Black Bean Chili - crock pot method

• "Fantastic Black Bean Chili" (see allrecipes.com #23336)
• The original recipe does it over the stove, putting oil in large skillet and cooking onions and garlic til soft, then adding ground turkey til cooked, then other ingredients (see the end of the post for these instructions). I chose to do it in the crock pot, with no meat. I used some black beans I had cooked and frozen a few months ago, added some chunky homemade speghetti sauce with additional spices - chili pwd and basil. Then I added a little more water, without the 1T oil and vinegar. Placed in the crock pot on low til the house smelled really great (4 hours).  I wanted to add some hidden cooked veggies, so I blended 1 c. cooked carrots and 1 can green beans in the blender and added them too.  
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced (or 1 T dried onion, chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 T granulated garlic)
• 1 pound ground turkey (opt)
• 3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, undrained

• 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Original directions: after cooking onions, garlic and meat, stir in beans, tomatoes, chili powder, oregano, basil and vinegar. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 60 minutes or more, until flavors are well blended.

Apple Cinnamon Snack Mix

Apple Pie Chex™ Mix

Ingredients

• 3 cups Cinnamon Chex™ cereal (or Cinnamon Toast Cruch)
• 3 cups Rice Chex™ cereal
• 1 cup walnut pieces (opt.)
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups dried or freeze-dried apples, coarsely chopped if necessary
• 1 cup white vanilla baking chips (6 oz) (these two are opt.)
• 1 teaspoon shortening

Steps

1. In large microwavable bowl, mix cereals and walnuts.
2. In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave butter on High 30 seconds or until melted. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg uncovered for about 1 minute, until smooth and bubbly. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated.
3. Microwave uncovered on High 4 minutes, stirring after each minute. Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool. Sprinkle apples evenly over cereal mixture.
4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave white vanilla baking chips and shortening uncovered on High about 1 minute or until chips can be stirred smooth. Drizzle over cereal mixture; let stand until set. Break into bite-size pieces. Store in airtight container.

[Note: I thought the mix was sweet enough. Drizzle not needed for my version.]

Tips

• Recipe/Ingredient Facts: Freeze-drying is another method of dehydrating. Freeze-dried apples will be crispier and lighter because they contain less moisture than regular dried apples.
• Techniques: For easy drizzling, spoon the melted white vanilla baking chips into a small food-storage bag. Snip off one tiny bottom corner and squeeze the melted chips over the cereal mixture.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: Calories 190 (Calories from Fat 70); Total Fat 8g (Saturated Fat 4g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 115mg; Total Carbohydrate 27g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 17g); Protein 2g
• % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 6%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 6%; Iron 15%
• Exchanges: 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 0 High-Fat Meat; 2 Carbohydrate Choice
• MyPyramid Servings: 1 tsp Fats & Oils; 0 oz-eq Grains; 0 oz-eq Meat & Beans
  *% Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Makes: 24 servings

Gingersnap Muffins

Gingersnap Muffins

1 3/4 c Whole wheat flour           2 T brown sugar

   1 1/2 tsp cinnamon                    1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp each: ginger, cloves, salt                          

(alt flours: 3/4 c whole wheat flour & 1/2 c oat flour).

1- Stir together and set aside                           

         2- Mix 2 c. bran flakes (or 1 1/4 c. 100% bran cereal) and 1 1/4 c. milk.
             Let stand for 2 minutes.        
         3- Then add 1/4 c. molasses, 1 lg egg, 3 T olive oil. Combine and mix well.

4- Add to cereal mixture
5- Pour wet into dry mixes and stir until moistened

6- Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 400 F for 18-20 min.
If using muffin cup holders, allow muffins to cool down before taking them out of their holders.
Makes 12 medium sized muffins.

Egg in a Hole

Egg in a Hole

• 1 1/2 teaspoons margarine or butter
• 1 slice bread

• 1 egg
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 
  
• 
  

1. Melt the margarine or butter in a non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat
2. Cut a 1 1/2 to 2-inch hole from the center of the bread slice; lay in the hot skillet. When the side facing down is lightly toasted, about 2 minutes, flip and crack the egg into the hole; season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook until the egg is cooked and mostly firm. Flip again and cook 1 minute more to assure doneness on both sides. Serve immediately.

 (taken from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/187850/egg-in-a-hole/ )

Old Fashioned goodness: Mormon Muffins

Deep Dish Cookie Pie with Garbanzo Beans (sugar free version too)

Deep Dish Cookie Pie (see alt recipe below)

·         2 cans white beans or garbanzos (drained and rinsed) (500g total, once drained)

·         1 cup quick oats (or certified-gf quick oats)

·         1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

·         3 tbsp oil (canola, veg, or coconut)

·         2 tsp pure vanilla extract

·         1/2 tsp baking soda

·         2 tsp baking powder

·         1/2 tsp salt

·         1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar (click for a Sugar-Free Deep Dish Cookie Pie)

·         1 cup chocolate chips

Blend everything (except the chips) very well in a good food processor (not a blender). Mix in chips, and pour into an oiled pan (I used a 10-inch springform pan, but you can use a smaller pan if you want a really deep-dish pie.) Cook at 350F for around 35-40 minutes. Let stand at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan. (Some commenters have had success with a blender, but I did not. Try that at your own risk, and know the results will be better in a high-quality food processor such as a Cuisinart.)

I haven’t calculated the calories for this recipe, but a few of the commenters did. According to their calculations, the pie will have around 200 calories per slice, as opposed to 700 in a slice of traditional deep-dish cookie pie.

Read more at http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/31/deep-dish-cookie-pie/#JARmGx4Zf6qh8AWs.99

Thanks MK!

I have tweaked this recipe to make it work for my new way of eating:
I added 1/2 c. oat flour, 1/2 c tapioca flour, and used Olive oil.
The 2 cans of beans are the same as 4 c. (if you're making the beans from scratch).
Use 1 T monk fruit (liquid sweetener), 1 c. Stevia instead of the brown sugar
I didn't use chocolate chips (you can use Stevia sweetened ones).

For cookies: drop by large Tablespoon onto greased (I use coconut oil spray) cookie sheet. Bake for 18-20 min at 350 F. I found that the cookie pie was too gooey.