What's Cookin' at the MacDonald's

Vegan Cheese Sauce

2012-01-05T23:34:00.000-08:00

This is great on Nacho's, grilled cheese, pasta or anything else you can think of. It's consistency is much like velveeta. Even our non-vegan family members loved it!! This will be my go to recipe for quick vegan cheese.
1/4 cup raw cashews
1 1/2 cups cold water
2 large roasted red peppers or 2 ounces pimientos (half of a 4 oz. jar)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies (optional)

Directions:

1
Rinse cashews with hot water while combining the remaining ingredients (except chiles) in a blender.
2
Add cashews to blender and process on high for 1-2 minutes.
3
Cook in a sauce pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick.
4
Add chiles and serve or use in other recipes that call for cheese sauce.

Absolutely amazing vegan pasta

2012-01-03T20:55:00.000-08:00

I got this from Vegan YUM YUM, but changed a few things (because that's how i roll :)

Hurry Up Alfredo
Makes 2-3 Servings
2 Cup Almond milk
2/3 Cup Raw, Unsalted Cashews
1/2 Cup Nutritional Yeast
6 Tbs Bragg's liquid amino
4 Tbs Earth Balance Margarine
2 Tbs almond butter
2 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice
4 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp smoked Paprika
1 Pinch Nutmeg
4 Cloves of Garlic
Black pepper, to taste
2 T. corn starch
Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Place in a sauce pan and cook on med high until until desired thickness.

If you’re making this sauce for pasta, drain the pasta and return it to the hot empty pan.

Pour the sauce over, place on medium heat, and stir until heated through. This would also be great with steamed broccoli added, roasted red peppers or steamed asparagus.

This sauce is absolutely unreal, addicting and ohhh so good!!!

Vegan Ranch (take 1)

2011-12-31T16:13:00.000-08:00

1 14 oz. container of sprouted tofu
3 T. Vegan mayonaise
1 t. dried chives
1 t. dried parsley
1 t. dried dill weed
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1 t. mustard prepared
2 t. apple cider vinegar
1 T. agave
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a food process and process until smooth. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

vegan hawaiian haystacks - dr. Christopher

2011-12-30T12:10:00.000-08:00

VEGAN HAWAIIAN HAYSTACKS

this one was taken from Dr. Christopher's Herbal Legacy cookbook. Kids and family love this and it's fast and easy :)

INGREDIENTS:

Brown rice
Cashew Cheese topping
Toppings

Toppings you may want to include:
* Chopped celery
* Chopped green bell peppers
* Chopped red bell peppers
* Green onions
* Red onions
* Coconut
* Pineapple tidbits
* Sliced olives
* Diced tomatoes
* Sliced mushrooms
* Sprouts
* Slivered almonds
* Water chestnuts
* Chow Mein noodles
* Salt & Pepper to taste
* Any other fresh topping you can imagine!

DIRECTIONS:

For each serving you will want approximately one cup of cooked brown rice.

To make the topping prepare Fawn’s cashew cheese topping, but leave out the gelatin (visit
http://www.herballegacy.com/Cashew_Cheese.html for the recipe).

Put all the fresh toppings on you want
Ingredients:

*1 cup Water
*1/3 cup plus 1 rounded TBSP of Emes unflavored gelatin (do not use Agar)
*1 1/4 cup boiling water
*2 cups raw cashews
*1/4 cup yeast flakes
*1 TBSP salt
*2 tsp onion powder
*1/4 tsp garlic powder
*1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
*1 pimento or 1 carrot grated or 2 tsp paprika

Directions:

Soak gelatin in the 1 cup of water in blender while assembling the other ingredients. Pour the boiling water over soaked gelatin and whisk briefly to dissolve. Cool slightly. Add cashews and blend thoroughly while adding remaining ingredients. Blend until mixture is the consistency of a cream sauce, with no pimento or carrot seen. Pour into a quart mold, cool slightly. Cover before refrigerating. Refrigerate over night before serving. After this firming period, it can be frozen. This melts over hot dishes. Leave out the gelatin for a fondue type of cheese.

Makes one quart.

Note: you can omit gelatin for a cheese topping

Dr. Christopher's day cleanse

2011-09-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

Upon arising drink 16 oz. prune juice (not sweetened)
then 1 hour later drink 8 oz. unfiltered apple juice
1/2 hour later drink 8 oz. water (preferably distilled)
1/2 hour later 8 oz. apple juice
1/2 hour later 8 oz. water.
Continue alternating between apple juice and water until 1 gallon of apple juice has been consumed.

During this process you can eat apples if you get hungry.
Also, take 1-2T. olive oil 3x a day.

continue this cleanse for 3 days. On day 4 eat only raw fruits or vegetables.

Pasta Primavera

2011-07-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

9 baby carrots, cut into thin strips
2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips
2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
1 onion or 2 small, thinly sliced
5-6 T. minced garlic, or 6 whole garlic cloves peeled
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper or green, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta)
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta. Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with Balsamic Vinegar. Toss with the cherry tomatoes. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.

What I have in my Vegan/Vegetarian Pantry

2011-07-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

GRAINS:
Barley
Variety of Rice (Basmati, Jazmine, Sushi, Long grain brown, Wild)
Oats (whole and rolled)
Orzo
Pasta (various sizes, spaghetti, angel hair, linguine, lasagna, tubes, shells etc.)
Quinoa
Soba noodles

FLOURS: (whenever possible I like to buy my grains whole and grind them fresh, they taste a lot better.)

Whole buckwheat groats (can be used for buckwheat flour, Kasha)
Whole organic corn (use for fresh cornmeal)
Red or white wheat (use for flour, grow wheatgrass, or use as a filler)

This website has great information on gluten free flours

LEGUMES:
Note: when cooking beans make extra and freeze them for quick use.

Adzuki beans
black beans
cannellini beans
garbanzo beans
kidney beans
lentils (all colors)
Mung beans (great for sprouting)
split peas
kidney beans
Lima beans

DRIED FRUITS:
Dried apricots
Dried cranberries
Raisins
Dates
Dried Mangos
Dried Papaya
Dried Prunes
Sun dried tomatoes

SEA VEGETABLES:
Dulse
Hijiki
Kombu
Nori
Wakame

SOY FOODS:
Miso, light
Miso, dark
Soy Milk
Tamari soy sauce
Tempeh
Tofu

NUTS AND SEEDS:
Almonds
Flaxseeds
Pecans
Pine nuts
Pumpkin seeds
Sesame Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Walnuts
Brazil Nuts
Poppy Seeds

OILS and VINEGARS:
Olive oil
Canola oil
Sesame Oil
Flaxseed Oil
Sunflower Oil
Toasted Sesame Oil
Walnut Oil
Coconut Oil
Palm Oil
Balsamic vinegar
Red wine vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar (Braggs)
Brown rice vinegar
Umeboshi plum vinegar
white wine vinegar
white wine (cooking)
red wine (cooking)

SWEETENERS:
Blackstrap molasses
brown rice syrup
maple syrup (grade b)
organic granulated sugar
Succanat
Barley Malt Syrup

CONDIMENTS AND OTHER SEASONING STAPLES/CONVENIENCE FOODS:
Capers
Catsup
Mustard, yellow
Mustard, Dijon
Pickled Jalapeno's
Horseradish
Wasabi
Salsa
Vegannaise (or homemade bottle)
canned coconut milk
canned cream of mushroom soup (vegan)
canned vegetarian broth
canned no chicken chicken broth
No chicken seasoning
Canned black beans
canned pinto beans
canned garbanzo beans
canned olives
canned artichokes
boxed tofu
canned almond milk
canned chocolate almond milk
rice krispies (organic)
brewer's yeast
pickles
strawberry jam
variety of jams
almond butter
peanut butter
canned tomatoes (diced)
canned tomatoes (whole)
canned tomato sauce
tomato paste
flour tortillas
corn tortillas
canned green chilis
canned green sauce
canned vegetarian refried beans
canned red sauce
crackers
Tahini
lemon juice
lime juice

Super Fast and Easy Sloppy Joes (vegetarian)

2011-06-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

1 T. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 T. garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 can kidney beans
1/2 jar BBQ sauce
4 hamburger buns
4 slices of vegan cheese, we use Rice Cheese (optional)

In a pan heat olive oil on med. Add onion, bell peppers, garlic and celery, cook until softened. Add can of drained and rinsed beans, and bbq sauce. Cook until boiling, stirring often.

Serve on hamburger buns with a slice of vegan cheese (optional)

Corn Potato Leek Soup

2011-06-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

1 T. Earth Balance butter or Olive oil

3 Leeks, washed and sliced into 1/4" slices using light green parts as well
1 Med. Yellow onion, coarsley chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
5 large size yellow potatoes (yukons) Peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
7 c. vegetable broth
3 T. vegetarian chicken seasoning
1/2 t. liquid smoke
1 c. vegan sour cream
2 T dried chives, plus more for topping
red pepper flakes (optional for topping)
salt and pepper to taste
1 can corn

heat oil or butter in a large soup pot on med heat. add leeks and onions and saute for 5-7 min. until translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add broth, potatoes, seasoning, chives, smoke and sour cream. cook 20 min. until potatoes are soft. remove from heat blend place 1/2 of soup in a blender and puree. place puree back in the pot and add corn, cook approximately 5 minutes until heated through. serve in bowls topped with dried chives and red pepper flakes if you like it a little spicy.

Serve.

8 servings.

Russian Salad Dressing

2011-05-31T21:38:00.000-07:00

1/3 cup ketchup, organic
2 tablespoons sugar, organic
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons very finely chopped onions
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil

Mix all ingredients well and serve on top of salad.

No Beef, Beef Stroganoff

2011-05-31T21:35:00.000-07:00

2 portobello mushrooms, sliced thinly and then cut in half
1 c. flour
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 T. chopped garlic
1 T. worchestershire sauce
2 T. Olive oil
2 T. Earth Balance
10 1/2 oz. Vegetable broth
1 pkg. of eggless, diary free egg noodles
1 c. non dairy cream cheese or sour cream (tofutti)
pepper and salt to taste

Cook noodles as directed on package. Place sliced mushrooms in bowl of flour and turn to coat the mushroom pieces. In a separate sauce pan, preheat olive oil and earth balance butter on Med. Add garlic, mushrooms and onions. Cook for approximately 5-8 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked through. Add vegetable broth, worchestershire sauce, pepper, salt and no dairy cream cheese. Cook until heated through. Serve sauce over cooked noodles.

Serves 6-8

Bean Burritos with Green Chili Sauce

2011-05-26T19:43:00.000-07:00

The MacDonald clan was craving Mexican food tonight and since we have been trying to go vegan, I came across this great recipe Green Chili And Almond Cream from the Vegan Chef. We were going to try it on Portobello mushroom fajitas, until I realized I didn't have any bell peppers. So always having beans on hand, we decided to go for Green Bean Burritos. I have to say we were all very pleasantly surprised with how much flavor this had! Even our 9 year old said "this is definitely a keeper mom" So here's another one to add to our list of keepers (vegan style).

Green Chili And Almond Cream
1 cup raw almonds
2T. nutritional yeast flakes
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. chili powder
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. powdered kelp
1/2 t. salt
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water
2 T. apple cider vinegar
2 t. lemon juice
2 - 4 oz. can diced green chiles
1T. cilantro, dried or 2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped

Begin by blanching the almonds: in a small saucepan, place 2 inches of water, and bring to a boil. Add the almonds and cook for 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside for 3 minutes to cool. Remove the almonds from the water, squeeze each almond between your thumb and forefinger to remove the skin, and set them aside for 5 minutes to dry and cool. Place the almonds in a blender or food processor and process for 1-2 minutes to finely grind them. Add the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, kelp, and salt, and process for 30 seconds to combine.
In a small measuring cup, combine the oil and water, and add the mixture to the blender in a slow stream while the machine is running. Scrape down the sides of the container, add the vinegar and lemon juice, and continue to process the mixture an additional 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and stir in the green chiles and cilantro. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more, to allow the flavors to blend. Use as a replacement for sour cream in recipes, also as a condiment or spread on sandwiches, a dip for raw veggies or chips, or as a sauce for steamed vegetables and grains.
Yield: 3 cups

Burrito filling:

1 T. olive oil
1 can refried beans or 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 c. corn (canned or frozen) I use the Trader Joes roasted corn.
2 T. chopped garlic
1 t. chipotle pepper
1/2 t. redmond real salt
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 c. cooked rice
6 flour tortillas
1 jar of your favorite green sauce, I use World Table Roasted Salsa Verde
Green Chili and Almond Cream

Place olive oil in a pan and add beans, corn, garlic, chipotle pepper and salt. Mix well stirring until heated through. Add rice and mix well until warmed.

Warm tortillas in the oven for a few seconds. Place Rice and bean mixture on tortilla (approximately 1/2 c. on a large tortilla). top with Green chili almond cream, green sauce and chopped onions then roll up and serve. You can place them in an oven to warm them first if you like.

Stuffed Bell Peppers with quinoa and black beans

2011-05-17T20:38:00.000-07:00

We have been wanting to try Quinoa and I came across this recipe for Quinoa with black beans. I wasn't sure what to serve with it so we decided to use it as a stuffing for some bell peppers instead and it was a Super Big Hit!

