Orange Spice Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:
Rolling Sugar

* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest

Cookie Dough

* 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
* 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest
* 1/2 cup light or dark molasses
* 7 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
* 1 large egg yolk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
2. To prepare the rolling sugar: Pulse 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon orange zest in a food processor until well combined. Place in a shallow dish and set aside.
3. To prepare cookie dough: Grind oats in a blender until they look like a fine powder, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping the sides as needed.
4. Beat butter and 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 5 minutes. Add brown sugar and 2 tablespoons orange zest and beat another 2 minutes. Add molasses, applesauce, egg yolk, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, pepper and salt; beat on medium-high until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.
5. Turn the mixer to medium and slowly add the ground oats. Scrape down the bowl; with the mixer on medium, slowly add whole-wheat flour. (The dough will be moderately sticky.)
6. Using a slightly rounded tablespoon of dough, roll into balls, then roll in the rolling sugar to coat. (If necessary, wet your fingers to help roll without sticking.) The zest will make the mixture slightly wet and it will clump; lightly brush off the excess so that just a thin coat is on the cookie. Place cookies about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
7. Bake the cookies in batches until the edges are set and the tops are cracked, but the centers are still soft and puffy, about 10 minutes.
8. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 8 minutes. Serve warm or cool on a wire rack.

Broiled Zucchini

1/2 cup parmesan cheese
3 T Tony Chachere’s original creole seasoning

Cut zucchini in half length wise and then cut in 2 inch segments. Put green side up on baking sheet. Broil in oven on high about 4 inches from broiler for about 5 minutes. Turn zucchini over and add cheese mixture and broil for about 2 more minutes or until slightly brown.

Taco Soup

1/2 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. mild taco season mix
1 16oz kidney beans, (drained and rinsed)
1 16oz black beans, (drained and rinsed)
1 28oz can stewed tomatoes
1 med onion, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
1 16oz can whole corn
1 8oz can tomato sauce
tortilla chips
grated cheese

Brown beef in heavy sauce pan, drain. Saute chopped onions and peppers, add to ground beef. Stir in taco seasoning , corn, beans, stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Simmer for 20-30 min. Sere topped with tortilla chips and grated cheese. Makes 8 servings.

Favorite Chicken Enchiladas

2 cups cooked, diced chicken
2 T. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 16oz can crushed tomatoes
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 4oz can diced green chiles
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp basil
½ tsp salt
½ tsp oregano
8 flour tortillas
3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
¾ cup sour cream

Saute onion and garlic in butter. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chilies, sugar and spices. Bring to a boil and simmer 20 min. Spoon some of the sauce over the tortillas one at a time to soften a little. Top with a few pieces of chicken and both kinds of cheese, reserving 1 cup of cheese for topping. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 9x13 glass dish. Blend sour cream with the rest of the sauce; pour over top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 40 min at 350 degrees.

Pumpkin French Toast

* 5 slices whole wheat bread
* 3 eggs
* 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
* 1 TBL milk
* 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (see yesterday’s post for recipe on this)
* 1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together except the bread. Soak both sides of bread in egg mixture. Heat skillet. Cook bread on hot skillet until both sides no longer show wet eggs. Top with a cinnamon syrup or real maple syrup.

Broccoli, Cannellini Bean & Cheddar Soup

Ingredients

* 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth
* 1 cup water
* 1 pound broccoli crowns, trimmed and chopped (about 6 cups)
* 1 14-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed (see Tip)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
* 1 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
(I also added onion, garlic, diced carrots, and diced potato)
Preparation

1. Bring broth and water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add broccoli, cover and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in beans, salt and pepper and cook until the beans are heated through, about 1 minute.
2. Transfer half the mixture to a blender with half the cheese and puree. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining broccoli mixture and cheese. Serve warm.

