Energy Bars

This is a tasty, nutritious snack that I found recently.  And it is quick to put together.

Preheat oven to 325 and prepare an 8 inch square pan.

In small bowl, combine:
1 cup oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a larger bowl, combine:
1/2 cup raw honey
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

Pour the contents of the small bowl into the large bowl and mix well.  Add the walnuts and pumpkin seeds.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

This recipe lends itself to adding your own ingredients, such as chopped dried fruit, coconut, or ground flax seed.

The Best Chicken and Dumplings

Who doesn't love great tasting Chicken and Dumplings?  I've used various recipes over the years but I really like this one.  I found it in one of my Southern Living cookbooks.  If you are an avid cook, you really should check out the Southern Living cookbooks. . . a treasure trove of great recipes!

1 whole chicken
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
2 quarts water
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups all purpose flour (plus more for work surface)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons Crisco
3/4 cup buttermilk
chopped fresh chives

Place chicken, celery, and carrots in a Dutch oven, add water and 2 teaspoons of the salt.  Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about an hour.  Remove chicken from broth and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes.  Remove and discard skin and bone from the chicken and cut/tear meat into bite size pieces.

Meanwhile, combine, flour, baking soda and remaining1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.  Cut in the Crisco with a pastry blender.  Add buttermilk, stirring with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened.  Turn dough onto well floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times.

Pat dough to 1/2 inch thickness.  Pinch or cut dough in 1 1/2 inch pieces and drop into boiling broth.  Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally until desired consistency, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Stir in chicken.  Garnish serving with chives.

Note:  While the recipe calls for "shortening", I am a true believer in Crisco!

Salsa time!

Yes, salsa is good any time of the year.  But somehow I think of it as a summertime food. . . don't know why!  Here is one that is especially good.  This brief (36 hours according to the weatherman) respite from the winter has got my mind thinking of firing up the Weber smoker out back!

2 cups black beans

1 papaya, chopped

1 mango, chopped

1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped with the juice

juice of 4 limes

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 of a red onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 1/2 tsp cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Great tasting pot roast

I found this on the internet and have made it twice.  Just fantastic!

Start with a good quality roast of beef that is completely thawed.  Rub all sides with a mixture of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Preheat oven to 550 - yes, you read that right!  Except my oven only goes to 500!

Place prepared roast in an open baking dish.  Bake at:

5 minutes per pound for rare or 6 minutes per pound for medium (pink center)

Turn the oven off but don't open the door for 2 hours.  Actually, I left it closed for an hour and 45 minutes.

The rub makes a fine crust that is delicious.  I prefer a pink center.

Greek Vegetable Pie

I tend to eat more vegetarian meals in the winter time, saving meat for the warmer months when I can smoke and grill outside.  Here is one I especially like.  It is from my Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health Cookbook. I was attracted to it first by the ingredients for the crust and then the filling mixture really caught my eye.  I wasn't disappointed!  If you aren't familiar with the Moosewood Restaurant in upstate New York and their numerous cookbooks, you don't know what you are missing!

For the Crust:

2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives


For the Filling:

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups thinly sliced leeks
1 cup diced red bell pepper
3 ounces neufchatel cheese
1 cup grated or crumbled feta cheese
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
pinch or ground black pepper


In a food processor, pulse the crust ingredients until crumbly.  Set aside

Warm the oil in a skillet or saucepan on medium heat.  Add the asparagus and salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the leeks and cook for 3 minutes.  Add the bell pepper, cover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 or 6 minutes.  Place the neufschatel on top of the vegetables, cover, turn off the heat, and let sit for several minutes to soften.

Meanwhile, press the crust mixture into a lightly oiled 9 inched pie plate.

Stir the neufschatel  throughout the vegetables.  Add 1/4 cup of the feta cheese and the eggs, dill, and black pepper to the skillet and mix well.  Spread the filling in the pie crust and top with remaining feta.

Bake in preheated 350 oven until the filling is set and golden, about 35 minutes.

Variations:  Add 2 or 3 chopped, softened sundried tomatoes in place of the olives in the crust.

Use broccoli instead of asparagus in the filling.

Marinated Vegetable Salad

I'm always looking for ways to get more fruits and vegetables in my diet. . . smoothies, salads, soups and stews.  Here is one of my newer ones that I really like.  It has a nice blend of flavors and loaded with nutritional value.

For the dressing:

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the salad:

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, sliced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup Kalamata olives
6 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled

Whisk together the dressing ingredients.  Mix together with the salad ingredients.  Chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator or overnight.

A New Twist on Pumpkin Pie

Now this is one you have to try!  A friend brought this to my home for dinner recently.  I had never heard of a pumpkin pie with a cream cheese layer.  It was divine!  It is a recipe handed down in her family for generations.

Cream cheese bottom layer:

12 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs


Pumpkin top layer:

just under 2 cups of canned pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
a dash of salt
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
3 eggs

Use a generous sized pie pan and preheat oven to 359.

Combine all cream cheese layer ingredients and mix until well blended.  Pour into the bottom of the pie shell.

Combine remaining ingredients and mix well.  Pour slowly over the cream cheese layer to avoid marbling.

Bake for 65 to 70 minutes.

French Toast

This morning I had French Toast for breakfast.  Not the fancy, gourmet recipes for French Toast prevalent today.  I made them the way I grew up eating them for breakfast!

Here is the "real" French Toast recipe!

whole wheat sandwich bread
a mixture of raw eggs and milk
cinnamon

For one person, use 2 slices of bread.  Heat a cast iron skillet over medium to high heat and coat with butter.

Let bread soak in the milk and egg mixture for a minute or two.  Then place in heated skillet.  Sprinkle top of each side of the bread with cinnamon.

Cook about 3 minutes per side.  Serve with maple syrup.

Cranberry Orange Salad

This unique and delicious recipe is from my daughter-in-law's family and is a Christmas and Thanksgiving tradition.

Equal amounts fresh cranberries and oranges
Sugar

That's it!  Use the whole orange, peeling and all.  Cut the oranges in chunks.  Place the cranberries and orange chunks in a food process along with the sugar and process until in fine pieces.  Start with 3/4 cup sugar and add more to suit your preference.  Mix well.

This is a colorful dish that is a sure winner!

Azuke Bean and Spinach Soup

This delightful soup is from one of my Moosewood cookbooks, Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health.  If you are not familiar with the Moosewood restaurant and their many cookbooks, you are missing a lot!  The Moosewood restaurant is in a small town in upstate New York and over the years, they have published numerous cookbooks that are just fantastic.  I have at least half a dozen of them in my collection.

This recipe calls for using vegetable broth.  Not being a strict vegetarian, I use chicken broth.

1 1/2 cups dried azuke beans
1 quart vegetable broth
4 cups water
5 cups chopped, fresh spinach
1/2 cup diagonally sliced scallions
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

In a large pot, bring the beans, broth, and water to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer with the pot lid slightly ajar for about 50 minutes.

When the beans are soft and tender, but not falling apart, stir in the spinach, scallions, soy sauce, and rice vinegar.  Add more water or broth for the consistency you like.  For the best color and freshest flavor, serve this soup as soon as the spinach is wilted.