Serves 4

1 t. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. quinoa
1 1/2 c. vegetable broth
1 t. gr. cumin
1/8 to 1/2 t. cayenne (we used a lot less to make it less spicy)
1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)
1 can corn (15 oz)
1 can black beans (15 oz)
1/8 c. dried cilantro or 1/4 c. fresh cilantro
4 green or red bell peppers, cut tops off and clean out the insides
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375
Place peppers in a baking dish fill 1/4 of the way with water and cover with tin foil and cook for 20-25 min. until tender.

Heat oil in a sauce pan on med heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add quinoa, and veg broth. Season with cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 min. Remove lid turn heat to med and add corn, beans, cilantro and tomatoes and cook simmering for 5 min.

Remove peppers from oven, drain water, and fill each pepper with quinoa and black bean filling. Place back in baking pan and place in the oven for 5 minutes. Serve.

Ceasar Salad veganized :)

2011-05-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

We have slowly been transitioning over to Vegan and tonight my 9 year old daughter and I made this to go with the stuffed bell peppers. It was actually really good, thanks to Angela Liddon at Oh She glows. This was really good. I would suggest starting with less lemon juice and tasting it as you go, my husband is not too fond of sour, so I we used less in the recipe. I think it would also be really good with some vegan worchestershire sauce added for a little more depth. But it's a great recipe to build off of. And the vegan parmesan was absolutely outstanding!

Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing

1/2 c. cashews, raw
1/4 c. vegan parmesan (see recipe)
3-6 T. lemon juice (we like it less tart so we use 3T)
2 T. olive oil
1 garlic clove
1/2 t. sea salt
black pepper
1/2 c. water

In a blender - add lemon juice, water and olive oil. Mix well. Then add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Vegan Parmesan (this is really good)
1/2 c. sesame seeds

2 T. nutritional yeast

1/2 t. sea salt

Toast sesame's until lightly browned. Add sesame's, nutritional yeast and sea salt to blender and blend approximately 30-60 seconds until right consistency.

Toss salad dressing with chopped up romaine, add croutons if you like (of course regular croutons would change the recipe into a no vegan, vegan recipe, does that make sense?)

Dave's Killer Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

2011-05-01T22:03:00.000-07:00

I recently made a trip to our favorite grocery store Winco and came across this bread that looked so delicious! Today we made vegetarian sandwiches and it's exactly what I have been looking for in a bread for so many years. A true whole wheat bread, but not bitter or tough. Soft with lots of nutty texture and it's vegan! Our whole family is completely hooked. But with each loaf costing $4.00, I thought there has to be something out there in google world that could help me come up with something similar to make at home. Just recently I have been using some recipes from everdaydish.tv and have found most of them to be super tasty, and then today I found this Dave's Killer Bread Recipe. Although I don't usually post recipes on my site until I have tested them in my own home, on my own family, I figured that this one was one that I definitely wanted to post, as I will be trying it out tomorrow, and I'll be sure to post an update of the outcome. If this turns out to taste like the bread we just bought, then my searching for the best bread recipe is officially over. To be continued......

For now here is the recipe, as posted on Everday Dish.

DAVE’S KILLER 100% WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

This is an awesome loaf of bread! If you’re looking for a whole grain, soft sandwich bread with a wonderful, sweet nutty flavor, this is your bread!

Note: This recipe is best made with a heavy-duty stand mixer.

Sponge

3 1/3 cups whole wheat flour (14 1/4 ounces/403 grams)

1/2 cup organic sugar

1 tbsp plus 1/2 tsp instant yeast

2 1/4 cups water

1 1/2 tbsp molasses

1 tbsp canola oil

Dough

3 1/3 cups whole wheat flour (14 1/4 ounces/403 grams)

1/4 cup vital wheat gluten (30 grams)

2 tsp salt

1. Sponge In bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 3 1/3 cups whole wheat flour, sugar and yeast, mixing until combined. Add the water, molasses and oil to the flour, mixing until incorporated. Beat dough for 5 minutes on low. Cover bowl and set aside for one hour.

2. Dough: Add the remaining flour, gluten, salt to the sponge, beating until well mixed. If dough is too dry, you can add another tablespoon or two of water. Using the dough hook, if possible, beat the dough on medium high speed for 10 to 15 minutes, until a window pane develops (see video). You should have a nice, smooth dough.

3. Cut the dough into two equal pieces, cover with a slightly damp towel and set it aside to let it rest for 15 minutes. Roll dough into a smooth log, making sure to get the air out. Repeat with remaining dough. Place shaped dough into greased pans and let proof until it begins to peak over the pan. Preheat oven to 350°F while bread is rising.

4. Let rise in pans about 1 hour, or until the dough has risen enough to really fill up the pan, and has crested over the top. Bake loaves in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 190°F.

12 bean soup

2011-04-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

SERVES 8

1# 12 bean mix
8 c. water
3 T. vegetarian chicken seasoning (whole foods bulk section)
1/2 pkg of roasted corn kernals (trader joes), you could also use regular frozen or canned corn.
1 pkg Quorn vegetarian chik'n tenders (optional, do not use if you want this meal to be vegan)
1 T. liquid smoke
1 c. barbecue sauce
2 cans rotel mexican tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
4 T. minced garlic
1 T. olive oil

Soak beans overnight. Then drain.
Heat olive oil in a sauce pan and cook garlic and onion, until translucent. Add soaked beans, water and 3 T. chicken seasoning. Cook on high until boiling then lower heat and simmer, stirring occassionally untnil beans are tender. Add more water if needed.

When beans are tender and cooked, add quorn chik'n tenders, corn, liquid smoke, barbecue sauce, and tomatoes. Cook until heated through and serve.

Black bean lettuce wraps

2011-04-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

Though these are not very beautiful to look at, they are so good, super easy and very low in fat and calories.
2- 15 oz. cans black beans, drained
1 avocado, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 c. favorite salsa
2 T. lime juice
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 - 1 t. chipotle pepper seasoning (optional)
1 c. cilantro, finely chopped
8 large romaine lettuce leaves

Place beans over med heat. Add remaining ingredients, excluding romaine and heat until heated through about 5 min. Place 1/4 c. of filling in the center of each lettuce leave like a taco and serve.

Serves 4

Peanut Butter Rice Crispy treats (from Alicia Silverstone)

2011-04-28T18:32:00.000-07:00

1 3/4 cups brown rice syrup

1 pinch sea salt

3/4 cup peanut butter or almond butter (all natural)

1 box brown rice crisps cereal

1/2 cup grain-sweetened chocolate chips (optional)

Heat rice syrup with a pinch of salt in a saucepan over low heat. When rice syrup liquefies, add peanut butter and stir until well combined and heated through.

Pour entire box of cereal into a large bowl. Pour rice syrup mixture on top. Use your hands to incorporate everything together (mix in grain-sweetened chocolate chips at this point, if using).

Press down into an 8- ×8-inch or 9- ×13-inch baking dish. Wet your fingers as your press down to keep them from sticking. Let cool for 1 hour before cutting into squares.

Chickpea Taco's (from Kevin Nealon)

2011-04-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained

3 - 5 tablespoons salsa

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 dash cayenne pepper, or to taste

8 - 10 taco shells

In large sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat.

Cook onion, celery, and green pepper until softened. Add chickpeas, salsa, cumin, and chili powder. Stir and cook until warmed. Mash chickpeas slightly with a fork for better texture.

Fill shells evenly with mixture from sauté pan. If desired, top with any of the following: chopped tomatoes, shredded soy or rice cheese, low-fat guacamole, shredded lettuce, hot sauce, or salsa.

Vegan Fettuccini Alfredo

2011-04-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

1 T. Olive Oil
8 fresh mushrooms, sliced
7 garlic minced
1 cup coconut milk, almond milk or soy milk
1 pinch nutmeg
1/2 t. smoked paprika
2 T. earth balance
1 t. black pepper
1/4 c. nutritional yeast
1/2 c. vegan sour cream
juice 1/2 lemon
2 T. whole wheat flour mixed with 1/2 c. coconut milk

Saute mushrooms and garlic in olive oil. Place Mushrooms, garlic, coconut milk, nutmeg, paprika, earth balance, black pepper and nutritional yeast in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Remove pan and place in a saucepan. Cook on med heat. When slowly boiling add sour cream. Stir well. Bring to a rolling boil and add flour and milk mixture. Stirring constantly to avoid burning. When sauce has thickened and become the correct consistency, remove from heat and add lemon juice to taste.

Serve over fettuccini noodles.

Japanese style salad dressing

2011-04-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

1/2 cup minced onion

1/2 cup peanut oil
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
2 tablespoons minced celery
2 tablespoons ketchup
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons of organic sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a blender, combine the minced onion, peanut oil, rice vinegar, water, ginger, celery, ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper . Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds or until all of the ingredients are well-pureed. Store in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks

Vegan Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

2011-04-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

1 cup veganaise
1 T. White vinegar
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 c. soy, almond, coconut, or rice milk

Mix veganaise and 1 T. White vinegar in a bowl. Add spices and mix well. If you want it to be more like a dip you are finished. Otherwise for a salad dressing add 1 c. of soy, almond, rice or coconut milk. Mix well. Place in a glass container and place in refrigerator. This will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Homemade Pancakes

2011-04-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. gr. cinnamon
2 T. coconut oil, melted
1/3 c. water
1 to 1 1/4 c. almond milk
2 T. maple syrup
1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat skillet over med heat. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Make a wekk in the center and add the oil, water, milk, maple syrup and vanilla. Mix just until ingredients are combined. A few lumps in the batter are fine.

place 1 T. coconut oil in skillet. Pour pancakes one at a time and cook until bubbles form and the top looks somewhat dry. Flip over and cook on other side. Serve.

Heritage REcipes

2011-03-25T09:39:00.001-07:00

A few years ago while visiting Grandma and Grandpa Waters, I came across an old recipe box filled with my great grandma's, great aunts and relatives cherished recipes. Some of these recipes have been passed down through our family for many years and very often seen on our Thanksgiving table.

Grandma Decker was a pie maker for many of the local restaurants in her hometown, Cedar City, Utah. Her pie crust and apple pie are one of the family favorites.

What a great blessing it is to have these recipes and be able to share them.

Grandma Waters Macaroni and Tomatoes

1# hamburger

1# elbow macaroni

1 large bottle of tomato or V8 juice

cook elbow mac as directed

cook hamburger. Drain macaroni and place back in pot. Add hamburger and tomato or V8 juice enough to moisten.

Grandma Waters Cherry Salad

2 6oz. cool whip

1 can cherry pie filling

1 c. slivered almonds

1 small can of crushed pineapple, drained

1 can condensed milk

Mix condensed milk with cherry pie filling. Add slivered almonds, and pineapple. Add cool whip and place in refrigerator for atleast 1 hour.

Cartwheel Cookies

4 ½ c. quick oatmeal

2 ¼ c. flour

1 ½ t. soda

1 ½ t. salt

1 ½ c. brown sugar

1 ½ c. white sugar

1 ½ c. shortening

3 eggs

1 ½ t. vanilla

1 c. nuts

Sift dry ingredients. Cream shortening and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Stir in oats and nuts. Raisins, chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips may be added. Put in rolls and refrigerate. Slice when firm. Or drop and press with glass dipped in sugar.

Soft Zucchini Cookies

½ c. shortening

½ c. granuated sugar

1 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

3 c. coarsely grated raw zucchini

1 t. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

1 t. cinnamon

½ t. salt

3 ½ c. flour

1 c. chopped nuts

1 c. chopped dates (if desired)

Measure flour and other dry ingredients. F succhini seems especially moist, add another ½ c. flour. Cream together shortening and sugar; then beat in eggs and vanilla, and beat until fluffy. Stir in zucchini. Add sifted dry ingredients, the nuts and dates. Drop by t. onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 12-15 min. makes 6 dozen. Note: 2 c. rolled oats may be used in place of 1 c. flour, also risins, currants or chocolate chops may be used in place of dates.

Coconut pecan bars

2 c. sifted flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

1 c. butter

2 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

2 t. vanilla

1 c. chopped pecans

3 ½ oz. flaked coconut

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cream butter well and brown sugar, eggs and vanilla; beat until smooth and creamy. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in coconut and pecans. Spread in buttered 10x15 jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 about 25 min. or until down. Cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut ito bars. Makes 3 ½ dozen.

Tater Tot casserole

1 # ground beef

Salt and pepper to taste

½ c. onions, diced

1 # frozen tater tots

1 c. of mushroom soup

½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Brown beef and onion, add mushroom soup and Worcestershire sauce

Place in greased casserole. Put tater tots on top of meat mixture bake 20-25 min. at 375

Serves 4

Soft Sugar Cookies

1 c. sugar

½ c. butter

1 t. vanilla

½ c. milk

2 eggs

3 ½ c. flour

4 t. baking powder

Mix and bake at 350 for 9-11 min.

Grandma Retta's Shrimp Salad

2 cans of Shrimp

1 # small tube Macaroni

1/2 head of iceberg Lettuce, chopped roughly

1 Onion chopped

2 ribs Celery chopped

1-1 1/2 c. Salad dressing (grandma uses miracle whip)

3 dashes of red wineVinegar

1 garlic, minced (optional)

Cook the macaroni as directed on package. Drain and set aside. Mix Salad dressing, vinegar and garlic well. Add shrimp, lettuce, onion and celery. Mix well. Add cooked macaroni and mix well. Adjust Salad dressing and vinegar if needed. Adding more if too dry.

