Tostones (fried plantains)

Use the greenest (molted yellow is fine) plantains you can find. You can use the ripe ones(dark yellow of black), but these will be sweeter (still delicious though!).

Peel and Slice in 1/2 inch to 1 inch slices. Boil or fry in oil until soft enough to mash. Using the back of a glass (oiled), squish plantain slices. Fry each one in hot olive oil until crispy on the outside and tender in the middle. Top with a healthy shaking of salt! If you use the sweet ones, you can still top with salt or experiment with sugar and eating it as a dessert.

Serve immediately.

Black Beans and Rice

Sautee up some garlic, onions, and veggies like peppers and zucchini. Add a can or two of GOYA black beans, lots of cumin, chili powder, a little salt. Cook until veggies are tender. Serve over basmati rice, and top with avocado slices and fresh cilantro.

For a treat, serve with fried plantains.

Roasted Red Pepper Tofu pasta

Broil 2 big red peppers. You want to blacken each side, so turn it every 4 minutes until all 4 sides are blackened. Put them in a paper bag or airtight container for a few minutes, then peel and seed them.

Toast 1/4 cup of almonds, then cuisinart them until they turn to dust. Add some garlic and puree with the nuts. Add 1/4 block of tofu (the softer the better) and cuisinart that. Add peppers, some paprika and a little cayenne, and puree. Leave out the cayenne if you are using hot paprika. Then while the cuisinart is going, add 3 T olive oil and 2 T balsamic.

Serve with farfalle pasta tossed with 1 cup of peas and a big handful of baby arugula leaves.

Chana Masala

Your wet masala consists of turmeric, chili, coriander, garlic, fresh ginger, very finely chopped onion, and enough water to make it slushy.

Throw on oil on skillet with cumin seeds and a chili (dried or 1/2 of a fresh). Once the seeds start popping, add a couple tsp of gram flour (chick pea flour. Then throw in the wet masala. After a short bit add one big pureed tomato (or four pureed roma tomatoes) and a can of chickpeas.
Cook until the tomatoes cook down into a nice gravy.

Stir in a tremendous scoop of garam masala.

Serve over rice or with naan, with a slice of lemon and cilantro.

Oatmeal, Chocolate, Cranberry, Pecan Cookies

Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Cookies

2 cups oats
1 ¼ cup flour (can change the balance and do 2 cups flour and 1 ¼ oats but I like more oats)
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt

2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 stick butter
½ cup peanut or almond butter
2 tsp vanilla

1cup craisins
1cup pecans
1cup chocolate chips

350 for 11-14 minutes

It is very important to whip the eggs, butter/nutbuuter, and sugar together until smooth before adding the dry ingredients. Otherwise the dough will be too dry. This is especially true if your nut butter is dry/crumbly.

This recipe works great if you half it, and then you can fit it on one cookie sheet and eat them all in one night!

You can increase the amount of nutbutter and decrease the butter if you want. The dough might be a little more dry (see first note above) and the cookies a little crumblier, but they will be just as delicious and healthier!

If it's just too dry you can add a splash of milk or cream.

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

1 ½ c oats
1 ¼ c whole wheat pastry
¾ t cinnamon
1 t powder
¾ t soda
1 c applesauce
½ c skimmilk or 1 mashed banana or buttermilk
½ c brown sugar
3 T oil
1 egg white
Dried cranberries or raisins!!!

Combine dry and wet separately. Combine, 400degrees
20-22minutes

Optional topping: ¼ c oats, 1 T brown sugar, cinnamon and 1 T butter)

Lemon Asparagus Pasta

Saute a shallot, some garlic, a whole lemon's worth of lemon zest (the zest doesn't need to cook long). Add a half cup white wine along with the juice of that lemon, and cook down. Add olive paste and turn off the heat.

Meanwhile, cook your pasta, and add a bunch of asparagus (cut into thirds) and a shredded carrot (use a peeler) into the pasta water 4 minutes before the pasta is done.

