Butternut Squash Mini-Muffins

1 cup butternut squash
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups finely chopped peeled apple
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
2/3 cup sugar
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400

Steam butternut squash and mash with a fork. Mix in egg, oil, and apple. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir squash mixture into dry ingredients until just moistened.

Spray mini-muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and pour 1 heaping TBSP of batter into each cup. Bake 8-10 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 1 minutes and transfer to rack. Makes 36 mini muffins.

Cowboy Supper

The Ingredients:

1 pound extra lean ground beef (I use tofu crumbles)
1 1/2 cups uncooked whole-wheat macaroni
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can black beans (undrained)
1 1/2 cup frozen corn
2-3 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup water
8 oz shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

The Directions:

Brown beef in pan and drain. Stir in WW macaroni, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, black beens, corn, chili powder, and water. Cook for 10 - 12 minutes, until pasta is al dente.

Remove from heat and stir in cheese blend and serve.

The Verdict:

My daughter gobbled this up and asked for more but my son refused to touch it; even the lure of wearing a cowboy hat to eat cowboy supper wasn't enough to get the boy to eat it. Strange strange child. I'll make it again just because it's an easy meal to make, but I think it will be one of those battle dinners that will make it not worth the fight.

Sweet Four-Bean Salad

1 1/2 cups fresh green beans cut into 1" pieces
15 oz can red kidney beans
15 oz can garbanzo beans
1 1/2 cups edamame
3/4 cup chopped red onion, chopped
2/3 cup white vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup veggie oil
1/4 tsp salt and pepper

Steam green beans and edamame and rinse canned beans. Mix beans together in a large bowl along with the onion.

Whisk together vinegar, sugar, veggie oil, salt and pepper in separate bowl until thoroughly combine. Pour over beans and toss lightly.

Cinnamon Toast Triangles with Apricot-Fig Butter

12 dried mission figs
18 dried apricots
3/4 cup prune juice
2 TBSP molasses
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine in large glass bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 7 to 9 minutes, stirring several times. Remove, uncover, and let cool several minutes

Puree fig and apricot mixture in a food processor or blender.

Toast 6 slices of cinnamon swirl bread and spread 1/3 cup of spread on 3 slices; top with another toasted slice.

Cut each sandwich into 4 triangles and serve.

from Toddler Magazine

***I plan on adjusting this recipe to cook on the stovetop instead of using the microwave. I'm not a big person on nuking food.

Crockpot Fish Chowder

The Ingredients:
--1 lb of white fish (I used frozen Orange Roughy from Trader Joe's)
--3 cups of chicken broth (I'm now officially out of my homemade stuff. I'm kind of bummed.)
--9 baby potatoes (or 10. but not 11.)
--1 cup frozen roasted corn
--1/2 white onion
--handful baby carrots
--heart of celery
--3-4 cloves of garlic
--1/2 t black pepper
--salt (to taste, especially if using homemade broth)

--2 cups frozen shrimp (to add later)
--1 cup heavy whipping cream (to add later)

The Directions:

--chop up all the vegetables.

--cube the fish, it's okay if it's still frozen.

--dump everything except the cream and the shrimp into your stoneware insert

cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the potatoes are tender. If your veggies are too big for your taste, use an immersion blender to smooth it out.

30 minutes before serving, stir in your cup of cream and the frozen shrimp. Turn your crockpot to high for the last 30 minutes.


Serve with a bit of fresh parmesan cheese.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Stew

Boneless chicken breasts (I cut mine up but you could also just buy the cutlets or strips or whatever)
a jar of salsa (enough to cover your chicken) I use medium personally
2 cups of rice (i've used brown to make it healthier)
cumin
ancho powder
tabasco or other cayenne seasoning
a cup of water or broth

Optional add ins - black beans, corn, peppers chunked - other spices to kick it up

additionally after cooking
mixed mexican cheeses
sour cream
tortillas if you want them

I put everything in and cook it for 4 to 6 hours on high or 8 on low. I never measure I just sniff to figure out if it's enough cumin. The rice is cooked by the salsa mostly so it has amazing flavor.

I add some cheese on the top about 10 minutes before I serve it, so it will become melty.

You can make burritos out of it or serve it in a bowl with a dollop of sour cream.

The Verdict:

This was weird. It was too ricey for me to put into a tortilla and too mushy for me to consider a crock pot casserole. I won't make this one again.

Crock Pot Greek Chicken & Potatoes

Crock Pot Greek Chicken & Potatoes

The Ingredients:

4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 chicken breasts (I used bone-in, skin on but I'm sure you could use 3-4 boneless, skinless)
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
carrot (optional)

The Directions:

Place potatoes in the bottom of crock pot (top potatoes with carrots, if using).
Top with Chicken breasts.
Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken and potatoes.
Cook on the low setting for 10-12 hours.