Grandma Decker's Homemade Bread

2 t. salt

½ c. sugar

½ c. shortening

2 c. hot water

2 yeast in ½ c. water

Mix above then add 2 ½ c. cold water then add yeast mixture & 6 c. flour then add 6 more cup a flour knead. Place in a loaf pan and let rise. Bake at 375 until done.

Grandma Decker’s Pie Crust

1 c. lard or ¾ c. to 1 c. oil

½ . water (hot)

Stir until soft

2 ½ c. flour

Do not handle much

½ or 1/3 t. salt

¼ t. baking powder

Apple Pie

5-7 tart apples

2 T. flour

1 c. syrup maple

1 ½ t. cinnamon

1/8 t. nutmeg

Mix place in a pie crust and bake at 400 50 min.

Grandma Retta's applesauce cookies

3 c. applesauce

3 c. sugar

1 ½ c. shortening

3 eggs

6 c. flour

3 t. baking powder

3 t. cinnamon

1 ½ t. baking soda

1 ½ t. nutmeg

1 ½ t. cloves

1 c. nuts or chocolate chips

Mix applesauce, sugar, shortening & eggs. Add applesauce& soda etc..

Grandma Retta's Sugar cookies

1½ c. butter

3 c. sugar

3 t. vanilla

1 ½ c. milk

6 eggs

10 c. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

Mix all indredients and Bake 300 for 9-11 min.

Oatmeal cookies

¾ c. butter or 1/4 c. veg oil

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

2 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

¾ t. cinnamon

2 c. oatmeal

1 c. walnuts

Bake at 350 for 10-12 min. makes 3-4 dozen

Aunt Kristine’s Brownie’s

1 ½ . flour

1/3 c. cocoa

2 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

4 eggs

2 cubes buter

Mix bake 350 for 15 min.

1 c. melted choc chips

1 T. butter

Put on top when brownies are done.

Banana Bread

2/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. butter

1 ¾ c. flour

2 eggs

2 t. baking powder

¼ t. soda

4 bananas

Makes 1 loaf. 350 for 1 hour.

Betty’s sugar Cookies

3 c. flour

1 c. sugar

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 c. soft butter

1 egg

3 T. milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients Roll out and cut

Cook at 400 for 5-8 min.

Maraschino cherries

4.5 # cherries

4.5 # sugar

1 oz. almond extract

1 oz. red color

Juice of 1 lemon

Soak cherries in solution of 1 t. salt and 1 t. alum in 1 qt. water. After soaking for 24 hours, wash until all trace of salt is gone.

Add sugar and coloring to cherries and bring to a boil. Set aside and let stand 24 hours. Bring to a boil and let stand a second time. Bring to a boil a third time, and add almond extract and lemon juice and bottle.

$1,000,000 pickles

2 qt. cucumbers

1 qt. onions

1 head cabbage

2 red peppers

1 c. gr. Peppers

¾ c. salt

5 c. vinegar

5 c. sugar

1 c. water

2 T. mustrd seed

2 T. celery seed

1 T. dry mustard

1 T. turmeric

½ c. flour

Grind cucumbers, onions cabbage, and peppers. Mix salt into ground mixture and let stand awhile rinse.

To make syrup, mix vinegar, sugar, water, mustard seed, and celery seed in a pan. Stir together dry mustard, turmeric and flour. Add to vinegar mixture. Put on pickles and cook 1 minute.

Green Tomato Pickles

16 large green tomatoes

4 large onions

Red and green peppers

4 c. sugar

1 t. cloves

1 t. nutmeg

1 t. cinnamon

Grind tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle with salt. Drain. Cover with diluted vinegar. Cook 2 hours. Seal.

Bread and Butter Pickles

20 med cucumbers

12 onions

1 c. salt

4 c. water

4 c. vinegar

4 c. sugar

4 t. celery seed

2 t. ginger

2 t. mustard seed

1 t. turmeric

Peel and grind vegetables. Add salt and let stand 2 hours. Drain and rinse. Heat remaining ingredients to boilng point and add vegetables. Cook for 3o minutes. Seal hot. Makes 3 quarts.

Pepper Sauce

1 hot pepper

12 red peppers

12 green peppers

2 c. vinegar

2 c. sugar

3 T. salt

2 t. mustard seed

2 t. celery seed

Chop peppers. Cover with boiling water, and let stand for 5 min., covered. Drain well. Add vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seed, and celery seed. Bring to boil and boil 10 minutes. Seal.

Grandma Wood’s Pickles

8 c. cucumbers

4 c. onions

1 bunch celery

1 ½ c. peppers

2 quarts water

½ c. salt

3 c. vinegar

3 ½ c. sugar

1 t. celery seed

1 t. mustard seed

½ turmeric

Grind vegetables. Add water and salt. Cook and drain. Add remaining ingredients, boil 15 minutes. Seal.

Popcorn balls

1 c. light corn syrup

1 c. sugar

1 pkg fruit flavored jello

½ # salted peanuts, chopped coarsely

9 c. popcorn

Combine syrup and sugar. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add jello and stir until dissolved. Add peanuts, mix with popcorn and form mixture into balls and wrap in waxed paper.

Carrot Cake

4 eggs

2 c. sugar

3 c. cake flour

1 ½ . oil

2 t. cinnamon

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

2 c. carrots, grated

½ c. walnuts

Salt to taste

Mix ingredients bake at 350 for 35-40 min.

Date Cake

1 c. brown sugar

½ c. shortening

2 eggs

1 c. nuts

½ c. boiling water

1 t. soda

½ t. salt

1 # dates (pitted)

2 c. flour

Cream sugar and shortening, add eggs and vanilla. Put soda in boiling water add flour and water alternately. Add nuts and dates last.

Banana nut cake

½ c. shortening

1 ½ c. sugar

2 eggs

1 c. banana, mashed

½ t. vanilla

2 c. flour, sifted

¾ t. soda

½ t. salt

½ c. buttermilk

1 c. chopped nuts

Mix ingredients and bake at 350 for 30 min.

Applesauce Cake

1 2/3 c. cake flour

1 1/3 c. sugar

¼ t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

¾ t. salt

½ t. cinnamon

¼ t. cloves

¼ t. allspice

1/3 c. shortening

1/3 c. water

1/3 c. nuts, chopped

1 c. thick applesauce

1 egg

Mix ingredients and bake 50-55 min. at 350

Orange carrot cookies

½ c. orange juice, freshly squeezed

Grated peel of 1 orange

1 t. lemon exrract

2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

2 eggs, beaten well

1 ½ c. carrots, grated fine

1 c. brown sugar

¾ c. melted shortening

Walnuts

Little more flour

Mix ingredients and cook for 15 for 20 minutes 375

Ginger cookies

¾ c. shortening

1 c. sugar

1 egg, well beaten

4 T. molasses

2 c. flour, sifted

2 t. baking soda

½ t. salt

1 T. ginger

1 t. cinnamon

Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg and molasses and mix. Sift soda and seasonings with flour and mix thoroughly into shortening mixture. Take small portions of dough and form into balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 min.

Pineapple coconut bars

¼ c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 ½ c. shredded coconut

1 c. flour, sifted

½ t. salt

1 c. pineapple, crushed

¾ c. sugar

3 T. cornstarch

¼ t. salt

1 T. butter

1 T. lemon juice

Cream butter and sugar. Mix in remaining ingredients of first list until crumbly. Press half of mixture into a greased and floured 9” square pan. Combine pineapple, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a boil and cook until thick and clear (about 5 min.) remove from heat and add butter and lemon juice. Cool slightly. Spread filling over crumb mixture. Cover with remaining crumbs. Press top layer down firmly. Bake 350 for 35 min. yield 20 bars.

Lemon dream dessert

1/2 c. butter or margarine

1 c. flour

2 eggs beaten

½ c. brown sugar

¾ c. coconut, chopped

½ c. nuts, chopped

1/8 t. baking powder

¼ t. salt

½ t. vanilla

2 t. lemon rind, grated

2 T. lemon juice

1 c. confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Cut butter into flur until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press mixture firmly into an ungreased pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min. combine eggs, brown sugar, coconut, nuts, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Mix well. Spread over the partially baked dough. Return to oven and continue baking for 20-25 min at 350.

Combine lemon rind, lemon juice, and confectioner’s sugar. Mix until smooth. Frost cake immediately upon taking it from the oven. Cool 15 min. cut into bars.

Betty’s strawberry jello

2 pkgs strawberry jello

2 c. water

2 pkgs froxen strawberries

3 bananas, mased

1- 1 # can pineapple

1 pint sour cream

Mix all together. Put part in pan and let set. Add sour cream and pour over set jello.

Zucchini Relish

10 c. ground peeled zucchini

4 c. ground onions

5 T. salt

Mix and let stand overnight

Rinse with cold water and drain.

Add

2 ½ . vinegar

5 c. sugar

1 t. each of nutmeg, dry mustard and turmeric

2 t. celery seed

1 T. cornstarch

1 red pepper and 1 green pepper chopped fine

Add everything, let cook to a hard boil then cook 5 min.

Zucchini jam

Peel zucchini and blend to puree

12 c. zucchini

Add 2 oranges and 1 lemon ground

Add 2 pkg sure jell and boil hard 1 min. add 10 c. sugar—boil till mixture thickens and sheets from spoon. Bottle and seal.

Zucchini casserole

1 pkg stove top stuffing mix

1 stick of butter

3 c. cubbed zucchini

1 pint sour cream

1 can cheese soup

1 c. chopped onion

Pinch of garlic salt

Salt and pepper

Mix melted marg with stuffing mix and seasoning. Place in bottom of dish combine remaining ingredients pour over stuffing top with a sprinkle of stuffing mix, bake at 350 for 30-40 min.

Grandma Decker’s Carrot Cake

4 eggs

2 c. sugar

1 ¼ c. Mazola oil

2 c. flour

1 ½ t. soda

2 t. baking powder

2 t. cinnamon

½ t. salt

3 c. grated carrots – add last

Mix eggs, oil and sugar. Sift flour, soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Then mix in carrots. Bake in a pan for 55 min. at 350.

For frosting: mix 3 oz. cream cheese, ½ stick of oleo, 1 ½ t. vanilla and ½ box powdered sugar. Mix well.

Nut Toffee – Harriette Blum

1 c. sugar

1 c. nuts (any kinds)

2 stick of butter

3 T. water

Mix all together in a pan. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until desired color. (I take it off in about 5 min.) Remove and then pour into a cookie sheet Cool and break up or cut while hot in squares. I always break mine up.

Grandma’s Decker's meat loaf

1 # hamburger

1 # sausage

1 c. grated potatoes

1 c. grated carrots

1 onion grated

1 c. tomato juice

2 t. flour

Put into a loaf pan and bake until meat is done about 1 hour.

Prophet’s Dessert

Mix together and press into bottom of drippen pan

1 square butter

1 c. flour

1 c chopped nuts

Bake 20 min. at 350 cool..

Mix the following

8 oz. cream cheese

1 c. powdered sugar

1 c. cool whip

Then spread on top of crust

Then mix together

2 pkg instant pudding mix

2 c. milk

Beat at low speed until set. Then add 1 small can undrained crushed pineapple and spread on top of cream mixture.

Top with remaining cool whip and sprinkle with nuts.

Grandma Wood's sweet pickle relish

Grind 8 c. cucumbers

4 c. onions

1 ½ c. green peppers

1 bunch of celery

Bring to a boil in brine 1 c. salt 2 qts water

Drain and rinse

Syrup combine –

3 c. vinegar

5 c. sugar

1 t. celery seed

1 ½ t. mustard seed

½ t. turmeric

Mix vegetables with syrup cook 15 min. makes 7 pints

Grandma Wood's bread and butter pickles

20 med cucumbers

½ c. salt

4 c. water

4 t. celery seed

2 t. ginger

12 onions

4 c. vinegar

4 c. sugar

1 t. turmeric

2 t. mustard seed

Peel and slice vegetables. Add salt and let stand 2 hours. Drain and rinse off. Heat vinegar sugar and spices to boiling point. Cook 30 min. seal

5 qts.

Old fashion sugar cookies

1 c. shortening

2 c. sugar

2 eggs (separated)

4 c. sifted flour

1 t. salt

1 t. soda1 t. lemon juice1 c. evaporated milk

1 t. vanilla

Cream the first 2 ingredients and add egg yolks until light with electric mixer. Add next ingredients. Add lemon juice to evaporated milk. Add dry and liquid ingredients alternately to the creamed mixture add vanilla. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into batter. Drop batter by spoon about 2 or 3 min. apart on greased baking sheet. Can sprinkle cookies with sugar and cinnamon if want to.

Bake 10-12 min. at 350, you can add 1 c. nuts or 1 c. drained pineapple

Hot apple cider punch

2 ¼ c. sugar

2 sticks cinnamon

8 whole allspice

10 whole cloves (or 1 ginger root)

4 c. orange juice (frozen)

2 c. lemon juice

2 qts. Apple cider or apple juice

Combine sugar and water and boil 5 min. add spices and stand for 1 hour. Just before serving combine all and bring to a boil. Makes 4 ¼ quarts

Stuffed Pepper Shells

3 med gr. Peppers

2 c. (1 ½ #) ground beef

2 c. dry bread crumbs

2 eggs

1 t. salt

¼ t. pepper

2 T. chopped onion

3 T milk

Shortening

Remove stem ends and seeds from green peppers. Cut pepper shells in two lengthwise. Combine beef dry bread crumbs, eggs, salt, pepper, onion and shortening. Fill pepper shells with meat mixture. Bake in a pan at 350 for 45 min. serve with a tomato sauce

Yield 6 stuffed peppers.

