Hummus
Toasted pita bread
Corn with Tomatoes and Edamame Bean Salad
BEST HOMEMADE GRANOLA
Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce
Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips
Seriously Healthy Banana Muffins
Peanut Butter Treats
sweet potato muffins
The Recipes
Hummus
Makes about 3 cups.
Simply Recipes http://simplyrecipes.com
4 garlic cloves, minced and then mashed
2 15-oz cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
2/3 cup of tahini (roasted, not raw)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Pine nuts (toasted) and parsley (chopped) for garnish
1. In a food processor, combine the mashed garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, 1/2 cup water, and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add salt, starting at a half a teaspoon, to taste.
2. Spoon into serving dish and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley.
3. Serve with crackers, raw dip vegetables such as carrots or celery, or with pita bread.
Toasted pita bread
You can cut the pita bread into thin triangles, brush with olive oil and toast for 10 minutes in a 400°F oven to make pita chips with which to serve the hummus.
Corn with Tomatoes and Edamame Bean Salad
http://www.melecotte.com/2010/11/corn-with-tomatoes-and-edamame-bean-salad/
From Quick & Easy Chinese: 70 Everyday Recipes by Nancie McDermott
2 Tbsp vegetable oil (I used canola)
2 tsp. chopped garlic
2 slices ginger
1 tsp. salt
2 cups corn kernels, fresh, frozen, or corn
1 cup shelled edamame beans (or lima or tiny peas)
3 Tbsp water
½ cup halved cherry tomatoes*
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
Heat a wok or large, deep skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the garlic, ginger, and salt and toss well. Add the corn and toss to mix with the oil. Add the edamame beans and toss to mix everything together. Add water and cook, tossing often, until corn and edamame are hot and tender. (Add a little extra water, and cooking time, if using fresh corn.) Add cherry tomatoes and sugar; toss gently to mix them in evenly and heat up a little. Add sesame oil and cilantro, toss well. Transfer to a serving plate. Serve hot or warm.
*Roma tomatoes work well, chopped, seeded and strained of juice.
BEST HOMEMADE GRANOLA
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, yields 7-8 cups
http://kissmys patula.com/2009/04/28/best-homemade-granola/
4 cups organic rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped or slivered almonds
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
2 tbsp flax seeds
1 cup shredded coconut
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup veggie or olive oil (or 1/3 cup applesauce)
1/3 cup good honey
1/3 cup apple juice or apple cider
1 cup dried cranberries, or favorite dried chopped fruit
Heat oven to 350ºF.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, nuts, flax seeds, coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Whisk the oil, honey, and apple juice in measuring cup.
Pour the liquid mixture over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated. Spread onto a large sheet pan. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even golden brown, around 30-40 minutes, depending on oven.
Remove granola from the oven and allow to cool completely, stirring occasionally. Add cranberries. Store cooled granola in an airtight container.
Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce
This makes enough for a family of four to six. Regular Velveeta makes a nice sauce for vegetables.
http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-nacho-cheese-sauce-115532#ixzz1VL4xbVGC
1 lb Velveeta Mexican cheese or 1 lb regular Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons margarine, melted
1/4 cup milk
Place all ingredients together in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on 30% power or defrost power for approximately 8 minutes, stopping every two to three minutes to stir. Serve with nacho chips or use over vegetables.
Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips
http://whatsc ookingamerica.net/Appetizers/TortillaChips.htm
Flour tortillas, corn tortillas, and/or wheat tortillas*
Nonstick cooking spray (I like to use the olive oil spray)
Seasoning of your choice (optional)**
* I like to use a mixture of different types of tortillas
** Salt, seasoning salt, garlic salt, paprika, chili powder, or cayenne pepper. NOTE: I usually make my chips without any seasoning.
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Lay the tortillas out on a cutting board, spray with the nonstick olive oil spray on both sides. If using a seasoning, sprinkle on both sides now.
Stack the tortillas in piles of eight (
tortillas.
Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut through the pile of tortillas, cutting
into 4 equal triangles.
