Best Ever Apple Pie (aka. Brown Paper Bag Pie)

With the holiday's comes PIE!! Whenever I am asked to make a pie I make this one. It is easy and I usually have all the ingredients on hand.

Crust:
1 ½ cup Flour
2 tsp. Sugar
¾ tsp. Salt
½ cup Veg. Oil
2 Tbs. Milk
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and pat into pie pan. Yes, it is true- No Rolling!

Filling:
6-8 apples (should be mounded)
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
¼ tsp. Nutmeg
2 tsp. Flour
Mix together and pour into the crust. I do this first and put it in the fridge while I make the crust because then it gets gooey delicious.

Topping:
½ cup Sugar
½ cup Flour
½ cup Butter
Mix until crumbly and sprinkle on the apples.

Now this is when it gets really weird. You put the pie into a brown paper bag and staple it closed (make sure when it is closed that it does not touch the coils in the oven, if it does squish it down and staple it smaller). Place the bagged pie on a cookie sheet, again this is so the bag does not catch on fire from the rack. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Then rip open the bag and brown the top for about 5 minutes more.

It tastes soo good; the crust is a little sweet and the pie is moist and wonderful. It is easy to make and if it spills over in the oven, the mess stays in the bag.

* Note I have made this a lot and I have NEVER caugh the bag on fire in the oven!!

Nacho Cheese!!!

At our house we love nachos!! I was never really satisfied with the store bought stuff so I found a recipe on line and then tweaked it and this is what I came up with.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. corn starch

1 cup evaporated milk

2 oz. cream cheese, cubed

2 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tsp. hot sauce

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. paprika

optional additions: diced chilies or jalapenos

Directions:

In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, melt butter and stir in corn starch.

Pour in the milk, add cream cheese, and continue to stir until mixture is fully incorporated.

While stirring mix in cheddar cheese, chili powder, paprika, and hot pepper sauce.

Continue to stir until cheese has melted and all ingredients are well blended.

Pour over tortilla chips.

Creamy Tomato Soup

-4 Cups milk
-3 (14 ounce) cans dived tomatoes, drained
-2 rounded tablespoons tomato paste
-1 medium onion- chopped
-1 stalk of celery, coarsly chopped
-salt and pepper
-1 tsp sugar
-4 Tbs all-purpose flour
-2 Tbs butter, cut into peices
-1 Clove of Garlic
- 1/2 Cup store bought prepared basil pesto (I didn't have this so I used a tsp basil)

Heat the milk over moderate heat in a medium pot. Put tomatoes, tomatoe paste, onions, salt and pepper, sugar, glour, butter and celery into a food processor* and grind until smooth. Pour micture into milk and raise heat to bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

Pour soup into shallow bowls and add a couple or rounded spoonfuls of pesto into each dish and stir into the soup.
Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches and/or gold fish crackers!!

*My food processor is to small for all of these things, so I did them in small batches. Then I just used a hand mixer for a couple minutes to mix everything together!!

Sneak Those Veggies In

This recipe is great for picky kids who won't eat their veggies. This Mexican casserole is so good they won't know that it is full of veggies. Adults will love it too!!

Tacozagna

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

2 1/2 pounds ground turkey or ground sirloin

1 zucchini

2 carrots, peeled

1 onion, peeled

3 cloves garlic, peeled

3 tablespoons chili powder, 3 palm fulls

2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2/3 palm full

1 tablespoon coriander, a palm full

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup beef stock

6 (8-inch) flour tortillas

3 cups shredded Chihuahua cheese or Monterey Jack

4 scallions, chopped

2 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped

3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a large high sided skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the meat and brown, 5 minutes. While meat browns, grate the zucchini and carrots with a box grater. Add the vegetables to the meat and grate in the onion and garlic. Season the meat with chili, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper and cook 7 to 8 minutes more to soften vegetables. Stir in beef stock. Grease a 8 by 13-inch baking pan with vegetable oil. Layer in 3 overlapping flour tortillas and top with 1/3 meat, 1/3 cheese. Repeat the layers twice and bake 10 to 12 minutes to brown cheese. Top with scallions, lettuce and tomatoes, cut into squares and serve.

