SOUTHWEST STYLE QUINOA (MODIFIED)

This is vegan, and at our emergency prep fair I realized it is all food storage items. Very good and EASY

SOUTHWEST STYLE QUINOA (MODIFIED)
This is my modified recipe (I'm a very lazy cook) and then I'll put the 'real' recipe
1 cup quinoa
2 c water
2 bullion cubes (I used chicken)
1 15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz jar salsa
1/2 cup toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds (I had a seed trail mix I just picked the raisins out ;0)

Dry toast quinoa 3 min in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add water and bullion, increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
Stir, reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until quinoa is tender and nearly all liquid is absorbed.
Add beans, salsa and stir gently to combine well.
Cover and cook 1 minute. Fold in sunflower seeds and serve.

SOUTHWEST STYLE QUINOA (ORIGINAL) (adapted from The Most Effectie Ways to Live Longer Cookbook by Jonny Bowden and Jeannette Bessinger)
1 cup quinoa
2 c chicken or vegetable broth
1 15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz jar salsa
1/4 c chopped chives
1/2 c cilantro
1/2 cup toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds

Dry toast quinoa 3 min in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add water and bullion, increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
Stir, reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until quinoa is tender and nearly all liquid is absorbed.
Add beans, salsa, chives and cilantro and stir gently to combine well.
Cover and cook 1 minute. Fold in sunflower seeds and serve.

per serving: 263 cal, 12 g protein, 7g total fat (1g sat fat), 41 g carb, 0 mg chol, 815 mg sod, 11 g fiber, 6 g sugars

Yummy Almond Coconut bars

I altered a recipe the other day and made these for our park day. We all thought they were pretty tasty so here is the recipe. I love how the coconut got slightly toasted and crispy. Very sweet and similar to seven layer bars.

ALMOND COCONUT BARS

Crust
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c brown sugar
3/4 c cold butter ( I used 2 T less)

Combine in food processor until it turns into course crumbs. Press firmly into a 9x13 pan then bake in a preheated 350* oven for about 15 minutes.

Layer two
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
1 tsp almond flavoring
1 c slivered, slice or chopped almonds
1 c chocolate chips ( I added some white choc chips as well)

Combine well and pour over warm crust. Generously sprinkle coconut over the mixture. I only did half the pan because not everyone around here likes coconut (crazy, I know.) I also didn't measure but do as much as you like. Bake about 25 minutes longer. Watch near the end. My edges were a little darker than I like. Cool and cut into small bars.

Pumpkin Goodies

I've been meaning to post this recipes for a while but it's just been to crazy with Christmas and all. Anyway, you gotta try these two recipes. They are really tasty.

Pumpkin Donut Muffins- SOOOO delicious! I made these a few times. It's from that little Martha Stewart magazin, Everyday Foods. I like them as mini muffins, thinking it would be better than big ones but I might eat just as much because they are bite-sized. Here's a LINK but here the recipe is as well.

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin puree (from a 15-ounce can)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs

SUGAR COATING
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 12 standard muffin cups. Make batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions pumpkin mixture, and beat to combine.
Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup and bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Let muffins cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Working with one at a time, remove muffins from pan, brush all over with butter, then toss to coat in sugar mixture. Let muffins cool completely on a wire rack. (Store in an airtight container, up to 1 day.)

This is what happens when Scott has the one can opener we've got on a camping trip.
Pumpkin Pancakes. Yummy. These are homemade but my awesome friend, Erika bought me a box of pumpkin pancake mix from Trader Joes and they were fabulous! This is what made the pancakes even awesome-er. ("My eyes! He's too awesome!")

Apple Cider Syrup-

3/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons margarine
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a saucepan, combine the syrup ingredients.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

So come next fall, whip these up. So yummy.

Potato/Black Bean Veggie Burgers

I'm going to try a bunch of veggie burger recipes.
I made these for lunch and they were so good I made them again for dinner. Zac had 2 helpings. I'll post the original recipe first. It had some weird amounts (like it used 1 cup of corn which is 1/2 a can or 1/2 an onion. Then you have the other half to hang around)So just double the recipe to start with and you'll be all set! Also, they are very liquidy so I just squeezed it really good to get a lot of the moisture out. I got to use a new kitchen tool I have never used in my entire life- a potato masher! Hot cha!

They are a lot like fancy latkes. I ate them on a plate with a fork. I think they would be good on toast with lettuce and tomato but I didn't want the extra carbs of the bread. Abby said she wished she had not added ketchup.

