1/2 cup Pemmican

This recipe is so yummy! Full of healthy things and its sweet from the fruit, no sugar added. I have been eating it a lot lately. Its very forgiving, you can leave out whatever you would like. And its also easy to convert to gluten free, I left out the wheat bran and wheat germ and used ground groats in place of the flour. I usually double all of this so I can make enough for a 9 x 13 pan. Then we have plenty for snacks or breakfast.

Half-Cup Pemmican from Mary Jane Butters

1/2 c golden raisins

1/2 c pitted dates

1/2 c figs (stems removed)

1/2 c almonds

1/2 c cashews

1/2 c walnuts

1/2 c pecans

1/2 c wheat germ

1/2 c wheat bran

1/2 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c powdered milk

1/2 c honey

water to moisten (the more you use the softer the bar)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

(I chopped all the ingredients that could be chopped, although the original recipe does not say to do that. There's no way I was eating a whole fig or a whole date)

Combine the fruits and nuts in a mixing bowl. Mix the wheat germ and bran, flour, and powdered milk together and add to the fruit and nut mixture a little at a time, alternating with the honey. Add just enough water to moisten and pour into a buttered pan. You can use an 8X8 pan, a 9X7 Bake for about 20 minutes. When cool, slice into bars or break apart and wrap.

Veggie Pancakes with dipping sauce

Here is another super looking recipe! Just keeping here so I can come back to it. The original is here
http://allamericanvegetarian.blogspot.com/
Shes got some super recipes too! The latkes are next on my list to make!

Veggie Pancakes with Pesto Dipping Sauce

I saw this recipe in FamilyFun and it grabbed my attention. Whenever I get a new magazine I rapidly look through it to see what recipes are featured. The first thing I look for are vegan recipes, the next thing I look for are vegetarian recipes and finally, I search through all the recipes to see which ones I can change-up to make totally vegan or vegetarian. This recipe caught my eye because it was vegetarian. Vegetarian recipes usually need only simple changes to make them vegan.

Now, about this particular recipe. It is all about colorful veggies! It won the affection of my family (with exception of my daughter, nothing new there)...and now I'm thinking of different veggie combinations (asparagus bits, finely chopped broccoli, mushrooms, sweet potatoes).

My goal in this recipe was to keep the original "flavor" the same, but to boost it up to more of a main dish as opposed to a side. So I made a few adaptations to the original recipe including adding precooked lentils (tempeh or wild rice would be good, too), swapping in a flaxseed egg instead of a chicken egg, adding potato (I thought since I was omitting the egg, the starchy potato would help keep it together) and non-dairy milk instead of the plain yogurt.

We ate these with a Pesto Dipping Sauce also from FamilyFun (recipe below), which we found quite refreshing. I used my own homemade pesto and Better Than Sour Cream (silken tofu would work as well) instead of dairy sour cream.

Veggie Pancakes with Pesto Dipping Sauce

2 c finely grated zucchini (about 2 zucchinis)
1 c grated carrots (2-3 carrots)
1 c corn kernels, (Thawed if using frozen. 1-2 ears if using fresh.)
1 white potato, grated
1/2 c prepared lentils (Or prepared wild rice or sauteed tempeh.)
1 flaxseed egg (1 TB ground flaxseed + 3 TB water. Whisk together and let sit 5 minutes.)
2 TB unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened coconut milk.)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 c flour (I used Spelt flour.)
1/2 c fine yellow cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c grated organic or vegan cheddar cheese
1-3 TB vegetable oil (for frying up the pancakes)


Pesto Dipping Sauce
1 TB pesto
1/3 c organic or vegan sour cream (or silken tofu)

Use your hands to squeeze the excess liquid from the grated zucchini, then place the zucchini in a large bowl. Add the carrots, corn, potatoes, and lentils and toss to combine the vegetables.

Stir in the flaxseed egg, non-dairy milk, salt, and pepper until well blended.

flaxseed egg

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, and baking powder.