Grandma’s Meat Loaf

1 ½ # ground veal

1 ½ # ground hamburger

2 c. bread crumbs

2 c. tomato juice

Salt to taste

2 whole eggs

1 c. evaporated milk

Mix in bread crumbs with the ground meat and add tomato juice, eggs, & milk. Bake in greased pan for 2 hours.

Grandma Wood’s dill pickles

2 c. vinegar

6 c. water

½ c. salt

2 T. sugar

2 t. alum

Heat and pour over cucumbers and chill

Grandma Wood’s baby beets

Cook beats until done. Peel and put in syrup.

Syrup:

1 ½ c. vinegar,

¾ c. sugar,

1 c. water,

little bit of salt. (6 c. vinegar, 3 c. sugar, 4 c. water)

Boil hard 5 min. & seal glass jars. Makes 2 qts.

Grandma Wood's cinnamon roll

2 c. flour

½ c. shortenng

3 t. baking powder

Salt

¼ c. sugar

Milk to roll

Roll into sheet-butter-spread with cinnamon and brown sugar

Grandma Decker's Temptation spice cake

2 c. flour

1 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

¼ t. cloves

1 c. milk

3 ¼ t. baking powder

1 1/3 c. sugar

½ t. nutmeg

½ c. shortening

1 t. vanilla

Beat 2 min. add 2 unbeaten eggs and beat two more minutes. Bake 35-40 min. at 350 for 2 layers.

Creamy raisin nut frosting – 2 ½ T. flour blend with ½ . milk. Cook to a very thick paste (about 10 min) stirring constantly. Cool to lukewarm. Cream ½ c. shortening with ½ c. sugar, ¼ t. salt and ½ t. cinnamon. Add paste. Beat until fluffy. Fold into ½ t. vanilla, ½ c. cut raisins and ½ c. chopped nuts use 1/3 for filling. Blend in 1 c. sifted 4x sugar. Spread on top and sides.

Rich baking powder biscuits

1 c. flour

½ t. salt

2 t. baking powder

3 T. shortening

1/3 c. milk

Cornbread

1 c. cornmeal

1 c. sifted flour

¼ c. sugar

½ t. salt

4 t. baking powder

1 egg

1 c. milk

¼ c. shortening

Do not overbeat- bake 425 for 20-25 min.

Snickerdoodles

Oven at 400

Mix together

1 c. shortening,

1 ½ c. sugar

2 eggs

Sift and stir in

2 ¾ c. flour,

2 t. cream of tartar,

1 t. soda,

½ t. salt.

Roll into balls and roll balls into 2 T. sugar and top with cinnamon. Bake 8-10 min.

Crescent cheese rolls

1 pkg yeast

¾ c. warm water

1 egg

3 c. biscuit mix

¼ to ½ c. grated cheese

2 T. butter (softened)

Dissolve yeast in warm water, add egg & biscuit mix and beat vigorously. Stirin chese. Knead until mooth. Roll dough to 10” square and spread with butter ½. Fold unbuttered half over buttered protions. Seal edges, roll dough into 12” circle and cut into 16 points curve into crescents. Let rise about 1 hour. Bake at 400 about 10 min. brush tops with melted butter.

Cherry surprise

1/2 c. nuts

3 eggs

½ t. cream of tartar

1 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

1 c. broken saltines

2 pkg cool whip

1 cherry pie filling

Beat egg whites stiff, add tartar, sugar slowly, vanilla. Fold in crackers, lightly oiled and floured pan bake 350 for 25 min. cool thoroughly.

Whip dream whip according to directions. Spread over baked egg whited then add fruit filling. Whe putting beaten egg whites in dish be sure to pile toward the sides of the dish & up.

Avocado Salad with creamy lime dressing

2011-03-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Avocado Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup cashews

juice of 2 limes

1 teaspoon agave nectar

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

1 head Romaine lettuce, roughly chopped

1 small bunch cilantro, leaves only

2 ripe avocados, cut into small cubes

1 Combine oil, cashews, lime juice, agave nectar and cumin in a blender. Process until cashews are smooth and creamy. If needed, use water a 1/2 tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency.

2 Combine the lettuce and cilantro with the dressing in a large bowl. Top with the avocado pieces.

Vegetarian Philly Cheese Steaks

2011-03-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

Serves 4

4-6 T. Earth Balance Butter

2 very large portabello's, thinly sliced
Real Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 whole white Onion, Halved And Sliced Thick
2 whole Green Bell Peppers, Sliced Into Rings
3-6 cloves Garlic, Minced
3/4 c.Sherry, cooking sherry or port wine.
2 T Worcestershire Sauce
2 dashes Tabasco (more To Taste)
4 whole Deli Rolls (the Crustier The Better)
8 slices Cheese (Provolone, Swiss, Pepper Jack or munster cheese)

Preparation Instructions

Slice portabello's and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over med - high heat. Add onions, garlic and green peppers and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until relatively soft (but not flimsy.) Remove to a clean plate. Set aside.

Melt 2 add’l tablespoons butter to the skillet. Add sliced mushrooms and stir. Pour in sherry, then add Worcestershire and Tabasco. Cook over medium-high heat for five minutes, or until liquid has reduced by about a third. Add vegetables, stirring to combine. Cook for just a few minutes to heat everything up, adding more sherry and Worcestershire (and Tabasco) as needed. Stir in 1 tablespoons butter at the end. Keep hot.

Toast halved deli rolls in plenty of butter until golden brown and crisp. Spoon veggie mixture on the lower half of the bun, then spoon one or two tablespoons of pan sauce over the meat (it will soak into the bun.) Drizzle a little sauce on the underside of the top bun, too, for extra flavor and moisture. Top with cheese and broil for a minute or two, until the cheese is melted.

Serve immediately.

Pasta with leeks

2011-03-11T21:21:00.000-08:00

Recently we have been using a few recipes that we have found on the pioneer woman website. Although we are vegetarian we have successfully adapted the recipes.

This recipe was originally titled Pasta with Pancetta and Leeks. But we've adapted the recipe to include no meat.

(picture courtesy of The Pioneer Woman)

This recipe was very light but with lots of flavor. The leeks add a little hint of onion flavor without overpowering.

12 oz. bowtie Pasta, cooked al dente
1/2 c. reserved pasta water
2 very large leeks, sliced thin.
2 T. butter (or we used earth balance non-dairy butter)
1/2 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. heavy cream or soy creamer
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh Parmesan cheese or soy alternative parm

cook pasta, *drain and set aside. *Reserve 1/2 c. of pasta water.

Saute sliced leeks in butter and cook until translucent and browned. Add wine and cook 1-2 min. Pour in pasta water and cream. Cook on low heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in parmesan. Toss Leek mixture with pasta. Top with more parmesan and serve.

Absolutely Out of this World Foccacia Bread

2011-03-11T21:05:00.000-08:00

1 1/2 t. rapid rise yeast

1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. water (105 to 115 degrees)

1 1/3 c. cooked potatoes (approx. 2-3) grated.

2 T. olive oil plus extra for bowl and pan.
1 1/4 t. salt.

2- 2 1/2 c. all purpose flour

Cook potatoes in a microwave oven until softened, let cool and then peel and grate.

Mix yeast, 1/2 c. flour and 1/2 c. water well and cover with plastic wrap, let sit for 20 min. (it will rise)

Preheat oven to low, (200 degrees)

After the yeast mix has risen. Add the grated potatoes, olive oil and salt. Mix in an upright mixer, or mix well by hand. Add flour 1/2 c. at a time (slowly), add as much as needed until the dough is sticky and hangs on the hook, holds well together without being too dry.

In a clean bowl add 1 T. olive oil and grease bowl well. place dough in bowl and toss to coat. Cover with towel, turn off oven and place dough in oven and let rise to double. Remove dough from oven.

Preheat oven to 425

Remove dough from bowl. Oil a cookie sheet and spread dough on cookie sheet pushing the dough to the corners and filling pan. Take a spoon and press down into dough every few inches to make indents in dough. Spread olive oil on top of dough with a brush. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.

Bake for 25 min. or until brown.

(you can also melt 1/4 c. of butter (or we use earth balance non-dairy butter) with 2 T. of chopped garlic, remove bread from oven after it has cooked 20 min. spread butter mix on top and bake an additional 5 min., this makes great garlic bread)

(note: this dough also makes great pizza dough and bread sticks).

Sources for Vegan milk powders

2011-02-27T18:17:00.000-08:00

I have been on a quest to find the best alternative milk powders to keep in my food storage and to use in bulk mix cooking. Here are a few that I have found.

Coconut Milk Powder
http://www.enerhealthbotanicals.com/coconut-milk-powder.html
http://www.coconutoil-online.com/Coconut_Milk_Powder_Supreme.html
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/coconut-milk-powder?utm_source=frooglecom&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=shopping
http://www.amazon.com/Coconut-Milk-Powder-1-Pound/dp/B000KEVI52

Soy Milk Powder (try to find with Non-genetically modified soybeans)
http://www.amazon.com/Soy-Milk-Powder-Instant-Ounces/dp/B0014UH6WU
http://www.nowfoods.com/Products/M003493.htm

Rice Milk Powder
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EO5QLE?ie=UTF8&redirect=true&tag=godairyfree-20&camp=211189&creative=373489&link_code=as3&creativeASIN=B001EO5QLE

Almond Milk Powder
http://www.organicbuyersgroup.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=49

Vegan Vanilla and instant pudding mix - dry mix

2011-02-27T16:30:00.000-08:00

Vegan Homemade Vanilla Pudding Mix

32 servings

1 1/4 c. soy, almond, rice or coconut milk powder
1 1/4 c cornstarch
1 5/8 c organic sugar
1/4 t ground nutmeg - fresh ground is best
3/8 t salt

Combine all the dry ingredients and store in an airtight container.

To prepare:

Add 1/2 cup mix to a saucepan. Add 2 c. soy, almond, rice or coconut milk and stir until blended. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer while stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and add 1/2 t of vanilla extract. Cool and serve.

Variations: Substitue the vanilla for any flavor of extract.

Vegan Chocolate pudding mix - dry mix

2011-02-27T16:25:00.000-08:00

3/4 c. soy, rice, almond or coconut milk powder
3/4 c. Cornstarch
1 1/2 c. organic sugar
3/4 c. Cocoa powder
1/4 t. salt (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and place in a jar.

Add 2/3 c. to a saucepan add 2 c. of soy, rice, almond or coconut milk. Stir until blended. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer stir constantly until thickened. Let cool and serve.

Vegan Mint Chocolate Chocolate chip cookies

2011-02-27T16:15:00.000-08:00

2 1/4 c. white wheat flour
1 t. baking soda
1 c. (2 sticks) Earth Balance butter
1/4 c. organic sugar
3/4 c. sucanat sugar
2/3 c. homemade natural chocolate pudding mix (see recipe on this site)
1 t. vanilla extract
2 T. ground flax seed
6 T. water
12 oz. vegan mint chocolate chips or vegan mint chocolate bar, chopped

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix flour, baking soda in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix butter, sugars and pudding mix until creamy. In a cup mix flax seed and water until smooth, add to sugar mix, then add vanilla. Mix until creamy. Add Flour mix. Mix well. Gently stir in chocolate chips.

Using a Tablespoon place cookies on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 min. Remove from oven let cool and place on cooling rack.

Makes 24 cookies.

Super Yummy Vegetarian meatloaf

2011-02-27T16:04:00.000-08:00

2 cups water

1 t salt

1 c. lentils

Boil water and cook lentils until soft. Approximately 25 min.

1 white onion, diced

1 c. quick-cooking oat or 1 c. bread crumbs

3/4 c. grated cheese

1 egg, beaten

1/4 c. tomato sauce

1/4 c. BBQ sauce (with no corn syrup or fruitose)
2 T. garlic, minced

1/2 c. BBQ sauce for topping

Remove lentils from stove top and add to blender. Blend until smooth, adding small amounts of water to a (peanut butter like consistency). In a bowl mix onions with oats/bread crumbs, grated cheese and garlic. Add lentils to mix and stir well incorporating all ingredients. In small bowl mix tomato sauce with BBQ sauce and egg. Add to lentil mix and mix well.

Grease a loaf pan/bread pan and pour lentil mix into pan. Pat down top to make it smooth. Bake at 350 for 30-35 min. Top with 1/2 c. BBQ sauce and cook an additional 10 min.

Let cool and serve.

Avocado, Corn and black bean salad

2011-02-06T17:21:00.000-08:00

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 avocado, diced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 handful of cilantro, chopped
1 T. lime juice
1 T. kelp ( we use this instead of salt)
1 t. cumin powder
1/8 - 1/4 t. cayenne (depending on how hot you like it)
1/4 c. olive oil.
1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, and serve. BONUS: It's even better the next day.

