.

Apple Bread

2007-10-29T00:11:00.000-06:00

This is a recipe my friend gave me. She cut the sugar and added whole wheat. It's tastes so good even with half the sugar. Here it is . . .

1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. each of baking powder and cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/3 cup each, shredded coconut and chopped walnuts
1/2 cup evaporated 2 % milk (I used regular milk, you can use soy too)
2 eggs
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tbsp. oil
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups grated apples
1/2 cup grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add coconut and walnuts. Mix well. In a medium bowl, whisk together evaporated milk, egg, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Stir in apples and carrots. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into pan. Spread evenly. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan. Remove bread from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
Makes 1 large loaf, 12 slices.

Fennel Carrot Soup

2007-10-17T07:03:00.000-06:00

Here's one of my favorite soups from Light and Tasty. It has the best flavor from the fennel.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine
1-1/2 pounds carrots, sliced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 medium apple, peeled and cubed
3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) vegetable broth
2 tablespoons uncooked long grain rice
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

In a large saucepan, saute fennel seed in butter for 2-3 minutes or until lightly toasted. Add the carrots, sweet potato and apple; saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, rice, curry powder and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until rice and vegetables are very tender. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Discard bay leaf. In a blender or food processor, process soup in batches until pureed. Return to saucepan. Stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley. Yield: 8 servings.

NUTRITIONAL INFO

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 cup) equals 117 calories, 2 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 4 mg cholesterol, 989 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 3 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1 starch.

Pasta Primavera

2007-10-17T06:55:00.000-06:00

Here's is a recipe that I adapted from my Volumetics Cookbook by Barbara Rolls, PhD. It's called Charlie's Pasta Primavera.

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 c. seeded, chopped bell peppers of any color
1 c. chopped onions
1 tsp. chopped garlic
2 c. diced zucchini
1 lb. thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
2 c. cored, chopped fresh tomatoes
2 T. fresh oregano
1 tsp. salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
8 oz. dry whole-wheat or white penne
4 cups baby spinach
4 T. grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bell peppers, onions, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, asparagus, tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keept the sauce warm over low heat. Cook the penne, reserve 1/2 cup cooking water and drain the pasta. Add the penne and spinach to the sauce and stir thoroughly. Let the mixture sit over low heat about 1 minutes. Stir in about 1/4 cup reserved cooking water. Add more if the mixture looks dry.

Just a note, I added the butter garlic sauce I posted on the blog and it was REALLY good, however, if you don't want that sauce it's good with out it too! Enjoy!

Black Bean Taco Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

2007-10-03T22:47:00.001-06:00

Here is a yummy salad with a healthier than normal dressing. Just don't add too much garlic to it! I added one huge clove and it was WAY too much. One little clove or none at all is my vote.

Vinaigrette:

1/2 c. tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
4 T. olive oil
2 T. cider vinegar
2 tsp. lime rind, grated
2 T. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 garlic clove, peeled

Combine tomato, cilantro, olive oil, cider vinegar, lime rind, lime juice, salt, cumin, chili powder, pepper, and garlic. Place in a blender or food processor, process until smooth.

8 c. lettuce, thinly sliced
1 1/2 c. chopped chicken
1 c. tomato, chopped
1 c. green bell pepper, chopped
1 c. red onion, finely diced
1/2 c. low-fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 c. baked tortilla chips

Combine lettuce, chicken, tomato, bell pepper, red onion, cheese, and black beans in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette, toss well to coat. Serve with chips.

Garlic Butter Sauce

2007-09-25T06:35:00.000-06:00

I was searching through Allrecipes online looking for a butter garlic sauce. Someone had adapted another recipe and came up with this one. It was awesome and sooooo simple. I hope you try it and enjoy!

1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon flour
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

In a small sauce pan melt butter, add garlic and saute until cooked. Whisk flour into milk. Add milk and flour mixture into butter. Add dried oregano and dried basil and stir until heated through and slightly thicker. Mixture will still be thin though. Toss with a pound of pasta.

Roast Chicken with Potatoes, Lemon and Asparagus

2007-09-01T20:34:00.000-06:00

Serves 4, Prep Time 10 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

1 1/2 lbs. new potatoes, washed and cut in halves
3 Tbsp b utter, cut into small pieces
coarse sea salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, cut in halves or thirds (marinade for at least a couple of hours)
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
6 sprigs fresh thyme

Chicken Marinade:
1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup oil, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp cider vinegar, 2 tsp salt, 1 clove minced

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place potaotes and half the butter in a roasting pan; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until potatoes are golden, 20 minutes.

Place chicken on top of potatoes; season with salt and pepper. Roast until chicken begins to brown, about 20 minutes.

Scatter asparagus, lemon, remaining butter, and thyme around chicken. Roast until asparagus is tender and chicken is opaque throughout, 10-15 minutes. Serve chicken, vegetables and lemon drizzled with pan juices.

The Easiest Ice Cream Cake EVER!

2007-08-06T13:28:00.000-06:00

For Adam's Birthday Cake I found a great idea online at http://www.allrecipes.com/.

INGREDIENTS
16 ice cream sandwiches
1 (16 ounce) container frozen non-dairy whipped topping
1 (12 ounce) jar chocolate fudge topping, room temperature
1 (1.5 ounce) bar chocolate candy bar, grated

DIRECTIONS
Place 8 of the ice cream sandwiches side by side in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread evenly with half of the hot fudge topping, then half of the whipped topping. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches and toppings. Sprinkle with grated chocolate bar.
Cover and freeze for at least 1 hour before serving. Keep unused portion covered and frozen.

I actually used a few more ice cream sandwiches and I put everything in two 9x9 pans, then I put them in the freezer for 24 hours, and then I stacked the two cakes on top of each other and put more cool whip over it all. I guess I actually used twice as much cool whip! You can never have too much cool whip!