Healthy Breakfast Cookies

These breakfast cookies are extremely easy, quick, and super heathy. No sugar in these "cookies" unless you count the dates. They are moist and filling AND they are very adaptable, so you could substitute or add in  your favorite dried fruit for the dates. Cookies for breakfast? Yes please!

Healthy Breakfast Cookies
From Pinterest
Printable Version
Ingredients
1.5 cups oats
2 or 3 super ripe bananas 
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
Handful of chopped dates (or dried cranberries, apricots, or raisins)
A dash of cinnamon (to taste)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Drop by large spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake for 35 minutes and remove to wire rack. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal

Oatmeal is such a great breakfast. It's healthy, filling, and quick. This baked oatmeal is perfect for weekday mornings when you're in a rush. It kicks the butt of the Quaker Oat envelopes I usually eat! I'd seen Baked Oatmeal on several blogs but Megan's sold me. She gives so many different variations it was hard for me to choose. I went with the Apple Pie version because I wanted to use fresh fruit and because Apple Pie is just too yummy sounding not to try. I also added in chopped pecans for a little crunch. This baked oatmeal is super easy, very comforting, and delicious when heated up with a little milk. When cut into squares, baked oatmeal also travels well for an easy snack. I'm going to try Megan's peanut butter recipe next.  

Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal
From Food and Whine
Printable Version


Ingredients
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
1/4 cup honey or brown sugar
3/4 cup milk (I used Vanilla Almond Milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla (my Homemade Vanilla Extract is pictured in the vodka bottle)
1 egg
1 tablespoon melted butter (I omitted this accidentally and couldn't taste a difference!)
1 diced apple
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients separately and add to the dry ingredients. Mix until combined. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 8X8 pan. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Will keep for about a week if covered in an airtight container.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

My wonderful wonderful mother-in-law shared this recipe for Curried Butternut Squash Soup. It's velvety and rich with just a hint of heat from the curry. With squash, apples, celery, and onion, it is chalked full of things that are good for you. We enjoyed this soup with beer bread and found that the soup was even more delicious sopped up in a big soft piece of bread. Beer bread + thick, rich soup = heaven! So comforting and warming --perfect for those of you who are snowed in right now during the "snowpocalypse". Meanwhile, here in Virginia it was sunny and 70 degrees tonight, not exactly soup weather! And yes, I am bragging! :)

Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 10 (next time I will halve the recipe)
Printable Version


Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
1 yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 apples, peeled and chopped
2 quarts of vegetable or chicken stock
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon white pepper
3 tablespoons softened butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used fat free half&half and it made no difference on the taste)


Directions
In a soup pot or Dutch oven drizzle olive oil and add celery and onion. Cook the vegetables until softened but do no allow to brown.

 Add squash, stock, apples, and seasonings. 

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low boil. Cook until the squash is very soft. If you have a hand blender, puree the vegetables until thick and smooth. If not, strain the liquid and reserve. Then puree the chunks with some of the soup liquid until thick and smooth. Return to pot and bring to a boil. Mix the butter and the flour together in a small bowl with a whisk. Turn down the heat and add mixture into the soup. Bring the soup back to a boil. Add cream and taste for additional salt and pepper. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt. 

Indian Chicken Curry

I was inspired to make a homemade Chicken Curry to use up some of the left over Cranberry Chutney from Thanksgiving. I found this dish on what looked to be a somewhat authentic Indian recipe site. I was really pleased with the flavor and the color, in addition to how easy it was to prepare. I'm a wimp when it comes to heat in my curries, so this was very mild and perfect for me. I think hubby would have preferred it a little more hot. Oh well, I'm the boss in the kitchen, right? :)


 The Cranberry Chutney was an awesome addition. I served it over plain rice, but if you go to the original site, there are directions for a rice ring that sounds absolutely delicious. 

Indian Curry Chicken
From Indian Food Forever
Printable Version


Ingredients
1 tablespoons butter (I am trying to cut down on my butter intake so used yogurt butter)
1 cup chopped apple
1 cup chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoon cornstarch
2 to 3 teaspoons curry powder
3/4 cup cold chicken stock
2 cups milk
2 cups cooked chicken, diced (I boiled 2 chicken breasts)
1 (3 ounce) can mushrooms, drained (didn't have these so omitted this)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup raisins
3 cups hot cooked rice


Directions
Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add apple, celery, garlic, and onion. Cook until onion is tender. 