Super Yummy Seven Salad

2011-01-18T17:20:00.000-08:00

This salad is so yummy perfect for winter or summer time, with only 7 ingredients

1 bunch of spinach
1 apple, cored and diced
1/3 c. cubed cheddar or you could use feta, or blue cheese
1/3 c. red onion diced, or I used a sweet white onion.
1/2 c. small red grapes (champagne)
1/3 c. Sesame sweet cashews (Trader Joes)
1 Avocado (diced)

Mix all in a salad bowl and top with poppyseed dressing.

Quick and Easy Poppyseed Dressing

2011-01-18T17:16:00.000-08:00

I was looking for some good dressing and came across this recipe. After some tweaking I think we've found one we all love, and the best part is there's no additives and preservatives.

1/2 c. Veganaise Mayo

1/8 c. Almond, So Delicious Brand Coconut Milk or Soy Milk

1/3 c. white wine vinegar

1/4 c Raw organic Sugar or agave (or you can add up to 1/3 c. for a sweeter taste)

1 T. poppy seeds

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy :) refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Coconut Snowballs

2011-01-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

3 types of coconut in a tender buttery melt in your mouth cookie

1 cup unsalted butter
1/4 t. salt
1/3 c. confectioners' sugar
1/2 c. coconut milk powder
3/8 t. coconut flavouring
2 1/2 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup toasted coconut
Coating:
1 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
1 c. Coconut milk powder

preheat oven to 350 degrees in a med sized bowl beat together the butter and salt until soft and fluffy. Mix in the confectioners' sugar, coconut milk powder and coconut flavoring. Add the flour and toasted coconut mix until well combined. form the dough into 1" balls. place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in the ove

Mom's Vegetable Soup MMMM....

2010-11-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

A vegetarian version that so great for a cold day! This makes a huge pot so invite family and friends over or half it for your own family. You can also freeze it, and it's much better on the 2nd day.
MOM'S VEGETABLE SOUP

1 32 ounce vegtable broth

1 32 ounce no chicken chicken broth

1 white onion chopped

16 cups of water

8 to 10 cloves of garlic minced

6 cups of chopped patato

1 cup of chopped celary

2 cans corn, drained

1 can creamed corn

6 c. wheat shell pasta

2 cans carrots, drained, or 4 c. sliced carrots

2 cans green beans, drained

salt and pepper to taste

2 1/2 T. aromatica organics all purpose vegetable seasoning or your favorite all purpose seasoning.

grated cheese

olive oil

Heat olive oil, add chopped onions and garlic. Saute until translucent. Add broths, and water, potatoes, celery and wheat pasta. Cook until potatoes and pasta are done. Add corn, creamed corn, carrots, green beans, salt and pepper and vegetable seasoning. Cook for another 10-15 min, until boiling.

Serve hot topped with grated cheese.

More Canning! (pictures coming soon)

2010-10-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

After the last batch of canning, I definitely thought I was done until I found a new canning book called "Small Batch Preserving". Well I had to give these a try as well. Here is what we ended up with. And if your family or friends don't be surprised if you end up with one of these in your Christmas stockings :)

SWEET DILL PICKLES
Makes 8 pint jars

24-32 small pickling cucumbers
8 large cloves garlic
8 heads fresh dill or 8 tsp. dill seeds
1 tsp celery seeds
4 c. white vinegar
2 c. water
1 c. sugar
2 Tbsp pickling salt
1/4 tsp. turmeric

cut a thin slice from the ends of each cucumber. cut cucumbers lengthwise into quarters.
remove hot jars from canner. place 1 clove garlic, 1 head fresh dill or 1 tsp dill seeds and 1/8 tsp. celery seeds in each jar. pack in the cucumbers.

meanwhile combine vinegar, water, sugar, salt and turmeric in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. pour boiling vinegar mix over cucumbers to within 1/2" of rim. process for 10 min.

LIGHT STRAWBERRY PINEAPPLE SPREAD
Makes 4 half pints

10 C. strawberries washed and hulled
2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1 c. pineapple juice concentrate
4 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mash strawberries in a med stainless steel pan and measure; you should have about 6 C. Add apple, lemon rind, pineapple juice, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently uncovered for 20 min. or until mixture thickens and is spreadable. stirring frequently.

remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

ladle into hot jars and process for 10 min.

HOT PEPPER JELLY
makes 5 half pints

1 1/2 c. each: evenly diced red and yellow peppers
2 jalapeno peppers evenly diced
2 1/4 c. white wine vinegar
9 c. sugar
3 pouches of liquid pectin

combine peppers, jalapenos, vinegar and sugar in a med stainless steel pan. bring to a full boil over high heat and boil hard for 1 min. stirring constantly. add pectin; return to a boil and boil rapidly for 1 min. remove from heat.

ladle into hot jars and process for 10 min.

APPLE CIDER CINNAMON JELLY
makes 8 half pints

10 C. fresh pressed apple cider
4 sticks of cinnamon, 4" broken into 4 pieces
14 c. granulated sugar
4 pouches of liquid pectin

combine cider and cinnamon pieces in a large stainless steel saucepan. cover and bring to a boil over high heat. reduce heat and boil gently for 5 min. strain cider through several layers of cheesecloth, reserving cinnamon pieces to add to jars. rinse saucepan.

measure 2 cups cider and return to saucepan; add sugar. bring to a full boil over high heat, stirring constantly. stir in pectin, return to a full boil and boil hard for 1 min. stirring constantly remove from heat.

ladle into hot jars add one piece of cinnamon to each jar and process for 10 min.

Australian spiced fig jam and Spiced fig jam bars

Makes 5 half pints
16 oz. dried figs
4 1/2 c. water
9 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 box dry fruit pectin
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1/2 c. lemon juice

Combine figs and water in a med bowl. let stand for 8 hours or overnight.
drain figs, reserve liquid. remove and discared stems and chop fruit finely.
place chopped fruit in a measuring cup and add reserved liquid and enough water to bring level to 3 C.
combine sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. set aside
place fig mixture, pectin, lemon rind and jice in a large stainless steel pan. bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Add sugar-spice mixture, return to a full boil and boil hard for 1 min. stirring constantly. remove from heat.
ladle into hot jars and process For 10 min.

SPICED FIG JAM BARS
Makes 48 bars.

1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. australian spiced dried fig jam (above)

cream sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth.
combine flour, salt, and baking soda; stir into butter mix forming a soft dough.
divide down into 2 parts. roll havle of the dough on a floured surface into a 8x12 rectangle. spread half of the jam along the center of The dough leaving about a 2" strip on each side. using a flat lifter, fold sides of dough to cover jam. cut into 4 crosswise sections and place on a baking sheet. repeat with 2nd half of dough.
bake at 400 for 12 min. or until slightly browned on edges. transfer to cooling rack. when cool cut into 2 lenghtwise pieces then cut each piece into 3 bars.

SPICED BLUEBERRY HONEY JAM
Makes 10 half pints

12 1/2 c. frozen blueberries
12.5 c. sugar
5 c. honey
5 Tbsp lemon juice
2 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
5 pouches of liquid fruit pectin

place blueberries, sugar, honey, lemon juice and nutmeg in a large stainless steel pan. Bring to a full boil over high heat and boil hard for 2 min. stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in pectin. Ladle into hot jars and process for 10 min.

FRESH FIG AND STRAWBERRY JAM

Makes 10 half pints

5# fresh green figs, stemmed and cut into small pieces
10 c. quartered strawberries
10 c. granulated sugar
15 Tbsp lemon juice

place figs, strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a med stainless steel pan. cover and let stand for 1 hour, stirring occassionally.
Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to med and boil rapidly uncovered. Until mixture forms a gel, about 15 min, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Ladle into hot jars and process for 10 min.

PICKLED BABY CARROTS
Makes 8 pint jars

12 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh oregano or 4 Tbsp. dried
8 Tbsp. each chopped sweet red and green peppers
1 tsp. hot pepper flakes
8 small cloves garlic
4# peeled baby carrots
6 C. white vinegar
2 C. sugar
1 1/3 C. water
4 tsp. pickling salt

combine oregano, peppers and hot pepper flakes. remove jars from canner and divide pepper mix between them. Add 1 clove garlic to each jar and fill with half the carrots leaving 1/2" headspace. Meanwhile, combine vinegar, sugar, water and salt in a sauce pan and bring to a boil . pour hot liquid over carrots to 1/2" of rim. process 15 min. for pints.

FIESTA CORN RELISH
Makes: 6 half pint jars

12 C. frozen corn kernels
3 hot yellow pepper, seeded and finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 1/2 C. cider vinegar
2 1/4 C. sugar
1 1/2 c. chopped red onion
1 1/2 c. sweet red pepper chopped
1 C. chopped green onions
3 tsp. ground cumin
3 tsp. pickling salt
1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
6 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Add corn to a stainless steel saucepan with hot pepper, garlic, vinegar, sugar, onion, red pepper, green onions, cuin, salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered for 20 min. stir in cilantro and cook 2 min. remove from heat.
remove hot jars from canner and ladle into jars within 1/2" of rim. Process for 15 min.

SOUTHWEST SALSA
Makes: 8 pints

16 c. chopped, peeled tomatoes
4 c. chopped onion
12 cloves garlic minced
2 c. chopped sweet red pepper
8-16 jalapeno's seeded and minced
2 c. red wine vinegar
1 c. chopped fresh cilantro
8 Tbsp. orange juice
4 Tbsp. lime juice
4 tsp. sugar
4 tsp. pickling salt
1 c. tomato paste

combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, peppers, vinegar, cilantro, orange and lime juice, sugar and salt in a large stainless steel pan. bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered for 30 min. or until mix is thickened. stirring occassionally. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 min.

remove hot jars from canner and ladle salsa into jars to within 1/2" of rim. Process for 20 minutes.

Canning 2010

2010-09-20T19:05:00.000-07:00

So I ended up with 46# of peaches & 50# of roma's. What's a girl to do? Can them of course! So here are the recipes I used this year.

Sombrero BBQ Sauce (from Ball complete book of Home Preserving)

20 c. chopped, cored and peeled tomatoes

2 c. chopped celery

2 c. chopped onions

1 1/2 c. chopped and seeded, green bell peppers

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

1 t. whole black peppercorns

2 1/2 c. white vinegar

1 1/2 c. lightly packed brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 T. dry mustard

1 T. paprika

2 t. hot pepper sauce

1 1/2 t. salt

In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine tomatoes, celery, onions, green peppers, and jalapenos. bring to a boil over to high heat, stirring frequently. Reduced heat, cover and boil gently until vegetables are softened about 30 min.

Transfer mixture to blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

return mix to sauce pan, bring to boil over med high. stirring occassionally. reduce heat and boil gently. stirring frequently until mix is reduced by half about 45 min.

meanwhile tie peppercorns in a square of cheesecloth, creating a spice bag.

add vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, mustard, paprika, hot pepper sauce, salt and spice bag to tomato mix. increase heat to med and boil gently, stirring frequently until thickened about 1 hour. discard spice bag.

ladle into hot jars leave 1/2 " headspace, remove bubbles, wipe rim, and add lid.

Process for 35 min.

Peach Barbecue Sauce (this is soooo yummy)

6 c. finely chopped, pitted and peeled peaches

1 c. chopped and seeded red bell peppers

1 c. chopped onions

2 T. chopped garlic

1 1/4 c. honey

3/4 c. cider vinegar

1 T. worcestershire sauce

2 t. hot pepper flakes

2 t. dry mustard

2 t. salt

in stainless steel pan combine peaches, red pepper, onion, garlic, honey, vinegar, worcestershire sauce, hot pepper flakes, mustard, and salt. bring to a boil over med high heat. reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently until mix is thickened. about 25 min.

ladel into hot jars leaving 1/2" head space.

Process 15 min.

Peach Salsa (so addicting we couldn't stop eating it)

6 c. chopped, pitted and peeled peaches
1 chopped and seeded red bell pepper
1 1/4 c. chopped onions
4 jalapenos chopped
1/2 c. loosely packed cilantro chopped
2 T. chopped garlic
2 T. honey
1/2 c. white vinegar
2 t. hot pepper flakes
1 1/2 t. gr. cumin
1/2 t. cayenne

in stainless steel pan combine vinegar and peaches. Add onion, jalapenos, red pepper, cilantro, honey, garlic, cumin, cayenne and hot pepper flakes. Bring to a boil over med high heat stirring constantly. REduce heat and boil until thickened about 5 min.

Remove from heat and ladle into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace.

Process for 15 min.

Roasted Tomato-Chipotle Salsa/Enchilada Sauce

Okay, I have to be honest, this took ALOT of work, I don't think I'll make this one again. I was hoping for some real good smoky salsa the kind you find at Chevy's or Fresh Mex, but it turned out to be quite thick, so I ended up blending it down and turning it into Enchilada/Taco Sauce. It's actually pretty good this way. But still a lot of work!

12 dried chipotle chili peppers, stems removed

12 dried cascabel chili peppers, stems removed

2 c. hot water

3# plum tomatoes

2 large green bell peppers

2 small onions

1 head garlic, broken into cloves

2 t. sugar

1 t. salt

1 c. white vinegar

in large skillet over med heat, roast dried chili peppers on both sides about 30 seconds per side until they are pliable. Transfer to a large glass or stainless steel bowl then add hot water. weigh chili's down with a bowl and soak for 15 min. Transfer chili's to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside.

