Granola Bars

4 cups rolled oats

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup raw sugar or brown sugar

1/2 cup wheat germ*

1/2 cup milled flax seed*

1 TBS cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups dried fruit**

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts**

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup olive oil

1 cup honey

1 TBS real vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Grease half sheet pan.

In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients. Make a well in the center pour in eggs, oil, honey, and extract. Mix until until combined. Pat tightly into pan (this is important to avoid super crumbly bars).

Bake 30-35 minutes until edges begin to brown. Cool 5 min. Cut into bars or use cookie cutters for fun shapes.***

Store cooled bars in an airtight container.

Notes:

This recipe is very forgiving. Have fun and experiment.

*Can use 1 cup wheat germ or 1 cup milled flax rather than half & half. If milling your own flax, put 1/4 cup whole flax into your blender or coffee grinder to yield 1/2 cup milled.

**This is the fun part. You can mix up your fruit and nuts as long as you are adding 3 cups total. My favorite combinations are:

~1 cup chopped almonds, 1 cup chopped dried pineapple, 1 cup coconut, +1 1/2 tsp coconut extract, no cinnamon

~1 cup chopped dried cherries, 1 cup chopped almonds, 1 cup chocolate chips (when using chocolate, I like no more than 1 cup, more feels like a candy bar)

***Cut bars while warm or they will be difficult to cut. If you use cookie cutters the leftover bits are delicious with yogurt or milk.

original recipe

Frozen Yogurt

4 cups yogurt strained overnight (see Notes)

1 cup yogurt

1/2 cup sugar

1 TB vanilla

Stir together until smooth. Freeze in an ice cream maker. Makes approximately 3.5 cups.

Notes:

To strain yogurt: Line a strainer with clean cheesecloth or muslin place over a dish small enough that there is room between the bottom of the strainer and the bowl. The bowl must be big enough that it can collect the whey that will drip from the yogurt. You will probably have about 1/2 as much whey by volume as the yogurt you start with.

This turned out thick and creamy, I was pleased with my first attempt at frozen yogurt. You could probably get away with less vanilla, but I'm a junkie and less sweetener (I chose sugar this time rather than honey as I will probably share with my 11 month old.)

Hummus

Last week my best friend and I had a fabulous Valentine's Day party with some of our favorite people. We had a nice spread of food with some of my favorite things to eat. I love serving guests build-able food that can easily cater to different tastes. Hummus is one of my favorite dips. It's full of flavor and nutritious. It wasn't part of the initial menu, but I decided to add it on a whim. Hummus goes well with Taziki. I keep my Taziki simple.

Foolproof Hummus

2 TB sesame seeds

2 TB creamy peanut butter

2 TB olive oil

2 TB liquid aminos (Bragg's)

2 TB lemon or lime juice

1 TB minced fresh garlic

1 TB paprika

4 cups of cooked garbanzo beans drained (1 quart or 2 14 oz cans)

Put sesame seeds in blender and blend until fine meal. Add everything else and blend until smooth. You will need to stop and push the beans from the top down into the blender a couple of times.

Note: It is a bit easier to blend everything in a food processor. The processor will not make a very good seed meal though and I don't like to dirty extra dishes. A coffee grinder will make a great seed meal. This is a large recipe and can easily be cut in half.

Taziki

6 oz plain yogurt

1/2 head of FRESH garlic minced

1/3 cucumber peeled, seeded and minced

Mix everything together then put in tea towel and allow to drain over a bowl for at least 2 hours in the fridge. I like to put mine in an old sour cream container with the lid on to secure the towel from dropping down to low.

Layered Greek Bean Dip

1/2 hummus recipe from above

1 batch of Taziki

3-4 oz crumbled feta cheese

2 small diced tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped Kalamata olives

Layer ingredients hummus first in an 8x8 in pan. Best served at room temperature, though delicious cold too. Serve with crackers or cucumber slices.

Breakfast in a Cup

These are tasty and simple. I like to make extra and freeze them to be reheated later for a quick snack/breakfast. In the microwave they reheat in just 1 min.

