"No Fuss" Artichokes

I found this recipe in the bag of artichokes from Costco.  I love the name since they are definitely more work than just steaming them and dipping in mayo and butter (ick!)  I think they are worth the effort.  Yum!
 
1 whole artichoke, rinsed and trimmed
2 cloves fresh garlic, quartered
juice from one half lemon
2 T olive oil
1/2 t sea salt
3 T broth (optional)
2 squares heavy-duty aluminum foil

Preparation:
- preheat oven to 425°
- spread artichoke petals open to season
- between the petals:  squeeze lemon juice - drizzle with olive oil/broth and stuff garlic
- sprinkle top of artichoke with 1/2 t sea salt
- tightly double wrap and seal each artichoke with foil
- place foil wrapped artichoke in pre-heated oven and bake (medium artichoke for 60 minutes; jumbo sized for 90 minutes)
- remove from oven and let cool before unwrapping

Girls Camp Salsa

2 large or 5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 avocados
4 T green onions
4 T cilantro, chopped
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pkg dry Italian Salad dressing mix (Western Family)
vinegar (per salad dressing mix directions)
oil (1/4 of the oil per salad dressing mix directions)

Banana Crumb Muffins

(www.allrecipes.com)

I love the texture of these muffins and have made them often since it's one muffin even my kids will eat.  Today I messed with the flour and sugar amounts to make them slightly healthier and they were still delicious.  Next time we'll try some chia gel or applesauce in place of oil....

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour (I used half whole wheat)
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 c white sugar (I used 1/2 c sugar and 1/4 c Splenda)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 c melted butter (or oil)
1/3 c packed brown sugar
2 T flour
1/8 t cinnamon
1 T butter

Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly grease muffin cups or line with papers.

In large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 c flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter.  Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture until just moistened.  Spoon batter into muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, 2 T flour, and cinnamon.  Cut in 1 T butter until mixture resembles course cornmeal.  Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake 18-20 minutes.

Cream Cheese Filled Carrot Muffins

Dallin likes.  Enough said!  These are best served warm.  YUM!

 

From the Recipe Shoebox. recipe adapted from http://joelens.blogspot.com Carrot Muffins: 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 c wheat) 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp.  salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1 cup sugar 3 eggs 2/3 cup vegetable oil 1-1/2 cups shredded carrots 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I omitted) 1/2 cup raisins, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes (I omitted) Cream Cheese Filling: 4 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 egg yolk 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp. vanilla Streusel Topping: 1-1/2 Tbs. granulated sugar 1-1/2 Tbs. dark brown sugar (I used light) pinch salt 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2-1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted (I omitted the salt and used regular butter) Directions:  Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare your muffin tins by greasing with cooking spray or using paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar; set aside. In separate bowl, beat the eggs and oil together until lightened. Stir in the carrots, walnuts and raisins. In another bowl, cream together the cream cheese filling ingredients; set aside. Fold the dry muffin ingredients into the wet egg/oil mixture and stir until just combined. Fill each muffin cup about 1/4 full. Add a generous teaspoon of the cream cheese filling to each muffin cup, then top with batter to make each muffin cup about 3/4 full.  Combine all the dry streusel ingredients in small bowl. Drizzle with the warm, melted unsalted butter and toss with fork until evenly moistened and mixture forms large chunks with some pea-sized pieces throughout. Before baking, top the filled muffin cups with the streusel topping. Bake about 20-25 minutes*, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake part comes out clean. *If making standard sized muffins, bake for 17-20 minutes. (makes 18 muffins) *If making jumbo sized muffins, bake for 23-25 minutes. Enjoy!

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Quinoa Edamame Salad

The dressing on this salad smells as good as it tastes.  I sent Erin & Ashlynn door-to-door until they located light olive oil since I didn't have grapeseed or flax oil and my delicious locally-produced olive oil is extra virgin.  It was worth the effort!  YUMMY!

Recipe adapted from Thermador Kitchens by Our Best Bites

1 c. black quinoa (I used regular quinoa)

2 c. water
1/2 c. rice wine vinegar
6 Tbsp. grapeseed oil*
2 Tbsp. flax oil*

*You can substitute 1/2 c. light olive oil here–extra virgin will have too strong of a flavor
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2 limes, juiced
1 T. honey
3/4 tsp. salt (plus more to taste, if desired)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs. frozen, shelled edamame
4 green onions, thinly sliced
½ c. chopped peanuts (for garnish)

Cook quinoa.  While the quinoa is cooking, whisk together the vinegar, oil, lime juice, honey, salt, cilantro, and garlic. Allow it to stand while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Cook edamame.  Toss the beans with the green onions and the cooked quinoa. Toss with the dressing and then season to taste. Garnish with fresh peanuts and enjoy! Makes a lot–like 18-20 small servings.

