Recipes

Two Kinds of Brownies

1/2 cup oil
½ cup stevia (the kind that measures like sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 eggs
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350. Mix shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. Measure flour and blend dry ingredients together. Stir in nuts. Spread in well-greased pan, 8x8x2, and bake about 30 minutes. Cool and cut in 2” squares.

Sweet Potato Brownies
2 medium cooked sweet potatoes
2/3 cup stevia (the kind that measures like sugar)
½ c. whole wheat flour
½ c. ground almonds or almond flour
4 T. cocoa
4 T. maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a 9x9 inch pan with parchment paper or spray well with cooking spray. Mix together all ingredients.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Easy Fruit Tart

1/2 cup Canola oil
1 ½ cups flour
1/4 cup sugar or Stevia that measures like sugar

1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup old-fashioned oats
¾ t. baking soda
1 tsp. molasses
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ginger, nutmeg
Fruit of your choice, blueberries, strawberries or a mix of both work well.

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a 9x9 inch square or round pan with parchment paper.

Put oil in a bowl and add flour, sugar, oats, soda, molasses, cinnamon and spices; stir until well combined.  This mixture will be crumbly.  Set aside some of this for the top of the bars, and press the rest of the oat mixture into the pan.

Bake 10 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and spread the crust with the fruit.  Sprinkle the reserved mixture over the top.  Return to oven and bake 26 minutes, or until topping looks cooked and lightly browned.  Cool and cut into quarters.  Keep in the fridge.

Pumpkin Bars

Crust
¾ c. rolled oats
¼ c. almond flour
¼ c. walnuts
¼ c. pecans
½ t. ground cinnamon
2 T. maple syrup
2 T. olive oil

Filling
1 ½ c. pumpkin puree
2 beaten eggs
1/3 c. almond milk
3 T.  maple syrup
½ t. ground cardamom
½ t. ground ginger
nutmeg for dusting

To make the crust, preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly oil an 8” square pan.  Put all dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse till it resembles coarse cornmeal.  Add syrup and oil and pulse till combined and crumbled.  Transfer this mixture into the pan and press it evenly into the bottom to make the crust.  Bake about 15 minutes so it gets firm, and leave the oven on.

 Meanwhile, put pumpkin into a food processor or blender.  Add eggs, milk, syrup, and spices.  Process till smooth.  Pour the filling over the crust and smooth top. Sprinkle with nutmeg.  Bake for 25 minutes until the filling is set and just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Let cool completely and refrigerate at least 2 hours before cutting into 16 squares.  

Roasted Tomatoes

When it is time for the harvest, it seems like we can be overrun by all that great, fresh produce from the garden. The zucchinis are probably the worst, and they threaten to take over the neighborhood.  You really can’t give them away.  But sometimes, we also get too many tomatoes.

There are worse problems, of course, but what to do with all those extra tomatoes?  The neighbors have their own gardens, so there is no giving them away.  You can always skin and freeze them in chunks for later, but what if you don’t really have that many?  Well, then you can make a casserole out of them.

Ingredients:

5 large tomatoes, cut into eights
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ¼ lbs medium shrimp, peeled or cooked chicken in small pieces
½ cup fresh parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place the tomatoes in a large baking dish.  Spoon the olive oil and garlic over the tomatoes.  Sprinkle with salt and toss.  Place on top rack of oven and roast for 20 minutes. 

Remove the baking dish from the oven, and stir in the shrimp or chicken, parsley, and lemon juice.  Sprinkle with the cheese.  Place back in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Gingerbread

 1 ½ c. flour
1 ½ t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
½ t. cinnamon
½ t. ginger
¼ t. clover
1 egg, beaten
½ cup oil (I use part applesauce)
1 c. molasses (you can use part applesauce or honey for this too)
½ c. hot water.

Preheat over to 375 degrees and spray a 9x9x1 ¾” pan with cooking oil.  In a large bowl, put the oil (with applesauce, if you like), molasses, and hot water and mix till combined.  

