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Apple Banana Bran Muffins
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups oat bran
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 egg
2 bananas
1/2 cup molasses
2 granny smith apples diced
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Put buttermilk in a blender with molasses, egg and bananas and mix just until blended. Stir into dry ingredients. Add diced apples. Grease muffin pans and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes then lower heat to 350 for 5 more minutes.
Note. For sweeter muffins add 1/2 cup of diced dates. I find the molasses and bananas are sufficient sweetener if the bananas are ripe enough.
These will be a dense muffin, not to be confused with mass produced grocery store muffins that are more cake like than muffin.
Blueberry Smoothie
2 cups frozen blueberries
3/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup water
6 oz plain or fruit yogurt
Optional: 1 tablespoon flax seed oil, 1 banana or apple
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until it reaches your desired consistency.
serves two
Hummus with Sriracha
Hummus is a quick and healthy snack food that can also double as a mayonnaise substitute on a sandwich. I like it with more sriracha hot sauce than most people, but even if you don’t like foods hot try a little of the sriracha in this recipe.
1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans
2 Tablespoons of tahini
2-4 cloves of garlic, see note
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup water + 1 Tablespoon
1/4 teaspoon salt,optional
1-2 Tablespoons of Sriracha depending on how hot you want it
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice, optional
Drain liquid from canned garbanzos, and discard liquid.Blend all ingredients in a food processor for about 30 seconds, scrape well and blend another 30-45 seconds for a smooth consistency. Garnish with a drizzle of Sriracha sauce and serve with pita chips.
Note: I used my version of roasted garlic which is simply 1 cup of olive oil and 8-12 garlic cloves cooked on a stove top for 5-7 minutes on very low heat. I cool and store in the refrigerator until needed for garlic flavored oil or roasted garlic. If you use fresh uncooked garlic 1-2 cloves is plenty. Stays fresh for about one week in the refrigerator.
Oven Roasted Vegetables
1 cup carrots cut into 1 inch chunks
1 cup celery cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 medium yellow or white onion sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups cauliflower florets or broccoli florets, or combine the two
Lawrey’s seasoning salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 small clove garlic sliced, optional
In a 9×9 inch baking dish spray oil before adding onion, carrots and celery. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring once. Remove from oven, add florets and stir. Return to oven and bake about 8-10 minutes until desired doneness is reached. You can broil the last 3 minutes if you want a browned look to it.
Variations:
Add red potato chunks that have been parboiled for 20-25 minutes just short of soft cooked. These are best added 12 minutes into the cooking process when stirring the onions, carrots and celery.
Add cut up whole chicken pieces that have been baked for 40 minutes at 350 degrees to the carrots, onion and celery.
Sweet Corn and Jalapeno Stuffed Acorn Squash
1 acorn squash cut in half and seeded
2 cups fresh corn cut off the cob
2-3 jalapeno peppers seeded and diced
1 small clove garlic minced
10 cherry tomatoes cut in half
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
salt to taste, appx 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 T roasted pumpkin seeds for garnishing, optional
Place acorn squash cut side down in baking dish with 1/4 inch of water. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes. After squash has been in the oven for 25 minutes cook jalapenos in a saute pan with oil for 5 minutes on medium low heat. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Add corn and cook for 8 minutes stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, and salt, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove squash and transfer to serving platter. Top with vegetable mix and add pumpkin seeds as topping.
Note: if serving as main dish keep halves as is to serve two people. If serving as a vegetable side dish cut in half after removing from oven so you have 4 quarters arranged on a platter, and scoop vegetable mix across the middle sections of the squash to serve four or more people.
Red Beans With Stewed Tomatoes and Spinach
1 15 oz can of red beans
1 15 oz can of stewed tomatoes
2 T minced onion
1-2 cloves minced garlic
1 T olive oil
1 hot red pepper (optional)
2 cups fresh spinach
2 T fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Saute onion and garlic for 7-10 minutes on medium low to low heat. Add tomatoes, hot pepper and beans then simmer for 15 minutes on medium low heat. Add fresh spinach and cook for 5 more minutes. Add fresh oregano and serve immediately. Can be served as a side dish or main.
Note: if using dried oregano add to the pot with the tomatoes
Serve with rice or pasta and garnish with fresh parsley.
Asian Grilled Eggplant
2 lbs of eggplant , either Asian or regular will work. For Asian style cut lengthwise. For regular slice into 3/4 inch thick discs
1/4 cup Kikkoman BBQ sauce
1 T soy sauce
1 T any American basic BBQ sauce
1 t rice wine vinegar
Mix Kikkoman BBQ, soy sauce, American BBQ, and rice wine vinegar together. Brush oil on flesh side of eggplant, and grill on a medium hot grill basting with BBQ sauce mixture turning once or twice. Serve when tender.
Note: You can substitute rice wine vinegar with white wine or beer.
Baked Stuffed Apples
2 organic granny smith apples
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries, sweetened or unsweetened
1-2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon butter or butter substitute like Smart Balance
Using an apple corer take out the the core of both apples with one cut each. Then take out an additional part with a half moon cut to allow the stuffing to fit. Most apple corers don’t get all the core out or leave enough room for the stuffing so it’s best to do the extra cut.
Mix walnuts and cranberries with cinnamon in a small mixing bowl, and spoon into apples just until filled to about 1/4 inch above the top of the apple. It’s OK to push the stuffing in gently. Pour honey on top of stuffing and top that with the butter. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 22-25 minutes. Makes 4 servings if cut in half or 2 big ones if left whole. Good for breakfast with oatmeal or for dinner desert.
Coconut cookies
I love these cookies and have no self control over them whenever I make this recipe. Therefore I only make them about once a year. Once you smell the coconutty, buttery goodness coming from your oven you will be hooked too. Very simple and easy to prepare. When I was baking with a 12 year old boy that I mentored at St Vincent’s Villa residential treatment facility we could hammer these out in 20 minutes flat from start to out of the oven finish.
1 3/4 cups flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup coconut
1 stick plus 6 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 360 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together, scrape bowl and mix in the egg, salt and vanilla until well blended. Add flour in two parts, then mix in coconut. Drop rounded teaspoons of cookie dough on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Southwestern Chicken Chowder
1 qt chicken broth
1 cup cooked chicken cut in bite size pieces
1 4 oz can diced green chiles
1 medium fresh tomato diced
1 cup corn, fresh, frozen or canned
1 cup delicata squash cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 T sliced green onions
salt and pepper to taste
crumbled tortilla chips for garnish
optional, 1-2 diced jalapenos
Simmer all ingredients, except tortilla chips for 30 minutes then serve.
Note: Substitute chicken with 1 15oz can of black beans or pinto beans for an almost vegetarian meal. Subtitute chicken stock with vegetable stock for a Vegan meal.
Serves 4