Oatmeal Cookies

We made these when we had friends over and they were really yummy. I wanted to post it here so I could find it next time I needed a quick dessert with items we normally have in stock. 

3/4 c. Butter at room temperature

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

2 1/4 cups old fashioned oats

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy, around 5 min.

3. Add egg and vanilla and beat for another minute.

4. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined. Add oats and combine. 

5. Roll into balls using hands and place on the cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Bake 10 - 14 min. until edges begin to brown and centers are set. Cool completely on wire rack.

Biscotti

My sweet friend, Amanda, always has a stash of biscotti to enjoy with our coffee when we hang out. I haven't made these, but this the recipe she uses and I wanted to load it here so I can find it when I have time to try it out.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 c. sugar

3 1/4 c. flour

3 eggs

1T baking powder

1T vanilla extract

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 375. Grease cookie sheets or live with parchment paper. 

2. In medium bowl, beat together oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla until well blended. In separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Slowly add flour mixture to wet mixture until it forms a heavy dough. Divide dough into two pieces. Form each into a roll as long as your cookie sheet. Place the roll onto the prepared cookie sheets and press down to 1/2 inch thickness.

3. Bake 25 - 30 min. until golden brown. Remove and cook on wire rack. When cool enough to handle, slice each crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. Place slices cut side up back on the cookie sheets. Bake an additional 6-10 min. on each side. Slices should be lightly toasted.

Steak Bites with Garlic Butter

Super easy and yummy way to enjoy steak without a grill. The key is having a super hot pan to get a good crisp outside on the steak. We ate these with sides of mashed potatoes and roasted Brussel sprouts... yum!

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lbs steak cut into cubes
1 T Olive Oil
2T Butter
2t minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Heat the olive oil in the pan over high. Season steak with salt and pepper. Place the steak in the pan in a single layer. You may need to work in batches. Cook 3-4 min. stirring occasionally until browned. Repeat with remaining meat as needed.

2. Add butter and garlic to the pan with all of the browned steak bites and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring to coat the meat in the sauce.

Oatmeal Bran Pancakes

This is our go-to pancake recipe. Can make without blueberries or sub a different fruit.

1/2 c. Plus 2 Tbs. Oats
1 c. Whole Wheat Flour
2 T. Flaxseed Ground (or wheat germ)
1/3 c. Oat Bran
1/2 t. Salt
1/2 t. Baking Soda
1 t. Baking Powder
2 t. Cinnamon
1/3 c. Brown Sugar
1 Egg
2 T. Apple Sauce
1 1/2 c. Milk
1 t. Vanilla
1 1/2 c. Blueberries (frozen or fresh)

Mix dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients together. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix to combine.

Scoop onto a buttered griddle. Cook until done, flipping half way.

Mexican Quinoa Stew

Mexican Quinoa Stew

• Author: Cookie and Kate
 
• Prep Time: 15 mins
 
• Cook Time: 25 mins
 
• Total Time: 40 minutes
 
• Yield: 4 to 6 servings
 
• Category: Soup

★★★★★

4.9 from 42reviews

You’re going to love this Mexican quinoa stew! It’s hearty, easy to make and tastes amazing. This soup recipe is vegan and gluten free. Recipe yields 4 large or 6 more modest bowls.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil (I opted to use 1 tablespoon olive oil instead)
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans or 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup quinoa (dry/uncooked)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (for extra heat, optional)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Optional garnishes (my ideas): extra chopped cilantro, small wedges of lime, diced avocado, crumbled tortilla chips, grated cheese, sour cream…

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium Dutch oven or soup pot, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and jalapeños. Sauté until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.
2. Add the water, tomatoes, beans, cumin, salt, quinoa, cilantro and cayenne pepper (if using). Season with pepper and bring the soup to a boil.
3. Once boiling, lower the heat, cover the pot, and let the soup simmer until the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Once the quinoa is tender, add more salt and pepper to taste, if necessary. You can serve this soup right away or use an immersion blender to purée a couple cups of this soup—this helps to thicken the soup while still leaving some texture (I may have overdone it a bit).
4. Divide into bowls and serve with any garnishes that you’d like. Store leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Sweet Potato Sunrise Hash

Delicious breakfast option! Courtesy of The Healing Kitchen.

Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 18 minutes
Total time: 28 minutes

Ingredients:
8 slices of bacon, chopped
1 c. chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2-in pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Directions:
1. In a large, deep skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon with the onion until the fat has rendered and the bacon has begun to crisp up, 3-5 minutes.

2. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook without disturbing for 4-5 minutes, until the bottoms of the sweet potatoes are lightly browned. Toss and continue to cook in the same manner, tossing only every few minutes until the potatoes are crispy and cooked through.

3. Remove from the heat and stir in the green onions and the salt.

Pumpkin Chili

This recipe has lots of veggies and healing foods, mixed together into a delicious flavor. Sam even ask us to save him some for lunch because it was so delicious! Recipe courtesy of The Healing Kitchen

Serves: 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hr 50 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef (we used ground turkey)
2 teaspoons ginger powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground mace
2 T olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 large carrots, sliced into 1/2-in rounds
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 pound sliced mushrooms
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tsp fine sea salt
2 (15-oz) cans pumpkin puree
2 c. beef or chicken broth
2 T apple cider vinegar
sliced green onions, for serving

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan or stockpot over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef until cooked through. Stir in ginger powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon, and mace until the meat is evenly coated in the seasonings. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil in the same saucepan or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic, and salt and stir well. Cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables are softened and tender.

3. Pour in the pumpkin puree and broth and stir to incorporate into the vegetables. Add the meat back to the saucepan and bring the mixtures to a boil. Add the bay leaf, reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer, and cook, covered with a lid for 1 1/2 hours until the vegetables are tender.

4. Stir in the vinegar and remove from the heat. The chili will be thick like a stew.

5. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Top each bowl with a  generous sprinkle of green onions.