Celery and Carrot Tossed with Sesame

Instead of the sesame oil, use chile oil or go neutral with canola or vegetable oil. This is a recipe that can easily be doubled.

Yield: 2 servings as a nibble or side

• 4 large ribs celery, cut on the diagonal into thin pieces, each a generous 1/8 inch thick and 3 inches long
• 3 inches carrot, halved lengthwise and cut into thin piece, about half the thickness of the celery
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 pinches ground, toasted Sichuan peppercorns

Instructions

1. Put the celery and carrot into a bowl. Bring half a kettle of water to a boil, turn off the heat. After the boiling subsides, pour enough water over the vegetables to cover. Set aside for 2 minutes, until you can bend a piece of celery so the ends nearly touch.
2. Drain the vegetables, flush with cold water, and set aside to drain. Wipe the bowl dry, then stir together the salt, sugar and sesame oil in the bowl; don’t worry about dissolving the sugar and salt. Shake excess water from the vegetables before adding them to the bowl. Stir to coat. Set aside for a couple of minutes to develop the flavor. Taste and add extra salt or sugar.
3. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle on the Sichuan peppercorn. Serve.

From: http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2012/07/celery-and-carrot-tossed-with-sesame-recipe.html

Mini Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

• 1 15oz can pumpkin puree
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1/4 C Brown sugar
• 2 Large eggs
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 3/4 C evaporated milk
• 2/3 C all purpose flour
• 2 t pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Grease 12 muffin cups. 

Mix the first 6 ingredients. Add the remaining ingredients. Fill each muffin cup 1/3 C of mixture. Bake for 20 minutes; remove cupcakes from pan and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with more pumpkin pie spice on top and serve.

Au Gratin Potatoes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs red potatoes or 1 1/2 lbs potatoes
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour (suggest reduce by 1/6)
2 cups milk (suggest reduce by 1/4)
1 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 dash cayenne pepper
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 350°F.
2 Boil potatoes until just tender, 20-25 minutes; drain.
3 When cool enough to handle, peel and dice into 1/2 inch pieces.
4 Put potatoes in 3 qt round casserole or rectangular baking dish.
5 In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
6 Add flour; stir while cooking, 1-2 minutes.
7 Whisk in milk and add garlic.
8 Season with salt and cayenne pepper.
9 Stir in cheddar cheese and all but 2 tbs parmesan cheese.
10 Add potatoes to sauce and stir to mix evenly.
11 Pour into casserole dish.
12 Sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese over top.
13 Bake casserole 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender and dish is bubbling and lightly brown on top.
14 Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Read more: <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/au-gratin-potatoes-29286?scaleto=4&mode=null&st=true&oc=linkback">http://www.food.com/recipe/au-gratin-potatoes-29286?scaleto=4&mode=null&st=true&oc=linkback</a>

Cobb Salad

Ingredients
For the Dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

Cooking spray
1/4 pound sliced Black Forest or other smoked ham
2 hard-boiled eggs
6 cups romaine lettuce (about 6 ounces) coarsely chopped
2 cups watercress, thick stems removed
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)
1/2 avocado, diced (about 3/4 cup)
1 cup cooked diced chicken breast 1 (6-ounce) breast
1/2 cup crumbled Roquefort or Blue cheese (about 2 ounces)

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/healthy-appetite-with-ellie-krieger-/cobb-salad-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Tofu Strip Salad

Add some celery & carrot strips

Shred a package of dried tofu sheets into very fine noodle-like strips. You may have to peel the strips apart. Then cut half a clove of garlic into minute dice; mix it with 3 tablespoons of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 or more tablespoons of (homemade) chili oil to your liking. 

Add cilantro

Pasta Fagioli in the Crockpot just like Olive Garden

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (16 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (16 ounce) can white kidney beans, drained
3 (10 ounce) cans beef stock
3 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons pepper
5 teaspoons parsley
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)
1 (20 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
8 ounces pasta

Directions:

Brown beef in a skillet.
Drain fat from beef and add to crock pot with everything except pasta.
Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours. Add pasta the last 30 minutes.

CrockPot Chicken Posole

1 28-ounce can white hominy, drained

1/2 cup chopped green chilies (fresh preferred, canned ok)

1 medium white or yellow onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound raw chicken, cut up

15-ounce can tomatoes, chopped, with juice (replace w/ more broth)

15-ounces chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Sour cream, green onion, radishes, hot sauce and fresh corn tortillas or chips for garnishing

Put all ingredients, except cilantro and garnishes, in 3-1/2 to 5 quart crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 2- 1/2 to 3 hours (low recommended). After the posole is cooked, stir in cilantro.  Serve with the garnishes.

Note from Julia Garrels: This is a delicious recipe that improves in flavor after a day or two

by Julia Garrels of Lola:

Mexican Chocolate Cutouts

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or ground chipotle chile pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 recipe Vanilla Icing and/or Chocolate Icing

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine butter and vegetable oil spread; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper; beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Add egg and vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in cocoa powder. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours or until easy to handle.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough, half at a time, to just under 1/4-inch thickness. Using 1- to 2-1/2-inch star-shape or desired shape cookie cutters, cut into shapes. Reroll scraps as necessary. Place cutouts 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes or until edges are firm and centers are set. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely. Decorate tops with Vanilla and/or Chocolate Icing as desired.
4. *Sugar Substitutes: Choose Splenda® Sugar Blend for Baking. Follow package directions to use product amount equivalent to 1/2 cup sugar and decrease all-purpose flour to 1-3/4 cups.

Simple Almond Cookies

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 2 1/4 cups whole almonds
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla
• 32 almond slices (2 tablespoons)
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or coat with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In a food processor, combine whole almonds and sugar; cover and process until finely ground. Add egg whites and almond extract. Cover and process until well mixed.
2. Using a well-rounded measuring teaspoonful of the almond mixture for each cookie, shape into a crescent shape or ball. Place 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets. Place an almond slice atop each cookie.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or just until cookies are starting to brown on the tops. Transfer to wire racks; let cool. If desired, transfer the warm melted chocolate to a resealable plastic bag. Seal bag; cut a small hole in one corner. Drizzle tops of cookies with melted chocolate. Makes 32 cookies.

Coconut Crusted Fish Fillets with Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

• 4 firm white fish fillets, such as whiting
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper (or to taste)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 egg
• ---
• For the Mango Salsa:
• 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1/4 cup chopped red pepper
• 1 tablepoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• Salt and pepper taste

Preparation:

1. Make mango salsa: Stir together the chopped mango, chopped onion, lime juice, chopped pepper, vinegar, sugar, vegetable oil, cilantro, curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
   
2. Mix 1/3 cup flour, coconut, cumin, curry powder, salt and pepper together on a plate.
   
3. In shallow bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Place the remaining 1/3 cup flour on a second plate.
   
4. Dredge the fillets first in the plain flour (shaking off excess), then in the egg mixture, and finely in the coconut mixture to coat both sides.
   
5. Heat the olive oil and butter over medium high heat, then sauté the fillets until browned on both sides and cooked though on the inside, about 2-3 minutes per side.
   
6. Serve fillets warm with rice and mango salsa.