Best Baked Chicken Nuggets

This recipe came from a kids cookbook that Mylie has. It is one of her favorite this to help make and we all love them!! The only thing I do different is I don't put the oil in the bread crumb coating, instead I just spray the pan with Pam spray and then spray the tops. Also you can just use chicken breasts cut up into chunks if you don't have chicken tenders on hand.

Honey Nut Chicken Nuggets

2 pounds chicken tenders

Salt and pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs

A splash milk

2 cups honey nut flavored cereal (recommended: Honey Nut Corn Flakes)

1 cup bread crumbs

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

2 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Seasoning)

1/4 cup vegetable oil, eyeball it

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Place flour in a large shallow dish. Coat chicken in flour. Beat eggs and milk in a shallow dish. Combine cereal, bread crumbs, paprika, poultry seasoning, grill seasoning and vegetable oil in food processor. Transfer breading to a shallow dish. Place a nonstick baking sheet near chicken breading station. In batches, take flour coated chicken and coat in eggs then in breading and place on nonstick cookie sheet. When all the chicken has been coated, transfer to oven and bake 15 minutes, until evenly brown and cooked through. Cool and serve, or pack up for a picnic! This chicken may be served hot or cold.

Breakfast Sandwiches

This morning Ben had the Priest Quorum Presidency over for Breakfast and a meeting. We decided to make McD's style Breakfast Sandwhiches (hopefully more healthy). Mom once had these available for Michael and I when we were in seminary. They are quick and easy.

Sausage Patties (We got the ground sausage and shaped our own. You can make a lot, cook them and freeze them until you are ready to eat- then just zap them with the microwave and they are ready.)

Egg- we cooked our overhard (no runny yoke) and lightly peppered them.

Cheese slices

English Muffin- Toasted

It is pretty self explanatory but you put the sausage, cheese and egg on the english muffin. (If you put the warm egg on the cheese, it melts beautifully) We wanted them to stay warm so I made some up and stuck them in the oven at 170 to keep warm. They were very good, really easy and tasted healthier than fast food!

Conference Sunday

Growing up my family always made donuts on conference Sunday, we have continued this tradition. This morning we tried a new recipe and it was fairly easy for homemade donuts. Both frostings were outstanding.

Ingredients

2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°)

1/2 cup half-and-half cream

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup shortening

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Oil for deep-fat frying

MAPLE FROSTING:

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon half-and-half cream

1/8 teaspoon maple flavoring

1 cup confectioners' sugar

CHOCOLATE FROSTING:

2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons boiling water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the cream, sugar,

shortening, egg, salt, nutmeg and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth.

Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be

sticky).

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about

6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the

top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down; divide in half. Turn onto a lightly floured

surface; roll each half into a 12-in. x 6-in. rectangle. Cut into

3-in. x 2-in. rectangles. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and

let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.

In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry long

johns, a few at a time, until golden brown on both sides. Drain on

paper towels.

For maple frosting, combine brown sugar and butter in a small

saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until

sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat; stir in cream and maple

flavoring. Add the confectioners' sugar; beat for 1 minute or until

smooth. Frost cooled long johns.

For chocolate frosting, in a microwave, melt chocolate and butter;

stir until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread over cooled

long johns; let stand until set. Yield: 2 dozen.

BREAKFAST: French Toast

I love breakfast (for breakfast, lunch or dinner) and I ESPECIALLY love french toast. Here are two french toast recipies that I fell in love with (I can't claim neither as my own).

Banana Carmel French Toast
by Andrea Dawson

1 Loaf Texas Toast
1 Box Honey Bunches of Oats cereal
8 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
butter
bananas
whipped cream
maple syrup
Alternate syrup: caramel syrup (see Buttermilk Carmel Sauce recipe online)

Beat eggs and milk together.
Crush up 2 cups of the Honey Bunches of Oats in a ziplock bag.
Dip bread into egg mixture and then into crushed cereal to coat.
Fry in butter on pre-heated skillet.

Serve with sliced bananas, syrup and whipped cream!!

