Linked to: Wordless Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday. And Say “Cheese”.

Pecan-blueberry-honey-cinnamon-oatmeal cookies

Blueberry Pecan Cinnamon Oatmeal Honey Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1  teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup dried blueberries*
1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

3. In large bowl or the bowl of your mixer, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy and smooth. Mix in the honey until smooth.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Add the cinnamon and honey and beat until smooth.

4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in oats, blueberries, and pecans. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown. Cool for 1-2 minutes, and then remove from sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Servings: 4 dozen

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per cookie): 111 calories, 44 calories from fat, 5.1g total fat, 16.4mg cholesterol, 55.1mg sodium, 63.2mg potassium, 15.7g carbohydrates, <1g fiber, 8.6g sugar, 1.6g protein.

* I got dried blueberries at Costco. They’d be good with regular raisins or dried cranberries, too.

They were really, really yummy. They were successful at tasting like my favorite breakfast, too. The only thing they need is a shorter name!

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I got this recipe from A Year of Slowcooking. I made a few changes, though, such as adding garlic and removing the peppers, to suit my family’s taste. And my crockpot isn’t as strong as hers, because after four hours, it still wasn’t even simmering, and the potatoes were still rock hard, so I poured it into a stockpot and cooked it on the stove. I also added some milk, because a chowder, for me, needs to be creamy.

Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
4 small potatoes, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 16-ounce bags of frozen corn
2 quarts of chicken broth
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup skim milk
Bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium-low heat and add the onion and salt. Cook and stir for a minute or two, and add the garlic. Cook for another minute.

2. Stir in the potatoes, carrot, corn, chicken broth, paprika, and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for about 12 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender.

3. Remove from heat and blend with a stick blender. You can go for relatively smooth or somewhat chunky. Stir in the milk.

4. Crumble bacon over the top, and serve.

Servings: 15

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving, and without accounting for optional bacon): 129 calories, 20 calories from fat, 2.2g total fat, <1mg cholesterol, 584.4mg sodium, 492.5mg potassium, 23.2g carbohydrates, 2.9g fiber, 4.1g sugar, 6.1g protein.

I will probably make some changes next time I make this. Even with milk added, it wasn’t nearly as creamy as I’d like. It had a lot of corn flavor, though.

The whole dinner, including whole-wheat cheese drop biscuits and the soup, cost less than $5, and made enough extra to freeze for several lunches. It was a huge pot of soup.

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I love slicing a strawberry or two (or three, or four) into cold cereal for breakfast. Not to mention just munching on some for a snack, or making tasty desserts. When buying strawberries in quantity, though, I found I was having to throw too many out, because they got moldy or mushy. Google is my friend, though, and after reading several different articles about how to store fresh strawberries, I experimented and hit on the best way I’ve found to store strawberries.

Storing Strawberries

First, don’t wash the strawberries before storing.  Don’t hull them, either – just leave leaves and hull intact.  Put a piece of paper towel in your storage container, and then a layer of strawberries. Top with another paper towel, and another row of strawberries, until your container is full (make sure that you leave clearance for the lid). Add another paper towel, and put the lid on the container.

It seems that moisture is the enemy of strawberries, so doing it this way keeps them nice and dry. I’ve had strawberries last well over a week with this method.

Linked to: Works for Me Wednesday

I’m so very happy that I got to see my oldest daughter this past weekend (Hi, oldest daughter!). I’m really hoping she can come home for Thanksgiving.

But on to the recipe!

Ethiopian Lentil Stew (Berberé Stew)

Berberé Stew

Berberé Spice Blend
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp fenugreek
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Stew
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups red lentils
2 1/2 cups water
2 garlic clove, crushed
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

Mix together the spices for the berberé spice blend in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the olive oil and onion in a large saucepan. Crush the garlic cloves, but don’t mince them. Add them to the saucepan and sauté until the onion

becomes translucent. Remove the garlic and discard.

Add the lentils, water, and spice blend. Cook over medium-low heat,until the lentils have softened, about 20 minutes, adding more water if necessary..

Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Servings: 8

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 130 calories, 22 calories from fat, 2.6g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 123.9mg sodium, 244.1mg potassium, 20.2g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, <1g sugar, 7.9g protein.

This freezes really well, and it’s a filling lunch or leftovers. I love it over brown rice.  Together with the Ethiopian Green Beans and Potatoes, it made a super-filling and enormously flavorful meal.

Berberé Lentil Stew and Ethiopian Green Beans and Potatoes

Like the Green Beans and Potatoes, this is my adaptation of a recipe from Fat-Free Vegan Recipes.

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All that flew out the window when I smelled the food. It smelled amazing, so I couldn’t resist having some. I learned two things: that Ethiopian is amazing, and that you don’t turn down rare opportunities for yummy food and camaraderie because you want to lose weight – you fit them in, just like anything else, if you are in it for the long haul.

The Ethiopian restaurant they’d gotten the food at is all the way on the other side of town, so I looked for recipes on the ‘net. I found this one and one for an Ethiopian lentil stew on a site for fat-free vegan cooking (check out that link – they’ve got some great-sounding recipes). I adapted it (I’m not a fat-free kind of gal – more of an all-things-in-moderation kind of gal) just a smidge and this is what I came up with for the Green Beans and Potatoes. I’ll post my version of the lentil stew over the weekend or on Monday.

