challah stuffing with wild rice and raisins

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/challah-bread-mushroom-stuffing-with-wild-rice-and-raisins-recipe.html

vegetarian stuffing for thanksgiving with sourdough

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/sourdough-bread-stuffing-recipe.html#communityReviews

"ROAST" Brussels Sprouts

From epicurious

Consider adding orange sauce from my other brussels sprouts recipes and using walnuts instead of almonds, and skip the parmesan.  Can use Nutritional yeast instead.


YIELDServes 4 ACTIVE TIME5 minutes TOTAL TIME30 minutes
INGREDIENTS

2 cups fresh brussel spouts, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup raw sliced almonds
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
 Buy all at Peapod
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PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 400° F.
Place the brussel spouts, olive oil and salt on a sheet tray and toss to combine.
Bake the brussel sprouts, cut side down, for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and top brussel sprouts with sliced almonds. Bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Place the roasted brussel sprouts and almonds in a bowl, top with Parmesan cheese and the juice of half a lemon.
Serve.

mixed nuts with rosemary and cayenne

http://cookieandkate.com/2013/rosemary-roasted-nuts/#comments

additional similar recipe in Earthbound Cook

I substituted thyme for the rosemary and thought it was excellent.  Need more spice mix relative to the nuts than described.

Oven at 365 not 375.  Watch carefully - especially cashews.  Used less cayenne initially, but added more after mixed up.  Used EVOO instead of butter.

Added date syrup afterwards, but the sweetness cut the taste.  Consider using instead of brown sugar. Used coconut sugar -- same 15 calories per tsp, "0" fat in that amount.

Bring as appetizer for Aruna's house.

Moroccan Chickpeas with Apples

From Julia Korenman, adapted from the Washington Post by her and further by me.

This was a quick delicious dish - not too many ingredients!  Since no one was ready for dinner when it was done cooking, I kept it warming on the stove for another 30 minutes or so.  In that time, the chick peas became softer, to a perfect texture.  I'll be aiming for that same time frame in the future.  The red pepper took up the flavorings so well, that next time I'll increase it from 1 red pepper to two.

Ingredients:
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, diced (used 1/2 of a large Vidalia)
1-2 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 medium Granny Smith apple, diced (I didn't peel it)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves (ran out; so used Ras El-harout, a blend of all the spices included here)
pinch of cayenne pepper
8-12 oz tomato sauce (worked well with Rao's tomato basil sauce)
1 Tbsp water
2 16-oz cans chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 Tbsp light brown sugar

Directions:
1) Heat just enough oil to coat the bottom of a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 3 minutes.
2) Add the apple and 1/4 tsp salt.  Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften.
3) Add the cinnamon, cumin, allspice, clovers, cayenne, tomato sauce and water.  Mix well and cook for one minute.
4) Add the chickpeas and brown sugar; mix well.  When the liquid comes to a boil, cover the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Taste and add additional 1/4 tsp salt if needed.  If there's such liquid, increase the heat to high and cook for 2-3 minutes until the liquid has reduced.  Serve hot or at room temperature.  This is where an extra 30 minutes at a VERY low temperature (even on 'OFF' on an electric stove) can improve the texture in my opinion.

Serve hot or at room temperature;

plain or with quinoa, couscous or brown rice.

Thai Pineapple and Chicken

In my quest for simple recipes, I tried this dish in the oven, instead of sautéing the ingredients separately.  Combining the raw ingredients and adding vegetable broth for moisture allows you to toss together a salad, prepare a grain and set the table before the timer goes off on your chicken dish.  I use a vegetarian fish sauce and a sweet Thai garlic chili sauce, both pictured below and available at H Mart or Great Wall.  They combine to make just a mildly spicy sauce.  Of course, it's easy to adjust those sauces to taste, as well as to change the vegetables in the dish.  Consider using snow peas, for instance.

Addendum 7/8/18 - Stir fried, using chicken that had already been baked, and added after the vegetables were partially done.  Used fresh pineapple and no broth.  Very quick and delicious --

Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
1 1/2pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1 onion peeled and cut into chunks
2 cups of broccoli florets and stems
2 cups pineapple chunks, fresh or canned, but do not add the juice
juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp vegetarian fish sauce
3-4 Tbsp Thai chili sauce  (adjust to taste)
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth, more as needed to keep moist

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
4 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease a large casserole baking dish.  Put in all of the ingredients from the chicken down to the broth.  Toss and add more broth as needed.

2) Check at about 15 minutes and add more broth if needed to keep ingredients moist.  Continue to cook another 15 minutes.

3) Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Add cilantro if using.  Serve over rice.

Lentil stew in the slow cooker

This season, I plan to increase my use of the slow cooker in order to simplify food prep and minimize take-out.  I'd like to help you do the same.   Almost always, when I use a recipe meant for the slow cooker, I ignore any directions to saute any ingredients before adding them.  The way I see it, this is not going to be a gourmet meal.  This is meant to save time.  I also don't pay too much attention to adding ingredients at different times.  If some items are softer than they are meant to be, oh well!  As a rule, though, I avoid putting boneless chicken in these dishes, as it does get too dried out.  Bone-in chicken does also, but not to the same degree.  In this dish, the lentils contain enough protein to count as a main dish.