Mix flour with the soda, baking powder and spice and add to the molasses mixture, beating until smooth.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake 30 to 35 minutes.  Cool partially in the pan.   Serve warm or cold

Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients:
1/4 c. Stevia (the kind that measures like sugar)
2 cups flour                                             
2 t. baking powder                                   
1/2 c. oil
1 egg, beaten
2/3 c. milk

strawberries
whipped cream (optional)

Preparation:

Sift dry ingredients together into bowl. Add oil, then beaten egg and milk. Stir with fork until all flour is moistened. Spread the batter in an ungreased 8-inch pan or drop by the spoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 450 for 20 minutes for the layer pan, or 12 to 15 minutes for individual shortcakes. Serve warm with berries.  Serves 6 to 8

Chocolate Pancakes

 Ingredients

½ c. whole wheat flour
½ c. all-purpose flour
¼ c. unsweetened cocoa
¼ c. granulated sugar or 2 T. maple syrup
1 ½ t. baking powder
1 egg
1 c. almond milk
1 T. canola oil
1 t. vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa, sugar, baking powder.  In a medium bowl, beat egg, then add the milk, oil, and vanilla.  Whisk until combined.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just blended.  

Do not over-mix, unless you want the pancakes chewy.  Let the batter rest for 10 minutes before baking if possible.  Cook pancakes 1 to 2 minutes on a hot griddle.  Flip and cook another 1 minute until done. 

You will need to grease or spray the griddle with cooking spray frequently, as these pancakes do not have a lot of oil already in them, and they are a might sticky.  

Serve with fruit, maple syrup, or butter.  

Concord Grape Cobbler

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Filling:
4 c. Concord grape skins (remove the seeds)
1 to 2 c. seedless pulp
3/4 c. stevia (this is the kind that measures like sugar)
1/4 c. flour

In a saucepan, add the grape skins to the pulp and bring to a boil.  Stir and boil skins and pulp about 5 minutes.  In a small bowl, mix stevia and flour.  Add to grapes and cook until it starts to thicken--about another 5-10 minutes.

Batter:
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. stevia
1/2 t. baking powder
2 T. oil
1 egg, slightly beaten

Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth.  Set aside. 

Pour hot grape mixture into an oven-proof dish; drop batter into grapes, spacing dough evenly.  Batter will spread during baking.  Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Fish in Parchment

With this parchment paper, you can cook your fish and eat it too.  And, you can pop some frozen vegetables inside the packets to cook with the fish.  This will keep the fish moist, and it will also save you from washing another pan.  

The cooking time will vary according to the thickness of the fish, but it is usually about 20-30 minutes.  If you aren’t sure about how long to bake the fish, take a packet out when you think it’s cooked, unfurl it, and poke at the fillet.  If the fish flakes, it’s done.  If it doesn’t flake, pop it back in for a while longer.  If you want a side dish of spicy potatoes, they can be baked at the same time.

To cook the fish in parchment:

Set oven to 375 degrees.  Place white fish fillets (or other variety of fish) on a large piece of parchment paper.  Season as desired.  I like to use a mixture of sage, ginger, garlic powder, and turmeric, but your own favorite seasoning herbs can go in here. 

Add vegetables.  This is a good time to use frozen snow peas or asparagus, as they will not get as soppy as when just boiled in water.  Sliced tomatoes are also good. Wrap up the whole business into a packet, curling the edges, so no juice seeps out.  Bake in the hot oven for at least 20-30 minutes—depending on the thickness of the fish.  Open the packet and serve at once, maybe with potato wedges. 

Sourdough Revisited

Starting a batch of sourdough is not a step to be taken lightly.  It will demand some time and attention, and it will want to be baked whether you feel like baking it or not.  All the same, the taste is delicious, and it is just full of all those lovely nutrients that we want in our diet. Here is a recipe to get your starter started.

