Baked Blueberry & Peach Oatmeal

I wanted to find something new to make for breakfast and I found this recipe in Taste of Home, my favorite recipe site. I really like it and the more fruit the better!
It's easy to prepare the night before, just keep the dry and wet ingredients separate until ready to bake.

Ingredients
3 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 egg whites
1 egg
1-1/4 cups fat free milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 can (15 oz) sliced peaches in juice, drained and chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.
Whisk egg whites, egg, milk, oil and vanilla; add to dry ingredients
and stir until blended. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in peaches and blueberries.

Transfer to an 11-in x 7-in baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with walnuts.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until top is lightly browned.
Serve with additional milk if desired. Yield: 9 servings

Tabouli

From Maria Samona

Once made, tabouli will only keep in the fridge for 2 or 3 days (gets wilted) so, i like to prepare the parsley and store it in a "green bag" (keeps fruits and veggies fresher, longer) and assemble the tabouli salad whenever i want it


washed, chopped curly and flat leaf parsley... (about one bunch's worth)
chopped green onion- about 3-4
wheat bulgar- about 2 Tbs, prepared
1 chopped roma tomato
chopped cucumber (no seeds or juice)- about 2 Tbs


Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt to taste. finish with a little cayenne pepper.

Simple Farro & Bean Stew

1 pound / 16 oz / 453g red beans, soaked for at least 4 hours preferably overnight, then drained
10 cups / 2.5 liters water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
28 ounce / 800g can whole, peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
3 small-med (1/2 pound / 8 oz) new potatoes, chopped
2 stalks celery
2 cups / 13 oz / 370 g pearled farro
1 - 2 cups water or vegetable broth
fine grain sea salt to taste
1/2 head / 9 oz savoy cabbage, chopped
1/2 bunch / 4 oz kale, de-stemmed and chopped

Parmesan and olive oil to serve. Or do what I did with this bowl - whisk together a bit of leftover harissa and some olive oil for a spicier drizzle.

Cook the beans in a large pot or stock pot with the 10 cups / 2 1/2 liters of water. When the beans are cooked, remove a generous scoop of them from the pot, place in a bowl and mash them well. Return to the pot.

In a separate pan, saute the onion in the olive oil over medium-high heat. Just when it begins to color add them to the bean broth. Stir in the tomatoes, carrot, potatoes, celery, and farro. Bring to a boil again, then dial the heat down to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the farro is cooked through, 20 - 30 minutes. Be sure the vegetbles are cooked through as well. If you need to stir in more water or broth do so one cup at a time until the stew is the consistency you like. Taste. You are going to need to salt quite a bit. Start with a teaspoon and go from there until the flavors become bright.

Stir in the cabbage and kale, and cook a few minutes more, until they collapse. Serve topped with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan and a generous drizzle of good olive oil (or alternately harissa oil/feta).

When you go to reheat leftovers you may need to add water to thin the stew out, and then readjust the seasoning.

Serves 12.

101 Cookbooks http://www.101cookbooks.com/

Raspberry-Yogurt Cake

Makes 8 serving – serving size: 1 slice

Yogurt gives this simple cake a wonderful tang and tenderness. Fresh raspberries make it
irresistible. Try it with blueberries, too.

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
½ t baking soda
¼ t salt
½ c granulated sugar
¾ c plain fat-free yogurt
2 T canola oil
1 large egg
2 t vanilla
1 cup fresh raspberries, or frozen unthawed raspberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. coat an 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to mix well. Set aside.

3. Combine the sugar, yogurt, oil, egg, and vanilla in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the sugar mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until a moist batter forms.

4. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top evenly with raspberries. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until the cake is lightly browned and the top springs back when lightly touched in the center. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve the cake from the pan, warm or at room temperature. The cake is best on the day it is made.

5. Calories 167, Calories from Fat 40, Total Fat 4 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 28 mg, Sodium 221 mg, Total Carbohydrate 28 g, Dietary Fiber 1 g, Sugars 15 g, Protein 4 g.

Hummus with Green Goo

This hummus is light, almost billowy, and remains so even after a couple days in the refrigerator.
It's worth noting the green drizzle is great on lots of things, not just hummus. I've been enjoying it over eggs, roasted vegetables, drizzled in crepes, and it goes particularly well with quinoa.

