The Everything Cookie

You've heard of the everything bagel  with poppy seeds and sesame seeds and onion? Well this is the everything cookie.

1 cup butter, melted

3/4 cups brown sugar

3/3 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 cups quick cook oats

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup choclate chips

1/2 cups butterscotch chips

Beat the sugars and the melted butter together until smooth. Then add the eggs one at a time and the vanilla extract. 

Add the salt and baking side. Mix well to make sure there are no lumps. 

Then slowly add the flour and the oatmeal. Mix well. Make sure there is no trace of loose flour in the bowl. 

Now add the chips and raisins. Give it all a good stir. 

Drop spoonfulls onto a light greased  cookie sheet. Space them a couple of inches apart. 

Bake at 375 for about 11 minutes. 

Black Beans and Rice

Meatless Monday

This recipe is quick and easy. It’s perfect for a work night dinner. Black Beans and Rice.

2 cans of black beans

3 small tomatoes, diced

½ diced onion

½ diced green bell pepper

2/3 cup vegetable broth

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the onion and pepper in a little olive oil until soft. Add the beans, tomatoes, and seasonings. Bring to a boil and add the broth. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve over hot rice.

Killer Marinated Tomatoes

A friend shared this with me on my Facebook account. They look amazing!

 Ingredients:

[always use organic ingredients when available.]
3 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Chopped
2 Tablespoons Fresh Basil, Chopped
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar [raw honey]
1-½ teaspoon Garlic Salt
1-½ teaspoon Seasoned Salt
¾ teaspoons Dried Thyme
½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
¾ cups Canola Oil [use healthier oil such as extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, Macadamia nut oil, etc.]
½ cups Red Wine Vinegar
3 whole Scallions, Sliced
6 whole Tomatoes, Cut Into Wedges


Instructions:

Whisk together all the ingredients except the tomato wedges. Add the tomatoes and toss to coat. Allow to marinate at room temperature for a couple of hours, stirring every now and then. Serve with lots of bread to soak up all the yummy marinade. Enjoy!


Via: http://www.piarecipes.com/2013/06/killer-marinated-tomatoes.html

Raspberry Lime Parfaits

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup lime juice 

Graham cracker crust 

1/3 cup raspberries

1 tbls raspberry jam

Simple syrup (sugar and water)

1 tsp unflavored gelatin 

Whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbls sugar

2 drops Green food coloring ( optional)

Make a simple syrup with 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar. Add the raspberries and the jam. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a summer. Add the gelatin and continue simmering for ten minutes.  Make sure it is well blended. Pour mixture through a strainer to remove any seeds.  Let cool.

Mix milk egg yolks and lime Juice  an food coloring in a oven proof bowl. 

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Bake the graham cracker crust for 10. 

Whip the cream vanilla and sugar until peaks form. Chill for 15 minutes. 

To assemble, break up the graham cracker crust unto small pieces. Place some of the pieces in the bottom of a desert dish or glass cup. The add a couple table spoofs of the lime mixture followed by a tablespoon of the raspberry sauce and a dollop of whipped cream. The repeat the process until the glass is full. Chill for a few minutes before serving. 

Tomato Sauce

5 ripe Roma tomatoes

1/2 tsp salt

2 beef bullion cubes

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 cup water 

3 Tbls tomato paste

Dice the tomatoes, and put them in a small sauce pan. Add all the other ingredients. 

Bring to a boil.  Cook until the bullion disovles, about 10 minutes. 

Pour into a blender and mix until smooth. 

Return to the pan and simmer slowly. Stir in the tomato paste  Let it continue to reduce until it has reached the desired consistency. 

Makes about one cup. And it is fat free and sugar free. 

Easter Brunch

How about a nice Easter brunch? There are lots of great ideas out there. Here's one from Walmart. With my version I also add bell pepper and onion.

Pretty,  isn't it?

 

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups Ore-Ida Potatoes O'Brien
• 6 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
• 2 Tbs. chopped onion
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup bacon , crumbled

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Melt butter in a microwave-safe pie dish; add potatoes, bell pepper and onion,  microwave for 10 minutes.
3. Stir together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and pepper jack cheese. Pour over potatoes.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until eggs have set. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bacon. Serve immediately.

Cinnamon Roll Bunnies

Here is something fun from Pisbury... Happy Easter.

                              

1   can (13 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated flaky cinnamon rolls with icing                                              

8 semisweet chocolate chips             

4 red baking chips or candy-coated chocolate candies                        

8 almond slices

1 Heat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.

2 Place 4 rolls on cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart. Unwind remaining 4 rolls in to long dough strips. For each bunny, place one dough strip, cut ends together, next to a whole roll. Press and firmy pinch cuts ends into top of whole roll. Shape strip into floppy bunny ears.

3 On each bunny, place two chocolate chips for eyes, 1 red baking chip for nose and 2 almond slices for teeth; press firmly into dough.

