Trail Mix Cookies or Energy Bars

I've been on the look out for a good, soft, homemade granola bar. These are, by far, the best that I've tried.  
This is the original recipe Trail Mix Cookies.
The recipe below includes the changes that I made to the recipe.

    2 medium sized bananas, mashed
    1/4 cup agave nectar
    1/4 cup molasses
    1/4 cup maple syrup
    1 tablespoon corn starch (I used 1 tablespoon egg replacer)  
    1/4 cup water
    1/2 cup applesauce
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    1 cup whole wheat flour
    1 teaspoon cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon cloves
    3 cups quick oats
    generous handful raisins, craisins, currents, apricots, prunes or chocolate chips
    generous handful walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, almonds, chopped (your choice)
  
Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Mix thoroughly bananas, maple syrup, molasses, agave, applesauce, and vanilla. Combine corn starch and water add to banana mixture.  Stir in remaining ingredients, leaving the oats and fruit/nuts until the end.

2.  Lightly spray cookie sheet with nonstick vegetable spray or line with parchment paper.  Form dough into balls, and flatten and shape into large, round cookies.  Or press dough into a 9x13 pan for bars. 

3. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned.  Cool, and enjoy!

Chocolatey Oat Bars

I made these yesterday for a special treat. This is the original recipe  Aunt Barbs Chocolatey Squares.
The recipe that follows include the changes I made.

    1/2 cup water
    1/4 cup maple syrup
    2 tablespoons peanut butter
    2 tablespoons cocoa powder
    1/4 cup natural coconut,
    1/4 cup almonds pieces
    1/3 cup craisins
    1 1/2 cups whole oats 

1. Heat together water, maple syrup, peanut butter and cocoa powder and stir until combined. 

2. Add coconut, nuts, crasians and oatmeal.  Mix together and pat into an 8x8 pan. 

3. This is great served as a granola bar for an after school snack. For a special treat add chocolate chips to the oat mixture or melt chocolate chips and frost the oat bars. 



 

Quinoa-Stuffed Bell Peppers

I adapted the recipe for Quinoa-Stuffed Poroabello Mushrooms for dinner tonight. I didn't have the mushrooms but I did have lots of colored peppers.
It was amazing!

4 bell peppers (any color)
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth  

4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced 
baby bella mushrooms, diced
1/2 zucchini, diced  
1 carrot, diced
tomatoes, diced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
cilantro


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Place the peppers cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast 20 to 30 minutes, or until tender and skin starts to brown.
Combine the quinoa and the chicken broth and cook according to the package instructions.

While the peppers are roasting and the quinoa is cooking, heat oil (coconut oil, olive oil, or chicken broth) in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, mushrooms, zucchini and carrot until tender. Add garlic, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir in the tomato, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked quinoa and cilantro, stir until combined . Remove from heat and spoon the mixture into the pepper halves. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately. 

Heather's Muddy Buddies

Sometimes I just want something simple with chocolate. So, for Super Bowl Sunday I am going to make Muddy Buddies with some changes.

4 1/2 cups mixed Chex's cereal
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or bar, melted
1/4 cups natural peanut or almond butter
2 T coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
unsweetened coconut

The original recipe calls for powdered sugar to keep the individual Chex's squares separated. I think I will try grinding unsweetened coconut in a food processor and using that in place of the sugar. If it doesn't keep the Chex's separated I will spoon individual servings onto wax paper.

Coconut Curry

2 T curry seasoning or your favorite curry paste
1/2 to 1 onion, sliced thin
3-4 minced garlic cloves
carrots
celery
peppers
mushrooms
zucchini or yellow squash
1 can coconut milk
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 tsp salt 

Add curry, if using powder add some water to make a paste, to a large non-stick skillet.
Saute onions and veggie's for about 10 minutes. Use the veggies you my have on hand and the amount that you need to feed your family. For example, for our family of five I added, 5 carrots, 5 celery stalks, 1 pepper, 1 pkg fresh mushrooms, 1 zucchini. Dice everything quite small.  Add squash and garlic 5 minutes into sauteing. If it begins to stick to the bottom of the pan add a tablespoon of water as needed.Add coconut milk, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and salt. Simmer until the sauce has cooked down and it very thick. Stiring every five minutes
Serve over brown rice or quinoa.

Quinoa-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

I haven't tried this recipe yet but it looks so yummy!
Looking at the recipe, I would most likely leave out the olive oil or only add a Tablespoon and cook the quinoa in chicken broth for added flavor.
I may also add a few more veggies to it as well.

This is a perfect whole grain- and nut-infused entrée for meat-free days. Pack any leftover quinoa mixture for weekday lunches.

Serves 4

4 large portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons grainy mustard
2/3 cup quinoa
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, finely diced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup dried cherries, raisins, or cranberries
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1 cup chopped parsley
Parmesan cheese

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and mustard. Transfer to a large container and place the mushrooms cap side down in the oil mixture. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for 12 minutes, or until water has absorbed.

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Place mushrooms on a baking sheet cap side down and spread any leftover marinade on the stem side. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and carrot and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in cooked quinoa, cherry tomatoes, walnuts, dried fruit, green onions, and salt and pepper to taste; heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley.

Stuff each mushroom cap with quinoa mixture and bake for 10 minutes.

Beaker's Vegetable Barley Stew

This was so good! Very hearty!
These are the things I did differently:

• I didn't use the zucchini but I did saute some baby portabella mushrooms and added them, Amazing!
• I only used 3/4 cup of barley and the stew was perfectly thick. 
• I used chicken broth instead of veggie broth

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/beakers-vegetable-barley-soup/detail.aspx