Stuffed French Toast
by Andi Stones

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
18 slices of sourdough bread
1/2cup raspberry preserves (or any other flavor)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 eggs
1/4 cup half and half cream
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream. Spread about 3 tablespoongs on each slice of bread. Combine preserves and vanilla; spread over cream cheese mixture on nine slices.
Top with remaining bread, cream cheese side down, to make a sandwich. In a shallow bowl combing the eggs, cream and cinnamon. Dip both sides of bread into mixture. Cook on a hot greased griddle for 3-4 minutes each side or until golden brown. Cut in half diagonally. If desired sprinkle with confectioners sugar (powdered sugar) and garnish with raspberries. Serve with syrup.

I hope you all enjoy these as much as I have. Thanks Andi and Andrea for the great recipes!

Breanne's Visit

Brea and Ben came and stayed with us over the weekend and I made both of these for them. Brea requested that I post the recipes.

The first is a really easy and different way to use pancake mix. The second is also a super easy cookie recipe that you use store bought sugar cookie dough but they are so good no one would ever know.

Ricotta Pancakes

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

2 cups water

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup honey

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups pancake and waffle mix (recommended: Krusteaz)

1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese

2/3 cup frozen blueberries

Melted butter

Directions

Stir 1/3 cup of water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Stir in the honey. Set aside and keep the honey syrup warm.

Using a rubber spatula, stir the remaining 1 2/3 cups of water and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the pancake mix and stir just until moistened but still lumpy. Stir in the ricotta into the pancake mixture, then stir gently to incorporate the ricotta but maintain a lumpy batter. Fold in the blueberries.

Heat a griddle over medium heat. Brush with the melted butter. Working in batches, spoon 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Serve with the honey syrup.

Dulce De Leche Bars

INGREDIENTS

2rolls (16.5 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies

1 3/4cups quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats

2/3cup packed brown sugar

2teaspoons vanilla

1bag (14 oz) caramels, unwrapped

1/2cup butter

1can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)

DIRECTIONS

1 Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, break up 1 roll of cookie dough. Stir or knead in 3/4 cup of the oats, 1/3 cup of the brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla until well blended. With floured fingers, press mixture evenly in bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan to form crust.

2 Bake 13 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown.

3 Meanwhile, in same bowl, break up remaining roll of cookie dough. Stir or knead in remaining 1 cup oats, 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until well blended. In large heavy saucepan, heat caramels, butter and condensed milk over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth.

4 Spread caramel mixture evenly over crust. Crumble remaining dough mixture evenly over caramel. Bake 20 to 25 minutes longer or until light golden brown. Cool 1 hour. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen bars. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 6 rows. Store in refrigerator

Green Chile Stew

I went to the farmer's market the other day with some friends in Dillon. I bought some fresh fire roasted chilies so I made some green chili today for dinner. I have tried several recipes for green chili before and this one is my favorite. I have changed the recipe to a crock pot recipe which makes it super easy. It is great just to eat like a stew with tortillas to dip in it or it is also excellent to use to smother burritos or chimichangas.

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 lbs. boneless pork, cut into chunks to fit into crockpot

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour

2 (14oz) cans diced tomatoes

2 (7oz) cans green chilies chopped, or 2 cups roasted, peeled and chopped green chilies

1 Jalapeno pepper, chopped and seeded

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp sugar

1 cup chicken or beef broth

Heat olive oil in frying pan and add onion and garlic. Once softened add flour. Stir for 1 min. Put onion mixture in crockpot and add all other ingredients. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Before serving take out pork chunks and shred add back to pot and serve.

Peaches!!

Peaches are in season right now and relatively inexpensive. We should be making things with peaches. Here is an easy recipe.

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

4 cups peeled, sliced peaches

2 cups sugar, divided

1/2 cup water

8 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/2 cups milk

Ground cinnamon, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.

Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Feta and Vegetable Rotini Salad

I have been trying to make a menu at the beginning of every week so that I only go to the store once a week. I find this cuts down on my grocery bill becuase I am less likely to buy unneeded junk. I also have been able to plan meals that might use similar ingredients that I do not usually have on hand and that are so expensive for me to get a lot (i.e. cheeses).
This is what I made tonight- super easy and super fast!

Feta and Vegetable Rotini Salad
3 cups rotini pasta, cooked, drained and cooled (I just used that pasta I already had)
1 cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes (I just chopped a normal tomato- cherry are more expensive)
1 cup chopped cucumbers (I peel mine first- just preferance)
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1/4 cup finely chopped red onions

Combine all ingredients and cool in fridge. (We didn't have time so we ate it warm and it was still delicious.)

