Mom to Mom Recipe Idea Swap!

ooooooo, those noodles sound like they would be yummy in my tummy!

 

Healthy "Candies"

*My family totally adore these things. I actually have to make a triple batch when I do it, because they go sooo fast!*


1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup raisins (chopped, if child is too young to eat whole)

1/3 cup rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup apple juice concentrate


Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Shape into 1-inch balls. Line up on a cookie sheet or baking pan and chill thoroughly before serving.

 

My Kids' Favorite Cornbread

*Everytime I make this, my kids go absolutely nuts over it. I've tinkered with the recipe quite a few times, and eventually came up with this one and it's a sure-fire winner with my family.*


1/2 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup cornmeal

3 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup lowfat or skim milk

3 tablespoons cream corn

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 egg, beaten (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)


Combine dry ingredients, stir in milk, cream corn, oil, and egg, mixing until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into a greased 8 or 9 inch baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until light golden brown.

P.S. If you don't have an immediate use for the leftover cream corn, freeze it in ice cube trays for later use, once frozen, place in freezer bags and label so you don't forget what they are or the date. Each cube will equal one tablespoon.

 

Creamsicles

*These are awesome and so easy for a nice, cool treat!*


6 ounces 100% orange juice

8 ounces lowfat or nonfat vanilla yogurt


Blend together all ingredients and freeze in popsicle molds.

 

I think my family should go hang out at hippychickmommy's house. She has all the goodies

 

I'm with you hippylandscaper....screw cooking, I'm going to her place!

 

Hehehe, I do tend to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

 

Sounds like a road trip

 

heck yeah I especially love the lack of cooking needed with hippychickmommy's recipes. AWESOME.

 

I just thought of another one of our easy favorites for a hot weather treat that you might enjoy.

Watermelon Pops


Half of a nicely ripended watermelon, seedless or seeds removed

1 cup nonfat or lowfat vanilla yogurt


Puree the watermelon in a blender until smooth, add vanilla yogurt, and freeze in popsicle molds.

 

Baked Cinnamon-Sugar Tortilla Crisps

*Another one of my kids' favorite snacks. I don't have exact measurements for this one, I kind of just throw it together*


Whole wheat or whole grain soft tortillas

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Nonfat butter cooking spray


Spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray, then stack the tortillas and cut them into quarters. Combine 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar with 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, then sprinkle the mixture on both sides of the tortilla triangles. Place on foil lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 3 minutes, or until very lightly toasted, then flip the tortilla triangles over, baking for approximately another 3 minutes or until very lightly toasted. Keep a close eye on them because sometimes they can brown up quickly depending on your oven!

Let cool, then enjoy!

 

Everything sounds so yummy...I will definately have to try them all!!! Tonight when I come home I will post an awesome Whoopie Pie Recipe!!!

 

I have a FABULOUS recipe for vegan banana bread. Please don't let the vegan scare you, it's truly scrummy! It comes from the "Vegan Delights" cookbook by Jeanne Marie Martin.

Beautiful (Vegan) Banana Bread - makes one large loaf.

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I actually use chappati flour from the Indian market, the recipe originally calls for kamut)
3-4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Wet Ingredients:
2 cups mashed banana (the spottier the better!)
1/2 cup maple syrup or other liquid sweetener (date molasses is very good!)
1/3 cup-1/2 cup milk substitute or fruit juice (apple, peach, pear)
1/4 cup oil (I use olive, works great)
1/2 teaspoons real vanilla
Optional:1/2 cup chopped nuts or fruit. Or some cinnamon is lovely too!

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately. Sift the dry ingredients slowly into the wet. Add extra liquid only if needed to make a stiff but stirrable batter. Scoop the mixture into a large, lightly oiled and floured loaf pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes until nicely browned on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Wait at least fifteen minutes before removing from the pan. Cool completely before slicing. Keeps 6-8 days in a cool place or refrigerated. May be frozen.

 

ohhhhh, the last 3 recipies sounds scrummy!
I'm going to buy some tortillas tonight at work (work at a grocery store) and make those cinnimon tortilla chips!!!!!!! I read that one off to cody and he even said it sounded good! me hungry..........

 

Well here' one we live by. Ginny Johnsons(my mom neighbor) squash cassarole revised...

