Whole Wheat Honey Sweetened Blueberry Muffins

Compliments of: Hopkins Healthy Home Cooking

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup honey
1 beaten egg
1 cup buttermilk (or unsweetened soymilk)
3 tablespoons butter (or safflower oil)
1 cup blueberries

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a hole in the center of dry ingredients and add egg, buttermilk and butter. Add fruit. Stir until moistened only. Do not over stir. Fill muffin tins. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Sauteed Zucchini and Asparagus

1 medium zucchini
1 small bundle of asparagus
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Lightly steam the asparagus. Slice the zucchini into 1/4 inch slices. Place butter, olive oil and sliced zucchini into frying pan. Saute for 5 minutes. Slice the lightly steamed asparagus into 1 1/2 inch spears. Toss into frying pan with zucchini and continue to saute 3 - 5 more minutes. Don't over cook ;). Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Mac-N-Cheese II

Adapted from: carascravings.blogspot.com

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (depends on how strong of a nutmeg flavor you enjoy)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar
1/2 pound uncooked macaroni

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a blender combine cottage cheese, milk, mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Combine the blender mixture, cheese and macaroni. Place in a 9" or 10 inch baking pan. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove lid (add grated cheese if desire) and bake 10 more minutes. Enjoy!

Pita Pockets

Complements of: lucyskitchen.blogspot.com

1 1/4 cups warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup safflower oil
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rye flour
1/2 cup dried organic milk powder

Combine warm water, salt, sugar, oil and yeast. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and knead 12 minutes. Cover and let rise until it is doubled in size (1 to 1 1/2 hours). Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place baking stone inside to heat. Divide dough into 16 equal portions. Form each portion into a ball and flatten with the palm of your hand. Use your fingertips and work as much flour into it as possible (to form a perfect non-sticky dough texture). Roll into 5 inch thin circles. Place 3 - 4 pitas on the stone and bake for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes remove pitas. They should have puffed up. Place on a clean kitchen towel. Wrap pitas in towel and repeat with remaining pitas. Enjoy!

What a Salad

Complements of: "Hopkins Healthy Home Cooking"

1/2 head red leaf lettuce
1/4 bunch spinach
1/2 head romaine lettuce
1 grated carrot
1/2 cup thinly shredded red cabbage
2 sliced cucumbers
1 cup sprouts (alfalfa, wheat or lentil)
3 small tomatoes
any additional vegetables you may want to add

Wash greens and break into bite sized pieces. Toss with other vegetables.

French Dressing:
1 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon liquid lecithin (optional)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
juice of one fresh lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
2 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon raw onion
1 clove raw garlic, minced

Blend in a blender until very smooth. Store in refrigerator for weeks. Makes almost 2 cups. Enjoy!

Crockpot Pinto Beans and Rice

Complements of: recipezaar.com

1 pound dry pinto beans
3 - 4 cups water or organic chicken broth
1/3 cup picante sauce or salsa
2 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 bay leaves
1-2 cups cooked brown rice

Place pinto beans into a crockpot. Cover with water or broth, plus about two inches over top of beans. Add remaining ingredients, except the brown rice. Cook on high in a crockpot for about 3 hours (or on low for 5-6 hours). Cooking time may very. Add rice and cook until rice is warm. Enjoy!

Rice Bread

Adapted from: "Feeding the Whole Family"

1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup warm water
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 tablespoon dry yeast
1/8 cup honey
1 1/2 cup whole wheat bread
1 1/2 cup unbleached white flour or more whole wheat bread

Place the warm water, oil, salt, yeast and honey in a bowl. Mix slightly and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and knead bread for 12 minutes. Place in a warm place until it doubles (about an hour). Punch the dough down and then shape dough or place in a bread pan. Let it rise a second time until it has doubled in size again (1/2 to 1 hour). Place in a preheat 350 degree oven and bake 25 - 30 minutes. After you remove the loaf from the oven rub a small amount of butter on top and cover with a tea towel for a few minutes (this helps soften the crust). Enjoy!