This stew will keep well in the refrigerator for up to one week.  In fact today, at one week, it tastes better than before.  It can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.  Defrost and serve for an instant healthy lunch or dinner

Makes 12 servings
Ingredients:
3 cups dried lentils (1 pound), rinsed and sorted
3 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
14 oz diced tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

4-5 cups hot cooked couscous

Directions:
1) Put all the ingredients in a slow cooker.  Be sure there is plenty of room for the ingredients to expand without overflowing.  Stir to blend.  Cove and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until vegetables are tender.

2) Stir in oil and vinegar.  Serve over couscous.

slow cooker split pea soup - a work in progress

My goal for this next year is to create recipes that have fewer ingredients than my usual, save time and use up leftover ingredients from the fridge.

This is my first effort toward that goal.  I wanted to make split pea soup in a slow cooker, but couldn't find a recipe I liked.  Here's the start of one -

2 1/4 cups split peas (raw)
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 1/2 cups water
1 leek, several layers peeled; only white part, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 medium Vidalia onion
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, peeled and chopped
1 portobello mushroom, cleaned, ribs scraped out, chopped
fresh lime - 1 Tbsp
mint - few stems
basil - about 10 leaves
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp marjoram  -- can try to increase the salt, pepper, lime and marjoram

Put all ingredients in slow cooker on low for 6 hours.

Consider scallions, zucchini.

Top with more mint, pepper, lime.  Dried mint works well, and avoids trouble of getting fresh mint.

If this isn't good, try something more similar to sweet green pea soup in Williams Sonoma Essentials of Healthy Cooking page 59, with zucchini and rice.

This was a good first try.  fairly filling.  I like the texture of NOT pureeing everything, as suggested in some recipes.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roasted-cauliflower-salad-lentils-and-dates

This was excellent but did take some time to prepare.  Might be able to save time by substituting  raisins for chopped dates.

Also there were other cauliflower recipes on the food and wine site that looked good with tahini, lemon and cilantro; one with roasted cauliflower and grapes looked quick.  The grapes turn to a jam quality.

The lentils in this salad give plenty of protein.  the dressing for the lentils was tasty.

Zucchini spaghetti with eggplant, tomato and basil

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/zucchini-noodles-with-eggplant-and-tomatoes

This summery play on ratatouille includes a bright mix of zucchini and summer squash turned into "noodles" along with quick pan-seared cherry tomatoes and eggplant.

The lemon dressing for this really brightens up the 'vegetti'.  Alternatively, a red sauce of your preference would probably do well, and save you time.  When we see Rao's sauces on sale, we buy them for a quick meal.  They are made with natural ingredients and are lower in salt and sugar than most of the alternatives.  

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium zucchini (about 1 1/4 pounds), spiralized or cut into matchsticks
2 medium yellow squash (about 1 1/4 pounds), spiralized or cut into matchsticks
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

Dressing:
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup (packed) basil leaves, chopped, divided

For the skillet:
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 large long Chinese eggplants (about 3/4 pound), cut into 1/4" slices on the bias
2 cups cherry tomatoes, divided

1/4 cup pitted cured black olives, halved, divided (optional)
1 (8-ounce) ball fresh buffalo mozzarella, thinly sliced

Directions:

1) Place zucchini and squash in a strainer set over a bowl. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. salt and toss to combine. Let sit 10 minutes, then shake in strainer, pressing gently, to remove any excess liquid.

2) Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice, honey, pepper, 1/2 cup basil, 3 Tbsp. oil, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a large bowl.

3)Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook garlic until it begins to sizzle and turn golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to bowl with dressing.

4) Increase heat to medium-high, add eggplant and 1 cup tomatoes, and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is browned and cooked through and tomatoes begin to burst, about 6–8 minutes. Season with remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and transfer to bowl with dressing.

5) Cut remaining 1 cup tomatoes in half lengthwise and add to bowl with dressing. Add zucchini and squash; gently toss to combine.  I prefer to throw the zucchini and squash into the pan that is still warm, without the heat on, just to dry it a bit more.

6) Add 3 Tbsp. olives and 2 Tbsp. basil, then transfer with tongs to a platter, letting extra liquid drain and remain in bowl. Lay mozzarella on 1 end of platter and drizzle with oil. Top dish with remaining 2 Tbsp. basil and 1 Tbsp. olives.

Banana Pineapple Yogurt Smoothie

From Torrent Kitchen Aid Blender recipe book

There are endless variations you can do with this, but here's a start.  I enjoyed it with nutmeg and cinnamon sprinkled on top.

