Brown Cookies

Every Valentines my Grandmother made a version of these and cut them into heart shapes. Yummy, easy, and sweet.

Brown Cookies

1 cup raisins, ground or chopped
1.5 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
4 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon baking soda
4.5 cups flour (all purpose or gluten free)
extra flour for dusting

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix until smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in water until moist but not sticky. Add raisins. Turn out onto floured surface and roll to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into heart shapes (or any shape desired). Place on buttered baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes or till lightly browned.

Daddy's Pancakes

Here's Daddy's yummy version of our favorite breakfast treat.

Daddy's Pancakes

1 cup flour (or 1/3 cup potato starch, 2/3 cup rice flour, 1 tsp xanthan gum)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp vinegar)
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 cup crushed walnuts

Mix all ingredients. Cook in skillet or on griddle over medium heat. Top with syrup or applesauce.

Curry Chicken Marinade

If you like Indian food as much as we do, you'll enjoy this marinade - perfect for baking or for cooking on the grill.

Curry Chicken Marinade

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp each turmeric, crushed coriander, cumin, cardamom, chili powder and curry powder
1 whole clove, crushed
1 clove garlic, crushed

Place 2-3 chicken breasts in a gallon size ziplock bag. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and drizzel over chicken. Seal bag and shake to coat. Let sit several hours or over night. Remove from bag and bake or grill.

Chicken A La King

This is a great creamy, hearty dish for a cold night. Serve over hot rice or buttered toast.

Chicken A La King

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour (all purpose or rice)
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 cups milk
2 cups diced cooked chicken (2 large breasts or 2 60z cans)
1/3 cup chopped green olives with pimentos
1 cup peas (frozen or canned)

Heat butter in medium pan until melted. Sautee onion until tender. Stir in flour until smooth. Add milk and whisk until smooth, heating thickened and bubbly. Stir in chicken, green olives and peas. Heat through and serve over rice or buttered toast.

Butternut Squash Soup 2

Here's another slightly different version of one of my favorite soups. The curry powder gives it a hearty feel and it's a very creamy soup.

Butternut Curry Soup

1 tbsp butter or oil
5 green onions or 1 small onion, chopped
2 medium butternut squashes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
dash pepper
2 cups veggie or chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 cup cream or milk
1.5 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp cilantro

In stock pot sautee onion and squash in butter or oil until tender. Add pepper, broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook 20 minutes. With immersion blender, mix until smooth (or blend by batches in regular blender). Add cream or milk, curry powder and cilantro and stir well.

Lentil Loaf

I was a vegetarian for 10 years and since we preferred to avoid heavily processed soy, we had to look beyond 'fake meat' for good meat substitutes. I missed eating meatloaf, so we would make a loaf using lentils and nuts instead. I've since discovered that just like meatloaf, it's a great way to hide veggies for the kids. My 3 year old just heard the word 'loaf' and gobbled down 2 helpings. He didn't even seem to notice that it wasn't meat. So here's the recipe:

Lentil Loaf

4 cups water
1 cup lentils
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped*
1 carrot, grated*
1/4 cup spinach, shredded*
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
5 slices whole grain (or gluten free) bread, crumbled**
2 eggs (or egg substitute)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp savory
1/4 tsp marjoram
salt and pepper to taste

Boil lentils in water for 45 minutes. Drain well (I recommend leaving them in the sink for several hours). Transfer lentils to large bowl and mash well. Add remaining ingredients and mash until well mixed. Spoon into well greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

* Substitute any veggies you like as long as you wind up with about 1/5-2 cups (including onion). I often use green pepper instead of celery.
** Start with one slice bread and add until reaching desired consistency.