Homemade Fruit Snacks Ingredients: 1 cup Berries (strawberries, blueberries, or cherries), frozen or fresh (I've also used half a cup beets and the rest fruit) 1/3 cup lemon juice A generous squeeze from the honey jar (or maple syrup, glycine powder or nothing, I typically skip sweetening) 5 Tbsp. Gelatin 3/4 C fruit juice (pick one that complements your fruit above) elderberry syrup (I typically use ~5 tbsp) Measure the berries, lemon juice, and honey in a pot and heat until the berries are nice and soft. Pour into a blender, add elderberry syrup if using and blend until smooth. Dissolve the gelatin in the fruit juice. Stop the blender and add the gelatin mix. Blend again and pour into a 8x8 or 9x9 pan (or candy molds). Put into the refrigerator to set and then cut into cubes. I store them in the fridge just because they taste good cold, but are very portable and do well out of the refrigerator too. **A note about the gelatin. First be sure to use all 5 Tablespoons or the fruit snacks won't be the right texture. Also I use pure beef gelatin that I buy in bulk. It is a very healthy addition to your diet. I prefer the Great Lakes brand that I buy online through Amazon. Beef gelatin is tasteless, odorless, and has lots of great health benefits. **you can also spread this on a cookie sheet with tall sides and cut into strips for fruit 'leather'

GF Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins

I have used the GF plantain coconut pancake recipe as the base for many, many other baked goods, this is no exception. Ingredients: 1 can pumpkin puree 4 eggs 2 tsp vanilla 3 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil 1/8 tsp salt (a generous pinch) ½ tsp baking soda 2.5 scoops of chocolate flavored protein powder dash of cinnamon large dash of pumpkin pie spice Extra coconut oil for greasing muffin tin preheat oven to 350F, mix all ingredients in a bowl. You might want to add additional protein powder or flour (GF or not) till you reach the desired consistency. I didn't measure the spices (obviously) and would probably use more than a dash as these were little on the bland side. I'm also thinking of substituting the coconut oil in the recipe with applesauce, I think that would taste yummy and still serve the purpose. Bake 10-15 min

GF Plantain Coconut Pancakes

Ingredients: 2 large green plantains (about 2 cups pureed) 4 eggs 2 tsp vanilla 3 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil 1/8 tsp salt (a generous pinch) ½ tsp baking soda Extra coconut oil for frying Peel plantains (I find it easier to quarter them before I peel them) and place pieces in your blender or food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender or food processor and process until it forms a smooth batter (about 1-2 minutes). Heat 1 Tbsp of coconut oil in a frying pan or on a griddle over medium-high heat. Pour batter into the frying pan until your pancake is the desired size. Let cook 4-5 minutes on the first side, until the top looks fairly dry with little bubbles in it (just like regular pancakes!). Flip! And cook on the second side for 1½-2minutes. Repeat with remaining batter, adding a little more coconut oil to your pan as needed. Note: The plantains MUST be green. If you let them get ripe, the batter never thickens (which would probably make really good crepes...)

Snobby Joe's

This recipe is stolen from a vegan cookbook, although, sadly and irresponsibly, I do not know which one.  I got the recipe from some friends who loved these.  I love them, too, so I am posting it for you!

1 cup uncooked lentils
4 cups water
1 T olive oil (I used virgin coconut: YUM)
1 medium yellow onion, small dice
1 green bell pepper, small dice (I also used some red pepper)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T Chile Powder
2 t dried oregano
1 t salt
8 oz tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste (mine was pretty pasty; you might want to consider cutting this down)
2-3 T maple syrup
1 T prepared yellow mustard

Cover the lentils with water and simmer for 20 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Halfway into cooking the lentils, saute the onion and pepper in the oil for 7 minutes till soft.  Add garlic and saute for one more minute.

Stir in the cooked lentils, chile powder, oregano and salt.  Add tomato sauce and paste.  Cook for about 10  minutes.  Add maple syrup (to taste) and mustard.  Turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes for the flavors to meld, if you can wait that long!

These would be yummy on a bun, or open faced on a bun, but we did not eat them that way.  The girls ate them as lettuce wraps (yum) and the boys used it as dip for their tortilla chips (Frito Pie, anyone?)  This was delicious either way, but of course, tortilla chips make everything yummier.  I just ate some of the leftovers in a wrap with a wheat tortilla and some fresh baby spinach.  That might have been my favorite way to consume these.  This filling is so easy, so versatile, and really really really yummy.   You are welcome.