Mad Dog Rice Salad

Complements of: Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair

Salad:
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
1 cup fresh or frozen baby lima beans
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pound tofu, cut in cubes
1 carrot, cut in small pieces
1 stalk celery, chopped

Dressing:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 a lemon (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon tamari (wheat-free) or soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

This salad works best if freshly cooked rice is used. Warm rice absorbs the dressing better, creating a more flavorful dish. If using leftover rice, be sure it is a room temperature before dressing. Mix ingredients for dressing in small bowl or jar; pour over rice. Toss thoroughly; set aside. If using fresh peas or fresh lima beans, slightly cook them first. Heat oil in skillet and saute onion until soft but not limp. Prepare tofu. To impart better texture to tofu, drop cubes in pan of boiling water until they rise to the top, then drain (about 3 minutes to boil and rise to the top). Add peas, lima beans, onion, tofu, carrot and celery to dressed rice; toss thoroughly. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate. Return to room temperature before serving. Enjoy!

Bruschetta

Adapted from: simplyrecipes.com. This is a great recipe to use when it comes to canning any extra tomatoes you have growing in your garden.

7 plum tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 baguette french loaf
additional olive oil

Prepare the tomatoes first. Parboil the tomatoes for one minute in boiling water that has just been removed from the stove. Drain. Using a sharp knife (or your fingers), remove the skins of the tomatoes. Once the skins are removed cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters and remove the seeds and juice from the centers. Chop the tomatoes finely and place in a bowl with the garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil leaves, salt and pepper. Place aside. Place your oven rack 2-3 inches from the top of the oven. Turn the oven onto broil at 450 degrees. Cut the baguette into 1/2 inch slices. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Place on a cookie sheet oil side down. Broil the bread until lightly brown. Then flip over the pieces and slightly brown the other side of each slice. Place the toasted baguette slices onto a serving platter olive oil side up. Top each piece with the tomato blend. Enjoy!

Mud Puddle Chocolate Cookies

Complements of: grouprecipes.com
I let the kids pick out a cookie to make today. All they needed to hear was the name "mud puddle" and they were sold. I was skeptical, but I was very happy with the results. This cookie tastes similar to a chocolate shortbread (high fat content contributes to that). Terrific Recipe!

1 cup of butter
1 cup of sugar
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup safflower oil
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cup of flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt

For the chocolate ganache:
4 oz of semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons of heavy cream

In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in the egg yolks. In a separate bowl whisk the oil, cocoa powder and vanilla together. Add to butter mixture. Blend well. Add the flour and salt to the wet mixture and mix until combined. Scoop out balls of dough into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. After removing the cookies from the oven use a rounded spoon to gently press an indention or "puddle" into the middle of each cookie. Let cookies cool. To make the ganache slowly melt the broken up chocolate in the microwave. Whisk in the cream. Place mixture into a small sandwich bag and squeeze out the air. Cut a small corner from the bottom of the bag. Pipe the chocolate ganache into the small puddle or indention of each cookie. If you have extra ganache you can even drizzle it over the cookie in a zig zag. Cool completely. They also freeze well. Enjoy!

Vegetable Tofu Scramble

Compliments of: Diet for a New World.
I could easily make this a couple of times a week. A wonderful recipe.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound firm tofu
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 -inch-thick rounds
3/4 cup corn kernels
4 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 mediium tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cyenne pepper

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the tofu, onion, zucchini, corn, asparagus, and garlic and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, tamari, cumin, turmeric and cyenne pepper and stir-fry until the tomatoes are heated through, about 1 minute. Serve with whole wheat tortilla and salsa (like a breakfast burrito) or with whole grain toast (like Ezekel Bread). Enjoy!

Fiesta Quinoa Salad

Complements of: Hopkins Healthy Home Cooking
Salad:
1 cup quinoa, cooked and cooled
1/2 sweet red pepper, diced
1/2 cup sliced olives
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup finely chopped jicama
1/4 cup chopped red onion or 6 sliced green onions
2 cups kernel corn
2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup diced cucumber

Dressing:
1/2 teaspoon cumin
juice of one lime (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste

Assemble ingredients in salad bowl. Mix dressing and toss into salad. Enjoy!

Corn Bread

1/4 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup corn meal
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Cream together the butter, eggs, sour cream, milk and sugar. Add the remaining ingredients and mix just until blended. Do not over mix. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes in an 8 inch pan. Enjoy!