Black Bean Soup

What you need:

• 4 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups water
• 3 teaspoons chicken bouillon (can substitute 2 teaspoons salt if going vegetarian)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can fire roasted green chiles
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup frozen corn kernels
• 3 Tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped

What you do:

Combine everything in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat to simmer. Stir often. Once onions are soft, use an immersion blender or stand blender to puree half of the soup. Pour back into soup (if using stand blender) and stir. Top with any combination of the following: sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, diced cucumber. Serves 6.

Carrot cake

What you need:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg
• pinch allspice
• pinch cloves
• 1 1/2 cups grated raw carrot
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• dash of grated lemon zest

What you do:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Add in carrots, raisins and coconut. In a small bowl whisk together eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Pour into greased cake pan and bake for about 35-45 minutes. Cake should bounce back when lightly touched. Remove from pan and let cool completely.
For the glaze: combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and zest until creamy and well mixed. Spread on cooled cake.

Baked Beans

What you need:

• 1 pound beans (use whatever you have, whatever you like - Great Northern, Pinto, Navy, etc)
• 1/4 yellow onion, diced
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, your favorite kind
• 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
• 2 Tablespoons molasses
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup water

What you do:

Soak beans in crock pot full of water overnight. Drain beans in the morning and combine rest of ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over beans and stir. Cook on low for 8 hours. Add additional water as needed.

Peanut butter oatmeal bars

What you need:

• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup) - softened
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cup King Arthur's white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 cups oatmeal
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut (optional)

What you do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and sugars. Add vanilla, eggs, and applesauce. Add in peanut butter. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Pour half of dry mixture into wet and combine, then add in last half of dry mixture. Stir in oatmeal until combined. Fold in chips and coconut. Press into greased 9x13 baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Chili seasoning mixture

What you need:

• 1 Tablespoon ground chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  
• 1/2 Tablespoon seasoning salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• optional for added heat: 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more)

What you do:
Mix together in an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place. Enough for one batch of chili made from 1 lb of ground meat.

Apple-Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

What you need:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened (one stick)
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 - 6oz container plain fat-free yogurt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup King Arthur's whole wheat flour (or flour of your choice)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, soaked in boiling water then drained to plump them up
• 1/2 cup finely diced apple

What you do:

Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter and sugar. Mix in eggs, vanilla and yogurt. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Pour wet into dry and combine. Add in oats, (drained) cranberries, and apple and stir just until oats are wet. Spoon onto un-greased baking sheet in spoonfuls. Bake for about 8 minutes. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

What you need:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon strawberry or raspberry preserves
• salt and pepper

What you do:

Combine ingredients (aside from oil) in a blender and then drizzle in oil through top of blender while mixing. I used an old "Good Seasons" bottle for italian dressing that I had and just shook it up until well blended.

Fresh Apple Crepes

What you need:

apple filling

• 2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 Tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

crepe batter

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup milk (I ended up using a full cup, but the fresh eggs we have are a bit thicker than store bought)
• 1 Tablespoon butter, melted

What to do:

Over medium-high heat, melt 1/2 Tablespoon butter. Add in apples, sugar and cinnamon and turn to medium heat. Stir occasionally until apples are tender but not mushy. Once soft, turn to low and reserve.

In a non-stick pan, on medium heat melt 1/2 Tablespoon butter. Turn pan to coat with the melted butter. Mix flour, sugar, beaten eggs, milk and 1 Tablespoon melted butter with whisk until smooth. Using a cup or ladle, slowly pour enough crepe batter to fill bottom of pan. Flip once the edges are dry and then spoon filling onto middle of crepe in pan. Slide onto plate after 30 seconds to 1 minute has passed and the bottom side has finished cooking. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with honey if you like.

Recipe found at: http://www.takepart.com/news/2011/03/11/get-hungry-apple-stuffed-crepes-with-caramel-sauce

Cedar plank grilled salmon

What you need:

• 1 cedar plank, soaked in water for 3 hours+ (overnight would be best)
• 1 pound salmon fillet, scored to the skin (but not through) into serving sections
• 2 Tablespoons fresh dill, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon lime zest
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

What you do:

Mix together dill, garlic, pepper, salt, olive oil, juice and zest in a small dish. Heat grill on high with plank until the wood begins to smoke. Spread mixture over salmon evenly and slide onto plank. Turn grill to low and cook for 25 to 30 minutes until internal temperature of fish is 130 degrees.

