Cilantro, Lime and Lentil Salad

I got this recipe from my daughter's diabetes specialist's office last summer where they usually have some recipes that people can take that feature healthier diet choices. This recipe caught my eye because I have really come to enjoy the flavors of cilantro and lime and am also trying to incorporate more beans into my family's diet. The recipe originally called for 1 pound of lentils, but it ended up being such a huge amount that I decided to adjust it down to 1/2 pound. Even this amount makes a large salad. I also increased most of the other ingredients in the recipe and added some olive oil. However, my husband and I enjoyed eating this like a dip with chips or crackers, as well as as a salad. I have posted this recipe with the changes I made and am not sure who made the original recipe. The nice thing about this recipe is that you can add a number of different vegetables

Ingredients:

1/2 pound lentils, sorted and rinsed

1/4 - 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (I used approximately 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup minced red onion

juice of 1-2 limes (adjust to taste)

2-3 medium or large tomatoes, diced (may substitute canned diced tomatoes)

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

3-4 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 - 1 1/2 tsp salt, or adjusted to taste (I used Adobo seasoned salt)

1 Tbsp cumin (may start with less and adjust to taste)

1/2 cup chopped cucumber

1/4 cup chopped bell peppers

hot pepper sauce (green or red) to taste

Directions:

     Simmer lentils in 6 cups of water until soft, about 25-30 minutes. Drain any excess liquid. Cool. Add the remaining ingredients together in a bowl and toss. Add in the cooled lentils and stir well. 

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Also shared on Simple Lives Thursday # 87

Slice of Heaven Spice Cake --- and an Award

This cake has become one of my favorite cakes because it is so full of flavor and yet so easy to put together. I found it on the back of the Lucky Leaf Apple Pie Filling can a few years ago and have been making it regularly since. It uses a spice cake mix, which I usually stock up on in the fall when stores more reliably stock them and put them on sale. I suppose if you are the type adverse to using cake mixes, you might use the dry ingredient part of whatever spice cake recipe you like and follow the remainder of this recipe as the instructions direct. The other magic ingredient is apple butter, both in the cake and in the icing. This is a great dessert anytime of the year!

Ingredients:
     Cake:
1 package (18 oz.) spice cake mix
1 can (21 oz.) apple pie filling
3 eggs
1/3 cup apple butter
     Icing:
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 Tbsp apple butter

Directions:
     Mix cake mix with pie filling, eggs and 1/3 cup apple butter (do not add oil or water). Spoon into 13x9 inch baking pan coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool. 
     Meanwhile, blend remaining ingredients; spread over cake. 


Servings: 10-16

So about a week ago, I was surprised to see that I had been awarded the Liebster Blog Award by Balvinder at Gluten Free Food.

A Liebster Blog Award is given to talented and loved bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

There are a few rules that go with accepting the award:
-Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.
-Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you.
-Copy and paste the blog award on your blog.
-Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed.
-Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment at their blog.

So in following the award instructions, I wanted to thank Balvinder for thinking of me! She is such a sweet person and writes lovely blog posts about yummy gluten-free food that she makes. I have really enjoyed reading and learning about gluten-free cooking from her and seeing that it really is not as hard as it would seem to make gluten-free dishes. It seems that everywhere we turn, more people are being diagnosed with gluten sensitivities. So it is a good thing to have some tested and tasty gluten-free recipes to go to when cooking for these people. And as Balvinder says, "it is good for everyone." Her Lentil Byriani and the Lemon Roulade sponge cake are a couple that I intend to make very soon. Be sure to stop by and check her out!

Now here are the 5 blogs that I have chosen to pass this award on to- be sure to stop by and check out their food and leave some comments. I think you will find them interesting and full of wonderful recipes!