Arrange tortilla triangles in a single layer on baking sheets. Bake for approximately 6 to 7 minutes until crisp and the edges start to curl and turn lightly brown. Watch the chips carefully after 5 minutes, as they can burn easily. Once the chips are done, remove from the oven to cool. Chips will continue to crisp as they cool.
Seriously Healthy Banana Muffins
http://healthiefoodie.blogspot.com/2009/02/seriously-healthy-banana-muff ins.html
4 very ripe bananas
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup blend of regular sugar and splenda, equal parts.
2 tablespoons light butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
2 tablespoons applesauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
Some things to keep in mind...
Make it healthier by making substitutes for the flour... some people substitute half a cup of wheat flour, or half a cup of oats, or both - oats would be good in the muffin version!
Not every "light butter" is the same... Land O Lakes light butter is 1/3 of the fat and calories of regular - and I can never taste a difference! I picked up a package of another brand of "light" butter that was only half the fat - Land O Lakes definitely won that contest!
Always add salt... I was surprised when this recipe didn't call for salt at first, so I made sure to add about 1/4 of a teaspoon. salt really brings out the flavors in food, sweet or savory.
This recipe is very sweet... Some of the comments mentioned cutting down the sugar blend to about 3/4 of a cup. This makes a lot of sense especially if you're using sweetened applesauce for the butter substitute. (I personally bought sweetened because I knew if I had to buy a whole jar, I would want to eat sweetened applesauce as a snack.) Not to mention that ripened bananas are deliciously sweet on their own!
Directions
There's really nothing stopping you from just dumping all the ingredients in a bowl, mixing it all together, and then pouring it in the greased pans to bake, but I really think following these directions will make the end product just a little better. So here you go:
Preheat oven to 350ºF
Cream sugar with butter (this helps to get all the butter blended smoothly
Add egg, and beat lightly to get the mixture to fluff up a little.
Add the 4 bananas, already smashed up in a separate bowl (a pastry fork works really well for mashing and mixing the bananas if you don't feel like busting out the mixer)
Add the vanilla, and applesauce.
Then add all the remaining dry ingredients and mix well.
Pour mixture into pan sprayed with cooking spray so they don't stick! (Either 2 loaf pans, or a 12-cup muffin pan)
Bake for around 50 minutes, probably less for muffins, but keep an eye on them either way. You'll be able to tell it's all ready when the color is good and golden brown, or when a knife comes out clean from the center.
Remove muffins or loaves from pans to cool on a rack.
Because this has artificial sweetener in it, I can just tell you that it taste's so much better - like many things you bake - once it's cooled for a bit, so if you can resist, wait to taste for about 10-15 minutes!
When I made this recipe with the 2 Tbsp of butter, and full 1.5 cup of flour and 1 cup splenda / sugar blend, the whole batch had 30 weight watchers points - making 1/5 of each loaf about 3 points. I'm going to experiment soon with the muffins, using less butter and substituting 1/2 cup of oats for 1/2 cup of the flour - which I think can make these bad boys about 2 points per muffin!
Peanut Butter Treats
http://www.ricekrispies.com/recipes/peanut-butter-treats.aspx #/recipes/peanut-butter-treats
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
- OR -
4 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies®
1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until melted.
2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.
MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Add peanut butter, stirring until combined. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.
Note
For best results, use fresh marshmallows.
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substituted for marshmallows.
Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.
Store no more than two days at room temperature in airtight container. To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
sweet potato muffins
h ttp://www.recipetips.com/recipe-cards/t--3341/sweet-potato-muffins.asp
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon soda
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup canned sweet potato - mashed, or 1 small sweet potato - baked and mashed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 stick unsalted butter - room temperature
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup cane sugar - or regular white sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter - melted
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Coat muffin pan with non stick cooking spray.
Whisk four, baking powder, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Blend the buttermilk, milk, sweet potatoes, honey and vanilla together ina medium bowl.
Cream the butter and brown sugar together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Alternatley stir in the dry and wet ingredient into the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, don't overmix.
Fill each mufffin cup 1/2 full and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Combine the sugar, cinnamon and nutmet in a small dish.
Melt butter into a seperate bowl.
When muffins are cool enough to handle, remove from tins.
Place on a serving platter and brush the tops with the melted butter mixture.