Under a broiler, roast tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic turning to roast all sides until tomatoes and peppers are blacked in spots about 15 min. Set onions and garlic aside to cool. Place tomatoes and peppers in paper bags. secure openings and set aside until cool enough to handle, about 15 min. Peel and chop tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic.

In a stainless steel pan combine chili puree, roasted vegetables, sugar, salt and vinegar. Bring to a boil over med high heat. Stirring constantly. Reduce heat and boil stirring frequently. until slightly thickened about 15 min.

To make into Enchilada/Taco sauce: transfer mixture to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

ladle into jars, leaving 1/2 " headspace. Process 8oz. for 15 min., pints 20 min. and quarts 25 min.

BBQ Oysters

2010-09-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

On a camping trip last year my husband and I stumbled upon this little place called "The Peg House" in Northern California that the most amazing BBQ oysters, ever. I have always loved oysters but my husband has never liked them until this day. Now we have craved these ever since. So I had to attempt to make the same thing at home. I tried BBQ'ing them on the BBQ they turned out good but not until yesterday did I make the most delicious oysters, that even beat out our favorites at the Peg House. So here's the recipe. And if your not an oyster lover, give this a try and you just might change your mind. :)

Oyster in shell (how ever many you like we usually do 3 a piece)

Favorite BBQ sauce

Olive Oil

Sriracha Sauce (aka: rooster sauce)

Preheat oven to 350. Place unopen, fresh oyster shells on baking sheet. Bake for 10 min. Remove from oven and open shells, leaving oyster attached to one of the shell, discard the other shell. Drizzle oyster with olive oil, top with BBQ sauce and a drop of sriracha. Place back in the oven and cook for another 3-5 minutes, just to heat. Serve. So yummy!!

Fast and Healthy Burritos

2010-08-31T21:07:00.000-07:00

1 can black beans, drained
1 can Hatch's tomatoes
2 c. brown rice, cooked
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 T. minced garlic
2 T. lime juice
2 c. grated cheese
6 flour tortillas
sour cream
1 avocado

Place beans in a sauce pan, add Hatch's tomatoes, cilantro, onions, garlic and lime juice. Cook until boiling, then turn down to a simmer. Heat tortilla shells on the grill or microwave to soften. Top tortilla with cooked rice & bean mixture, top with cheese, sour cream & sliced avocados. Roll up into a burrito and serve with chips and salsa.

LOVE THESE!

2010-08-31T21:01:00.000-07:00

These are some of our favorite non-hamburgers! Our 9 year old daughter's friend (who happens to be VERY picky) came over for dinner one night and raved about these burgers. They look just like a real hamburger and the taste is Oh, so Good! With some avocados, tomatoes and lettuce this is a perfect hamburger!

Perfect when I have a sweet tooth! The Mint pie is my absolute favorite and I'm never without a few in my freezer. It's definitely not something you would want to eat ever day as the calories are quite high, but when you need a little sweet something that's totally vegan, these are perfect!

Okay, so my goal is to cut out soda, but it's going to be so hard to give up the Virgil's black cherry soda's. It has the perfect blend of flavors.

So once we found this milk it was so much easier to give up cow's milk. I use it to bake with instead of regular milk too and it does a great job, and now Smith's carries it!

I orginally bought this stuff because it was on a clearance rack and at a good price. Even though I'm not really in need of more hair, I love this stuff because it feels soooo good on my scalp and it gives my hair lots of body. I use it at night, sleep with it on and then wash it out in the morning, it never fails to make my hair look healthy, thicker and full of body.

This is totally amazing! The perfect thing for when you've had a rough day or just need to relax. I love the smell of this filled with Wintergreen and spearmint, it's one of my favorite things to take a bath in

I grew up using this and absolutely Love the taste of it. It's great just on plain rice and used as a soy sauce, it's also great for seasoning soups, casseroles, vegetables and making salad dressings

Another new favorite. I have a really hard time drinking water, it's just not something I really enjoy. So I found these little packets one day and they have been a life saver. They are sweetened with Truvia/Stevia and add just the right amout of flavoring to my water to make it tolerable. I usually add them to my 16 oz. water bottle drink it halfway, and then add more water, doing this twice gives me 32 oz. of water in no time! I can't live without this stuff.

TRADER JOES

No pictures for these but there are a few favorites that we always try to keep on hand from Trader Joes.

Pure Maple Syrup Grade B

once you've had this you'll never want any other kind of maple syrup, this is definitely the best)

Concentrated Frozen Lemonade

Perfect for a hot summer day, it's just like fresh squeezed with pulp and all.

Sugared Cashews

We love these on a salad with just about anything, but they're great with avocado's or eaten just plain.

Lime Cilantro Rice

Quick and easy, you just cut open the bag and microwave for 3 minutes until warm, goes great with just about anything or use it on burritos or any kind of mexican cuisine.

35 days!

2010-08-31T14:50:00.000-07:00

So it's been 35 days since we've changed our way of eating. No more hamburgers, no more hot dogs :)

We've been vegetarian with a few meals that include fish, so technically we're pescatarian. We are LOVING this new way of eating! The only complaints I can say is that it's really hard to keep the fresh vegetables and fruit from going bad too quickly. So It seems like I'm going to shopping more often.

I love trying new dishes, especially ones with lots of flavor. I have really been enjoying turning our older, favorites into more healthier vegetarian alternatives, and the surprising thing is that we, my family and even the kids have not missed the meat at all.

I can't wait to try more new and yummy recipes and continue to learn ways to feed my family healthy tasty meals.

Mizithra Lemon baked pasta-- SOOOO yummy.

2010-08-31T14:20:00.000-07:00

Our new family favorite! Dad could not get a enough of it and it is on his top 5 list now!

Mizithra is a hard greek cheese that can be found at your local grocery store (usually in the deli department). You could also use parmesan or pecorino romano.

Ingredients

1 pound linguine

6 Tablespoons Olive oil

2 Tablespoons Garlic, Minced

1 whole Lemon, Juiced And Zested

2 cups Sour Cream

½ teaspoons Kosher Salt, Or More To Taste

Plenty Of Grated Mizithra Cheese

Flat-leaf Parsley, Chopped

Extra Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta until al dente.

In a skillet, heat olive oil over LOW HEAT. Add minced garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.

Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary. Pour mixture over drained pasta and stir together, then pour pasta into an oven safe dish.

Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)

When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top. Top generously with mizithra cheese, then chopped parsley. Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

Easy Peasy Pie Crust

2010-08-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

1 1/8 c. all purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. sugar
8 T. cold unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces or 6 T. coconut oil
3 T. cold ice water

Combine flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Pulse 1-2x. Add butter or coconut oil, mix for 10 seconds until it looks like cornmeal. Place mixture in a bowl and sprinkle with cold ice water. Use a spatula to make into a ball, add more ice water if nix seems dry. Wrap in plastic wrap and flatten into disk. Freeze for 10 min. or refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove from freezer or refrigerator. Place on wax paper and roll out between 2 sheets of wax paper.

Awesome Apple Pie

2010-08-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

3/4 c. raw sugar, or granulated sugar
1/4 c. maple sugar or brown sugar
2 T. all purpose flour
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. nutmeg
3 # tart apples, peeled cored and sliced
2 T. butter, cut up
1/4 c. whip cream
1-2 T. milk
1 T. raw sugar
2 pie crust (see recipe above)

Preheat oven to 375. Mix sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add apples and toss until apples are coated with mixture. Add butter and mix in dots of butter. Add whip cream. Mix well. Place in pie crust. Top with pie crust cover edges with foil. Bake for 40 min. Remove foil from edges brush with milk and 1T. raw sugar and bake an additional 25-30 min.
Remove from oven, let cool, and serve.

Lemon Mizithra Pasta

2010-08-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

1# spaghetti noodles, cooked al dente

4 Tablespoons of butter

2 Tablespoons Olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 c. sour cream

1 whole lemon, zested and juiced

dash of sea salt

Mizithra cheese, shredded

flat leaf parsley, chopped

lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375

On low heat in a saucepan melt butter, olive oil and garlic. Cook until garlic is lightly browned. Turn off heat and add sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice & salt. Mix well. In a large pan mix cooked noodles with lemon sauce, mix well. Transfer to a baking pan and place in oven for 10 min, covered with tin foil. Remove tin foil and cook 7 additional minutes. Remove from oven top with chopped parsley and shredded mizithra cheese. Serves 6

A Change for the better!

2010-07-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

So we watched a documentary called Food, Inc. on July 26th and it really changed the way we, as a family think about our food. Granted we had been on our way to a healthier way of eating anyway, and this was just the nudge that we needed to cut out red meat and chicken completely.

John and I have been feeling the effects of stress and getting older and in an effort to feel better and look younger, we have decided to continue with a workout plan and change our way of eating.

So from here on out, the recipes that will be posted will be based on our new way of eating. Mostly vegetarian but with fish occassionally. We will not be eating chicken or red beef so no recipes will be found from here on out with these ingredients.

I promise to still only post those recipes that my family truly loves, and hopefully your family will love them too!

Quick Cornbread

2010-06-09T16:08:00.000-07:00

12 servings

1 c. flour
1 c. yellow cornmeal
3 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking poweder
1/2 t. course grained salt
1 c. skim milk
1/4 c. canola oil
1 large egg lightly beaten

heat oven to 400, spray 9" square pan with non stick spray
combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. set aside
in smaller bowl whisk milk, oil and egg. pour the wet ingredients over the dry and using a fork stir until just combies. do not overmix. spread batter evenly in pan and bake 20-25 min. cut into squares and serve.

Black bean Quesadilla

2010-05-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

We have been on quest recently to find good healthy vegetarian foods that the kids will love too. Today we came home from church and everyone requested quesadillas. Regular quesadillas though not vegan are vegetarian, but the plain old cheese one's just didn't sound as good for me, plus how healthy is a flour tortilla with just a slab of cheese in the middle? What's a mom to do? Come up with a healthy alternative, of course!
BLACK BEAN QUESADILLA

Makes: 6-8 quesadillas

2 cans of black beans, drained
1 handful of cilantro, chopped
3 T. sour cream
1 onion, chopped
1 can green chilis
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 orange bell pepper, chopped
1/2 pkg of taco seasoning, or use the taco seasoning mix found below
6-8 large flour tortillas
1 1/2- 2 c. grated mexican cheese
coconut oil

In a saucepan heat a little coconut to coat bottom of pan. Saute onions & bell peppers until just softened (don't overcook because you'll still want a little bit of crunch), add black beans, sour cream, green chilis and taco seasoning, stir and heat until boiling. Turn off heat and remove from stove top.

Heat small amount of coconut oil in a frying pan, place 1 flour tortilla in pan and cook until just browned, then flip over, top 1/2 of the tortilla with 1/2 c. of black bean mixture and 1/4 c. cheese flip the other half over the tortilla to fold in half. Cook until just browned, then flip over and brown the other side. Cut into 3-4 triangular wedges and serve with sliced avocado.

Other ideas to use the black beans mix:

Taco filling

bean dip

(you could also puree it for the bean dip)

Enchilada filling

burrito filling

(add some tomatoes and lettuce, or not)

Taco salad topping

honey/dijon crunchy fish

2010-03-25T16:01:00.000-07:00

1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup dijon
1/4 cup honey
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup bread crumbs
3# fish filet - (flounder, or white fish of choice)

Preheat oven to 450.

Combine mayonnaise, dijon and honey. spread on the fish filet. In a separate bowl combine spices with panko and bread crumbs. Place fish filet covered with dijon mix into bowl and pat bread crumb mixture on fish filets to coat. Place filets in a lightly greased pan and bake 25 min. turn and bake an additional 10-15 min. or until fish flakes easily.

Blueberry Bars

2010-03-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

We hit a great sale at our local market on blueberries, .98 per pint, I had to load up. Blueberries are totally irresistable to our family and it's not uncommon to find us huddled around a fresh bowl eating handfuls. This recipe was a great way to make them a little different than usual. We also took a plate of these over to our friends and they have raved about them as well.

1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all- purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter, cold or I use 1 cup coconut oil
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups of fresh blueberries or you could use frozen, just make sure they are drained well.
4 teaspoons corn starch.

Preheat oven to 375. Grease 9x13 pan.
In a bowl stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into prepared pan, pressing firmly.

In another bowl, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. pour the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berries.

Bake for 45 min. or until slightly browned. Cool completely and then cut into squares.

This Ain't your Mama's Chicken Salad (lovingly named by my husband)

2010-03-25T13:12:00.000-07:00

1 large can (kirkland brand) chicken, drained and shredded
1/2 c. mayo
1/2 t. paprika
3/4 c. cranberries
1/2 c. celery, chopped finely
1 green onion, sliced finely
1/4 c. red bell pepper, chopped finely
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/2 t. salt
pepper to taste.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Serve on bread, as a sandwich, on lettuce cups, inside half a red bell pepper shell, in a tomato or on a tortilla and wrapped.

French Bread - super easy and oh, so worth it!

2010-03-24T12:56:00.000-07:00

1 cup water

2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 1/ teaspoons yeast

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Place water, bread flour, sugar salt and yeast into either a bread machine or a mixer. If in a bread machine, set the bread maker for dough setting. Otherwise mix in a mixer until it forms a dough and is mixed well. When cycle is completed either by bread machine or in the mixer. shape dough into a round and place in an oiled bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched. Punch down dough on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half and shape into a long loaf. if you like make deep diagonal cuts across the top of the loaf, every 2 inches. Let rise until doubled. Then bake in a preheated oven at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

SUPER EASY - no bake Granola bars

2010-03-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

A great sweet healthy treat, my kids LOVE these! They are also perfect to add to your food storage ingredients.