Kimberly at Random Tips on Healthy Eating
Ashley at Sugar Mama Bakeshop
Red at Momma Butterbean's Cookshack
Eating Deliciously
Nadia at Delights Of Culinaria
Susie at Earning My Cape
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Savory Breakfast Casserole

In our family, we LOVE breakfast/brunch. My husband would think he was in heaven if he could have eggs and homefries every day. In my family growing up, we enjoyed sausage regularly, and there is just something that I love about meat of any type with sausage spices. I have always loved eggs, sausage and cheese and this recipe has all these elements plus some veggies. I was given a brunch recipe booklet by Bisquick early in my marriage by a good friend, and this recipe has become one of my go-to recipes that we never become tired of. It is a little easier to assemble if you prepare your vegetables, sauté the meat and have the other ingredients ready to go ahead of time. I recently tried a homemade Bisquick/baking mix and used it in this recipe and did not see any difference in flavor or texture. I believe the homemade baking mix is healthier overall since it does not use partially hydrogenated oils or large amounts of salt. For the baking mix recipe, click on the highlighted words below.

Ingredients:


1 pound sausage, cooked and drained (use bulk or links, but cut open and remove from casing)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup green onions, sliced (or use a combination of chopped white onions and green) 
1/2 red, green or yellow bell pepper, diced (or any other type of pepper)
1/2 - 1 cup chopped tomatoes
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese or other cheeses (8 oz.), I used some mild cheddar
1 1/2 cups baking mix
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp salt (I used Adobo seasoned salt)
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 3/4 tsp dried oregano
12 eggs
extra cheese for topping, approximately 1/2 cup


Directions:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or spray 13x9 rectangular baking dish. Layer sausage, mushrooms, onions, peppers, tomatoes and cheese in dish.  Stir remaining ingredients until blended. Pour over cheese. Bake uncovered about 30-35 minutes or until center is set and top is golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle extra cheese over top. Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.


Serves 12


adapted from Bisquick Breakfasts & Brunches (No 22) copyright 1999 "Savory Sausage and Egg Bake"
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Sweet Potato Waffles

Waffles are something I make that my kids just love! I really only started making them more recently- had to dust off the 2 waffle makers we were given for wedding presents a long time ago. Lately, I was inspired by Rachael Ray's recent tv shows on all the different ways to use your waffle maker and decided to branch out a little with my recipes. So this past weekend, I was thinking about what kind of waffle to make and decided it needed to be with items from the pantry that I needed to use up, as well as something deceptively healthy. For inspiration, I looked through my Christmas present from my husband and daughter, Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert. I just love this book and have so many recipes I want to try this year. In the winter section, there is a recipe for Nutty Sweet Potato Waffles, which I adapted to make my recipe featured here. I love all the healthy ingredients and the flavor was really wonderful. Our entire family decided this was going to be a keeper. 

These waffles are packed with goodness from the sweet potatoes (full of fiber and vitamin A), oatmeal, coconut milk and meat, as well as the ground nuts. These are a great way to feed your family something they will like, even if they do not usually like these ingredients alone, yet give them a nutrient-filled meal to power them for the day. For convenience sake and to use up some of my stockpile, I used a large can of yams in light syrup, which equaled about 2 1/4 cups. So I just added a little extra flour; this was probably not really necessary since it is such a thick batter.

I have also recently rediscovered and totally love the coconut flavor and found that this was a nice flavor combination with the sweet potato. However, you might try a number of other flavors or add-ins like dried cranberries, raisins, banana, etc. In addition, you might freely substitute other nuts instead of walnuts.

Makes approximately 8-10 large waffles

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

2 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed

6 eggs, beaten

2 cups milk ( I used coconut milk)

1 Tbsp coconut extract/flavoring

1 cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)

1 cup rolled oats, finely ground in blender

1 cup walnuts, pecans, almonds or hazelnuts (finely ground)

2 Tbsp baking powder

2 tsp salt (I used a little less since I was using a canned sweet potato)

2-3 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2-3 Tbsp brown sugar

shredded coconut for garnish

Directions:

Melt butter and set aside and allow to cool. Stir sweet potatoes, eggs, milk and flavoring together. Then stir in the cooled butter. 

Mix dry ingredients together and then add gradually into the wet ingredients. Mix until combined. Bake in a hot waffle iron. Serve warm with syrup of choice and garnish with coconut or other chopped fruit.

