Granola

 From The Splendid Grain

Makes 6 cups

1 ½ cups nutmeats, such as almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, or hazelnuts, or a combination (*my favorite are almonds)

3 cups rolled oats

½ cup sunflower seeds

½ cup unsweetend shredded coconut

½ cup honey

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup unrefined sesame oil

½ tsp sea salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground cardamom

1 cup chopped dried fruit, such as prunes, raisins, dates, peaches, nectarines, or apples, or a combination (*my favorite is dried blueberries)

Preheat oven to 320 degrees.

Break or cut the nuts into halves. Combine the nuts, oats, sunflower seeds, and coconut in a bowl. Mix together the honey, maple syrup, oil, sea salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom. Pour over the grain mixture, stirring to combine. Spread the mixture out on a cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes. After 7 minutes, stir and spread the mixture out again in an even layer. Repeat after 7 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes, or until the oats are crisp and brown, but not burned. Remove from the oven and pour into a large wooden bowl or onto another jelly-roll pan to stop the cooking. Add the dried fruits. Let cool thoroughly. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry spot.

Zucchini Pasta

 From Whole Living Magazine

8 oz. cherry tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped raw walnuts (I like to toast them)
2 TBSP freshly torn basil
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
1 zucchini, thinly sliced into ribbons using a vegetable peeler

In a bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, walnuts, basil, and oil. Season with salt. Let stand 20 minutes. While it's standing peel the zucchini into ribbons right into the bowl. Once the 20 minutes is up, toss all together and garnish with extra basil. Only serves 2, so doubling is recommended.

Cream of Zucchini Soup

 From my mom

2 cups onions, chopped
2 TBSP butter
4 cups diced zucchini
3 cups chicken broth
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
pinch cayenne (optional)
1/2 cup half and half cream
cheddar cheese, shredded

Cook the onion in the butter utnil soft, but not brown. Add everything else but the cream and cheese and cook until the zucchini is soft (about 15 minutes). Puree the mixture in the blender until smooth. Return to pan and add cream. Heat until hot (but don't boil). Serve, garnish with cheese, if desired.

Oat and Seed Candy Bars

From The Splendid Grain by Rebecca Wood

2 cups oatmeal

½ cup raw pumpkin seeds

½ cupt raw sunflower seeds

2 TBSP chia or flax seeds

½ cup honey or maple syrup

2 TBSP unsalted butter or tahini

Preheat oven to 325. Butter an 8-inch baking pan.

Spread the oatmeal and seeds on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring twice to assure uniform toasting. Transfer to a medium bowl. Set aside.

Pour the honey into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 7 minutes, or until the honey reaches 275 on a candy thermometer. (At first the honey will expand and bubble up the sides of the pot. When it starts to condense and thicken it is ready.) Stir in the butter. Pour the hot syrup over the oat mixture, stirring to combine evenly. Transfer the mixture to the baking pan. Let cool for 2 minutes, then press firmly with buttered or lightly moistened hands. Let cool for 10 minutes more. Use a moistened knife to cut into 2x1 ½ inch bars. Tightly wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and store in a cool dry spot.

Quinoa Salad

 Favorite quinoa salad to date. From Body and Soul Magazine (or here)

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, thoroughly rinsed and drained (about 4 cups cooked)
• 2 ears corn, kernels cut from cob
• 1 medium red pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and diced
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 medium head red-leaf lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried, small inner leaves reserved for future use
• 2 ripe medium tomatoes, cored and cut in thin wedges
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and thinly sliced
• 1 lime, cut in wedges
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

Directions

1. Bring 2 3/4 cups water to boil in a small saucepan and stir in the quinoa and some salt. Return to boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn off heat, place corn kernels on top of quinoa, cover pan, and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir corn into quinoa, remove from pan, and spread out on baking sheet to cool for about 20 minutes.
   
2. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, cumin, chili powder, garlic, oil, and salt to taste; set aside.
   
3. Place cooled quinoa and corn, red pepper, cucumber, scallions, jalapeno, and cilantro in large bowl. Add 1/2 cup dressing (or more to taste) and salt to taste; mix until combined.
   