Add this mixture, along with the vegan or organic cheddar, to the vegetables, and stir until well blended. Place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes to allow flavors to mesh and mixture to adhere together (This is when I prepped the Pesto Dipping Sauce, cleaned up my kitchen counter, washed dishes, and made a mixed green salad).

Heat 1 TB oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. To form each pancake, spoon 3 TB of the batter into the pan and use a fork to mold it together. Working in batches, cook the pancakes until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Use a spatula to transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate. If needed, add more oil to the pan as you cook.

Serve with the Pesto Dipping Sauce (my children had a serving of applesauce as well) and a mixed green salad.

*Pancakes can be served hot or at room temperature.
*They can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to three days.
*I reheated them for lunch the next day in a 400 degree F oven, for about 20 minutes. I ate them on a bed of mixed greens and my husband made them into a sandwich.

Mexican Black Bean Quinoa Salad

These are some of my favorite ingredients. I saw this online and wanted to save it so I could repeat it. It looks so super yummy!

the original can be found here:
http://rebekahgough.blogspot.com/search/label/recipe
shes got some great recipes!

Mexican black bean quinoa salad

1 cup of quinoa soaked for 15 min or so in water, drain well.

1 ½ cups of water added to the soaked and drained quinoa and a tsp or so of salt bring to a full boil, cover and turn to low and let sit for 15 min. Turn off heat and let sit another five min and then fluff with a fork. (can be made ahead and stored in the fridge)

When ready for salad –

Mince 1 jalapeno, 2 cloves of garlic and 1 small red onion (or half onion if big). Saute in olive oil, for a few minutes. Add two bell peppers that have been sliced thin. Saute a few minutes longer until softened. Add 1 tsp. cumin and 1 tsp coriander, stir and remove from heat.

Add quinoa to a large bowl followed by a can of drained black beans and a can of drained corn. Toss in the sauteed veggies and mix together.

Add 1 diced tomato

For the dressing use the juice of 1 lime (2 Tablespoons), ¼ cup of olive oil (less is fine), tsp or so of salt and a dash of cayenne pepper. Mix well and dress the salad and then top with cilantro if desired!

homemade mac and cheese (good for your belly, not for your hips)

A lady in our recipe group made this and it was surpisingly good.

1 lb. macaroni
2 cups half and half
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups velveeta, cubed
salt and pepper to taste

boil macaroni. Mix in 1/2 of all the cheese and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. pour into baking pan (easier cleanup if you spray the pan with nonstick first.) Top with the remaining cheese. Cover and cook 2o minutes, remove the foil and brown to your liking.

Black Bean Soup

I got this recipe from my good friend and neighbor. Its so simple and easy, and freezes really well. I adapted it just a teeny bit.

BLACK BEAN SOUP
serves 8

2 cups dried black beans (food storage!)
2 cups frozen corn (or 1 14 oz can corn)
one medium onion, diced
2 Tbs. garlic (about 2 cloves, finely diced)
2 Tbs. cumin
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

You can easily add extra grains in this soup. Quinoa, barley, millett would all be easily disguised.

Sort and rinse the beans. place them in a large bowl to soak. I usually soak my beans for 2 or 3 days before I cook them, just be sure to drain and rinse them well twice a day, keep them covered with water.

When you are ready to cook your soup add the soaked beans to a crock pot and cook them about 8 hours on LOW. Add corn, onion, garlic, cumin, salt pepper and chicken stock. Smash the beans a little if you want and let everything heat together in the crock pot. Add pre cooked quinoa, barley or millet a few minutes before serving. Top with avocados, tomatoes, cheese, salsa, sour cream, or other favorite toppings and scoop up with chips or serve with corn bread!

Stuffed Quesadillas

Homemade tortillas
kidney beans, about 2 cups
spinach, chopped
corn
2 potatoes, diced
garlic
cooked quinoa, about 1 cup
shredded cheese

Warm some oil in a pan and toss in the garlic to brown. Then add beans, spinach, corn potatoes, quinoa and any other veggies or beans you would like. Cook long enough to wilt the spinach and soften the potatoes. Load all of that into a homemade tortilla with some cheese and cook on cast iron pan til the cheese melts. Serve with avacado, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, etc.