Cheesy Stuffed Shells

Ben has an old friend from when he was growing up who is a gormet chef. Last Wednesday he was invited for dinner and I was STRESSED about what I was going to make! This is what I decided and it was delicious. I served it with french bread and salad.


Cheesy Stuffed Shells

1 Container (16 oz) Cottage Cheese- I had some leftover Ricotta so I split this half and half
1 Pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella cheese
3/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp Italian Seasonings- I forgot this...oops
1 jar (26 oz) Spaghetti Sauce- I don't think I used that much
1 large tomato, chopped- I didn't have one so I used 1 can of Italian Stewed Tomatoes
20 Jumbo Pasta Shells, cooked and drained- I used manicotti becuase it was cheaper


Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook Pasta.
Mix cottage cheese, spinach, mozzarella, parmesan and seasonings; spoon into shells
Mix 1/2 sauce with tomatoes; spoon into bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Add filled shells; top with remaining sauce. Cover.
Bake 25 minutes to until heated through. Top with mozzarella and cook 2 more minutes or until cheese is melted.


Thank you Kraft Foods!!!

Breakfast for Dinner (or for Breakfast)

We love breakfast at our house but never seem to have time in the mornings to make something really yummy. I really enjoy this recipe because it is a little healthier and my kids love to help make it. I also included my favorite homemade turkey sausage receipe. It is much better than any store bought stuff and easy to assemble.

Crunchy Bran French
Toast

Ingredients

8 slices whole-grain bread

4 tablespoons light cream cheese

4 teaspoons low-sugar orange marmalade

2 large eggs plus 2 egg whites

Zest and juice of 1 orange

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups bran flakes cereal

1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar (optional)

Directions

Spread 4 bread slices with 1 tablespoon cream cheese each; spread the other 4 slices with 1 teaspoon marmalade each. Combine to make 4 sandwiches.

Whisk the whole eggs, egg whites, orange zest and juice, and vanilla in a shallow bowl. Place the bran flakes in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin or your hands. Pour the crumbs onto a plate. Dip both sides of each sandwich in the egg mixture, then in the crumbs, gently pressing the crumbs onto the bread.

Heat 1 tablespoon each oil and butter in a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add the sandwiches in batches and cook until the outsides are golden and the insides are melted, 3 to 4 minutes per side. (Add more oil and butter, if needed.)

Slice the French toast sandwiches into triangles. Let cool before serving to little ones, as the cream cheese can get quite hot. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if desired, and the kids won't even ask for syrup!

Turkey Sausage

1 lb ground turkey

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sage

1 teaspoon fennel seed

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon allspice

Directions:

1 Combine all ingredients (use less pepper if you don't want a spicy taste) and blend well.

2 If time permits, refrigerate overnight to let the meat absorb the flavor of the spices.

3 Form into patties and cook as needed, freezing leftovers.

4 Don't overcook or they will dry out--remove from the heat as soon as they're no longer pink inside, but still juicy. (if you prefer a moister texture, you add a splash of olive oil or an egg to the mixture just prior to cooking).

Cake Mix Cookies as easy as 1-2-3

For a relief society activity I have to take a dessert to share and since I have a whole stash of cake mixes I decided to take some yummy and super simple cake mix cookies.

The formula is as easy as 1,2,3
1-cake mix (strawberry and lemon make great cookies, but you can choose your cake mix)
2-eggs
1/3 cup oil.

Mix it all together and put small dollops of the batter on a cookie sheet. (I usually use parchment when making cookies) cook at 350 for 5-7 minutes.

Frosting: For strawberry cookies- melt some strawberry jam and add powder sugar and drizzle over warm cookies. For lemon cookies mix lemon juice with the powder sugar and drizzle over warm cookies.

Enjoy a simple, yummy, sweet dessert!

I know it might seem a little early to start making soups but here in Leadville at night it is getting chili so I deiced to try this recipe. It has no meat which is nice to have every once and a while. I really enjoyed it and so did the rest of my family. It full of really yummy veggies. You could make it a lot easier if you wanted to by substituting canned tomatoes instead of fresh and frozen corn instead of fresh.