Chex Lemon Buddies

Prep Time:15 min

Start to Finish:15 min

Makes:24 servings (1/2 cup each)

 

9	cups Rice ChexR cereal
1 1/4	cups white vanilla baking chips
1/4	cup butter or margarine
4	teaspoons grated lemon peel
2	tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2	cups powdered sugar

Variation
Give it a try! Vary this mix by stirring in chopped dried tropical fruits, coconut or macadamia nuts after coating the cereal mixture with powdered sugar.

1.	Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
2.	In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chips, butter, lemon peel and juice uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
3.	Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; gently shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool. Store in airtight container.

Beef Spaghetti Pie Ole

(Jennifer Bassett)

I loved the flavor of this mildly spicy dish - and who doesn't love eating "pie" for dinner!?  The rest of my family has a tomato aversion so next time I'll blend the Ro-tel to eliminate all the "chunky red things."

1 lb ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground cumin
1 can Ro-tel
3/4 c sour cream
1 c shredded jack cheese

Brown ground beef (or turkey), drain grease, add spices and Ro-tel and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Turn off heat and stir in the sour cream.

Cook and drain spaghetti, then add to a bowl that contains:

1 egg
1/3 c jack cheese
1/2 t salt
1/4 t garlic powder

Mix up the noodles, egg, cheese and spices and put in a 9" pie dish, smooshing down the center and having some noodles creep up the sides of the dish.  Pour the meat mixture over the noodles, leaving some noodle "crust" at the edges.  Top with a cup of jack cheese and bake for 15 minutes at 350°

Chicken Pasta Salad

I halved this recipe for my family of three eaters and we still had plenty of left-overs. Everyone loved it - and they couldn't tell I'd used whole wheat noodles which is a bonus!  Will definitely make again.  Perfect summer meal.

 

From the Recipe Shoebox.

The ingredients:
1 lb. cooked, shredded chicken (I used 1 pint canned chicken)
1 lb. cooked rotini noodles (I used whole wheat bow tie)
2 heads broccoli, finely chopped (the smaller the better)
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/3 onion, chopped
1 can sliced olives
1 cup shredded cheese (optional)
1/3 - 1/2 cup ranch dressing (don't skip this--it's what holds it all together)

Dressing:
2 envelopes dry Italian dressing mix
6 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
4-1/2 Tbs. water
3/4 cup oil (you can reduce this some)

Combine cooled chicken, chopped vegetables, and olives. Set aside. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over vegetables and chicken. Mix together. Add ranch dressing and cheese and fold together. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving (I usually am not organized enough to do this and it still gets devoured). Serves 8 - 10.

Strawberry Nutella Muffins

(www.twopeasandtheirpod.com)

 YES!  These are as good as they sound.  I made the recipe exactly as written (except I made 12 muffins instead of 9 because I didn't notice until it was too late).  They are delicious!

Yield: Makes 9 muffins

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
1/3 cup Nutella
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top of muffins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease well. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.
3. In a small bowl, combine canola oil, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla together. Use a fork or whisk and mix until well combined.
5. Incorporate the wet ingredients into flour mixture. Add slowly and gently stir, you don’t want to over mix. The batter will be thick. Carefully fold in the strawberries.
6. Fill each muffin cup half way with batter. Next, add a small spoonful of Nutella to each muffin cup. Cover the Nutella filling with the remaining batter. Sprinkle each muffin with turbinado sugar.
7. Bake muffins for 17-20 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the pan and let cool on a cooling rack.

Favorite Crepes

(Lisa Packer)

My friend Lisa, who served her mission in Sweden, spent hours perfecting this "Swedish Pancake" recipe.  This is the only one I've ever made because we love it - and she swears it's authentic!  We serve them with yogurt, raspberry freezer jam, fresh fruit, whipped cream and powdered sugar.  Delicious!

2 eggs, beaten
2 c milk

Mix together, then add:

1 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/4 t sugar

Heat skillet on medium heat.  Coat with cooking spray before cooking each crepe.  Use 3-4 T batter for each crepe.  Swirl to cover pan, cook until bubbles appear & flip to cook other side.  Makes 10 crepes.

Pineapple Banana Bread

(www.allrecipes.com)

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 c whole wheat)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 2 cups mashed ripe bananas

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. In another bowl, beat the eggs, oil and vanilla; add pineapple and bananas. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour into two greased 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pans.
2. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Chicken Pot Pie

(Leslie Doxey)

Family Favorite!  This is one of those rare recipes we come back to again and again.  It's quick and easy and everyone loves it!

Layer in 9x13 pan:
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (canned chicken works great!)
10 oz frozen peas
1 potato, diced
8-10 baby carrots, sliced

Mix together and pour over chicken & vegetables:
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken

Mix and pour over all:
1 c flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 t basil
1 c milk
1/2 c butter (I reduce to 1/4 c)
1 t baking powder

Bake at 425° for 30-40 minutes.