Black Bean Burgers

A friend of mine recently saw this recipe in a magazine and shared it with me. I was so glad she did. What a fun way to switch up dinner. They were easy and came together quickly. Since the "patty" had raw eggs in it, I couldnt test the taste until they were finished. Next time I will add more spices, this dinner is definitely a repeat!

Black Bean Burgers


2 Tbs oil
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 onion, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 15 oz can of black beans (I used my own precooked beans, 2 cups plus a few Tbs. of water)
1 large egg, beaten
1 Tbs. cumin
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
salt and pepper
*next time I will add hamburger seasoning or taco seasoning also

Preheat oven to 375

Warm oil in skillet and add celery and onion stir a few minutes and then add garlic. Pour beans into a bowl and mash to a thick paste (I did this in my food processor) Add celery mixture to beans and stir in egg, cumin and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties and bake on a baking sheet until firm and set, about 10 min. on each side.

While they are baking cut up all the garnishes.

Remove from the oven and serve on whole wheat buns and top like a regular hamburger. We used the works, lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo, etc.

Minestrone

A friend shared some of this soup with me the other day. It was spectacular! Since it is the end of the gardening season for us, we eat a lot of soups in the fall to help clean things out. Minestrone is a good versatile soup cuz you can add or subract almost anything you want.

In general, my kids will eat anything. They had a hard time with the spinach in this soup. I think next time I make it, I will use fresh spinach and chop it up more so its not so clumpy and stringy in the soup. It didnt bother me, but they were irritated that it kept falling off their spoons.

The original recipe (and the picture) are found here


This is my version:
8 cups chicken stock
2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced and save all juices
2 cups dried beans - rinsed in hot water. I used black and white beans
1 cup chopped carrots
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup uncooked pasta (I used whole wheat shells)
1 cup fresh grated zuchinni
1 cup fresh diced yellow squash

I rinsed my beans in hot water and soaked them overnight before I used them in this dish.
If you are using any variety of red beans, YOU MUST do a rapid-boil to kill a possible toxin that occurs naturally in red beans.

Add everything to the crock pot, cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until the beans are soft. Add dry pasta, and cook on high for about 30 minutes.

Serve with bread sticks and enjoy!

Bean Dip

This is a pretty basic bean dip. Just layer what you like in the pan and scoop it up with chips. I served it cold. If you wanted to warm it up, just pop it in the oven for about 20 minutes. Dont bake the tomatoes though, put them on last if you heat it up.

Bean Dip

Pinto beans - I cooked my own pinto beans and once they were tender, I smashed them up and added some homemade taco seasoning and Tabasco sauce to them. You could use canned re fried beans too.
sour cream
salsa
smashed up avocado
cheese
tomatoes
olives
I had some cooked quinoa in the fridge, so I put a layer of that in there too! No one detected my sneaky addition

Layer everything in a pan and serve with corn chips

Southwestern Tostada Salad

When I tell people that we rarely eat meat, the response is typically the same: "what do you eat then? Salad?"

I get emails asking me to share meatless recipes. So, I am going to start putting a few more on here.

While this is a salad, it is not all we eat. We still have Chinese food, pizza, tacos, spaghetti etc. I usually cut out some or all of the meat called for in a recipe and replace it with beans or grains. I will talk more about that in a later post, though.

For now, here is a really filing and yummy salad, thanks for the recipe Shari. I did cook up ONE chicken breast for this meal. I split it between 4 large salads and had enough left over for 2 more salads. Even my kids devoured this meal. They love all the fresh veggies (especially the sprouts) but the big leafy greens are often hard for them to handle. They cant stick them with their forks and they are too big to put in their mouths sometimes. I dont mind much, as long as they eat the other veggies in their bowls.

