Pumpkin Pie French Toast

Leftover pumpkin? Try this. It's sweet enough that it doesn't really need anything on it, but a little honey or maple syrup never hurt.

2 eggs (this is what the recipe called for, but I would definitely use 3 or 4 - especially if you expect it make 8 slices)
1/4 c milk
1/4 c pumpkin puree
1/4 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger
1/8 t cloves
1/8 t nutmeg
2 T brown sugar

8 slices bread

Mix up everything, dip bread in it, make French Toast.

Dinner in a Pumpkin

 

(Picture not my own)

Have you ever had dinner in a pumpkin? I have. Twice. I first had it in college, thought it was ingenious, and vowed to make it myself someday. That day was today. It was easy, it was delicious, and the missionaries were impressed (So was the husband. The baby was not impressed). There are many variations of recipes out there. I did this:

1-1.5 lbs ground beef/turkey

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 T. brown sugar

1 can mushrooms (or fresh would be good)

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups cooked rice (I used leftover brown rice - it was good)

Brown the ground beef/turkey with the onion and mushrooms, if applicable. Drain and stir in soy sauce, brown sugar, soup and cooked rice. Meantime, cut the top off a pumpkin and clean it out. Throw the hamburger junk inside, stick it in a roasting pan, and put it in the oven for an hour or so. To serve, scoop out some junk and scrape the sides to get some pumpkin in there too.

Benefit: My pumpkin was decent sized, so I had a lot of roasted pumpkin leftover, which I am mashing and putting in the freezer for pumpkin recipes all winter long. Booyah.

Peanut Butter Balls

Photograph courtesy of The Pioneer Woman

Time for something sweet. These are similar to buckeyes, but I daresay perhaps a slight bit healthier. Plus, it always seems like recipes for buckeyes have some weird ingredient like parrafin wax. This is pretty straightforward. Recipe fron Parents magazine.

Mix 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/3 cup honey, and 1 cup powdered milk in a bowl. Roll into 20 1-inch balls. Melt 6 oz dark chocolate (or whatever you have or like) and dip balls in chocolate. Refrigerate until chocolate hardens. Vow never to make again because you just ate half a cup of peanut butter, a third a cup of honey and one cup powdered milk in one day. Repeat.

Crock Pot Caribbean Black Bean Soup

This soup is awesome. It is my favorite way to use ham hocks. I am waiting for ham to go on sale so I can get one and cook it up on a day that we are NOT having people over, so there are plenty of leftovers for stuff like this. It's a cinch to throw together too.

1 lb dried black beans, rinsed and sorted
3 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 ham hock or 3/4 cup cubed ham
1 T oil
1 T ground cumin
2 t oregano
1 t thyme
1 T salt
1/2 t pepper
3 cups water
2 T vinegar

Soak beans overnight in 4 quarts water. Drain. Combine everything but vinegar in crock pot. Cover. Cook on low 4-5 hours or high 8-10 hours. For a thicker soup, puree half of cooked bean mixture in blender and return to cooker. Add vinegar and stire. Debone ham and cut into bite-sized pieces, then return to soup. Serve with sour cream and fresh cilantro if you want.

Spicy Pintos

We like beans. They're healthy, cheap, and delicious. This recipe is a cinch to throw together and very versatile. Recipe is from About.com. I get a slow cooker recipe in my email every Monday from them.

1 pound dried pintos, rinsed, sorted, and soaked overnight
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups water, or to cover
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Drain soaked beans. Throw it all in the slow cooker. Cook on high 6-10 hours.

The recipe suggests you serve it with cornbread and slaw. If you're into making slaw, go for it. It can be served with pretty much anything, though. You could add ham and have a main dish (although it's a fine main dish, as is).  I usually serve it in a bowl with some shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and avocado if we have one.  It also makes very good refried beans - just mash and fry (or would you just call that fried beans, since they're only fried once?).

Let me know how you enjoy it.

Cheers.

Sweet Potato Waffles

I like to keep a stash of waffles or muffins or both in the freezer for quick snacks or meals for little Lauren. These are whole grain, low sugar, and have sweet potato, one of favorite veggies!

1/2 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
1 and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar

Stir together dry ingredients. Beat together sweet potato, honey or brown sugar, oil, egg and buttermilk. Stir into dry ingredients. Cook in waffle maker.

I usually serve these to the babe with applesauce or whatever fruit puree I have in the freezer (currently mango).

How do you sneak veggies into your recipes?

P.S. Stay tuned for a couple of great slow cooker recipes later this week!

Chicken Tortellini Soup

This is probably our favorite soup ever. We had tortellini, chicken and spinach on sale last week, so we were able to enjoy it today. It comes together very fast and is so tasty.

48 oz chicken broth (I use a 32 oz box and just add water for the rest)
1 9 oz package refrigerated 3-cheese tortellini (I use Buitoni - I'm sure you could use frozen or dry as well, and just adjust the cooking time)
1 chicken breast, cut up, seasoned, and cooked however you like
2 cups (or more) spinach, coarsely chopped
parmesan cheese

Bring the chicken broth to a boil and turn the heat to medium. Add the tortellini, and cook for five minutes. Stir in the cooked chicken and the spinach. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on each bowl before serving.