6 yellow squash sliced
1 cup low fat sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 stick butter melted
1 cup stuffing mix
Optional
cheddar cheese
1 can chunk chicken breast(my hubby won't eat it unless there's meat involved)

cook onions and squash- drain well
combine in baking dish sour cream,soup,carrots,cheese and stuffing
fold in squash
melt 1/2 stick butter and mix well
sprinkle some stuffing mix on top
bake 350 30-45 min

 

Apple Sauce:

Apples, Water, Sugar, Cinnamon

Cut up a bunch of apples.
Put about a half cup of water in (more or less, depending on the number of apples used)
Put enough sugar in to make it taste good
Put in your preference of cinnamon (me, I practically drown the thing in cinnamon. I love my cinnamon. Mmm mmm good)
Cook until soft and apple sauce like
Serve warm or cold
Tastes better warm

This ends the latest installment of Jessica's Recipes for the Cooking Impaired. Next week, we shall tackle grilled cheese and how not to catch it on fire. Grilled cheese flambé just isn’t as good as it sounds.

 

so far, nothing we can eat has been posted...


my famous hummus

half bag dry garbanzo beans, overcooked, with salt
about 1/4 that much split peas, also overcooked (If you cook the beans with salt, it tastes better than adding salt later).
put in food processor with about 1/3 jar tahini (you can make your own if it's not available, by puree'ing a jar of roasted sesame seeds yourself in the food processor),
mustard (either prepared mustard, or the powder, either one)
about 1/4 cup olive oil or sesame oil
salt, curry seasoning, and garlic to taste (I go heavy on the curry spices and light on the garlic)
and enough water to make it pasty texture (I just use some of the water the beans were cooked in)
puree it all together and let it sit in the fridge overnight.
serve on corn chips or your favorite bread or crackers.

 

I forgot the lemon juice, you need a squirt of lemon juice to take away the beany-ness of the garbanzos.


and for perfect sauces and gravies, try using arrowroot flour instead of wheat flour. It works much better and does not change the color or add cloudiness. (and it's gluten-free) Just mix a tablespoon (depending on how much sauce you are making) of arrowroot flour in a small amount of cold water or milk, and add to the boiling sauce and stir until you get the desired consistency. do not overcook, or it will turn thin again. we eat lots of sauces and gravies, and I was terrified when we switched to gluten-free, but it actually makes better sauces and gravies than wheat does! For anything, you need some liquid, some fat, and some flavor, bring to a boil and add the liquified arrowroot and stir until it's thick. So for potroast, you use the seasoned water it was cooked in, the fat that floats on top of that water, a tiny bit of coffee makes it the perfect color, and salt. add the arrowroot and you have perfect brown gravy every time! For cheese sauce, you take some milk, butter, cheese, salt and garlic (or whatever), bring that to a simmer and add the liquified arrowroot. Once you get the hang of it, it's really easy.

 

My family loves these...I don't cook with recipes, so this is an approximation.


Lentil Burgers

10 ounces of dried lentils, cooked soft and drained and cooled.
1 cup grated carrots.
1 chopped onion
chopped clove of garlic or garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten

Mix everything together in a large bowl. In a cast iron frying pan, or other heavy bottomed frying pan, heat 2 tbs oil on med-high. Drop the lentil mix into the oil by heaping serving spoonful. It will be soft, and spread, but take the shape of a "burger" and hold it's shape as the egg cooks. When nice and brown on one side, flip and brown the other. You can add a slice of cheese to melt if you wish. Add oil to the pan as needed (they do take a bit of oil)
Serve on whole wheat burger rolls, with ketchup, mustard, mayo and pickles, like a traditional burger. I serve with sweet potato fries.
For those who don't do wheat, you can serve the burger with mashed potatoes and gravy, or rice.
If you don't do eggs (for the vegans) you can leave a bit of the cooking liquid and use bread crumbs to hold it together instead of eggs, and soy cheese.
My kids always eat at least 2!

 

Super Easy "Dal"



Chop 1 large onion, and 2 large minced garlic cloves and saute on low in 2 tbsp olive oil until onions are clear. Add 2 heaping tbsp curry powder and saute until curry starts to slightly brown. I add some chopped hot peppers with the seeds removed, but it's not necessary if you don;t like spicy or you have young kids. My kids LOVE spicy, though. Add dried lentils, and enough water to just cover. Bring to boil, and reduce heat, and add just a bit more water, add a couple of diced carrots. Let simmer, adding water as necessary to keep lentils covered. You want the lentils to cook, but you don't want excess liquid. When the lentil are about half done, add 2 cans coconut milk, salt and pepper to taste, and allow to simmer. Stir often to keep the lentils from sticking. Cook until the lentils are soft and the coconut milk has thickened. (about 20 minutes)
Serve over brown rice or Jasmine rice (YUM!) with a cool cucumber salad with yogurt dressing.