Succotash-Salsa Soup

INGREDIENTS

4 heirloom or 6 plum tomatoes

2 tbsp. EVOO

2 ears corn, kernels scraped from the cob

1 medium zucchini, finely diced

2 fresno or jalapeño chile peppers, thinly sliced or finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

3–4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp. ancho chile powder or other mild to medium-hot chile powder (about a palmful)

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin (about 1/2 palmful)

Salt and pepper

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed

A small handful cilantro leaves, chopped

1 lime, juiced

2 cups lightly crushed blue-corn tortilla chips, such as Xochitl

1 cup crumbled queso fresco

DIRECTIONS:

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. With a small knife, make “X” marks in the skin at the base of the tomatoes. Place a large bowl of ice water close to the stove. Boil the tomatoes for 30 seconds, then transfer to the ice bath. Peel and finely chop.

While the water comes to a boil, heat a soup pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add the corn and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the zucchini, chiles, bell pepper, onion, garlic, ancho chile powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Add the stock, beans and chopped tomatoes and cook to combine and thicken a little, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro and lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Top with the tortilla chips and queso.

I try to make at least one new recipe a week and this is the one for this week. I made it tonight and it was super fast and easy. It was kind of fun because it taste exotic but there was nothing to it. I followed the recipe except I used light coconut milk and probably only used about 1 tbls. of oil to cut down on the fat. I served it over brown rice with steamed brocoli on the side.

SHRIMP IN COCONUT CURRY

INGREDIENTS:

2 serrano chiles, halved and seeded

1 carrot, peeled and quartered

1 onion, quartered

3/4 oz. fresh ginger, peeled

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

13.5-oz. can coconut milk

1 1/2 tsp. curry powder

1 lb. peeled, deveined shrimp

Salt

DIRECTIONS:

Pulse serranos, carrot, onion and ginger in food processor. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat; add vegetables and cook to soft en, 3 minutes. Add coconut milk and curry powder and bring to simmer; add shrimp and simmer until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and serve over rice.

Breanne, this is one of my favorite soups for using eggplant. It is full of yummy veggies but really filling and my kids love it too! I hope this helps.

Vegetable Stew (Giambotta)

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Prep Time:

15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

25 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus some to drizzle
• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
• 3 cloves garlic, 2 chopped, 1 whole cracked from skin
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 eggplant, chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup stock, chicken or vegetable
• 1/2 cup torn or chopped basil (10 to 12 leaves)
• 4 (1-inch thick) slices whole-grain crusty bread
• 1/2 cup grated pecorino

Directions

Preheat broiler.

Heat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, bay, chopped garlic and onions and let them sweat out while you prepare the rest of the veggies. Work next to the stove and drop as you chop, in order of longest cooking time: potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and add tomatoes and stock and cook 5 minutes more, to heat through. Turn heat off and stir in basil.

Char bread under broiler and rub with cracked garlic then drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, top with cheese and pepper and return to the broiler for 30 seconds to brown cheese. Serve cheese whole-grain toast with bowls of vegetable stew.

I just was given two large egg plant and I have no idea what to do with them!
Does anyone have any good recipes for egg plant?

This is what I am making for dinner tonight which is funny because I usually have veggies and hummus as a side. Good job Breanne!







TURKEY CURRY ON FLATBREAD

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 pound ground trukey
1/2 cup feta or goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt, perferably Greek
Grates peel and juice of 1 lemon
1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
4 pitas or other flatbread, warmed

DIRECTIONS:
1. In medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and curry powder and cook, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese until blended. Remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt, lemon peel and lemon juice; set aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix tomato, parsley and remaining 1/4 cup olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

3. Place a warm pita on each plate, top with the turkey curry and tomatoe salad and fold over.

White Bean Hummus

This is a good hummus recepie if you don't have any chickpeas. If you do you can substitute them for the beans. This is a cool and delicious snack- and their is no (or almost no) guilt after eating it!!

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

2 15 oz cans great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed

3 Tbs lemon juice

3 Tbs tahini

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground red pepers

1/4 cup olive oil

Garnish: paprika

Pulse garlic and rosemary until minced. Add beans and process until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix together until smooth.

Cover and chill 1 hour. Garnish if desired. Serve with crackers, slices cucumbers, pepper slices or any tasty veggi. Makes 3 cups.