Mmmmm....spoonfuls of yum.

No-sugar-added Apricot Spread

Since I unfortunately don't have loads of berries growing in my backyard, I'm not really into jam making. Maybe someday I will be. But I do really like this simple apricot spread, found in What to Expect the First Year. We like it on peanut butter sandwiches, waffles, along with cream cheese on bagels, etc. Very tasty.

1 cup dried apricots
1 cup apple juice concentrate

Simmer apricots in apple juice concentrate 15 minutes or so or until they are soft. Then puree in the blender until it is the consistency you like (I like some little chunks in mine). Store in the refrigerator.

What kind of jam do you make?

Zesty Veggie Enchiladas

Another zucchini recipe? Yes!! See, I really could use a car full of this most versatile of vegetables. This recipe is also from a family cookbook (thanks, Aunt Miriam). This is a great food storage recipe.

1/3 cup lentils, rinsed
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 medium carrots, shredded
oil
2 cups cubed zucchini
1 cup stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup salsa
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 cup shredded cheese
6-8 flour tortillas

Simmer lentils in water with salt 20-30 minutes, until tender. Rinse and drain. In a large skillet, stir fry carrots. Add zucchini and fry a few more minutes. Add stewed tomatoes, broken up, salsa, cumin, and lentils. Stir in cheese. Place some of the mixture in the center of a tortilla, roll up, and place seam down in a baking dish sprayed with Pam. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. Bake in a 350 oven for 8 minutes or the microwave (in a microwave safe dish) for 3-4 minutes. Top with more salsa and cheese and bake again until cheese melts. Eat and say yum.


Do you like lentils?

Soup Season

Ah....fall. The first day of autumn and the rainy, cool day, along with the squash sale this week and the chicken in my freezer gave me a perfect reason to make one of our all-time favorite soups, Colorful Chicken and Squash. You can find the full recipe here. It makes a lot and is very healthy and delicious. Just give yourself plenty of time to prepare it - it involves lots of chopping, but it's good for several meals and freezes well.

We paired it with Parmesan Muffins from my new 500 Muffin Recipes book. I thought they were okay, but hubby really, really liked them.

Helpful Hint: To make butternut squash easier to peel, stick a few holes in it with a fork and put the whole thing in the microwave for 3-4 minutes. The peel will soften and once it's cool, you can easily peel it with a vegetable peeler.

What did you have to celebrate the first day of autumn?

Veggie Pasta Stir Fry

My mom was kind enough to give me some zucchini and tomatoes last weekend, which means we get to have one of our new favorite recipes tonight. I found this in an old family cookbook. (thanks, Janette Anderson, whoever you are...) It is really, really good, and very economical, especially if you can grow your own veggies.

8 oz. pasta, cooked
2 T. butter or oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small zucchini, sliced
1/2 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 large or two smaller tomatoes, diced
2 t. Italian seasoning
Olive oil
Grated Parmesan cheese

In a wok or skillet, melt butter or heat oil, add onion and garlic and cooked until tender. Add zucchini and mushrooms and cook until crisp-tender. Drain pasta and add with tomatoes, stirring until just heated through. Add Italian seasoning, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan just before serving. Makes 4 servings (depending on who's eating it...)

Note: I have used canned mushrooms and they also work, although they are not as good. I also used Romano cheese because we had it lying around and it was very good! You will probably want to add salt.


What's your favorite way to use zucchini?

Muffins

Muffins are probably my favorite of the baked goods. They're light and fluffy, sweet (most of the time) and can be packed with all sorts of good stuff. Today I share my two favorite muffin recipes.

I wish I could get my hands on more zucchini so I could make these first ones more often. I have been leaving my car unlocked, hoping someone will fill it with zucchini, but so far, no luck...

Apple Zucchini Muffins
1.5 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup grated zucchini
1 small apple, grated

Mix the dry stuff, mix in the wet stuff, fold in the zucchini and apple, spoon into muffin cups and bake for 20-22 minutes at 350. To make them extra delectable, dip the tops of the still warm muffins in melted butter and sugar.

I have also made these with part whole wheat flour and applesauce in place of some of the oil, but they just weren't the same. Modify at your pleasure (just please don't leave me comments telling me all your modifications. I like them the way they are).


Next up, my healthy muffin recipe. I have no hesitation eating these for breakfast (disclaimer: I have no hesitation eating almost anything for breakfast), but I actually feel good eating these for breakfast.

Banana Blueberry Muffins
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup white flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon milk
1 cup blueberries

To give credit where credit is due, I did not come up with this recipe. I found it somewhere on the World Wide Web. I couldn't tell you where because I wrote the above on a post-it note with these instructions: 375. 25 min. I guess that's not really giving credit, but simply claiming that this recipe is not the product of my own genius.

I would suggest, however, that you start by creaming the butter and sugars, then add the eggs, milk, vanilla and mashed bananas, then add in all the dry ingredients and mix well, and lastly fold in the blueberries.


Let me know when you make either of these. I'll be over for muffins and cold milk!

What kind of muffins are your favorite?