2 1/2 c. Rice krispies

2 c. quick cooking oats

6 T. Flax meal, hemp seed or other ground seeds or wheat germ (for added protein)

1/2 c. dried fruit (cherries, blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, raisins, whatever you like)

1/2 c. chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pistachios, whatever you like)

1/2 c. sweetener, liquid (brown rice syrup, honey, maple syrup, molasses) I like brown rice syrup it gives it a caramel taste and texture.

4 T. sucanate or dark brown sugar

2/3 c. nut butter (almond, cashew, soynut, peanut or whatever you like) I like almond butter it has a deeper flavor and taste then peanut butter.

2 t. vanilla extract

1 t. ground cinnamon

mix the rice krispies, quick oats, flaxseed meal (or other), dried fruit and nuts in a large bowl.

Over med high heat bring liquid sweetener of choice and brown sugar or sucanat to a boil, stir constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in nut butter and vanilla until blended.

Pour warm nut butter mixture over cereal mixture and stir until coated. Press mixture firmly into a 9x13 pan that has been lightly oiled. Let cool in pan. cut into 24 bars, wrap in saran wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

There are other variations you can make up your own favorites:

GERMAN CHOCOLATE BAR: Add chocolate chips or carob chips, with coconut flakes

CHERRY CHOCOLATE BAR: Add Chocolate chips or carob chips with dried cherries.

PEANUT BUTTER BAR: Add roasted peanuts with peanut butter and use honey as sweetener.

CHERRY ALMOND: Add dried cherries, almond butter and chopped almonds and use almond extract in place of vanilla, if you like.

APPLE PIE: Add chopped dried apples and rice syrup or honey with walnuts or pecans and cinnamon.

PECAN PIE: Add pecans, almond butter, rice syrup, dates and cinnamon.

TROPICAL BAR: add pineapple and mangos, with brazil nuts or macadamia nuts and Almond butter or macadamia butter. use almond extract.

Smoky best chili

2009-11-30T18:38:00.000-08:00

3 white onions, chopped
2 T. garlic, minced
1 # turkey hamburger
2 c. chicken broth
2 cans tomato sauce (small cans)
1 can Rotel tomatoes w/green chilis
1/2 bag of chipotle flavored taco seasoning
1 T. Reg Taco seasoning
2 dashes of cayenne
1 can creamed corn
1 can regular corn, drained
4 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 T. liquid smoke
1 T. regular hot chocolate (secret ingredient)
2 T. BBQ sauce
4 1/2 t. ranch seasoning

Brown onions and garlic in oil (we use coconut oil) in a large sauce pan. Brown turkey hamburger in a separate pan. When onions are translucent add chicken broth, browned meat, tomato sauce, rotel, taco seasonings, kidney beans, cayenne, corns, beans, liquid smoke, hot chocolate, bbq, and ranch. Cook on med/high until brought to a boil. Then turn heat down and simmer for 15 min. Serve with sour cream, chopped cilantro and top with cheese

Quick Chicken Enchiladas

2009-11-18T10:16:00.000-08:00

1 T. Butter or I use Coconut oil
1 c. onions, chopped
1 t. garlic, minced
4 oz. can of green chilis
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
1 c. enchilada sauce
3 c. cooked chicken, I use a rotisserie chicken
3 c. grated monterey jack cheese or mexican cheese mix
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
8 flour tortillas

preheat oven to 350. pour 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on botton of a 9x13 baking pan, coating evenly.
Melt coconut oil or butter in a sauce pan. Add onions and garlic and saute until translucent. Add green chilis, soup, sour cream and 1/2 c. enchilada sauce. Mix well and heat through.

Assemble enchiladas. Place of the chicken on top of the tortilla, add sauce and top with cheese, roll tortilla and place in baking pan. Continue with all 8 tortillas. Top the enchiladas in the pan with remaining sauce and cheese. bake for 15-25 min. or until cheese has melted. When done garnish with chopped cilantro.

yummy Chicken Corn Chowder and Homemade Cornbread

2009-10-02T19:41:00.000-07:00

CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER

serves 8

1 1/2 # chicken breast

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

4 T. coconut oil

1 T. cumin

1 c. whipping cream

4 c. shredded monterey jack cheese

4 c. chicken broth

2 T. chicken seasoning, or chicken bouillon

2 c. frozen corn (I use Trader Joes' frozen roasted corn)

1 can of green chili's

1 can of creamed corn

1 roasted bell pepper, chopped

1 tomato, chopped (for topping)

1 avocado, chopped (for topping)

cilantro chopped (for topping)

hot sauce, if desired

Heat coconut oil in sauce pan and add chicken, cook until just about done and then shred chicken, add onion, cumin & garlic and cook until chicken is all the way done. Add remaining ingredients, cook on med-high heat, stirring occassionally until cheese is melted. Serve warm topped with tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and cheese.

HOMEMADE CORN BREAD

Perfectly moist, and crumbly..

Makes 24 large muffins

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cake flour
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3 ounces (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup coconut milk or regular milk
1/2 cup yogurt or buttermilk
For glaze:
3 ounces (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup water

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. line muffin tin with paper liners.

Sift together cornmeal, all-purpose flour, cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt 2 times. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs. Melt butter and immediately whisk into eggs in a slow stream. Whisk in oil, milk, and yogurt. Whisk in dry ingredients just until combined.

Scoop about 1/2 cup of batter into large muffin tins. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

To make the glaze: While corn bread is baking, place butter, honey and water in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 min, or until butter is melted. Whisk until blended.

When corn bread is done, remove from oven and brush top of the bread with honey butter mixture. Then serve.

Peach Canning Recipes

2009-09-06T10:22:00.001-07:00

HONEY SPICED PEACHES

15 pint jars

1.5 c. sugar

6 c. water

3 c. liquid honey

12 # peaches, peeled, halved, pitted and treated

9 star anise

2 1/4 t. whole allspice

1 1/4 t. whole cloves

In a large stainless steel sauce pan, combine sugar, water and honey. bring to a boil over med high heat. stirring until sugar dissolves. reduce heat to low and add peaches one layer at a time. warm until heated through, about 3 min. per layer

ing a slotted spon pack hot peaches, cavity side down into hot jars to 1/2" from top. add star anise, 1/4 t. allspice and 1/8 t. cinnamon to each jar. remove air bubbles. screw down bands. place in canner and process for 25 min. wait 5 min. then cool and store.

Peach BBQ sauce

12 1/2 pints

9 c. finely chopped pitted peeled peaches

1 1/2 c. finely chopped seeded red bells

1 1/2 c. chopped onion

4 1/2 T. finely chopped garlic

1 3/4 c. + 2 T. honey

1 1/8 c. cider vinegar

1 1/2 T. worcestershire sauce

3 t. hot pepper flakes

3 t. dry mustard

3 t. salt

in sauce pan, combine peaches, red pepper, onion, garlic, honey, vinegar, worcestershire, hot pepper flakes, mustard and salt. bring to a boil over med high heat. reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently until mix is thickened to bbq consistency. about 25 min.

ladel into hot jars, leave 1/2" wipe rim and screw band down. place in canner and process for 15 min. wait 5 min then remove jars and cool.

SPICED PEACH JAM

16- half pint jars

10# peaches crushed peeled, pitted

1 c. water

12 c. sugar

1/2 c. whole cloves

combine peaches, cloves and water in a large pot. cook gently 10 min. add sugar, stir until dissolved. bring to a slow boil. cook rapidly to gelling point about 15 min. As mixture thickens. stir to prevent sticking. remove from heat. skim foam. ladle into hot jars leave 1/4" space. add lids and process 15 min.

Pear Canning Recipes

2009-09-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

Cinnamon Pears in Apple Juice

From Ball Blue Book

Yields: 12 pint jars

12#to 18# pears

12 sticks of cinnamon

4 gallons of apple juice

Peel pears, cut into halves and core. Place cut pears into treatment of water with lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Drain and rinse, then drain again. Cook pears in water 1 layer at a time until hot throughout. Heat apple juice just to a boil. Pack hot pears into hot jars leaving 1/2" headspace. Place 1 cinnamon stick in each jar. Ladle hot apple juice ver pears, leaving 1/2" headspace. Remove air bubbles with a rubber spatula. Adjust 2 piece caps. Process pints for 20 min in boiling canner.

Carrot Cake Jam

yields: 24- 8 oz. jars

3# pears, peeled cored and chopped

3# carrots, finely grated

7 small cans of canned pineapple w/juice or 4 large cans

12 T. lemon juice

4 t. ground cinnamon

2 t. ground nutmet

2 t. ground cloves

4 pkg of powdered fruit pectin

26 c. granulated sugar

in large, stainless steel saucepan, combine carrots, pears, pineapple w/juice, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently for 20 min. Stirring occassionally. Remove from heat and whick in pectin until dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Add sugar all at once and boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Boil hard, stirring constantly for 1 min. Remove from heat and skim off foam.

Ladle into hot jars leaving 1/4" headspace. remove air bubbles with a rubber spatula. Wipe rim, place lid on jar and screw down to fingertip tight.

Place in canner and bring to a boil. Once boiling process for 10 min. Remove from canner, wait 5 min. then remove jars and cool and store.

SUMMER SALSA

Yields: 24 pint jars

4# pears, chopped cored and peeled

4 red bell peppers, seeded and finely chopped

4# peaches, chopped pitted and peeled

16 # tomatoes, chopped cored and peeled

4 c. chopped red onions

12 to 16 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped

2 c. loosely packed finely chopped cilantro

2 c. liquid honey

grated zest and juice of 4 lemons

1 c. balsamic vinegar

4 T. chopped fresh mint.

In stainless steel sauce pan combine tomatoes, peaches, pears, red pepper, onion and jalapeno. Bring to a boil over med high heat. stirring constantly. add cilantro, honey, lemon zest and jice, vinegar and mint. reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently until slightly thickened. about 5 min.

ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leave 1/2" headspace. remove air bubbles with a rubber spatula. wipe rim, screw on lid fingertip tight. place jars in canner. bring to a boil and process for 15 min for 1/2 pint jars or 20 min. for pint jars. wait 5 min. and then remove jars and cool and store.

Quick and easy party dip: stir in 1 1/2 c. of this salsa with 16 oz of softened cream cheese or cubed processed cheese. Heat in a micrwave for 5 min, stirring well after 3 min. Serve hot with tortilla chips, crackers, or thick crusted bread.

Pumpkin Pie Pear Butter

about 8 pints

12 to 14 pounds of pears peeled cored and chopped in chunks
8 cups of sugar
4 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice

2/3 cup of lemon juice
1 cup of water

Put pears and water in large pot simmer until pears are soft. Remove pears from stove. Pulverize pear in food processor until it is the consistency of apple sauce.
Return pear sauce to pot. Add sugar, lemon juice and pumpkin pie spice. Cook while stirring occasionally until sauce mounds on spoon.
Fill prepared jars with butter leaving 1/4 inch head space. Cap, band and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Home-Style Pear Sauce
Ingredients:Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method Cooking Directions:
-------- ------------ -------------------------------- 9 pounds Bartlett pears -- peeled, cored and sliced 1 cup water 3/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon - (to 2) -- (optional) Combine pears, water and lemon juice in a heavy bottomed 8-quart pan. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until soft, stirring often (about 30 minutes). Add sugar and cinnamon, bring to a boil. If too chunky put it thru a food mill. Fill prepared hot jars with hot sauce, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Gently run a narrow nonmetallic spatula between sauce and jars to release air bubbles. Wipe rims clean; top with hot lids, then firmly screw on bands. Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts. This recipe yields 4 pints or 2 quarts. Comments: This sauce is a wonderful gift for the holidays. Some years I give them all away and have none for myself. Also you may want to change the amount of sugar depending on your taste

Grandma's Cherry Salad

2009-09-04T22:30:00.000-07:00

Serves 8-10

1 lg. tub of cool whip
1 can of cherry pie filling
1 1/2 c. slivered almonds
1 can condensed milk
1 small can of chopped pineapple

Mix Cool whip with cherries and condensed milk. Then add almonds and pineapple. Place in the refrigerator for atleast 1 hour. Then serve.

These are the Best Ginger Cookies EVER!!!

2009-09-04T22:22:00.000-07:00

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

yield 2 dozen

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup coconut oil or margarine
1 cup sucanat or white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons sucanate or white sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the Coconut oil or margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

How to Get Kids to Eat Salad? Pineapple Avocado Salad

2009-05-07T10:13:00.001-07:00

So how do you get your kids to eat salad? Just make this and you'll be amazed! (we were)

Salad:
6 cups of Spring lettuce mix
1 1/2 c. honey sesame cashews (trader joes, so yummy)
1 avocado
1 small can mandarin oranges (drained)
1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks (drained, but save juice for dressing)

Toss all ingredients together and top with the following dressing:

Best salad dressing EVER!
1/2 c. +2 T. orange juice
10 T. pineapple juice (this is left over from the pineapple)
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
3T. dijon mustard
1/2 t. garlic, minced
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 c. + 2T. grapeseed or vegetable oil
5 T. olive oil

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, excluding the olive oil. Whisk until mixed well then add olive oil. Serve on top of salad! SOOOO Yummy!