Breakfast in a Cup

recipe adapted from Kids Cooking ISBN 1-4127-2469-4

3 cups cooked quinoa (or rice)

4 oz (1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 can diced green chilies

1/3 cup milk

3 eggs, beaten (2 also work, but I prefer 3)

1/2 t ground cumin

1/2 t salt

1/2 t black pepper

Combine 1/2 the cheese with everything else in a bowl. Evenly divide mixture into 12 greased muffin cups. (Can use paper muffin cups, but make sure to spray with cooking spray when using chilies.) Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 400 for 15 min. or until set.

Variation: Leave out chilies, cumin, salt and pepper and add 1 cup crumbled, cooked breakfast sausage.

Note: Quinoa has the highest protein values of any grain. It has a bit of a nutty taste and is delicious. You can use it as a substitute for rice in many recipes. It cooks quickly. You cook it like rice; 1 part grain - 2 parts water. Soak your quinoa for 12 hours before cooking. (Start it in water before bed if you are cooking ti in the morning, start in the morning if you are going to cook at dinner.) It will sprout the grain and all of the nutrients will sky rock. The protein levels even go up.

Hello Breakfast

I am a big fan of mixes that cut down on prep time in the kitchen. I however do not want to give up on deliciousness or nutrition. I also value REAL food. Here are 2 of my favorite mixes:

Wheat Germ Buttermilk Waffles

3/4 cup wheat germ

1 TB milled flax

4 1/2 TB buttermilk powder

2 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 cup whole wheat flour

Beat 3 eggs, add 1 cube melted butter and 1 1/2 cup water. Cook waffles in hot greased waffle iron.

Variation: Leave out the buttermilk powder and the water and add 1 1/2 cups buttermilk.

Note: I like to fill up several bags at the same time and shake them a bit to combine. The buttermilk powder can lump if you don't mix it in well. This mix also looks lovely in a pint jar as a gift. (If you do, make sure to include the instructions to wisk the dry ingredients together BEFORE adding the liquids.)

Whole Grain Pancake Mix

(inspired by Great Harvest pancakes)

1 1/2 cup dry milk

4 cup whole wheat flour

2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup brown sugar

4 t baking powder

1 t salt

3/4 cup milled flax (optional)

Mix together and store in an airtight container. Measure out 1 1/2 cup dry mix and add it to 1 beaten egg, 1 cup water and 1 T oil. Cook on med/high heat buttered skillet. I love these so much that I eat the cold leftovers plain.

VARIATION:
Banana Pancakes
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 cup water
1 banana mashed
2 cups mix

Mix 1st 3 ingredients, then gently mix in the pancake mix just until combined. Cook on med/hot heated buttered skillet.

lentils

this is one of my favorites. it's super inexpensive, usually everything is on hand, healthy (if you don't fry the tortillas ; ) ) and good enough to entertain with.

lentils

1 onion chopped (if you have time to saute on the stove first, it's worth it)
1 lb bag aprox. 2 1/2 cups lentils (ideally sorted and rinsed, but usually I don't)
5 cups water
2 t cumin
1 t garlic salt
1/2 t pepper
mix together in crockpot. cook at least 7 hrs, 9 is GREAT on low (3-4 hrs on high).

1/2 hour-1 hour before eating, (if you add these too soon, the lentils will take ages to soften) add:
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 4 oz can green chilies

right before eating stir in
1 bunch cilantro chopped

serve on tortillas (freshly fried are yum, but also totally unnecessary)
with
fresh limes (a must)
sour cream (optional)
grated monterey or colby jack cheese (optional)
salsa (optional)

Sweet Taco Meat

1 chuck roast (3-4 lbs)
1 yellow onion
5 cloves of garlic
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 liter Dr. Pepper
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate

place chuck in crock pot and then everything else. chuck should be mostly covered with liquid. cook on low (preferably) for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hrs. take meat out and cut into bite size chunks. eat on tacos with pico di gallo, refried beans, and grated cheese.

this is another family favorite. it's my spin on Mayan tacos

Easy Fish Tacos

I'm going to start sharing great recipes. This is one of our favorites. It's super yummy, and super easy.

Fish Tacos
Sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1 T lime juice
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t dill weed
1/4 t cayenne

frozen breaded fish fillets
chopped tomatoes
shredded lettuce or cabbage
shredded cheese
tortillas (we like fresh corn tortillas from the local tortillaria)


Mix sauce and chill while fish is cooking. Cut fish into strips and pile everything up in a tortilla.