Beets You Can Eat!!

Beets are a powerhouse of nutrition!  But, I never could get past the taste of them until I tried this recipe!  They were actually GOOD!!

Roasted Beet Medley with Balsamic Glaze

5 small beets (red, golden or white)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 T packed brown sugar (I added 2 for good measure)
salt and pepper
2T Fresh herbs (chopped basil, dill, thyme, tarragon or chives)
or 2 tsp dried herbs

Heat oven to 400.  Trim greens and roots from beets, leaving 1 inch of both intact. Wrap tightly in foil and place on baking sheet.
Bake 50-60 minutes or until tender.  Let stand until cool enough to handle.
Bring vinegar, brown sugar, salt and pepper to a gentle boil in small saucepan.  Simmer 5 minutes. 
Remove beet skins, trim and discard roots.  Cut into thin slices and arrange on platter.  Drizzle with balsamic glaze and sprinkle with herbs.

Quick & Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who doesn't love a batch of warm chocolate chip cookies? But making a homemade batch can be time consuming and extensive. Here is a quick and easy recipe for a small batch of cookies that can be made up in just a few minutes.


1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees if making cookie bars – 375 degrees if making cookies.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the melted butter, sugar, and molasses.
Add the egg and vanilla, mix well.
Add the whole wheat flour, baking soda, and salt, mix well.
Mix in the chocolate chips.

For cookie Bars: Spread in a greased 9×13-inch glass baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.

For cookies: Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

White Bean Soup

White Bean Soup with Kale and Sausage


32 oz cooked white beans (navy or cannellini work well)
1 large head kale or mustard greens
1/2 lb Italian sausage (hot or mild), casings removed
1 shallot, finely chopped 1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 T olive oil (or bacon grease, if you have that lying around)
Water or stock

1. In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, brown the sausage in the oil. When the sausage is nearly cooked through, add the celery and shallot, stirring to coat with the oil. Add a pinch of salt and sweat the vegetables until they are crisp-tender.
2. Add beans, kale, and water (if you reserve the cooking liquid from your beans, through that in, too) to cover, about 2 quarts.
3. Simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

From Cottage Industrialist

Baked Apple Donuts

A change my family is making towards better eating is to use fresh ground wheat.  This is a new experience for us, but there are many recipes out there to help along! Here is one I found from Graham Family Ministries. 

OVEN BAKED APPLE DONUTS


3 cups flour (I use hard white wheat freshly ground)
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup olive oil
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups cored and finely diced apples

Topping:
½ cup butter, melted
1 ½ cups sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 12-cup muffin tins   In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a small bowl combine oil, eggs, milk, and apples. Add to flour mixture and mix just until everything is moistened and mixed up.
Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling about 3/4ths full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Topping:

While muffins are baking, prepare topping. Melt butter. Then combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. When muffins are done baking, dip in melted butter, then in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place on a serving tray to serve. Yummy!

Yield: 24 muffins

Mini Pecan Pies

These little pies are cute, delicious and full of big flavor!!  They are perfect to snack on or to take to a fellowship.

1 3 oz cream cheese
3/4 stick butter
1/4 stick butter
3/4 c brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup pecans

Mix cream cheese with 3/4 stick butter and flour.  Spoon in greased mini muffin tins and shape into crust.  

Mix 1/4 cup butter with brown sugar, egg and nuts.  Fill muffin cups 1/2 to 3/4 way full. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until browned.

Crunchy Fruit Cobbler

I like a cobbler with a crunchy top! Most basic cobbler recipes just don't give the crunch texture that I love. A friend passed this one along to me and I have made it twice now, once with fresh pears and once with a can of peaches. Both turned out fantastic!

4 c fruit
1 cup sugar
1 cup self rising flour
1 egg
3T sugar
3T water

Pour fruit in 9 inch pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup sugar. Beat egg. Mix sugar and flour together. Place in bowl with egg. Mix using fork or pastry cutter until coarse in texture. Sprinkle on top of fruit. Then sprinkle 3 tablespoons of sugar and 3 tablespoons of water over top and dot with butter. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Easy Pineapple Coconut Cake

Easy Pineapple/Coconut Cake


1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 (2 layer) yellow cake mix
1pkg. (4 servings) lemon instant pudding
2 cups whipped topping
1/2 cup flake coconut, toasted
1/2 cup chopped pecans or nuts

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Mix cake batter according to package directions, but substitute 1 cup pineapple juice for 1 cup of water called for in the cake batter. Pour into a 15x10x1 inch greased baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool.
Mix milk and pudding, beating 2 minutes with a wire whisk. Stir in pineapple. Spread over cake, cover with whipped topping and sprinkle with coconut and nuts. Store in refrigerator.