4. Place large lettuce leaves side by side in a circle around a large serving platter so the curly tops extend just beyond the platter rim. Mound quinoa salad in center.
   
5. Arrange tomato, avocado, and lime around quinoa on top of leaves. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds over salad. Serve immediately or hold briefly at room temperature.
   

Black Eye Peas Casserole

 One of my favorite one pot dishes. From Cook's Library Baking

2 cups black-eye peas, soaked overnight
1 TBSP olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 TBSP honey
2 TBSP molasses
4 TBSP soy sauce (I use Bragg's liquid aminos)
1 tsp mustard (I prefer Dijon)
4 TBSP tomato paste
2 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 fresh rosemary sprig, thyme sprig, and sage sprig (I never have these, and it still tastes great)
1 small orange
1 TBSP cornstarch
2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley, to garnish (again, sometimes I don't have this, and it's still great)

1. Rinse the peas and place in a pan. Cover with water, bring to a boil over high heat, and boil rapidly for 10 minutes. Drain and place in a casserole dish.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in the honey, molasses, soy sauce, mustard, and tomato paste. Pour in the bouillon, bring to a boil, and pour over the peas.

3. Tie the bay leaf and herbs together with a piece of string and add to the casserole. Using a vegetable peeler, pare off 3 pieces of orange peel and mix into the peas, along with plenty of pepper. Cover and cook in a preheated oven, 300 degrees, for 1 hour.

4. Extract the juice from the orange and blend with the cornstarch to form a smooth paste. Remove the casserole from the oven and stir the cornstarch paste into the peas along with the red bell peppers. Cover, return to the oven, and cook for another hour, until the sauce is rich and thick and the peas are tender. Discard the herbs and orange peel.

5. Garnish with the parsley and serve with crusty bread.

Pasta alla carbonara di zucchine

One of my favorite pasta dishes. From Bon Appetit

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound medium zucchini, cut into thin rounds

2 large eggs, room temperature (put them in a bowl of warm water for 15 minutes)
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan (I prefer the powdered kind)
12 ounces pasta

lots of fresh basil leaves, torn
bacon (I prefer Trader Joe's turkey bacon or plain old pork bacon) cooked up and broken into small     pieces

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute about a minute, then add the zucchini. Saute for 15 minutes or so until soft and beginning to color. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, whisk eggs and parmesan in a large bowl to blend. Cook pasta in large pot of boing salted water until al dente. Drain pasta and then RIGHT AWAY add it to the bowl of egg and cheese. The hot pasta will cook the eggs. Toss it really well to coat with the eggy cheese.

Add zucchini mixture, basil, bacon and season with s and p if you want.

Banana Berry Muffins

From Everyday Food Magazine

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar (I usually half the amount of both sugars)
2 large eggs
2 ripe bananas (about 1 pound)
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup (or so- I always add more) berries or peaches or any fave fruit

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a muffin tin with paper or just spray really well. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt. *I like to throw in some whole millet just for extra tasty crunch in my muffins.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, mash bananas with a fork (you should have 3/4 cup); stir in milk.

3. With a mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. Fold in fruit.

4. Divide batter among muffin cups (this makes either 12 pretty big muffins or 24 medium size). Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 25-28 minutes (more like 15 if they're small- check on them!), rotating pan halfway through. Let cool in pan 10 minutes; transfer muffins to a rack to cool 10 minutes.

*** For cranberry muffins: Add half milk and orange juice, sprinkle in some pumpkin or apple pie spice and extra cinnamon, and sub fresh or frozen cranberries for the blueberries.

Chicken with Herbed Soba Noodles

From Everyday Food Magazine

4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup packed fresh cilantro
1 cup fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp ginger (it calls for fresh, but I always just put in a dash of dried)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 TBSP vegetable oil
12 ounces chicken cutlets
salt and pepper
1 package (8.8 oz) soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles)

1. In a food processor, finely chop scallions, cilantro, parsley, garlic, and ginger with vinegar and 1 TBSP oil. Transfer to bowl.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1 TBSP oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook turning once, until opaque throughout, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and slice up. (Sometimes I just boil the chicken and slice it up)

3. Cook soba according to package instructions. Drain; toss with herb mixture. Serve chicken with soba; garnish with extra cilantro.

Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

From Everyday Food Magazine

2 sweet potatoes cut into bite size chunks (the recipe says to peel it, but I leave the good-for-you skins on)
1 medium red onion, quartered
2 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper
10 oz. green beans fresh or thawed if frozen
1/3 cup walnuts
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 TBSP white-wine vinegar (I used balsamic and thought it was great)
1 garlic clove crushed
1 head red leaf lettuce, torn into bite size pieces

1. Preheat oven to 450. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss together sweet potatoes, onion, and oil; season with salt and pepper. Toast until sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Add green beans and walnuts to sheet; toss. Toast until green beans are tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, vinegar, and garlic; season dressing with salt and pepper. Top lettuce with roasted vegetable mixture; drizzle with dressing.

**I prefer to just steam my green beans while the potatoes and onion are roasting. And I throw my walnuts in the toaster oven to toast them. I don't like roasted green beans, I feel they dry out too much.

Greatest Chicken Nuggets I've Ever Had

From Everyday Food Magazine

1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup bran
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 TBSP flax seed meal
2 TBSP grated parmesan
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
coarse salt and pepper
1 TBSP olive oil
2 large eggs
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders (about 16 pieces)

1. Preheat oven to 450. In a food processor, combine wheat germ, bran, breadcrumbs, flax seed, parmesan, onion and garlic powders, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Pulse to combine. Add oil; pulse to combine. Transfer crumb mixture to a large bowl.

2. Set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. In a shallow bowl, lightly beat eggs. Dip chicken in eggs (allowing excess to drip off), then dredge in crumb mixture, patting to adhere. Place on rack, and transfer to oven.

3. Back until chicken is opaque throughout, 12 to 14 minutes. Serve with your fave sauce or cut them up and put over a salad. YUMMY!!!!

Very Easy German Pancakes

My favorite quick breakfast.

From Where's Mom Now That I Need Her?

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl whisk 6 eggs with 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of milk. Add a pinch of salt if you want. Then take out 2 pie pans (8 or 9 inches) and put 1-2 TBSP of butter in each (depending on how much you like butter). Put the pans in the oven and watch the butter melt. Once it has melted, take the pans out and pour half the batter into each pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until it's all puffed up, golden, and delicious.

Serve with warm blueberries mashed, maple syrup, and/or applesauce and cinnamon.

**Works best with cow's milk, and I prefer whole wheat flour.

Pistachio Cilantro Pesto over Chicken

This was awesome- I can't claim this. Out of my fave recipe book Bon Appetit.

Throw the following into a food processor or blender:
1 cup toasted pistachios
2 cups packed fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove
a pinch of cardamom (it tastes great without this if you don't have any on hand)
3 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil

Blend in a food processor or a blender until a thick paste forms.

1. Take chicken breasts or thighs and slather and place in a pyrex.
on about half the pesto.
2. Now, this is what I did. I bought a couple large chicken breasts, slathered on maybe a half of the pesto, and placed the breasts in a baking dish doused with olive oil. Put it in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, covered with foil.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Traditionally called Muhammara (from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook)

YOU WILL LOVE THIS, I promise.

1 cup walnuts

12 ounces jarred roasted red peppers, drained, rinsed, and patted dry with paper towels

 ¼ cup coarsely ground plain wheat crackers (or gluten free bread if need be)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon mild molasses

1 teaspoon honey

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¾ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1. Place the walnuts in a medium skillet over medium heat and toast, shaking the pan occasionally to turn the nuts, until they are fragrant, about 5 minutes. (Watch them carefully as they burn easily!) Cool the nuts on a plate. Or you can just throw them in your toaster oven, which is what I do.

2. Process the toasted walnuts with the remaining ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl, cover with a plastic wrap, and chill until the flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. (The spread can be refrigerated up to four days).

** This roasted red pepper dip is traditionally served with romaine lettuce leaves, which are used to scoop up the dip. It’s also very good with flatbread, pita, or baguette slices.