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Amazing Corn Muffins

I love cornbread but don't make it very often for some reason. I am really picky about my cornbread because I really do not care for dry muffins or bread. So when I saw this recipe, I decided it was one worth trying. It uses creamed corn, which always give a wonderful flavor to cornbread. Also, it uses buttermilk, and I had some I needed to use. If you do not have buttermilk, you could just make some sour milk by adding a little vinegar to milk and allowing it to curdle. 

This recipe was originally in a "Taste Of Home" magazine from Feb/March 2009 by Janet and Greta Podleski. They made this a little 'slimmer' than corn muffins are usually- but the flavor is still wonderful! The recipe also called for diced green chiles, but I left them out since my children would not have wanted the spicy flavor. These were featured with a chili recipe, but I served them with Turkey, Rice and Vegetable Soup. They would be great with just about anything- even by themselves! 

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal (I used white cornmeal)

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 can (14.75 oz.) cream-style corn

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 egg

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together corn, buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and diced green chilies. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Divide batter among the 12 muffin cups equally. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of muffin comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake. Remove muffins from tin to cool slightly on a wire rack. Best if served warm.

Makes 12 servings.

**You may bake it in a 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan instead of the muffin forms. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until top is golden brown and toothpick in center comes out clean.

Additionally, you may substitute the buttermilk for 2 Tbsp of buttermilk powder (mixed in with the dry ingredients) plus 1/2 cup of milk, or you may make your own sour milk using 1 1/2 tsp of vinegar and add enough milk to make 1/2 cup, then let it set for about 5 minutes. If you want to just use regular milk, you can leave out the baking soda and use 1/2 cup milk.

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Chicken Vegetable Casserole

Usually I do not make many casseroles. I am the type to make more skillet dishes that do not require baking after cooking. However, this has become a favorite with our family recently and is a real comfort food. When our third child was born this past December, some friends and family were very nice to bring us meals. One of those meals was brought by my sister-in-law and is featured in this post. We really enjoyed this recipe and I decided to remake it using leftover cooked turkey. It really is a versatile casserole in which one might substitute a number of different or combination of vegetables, pasta instead of the potato, or fish instead of chicken or turkey. I also added a little chicken broth that I needed to use up. This recipe originally was from a Manor Brethren In Christ cookbook entitled Sharing His Goodness and was submitted by Christie Hunt. She noted that it was a recipe given to them after one of the babies was brought home from the hospital. This probably is also a recipe that one could make up in larger quantities and freeze part of it. 

Ingredients:

• 3 cup cooked chicken, cubed (or turkey or even fish)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 can cream of chicken soup (may substitute cream of celery or mushroom soup if desired, or if using fish)
• 4 potatoes, peeled, boiled and chunked
• 1 1/2 cups cooked carrots, or a mixture of other vegetables (I added some peas, as well as some onion and celery finely chopped)
• 1 sleeve of ritz crackers or other buttery crackers, crushed (may substitute bread crumbs and parmesan cheese)
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp poppy seeds (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2-3 quart baking dish. 
• Combine the sour cream, milk and cream soup (as well as broth if using it) together. Add in the chicken (meat), potatoes (or pasta) and vegetables. Mix together and put in the prepared baking dish. 
• Melt the butter and mix with the cracker crumbs or bread crumbs (and poppy seeds, if using them). Spread over top of the casserole . 
• Bake uncovered for approximately 30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbly.

Pumpkin Oat Bars

I have realized recently that many of my sweet recipes have included oats. This may be partly because I like the chewiness that the oats give to the food, but they also add fiber and other great nutritional value to foods. This recipe is deceptively healthy with the pumpkin (which is so full of antioxidants and vitamins), the oats, the dried cranberries and walnuts, as well as the optional topping of coconut and nuts. This recipe was inspired by a recipe posted on Cooks.com. However, I increased the size of the recipe, as well as added some other things like spices, dried cranberries, nuts and also added some topping that is similar to what is often used on top of oatmeal cakes. In addition, I tried cutting back on some of the sugar, which was alright because it still had a nice taste with the added sweetness of the topping and glaze.


