Moroccan Sweet Potato Stew

This is a great recipe, perfect for a cold fall evening. I definitely consider this healthy comfort food. I used broth to cook my cous cous instead of water and it made a huge difference. Mmmmmm! I love sweet potatoes, but I think the chickpeas are the "meat" of this dish and will probably double the amount next time. This is a Good Housekeeping recipe.

Moroccan Sweet Potato Stew
2 t. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1.5 t. cumin
1.5 t. curry powder
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chicken broth (or vegetable to make this vegetarian)
1 c. chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
2 small zucchini's cut into chunks

Whole grain couscous prepared as packaging recommends.

In large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until begins to brown. Stir in garlic and spices. Cook 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients except for zucchini. Cover and heat to boiling on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Cover, cook for 10 minutes. Add zucchini and cook for additional 10 minutes. Serve over cous cous and garnish with mint if desired.

Good granola bars

I've been trying unsuccessfully to find the perfect granola bar recipe. They usually end up too bland or too dry. This is a fabulous, healthy recipe that would be easy to modify to suit your changing tastes. You could easily switch the type of nut, add chocolate chips, use a different type of dried fruit or even use ground flax seed in place of the wheat germ. This is a recipe that I will keep handy and use often.

Good Granola Bars

2½ cups rolled oats (old-fashioned or instant)
1 cup shredded coconut (I used unsweetened)

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds (I omitted these)
1/2 cup wheat germ (I used dry hot oat bran cereal)
1/2 cup slivered almonds (I used chopped pecans)
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 cup raisins (I used golden raisins)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

While your oven is preheating to 300°F, spread the oats, coconut, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, wheat germ and almonds evenly on a 9" x 12" baking sheet. Bake these dry ingredients for 20 minutes, stirring them occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat the butter (or margarine), brown sugar and honey in a small saucepan, allowing the brew to simmer until the oat mixture is ready to come out of the oven. (If you or yours like really crispy granola, bake the dry ingredients an additional few minutes.) As soon as the oat mixture is out, add the raisins, stirring them into the other ingredients.

Now remove the honey from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, then pour the hot liquid over the oat mixture and stir until all the dry ingredients are coated.

Next, press the granola firmly into the bottom of a greased 8" x 8" pan (I used a 9x13) and place it in the still-warm oven to bake (at the same 300°F as before) for 20 minutes. (An 8" x 8" pan makes bars about an inch thick; if you want thinner bars, use a slightly larger pan.) Allow to cool slightly, then cut bars- but do not remove from pan until completely cooled.

Reference: Mother Earth News, Denise Garouette

Curried Coconut Chicken

I'm always looking for the perfect curry recipe. This one was very good. Next time I make it I will probably omit some of the tomato in the hopes of a more "coconutty" flavor. The original recipe is from allrecipes.com
As always, I've made a few changes and the recipe below is how I prepared it. I made this for some friends and everyone liked it! (Or they are good liars)

Curried Coconut Chicken

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast- cubed
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. Olive Oil
2 T. Red curry paste
1/2 onion thinly sliced
2 carrots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (14 oz)can lite coconut milk
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 (14oz) can tomato sauce (will omit next time)
3 T. sugar
1 T. cornstarch
dried, unsweetened coconut

Chop chicken into chunks and salt and pepper. In large skillet over medium high heat, heat oil and curry for 2 minutes. Stir in onion, carrots and garlic. Cook one minute more. Stir in chicken and coat with curry mixture. Cook until chicken is done, approx 10 more minutes.
Add coconut milk, tomatoes and sugar. Stir. Remove approximately 1/3 c. of sauce and mix with cornstarch. Return cornstarch mixture to skillet.
Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Serve with a sprinkling of dried, unsweetened coconut on top and over Basmati rice.

Raw chocolate macaroons

My husband and I have been trying to eat better. This is a great option for a dessert that is not as horrible for you as the typical baked goods we usually eat. I found this recipe on the super cool website Happy Foody. This recipe makes a TON of these delicious little guys. Sara from Happy Foody mentioned that she froze her macaroons because she doesn't have a dehydrator. I froze half of them and am saving the remaining dough (in the freezer) to put into the dehydrator next time. Any way, they are amazing frozen! This is a great recipe. I'll update when I have tried the dehydrated version, but I'm sure they'll be just as wonderful!

Raw chocolate macaroons

3 cups dried, unsweetened coconut flakes
1 1/2 cups cocoa powder (I prefer carob’s milder taste)
1 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut butter or oil
1 T vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir well to combine. You can also use a standing mixer with the paddle attachment.

Using a small ice cream scoop, your hands, or a big tablespoon, spoon rounds of the dough onto dehydrator screens (or a plate/cutting board to freeze). Dehydrate for 12-24 hours at 115 degrees F…until crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Indian Lentil Soup

This is another recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Gillian's Goodies. I love Indian spices and was in the mood for lentils at lunchtime today. This soup is quick to put together and I already had all of the ingredients on hand. The finished product was delicious. This would also be great over rice.