Southwestern Tostada Salad

Dressing:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 T honey
1 1/2 t. cumin
1/4 t salt
dash of pepper
combine all ingredients and set aside for about an hour.

Salad:
you can mix and match any of this to your liking. If you like tomatoes, use a lot. If you dont care for onions, omit them. If you want to go totally meatless, omit the chicken.
1 T olive oil
1 - 2 chicken breast, cut into chunks
1/2 t. garlic salt
frozen sweet corn
tomatoes
green onions, thinly sliced
avocados, peeled and chopped
lettuce, or any green blend
red pepper
Monterrey Jack Cheese
3 cups crushed tortilla chips
black beans (1 15 oz can or 2 cups if you cook them yourself)
olives

Heat oil in a skillet and saute chicken until no longer pink. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with garlic salt. Stir in corn and put in refrigerator for about an hour. Cut up other veggies while chicken is cooling.
Toss all ingredients together and top with dressing. You can also top this with sour cream or salsa.

Enchiladas

The measurements are not exact here, just put in what you have or like and layer it in a pan with corn tortillas. These are meatless, but you could add ground beef or turkey in if you want.

can tomato sauce
can diced tomatoes
frozen corn
black beans (cooked, about 1 cup)
red beans (cooked, about 1 cup)
pinto beans (cooked, about 1 cup)
onion, finely chopped
garlic, diced
can of green chilies
shredded cheese
corn tortillas

In a pan mix together diced tomatoes, corn, all the beans, onion, garlic, and can of chilies. Warm thru.
dip 6 corn tortillas in tomato sauce and lay in bottom of 9 x 13 pan.
Top with bean mixture
Repeat until you have about 3 layers.
Top with cheese
Bake 350 for about 35 - 40 minutes.
You can also freeze this, dont bake it first. Assemble it, cover it with foil and put it in the freezer.

Serve topped with sour cream, avocados, lettuce and tomato.

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Shells

This is enough to make 2 9 x 13 pans, I like to make one for dinner and one for the freezer.

2 boxes of uncooked shells (I think the ones I bought were kind of smallish, I stuffed about 6 of them, if you buy the gigantic shells, you will obviously need less)
3 c fresh chopped spinach
1/2 onion, chopped
1 container ricotta cheese (about 16 oz)
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened (I used the low fat, nufatel stuff)
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tb dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (26oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce (any variety)

Cook shells according to package directions, drain and set aside. Be sure to stir them occasionally so they dont stick together.

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and 1 cup of mozzarella. Dont put in the spaghetti sauce. Spoon cheese mixture into shells. Spread half of spaghetti sauce into baking dishes. Arrange shells over sauce then top with remaining sauce and a little cheese.

Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella.

Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.

Makes 8-10 servings.

If you make one for the freezer, dont bake it. Cover it tightly with foil and freeze, it will last about 2 months in the freezer. When you are ready to eat it, take it strait from the freezer and put it in the oven. 350 for about 2 hours.

Fry Bread

We were in such a hurry to scarf these down, I didnt get a picture. It is from here


1 1/4 cups water
3/4 T salt
3/4 T baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups flour

combine in bowl and let rest for 1 hour. Divide into 8 pieces and roll flat. Fry in hot oil. Makes 8.

Serve topped with beans, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, or any of your favorite toppings. Go meatless by leaving out the ground beef and using beans as your main component. You wont even miss it!

After eating dinner, smother the left over fry bread in butter and top with powdered sugar! YUM!

Sloppy Lentils

I know -it is meatless and those that are married to Hymas boys might have a hard time convincing them that it can still be good without meat. When I told Mark what we were having I was sure he was serious about stopping at IN n Out on the way home from work. But believe it or not - Mark really enjoyed it!

