Pesto Sauce

3 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons walnuts
1 dash salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated

Add the garlic to the blender and mince. Next, add the basil leaves, walnuts, a dash of salt and pepper, and the Parmesan cheese to the blender and mix.  Add olive oil and mix until all the ingredients are pureed.  This can be frozen in ice cube containers for later use.  1-2 cubes per serving depending on how strong you like your pesto.  This is really good with some angel hair pasta, fresh tomatoes and mushrooms, and chicken.

Corn on the Cob

I know, I know, it's corn on the cob right?  All you have to do is boil it right?  Well, I have found that what
you put in the water when you boil the corn can make a huge difference!  So, here's my secret to yummy corn
on the cob.

Lotsa water  (Lotsa is a very technical measurement.... :0))
Lemon juice
Sugar

DON'T add salt to the water.  This only makes your corn kernals tough....  I usually use a large stock pot,
and I probably use about 1/4 cup of lemon juice and about 2 Tablespoons of sugar.  Let the water come to a
rolling boil, add the corn on the cob, and only cook the corn for 2-3 minutes.  Take it out of the water.  It will
be so good, you won't even need any butter!  Enjoy!

Otai

Ingredients :

* Half a watermelon
* Pineapple
* Apples
* Sugar
* Water
* Coconut
 
 

Method :

Step 1 : Grate watermelon from skin into a bowl, remove seeds.

Step 2 : Grate apples and pineapple into the bowl. 

Step 3 : Pour in coconut milk or cream, mixing.

Step 4 : Add cold water.

Step 5 : Sweeten with sugar and refrigerate.

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

Wow!  I just found this recipe and yum, yum, yum.....  Did I mention, yum?

Ingredients:

2 apples
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
peaches
pineapple
2 bananas
strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
lime or lemon juice
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups cinnamon sugar


Directions:
1. In a large bowl, cut all fruit up into tiny pieces and add a little bit of lime or lemon juice for flavoring. Then add sugar. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 10 to 13 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

Banana Oatmeal Hot Cakes

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just found this recipe and it sounds amazing!  Can't wait to try it!  

Ingredients

1/2 cup maple syrup 

1/2 cinnamon stick 

3 whole cloves 

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 

1 cup water 

2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar 

2 tablespoons canola oil 

1/2 cup whole-wheat (whole-meal) flour 

1/2 cup all-purpose (plain) flour 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon baking soda 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/2 cup 1 percent low-fat milk 

1/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt 

1 banana, peeled and mashed 

1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine the maple syrup, cinnamon stick and cloves. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves with a slotted spoon. Set the syrup aside and keep warm.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the oats and water. Microwave on high until the oats are creamy and tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and canola oil. Set aside to cool slightly.
In a bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon. Whisk to blend.
Add the milk, yogurt and banana to the oats and stir until well blended. Beat in the egg. Add the flour mixture to the oat mixture and stir just until moistened.

Place a nonstick frying pan or griddle over medium heat. When a drop of water sizzles as it hits the pan, spoon 1/4 cup pancake batter into the pan. Cook until the top surface of the pancake is covered with bubbles and the edges are lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook until the bottom is well browned and the pancake is cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Repeat with the remaining pancake batter.
Place the pancakes on warmed individual plates. Drizzle with the warm syrup and serve immediately.

Fried Potatoes

We have some friends that come over for dinner quite often.  The husband always asks for my fried potatoes.  I am an Idaho girl, so I like to think I can cook some mean potatoes.  Actually, I don't really know what's so special about this particular side dish, but since he seems to be so infatuated with it, I thought I would share the process.

Peel and cut 5-6 potatoes into smaller pieces (about 1 inch)
Put 3-4 tablespoons oil into pan
Place potatoes in pan
Add seasonings of your choice.  (I like to add garlic powder, salt, pepper, and onion powder)
Add a little water to the pan after the potatoes start to sizzle.  (It helps the spuds get nice and soft)
Continue cooking until potatoes are soft.  Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash

I have never tried cooking spaghetti squash, but this recipe looks too good not to try.  Plus, it's low-fat so I think I will definitely have to try it.

http://dashdiet.org/spaghetti_sauce.asp

Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/4 cups zucchini, sliced
1 Tbsp oregano, dried
1 Tbsp basil, dried
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste*
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 cup water

1. In a medium skillet, heat oil. Sauté onions, garlic, and zucchini in oil for 5 minutes on medium heat.
2. Add remaining ingredients and simmer covered for 45 minutes. Serve over spaghetti.

* To reduce sodium, use a 6-oz can of low-sodium tomato paste.

