Quick & Easy Whole Grain Pita Chips

I love chips! But they've got to be healthy, and most aren't, right?

Usually 6 chips = 6 gr. fat but these are 16 chips = 1 gr. fat, and lots of whole grain fiber.

Just buy a package of whole grain pita pockets, cut them in triangles and then split them apart. Spray with oil, then salt or sugar and cinnamon and bake at 300 degrees F. for 20 mins.  A great snack with hummus. Store in a paper bag. Enjoy! Pam

Baked Scones

Baked Scones

Richard and I love this recipe. Usually they don't have any icing on them, but I was feeling artistic today. These are a nice change from cookies or cake and more filling I think. They were a great seller at the Farmers' Market a few years ago.

** For delicious Carrot Cake Scones, add 1 tsp. cinnamon & 1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots to the recipe below.

2 1/2 C. hard white whole wheat flour
1/2 T. dough enhancer (optional)
1 T. baking powder
1/4 C. white sugar
1/8 t. salt
5 T. cold, hard butter (Smart Balance works well)
1/2 C. raisins or diced apples, etc.
3/4  C. milk (cow or soy)
1/4 C. plain yoghurt
1 egg (for glaze - optional)
1 T. milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut in
butter using two knives or a pastry blender or rubbing between your fingers until it is in pea sized lumps. Stir in the raisins.

Mix together milk and yoghurt in a measuring cup. Pour all at once into the dry ingredients, and stir gently until well blended. Overworking the dough results in terrible scones!

With floured hands and counter, pat scone dough into 2 discs about 2 inches thick and 6 in. in diameter and cut each disc into 6 triangles.

Place onto a parchment lined or greased baking sheet. Place them about 2 inches apart. Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush the tops of the scones gently with the egg wash. Let them rest for about 5 minutes.

Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the tops are golden brown. Options for decorating are: drizzle icing like lattice, break each scone apart, or slice in half and serve with
butter or clotted cream or a selection of jams - or even plain.
To freeze extras, wrap individually in saran wrap and then into a ziploc freezer bag.

Crepes

Crepes
What a fun, easy and fancy dessert to eat in minutes. I love having extras in the frig for a quick treat! Pam

1 1/2 c hard white wheat flour
1/8 t. salt
5 eggs (we use 2 whole eggs and 4 egg whites)
2 c milk (soy works well)
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c butter melted (Smart Balance is good)
1 t. vanilla

Combine all ingredients and mix well with a blender or whisk.
Heat a large skillet to medium (I use a 12" for large crepes), lightly grease, pour about 1/4 cup in the middle, depending on size of pan and spread thinly with a spatula or a crepe stick. Do this quickly as it will begin to cook immediately and can be hard to spread otherwise. The crepes can be very thin as the egg mixture is very strong. Cook about 1 min. on each side.
Filling: endless ideas! We enjoy plain Greek yoghurt with strawberries and on the top, light whipped cream drizzled with Hershey's chocolate syrup. YUM!
These crepes are also yummy all by themselves. Cook a little longer until crisp and they're similar to some European cookies.

Carrot Veggie Marinade

Carrot Veggie Marinade from Pam
(This is great to sprinkle on a salad or into sandwiches or eat alone. Prepare the night before)

2 lbs. sliced carrots
2 sliced onions
1 sliced green, red or yellow pepper
1 cup celery
1 can tomato soup
3/4 c. vinegar
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 tsp. worstershire sauce
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt

Steam veggies about 6 mins. Combine remaining ingredients and cook in saucepan about 8 mins. Marinate veggies in sauce overnight. Eat cold or warm.

Brazilian Limonade

Brazilian Limonade
(This is such a refreshing & healthy drink I'm going to keep a pitcher of it in the frig all summer!)

2 limes
1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk
5 cups water

Wash limes, cut ends off, quarter and cut out the white stuff in the middle. Do not take the skin off! Put the limes, milk and 5 cups of water in blender. Blend but don't blend too much or it'll get a tart taste. Strain the juice into a jar. You may add sugar to your liking, although I like it without any extra sugar.

Optional: put 1 cup juice back in the blender with 5 ice cubes for a more cool, refreshing and slushy drink.

Tasty Tortilla Chips

Tasty Tortilla Chips

from Pam

Place fresh corn tortillas on the oven rack in 300 degree F oven. Bake for 25 mins. then sprinkle sparingly fresh grated parmesan or pizza blend cheese on top. Bake another 5 mins. and remove.