Ingredients:
2 cups plain yogurt
12 ounces crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1 banana
1 cup ice
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, more to sprinkle on top
sprinkle of cinnamon on top

Directions:
It's difficult -- put all ingredients in a blender with ice-crushing capabilities.  Blend, pour, sprinkle nutmeg and cinnamon.

Makes 4 servings

Peaches and Green Smoothie

I must start by saying that I am NOT a fan of green shakes!  I had a few bitter awful ones years ago and have avoided them ever since.  HOWEVER, my blender finally died from my ice-crushing activities for chocolate peanut butter smoothies, banana berry yogurt smoothies, and the like.  With my new Torrent Blender by KitchenAid, which I love, there was a cookbook with loads of blender recipes, including smoothies, soups and other blended foods.  It was a steal because evidently its magnetic base with no moving parts hasn't really taken off, so I got it at 2/3 off - including this new recipe book.  The magnetic base turns the blade without them actually having to twist into each other - that connection is what started leaking - after many years of use, mind you.

Having my son home for a week, I had a live-in taster, so I made the most of it.  Here's a green smoothie that's refreshing and tasty.  If you want more protein, just change the almond milk to soy.

Ingredients:
1 cup ice
1 cup packed torn fresh spinach
1 cup fresh or frozen peach slices
1 cup vanilla almond milk
1 Tbsp honey (add more honey if using plain almond milk)
juice from 1/2 small lime
1 tsp dried mint, or a few fresh mint leaves - the more the better!

Directions:
Using a blender with ice crushing capacity - blend and pour!

Lentil and Vegetable Salad

Lentils are my new favorite protein source - a great component of a plant-based diet.  They are very filling, with lots of folate and iron, and naturally gluten-free.  Very versatile, they can be eaten alone, on a salad, or in soups or stews.  This recipe is the equivalent of my end-of-the-week stir fry that uses up any odds and ends in the refrigerator.  As written, it is just a suggestion.  I think the red onion is key in providing flavor.  For the dressing, you can use any vinaigrette, but make sure there’s enough vinegar, salt and pepper to provide a burst of flavor.

Soon, Dr. Aruna Nathan will share her wisdom about sprouted lentils.  She made toasted lentils for a crunchy snack and a different kind of lentil salad to share at our recent health fair.  Stay tuned for her recipes.

Ingredients:
1 cup of cooked lentils (green or mixed variety - 1 cup lentils to 3 cups of water)
1 cup chopped arugula or spinach
1-2 carrots, chopped
1/2 cucumber, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
2 scallions, sliced

DRESSING:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp lo sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
1) Mix all salad ingredients, keeping lentils separate.
2) Mix all dressing ingredients, whisk, add half to the lentils and mix.
3) Add lentils to salad, add the remainder of the dressing to the salad, as needed.

Pumpkin Crunch

From Canyon Ranch Nourish

This is such a good crunchy snack!  I decreased the cranberries, because I prefer the crunch to the sugar.  After toasting them, the nuts stick together a bit and are like granola.  Just watch them carefully because there's a only a short interval between 'toasted' and 'burnt'!  One is good, the other not so much!!

Pumpkin seeds are a rich source of 'good fats', i.e.  mono- and poly-unsaturated oils, as well as a good source of fiber, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.

Dried fruit is notorious for being full of sugar.  Look for the lowest sugar content you can find.  Trader Joe's and Nature's Promise at Giant have varieties that have 26 grams of sugar per 1/4 cup (versus up to 32 grams for some of the others).  I tried substituting other dried fruit, but the tart taste of cranberries fits perfectly with the seeds.  I just decreased the measure from 1 1/4 cups to under a cup.

I didn't let my family taste this before I brought it to our health fair because I was afraid there might not be enough left for anyone else.  I'm looking for more of these healthy snack recipes to make on my own in order to avoid the 'extras' in many of the packaged snack bars.

Let me know what you think!

Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 tsp canola oil
1 1/3 tsp pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp sea salt
less than a cup of dried cranberries.

Tried another variant - used 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice (which is actually cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice with ginger added; and 1/4 tsp cumin and 1/4 tsp cardamom along with 1/2 tsp salt and maple syrup.  Smells good from the cardamom.  Probably like the original better.  12/11/16 Then added more maple syrup, cayenne, sugar -- maybe just stick with the original!

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Lightly spray a baking sheet with canola oil spray.

2) Toss the seeds and canola in a small bowl.  Spread the coated seeds evenly on the baking sheet.  Roast for about 20 minutes, or until almost dry.  Watch carefully!

3) Place the seeds in a medium bowl and stir in the maple syrup until coated.

4) Combine the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt in a small bowl. Add the spice mixture to the pumpkin seeds.  Stir to combine.

5)  Return the pumpkin seeds to the baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes or until dry, stirring occasionally.  Turn the pan several times to ensure even roasting, checking frequently.  Set aside until completely cool, about 30 minutes.

6) Combine the seeds and dried cranberries in a large bowl.  Store in a tightly sealed container.