Category Archives: Cooking & Recipes

Maple Glazed Brussel Sprouts

Notes:Pictured with Quinoa and Veggies. We both thought these were really good.

Ingredients:
1 lbs of fresh brussel sprouts
2 T coconut oil(measure after melting)
2-3 T maple syrup
1 tsp sea salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Wash brussel sprouts, remove the ends and cut in half.
Place the brussel sprouts in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk the oil, salt and maple syrup.
Pour over the brussel sprouts and mix well.
Place the brussel sprouts on a lined baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, stopping to flip the sprouts halfway through.

Source: The Midnight Baker

Stuffed Zucchini

Notes: It was just ok. I forgot to include the corn.

Directions:
2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
1 cup Wild Rice
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup frozen edamame (thawed)
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup diced mushrooms
2 tsp. low sodium tamari

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Scoop out middle of each zucchini half.
Place zucchini cut side down in a pan filled with 1 cup water into 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Scoop equal amounts into zucchini.
Place back in oven for another 10 minutes.
Top with nuts.

Review: Quisinart Coffee on Demand 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker

Cuisinart keeps the coffee flowing! The new Coffee on Demand™ carafe-free coffeemaker delivers up to 12 cups of hot coffee, cup by cup; and now there’s a removable water reservoir to make fill-ups easier than ever. With our exclusive Coffee Gauge™ on the front of the unit to count down cups remaining, 24-hour programmability and adjustable auto shutoff, this is every coffee lover’s dream machine!

We received this Quisinart Coffee on Demand™ 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker as a gift over a year ago. Prior to this coffee maker we’d always used typical drip makers that have a carafe. Instead of a carafe you place your mug under the maker and pull down on a handle to fill your cup. We were a little leery about getting our coffee “on demand” vs pouring from the carafe but it turned out we really like it. We were concerned about serving coffee when we had guests but that has turned out to be no big deal. We either take the cup from them and refill, or let them do it themselves which everyone seems to get a kick out of doing.
The machine makes good coffee, has worked flawlessly and is easy to clean. The main draw back to this type of system would be not being able to fill tall mugs without using a smaller cup to do so.

Smoky Refried Bean Soup

Notes: We both thought this was really good. I added 2 seeded and diced Jalapenos also. Served with Valentina hot sauce on top and baked tortilla chips on the side.

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
3 – 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes (I used fire-roasted)
15 ounces fatfree refried beans
15 ounces black beans, cooked
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 – 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (to taste)
1 teaspoon hot sauce (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:
Heat a large, non-stick pot and sauté the onion until it begins to brown. Add the garlic and bell pepper and cook for one more minute. Add all the remaining ingredients and cook until the flavors blend, 20-30 minutes.

Source: uknown

Baked Polenta Fries

Ingredients:
1 24-ounce tube of polenta
Spray oil

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees
Spray or line a cookie sheet
Slice polenta in half cross-wise then cut the halves in to fry like strips
Place on the cookie sheet and spray the top of the fries
Bake for 25 – 30 minutes flipping the fries part way through.

Home-made Vegetable Broth


I made my own vegetable broth today. I had been saving vegetable scraps in the freezer till I had a large freezer bag full.


I simmered them along with various herbs and spices (already forgot what they were) in water for a couple hours occasionally mashing them with a potato masher.


I then strained it through this wire basket thing. It made more than I had containers to store it so I drank some and through the rest out.

Potato and Green Pea Masala

Source: My Whole Food Life

Notes: I guess this is an Indian dish. We both thought this was pretty good. Not quite as much flavor as we were expecting.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked pinto beans (or 1 can)
3 cups cooked wild rice
1/2 yellow onion diced
1 potato diced and boiled until soft
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 T coconut oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1 large garlic clove minced
1 cup green peas
salt to taste

Instructions:
Boil the potatoes for about 5-7 just to soften them.
In a saute pan, cook the onions and garlic on medium high to soften them. About 7 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium and add the rest of the ingredients, including the spices, and cook for another 5 minutes.

As leftovers the following day.