New Orleans Beans

New Orleans Beans from Pam

Believe it or not, we eat beans almost every day. Each week

it's a new pot of some kind or other. Here's a new taste we really enjoyed this week out of a Whole Foods booklet.

(small red beans are a version of the kidney bean. In New Orleans, served over rice on Mondays to rebalance those who enjoyed the weekend too much.)

Combine 4 cups cooked beans with:

4 T. soy sauce or Bragss Liquid Aminos

2 tsp. basil

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. oregano

dash of cayenne (optional)

2 minced garlic cloves

Simmer 10 mins.

Add 4 chopped tomatoes (or canned)

2 T. olive oil

Simmer another min and serve with cooked brown rice. (we had whole wheat ciabatta instead) YUM!

Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint Cookies

(Makes 3 dozen)

These are so tasty. The dough isn't very sweet so the jam is a nice compliment. We had fun with lingonberry jam, strawberry preserves and cinnamon chips! Pam

Ingredients

1 cup Smart Balance or butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cup hard white wheat flour OR 2 cups wheat & 1 cup ground oatmeal

3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

fruit jam

3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.

Separate egg, reserving egg white. Cream butter or margarine, sugar, and egg yolk.

Add vanilla, flour and salt, mixing well. Set dough in freezer for 10 mins.

Shape dough into balls. Roll in egg white, then walnuts. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 minutes.

Remove cookies from oven. With thumb, dent each cookie. Put jelly or preserves in each thumbprint. Bake for another 9-10 minutes. YUM!

Tortellini Soup

From: Rochelle

This was one of my FAVORITE soups growing up. . . which actually surprises me now because it is loaded with veggies! It is a broth base, loaded with lots of yummy vegetables, is flavorful, and my favorite. . . has tortellini in it! This is a great winter-time soup that is tasty and will also help with those new year's resolutions!

Tortellini Soup 

Ingredients:

2 Cans	Chicken Broth
1	Med Red Pepper- cut in long sticks
1	Large carrot- chopped
1	Stalk of celery- chopped
1	Stalk of broccoli- chopped
1/4 lb	Spinach- cut into long strands (I sometimes just use frozen spinach)
1	Small onion-chopped
2 t	Olive Oil
1 2/3 C	Water
1/2 t	Basil
1/4 t	Salt & Pepper
1	Bay Leaf
1 pkg (9 oz)	Cheese Tortellini (found in the freezer section)

Sauté onion till tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth, water, and all vegetables except broccoli and spinach. Boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Add noodles and broccoli, simmer for 8 minutes. Add spinach and remove bay leaf. Serve.

Yield: 4 servings

Pumpkin Gingerbread Baked Doughnuts

From: Rochelle

A while back, Austin's mom gave us a doughnut pan. I have seen baked doughnut recipes floating all over Pintrest and foodgawker and I wanted to give one a try. You should know me by now. . .anything pumpkin is ALWAYS good in my book! We actually made these for our family for Christmas and think they are SUPER tasty! They are moist, flavorful, and they are baked! Great healthy version for when that doughnut craving hits!  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Gingerbread Baked Doughnuts

Batter:

1 C	Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 tsp	Baking Powder
1/4 tsp	Baking Soda
1 tsp	Cinnamon
1/2 tsp	Ginger
Pinch	Allspice
Pinch	Cloves
1/4 tsp	Salt
1/4 C	Brown Sugar
1	Egg
1/4 C	Pumpkin Puree
2 Tbsp	Maple Syrup
2 Tbsp	Milk
2 Tbsp	Butter- room temperature

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease your doughnut pan.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, salt, and brown sugar together.
3. Add the egg,  pumpkin, maple syrup, milk, and butter. Mix well and spoon into a quart sized zip-lock bag. Cut off a tip of the bag. Fill each "doughnut" mold with the batter. You should get about 6 large doughnuts.
4. Bake about 7-8 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. As soon as the doughnuts are cool, use a knife to cut carefully loosen each doughnut and place on a cooling rack.

Optional Glaze:

1/4 C	Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp	Milk
2 Tbsp	Butter
1/2 C	Powdered Sugar

1. Melt the butter and brown sugar in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Allow it to come to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Careful not to let it burn!
2. Add the milk and bring to a boil again. Add the powdered sugar. If you want it thicker, add more powdered sugar. If you want it thinner, add more milk.
3. Turn the heat on low and carefully dip the top halves of the doughnuts. If you keep it over low heat, the glaze won't harden on you. Let the doughnuts cool.

Dig in and enjoy!!

Yield: 6 large doughnuts.