Combine cornstarch, curry powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and stock. 

Stir into onion mixture. Add milk. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. 
Add chicken and mushrooms, stir and heat through. Stir in almonds and raisins. 

Serve over rice.

Cranberry Chutney

Because my photo software recently went on the blitz, this Cranberry Chutney is the one and only recipe from Thanksgiving this year that can actually I blog about. Boo hoo hoo. I wanted to share with you an amazing brie and truffle oil appetizer and a couple other recipes that I made over Thanksgiving, but the photos didn't survive. Guess I'll have to make them again sometime. 


I found this Cranberry Chutney recipe on Closet Cooking. I loved how it was a totally different spin on traditional cranberry sauce and how it incorporates so many different ingredients: jalapeno, apples, raisins, ginger. 


This was the easiest thing I made on Thanksgiving day, all you do is cut things up and cook them all in a big pot. It smelled heavenly while it simmered and was very delicious. Tangy, sweet, and savory all at the same time. It made a nice big batch and we were able to use the leftovers on turkey sandwiches and in chicken curry - - recipe to come next!

Cranberry Chutney
From Kevin at Closet Cooking
Printable Version


Ingredients
1 12 ounce package fresh cranberries
1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1 tablespoon grated garlic
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup cider vinegar

Directions
Place everything in a large pot and boil until thickens, about 20 minutes. Can be made ahead of time and even preserved using traditional canning methods. 

Kohlrabi and Apple Slaw with Creamy Coleslaw Dressing

You may be saying to yourself, "Self, what in the world is kohlrabi?" Allow me to explain, because I wondered the same thing. Kohlrabi is a German Turnip that can be eaten raw and tastes similar to the stems of broccoli. I am sure some of you will never try this recipe purely because of that. However, I want to encourage you to give it a try...it's loaded with Vitamin C and has a good amount of Potassium. It tastes slightly like a radish and is a very interesting vegetable to peel and cut.

This recipe was given to me at my local Farmer's Market. It sounds strange, combining cream with mustard and sugar with Kohlrabi, but somehow it works. The mint really makes this all come together.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cream

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon of "good" mustard - I used Grey Poupon

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fresh mint, chopped

1 fresh Kohlrabi, trimmed, peeled, and cut into batons

2 apples, peeled and cut in batons

**The key is to keep the ratio of apples:Kohlrabi equal

Directions:

Whisk the cream into light pillows --- I never saw "pillows" but I did see bubbles. :) This takes a minute or so, you do not need a mixer. Stir in remaining dressing ingredients and pour over the kohlrabi and apples.

Apple Crisp

Since it is fall and I received an abundance of apples in our latest Farmer's Market bag (Eric and I paid for 12 weeks of fruits and veggies at our local Farmer's Market and pick up a full bag of produce every week), I decided to try another Apple Crisp recipe.

Apple Crisp is one of my favorite desserts. My mom makes an incredible apple crisp and I've really missed it since moving to Virginia. I decided that this year it was time to make my own.

The first time I tried to make Apple Crisp was just a few weeks ago and I wasn't very happy with it. It tasted great, but didn't look very good, and was not even close to Mom's apple crisp.

This time, I tried a different recipe that I found on Food Network. It's made by The Neely's but I modified it, since they say to divide it up into several small ramekins. I used a 9 X 13 cake pan, but would suggest a 9 x 9 pan because the filling is not as thick as I would have liked it.

This apple crisp is certainly delicious and looks better than my first attempt, but I have to admit - it's still not as as good as my Mom's. The topping my Mom makes is fantastic, thick and crispy...there's just no comparison.

Here's the recipe. Don't get me wrong, it's good, it's just not Mom's!

Ingredients

Filling:

• 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, chopped small
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Topping:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For the Filling:

• Mix all the ingredients together. Place into 7 to 8-ounce ramekins or 9 X 9 pan.

For topping:

Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Blend the butter into the mixture until it forms pea size lumps. Stir in pecans and sprinkle over filling.

Bake  for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.