Sprinkle on the sugar mixture over the butter.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Toasted pita bread
Corn with Tomatoes and Edamame Bean Salad
BEST HOMEMADE GRANOLA
Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce
Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips
Seriously Healthy Banana Muffins Peanut Butter Treats
sweet potato muffins
The Recipes
Hummus
Makes about 3 cups.
Simply Recipes http://simplyrecipes.com
4 garlic cloves, minced and then mashed
2 15-oz cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
2/3 cup of tahini (roasted, not raw)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Pine nuts (toasted) and parsley (chopped) for garnish
1. In a food processor, combine the mashed garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, 1/2 cup water, and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add salt, starting at a half a teaspoon, to taste.
2. Spoon into serving dish and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley.
3. Serve with crackers, raw dip vegetables such as carrots or celery, or with pita bread.
Toasted pita bread
You can cut the pita bread into thin triangles, brush with olive oil and toast for 10 minutes in a 400°F oven to make pita chips with which to serve the hummus.
Corn with Tomatoes and Edamame Bean Salad
http://www.melecotte.com/2010/11/corn-with-tomatoes-and-edamame-bean-salad/
From Quick & Easy Chinese: 70 Everyday Recipes by Nancie McDermott
2 Tbsp vegetable oil (I used canola)
2 tsp. chopped garlic
2 slices ginger
1 tsp. salt
2 cups corn kernels, fresh, frozen, or corn
1 cup shelled edamame beans (or lima or tiny peas)
3 Tbsp water
½ cup halved cherry tomatoes*
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
Heat a wok or large, deep skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the garlic, ginger, and salt and toss well. Add the corn and toss to mix with the oil. Add the edamame beans and toss to mix everything together. Add water and cook, tossing often, until corn and edamame are hot and tender. (Add a little extra water, and cooking time, if using fresh corn.) Add cherry tomatoes and sugar; toss gently to mix them in evenly and heat up a little. Add sesame oil and cilantro, toss well. Transfer to a serving plate. Serve hot or warm.
*Roma tomatoes work well, chopped, seeded and strained of juice.
BEST HOMEMADE GRANOLA
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, yields 7-8 cups
http://kissmys patula.com/2009/04/28/best-homemade-granola/
4 cups organic rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped or slivered almonds
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
2 tbsp flax seeds
1 cup shredded coconut
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup veggie or olive oil (or 1/3 cup applesauce)
1/3 cup good honey
1/3 cup apple juice or apple cider
1 cup dried cranberries, or favorite dried chopped fruit
Heat oven to 350ºF.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, nuts, flax seeds, coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Whisk the oil, honey, and apple juice in measuring cup.
Pour the liquid mixture over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated. Spread onto a large sheet pan. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even golden brown, around 30-40 minutes, depending on oven.
Remove granola from the oven and allow to cool completely, stirring occasionally. Add cranberries. Store cooled granola in an airtight container.
Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce
This makes enough for a family of four to six. Regular Velveeta makes a nice sauce for vegetables.
http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-nacho-cheese-sauce-115532#ixzz1VL4xbVGC
1 lb Velveeta Mexican cheese or 1 lb regular Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons margarine, melted
1/4 cup milk
Place all ingredients together in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on 30% power or defrost power for approximately 8 minutes, stopping every two to three minutes to stir. Serve with nacho chips or use over vegetables.
Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips
http://whatsc ookingamerica.net/Appetizers/TortillaChips.htm
Flour tortillas, corn tortillas, and/or wheat tortillas*
Nonstick cooking spray (I like to use the olive oil spray)
Seasoning of your choice (optional)**
* I like to use a mixture of different types of tortillas
** Salt, seasoning salt, garlic salt, paprika, chili powder, or cayenne pepper. NOTE: I usually make my chips without any seasoning.
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Lay the tortillas out on a cutting board, spray with the nonstick olive oil spray on both sides. If using a seasoning, sprinkle on both sides now.
Stack the tortillas in piles of eight (
tortillas.
Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut through the pile of tortillas, cutting
into 4 equal triangles.Arrange tortilla triangles in a single layer on baking sheets. Bake for approximately 6 to 7 minutes until crisp and the edges start to curl and turn lightly brown. Watch the chips carefully after 5 minutes, as they can burn easily. Once the chips are done, remove from the oven to cool. Chips will continue to crisp as they cool.