DEEELICIOUS Whole Grain Waffles

We had these for dinner last night and no one could get enough.  They are so scrumptious.  And NO ONE could tell there was so much good stuff in there.  They are quick, healthy, and yummy.  Make them, freeze them, and pop them in the toaster for a quick breakfast!

 Whole Grain Waffles

 Ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 3/4 cups skim milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup flax seed meal
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used bread flour, because that is what I had on hand)
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar (I used a squirt of agave, honey or maple syrup would be delicious, and then the waffles could be served with fruit on top instead of more sugar)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• a few dashes of cinnamon (I probably used a teaspoon)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, applesauce, agave, and vanilla. Beat in whole wheat pastry flour, flax seed meal, wheat germ, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt until batter is smooth.
2. Preheat a waffle iron, and coat with cooking spray. Pour batter into waffle iron in batches, and cook until crisp and golden brown. In my waffle maker, each took about 2 1/2 minutes.  I got about 8 waffles.

Chewy Granola Bars

I don't know about your house, but in ours, granola bars are a necessity. They work as breakfast, snacks, lunch, skipped dinner, whatever we need them to be. Packaged granola bars are expensive, well at least the good kind are.

I set out on a journey to find an alternative, and this is the recipe I have stumbled upon. It's very forgiving, and not exactly a recipe, as much as it is a starting point. I change up the additives/ingredients to suit our tastes, and change the pans I prepare it in, always looking for the next easiest option for packaging and serving.

I know some of you, ie Jessica, have issue with trying something that doesn't have a step-by-step recipe. GET OVER IT, these will still turn out fine. I promise!

2 C organic rolled oats (not the quick kind)

1 C whole wheat flour (sub white, flax meal, wheat germ, oat bran for some or all if you want)

1/2 tsp baking soda

Add random stuff you like in your granola: sunflower seeds, nuts, flax seed, sesame, chopped dried fruits, chocolate chips, poppy seeds, you get it...

Stir above to combine, and add the wet ingredients to follow:

1/3 C honey (more or less to taste, sub some brown sugar, peanut butter, molasses if you want)

1 stick melted butter

Press concoction firmly into a well greased receptacle. The size of the pan will dictate the thickness of your bars/squares/bites.

Bake at 300 degrees for 15-22 min. Time in oven directly relates to pan choice, so keep an eye on them and when the begin to brown and become fragrant, pull 'em out.

You will notice that they puffed up again. Smash the suckers back down nice and flat, give 'em 10 minutes to cool, and get them out of the pan for slicing. If you used the mini-muffin tin for bites, just leave 'em alone. To make it really easy for removal, try using a parchment sling under them in a 9x13, then cut with a pizza roller! After slicing, let cool thoroughly before moving for best results.

Store in an airtight container, or wrap individually for grab and go snacks!

Share here if you come up with any particularly delectable combos!

Chinese Five Spice Roasted Almonds- A DEEE-licious snack!

Sweet and Spicy Chinese Five Spice Roasted Almonds

2 cups raw almonds
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
1/2 packet stevia (or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sugar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss the almonds with the olive oil. Spread almonds out on a sheet pan in a single layer. (Keep the mixing bowl handy – you will need it again.) While oven heats, mix the spices, salt, and stevia (or sugar) in a small bowl; set aside.
Bake almonds in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and carefully pour the hot almonds back into the mixing bowl. Sprinkle spices over the nuts and toss well with a spoon. Pour the seasoned almonds back onto the sheet pan and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let nuts cool completely on pan. Store cooled nuts in a covered container.

Credit: http://pinchmysalt.com/2011/03/29/sweet-and-spicy-chinese-five-spice-roasted-almonds/

Spiced Quinoa and Chickpeas

I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com, made it last night for meatless Monday. It was SO good! I omitted the pine nut-- A)because I didn't have them on hand and B) because I'm too cheap to buy them. I ate some hot and cold and it really was delicious both ways.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chicken stock (or veg if you want vegetarian/vegan)
1 (14 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup raisins, soaked in hot water and drained (optional)
Directions

Stir together the olive oil, onion, and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the quinoa, curry powder, salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes until the quinoa is tender.
Once the quinoa has finished cooking, stir in the drained garbanzo beans, toasted pine nuts, and raisins. Serve warm or cold.

Credit: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spiced-quinoa/

Guinness Bread with Molasses Recipe

This bread is a little sweet a little savory and incredibly easy to make. I think it makes the absolute best cinnamon toast. And, it was the perfect bread to accompany my traditional bowl of New Year's Black-eyed peas and greens.

