Recipes For You

In our effort to eat healthier I have been scouring the Internet and recipe books for some new ideas. We have come up with some gems. My daughter, Emily, has been a big help and most of these recipes originated from her.

**If you posted a recipe on your blog, please leave me a comment so I can add your link to this post.

Sue--Very Berry Muffins
Alasandra--Pumpkin Cookies

Sauteed Green Beans with Tomatoes and Garlic
1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
2 TB. Olive Oil
1 small red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 TB. chopped fresh parsley leaves
salt and pepper

Lightly steam the green beans until just tender. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and cook the onion until softened. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the green beans, tomatoes, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are hot and the flavors are well combined. Serve hot.

White Chicken Chili
1 pound dried great northern beans
3/4 cup diced onion
1/2 TB. oil
1/2 TB. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 qts. chicken broth
1 garlic clove, minced
1 4 oz. can green chilies (I use fresh)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Soak beans overnight and drain. Combine seasonings with the onions and garlic, saute for 1 minute. Add the drained beans and the chicken broth. Simmer for 2 hours, covered. Add the chicken and the chilies and simmer for 2 more hours. Remove the lid during the last hour of cooking. This makes 10 servings.

Bagels
A few weeks ago Emily made bagels from this recipe for the first time and they have been making a frequent appearance on our table ever since. (The picture on the website doesn't look all that appealing, but believe me when I say that these taste great!) She makes the dough-sponge using unbleached flour and then adds whole wheat flour for the rest. The dough is very stiff and a little hard to handle, but the effort is well worth it! She also adds about 1/2 cup less flour than the recipe calls for and cooks the bagels for an extra 5 minutes. Here are some variations:
--Cranberry-Orange (shown in the picture): Use orange juice for the liquid and add 1/2 cup dried cranberries during the last 2 minutes of kneading time.

--Apple-Cinnamon: Use apple juice for the liquid and add 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.

--Sun-Dried Tomato Basil: During the last 2 minutes of kneading time add 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes and 1/2 tsp. basil.

--Cinnamon-Raisin: Add 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 cup raisins during the last 2 minutes of kneading time.

Enjoy!