Hummus:
1 pound / 453 g dried chickpeas, soaked in water for at least 4 hours, drained
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup water
scant 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
1/3 cup / 80ml tahini
Green Goo
1/4 cup Italian parsley
1 jalapeño, destemmed
1 large clove garlic
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2/3 cup / 160 ml extra virgin olive oil

In a large pot cover the chickpeas with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the baking soda, and reduce the heat. Simmer, skimming any foam from the surface, until the chickpeas are soft but still structured, roughly an hour. Drain.

Place 4 cups / 1.5 pounds / 650 g of the cooked chickpeas in a food processor. You can set aside any remaining chickpeas and have them as a snack or use them in a stew or soup. To the food processor add the water, lemon juice, and salt. Process for three minutes or until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice along the way. If you like your hummus thinner add more water a small splash at a time. Add the tahini, process one more time. Taste and adjust the seasoning, add more salt or lemon juice if needed. Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl.

To make the "green goo" rinse out the food processor bowl, and use it again, and if you don't have a food processor, you can certainly do a hand-chopped version. Pulse the parsley, jalapeño, garlic, and salt in the food processor. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixture while the processor is running, until an green emulsion is created. Transfer to a jar, taste, and adjust the seasoning.

Drizzle the hummus generously with the green goo. I realize now, I didn't use nearly enough in the photo up above.

Serve with pita chips, crackers, flatbread, or toasted lavash. Makes 4 cups of hummus.

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/hummus-with-green-goo-recipe.html

Fudgy Chocolate Tart

Makes 10 servings – Serving size: 1 slice

For company, shower this tart with curls of dark and white chocolate for a stunning presentation. It’s bursting with chocolate flavor, so your family won’t mind having it plain.

Crust:
1 c all-purpose flour
½ t salt
½ t baking powder
¼ t baking soda
¼ c canola oil
3 T reduced-fat sour cream

Filling:
2 c fat-free milk
1 large egg
2/3 c granular no-calorie sweetener
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa
¼ c granulated sugar
¼ c cornstarch
Pinch of salt
2 t vanilla extract

Make crust
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl and whisk to mix well. Combine the oil and sour cream in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the oil mixture to the flour mixture and stir until a stiff dough forms. Shape the dough into a disk and place between 2 sheets of waxed paper.
3. Roll the dough to a 12-inch diameter circle. Remove the top layer of waxed paper and place the dough, with waxed paper facing up, into the prepared pan. Starting from the edge of the dough, gently remove the waxed paper. Trim the edges of the crust and prick the bottom all over with a fork. Bake 10-12 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned.
4. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Make filling
1. Combine the milk, egg, no-calorie sweetener, cocoa, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and whisk until the cornstarch dissolves. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, about 6 minutes or until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens.
2. Transfer to a medium bowl and cover the surface of the filling with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Cool to room temperature and stir in the vanilla. Spoon into the prepared crust, cover, and refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.

Coconut Red Lentil Soup

See the photo in the main entry if you aren't sure what type of lentils and split peas to buy. For those of you who are curious, I used the Terre Exotique Madras Curry Powder I picked up in Paris - it looks like it is available here now too (I think I've come across it on Amazon's grocery section). Vegans - you can easily make this vegan by using coconut or olive oil in place of the butter called for.

1 cup / 7 oz / 200g yellow split peas
1 cup 7 oz / 200g red split lentils (masoor dal)
7 cups / 1.6 liters water
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons fresh peeled and minced ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons butter or ghee
8 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
1/3 cup / 1.5 oz / 45g golden raisins
1/3 / 80 ml cup tomato paste
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
one small handful cilantro, chopped
cooked brown rice or farro, for serving (optional)

Give the split peas and lentils a good rinse - until they no longer put off murky water. Place them in an extra-large soup pot, cover with the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the carrot and 1/4 of the ginger. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the split peas are soft.

In the meantime, in a small dry skillet or saucepan over low heat, toast the curry powder until it is quite fragrant. Be careful though, you don't want to burn the curry powder, just toast it. Set aside. Place the butter in a pan over medium heat, add half of the green onions, the remaining ginger, and raisins. Saute for two minutes stirring constantly, then add the tomato paste and saute for another minute or two more.

Add the toasted curry powder to the tomato paste mixture, mix well, and then add this to the simmering soup along with the coconut milk and salt. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so. The texture should thicken up, but you can play around with the consistency if you like by adding more water, a bit at a time, if you like. Or simmer longer for a thicker consistency. The thicker this soup got, the more I liked it.

I've been enjoying big ladles of this soup over ~1/2 cup of warm farro - brown rice was good as well. Sprinkle each bowl generously with cilantro and the remaining green onions.

Serves 6.

101 Cookbooks http://www.101cookbooks.com/