2 cups water (the original recipe uses 3 cups, so notice the change for crockpot preparation!)
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
salt to taste (optional)
1 cup chopped onion
15 oz can diced tomatoes (drained), tomato sauce or 2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste, optional (as needed to thicken – especially if using tomato sauce)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 tablespoons rapadura, molasses, or honey
1 Tbsp white vinegar
salt and ground black pepper to taste
4 whole wheat hamburger buns, split
cheddar cheese, grated (to top your lentils when serving)

Combine all your ingredients in the crockpot (besides the buns and cheese!). Turn on low and cook for approximately 5 hours, until lentils are tender and the mixture has thickened and absorbed most of the liquids. Serve on open faced hamburger buns and top with melted cheese, as desired.

Bean Quesadillas

I subbed for the dinner club this month and this is one of the dinners we got. I have eaten it for 3 days in a row. It is yummy! And now that avocado dont cost $25 each, it tastes even better with a mashed avacado on top. I should have gotten a better picture, but I was too excited to eat!


1 cup sliced onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
15 oz can black beans, drained (or bust out the beans from your food storage, that is what I will do when I repeat this recipe!)
15 oz can pinto beans, drained (same thing, think food storage!)
1 cup chopped tomato
cilantro to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion, garlic, and cumin in a skillet with 2 Tbs. oil until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans to skillet and mix. Add tomatoes and cilantro and stir.

warm one tortilla on stove top. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and put a heap of the bean mixture on top. Let warm thru a bit and toast the tortilla. Top with another tortilla and flip, crisping up the other side as well. Cut in wedges and serve with salsa, sour cream, or avocado.

If you double the recipe the filling freezes well and thaws out quick.

Creamy White Chili

This recipe originated from Shari.
You should take the time to read her post on chicken broth.
I didnt really follow the recipe in exactness. I just threw in what amounts looked good and it was delicious!! I think this recipe can be adapted easily to what you have on hand. If you are the type of person who needs to follow a recipe, go to Sharis blog and follow hers, dont skip this one! It is soooo yum!

Creamy White Chili

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
few red potatoes, cubed with peels still on (I used 4 pretty big spuds that I dug out of my garden)
1 clove of garlic
4 stalks of celery, chopped
32 oz chicken broth
2 cans of white beans, rinsed and drained
1 small can of green chilis
1/2 cup quinoa
few shakes of cumin
salt and pepper to taste
dollop of sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

In a large pan, saute onion, potatoes, celery, and garlic. Add chicken broth, spices, and quinoa to pan and bring to a boil. Simmer until potatoes and celery are tender. Remove from heat and add a little sour cream and whipping cream. Stir until combined and serve.

Stuffed Pizza

I got the idea for this pizza here. Her website puts me to shame. Her food sounds spectacular and she takes great pictures!

Anyway, here is my version of her stuffed pizza.
I think it turned out pretty good. And we devoured it. It was filled with only vegtables, which made Andy grumble, but he ate a good portion of it anyway!
First off, you know I can not bring myself to buy most premade stuff, so I made my own crust. I used this recipe for the crust:

1 1/2 cup water
1 cup sour dough starter
2 cup spelt flour
1 cup amaranth flour1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon Real salt
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon yeast
2 cup white flour
(thanks to the talented Kara for sharing)

I mixed the crust up and let it rest while I picked spinach, peppers, and tomatoes from my garden. Then I chopped them up and steamed some broccoli.

For the inside I used:

1 small crown of broccoli, chopped and steamed
1 small red pepper
2 big handfuls of spinach, cooked on the stove until just wilted
2 tomatoes, chopped
pinch of salt
Ricotta Cheese
5 blend white cheese blend shredded cheese

After I had that all finished, which really was not a lot of work, I assembled the pizza.
I rolled the dough out into 2 9 inch rounds. (i used a 9 inch pie plate) Put one crust on the bottom and them smear some ricotta cheese on the bottom of the crust. Then I added in all the veggies and a bit of salt, and sprinkled a lot of the white cheese blend on top of that. I put the top crust on and sealed all the edges, tearing off any excess dough. I brushed the top with olive oil and sprinkled on some italian seasoning.

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.
Since the crust was enough for 4 medium pizzas and I used the equivalent of 2, I rolled out the extra and made cinnamon sticks with it.