Seriously Healthy Banana Muffins http://healthiefoodie.blogspot.com/2009/02/seriously-healthy-banana-muff ins.html
4 very ripe bananas
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup blend of regular sugar and splenda, equal parts.
2 tablespoons light butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
2 tablespoons applesauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
Some things to keep in mind...
Make it healthier by making substitutes for the flour... some people substitute half a cup of wheat flour, or half a cup of oats, or both - oats would be good in the muffin version!
Not every "light butter" is the same... Land O Lakes light butter is 1/3 of the fat and calories of regular - and I can never taste a difference! I picked up a package of another brand of "light" butter that was only half the fat - Land O Lakes definitely won that contest!
Always add salt... I was surprised when this recipe didn't call for salt at first, so I made sure to add about 1/4 of a teaspoon. salt really brings out the flavors in food, sweet or savory.
This recipe is very sweet... Some of the comments mentioned cutting down the sugar blend to about 3/4 of a cup. This makes a lot of sense especially if you're using sweetened applesauce for the butter substitute. (I personally bought sweetened because I knew if I had to buy a whole jar, I would want to eat sweetened applesauce as a snack.) Not to mention that ripened bananas are deliciously sweet on their own!
Directions
There's really nothing stopping you from just dumping all the ingredients in a bowl, mixing it all together, and then pouring it in the greased pans to bake, but I really think following these directions will make the end product just a little better. So here you go:
Preheat oven to 350ºF
Cream sugar with butter (this helps to get all the butter blended smoothly
Add egg, and beat lightly to get the mixture to fluff up a little.
Add the 4 bananas, already smashed up in a separate bowl (a pastry fork works really well for mashing and mixing the bananas if you don't feel like busting out the mixer)
Add the vanilla, and applesauce.
Then add all the remaining dry ingredients and mix well.
Pour mixture into pan sprayed with cooking spray so they don't stick! (Either 2 loaf pans, or a 12-cup muffin pan)
Bake for around 50 minutes, probably less for muffins, but keep an eye on them either way. You'll be able to tell it's all ready when the color is good and golden brown, or when a knife comes out clean from the center.
Remove muffins or loaves from pans to cool on a rack.
Because this has artificial sweetener in it, I can just tell you that it taste's so much better - like many things you bake - once it's cooled for a bit, so if you can resist, wait to taste for about 10-15 minutes!
When I made this recipe with the 2 Tbsp of butter, and full 1.5 cup of flour and 1 cup splenda / sugar blend, the whole batch had 30 weight watchers points - making 1/5 of each loaf about 3 points. I'm going to experiment soon with the muffins, using less butter and substituting 1/2 cup of oats for 1/2 cup of the flour - which I think can make these bad boys about 2 points per muffin!
Peanut Butter Treats
http://www.ricekrispies.com/recipes/peanut-butter-treats.aspx #/recipes/peanut-butter-treats
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
- OR -
4 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies®
1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until melted.
2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.
MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Add peanut butter, stirring until combined. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.
Note
For best results, use fresh marshmallows.
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substituted for marshmallows.
Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.
Store no more than two days at room temperature in airtight container. To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
sweet potato muffins
h ttp://www.recipetips.com/recipe-cards/t--3341/sweet-potato-muffins.asp
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon soda
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup canned sweet potato - mashed, or 1 small sweet potato - baked and mashed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 stick unsalted butter - room temperature
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup cane sugar - or regular white sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter - melted
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Coat muffin pan with non stick cooking spray.
Whisk four, baking powder, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Blend the buttermilk, milk, sweet potatoes, honey and vanilla together ina medium bowl.
Cream the butter and brown sugar together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Alternatley stir in the dry and wet ingredient into the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, don't overmix.
Fill each mufffin cup 1/2 full and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Combine the sugar, cinnamon and nutmet in a small dish.
Melt butter into a seperate bowl.
When muffins are cool enough to handle, remove from tins.
Place on a serving platter and brush the tops with the melted butter mixture.
Sprinkle on the sugar mixture over the butter.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