Ingredients:


1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cup sugar (I used approximately half brown sugar/half white sugar)
2 eggs
10 Tbsp butter or oil (1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp)
1 1/2 tsp coconut extract/flavoring (may substitute vanilla or orange flavoring)
1 3/4 cup pureéd pumpkin (or a 15 oz. can of pumpkin pureé)

1 1/2 cup flour 
1 1/2 cup oats
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 scant tsp salt

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup dried cranberries/craisins
1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or other nuts


Topping:


3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp coconut flavor (may substitute vanilla)
cream or milk as needed to achieve a moist consistency- not runny, though


Glaze:


1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tsp coconut extract
2-3 Tbsp milk- adjust milk/sugar as needed to obtain desired consistency


Instructions:

Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan or line it with aluminum foil and lightly coat it with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix sugar and eggs together until well blended. Add in butter or oil and flavoring/extract and mix well. Combine dry ingredients together in a smaller bowl and add to wet ingredients alternating with the pumpkin pureé. Stir in the dried cranberries and nuts. Pour into prepared baking dish and spread out evenly.

Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle over top of the baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes (watch carefully- check with a toothpick if the bars appear to be firm to light touch). After they are finished baking, cool in the pan on a wire rack for approximately 20 minutes. Then remove the bars, if on aluminum foil, to the counter and drizzle with the glaze (an easy way to drizzle is to mix the glaze and put into a plastic sandwich bag, cut the one corner at the tip and use like a piping bag- squeezing the glaze across the bars). Cut into bars after they have cooled adequately.

Serves approximately 15

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Peanut Butter Banana Bread

This recipe is from the Penzey's spice catalog and was submitted by Meredith Wittmann. It caught my eye because I love both peanut butter and bananas, and this bread also included some ground flax seed, which are optional but very healthy. I also used chunky natural peanut butter and baked them in smaller loaf pans.  

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs

1/3 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup peanut butter- creamy or chunky

3 Tbsp. melted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup ground flax seed (optional)

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp  Penzey's baking spice (blend of cinnamon, anise, allspice, mace and cardamom), you may substitute heaping 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp of allspice, 1/4 tsp mace or less of nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cardamom.

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan or 2 smaller loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine bananas, eggs, yogurt, peanut butter and melted butter. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add the sugars and beat well. Add the flax seed; sift the baking soda, spices and flour together and add gradually, mixing until well blended. Pour into loaf pan(s) and bake for 65-75 minutes for the single pan or approximately 35-45 minutes if using the smaller pans. (Watch the smaller pans closely as  the size of smaller pans can vary and should be checked after about 25-30 minutes until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack in the pan(s) for 30 minutes before removing. Dust with powdered sugar or make a simple confectioner's sugar/milk glaze and drizzle over top after the loaf(s) has cooled.

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Chunky Pecan Pie Bars

This is another bar cookie recipe from my mom- don't know where it came from originally, but it is very good. If people like pecan pie, they will LOVE these bars! They are really easy to assemble and are great for a potluck or other gatherings.

Servings- approximately 3 dozen bars

Ingredients:


Crust:
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, soft
1/4 cup packed brown sugar


Filling:
3 large eggs
3/4 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup (11.5 oz. package) semi-sweet chocolate chunks (may use 1 1/2 cups if desired)
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 inch baking pan or line with aluminum foil and lightly spray with nonstick baking spray.

For crust:  Beat flour, butter and brown sugar in small mixing bowl until crumbly. Press into pan; bake 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

For filling:  Beat eggs, corn syrup, granulated sugar, butter and vanilla extract in medium bowl with wire wisk. Stir in chocolate and nuts. Pour evenly over baked crust; bake 25-30 min or until set. Cool in pan on wire rack. Set in refrigerator to make bars more firm prior to cutting.

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Unstuffed Pepper Soup Supreme

This soup started out as a regular Unstuffed Pepper Soup since I had a lot of peppers to use up and I had been in the mood to make this for a long time. However, as I have written in the past, I tend to start adding some of this and some of that until the soup morphs into something else. This leads to moving the soup from one pot to another larger pot- sometimes a couple of different times before it is finished. That is how this soup became what it is- I really didn't even know what to call it because it is not really an Unstuffed Pepper Soup anymore. However, since it still has the "bones" of a pepper soup, I left the name. My children told me after the initial supper that they enjoyed it, which is remarkable given the variety of vegetables in it and the fact they are not fans of peppers usually. This time around, I used sausage, as well as a large patty pan squash that was begging to be used up, some yellow summer squash, mushrooms and cabbage. This made a huge pot of soup and would probably feed about 10 people. I have listed the ingredients along with the approximate amounts. The average size family or couple might want to cut this in half, at least.