Twice Baked Potatoes

 







Ingredients:

• 4 large potatoes
• 1 teaspoon olive oil (optional, for a softer-skinned potato)
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat ("light") sour cream
• Pinch nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Milk (as desired, for consistency)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425° F. Pierce potatoes with a fork several times. Rub potato skins with olive oil if a softer potato skin is desired. Bake potatoes directly on the middle oven rack for 50 - 60 minutes or until they yield to gentle pressure.
2. While potatoes are still hot (use oven mitt to hold potato), cut them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the interior flesh of the potato into a medium-sized bowl, leaving a shell about 1/4-inch thick all around. Using a potato masher, mash the potato flesh.
3. Add sour cream and seasonings and mash until smooth, adding a little milk if necessary to make a smooth consistency. Stir in add-ins as desired.
4. Turn oven to 400° F. Using a spoon, gently fill the potato shells with the potato mixture, mounding it up high. Place filled potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until hot.

Slow-Cooker Homemade Beans

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 3 cups dry navy beans, soaked overnight or boiled for one hour
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 6 slices thick cut bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup brown sugar

Directions

1. Drain soaking liquid from beans, and place them in a Slow Cooker.
2. Stir ketchup, water, molasses, onion, mustard, salt, bacon, and brown sugar into the beans until well mixed.
3. Cover, and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, stirring occasionally if possible, though not necessary.

Granola Cereal

12 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup veg. oil
2 cups brown sugar

Mix all ingredients in a large glass bowl.  (I use my hands to get it mixed really well.)  Bake at 350 degrees in the glass bowl for 20 minutes.  Stir after 10 minutes.  Cool and store in air-tight container.  Makes a great cereal for breakfast!

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

Right from Olive Garden Website!  Yum!

Ingredients
2 fresh artichokes
1 lemon, juice squeezed
1 tsp salt
OR
1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and sliced

1 lb cream cheese, room temperature
8 oz mascarpone cheese, room temperature
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
5 green onions, chopped
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
1 6-oz pack fresh spinach, chopped
8 slices crusty Italian bread
Extra virgin olive oil (to drizzle)

Procedures
Preheat oven to 325ºF.
PREPARATION WITH FRESH ARTICHOKES

1. BOIL artichokes in 3 quarts water with 1 tsp salt and lemon juice.
2. COOL artichokes. Clean, peel, remove center “choke” and slice artichoke.
3. FOLLOW Dip Preparation steps below using fresh artichokes.

DIP PREPARATION

1. MIX all ingredients in a large bowl, except bread and extra virgin olive oil.
2. COAT a large non-stick baking pan with pan spray; fill pan with mixture. Bake at 325ºF for about 25 minutes or until bubbling and center is hot.
3. DRIZZLE both sides of bread with extra virgin olive oil. Grill bread on both sides.
4. SPRINKLE top of heated dip with parmesan cheese. Serve hot with grilled bread.

Easy Crock Pot Black Beans

Wanna use up those dry beans??  Don't want to soak, pre-soak, blah, blah, blah.....
Here's an easy way to cook them.  You can cook any variety of bean this way and it works great.

3 cups dry black beans
9 cups water

Rinse beans and add to crock pot.  Add water and cook on low 7-9 hours or until beans are soft.  So much easier than soaking, boiling, etc...  Great for soup, burritos, salad, chip dip, etc.

Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized Apples

Ingredients

4 large sweet potatoes (3lbs)
3 Tb unsalted butter, softened
2 Tb heavy cream
1/2 c applesauce
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 apples, peeled and cored
3 Tb sugar

Preparation

Place sweet potatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet; pierce each several times with a fork. Bake until very tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
Cut open potatoes and scoop out flesh into bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with paddle attachment. Add 2Tb butter and cream and beat until smooth. Add the applesauce and ginger. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to an oven-proof serving dish and bake at 375 F until heated through (10 minutes).
Cut the apples into 1″ pieces. Melt the remaining Tb butter in a non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and sugar; saute until golden and nicely caramelized, about 8 minutes. Top potatoes with apples and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Mexican Butternut Squash Soup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 2  cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 3/4 pound)
• 1/2 onion-chopped
• 1  cup  chopped red or green bell pepper
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
• 1  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1  teaspoon  chili powder
• 2 cans  vegetable broth
• 1  (15.5-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained
• 1 can black beans
  
• 2 TBL fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup  minced fresh cilantro

Preparation

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add squash and next 5 ingredients (squash through chili powder); saute 2 minutes. Add broth, corn and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in lime juice and cilantro.