1 tsp. dry yeast
2 c. warm water
2 T. honey (or Stevia that measures like sugar)
2 c. flour (white, whole wheat, spelt, or buckwheat)

Combine yeast, water (not too hot or it will kill the yeast), honey, and flour in a glass mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon.  Apparently, sourdough does not like to be around metal, so keep that in mind.  Cover with cheesecloth, set in a warm place (85 degrees is good) to ferment.  In two or three days, your own sourdough starter will be ready to use. 

Store in a clean plastic or glass container with a fitted cover (with an air hole) in the refrigerator until needed.  If a clear liquid collects on top, that is called ‘hooch’ and it is perfectly normal.  It means your starter is probably hungry.  Either pour off the liquid or stir it down.  Take some starter out to bake with at least once a week.  Then feed and water your starter with equal portions of warm water and flour.  If you leave your starter out of the frig it will need more attention.

Stuffed Cabbage

1 lb. ground beef and 1 lb. ground pork                             
egg                                                                      
½ c. cold, cooked rice
1 large cabbage
1 can tomato paste
1-2 cups sauerkraut

Cut the core out of the cabbage and place the whole head in boiling water to parboil for about 15 minutes.  Cabbage leaves should be flexible but not too soft to stuff with the meat filling.  Drain the cabbage and let set until the leaves are cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, put beef, pork, egg, rice, and salt and pepper (as much seasoning as you think best) in a large bowl and mix them all together.  When the cabbage leaves are cool, lay one out on your cutting board and remove a small portion of the thick core end of the leaf.  

Place a well-rounded tablespoon of meat mixture in the center of the cabbage leaf and roll it up, tucking in the ends firmly to hold it together.  Repeat.  Use up all the meat this way and as much of the cabbage as you need. 

When the cabbage rolls are completed, place them in a deep pot or roaster.  Spread the top with sauerkraut and then with tomato sauce.  Almost cover the rolls with water, bring to a boil, and let simmer for at least 2 hours.

Banana Bread

.Nothing warms up the kitchen like having the oven on, and the aroma of baking bread is almost as delicious as the taste.  Since we usually have bananas in the house, they are really handy for baking.  This is especially true when they all turn ripe at once.

Here is a recipe for a quick banana bread.  You can also use frozen bananas for this, but they have to be thawed first.

1 cup unbleached flour
½ cup buckwheat flour (or you can use all unbleached)
3 t. baking powder
½ cup stevia
¼ c. canola oil
1 egg, beaten
1 cup ripe banana, mashed
1 cup almond milk
chopped nuts, dried cranberries, and/or raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray (with cooking spray) a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.  Mix flours with baking powder and set aside.  In another bowl, mix stevia, oil, and egg. Add bananas and milk.  Pour this into the flour mixture, and stir until just combined.  Add fruit and nuts to taste.  Bake at 350 for an hour or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and let cool completely. 

Almost Pizza

You can add pepperoni, chicken, shrimp, or ground beef--with or without the mushrooms.  Whatever you add should probably be cooked first.  

Cooking Spray
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp Stevia
½ tsp salt
1 envelope rapid rise yeast or the equivalent in dry yeast
¾ cup very warm water (120 to 130 degrees)
3 Tbsp olive oil

Cooked mushrooms
1 can tomato sauce
Italian seasonings
1 cup shredded Italian cheese
Grated Parmesan

Other toppings as desired

Mix the batter ingredients together in a pre-sprayed 9x9 inch baking dish. Stir until the ingredients form a dough, and then press the dough into the bottom of the dish. 

 Let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Top batter evenly with mushrooms (and/or whatever filling that you prefer).  Pour sauce over the top, then sprinkle with seasonings.  Add the cheeses last.

Bake by putting the dish in a cold oven; set temperature to 350 F. and bake for 30 minutes until cooked through. 

Buckwheat Muffins

Buckwheat is a food plant that is grown in North America, Asia, and Europe.  Although it is often thought of as a grain, it isn’t related to wheat at all.  Instead, buckwheat is the seed of a plant that is related to rhubarb and sorrel.   In fact, it is richer than grains in protein, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.  Here is a recipe for muffins that uses this high-powered plant food.