Ingredients:

1/2- 1 pound ground beef or sausage
1-2 large onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
5-6 large green peppers, chopped
1/4- 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 large carton of beef broth (approximately 32 oz.)
1 carton of chicken broth (32 oz.)- you may need to add more if you  need more liquid as the rice cooks
28 oz. tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce (I prefer spaghetti sauce)
1  15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 cups cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 small yellow summer squash, chopped
1 larger patty pan squash, seeds removed & chopped
1 cup rice- white or brown
1 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp Italian herb blend
1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt- adjust to taste depending on how salty broth is


In a LARGE soup pot, sauté meat with onions until meat is browned. Drain off fat, if needed. Add in the garlic and cook for another couple minutes. Add in remainder of ingredients and cook for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until rice is fully cooked. Serve with a hearty bread.

Ham and Great Northern Bean Soup

I love winter time because it is such a great time for soups. One of the soups my mom used to make quite often when I was growing up was a Great Northern Bean and Ham Soup because it was one of my dad's favorites, and my dad often spiced it up a little with some red hot sauce. I was never particularly fond of it- I just ate it because that was what we had to do in our family. However, after I was married, our neighbor at that time invited us over for a supper of Ham and Bean Soup. It was so delicious that I was immediately hooked! The difference was just a little addition of tomato soup or sauce. Navy beans or any other white bean could be substituted in place of the Great Northern Beans. It could also be made without the ham, although I believe that is part of what gives such a good flavor. Since I had a large amount of leftover ham, decided that this was a good way to make some easy comfort food. I also took a little shortcut and used canned beans- you might soak and make the soup with dried beans if desired. The process will just take longer. In addition, I added some extra vegetables (celery, carrots, sweet potato) to this last soup, which really added a nice flavor.

Serves approximately 6

Ingredients:

1 large onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, sliced

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced (optional, but really boosts the flavor & health benefits!)

2-3 Tbsp butter or olive oil

2-3 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup chopped ham (more or less according to your preference)

29 oz. can of Great Northern Beans, or other type of white beans- or may cook 1 pound of dried beans according to directions on package

6 cups water (more or less to cover ingredients well in pot)

1-2 packets ham bouillon (Goya or other brand), optional or ham broth from leftover ham

8 oz. or 15 oz. can of tomato sauce (may use can of tomato soup)- I used 2  8 oz. cans

1 1/2- 2 tsp seasoned salt- adjust to taste

1/2 tsp pepper

parsley for garnish

In a large soup pot, sauté onions, celery and sweet potato in butter or oil. After onion becomes translucent, add in the garlic and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Then add in the remaining ingredients except that parsley. Cook over medium heat for approximately 30-50 minutes or until sweet potatoes are very soft, stirring occasionally. Then using as handheld stick blender, carefully blend the soup on low speed until the soup becomes thicker. You can still leave some chunks of beans and meat. Serve with a hearty bread.

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Caramel Oatmeal Chewies

This is a great bar cookie recipe that my mom found a number of years ago, and I do not know where it came from. It is nice to make when you want something a little more special than plain cookies. Be warned- these are quite rich! We often make these bar cookies around Christmas when we are in the baking mood. It is not hard to assemble the bars and the combination of flavors is very good!

Servings- approximately 2 1/2 dozen

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups quick or old fashioned oats

1 3/4 cups flour, divided

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt (optional if using salted butter)

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 - 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (12 oz. package)

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup caramel ice cream topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 inch baking pan, or line pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray.

Combine oats, 1 1/2 cup flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir in butter; mix well. Reserve 1 cup oat mixture; press remaining oat mixture into bottom of pan. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with chocolate and nuts. Mix caramel topping with remaining flour in a small bowl. Drizzle over nuts to within 1/4 inch of pan edges. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Bake 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack; refrigerate until firm.

