Peach Pie

3-4 oz cream cheese
baked pastry shell
5-6 fresh peaches
1/3 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 TB cornstarch
1/4 tsp almond flavoring

Spread cream cheese on pastry shell. Slice 2-3 fresh peaches on top. Combine 3 mashed peaches with water. Mix sugar and cornstarch, add to mashed peaches, and cook until thick. Add almond flavoring and pour mixture over sliced peaches. Chill until set. Top with whipped cream.

Roasted Veggie and Black Bean Burritos

Ingredients:

2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 large Jalapeno Pepper, diced

1 Red Pepper, diced

1 whole red onion, diced

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 pinch salt and pepper

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped

2 tsp fresh lime juice

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 package burrito-sized wheat tortillas (6-10 count)

Directions:

1. In a bowl, toss your raw veggies in olive oil and season with spices.  Place in a large baking dish and roast at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through.

2. Add your roasted veggies to a can of rinsed black beans.  Add cilantro and lime juice.  Combine gently.  

3. Warm your wheat tortillas in microwave.  Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray or olive oil spray.

4. Add two heaping tablespoons of vegetable and bean mixture to cente of wrap.  Top with shredded cheese.  Fold over, fold in sides, place in pan and continue to roll the others.  Place into your baking dish, seam side down.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Baking this way will make the tortilla wrap crisp.  For a softer burrito, spray burrito with nonstick spray, then wrap in aluminum foil and bake for some amount of time. 

Curried Chicken and Rice Soup

Ingredients
1 bone-in chicken breast (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved
2 medium carrots, sliced diagonally into 2-inch pieces
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1/3 cup jasmine rice
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions
Combine the chicken, carrots, bay leaf and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Add 3 cups broth and bring to a boil; immediately reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is just firm, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the butter in another saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until the onion is soft, 5 minutes. Add the curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the rice and the remaining 3 cups broth. Increase the heat to medium, cover and simmer until the rice falls apart, 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the chicken from its broth; discard the skin and shred the meat into pieces. Return the shredded chicken to the same broth.
Puree the rice mixture with an immersion blender until smooth (or use a regular blender, then return to the pan). Pour in the shredded chicken and broth, stirring gently to combine; bring to a simmer. Toss in the chopped herbs and serve the soup with lemon wedges.

Add sour cream if you've added too much curry
Throw in extra rice if you have some after it's done

Per serving: Calories 390; Fat 11 g (Sat. 5 g; Mono. 1.6 g; Poly. 1.3 g); Cholesterol 130 mg; Sodium 740 mg; Carbohydrate 18 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 55 g


When blending hot liquids, first let cool for 5 minutes or so, then transfer to a blender, filling only halfway. Put the lid on, leaving one corner open; Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters and pulse until smooth.

German Pancakes

Ingredients
2 TB butter
6 whole eggs
1 C flour (we like 1/2 white, 1/2 wheat best)
1 C milk
1/8 tsp salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put the 2 TB butter in a 9x13 glass pan and place in preheated oven. While the butter is melting, in a medium bowl mix together the eggs, flour, milk, and salt. A whisk will do just fine, but electric beaters will make a slightly smoother, fluffier pancake. 

By now the butter should be bubbling in the oven. Grab your oven mitts and pull out the pan, rotating it around to distribute the butter evenly on the bottom. Pour the batter on top and bake for 20 minutes. Top with your favorite pancake topping and have a happy day.

Quinoa and Black Beans

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cups uncooked quinoa (make sure to rinse it!)
1.5 cups chicken broth, or equivalent
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salsa (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the onion, green pepper, and garlic and saute until lightly browned.

2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with broth.  Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.  Brin mixture to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. 