Ethiopian Green Beans and Potatoes

Ethiopian potatoes and green beans

5 small potatoes, washed and diced
1/2 lb green beans, cut into 2-inch sections
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 15-oz. can stewed tomatoes
1/2 tsp fresh lime juice

1. Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan and add just enough salted water to cover.  Bring to a boil and simmer for about 12 minutes. Add the green beans and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Put the olive oil, onion, garlic, and jalapeño in a large skillet and turn the heat to medium.  Add the turmeric, cumin, and salt and cook for a minute more. Add the drained potatoes and green beans, stewed tomatoes, and lime juice and cook for 7-10 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

Servings: 4

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 266 calories, 65 calories from fat, 7.4g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 563.9mg sodium, 1274.2mg potassium, 47.3g carbohydrates, 8.7g fiber, 8.2g sugar, 6.1g protein.

Even with fat added, this and the lentil stew, along with some brown rice, still made for a low-cal meal. Unless you eat so much, because it’s so very tasty, that you feel like you are going to pop, and you walk around the rest of the night moaning like an old Alka-seltzer commercial, whining about it. Not that I’d know from experience or anything.

This meal, in addition to being delicious and healthy, was also super frugal. Having a meatless dinner is usually less expensive than one with meat, but I also saved a bunch over taking the kids to a restaurant – especially without knowing whether they’d like Ethiopian food at all.

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This week it was peanut butter cookies. My recipe uses some whole wheat flour and cinnamon – just to twist it just barely from the traditional cookies. They still taste amazing dipped in milk, of course. Almond milk for me!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut butter cookies (and milk, of course)

1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup  whole wheat flour
1/2 cup  all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Cream together the peanut butter, butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla one at a time, mixing until smooth after each addition. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture until smooth.

3. Form into 36 tablespoon-sized balls (I used my cookie scoop) and place 2″ apart on a large cookie sheet.  Use a fork to press a criss-cross into the top of the cookies – dip it into sugar to prevent sticking.

4. Bake for 8 to10 minutes. Remove from the oven when the edges are just starting to brown. Let cool on the cookie sheet for one minute, and then move to a cooling rack.

Makes 36 cookies.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per cookies): 106 calories, 55 calories from fat, 6.4g total fat, 12.8mg cholesterol, 63mg sodium, 60.5mg potassium, 10.7g carbohydrates, <1g fiber, 6.5g sugar, 2.5g protein.

Now, everything is healthy in moderation, right? Right – I’m just no good at moderation.

I have had success in the past, though, freezing these right on the cookie sheet after pressing them with the fork, and putting them in a freezer bag after they were frozen. That way, I could pull out as many as I wanted right then and bake them. This time, though, I baked them all. And didn’t eat them in one sitting! Go me!

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Belgian Waffles

Belgian Waffles with Microwaved Spiced Apples

1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup apple sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups skim milk

1. Preheat your waffle iron. Whisk the flours, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Mix together the egg yolks, vanilla, applesauce, oil and milk. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Mix the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring just until mixed. Fold the egg whites into the batter in thirds.

2. Bake the waffles in your waffle iron. In mine, a Chefmaster, I use just over a 1/4 cup of batter per waffle, and I get 8 waffles out of this recipe.

Makes 8 waffles.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per waffle): 203 calories, 70 calories from fat, 7.9g total fat, 80.2mg cholesterol, 318.2mg sodium, 135.1mg potassium, 25.7g carbohydrates, 1.1g fiber, 4.1g sugar, 6.8g protein.

You can freeze the waffles and microwave them to reheat them, too. (If your waffle iron makes the right size and shape, you can even reheat them in the toaster, like store-bought frozen waffles.)

Try them with some macerated strawberries and fresh whipped cream for dessert. Divine!

Here’s my menu plan for this week:

Sunday Boca burgers
Monday Chef’s Salad
Tuesday Ethiopian Lentil Stew and Potatoes with Green beans
Wednesday White chicken chili
Thursday Fend for Yourself Night
Friday Slow Cooker Corn Chowder
Saturday Chicken of some sort

Linked to Menu Plan Monday

This makes healthy, filling meal on a lovely summer night.

Farfalle with Cherry Tomatoes and Capers

Farfalle with Cherry Tomatoes and Capers

2 ounces farfalle pasta
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 shallot, diced
12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon capers, drained
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese shavings

1. Add the pasta to boiling salted water and cook until al dente.

2. While the pasta cooks, smash the garlic and put it in a large frying pan with the oil and crushed red pepper. Heat over medium heat until the garlic is softened, and remove it from the pan and discard. Add the diced shallot to the pan, and cook until the shallot becomes translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are softened. Stir in the capers.

3. Drain the pasta, reserving half a cup of the cooking water. Add the water and pasta to the pan with the tomatoes, Add the parsley and stir. Cook for about a minute.

4. Serve topped with the shaved parmesan.

Servings: 2Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 295 calories, 145 calories from fat, 16.5g total fat, 5.4mg cholesterol, 853mg sodium, 418.5mg potassium, 30.1g carbohydrates, 2.5g fiber, <1g sugar, 8.1g protein.

This made two servings, so I some leftovers to heat up for lunch one day this weekend. It doubles or triples beautifully if you are making it for your whole family. YUM!

Farfalle Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Capers

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