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Potato Ham and Kale Soup

This soup was a last minute quick fix that turned out so well that leftovers were thoroughly enjoyed. This time making potato soup, I added a few sweet potatoes that needed to be used up and was pleasantly surprised at what a nice flavor they added to everything. I also added some leftover kale since I am always trying to sneak more veggies and greens into my kids' diet in ways that they do not notice them as much.

Ingredients:

1 large onion or 2 medium onions, diced

2-3 large celery stalks, sliced

2 cups chopped kale

5 large potatoes, cleaned and diced (peels left on if desired)

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

8 - 16 oz. ham, diced (may use more or less if desired)

2-3 tsp Adobo seasoned salt (adjust to taste)

1/4 - 1/2 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp dried parsley

8 cups water (approximately)

4-6 hard boiled eggs, diced

1/2 - 3/4 cup cream or 1 can of evaporated milk

In a stockpot, sauté onions, celery and kale in a couple tablespoons of butter or oil. After onion is translucent, add in the chopped potatoes, ham, salt, pepper, parsley and water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat slightly, cooking until potatoes are soft. When finished, add in the hard boiled eggs and cream or evaporated milk. May mash the potatoes to desired consistency with a potato masher or handheld blender.

Guacamole

Avacados are one of those foods that many people either like or dislike. I never really cared for them, and never even ate them until I was much older. That may explain why I have not been very fond of them in their unadulterated form. However, I have lately developed a taste for them in guacamole- if there are enough other ingredients and flavors present. This recipe is my version of guacamole as my husband and I have enjoyed it lately. Since avacados are so healthy for us- believed to be helpful in lowering cholesterol, full of the healthy fats our bodies need to function properly, great for heart health, may prevent cancers, high in fiber, as well as  high in lutein, which helps our eyes function properly- it makes sense to try to eat more of this fruit any way we can.

Ingredients:

2 large ripe avacados, pulp mashed

3-4 Tbsp lime juice (or lemon)

1/4 -1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

3/4 cup chopped tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (may use dried cilantro, but is not as potent or flavorful)

1 1/2 tsp cumin powder

3/4 tsp salt (I used Adobo seasoned salt)

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 - 1 tsp green pepper sauce
1 medium red or sweet white onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, grated or put through a garlic press
(The above ingredients are only approximate amounts. You will need to taste and adjust them as desired.)


Mix all the above ingredients together and allow flavors to blend in the refrigerator for at least a few hours. Serve with corn chips or use with Mexican dishes.







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South African Krunchies

This recipe came to me by way of some missionary friends to South Africa this past summer. Lindsey shared how she developed this recipe after enjoying them at local coffee shops. These are a popular type of sweet treat with each shop making their own versions. I have posted Lindsey's recipe, along with a couple additions of my own. When I made these, I was amazed at how good the flavors were and found myself going back for "just another bite". Since these contain oats, they are higher in fiber. Even though the original recipe was very good, I added walnuts and dried cranberries, which also add more antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. I can see where these bars would be a wonderful base for all types of add-ins.

Ingredients:


225 gm butter or margarine (or approx. 1 cup), may also use coconut oil
1 Tbsp golden syrup (pancake syrup) - I used King Syrup
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cap-ful almond essence/extract- I used about 1 tsp
     Melt butter in microwave; stir in syrup (heat more if needed until syrup blends in). Add soda as well as vanilla and almond essence.


1 cup sugar
1 heaping cup flour
2 cups oats (I used quick oats)
1 cup coconut (I used unsweetened shredded coconut)
1/2 tsp salt
     Mix dry ingredients together. Then stir in the following:
1/4 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, etc), optional
1/2 cup or more dried cranberries- or may use other dried fruits instead, optional


Press into a 9x13 inch ungreased baking dish (I lined my pan with aluminum foil and lightly sprayed with nonstick spray). Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Cool completely on wire rack and then may cut into bars. If desired, may use a simple confectioner's sugar and milk glaze drizzled over top. Store bars in an airtight container.


Serves approximately 15 larger bars or more depending if cut smaller.










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