Potato Veggie Burgers (original recipe from HERE)
1 cup canned black beans
1 carrot, grated
1/2 onion, diced
3 potatoes, grated
4 scallions, chopped (I didn't have scallions, I left them out)
1 cup corn
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying
Mash beans. Add remaining ingredients (except oil) and mix until well combined. Shape mixture into patties, cook about 3 min on each side

Potato Veggie Burgers (doubled and tweaked)
1 can canned black beans (mashed)
1 onion diced
6 potatoes grated
1-2 carrots (or not) grated
1 can corn
Mix and shape into patties. Fry 5 min on each side, sprinkle with garlic salt

Indian Dal

DAL

I will tell you that my vegan new year actually started on Jan 2. The first day of the year was spent with me sick with a sore throat and fever, mostly sleeping and wandering into the kitchen to see if anything grabbed me.

So, here is the first recipe I tried, which was vegan and also met the 'learn to cook Indian food' on my list

My ex-neighbor who is Indian kindly offered to teach me to cook 'Dal'. She called them lentils but the bag said "toor dal" and they look a lot like the yellow split peas I had bought awhile ago and didn't know what to do with. I'll post the recipe she showed me first and then my next day attempt to make it again.

Dal
cook 1/2 c yellow lentils about 40min, mush slightly with potato masher
in a pan on med heat in olive oil add:
mustard seeds & cumin seeds, cook until mustard 'pops'
curry leaves (4-5)
green chilis (2- one cut up and one visible for her picky kid to pick out, lol)
dice the following vegetables and saute for maybe 7 minutes:
onion, potato,green pepper,carrot,eggplant, green beans, tomato
add pinch of tumeric powder and 1/2tsp corriander powder (or garam masala)
add to dal, salt as needed
boil 5 minutes
add asian parsley (she called it corriander leaves or cilantro)

It was very good- I served it with rice and Zac and Abby liked it

So, the next day I tried it with my limited ingredients I had
cook yellow split peas 30 min
in pan saute onion, can of 'mixed veg' (inc green beans, carrots, peas) from food storage that is about to expire, also a can of potatos)
add garam masala
add to lentils
Pretty good, but it definitely needed SOMETHING- salt?

Scrambled Tofu

This is from the book Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Surprisingly, I make it almost exactly as the recipe states (except I had no cumin). Serve on a baked potato with salsa. Yum! Abby likes this recipe and requested I make it

Scrambled Tofu
1T olive oil
1 med onion chopped
2 c mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
1 pound extra firm tofu, drained
1/4 c nutritional yeast
juice of 1/2 lemon
i carrot, grated (added at end for color)

spice blend:
2t cumin
1 t thyme
1 t paprika
1/2 t tumeric
1 t salt

Heat oil in skillet, saute onions 3 min; add mushrooms saute 5 min; add garlic saute 2 min. Add the spice blend, add 1/4 cup water, scrape the pan to get all spices.

Crumble in tofu and mix well. Don't crush tofu, just lift and mix around. Cook 15 min. Add water if necessary to keep from sticking. Add lemon juice. Add nutritional yeast and mix it up. Grate carrot into mixture and fold. Serve with guacamole and salsa and potatos and toast and tempeh bacon

Fran's Picnic Cake

Remember how mom would make batches of this (like thirty!!) at Christmas time growing up?? I didn't realize this was such a Christmas recipe for me until I made it last night for a get together. I love it. It seems old fashioned are reminded me of being a kid at Christmas.

Everyone is a little hesitant to try it at first. Let's face it. It is a little ugly. And if you tell people there are dates in it? Well, they usually, politely decline. I never tell people there are dates in it until they eat it. So funny! Here it is. Eat it up. Just tell people it is a delicious moist picnic cake with the best topping ever!

Fran's Picnic Cake

Combine:
1 cup cut up dates
1 1/2 cup boiling water
1 tsp baking soda
Let cool to room temp.

Beat together:
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Add cooled date/water mixture to shortening mixture.

Sift together:
1 1/2 cups plus 2 Tbl Flour (weird, I know)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
Stir into wet mixture. Spread into a greased 9x13 pan. Cover with topping. Bake about 40 mins. in preheated 350* oven.

Topping:
Stir together 1 cup each of brown sugar, chocolate chips, and pecans or walnuts. sprinkle over the batter before baking.