Golden Carrot Cookies Recipe

* 1 Cup pureed white beans
* 1 Cup mashed carrots (or 2 jars baby food)
* 2 eggs
* 2 tsp baking powder
* ¾ cup coconut
* ¾ cup sugar
* 2 cups flour
* ½ tsp salt

Drop 2” apart on greased cookies sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees.
Frosting:

* ½ cup butter
* 3 Cups powdered sugar
* 3 tsp lemon juice
* 1 ½ tsp grated lemon rind

ELDERBERRY SYRUP

1. Bring boiling water canner, half-full of water, to simmer.
2. Prepare jars, lids and rims for canning.
3. Measure 10 cups of prepared juice into pan and add in 1/2 cup of lemon juice.
4. Measure 8 cups of sugar into bowl, set aside.
5. Mix 1/4 cups of sugar (from bowl that you set aside) and mix with pectin in a small bowl.
6. Stir pectin/sugar mix into fruit juice, add 1/2 teaspoon of butter to keep foam down.
7. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that can’t be stirred down), stirring constantly.
8. Stir in remaining sugar and return to a full boil and boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. (remove a small amount of syrup from pan and cool quickly on cold plate to test consistency, you want it to by syrupy but not too thick).
9. Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of top. Wipe jar rims and threads, cover with lids and place jars in elevated rack in the canner. Water must cover jars 1 or 2 inches above lids. Cover and bring water to a gentle boil. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner. Remove and cool on rack.

Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

Makes 16 Servings

* One 15 ½-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed very well
* 3 large eggs
* 3 tablespoons canola oil
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, optional
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* Pinch salt
* 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, divided

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8 X 8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Place the black beans in the bowl of a food processor; process until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, oil, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, baking powder, and salt and process until smooth. Add ¼ cup of the chips and pulse a few times until the chips are broken up a bit.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.

4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before slicing.

Recipe from mealmakeovermoms.com

White Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies

* 3/4 Cup Pureed White beans (canned)
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 Cup brown sugar
* 1 Cup white sugar
* 2 Eggs
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 2 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
* 1 TBL baking soda
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 2 ½ cup Ground oat flour (put regular oats in blender or food processor until the consistency of flour)
* Chocolate chips

Mix pureed beans, butter, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla thoroughly. Mix dry ingredients together. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix softly with wooden spoon just until all flour is mixed in.

Drop by TBL onto cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 6 minutes.

Makes 3 Dozen cookies
recipe from superhealthykids.com

Easy Teriyaki Chicken

Ingredients

* 6-8 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
* 2 cups chopped red peppers
* 2 cups chopped bok choy
* 1/4 cup low sodium tamari soy sauce
* 1/4 cup honey
* 1 tablespoon grated ginger
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1 tablespoon sesami oil
* 2 cups cooked basmati rice

Directions:
Cook chicken (bake at 350 deg. for about 30 minutes). Meanwhile, heat a large skillet or Wok on medium heat, add oil add garlic and ginger, saute for 2 minutes. add Bok Choy and red peppers, saute for about 3 more minutes until cooked down. in a small bowl, mix together Tamari & honey. pour into the Wok stir until it starts to boil softly. turn down heat a bit, cook for 3-4 minutes. Add chicken. Serve over basmatil rice.

Homemade Granola Bars

Granola Bars Basic Recipe

* 2 Cup Oats
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1 Cup whole wheat flour
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 1/2 tsp baking powder
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 1/2 Cup honey
* Any dried fruit, nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, etc.

Mix all ingredients and press into greased pan, 11 X 13. Dough will be very dry and crumbly, but press until dough forms with pan.. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes or until edges are browned. Take out and let cool entirely. Cut into strips and store in snack size bags.

recipe from superhealthykids.com

Winter Spinach Potato Casserole

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 lb potato, sliced very thinly
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme or parsley
2 cups fresh spinach
1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup mozarella cheese shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a stovetop-to-ovenproof casserole dish. Add onions, potatoes, garlic, and herbs and saute for 5 minutes, stirring until vegetables are well coated with oil and the potatoes are beginning to turn golden. Place casserole in preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes, then remove, stirring in the spinach, tomatoes and eggs. Sprinkle the top with cheese and return the dish to the oven. Bake10 minutes, or until the eggs are set. Serve hot.