3. Stir in frozen corn and simmer for 5 more minutes.  Mix in the black beans and cilantro.  Serve with salsa.

Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Broccoli, Chickpeas, and Garlic

INGREDIENTS

1. • 6 garlic cloves, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
   • 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
   • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling
   • 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped broccoli (not thawed)
   • 3/4 teaspoon salt
   • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
   • 1/2 pound whole-wheat spaghetti
2. • Accompaniments: finely grated parmesan; lemon wedges (optional)
   • 1 lemon wedges

PREPARATION

1. 1. Cook garlic and red pepper flakes in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Add broccoli and salt and cook, breaking up frozen chunks and stirring occasionally, until broccoli is thawed and crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and cook until heated through.
   2. Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander. Add pasta and reserved cooking water to broccoli and chickpeas in skillet and cook over moderate heat, tossing, until combined well. Serve drizzled with lemon juice. 

Butternut Squash Soup

1 TB oil
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
4 medium carrots, sliced thinly
1.5-2 lb Butternut squash (I've used Banana squash and Hubbard squash successfully as well)
1 medium potato
4-5 cups of water
4-5 tsp chicken bouillon (I use Better Than Bouillon)
salt and pepper to taste
nutmeg (optional)

Saute the onion in a bit of oil. Add garlic towards the end. Add chopped carrots, squash, and potato (think bite sized pieces). Add water until it just about covers all the vegetables (about 4-5 C). Add 1 tsp bouillon  for each C of water and simmer until the vegetables are soft (15-20 min). Puree in blender or food processor.

Season to taste. Because my Better Than Bouillon is reduced sodium, I usually add about 1 tsp salt and a dash of pepper. If it doesn't have a divine flavor, add a bit more salt or bouillon and see if that helps. (Optional: a dash of nutmeg will also go well with the flavors). If you end up seasoning it too strong, adding a bit of milk will tone it down.

Here's a picture to give you an idea of the amount of veggies I use. We had company, so I doubled the recipe.

Amount of veggies for a DOUBLED recipe.

One Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ⅓ cup finely diced shallots (or red onions)
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or basil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Using a mallet, pound down the chicken breasts/thighs into ½ inch thickness. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken.
2. In a 2 cup measuring cup or a small bowl, combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
3. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and allow to brown on both sides for 2-3 minutes per side. Don't worry if the chicken isn't cooked completely, we'll finish it in the oven. Remove the chicken to a plate.
5. Reduce the flame to medium, add the shallots to the skillet along with the chicken broth mixture. Using a whisk, scrape the bottom of the pan so all the brown bits are loosened. Let sauce reduce for about 8-10 minutes or until about ⅓ cup of the sauce remains.
6. When the sauce has thickened, remove from the flame, add the butter and whisk until it melts completely. With the skillet off the flame, add the heavy cream, whisk to combine. Place the skillet back over the flame for just 30 seconds, DO NOT allow the sauce to boil. Remove from heat, add the chicken back into the pan and drizzle the sauce over the chicken. Place the skillet in the oven for 5-8 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through. Top with chopped parsley or basil and serve warm with additional lemon slices.

Serve with rice, double the sauce 

6 can chicken tortilla soup

Super fast, easy, and tasty soup

1 15 oz can corn, drained
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10 oz can chicken
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers

1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients in pan, heat on stove 10-15 mins. Serve with sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips, tomatoes.

Moist Whole Wheat Buttermilk Muffins

These can be thrown together in five minutes and make an easy, nutritious, and delicious addition to any meal. I often make them along with one of our favorite homemade soups.

2 C whole wheat flour
1 TB baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C brown sugar
1 C buttermilk
1/3 C oil
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Using a whisk, fluff together the dry ingredients. Then add the milk, oil, and eggs and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. Use a 1/4 measuring cup and spoon to pour the batter into a greased muffin pan (or use muffin liners). Bake for about 12 minutes or until they just barely start to turn golden on the sides and/or top. Be careful not to overcook them. Makes 1 dozen delicious, moist muffins.

Banana Bread

1/2 C butter, softened
1 C white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 C white flour
3/4 C whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C sour cream
2-3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl or mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until fluffy, stirring the sides occasionally. Add the dry ingredients and mix again, then add the sour cream and mashed bananas.

Spread evenly into the loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.