Kid's Favorite Thai Peanut Butter Noodles

2009-04-16T22:21:00.000-07:00

Kids enjoying our littlest one couldn't get it in fast enough and they all ate every last bite

1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons hot chile paste (optional) (I add this after the kids have been served)
3 cloves garlic, minced
16 ounces Udon noodles or Spaghetti
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until tender according to package directions. Drain.
Meanwhile, combine chicken broth, ginger, soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, chili paste, and garlic in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until peanut butter melts and is heated through. Add noodles, and toss to coat. Garnish with green onions and peanuts. This would also be good garnished with cilantro and topped with teriyaki or thai flavored chicken.

Serves 4-6

Cranberry, pecan Chicken Salad

2009-04-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

4 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped celery
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup minced green bell pepper
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
ground black pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together and serve. or chill until ready to use.
This is great served on the "my friend Tara's best Croissant rolls"

My Friend Tara's best Croissant Rolls

2009-04-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

I love these croissant, hopefully, Tara won't mind that I share them.

Blue Ribbon Overnight Rolls

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 cup warm milk

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 All purpose and 1/2 whole wheat (Montana Wheat)

1. In a large bowl, mix together yeast, milk and sugar. Let stand for 30 minutes.

2. Mix eggs, butter and salt into yeat mixture. Mix in flour, 2 cups at a time. Cover with wax paper. Let dough stand at room temperature overnight.

3. In the morning, divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a 9 inch round circle. Cut each round into 12 pie shaped wedges. Roll up each wedge starting from wide end to the tip. Place on greased cookie sheets. Let stand until ready to bake.

4. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.

**Tara's notes** I make a few changes when I make these. I usually do 2 cups all-purpose flour and 2 cups bread flour. I also make the dough in the morning and let it rise during the day or else use the bread proof on my oven to help it along. And when I roll it out I usually make a much larger circle than 9"s. I guess that just depends on how large you want your rolls. We have a convect oven so I cook our on 325 convect for 8 minutes. I think the temp and time are a bit high anyway for this recipe.

Carrot Cake Jam

2009-03-19T23:16:00.000-07:00

1

This is a recipe I got out of the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

It is SOOO good, kind of like Apple Butter but LOTS better! I guarantee once you taste it, you won't be able to stop eating it!!

Makes 6 (8 oz. jars)

1 1/2 c. grated, carrots (I used baby carrots and put them in the food processor)
1 1/2 c. chopped, cored and peeled pears (I used 3)
1 3/4 c. Canned crushed pineapple, with juice
3 T. lemon juice
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t. ground cloves
1 package of powdered fruit pectin
6 1/2 c. granulated sugar

1. prepare canner, jars and lids.
2. in a large, saucepan, combine carrots, pears, pineapple with juice, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Bring to a boil over high heat, stir frequently. (at this point, I took my hand blender and ground the fruit mixture up to a apple butter consistency, or you could pour the mixture in a blender and then pour it back in the pan.)
3. reduce heat, cover and boil gently for 20 min. stirring occassionally.
4. Remove from heat and whisk in pectin until dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stirring frequently.
5. add sugar all at once and return toa full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard, stirring constantly for 1 min.
6. remove from heat and skim off foam.
7. ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot jam.
wipe rim, center lid on jar, screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to a fingertip tight.
8. place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and precess for 10 min.
9.Remove canner lid. Wait 5 min, then remove jars, cool and store.

Best Cherry Pie EVER!!!!

2009-02-21T13:01:00.000-08:00

Pie Crust:
2 1/2 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1 t. salt
2 T. sugar
12 T. butter (cold unsalted) (cut into 1 T. slices)
1/2 c. vegetable shortening (or I used Spectrum all natural shortening, you can also use Coconut oil, this makes a more healthier alternative)
4 - 6 T. cold water

Process flour, salt and sugar in food processor. Then add butter and shortening and process until dough starts to form into uneven clumps and resemble cottage cheese. Pulse and blend while adding 4 T. water. Dough should be slightly tacky and stick together well, add more water if needed. Divide dough into 2 even balls, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for atleast 45 min.

Preheat oven to 425. Then unwrap dough. Lay out wax paper and put dough on wax paper, roll out dough to a 10" circle for pie crust. Lay in pie plate trim off edges with a knife.

For top of pie, roll out to 9" circle and set aside.

Filling:

2- 16 oz. bags of frozen whole cherries
1-1 1/2 c. organic sugar
1 T. lemon juice
2 t. Almond Extract
2 T. corn starch

In a sauce pan put the bags of frozen cherries, lemon juice, almond extract and 1/2 c. sugar. Cook on Med until cherries are defrosted and soft. taste mixture and add more sugar if needed (for desired taste). Take about 1/2 c. of juice out of the pan and set aside. Mix in 2 T. of corn starch whisking well to get rid of lumps. Then add to cherry mixture in pot. Cook until brought to a rolling boil, stirring constantly, cherry mixture is done when the syrup has thickened.

Pour into a prepared pie plate, top with prepared pie crust, pinch edges together to make a scalloped edge.

Cook at 425 for about 15-20 minutes. Or until crust is browned.

Fish Tacos with Chipotle cream sauce

2009-02-16T19:39:00.000-08:00

John was craving fish tacos tonight so we went to costco and picked up a package of Tilapia and this is what we came up with. They were soooo good. Way better than Chili's fish tacos dad said and those were his favorite until now.

Crunchy Fish:
1 # Tilapia
(we used the Costco's breaded tilapia in the fish section using half & freezed the other half)

*To make your own crunchy topping:
1 large egg, beaten
1 c. panko bread crumbs (we love panko it makes such a good crunchy crust, you could use bread crumbs or whatever you like as well.)
1 1/2 T. Taco seasoning (recipe on this blog)

Preheat skillet on Med. Mix the panko bread crumbs with the taco seasoning in a container. In separate container beat egg well. Dip tilapia in egg then panko mixture to coat well. *if using Costco's pre-breaded fish sprinkle both sides of the fish with the taco seasoning. Then place on skillet. Cook fish on both sides until browned and fish flakes easily. Set aside to rest.

Chipotle Cream sauce:
1 c. sour cream
1 can chipotle chili in adobo sauce
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis
1 t. taco seasoning (recipe here on blog)
1/2 lime juiced

Mix all above ingredients in a bowl. set aside.

Cook corn tortillas in a lightly oiled skillet warming on both sides. Place two corn tortillas on plate, top with fish, chipotle cream sauce, cheese, avocados, shredded cabbage, cilantro, and tomatoes. Then serve.

Our Favorite Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

2009-02-16T10:08:00.000-08:00

This recipe takes some time. But it is OH SOOO worth it! We have been making this for our family for the past 7 years and we still haven't found a chicken pot pie we like better. It's great when you need some comfort food. You can also use this recipe using left over turkey from thanksgiving.

This recipe serves 6-8

8 T. unsalted butter
1/2 # button mushrooms sliced
2 carrots peeled and diced
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
salt and black pepper to taste
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t. chopped fresh thyme
1 1/4# boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sizes
1/4 c. all purpose flour
2 c. chicken stock
1 c. half and half
1 c. peas (frozen or canned)
2T. fresh chives, chopped
2 T. fresh parsley, italian chopped

Biscuit topping:
1 c. all purpose flour
1 T. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
pinch of cayenne
5 T. unsalted butter
1/2 c. buttermilk *

Make filling in a oven proof frying pan. Melt 2 T. butter over med. heat. Add mushrooms, carrots, onions and bell pepper and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occassionally until lightly browned and just barely tender bout 10 min. Add the garlic and thyme and cook, stirring until fragrant about 1 min. Transfer to a large plate.

Raise heat to med-high and add 2 T. butter. Then add the chicken and season with salt and black pepper. Cook until chicken is lightely browned and barely cooked through about 4 min. Add chicken to plate with veg. mix.

Reduce heat to med-low and melt 4 T. butter in the pan. add flour and whisk constantly until bubbling but not browned about 1 min. scraping up any browned bits on the the pan bottom. Pour in the stock and the half and half, raise heat to med-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer stirring occassionally until thickened. About 3 min. Add the vegetables and chicken, peas, chives and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and cover with aluminum foil to set aside while you make the biscuit topping.

*You may make the recipe up to this point and then refrigerate filling for up to 6 hours, then uncover and reheat gently, stirring frequently while making biscuit topping.

Preheat oven to 400

Biscuit topping:
whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cayenne until blended well. cut in butter until the pieces are no larger than a pea. add the buttermilk and stir until a soft dough forms.

Uncover the filling. bring to a boil over med high heat, about 3 min. reduce heat to med-low and using a spoon scoop up small amounts of the biscuit topping and drop onto the hot filling. The topping will almost completely cover the filling.

Move pan to oven and bake until the biscuits are lightly browned about 25 min. Then serve.

Vegan Chili

2009-02-13T19:54:00.001-08:00

This is kind of a sweet chili, the kids and husband LOVED it!!

3/4 c. water
1 c. dehydrated TVP (you can sub this for 1# of cooked ground beef or turkey if like, however it would no longer be considered vegan)
1 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced or 1/2 - 1 c. of dehydrated onions, reconstituted
2 t. garlic, minced
1 large can of bushs baked beans (we used the Vegetarian style)
2 cans kidney beans
1 large or 2 small cans of tomato sauce
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes with chilies
1 pkt of chili seasoning (we used lowry's)
1/4 c. masterpiece bbq sauce.

Reconstitute TVP by boiling the water then add the tvp. Stir well, so it doesn't burn. Turn off burner. While the TVP sits, add 1 T. Olive Oil to a large sauce pan, when hot add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. Then add the Tvp, mix well to coat the TVP with onion mixture. Cook about 2 more minutes. Then add remaining ingredients. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Then serve. You can garnish with sour cream and cheese if you like.

Arugula Raspberry Walnut Salad with Grilled Goat Cheese

2008-12-26T21:27:00.000-08:00

This takes a little time and preparation, but it is SOOO worth it! The grilled goat cheese adds a nice warm crunch to the salad along with the sweetness of the sugared walnuts. YUMMY!

Arugula Raspberry Walnut Salad with Grilled Goat Cheese

Dressing

1/4c walnut oil or macadamia oil

2T raspberry vinegar or red wine vinegar

1T balsamic vinegar

1/4tsp Dijon mustard

1/8tsp sugar

dash of toasted sesame seed oil

pinch salt

couple of grinds of ground black pepper

1) Combine all ingredients together in covered bottle and shake well.

Grilled Goat Cheese

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)*
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 4-ounce logs soft fresh goat cheese, sliced about 1/4" each and pressed into flat discs
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten until foamy

Mix first 6 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Dip each cheese round into egg whites, turning to coat. Coat each with breadcrumb mixture. Transfer coated cheese rounds to plate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.

Prepare skillet on med high heat. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil . Add cheese rounds and cook until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.

Sugared walnuts

1/2 c. walnuts, chopped

2 tsp. sugar

Place walnuts in dry skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Stir constantly until warmed.

1) Add sugar and stir until sugar adheres to walnuts.

2) Remove from heat immediately and cool on wax paper.

Salad

4 c. arugula, rinsed and patted dry.

1 small avocado, chopped (optional)

1/2 pear, thinly sliced (optional)

1/2c fresh raspberries, for garnish

1) Place arugula in salad serving bowl and toss with dressing.

2) Top with avocado, pears, raspberries and grilled goat cheese & serve.

Pecan Pie Bars- yummy

2008-12-01T16:45:00.000-08:00

CRUST:
2 C. all purpose flour
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
2/3 c. butter

FILLING:
3 eggs
1 c. lt corn syrup
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 T. melted butter
1 t. vanilla extract
1 2/3 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. lightly grease 9x13 pan. stir together flour, sugar and salt for the crust. cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. sprinkle the mixture evenly over the prepared pan and press firmly.
bake crust 20 min.
prepare the filling while the crust is baking. mix together eggs, corn syrup, sugar, brown sugar, butter and vanilla until smooth. stir in the chopped pecans. spread the filling evenly over the crust as soon as it comes out of the oven.

bake for 25 min. or until set. Allow to cool completely before slicing into bars and serving.

Taco Seasoning

2008-09-17T19:57:00.001-07:00

Mexican Chili

2008-09-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

Barbecued BBQ Chicken Pizza

2008-09-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

Sweet Potato Salad

2008-08-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

I was a little hesitant to try this one, considering the ingredients. But to my surprise this was sooo tasty. John even went as far as to say it's the best salad I've ever made! We definitely needed to add this on "the keeper list" with that kind of response.

Seared Ahi Tuna with Thai salad dressing

2008-08-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

Barbecue chicken Sandwiches

2008-08-18T01:13:00.000-07:00

Smoky Grilled Salsa

2008-08-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

Snickerdoodles

2008-08-11T02:12:00.001-07:00

Peach Camembert Cheese Quesadillas with Honey Lime dipping sauce

2008-08-11T01:14:00.001-07:00

Watermelon Goat Cheese Salad

2008-08-11T00:45:00.000-07:00

Chicken Tortilla Soup with Homemade Tortillas

2008-08-11T00:17:00.000-07:00

Creme Brulee French toast

2008-08-10T23:29:00.000-07:00