This is from Babble.com

Guinness Bread with Molasses Recipe
• Prep time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 50 minutes

This is fantastic eaten fresh, and nearly as good the next day toasted with some more butter. Do not use stale beer for this recipe, you want the carbonation.

Ingredients
• 3 cups self-rising flour*
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup molasses
• A pinch of salt (roughly 1/8 teaspoon)
• 12 ounces of Guinness beer
• Butter for greasing the pan and painting the top, about 3 tablespoons

* If you don't have self-rising flour, you can substitute using a ratio of 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, plus 1/8 teaspoon of salt, for every cup of self-rising flour. Have made both ways though and got better results from the self-rising flour.

Method
1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan well with butter.

2 Pour the flour, salt and sugar into a large bowl and whisk to combine.

3 Slowly pour the Guinness into the flour mixture. (The “pub cans” are larger than 12 ounces, but they have better carbonation, so I pour most of it out and leave a swig to drink. This has never failed me, but if you are a stickler, use a 12-ounce bottle of Guinness instead.) Start stirring the beer into the dry ingredients, and when you are about halfway done, add the molasses. Mix well, just to combine. Don’t work the heck out of the batter – because that’s what it’ll look like – but you don’t want lumps, either.

4 Pour into the loaf pan to no more than 2/3 full. Pop into the oven immediately and bake for 50 minutes. Since ovens can vary, check the bread after 40 minutes and see if a toothpick inserted into the deepest part of the loaf comes out clean. If it does, you’re done.

5 Let the loaf cool a bit, maybe 5 minutes, and then turn it out onto a rack. Paint it with lots of soft butter, which will melt as you go.

NOTE: I used a chocolate stout instead of Guinness and it was awesome.

Mac and 7 Cheese

This is the official recipe. I suggest 1/2 this for any small army you might be feeding. Also, I add chipotle peppers in the mix and instead of topping with more cheese I top it with crushed up ritz crackers. You can thank me later...

Mac and Cheese

• 2 lbs. elbow macaroni
• 12 eggs
• 1 cup cubed Velveeta cheese
• ½ lb. (2 sticks) butter, melted
• 6 cups half-and-half, divided
• 4 cups grated sharp yellow Cheddar, divided
• 2 cups grated extra-sharp white Cheddar
• 1 ½ cups grated mozzarella
• 1 cup grated Asiago
• 1 cup grated Gruyere
• 1 cup grated Monterey Jack
• 1 cup grated Muenster
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper

1.Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until slightly al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to keep warm.

2.Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until frothy.

3.Add the Velveeta, butter and 2 cups of the half-and-half to the large bowl of eggs. Add the warm macaroni tossing until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining half-and-half, 3 cups of the sharp yellow Cheddar, the remaining grated cheeses, and salt and pepper, tossing until completely combined in the large bowl.

4.Pour the mixture into 9 by 13-inch casserole or baking dishes (approximately 3 (3-quart) baking dishes) and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of sharp yellow cheese and bake until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes more.

5.Serve hot.

The BEST Cinnamon Rolls

I've made a these a few times over the past couple of months when we had guests over for breakfast and they've been a hit every time. I've made cinnamon rolls for years but I'd never used BROWN sugar-- if you've never used brown sugar either then you don't know what you're missing. SO GOOD!

Dough
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup milk

Filling
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon


Directions:
1 For the filling, in a small bowl combine softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon to form a crumbly mixture

2 Sprinkle 1/2 of the mixture over the bottom of a 9x9 pan.

3 In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

4 Cut in softened butter (sometimes your hands are the best tools).

5 Stir in milk to form a soft dough.

6 Roll out dough on a lightly floured into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.

7 Spread the remaining filling on the rolled out dough.

8 Roll up the rectangle, with a sharp knife slice into 18 small rolls (12 if you want them a little bigger).

9 Bake for 20-25 min at 400°F.

Found on food.com

I also top them with cream cheese frosting instead of a glaze because well, cream cheese frosting is too delicious not to be smothered on top of these rolls!

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract and smother on top of freshly baked cinnamon rolls. SO GOOD! Did I mention these are good?

Comfort Food

Ok, I know many of you are still sitting in the mid 60s and 70s, but some of us are watching it snow and dreaming of hot cocoa, warm bread, and our favorite comfort foods.  So, your new assignment this month is to post your favorite comfort food recipe.  You have until December 31.  I know there is a lot going on this month, but this is an EASY assignment, so I know you can do it.  Post away!

