Apple Spice Oatmeal Cookies

I took this one from the newspaper and changed it a bit.
They're low fat and low calorie so I think that means you can have them for breakfast.

1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp apple butter ( I think you could use apple sauce and add more spices)
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup 2% milk
1 1/2 cups large flake oats
here the recipe recommends 1/2 cup dried cranberries. I used 1/2 cup rehydrated goji berries to preserve our youthful looks.

Preheat oven to 350 F

Grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl beat together the butter and brown sugar until light and creamy. Add vanilla, apple butter, egg and mix well until smooth.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, cinnamon, allspice, baking powder and baking soda.

Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture. Beat on low speed until just combined.

Drop one tablespoon of batter 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake at 350F for 13-15 minutes until golden.

Makes 24-28 cookies

budget recipes

these ones have saved us at times this year.

Hearty Lentil Stew

4 cups water
1 cup dried lentils
1 cup fresh or canned tomatoes, chopped
4 large carrots, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 tablespoons dry sherry, optional

Cook together until lentils and carrots are soft, 40-45 minutes.

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
a pinch of salt

Stir in parsley with salt to taste. Heat another minute and serve, with grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese if you'd like.


Potato Carrot Soup

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onion and saute until translucent.

3 cups potatoes, diced
2 cups vegetable broth or water
1/2 teaspoon salt, (less if you use the broth)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup celery with leaves, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, diced or shredded
1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, dried marjoram, celery salt, dried dill or paprika

Add, cover and cook until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. For a creamier soup, remove some of the cooked potatoes, puree them and return to the saucepan.

2 cups milk
3 tablespoons flour

Mix together until smooth. Add to soup and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Optional:

Add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
or
Use 1 cup potatoes and add 2 cups corn.


Roasted Winter Vegetables

6-8 cups winter vegetables such as: potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, beets winter squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces.
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon dried or 3 tablespoons fresh herbs such as: rosemary, thyme, parsley, oregano.

Toss your chosen ingredients together. Spread in a single layer on greased baking pans. Roast in a preheated oven at 425F until tender, 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Optional: add chopped onions 10 minutes into baking time.

Roasted garlic sauce: Remove loose papery layers from outside of a whole garlic bulb but do not peel. Slice off top of the bulb, exposing the tip of each clove. Place on a square of aluminum foil and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil or season with salt and pepper. Wrap tightly and bake alongside the vegetables until tender.
Squeeze soft roasted cloves into a small bowl. Mash with a fork, and stir in 3/4 cup plain yogurt. Serve with roasted vegetables.

All taken from Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert's Simply in Season: Recipes that celebrate fresh, local foods in the spirit of More-with-less. Scottsdale: Herald Press, 2005.

granola bars

for Caroline, who was asking about these today.
this is an easy one to switch around a bit. I always trade the raisins and papaya for something else.

3/4 cup butter, diced
2/3 cup clear honey
1 (generous) cup raw sugar
3 cups jumbo oats
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup dried papaya, chopped
3/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 cup ground almonds

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a 9inch square pan with baking parchment. Put the butter and honey in a large heavy pan and heat gently until the butter has melted and the mixture is completely smooth

Add the sugar to the pan and heat very gently, stirring constantly, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring the butter mixture to the boil and continue to boil for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly until it has formed a smooth caramel sauce. Remove from heat

Add the remaining ingredients and mix together. Transfer the mixture to the baking pan and press down with a spoon. Bake for 15 minutes until the edges turn brown

Place in the refrigerator and chill well. Turn out of the pan, peel off the parchment and cut into bars

lauren's crepes

This one seemed like a good one for starters, because lauren translated it for me. really authentic and somehow poetic the way it came out.

(makes about fifteen crepes)
250 ml milk
3/4 cup flour
3 tbsp butter
3 eggs
sugar to taste

Melt butter
In a medium sized bowl mix the eggs, butter and sugar
Add flour and mix
Slowly add milk while mixing
Let sit for thirty minutes to an hour
In a lightly oiled pan, put a bit of dough
Cook and turn the crepe over.

When we make crepes, we like to have them for dinner and dessert. My favourite is with steamed broccoli or asparagus or spinach and cheese sauce for dinner. Then we bring out the berries, banana, nutella, maple syrup, and p's favourite, whipped cream.