Banana Peanut Butter Cup Oatmeal

photo credit: http://sweetgrace.typepad.com/the_inadvertent_farmer/very-vegan-recipies

1/3 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
2/3 cup milk
1 T chocolate chips
1 T peanut butter chips*
1 heaping T of roasted almond butter (or any other nut butter)
1/2 banana, thinly chopped

Microwave oatmeal and milk for 4 mins on 60% power.  Pile on other ingredients and enjoy!  Makes 1 serving.

 *Whole Foods and Trader Joe's make a trans-fat free version of these, TJ's peanut butter chips are seasonal

Italian Sausage and Kale Soup

photo credit: http://www.familybalancesheet.org/2011/11/italian-sausage-white-bean-and-kale-soup.html

1 pound raw, spicy Italian sausage, removed from casings and chopped (Whole Foods makes a good one)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion

2 stalks each carrots and celery

32 oz beef broth

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (14.5 ounce) can white beans (great northern or cannellini)

2 cups kale, rinsed, chopped, and packed

1/2 tsp oregano or Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage.  Add garlic, onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened. Stir in broth and tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.

Stir in beans and kale. Cover and simmer another 15 minutes.

Mango Green Smoothie

photo credit: http://therealfoodrunner.blogspot.com/2013/01/sundays-smoothie-mango-banana-green.html

1 cup frozen mango

1 cup greens (mix of spinach, kale, and chard is great)

6 oz water

Blend all ingredients together and enjoy!

Parmesan Crisps

photo credit: http://sarahmeyerwalsh.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/tip-of-the-day-parmesan-crisps/

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place heaping tablespoons of Parmesan cheese (or another shredded hard cheese of your choice like cheddar) on parchment paper or a Silpat.  Cheese should be in a dense but single layer.  Bake for 8-10 mins, watching very carefully.  Let cool and then gently blot to remove the oil that the cheese has released.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

photo credit: http://chefinyou.com/2009/10/roasted-pumpkin-seeds-recipe/

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Thoroughly wash and dry pumpkin seeds so pumpkin strands are no longer hanging off them.  Spray foil-lined cookie sheet with olive oil spray, place seeds on the sheet in a single layer, and spray the tops of the seeds.  Bake for up to 30 mins, tasting and tossing every 10 mins.  Seeds will brown significantly faster on the inside than the outside and will only look somewhat brown when done.  Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.

Thick, Chewy Granola Bars

-adapted from Smitten Kitchen

photo credit: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/02/thick-chewy-granola-bars

1 2/3 cups rolled oats

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup oat flour (1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 1/2 cups dried fruit and nuts, pulsed in the food processor*

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons melted butter

1/3 cup almond butter (any other nut butter can be substituted)

1/4 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ pan with parchment paper.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter, nut butter and honey. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. (A piece of plastic wrap can help with this, as you press down on the back of it.)

Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges. They may seem soft directly from the oven but will hold together well once cooled.  To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container; they can be stored in the fridge or counter depending on how soon you'll eat them.

*I like to use a combination of almonds, walnuts, coconut, apricots, and dried cranberries. Other suggestions include: dried blueberries, cherries, pecans, or wheat germ.

Stuffed Red Pepper Soup

-adapted from Skinny Taste

photo credit: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/12/stuffed-pepper-soup.html

1 lb grass-fed ground beef
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
Two 14.5 oz cans of TJs fire-roasted, diced tomatoes

15 oz can of tomato sauce

1/2 tsp oregano
1 cup broth
3 cups brown rice
shredded cheddar cheese

Start cooking rice according to package directions.  In a large pot, brown beef with a bit of olive oil.  Add peppers, onions, and garlic; cook until softened.  Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and oregano and let simmer for 5 mins.  Add broth.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-45 mins. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over brown rice and sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.

Pumpkin Bread

photo credit: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pumpkin_bread/

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 eggs

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup water

1 cup turbinado sugar

1 and ¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large loaf pan.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 1 hr. Loaf is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Leek and Swiss Chard Quiche

     -adapted from Smitten Kitchen

photo credit: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/01/leek-and-swiss-chard-tart/

deep dish pie crust (homemade or purchased); spray pie pan with cooking spray before adding crust to prevent sticking; also refrigerate crust after placing on pie plate and before adding filling so it doesn't burn in oven

2 tablespoons butter

3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 bunch Swiss chard, ribs removed, leaves chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)

1 cup milk

6 large eggs

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add leeks and thyme. Cook until the leeks are very tender but not brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add chard; saute until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Whisk other ingredients in large bowl and mix in cooled leek mixture. Pour filling into crust.

Bake quiche for 45 minutes, until filing is set. Transfer to rack; cool 10 minutes.