Roasted Root Veggies

Roasted Root Veggies

Ingredients:
Squash
Assorted root veggies (potatoes, yams, beets, carrots, onions, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, etc)
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Nuts (walnuts, pecans) (optional)
Goat cheese (optional)
Spices (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F, grease roasting pan (I use coconut oil or butter).

Wash all veggies well. I buy organic and scrub them well because I don’t peel any of them (well, except the onion and garlic). Cut squash in half (or quarters), scoop out seeds, drizzle olive oil over flesh side. Place flesh side down (leave the skin/rind on) in a large roasting pan. Cube all other root veggies (except beets), place in large bowl, toss with olive oil and spices, toss to coat. Pour into roasting pan. Cube beets, place in same large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and spices, toss to coat. Pour into roasting pan. Sprinkle nuts (if using) throughout the mixture.

Bake, covered for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle goat cheese throughout mixture (if using). Replace cover and return to oven for 15 minutes. Skin/rind will easily peel away from flesh of squash when done.

NOTE: William’s version of above recipe: Scrub all veggies. Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds, spread with olive oil, place flesh side down in greased roasting pan. Cube veggies directly into roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover, cook in oven at 350F for 1 hour.

Both versions are delicious 

Pumpkin Guinness Gingerbread with Cream Cheese Frosting

I stumbled across this recipe on Babble while searching for an alternative to the traditional Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving. It's amazing. And, it is better if you make it a day (or two) ahead of time.

Pumpkin Guinness Gingerbread with Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cup Guinness
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp. baking soda
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup canola or other vegetable oil
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
1 Tbsp. cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream Cheese Frosting (optional):
1/4 cup butter, softened
half an 8 oz. (250 g) pkg. regular or light cream cheese
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a Bundt pan really well with nonstick spray.
In a medium saucepan with room for the mixture to foam up, stir together the stout and molasses over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda. Set aside until the foam subsides and the mixture cools slightly.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugars, oil, pumpkin puree, ginger and vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and salt.

Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir just until combined. Add half the molasses mixture, then another third of the dry ingredients, the rest of the molasses mixture and the rest of the dry ingredients, stirring after each addition just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for an hour, until the top is springy to the touch. Cool for a few minutes, then invert onto a wire rack while still warm. Cool completely before spreading with cream cheese frosting.

To make frosting: In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the icing sugar, milk and vanilla, beating until the mixture is creamy and well-blended. Add a little more sugar or milk if necessary to achieve a spreadable frosting.

NOTE: I used ground ginger in both places (adjusting the amount) and it was fine. I also used a different Stout (ie not Guinness) and it was great. You can also use something other than a Bundt pan.

Chewy Chocolate Mint Cookies

This recipe was gifted to me by a former co-worker's wife. Re-gifting to you!

Recipe:

3/4 cup of butter

1 1/2 cups of dark brown sugar

2 Tablespoons of water

2 cups of chocolate chips

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon of salt (recipe says 1/2 t, but I always cut the salt)

1 1/4 teaspoons of baking soda

3 cups of all-purpose flour (recipe says 2 1/2 cups, but I bake at high altitude)

In a small sauce pan over low heat, stir butter, sugar and water until butter is melted. Add chocolate chips. When the chocolate chips are melted, remove from heat. Pour melted mixture into a mixing bowl to cool for 10 minutes. Beat two eggs into the chocolate mixture. Then add salt, baking soda and flour. Now chill your dough for an hour. Roll your chilled dough into balls and place 2" apart on a lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes at 350F. They may not seem done at 8 minutes, but trust me.
For decorating, you'll need mint candy wafers (look for them at a craft store). My friend always uses green mint candy wafers, but I only found white mint at Hobby Lobby. You can also use half of an Andes mint.

As soon as you remove the cookies from the oven and transfer the cookies to a cooling rack, gently press a candy mint wafer into the center of the warm cookie. The candy wafer will begin to melt. When the top of the wafer is shiny, the candy is melted and you can spread the candy with a spatula. Sprinkle with green colored sugar and/or chocolate sprinkles.

Or, you can skip spreading the candy and gently press holly leaves and berries (Wilton Holly Mix sprinkles) in the melted candy wafer for a really pretty finished look:

I started a blog that I use to pin things to Pinterest. I backdated posts of projects/recipes to keep as a reference. You can check it out here.