Buckwheat Muffins

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour
1/2 cup -whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon dry yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup raisins

Directions

Mix the flours and cinnamon together. In a separate bowl beat the egg in the oil.  Add to the flour mixture. Add yeast and water and raisins to the flour mixture.  Mix well.  Let sit for 15 minutes or more.  Spray muffin tins with cooking spray or put in cup liners.  Fill the prepared muffin tins 3/4 full.  Bake 20 to 30 minutes at 400 degrees.  Serve hot with honey, apple butter, or jelly.

Spicy Pancakes

Here is a recipe that is quick and easy, and it calls for many of our favorite spices.  We have found these pancakes to make a warm and comforting breakfast for a chilly morning.  Remember to use a large bowl, as the batter will rise.

1 ¼ c. all-purpose flour
  ½ t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
½ t. ground cinnamon
¼ t. ground ginger
¼ t. ground nutmeg
¼ t. allspice
2 T. dark molasses
1 cup almond (or other) milk
1 egg
3 T. oil

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger in a large bowl, and stir well to blend.  Combine the molasses and milk in another bowl with the eggs and oil.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.

Heat a pancake griddle until a drop of water dances on the surface.  Grease the griddle, stir the batter down, and spoon about 2 tablespoons batter onto the griddle, smoothing it out very gently to form each cake.  

When the top is set, flip and cook until lightly browned on the other side.  Serve with honey or maple syrup.

Molasses Bread

This is a fairly easy recipe that makes a flavorful bread that is good for snacks.  I sometimes make this for company, because I know they like it.  Not everyone is a big fan, however, so it might be best to ask your guests if they like the taste of molasses first.

Ingredients:

1/4 c. Stevia (the kind that measures like sugar)      
1 egg
1/2 c. molasses                                                       
1 T. vegetable oil                                    
1 c. buttermilk (or sour milk)
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 c. whole wheat flour

Preparation:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Beat sugar and egg together. Add molasses and oil.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  If you don’t happen to have buttermilk in the house, you can mix a little vinegar into milk and let it set for a few minutes, and it will do just as well.  And if you find all that molasses too strong a taste, you can use 3/4 cup molasses and 1/4 cup honey instead.

Pour batter into greased and floured 9x5x3” pan and let stand for 15 minutes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool before cutting.

Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies have a lot of healthy ingredients, the most important of which is the oats.  

Ingredients:

1 egg
1/2 cup Stevia (the kind that measures like sugar)
5 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries.
1/2 cup almond milk

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Whisk the egg, Stevia, and oil together.  In another bowl, put all of the dry ingredients together with the raisins or cranberries, and stir until everything is evenly mixed. Slowly add the egg, Stevia, and oil mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir to create a thick dough. Add the milk and mix well.

Lightly grease a baking pan. Scoop up tablespoonfuls of the dough and drop them one by one in mounds onto the baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between. Bake for 15-20 minutes, just until the crust is barely golden brown and the dough is dry. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

Green Tea Pudding

Green tea is from the same plant as regular black tea except it is processed differently.  Here is a recipe that combines green tea with chocolate, and I think chocolate is especially good for one’s mental health.

Ingredients

2 cups milk, divided
4 bags green tea
3 T. cornstarch
1/3 cup stevia (the kind that measures like sugar)
½ cup chocolate chips
1 t. vanilla
cinnamon (optional)

In a double boiler, heat 1 ½ cups of milk until very hot but not boiling.  Place tea bags in milk. Remove from heat and cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let steep 5 to 6 minutes.  Remove tea bags.  Gently squeezing out milk and discard the bags.

Meanwhile, mix cornstarch, stevia.  Whisk in remaining ½ cup chilled milk until combined; stir in chocolate chips and warm milk tea.  Return to double boiler and cook uncovered 4 to 5 minutes until thick and bubbly, stirring every few minutes.  Stir in vanilla.

Serve warm, or cover with plastic wrap, letting the wrap touch the top of the pudding.  This stops any skin from forming on the top of the pudding.  Let cool before serving, and sprinkle with cinnamon if you like.