Bluberry Muffins

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup spelt flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup soy milk
1 egg
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup ground flax
2 cups frozen blueberries

Directions
Combine oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix in milk, egg, flax and oil; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in blueberries. Place muffin cups in baking dish, filling each cup 2/3 full with batter.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Edamame Dip

A staple in my house, we eat this dip as a hearty snack on crackers.

2 bags of shelled edamame, cooked

1/4 cup of Tahini

3-4 T Lemon Juice, fresh squeezed

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1 T garlic powder

1/2 T salt

1/4-1/2 cup filtered water

Okay, so I never measure anything. These are all estimates, but puree all of this in a food processor, and taste as you go, adding what you think the dip needs to balance the flavor and make a good consistency.

This is what I'm cooking right now...

From: http://www.wholegraingourmet.com/recipes/43-cookies/80-healthy-peanut-butter-cookies.html

Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

Dry Stuff

• 3/4 c whole wheat flour ( I used a little less, adjust depending on the moisture of the batter)
• 3/4 c oats
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• optional: 1 tsp cinnamon

Moist Stuff

• 1 c smooth natural peanut butter ( I used 1 ¼ cups)
• 1/2 c honey (easier with liquid honey)
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla
• optional: 1/3-1/2 c chocolate or carob chips

Preparation:

1. Combine dry ingredients
2. Combine moist ingredients
3. Mix dry and moist ingredients together.
4. Cool in the fridge for 20 minutes.
5. Drop teaspoons of batter on a parchment-lined cookie sheet or baking sheet for cookies.
6. Flatten with a fork if you like.
7. Bake at 375 for 8-12 minutes - edges will be slightly browned - be careful not to burn as honey browns fast.

Stuffed Acorn Squash (and a soap box)

I was just pondering "Health Food." Since it keeps you healthy, it's a good term. However, maybe we should call it "Real Food" or "Pure Food." I guess sometimes it's just "Lightly Processed Food" as opposed to the conventional "Highly Processed Food."

With how many dishes I have to clean in order to eat my "Real Food," I totally understand people eating out or purchasing lightly to highly processed foods. Really, though, if you're going to go to the trouble of cooking, buy Pure, Organic, Health Food. It really does nurture your body, your family, and your Earth.

I made this the other day. It took a long time to prepare and the clean-up was a pain, but the food was pure and delicious.

Recipe:

1 acorn squash, sliced in half

1 1/2 cups Quinoa

1 T olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 package of Tempeh, crumbled (or ground turkey if you prefer)

5 mushrooms, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

1-2 cups of broccoli heads, but to bite size pieces

1 T dried Sage

1 T dried Thyme

1 T garlic

salt to taste

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup dried cranberries

4 oz feta, crumbled or chopped

First, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place both sides of acorn squash face down in baking dish with about 1/4 inch of water. Tent with tin foil and bake for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a med-sized pot cook the Quinoa in 3 cups of boiling water for about 15-20 min.

Then in a large skillet, heat oil over med-high heat. Add onions and cook for about 6 min, stirring occasionally. Then stir in Tempeh and mushrooms and cook for about 5 min. Then add the carrots, broccoli, sage, thyme, garlic and salt, stirring occasionally for about 2 min. You can add about 1/4 cup of water and place a lid on the pot to steam the broccoli for a few min if your veggies don't look over cooked.

Remove from heat and stir in walnuts, cranberries, feta, and Quinoa. Set aside.

Remove squash from the oven and turn over, testing the flesh with a fork to see if there almost completely cooked. When your squash is nearing completion of being cooked, stuff some of your mixture in the squash cavity. Then place the rest of the mixture in a separate baking dish. Bake both stuffed squash and mixture for about 15 min. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Whoa, I cannot believe how delicious and time consuming this dish was. But we're still enjoying the hearty left-overs.

Raw Beet and Carrot Salad

I made this up today, and it was so delicious:

Dressing:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 T Dijon mustard

1 T Garlic powder

1 T garlic salt

1 T honey

salt to taste

3 large Beets, grated

3 large carrots, grated

Dressing: Whisk all ingredients in a large bowl. Add grated veggies and mix well. Let chill for about 10 min and enjoy.

This is so easy and so spectacular!

New Tofu Recipe, with Butternut Squash and Chard

Stocked with our Farmer's Market goodies, I searched the internet for interesting squash recipes. Instead, I found a new way to cook tofu that is absolutely delicious.

Tofu recipe:

3-4 T Whole Grain Spelt Flour

3 T corn meal

2t garlic salt

2t Herbs de Provence (or whatever herbs you like)

1 block firm tofu, cubed

olive oil

Mix the dry ingredients in a big tupperware, then place the the cubed tofu in it and put the lid on. Shake it up, coating the tofu with the mixture.

Coat a baking dish with olive oil, and lay the tofu out in a single layer. Cook at 375 for 20 min, flipping after 10 min.

Butternut Squash recipe:

Do the exact same thing with the squash, cooking it for the same amount of time.

Braised Chard and Beet Greens Recipe:

3T olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, diced

salt to taste

1-2 T apple cider vinegar

A bunch of greens, sliced into ribbons

In a large, deep pan, heat the oil with the garlic for about 2 min over med heat. Add salt, vinegar, and greens (still wet from being washed) and cover with a tight lid. After about 4 min, stir and reduce heat. Remove from heat when wilted. Yummy!!!

These greens were a hit with my 2 1/2 year old.

Vegetarian Tamale Casserole

I discovered this when I was pregnant with Mylah, and it was the answer to my prayers. I love tamales, but I can never find a variety that is both healthy and does not have tomatoes or some other form of a nightshade in it. I don't know where I got this recipe from, but this is how I morphed it into my own:

3 cups water

1 1/2 Cups dried polenta

salt to taste

1/4 cup water

1 cup broccoli flourettes

chopped kale

1 1/2 cup cooked whole beans (black or pinto)

1 T cumin

1 T paprika

garlic salt to taste

1 cup grated mozzarella

Boil the water in a medium stock pot with a little salt. Place the polenta in the water and cook for about 5 min (depending on altitude, so read the instructions on the box). Mix and set aside.

Cook the broccoli in about 1/4 cup of water and garlic salt for about 4 min, then add the kale, beans, cumin, and paprika.

Spread about 3/4 of the cooked polenta on the bottom of a casserole dish in an even layer, then spread the veggie bean mixture on top. Put the rest of the polenta on top of that, and it doesn't matter if it completely covers the beans. Then sprinkle the cheese on top. Before you serve, place in oven on 350 for about 15 min.

The last time I made this I added some grilled organic chicken that I chopped up, and I served it with some delicious guacamole. Yummy...enjoy!