Blueberry Muffins

1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk
2 c. fresh/frozen (partially thawed) blueberries

Beat butter until fluffy. Add sugar and mix well. Stir in eggs and vanilla. In separate bowl mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well. Stir in half the milk, then the rest of the flour, and then the remaining milk, mixing just enough to combine. Gently fold in blueberries. Fill 12 greased or lined muffin cups with mixture and bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes (until golden).

Peanut Butter Treats

Tastes like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

1/2 c. butter/hard margarine
1 c. smooth peanut butter
1 c. graham cracker crumbs
2 c. icing sugar
1 c. chocolate chips
3 tbsp. margarine

Heat (on low) butter and peanut butter in saucepan, stirring, until smooth. Add graham cracker crumbs and icing sugar; mix well. Press into ungreased 8x8 pan.

Heat and stir chocolate chips and butter in saucepan on low until smooth (or microwave, stirring every 30 seconds). Spread over top of peanut butter layer and let stand until set.

Quinoa Granola

Another Foodgawker find.

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed and spread out to dry slightly
1/3 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries, or a mixture)

Preheat oven to 300. In a large bowl combine oats, quinoa, almonds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds. Set aside.

Stir together applesauce, cinnamon, vanilla, and honey. Taste and add more honey or cinnamon as needed. Pour over oat mixture and stir to moisten all of the ingredients. Spread the mixture onto a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until granola is golden and crunchy. Remove from oven and stir in dried fruit. Let cool before serving.

*Because of the quinoa, this granola is best for sprinkling on yogurt (or eaten some other way with a spoon) - it's just too fine and crumbly. I prefer to eat granola on it's own without a utensil, so I added close to half a cup of peanut butter and an egg white to the liquid ingredients. This held the dry ingredients together better, yielding more "clusters" vs. crumbs. Also, I discovered eating uncooked quinoa can give you a stomach ache if you don't drink any water with it. So be sure to drink up if you enjoy this granola!

Fast & Easy Pizza Crust

Another great recipe from "The Best of the Best."

3/4 c. warm water
1 tbsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 c. flour (white or whole wheat - both work well)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. yellow cornmeal
1 tbsp. olive oil
cornmeal to sprinkle

Preheat oven to 450F. Lightly oil a 12" pizza pan (or a rectangular cookie sheet for thin crust). In a small bowl, mix warm water, yeast and sugar together. Let sit until yeast activates, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt and cornmeal. Add yeast mixture and olive oil and knead to a smooth dough, about 10 minutes (I only have the patience to knead for 5 minutes, and it still turns out okay). Sprinkle a work surface with cornmeal and roll dough into a 13" circle and place on pizza pan. Crimp edges and add your favourite toppings. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Makes one 12" pizza. (We like our pizza crust a bit crispy, so we bake the crust on it's own for 7-8 minutes first - gives us time to prep our toppings - and then cut down a little on the baking time after the toppings are added).

Fettuccine Primavera

2 chicken breasts, cubed (optional)
2 tbsp margarine (we use olive oil)
1 garlic clove, minced
3+ c. chopped veggies, such as broccoli, cauliflower and carrots
1 c. milk
1 can broccoli & cheddar soup
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
3 c. cooked fettuccine noodles (we use whole wheat spaghettini)

In a large fry pan or wok, stir-fry the chicken, oil and garlic until meat is cooked. Add veggies; continue to stir-fry for several minutes until veggies are tender-crisp. Stir in milk, soup and cheese. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over pasta.

Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad

1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets, blanched
1 medium head of broccoli, cut into florets, blanched
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c. bacon bits
1 c. mayo
1 tsp. mustard

Toss cauliflower, broccoli, onion, cheese and bacon bits in a large salad bowl. Mix mayo and mustard. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Energy Bars

One of the many great recipes I've stumbled upon since discovering foodgawker.com. This was originally posted as a vegan recipe, but not being a vegan I just exchanged a few of the ingredients for what I had on hand. This is my adapted version.

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup raisins (or any other dried fruit)
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp ground flax seed + 6 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flax seeds and water, then set aside. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, then stir in raisins and chocolate chips. In a separate bowl, combine syrup, sugar and peanut butter. Mix until smooth. Combine nut butter mixture with flax seed/water mixture and stir. Add wet to dry ingredients and mix well. The mixture will be dry, but keep stirring. Press mixture into a sprayed 8×8 baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow pan to cool slightly before cutting into bars. (I also added 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts and some wheat germ, as I found the batter to be very moist; it still turned out great - soft & chewy. You could easily increase the flax seed as well).