Indian Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
2/3 cup green lentils
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup carrot, diced
3 T. oatmeal
1 tsp. tomato paste
4 cups water or vegetable broth(this was even awesome using water)
Vegetable oil (I used olive)
Juice of 1 lemon
Method:
1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the cumin, coriander, curry powder, and garlic. Stir for 1 minute until the flavours bloom/become fragrant. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Stir in the tomato paste.

2. Add 4 cups water or broth, carrots, lentils, and oatmeal. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft. You can add salt and pepper to taste if desired.(I added the lemon right before the lentils were done)

**Note, the original recipe also called for 1/3 cup diced potato.**

Reference:
This recipe is from "Fresh Mama's: Whole Cooking for Our Whole Families"

Rosemary Focaccia

I think we have a new family favorite! This is yet another delicious recipe from Gillian. The recipe is so very easy and the end result is just like any delicious focaccia you've had in a restaurant. I've made focaccia before and the texture was always off. And, this is by far the easiest yeast bread recipe I've ever used. File this recipe away! It's a keeper :)

Rosemary Focaccia
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
1 clove garlic, minced
4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. finely chopped rosemary
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. salt
1 1/4-ounce package rapid-rise yeast (I used 2T. plus 1 t. yeast)
1 tsp. dried rosemary (crush it a little with a mortar and pestle)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (I used about 3/4 c. colby-jack mix)
1/6 cup mozzarella cheese, freshly grated
1 2/3 cup warm water (it should be about 110 degrees F)

Method:
1. Rub a large bowl with olive oil. Mix 1 1/2 tbsp. of olive oil with the clove of garlic. Cover and let sit. Combine the flour, chopped fresh rosemary, sugar, salt, yeast, and dried rosemary in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, stir in 1 2/3 cup warm water and mix until kneaded (about 2 minutes). The dough will seem wet and sticky.

2. Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until it has doubled in bulk.

3. Line a baking sheet or baking dish (I used a glass lasagna dish) with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray. Stir the cheeses into the dough and transfer the dough onto the baking sheet. Spread to the sides of the sheet/dish with wet fingers. Brush the top of the dough with the olive oil-garlic mixture. If desired, sprinkle with additional (whole) fresh rosemary. Sprinkle with top with salt. Let the dough rise 1 hour more or until it is level with the sides of the pan.

4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top and bottom. Allow the bread to cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack before unmolding and serving.Mine only took 15 minutes, but our oven is on the hot side.

Stats from the original recipe (I used less salt and part-skim mozzarella so mine may be a bit different...)
Per serving: 216 calories; 6 g protein; 4 g total fat (1 g sat. fat); 39 g carbs; 4 mg cholesterol; 929 mg sodium (eek!); 1 g fibre; 3 g sugars.

Reference:
This is based on the Oregano and Asiago Focaccia recipe from the April 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times. I used Baking Illustrated to figure out the ideal water temperature.

Croque Monsieur Ravioli

Warning: This is not for people who can't eat "rich" foods! I found this recipe for Ham and Cheese Ravioli which I was very excited to try. I wasn't sure what kind of sauce to make- so I borrowed the sauce from one of my favorite recipes, Ina Garten's Croque Monsieur.
This recipe is for the true cheese lover.
Below is how I've combined these two recipes and of course, I've made a few of my own changes!

Croque Monsieur Ravioli
Sauce:
2 T. butter
3 T. flour
2 C. Milk (yes, skim will work)
2 C. Gruyere, shredded
1/2 c. Parmesan
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
pinch nutmeg
Additional Parmesan to top

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour all at once using wooden spoon. Cook for 2 minutes. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Turn heat up to Medium and whisk continuously until thickened. Remove from heat and add cheeses, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set aside.

Ravioli:
1 package won ton wrappers
1 egg
2 T. water
2 c. shredded Gruyere
.5 lb. shaved smoked ham, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1 egg
1/4 c. shredded Parmesan

Start boiling water in large pot.
Preheat Broiler.
Whisk together 1 egg and 2 T. water. Set aside. Combine Gruyere, ham, garlic, salt, pepper, egg and Parmesan in bowl. Spoon 1 1/2 t. of mixture onto won ton wrapper. Brush edges of wrapper with egg/water mixture and place another wrapper on top. Seal edge well. Use cookie cutter or glass to cut into round shape. Do not leave square. Once all ravioli are filled gently place in boiling water and cook until they float to the surface. Remove from water using slotted spoon and place in baking dish.
Cover ravioli with croque monsieur sauce. Grate fresh Parmesan over top of dish. Broil until bubbly and some of the cheese has browned.
Serve.