4 Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack. Spread frosting on warm rolls. Serve warm.

Mexi-Chicken and Rice

Here's a quick meal. and it is healthy and filling and so yummy. Chicken and rice Mexican style

 

2 ½ oz grilled chicken

¼ cup sliced onion

¼ cups sliced bell pepper

½ cups cooked brown rice

½ cup diced tomato

¼ cup sliced mushrooms

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 tablespoon mild salsa

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp chopped cilantro

 

Saute onion, bell peppers, garlic and mushrooms with the olive oil for 10 minutes, or until soft. Add the tomatoes and salsa. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile dice the chicken. And stir into the tomato mixture. Add the brown rice. Simmer 2 minutes. Spoon into a small bowl and, top with the sour cream.

Enjoy

 

(If you are counting points this is just 7 PointsPlus®.)

Chicken Apple Salad

New stuff:
Try this great salad next time .

Makes one salad:

1 small apple
3 oz of grilled chicken
4 cups of mixed greens
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup cucumber, diced
1/2 cup bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup shreddded cheese (optional)

put the greens in a large bowl, top with favorite dressing. 

One bowl chocolate cake

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup milk 

1/3 cup oil

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Lightly mix flour, sugar, cocoa, soda, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl with a fork. 

Add milk, oil, vanilla and mix well with a wire wisk. Add the egg. Continue beating until it smooth and silky. Make sure there are no lumps. 

Spray a 8x8 dish with cooking spray. Pour in the batter and bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins. 

Let it cool completely. Then frost with favorite frosting or glaze. 

New Year New Diet

Let's talk about that New Years's resolution to lose weight. Have you given up already on that new diet?  We all do it; we all make a resolution to lose weight. I have too. In fact this is the year I've decided on several resolutions. Oh, no I don't think I've taken on too much.

There are so many diets and  programs. Low caeb, low fat, dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian, vegan... On and on the list goes  Everybody has a solution. Everyone has a plan. It can be overwhelming. And not every solution is not right for everybody. 

Now it is true some people are intolerant of certain  foods, and some people make dietary choices for other reasons. 

This where I'm going to get a little boring. My solution... Eat less, move more. Find a support person, and get at least 7 hours of sleep at night. 

Make a routine of keeping a daily journal. Track how much sleep you get, what you are eating, and when, and most important-- how did it make you feel.  The point is to be conscious. Most people are going to be surprised. Just try it for a week. 

The other thing to do is to go get one of those frozen diet meals. It's just to give you an idea about what 300 calories looks like, and guess what you can do better. My point is, some of those frozen meals are loaded with salt and sugar. 

Ready?  

Here is my favorite chicken 4 servings. 

20 oz. lbs chicken breast no skin

1 tbls olive oil

1 Lemon 

1 tbl Butter

1 tbl Rosemary, chopped

1 tsp Salt 

1/3 tsp Pepper

Mix butter and olive oil together in a small bowl. Place chicken in a baking dish. Rub butter and oil on chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and rosemary. Squeeze the lemon over the chicken. 

Bake at 375 untill chicken is done. Serve with 1 cup of roasted vegies and 1/2 cup brown rice. 

Total calories doe the meal: about 450 give or  or take. 

Kale with Creamy Cashew sauce

2 lbs kale

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

1 tbls onion flakes (optional)

1 tbls Dr Fuhman's VegiZest (optional)

Remove the thick stems from the kale and discard

Place the kale leaves in a large steamer pot. Steam 10 to 20 minutes

Meanwhile place remaining ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth

Place kale in a colander and press with a dish towel to remove some of the excess water

In a bowl coarsly chop and mix kale eith cream sauce. 

Chili Verde

Well, another chili cool off has come and gone. There were 12 of us this time. So completion was a bit stiffer, but we have another success, and another award. 

I always wanted to know how to make chile verde. So I searched the Internet until I found one I liked.

Found it on Simple Recipes. 

Of course I did it my way.  

1/2 lbs tomatillos

2 jalapeños

1 poblano pepper

3 tbls minced garlic

1large bunch cilantro 

1 large onion

4 lbs pork roast

1 small can green chilies

Salt and pepper

2 tsp oregano

1/2 cup Sour cream

2 cups chicken stock

Husk the tomatillos and slice in half. Half the peppers, and remove the seeds. Place on a baking sheet until the tomatillos are browned and the peppers and charred.

Put the peppers in a zip lock bag and let sit for 5 minutes. This will help the skins to loosen so they can be removed. 

Place the skinned peppers, garlic, cilantro and tomatillos in a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside. 

Cut  the pork in chunks, so it easier to cook. 

Brown in a skillet with the sliced onions and salt and pepper. Don't cook the meat all the way. 

 Add the meat, oregano, onion,  blended contents and chicken stock  to a crock pot. Cook on low 5 hours. And the sour cream and serve.