Fresh Tomato Soup

* 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 - 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* 5 medium carrots, chopped into small pieces
* 1 stalk celery with leaves, chopped into small pieces
* 5-7 cups chopped tomatoes
* 1 tbsp. whole wheat flour
* 3 cups milk
* 1 - 2 tbsp. fresh basil
* 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in big soup pot. Add onion, garlic, carrots and celery an sauté for ~5 minutes until onion is transparent.

Add tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes, Pureed tomato mixture with mini blender. Sprinkle flour over tomatoes and stir smooth.

Add milk and seasonings, bring to a boil, and then turn heat down to simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

Freezer Spaghetti Sauce

4 onions chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1 green bell pepper chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
16 cups chopped tomatoes
2 T dried oregano
2 T dried basil
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup white sugar
2 T salt
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 6oz can tomato paste

Saute onion, garlic, green pepper, and veg oil. Add other ingredients and simmer for 2-3 hours. Stir frequently. Let sauce cool. Pour sauce into freezer containers and store in freezer. When ready to use sauce stir in can of tomato paste.
recipe from allrecipes.com

Becca's Wheat bread

4 Cups Warm Water
1/3 Cup Canola Oil
1/3 Cup Honey
1 TBLS Salt
3 TBLS Yeast
1/2 Cup Gluten Flour
8-9 cups flour (Whole wheat and white bread flour)

Mix all ingredients except flour, until combined. Add 4 Cups of bread flour and mix well. Slowly add the rest of the flour one cup at a time until the dough forms a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl. Knead on the lowest setting in the mixer for 8 min. Remove from mixer and form into 3 loaves. Place in greased bread pans and cover with a clean dish towel. Let rise until loaves have doubled in size: approximately 35 minutes. Once risen, place all three pans into a cold—not preheated--oven. THEN set the temperature to 350 degrees and the timer to 27 minutes. The loaves should be golden brown on the top when time is up—if not bake for a little longer checking it every minute. Immediately remove bread from the pan and place on cooling racks to cool. Once cooled store in bread bags.

recipe from superhealthykids.com

Crunchy Quinoa with Almonds and Apricots

* 1 cup quinoa (cooked with all-natural vegetable broth as suggested on package *)
* ½ cup diced red bell pepper (cut into ¼-inch dice)
* 1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds
* 1/3 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped (7 to 8 apricots)
* 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions, optional
* ½ teaspoon kosher salt
* ½ to 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
* 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon honey
* Freshly ground black pepper

* The amount of broth needed will depend on your quinoa product. Read package directions for the suggested amount of liquid (it may range from 1 ¼ cups to the more likely 2 cups liquid per 1 cup quinoa). The cooking time may also vary depending on the brand you select. As a rule of thumb, the suggested time will range from 10 to 15 minutes with an instruction to let stand 5 to 10 minutes until the quinoa fully absorbs all the liquid. When fully cooked, the quinoa will “sprout.”

1. Place quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse very well several times in cold water. Drain well and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Stir in quinoa, cover, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, for the time suggested on the package. Turn off the heat and let quinoa remain in the covered saucepan until all the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy, 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Transfer quinoa to a salad bowl and fluff slightly with a fork every few minutes until the grains cool.

4. Gently stir in the bell pepper, almonds, apricots, scallions as desired, salt, cumin, and coriander until well combined. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and honey. Stir into the quinoa mixture until the grains are well coated. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

recipe from mealmakeovermoms.com

Mashed Potato Soup

1 chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
2 T butter
2 cups milk
2 cups beef broth
4 cups mashed potatoes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 T minced or fresh chives
2 cups grated carrots
2 cups peas
2 cups corn

In saucepan saute onion and garlic in butter until tender. Combine milk, broth and potatoes in blender and blend until smooth. Add potato mixture to saucepan and add rest of ingredients and simmer.