Apricot Almond Muffins

What you need:

• 2 cups flour - I used white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon orange zest (optional but oh so tasty)
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, 2 Tablespoons reserved
• 1/4 cup dried apricots, diced
• 1 teaspoon almond extract, or vanilla extract

What you do:

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and zest. In a separate bowl, combine milk, eggs, butter and almond extract. Pour wet into dry and mix just until combined. Stir in apricots and almonds (still reserving the 2 Tablespoons). Spoon into greased or lined muffin tin until 3/4 full. Sprinkle tops with remaining almonds. Bake at 375 for about 15 to 17 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

What you need:

• 2 cups flour - I used KA White Whole Wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup peanut butter - I used reduced fat
• 3/4 cup milk - I would up this to a full cup to make the batter a bit thinner as it was too thick
• 2 tablespoons oil - I used olive oil, you could use vegetable oil or even melted butter
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup jam - I used homemade low sugar blackberry jam

What you do:

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. With a fork, mix in the peanut butter until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. In a separate bowl, combine milk, oil, eggs and vanilla. Pour into dry and mix just until combined. In a greased muffin pan (line with muffin papers) spoon batter into bottom about 1/3 full. Top each with 1 rounded teaspoon of jam or jelly. Spoon more batter on top until 3/4 full. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Beef Stew

What you need:

• 1 pound stew meat, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 packet dry Lipton Beefy Onion Soup mix
• 3 cups water
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 3 red potatoes, peeled and diced into bite sized pieces
• 1 onion, chopped in large pieces
• 1 can beef gravy
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch

What you do:

Brown meat in olive oil over medium-high heat. Pour in broth and mix in Lipton soup mix. Add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to medium-low heat to simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour. Add in carrots, continue to simmer for another 15 minutes. Add in potatoes and onion and simmer an additional 30 minutes. Take off heat and pour in gravy. Mix together cornstarch and 1 Tablespoon of broth from stew in a small bowl and then pour back into stew to help thicken. Serve with buttered sourdough bread.

Cheese Ravioli

What you need:

• Egg Pasta Dough
• 4 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Teaspoons dried parsley flakes (or fresh is even better)
• a pinch of nutmeg
• dash of salt and pepper

What you do:

Mix together ricotta, egg, Parmesan, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Roll out 1/4 of the pasta dough (at a time) as thin as possible. Using a 3 inch biscuit cutter, make rounds in the dough and spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons of cheese mixture into the middle. Dipping fingertips into a small bowl of water, wet the edges of the round and then fold and seal together. Using the end of a fork, press the edges together to ensure the seal. Carefully lay the pasta onto a cookie cooling rack (that's what I used - but a pasta rack made for flat pastas would work too) and place in fridge while doing the rest of the ravioli. Let ravioli dry for an hour in the fridge.

When boiling your ravioli, I suggest not letting the water get to a full boil and only simmer the pasta. The rapid boil can break apart the seal of the ravioli. Simmer for about 5 minutes, the pasta will float towards the end. (I did our pasta in 2 batches to keep the water from dropping temperature too much.)

Egg Pasta Dough

What you need:

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon warm water
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semolina flour (I didn't have any so I used all-purpose here)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

What you do:

Dump ingredients in above order into bread machine and run on dough cycle.* When finished wrap in cling wrap and let set for 30 minutes.

Roll by hand on a lightly floured surface or in a pasta roller to desired thickness - 1/8 inch works well for fettuccine or lasagna sheets. Let fresh pasta dry for at least an hour before boiling. Length of boiling depends on pasta thickness and size but generally fresh pasta will float once it is done cooking.

*When doing egg pasta dough by hand: mound flour up on a clean surface and create a crater in the top. Put 4 (FOUR) eggs into the crater and work together with a fork. (There are great tutorials online). Omit the water and oil as it is not necessary when you're doing it by hand. Be sure to work in the salt for flavor though. Once the dough forms a ball, knead until smooth and then wrap in cling wrap and let set for 30 minutes. Follow the rest of the above directions.

30 minute stir-fry

What you need:

• 2 chicken breasts, diced and seasoned with garlic salt and lemon pepper
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 sweet onion, sliced
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 1 cup snow pea pods, cut in half
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1/2 cup matchstick carrots
• 4 oz thin spaghetti, cooked and drained - I coat mine with a teaspoon of sesame oil, olive oil would work too.
• 2/3 cup stir fry sauce - I use House of Tsang's Classic Stir Fry Sauce

What you do:

Cook chicken in 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Toss vegetables into deep pan and stir until spinach is cooked and onions are tender. Toss in noodles and stir fry sauce and combine until heated throughout.