The Verdict:

Surprisingly good. The vegetables were nice and tender and the chicken wasn't dried out at all. The husband was thrown off by Greek and thought it would be different so he was happy when it tasted very good. Definitely a success and it will probably be one of those meals I make when I'm looking for something to shake up our usual table fare.

Chicken Masala

from Greatest Ever Indian

2/3 cup plain yogurt
4 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP corn oil
2 tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chopped fresh ginger root
1 tsp chopped garlic
salt
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 tsp dried fenugreek
2 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)
1 tsp dried mint
cilantro sprigs, to garnish

Mix the yogurt, lemon juice

Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole Recipe

Ingredients

* 1 cup milk
* 1/2 cup beef broth
* 1 TBS butter or margarine, melted and divided
* 1 tsp salt
* 1/4 tsp pepper
* Dash garlic pepper
* 1 package (30 oz) frozen country style shredded hash brown potatoes
* 2 cups (8oz) shredded Colby cheese


Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the milk, brother, 1 TSP butter, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir in hash browns.
2. Heat remaining butter in a large nonstick skillet. Add hash brown mixture.
3. Cook and stir over medium heat until potatoes are heated through.
4. Stir in cheese.
5. Transfer to a greased shallow 2 quart baking dish.
6. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Spanakopita

By Cathe Olson, author of The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook and Simply Natural Baby Food available at www.simplynaturalbooks.com
Moderator of Mothering's Nutrition and Good Eating Discussion Forum

This delicious Greek pie will give you your daily dose of greens and more. It is very easy to make so you may want to make an extra to freeze. The Fillo Factory (www.fillofactory.com) makes organic, vegan phyllo dough with no hydrogenated oils. It comes in unbleached white flour, spelt and whole wheat varieties and is available at many natural foods stores and supermarkets.

2 teaspoons olive oil
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 pound fresh spinach, washed and chopped (about 10 cups)
2 eggs 1 teaspoon dried dill or 1 tablespoon fresh
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (4 ounces)
Black pepper to taste
8 sheets phyllo dough, preferably whole grain
Olive oil for brushing dough
Preheat oven to 375?F.

Warm oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add green onions and saut? 2 minutes, or until soft. Add spinach to pan. (It looks like a lot of spinach but just pack it in. It will cook down.) Cover pan and cook 5 to 10 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Transfer to a colander and let it drain.

In bowl, beat eggs and dill. Stir in cheese and spinach. Season with black pepper. You can add sea salt but the salt from the feta is usually enough for me.

Set up your work station. Unwrap phyllo dough and cover it with a damp towel. Pour some olive oil into a bowl and get a pastry brush. Lightly brush a 10-inch pie or tart pan with olive oil. Place a sheet of phyllo in pan. Brush lightly with oil. Place a second sheet over the first but position it so the corners don?t match up. Brush with oil. Repeat until you have four layers of phyllo. Spread the spinach filling evenly in pan. Turn the corners of the phyllo dough over filling. Layer 4 more sheets of phyllo over filling, brushing each piece with oil as before. Tuck corners under pie. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 6 servings

Variations:
Kale and Spinach Spanakopita - Substitute kale for up to 1/2 of the spinach.
Zucchini and Spinach Spanakopita - Finely dice 1 medium zucchini and saut? with spinach.

Calzones Crust recipe

Calzones Crust recipe

Description:

This is my basic calzone crust recipe. I usually use my table top mixer. As to what you want to put in it, the sky is the limit. The key is to remember not to over stuff, since you do not want your calzone stuffing all over the place.

This recipe makes 2 large calzones or 4 small calzones.

Ingredients:

1. 1 package active dry yeast (.25 ounce)
2. 1 cup warm water
3. 1 tablespoon olive oil
4. 1 teaspoon white sugar
5. 1 teaspoon salt
6. 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
7. 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
8. 1 teaspoon olive oil

Instructions:

1. To Make Dough: In large bowl, proof the yeast by dissolving yeast in water and sugar. Add the oil, Italian seasoning and salt; mix in 1 cup of the flour until smooth. Gradually stir in the rest of the flour, until dough is smooth and workable. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, or until it is elastic. Lay dough in a bowl containing 1 teaspoon olive oil, then flip the dough, cover and let rise for 40 minutes, or until almost doubled.
2.

3. When dough is ready, punch it down and separate it into 2 equal parts (or 4 equal parts). Roll parts out into thin circles on a lightly floured surface. Fill each circle with 1/2 of the cheese/meat filling and fold over, securing edges by folding in and pressing with a fork. Brush the top of each calzone with egg and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. To avoid stuffing from exploding out, either cut small slits or poke holes with a fork.

4. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Lentil and Veggie Casserole

Ingredients:

1. 1 c lentils
2. 1/2 c brown rice
3. 32 oz vegetable broth
4. 1 lb frozen green beans, broccoli or other veggie
5. 1 cup shredded cheese

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

Instructions:

1. Mix lentils, rice, broth, water, 3/4 cup cheese and salt/pepper (if desired) in casserole dish. Cover and cook 1 hour.
2. Mix in frozen vegetables and top with remaining cheese, then cook for 30 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup chopped onions
2. 2 tablespoons minced garlic
3. 2 tablespoons oil
4. 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
5. 8 ounces tomato sauce
6. 6 ounces tomato paste
7. 1 teaspoon salt
8. 2 teaspoons oregano
9. 2 teaspoons basil
10. 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Instructions:

1. In lg skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Stir occasionally.

Light Oat Sandwich Bread

1. 1 1/4 cups water
2. 2 tablespoons olive oil
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 3 cups flour (I use bread flour)
5. 1/2 cup rolled oats
6. 2 tablespoons brown sugar
7. 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
8. 1 tbs ground flax seed (optional)

Instructions:

1. This recipe can be made in a bread maker or not! I will add the instructions I use to make in a bread machine as I think its easily adaptable to hand mixing.
2. When machine is done pull out the dough, it may be sticky. Knead it out onto a floured surface, add flour if you need to. Shape into loaf.
3. Place loaf into a greased loaf pan and loosely cover with plastic wrap to rise till 1 inch above the pan (about 30 minutes).
4. Bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Herbed pasta salad

Ingredients:

• 1 pound whole wheat pasta
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, cut in half
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Fresh herbs, basil oregano and parsley
• Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper

Procedure:

Cook pasta according to directions on the box. Place tomatoes, onion, garlic and olives in your serving bowl.

Drain pasta and place on top of ingredients in bowl. The heat of the pasta will warm the ingredients in the bowl.

Let sit for 5 minutes. Top with olive oil, fresh herbs, cheese and salt and pepper. Mix through and serve.

Can be eaten warm or cold.

Serves 6

Coconut curry rice with shrimp

Ingredients:

• 1 small white onion, diced ( about 1/2 cup)
• 1 minced clove garlic
• butter for sauteing onions and garlic
• 1 rounded Tbs curry powder
• 1 1/2 cups medium grain white rice (not instant)
• 1 can coconut milk
• enough water to combine with coconut milk to make 3 cups total

For the shrimp:
• 24 large, raw peeled and deveined shrimp
• 2 minced cloves of garlic
• an equal amount of minced fresh ginger
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, deseeded and minced
• 1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups sliced grape tomatoes
• salt to taste

Procedure:

Shrimp and rice
Watch and learn as Chef Dan Eaton makes cocunut curried rice and serves it up with garlic, ginger and jalepeno pepper sautéed shrimp for a nice Pacific rim style meal.

Use a deep, stainless steel pot on medium high heat to sauté 1 minced clove of garlic and 1 small, thinly chopped white onion in a little butter until they start to soften up.

Stir the onions as they're cooking so they don't turn brown, and when you're happy with that, add 1 Tbs of curry powder and 1 1/2 cups of medium grained rice and stir that around as it cooks for a minute.

Use 2 parts liquid to 1 part rice, so since you’re using 1 1/2 cups of rice, you’ll need 3 cups of liquid total. Add enough water to 1 can of coconut milk to total 3 cups. Add that to the rice and bring it up to a boil and stir it around and turn the heat down to the lowest setting and put a tightly fitting lid on top.

After the rice has been cooking for 10-15 minutes, it's time to start cooking the shrimp, so while the rice is cooking, make sure you get everything ready for the shrimp.

Use a nonstick pan on medium high heat with a splash of olive oil or vegetable oil to sauté the shrimp for a minute or two and then add 1 minced clove of garlic, about the same amount of minced ginger and a little diced jalapeno pepper. Toss that around as the shrimp are finishing up. Finally, add some sliced grape tomatoes and fresh chopped cilantro and turn the heat off.

Hints:

If your stove has a "simmer setting" burner (a smaller burner) use that one to cook the rice on the lowest setting so that the bottom of the rice doesn't burn.

Serves 4-6

Black Beans and Rice

In a large crock pot, place a one pound bag of rinsed black beans. Add 6 cups water, one cut in half onion, one cut in half red pepper, 2 cloves garlic, 2 Knorr chicken bouillon cubes, 2 Knorr cilantro cubes, and 2 envelopes Sazon - sold in your local ethnic section. Add 2 T olive oil, 2 t red wine vinegar and 1/2 t black pepper. Cook overnight on low. In the morning, remove the red pepper and onion halves and the garlic, and place in the blender along with some liquid from the crock pot. Blend, adding a bit of extra water as needed - I certainly needed this, but my boss didn't. Return puree to crock and heat. Serve alone or with rice.

I can't wait to try this out!