Drain and throw it all together with chopped parsley, grated parmesan, and crushed red pepper flakes. Mmmm!

Curried Butternut Squash Lentil Soup

From Cafe Brenda

Saute 1 onion, 6 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup grated ginger. Add 1 1/2 T curry powder. Add 5 1/2 cups butternut squash or sweet potato, 1 cup chopped carrots, 1 cup diced red pepper. Saute 5 minutes

Add 2 cups red lentils, 8 cups stock, 14 oz coconut milk.

Cook till squash and lentils are done (25-45 minutes)

Add lime juice and serve with cilantro sprinkled on top.

Butternut Squash Risotto

Roast 1 butternut squash, in bite size chunks (about 45 minutes at 400)

Meanwhile saute other veggies in olive oil(red pepper and baby spinach make a nice combo). Also start heating a pan of veggie broth and white wine (start with 32 oz broth and 1 cup wine and add more as needed)

In a tall sauce pan, heat olive oil and saute 1 onion, chopped well. Once the onion is soft, add risotto. Stir around for a minute, then slowly start ladling in your hot broth/wine. KEEP STIRRING. You should be stirring constantly and add new broth only as the last ladleful as been absorbed.

When risotto is done, add parmesan (about 1 cup parmesan for every cup of dried risotto), veggies, and squash.

Put in serving dish and top with more parmesan.

Hazelnut Eggplant Sauce with Fettucine

Roast 4 little eggplants or 1 large eggplant at 400 for about an hour, until completely limp and collapsing. If you are short on time, cut the eggplant in half and microwave 4-7 minutes (depending on the size), turning the eggplant over half way. Then stick it in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Scrape out flesh and blend with:

2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts
4 T olive oil
1 t salt

Stir in
1/2 cup fresh basil
1 pinch red pepper flakes

Put over fettucine and sprinkle with feta and/or parmesan.

Tandoori Salmon

Preheat oven to 500

Combine:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 t grated gingerroot
Indian spices and paprika

Put in a plastic bag and add four 4 oz salmon filets. Mix around to coat fish. Chill in fridge 20 minutes.

Oil a broiler pan and roast about 12 minutes

Roasted Cumin Carrots

Heat oven to 400
On a baking sheet, combine:

1 1/2 lbs thin carrots, quatered lengthwise,
2 T olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Roast 25 minutes or until carrots are tender

Meanwhile in a bowl combine:
1 orange, segmented with as much pith removed as possible
1/4 t cumin
2 scallions, chopped
1 T olive oil

When carrots are done, place in serving dish and spoon orange mixture over top.

Hummus

This is approximate (I never measure)

2 cups canned bonzos, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of one big lemon or more to taste
1-2 clove garlic
salt and cumin as desired

Cuisinart the beans, garlic, lemon, and tahini while pouring in a steady stream of olive oil as it blends until desired consistency is reached.

For a more elaborate Hummus, try this Greek recipe

• 2 1/2 cups of canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of tahini
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/3 cup of water
• parsley and olive oil to garnish

Edamame Hummus

1 1/2 cup edamame
4 tsp olive oil
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t coriander
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup Italian Parsley
3 T water
3 T tahini
3 T lemon juice

Cuisinart all of the above and then sprinkle on top
1/2 tsp paprika

Pumpkin Maple Cake

(Note, this recipe is meant to be made with sweet potatoes, not pumpkin. It is called "pumpkin" cake simply because it sounds more appealing. Sweet potatoes are just as delicious and healthier!).

Preheat oven to 350. Oil bundt pan.

1 1/2 cups diced sweet potatoes with skin on (so use organic) , steamed.
Blend in Cuisinart.

Then blend in
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups maple syrup
1 1/4 cups sucanat
1 1/2 cups canola oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp vanilla

Meanwhile in another bowl, combine:

3 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry and/or spelt flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves

Pour wet ingredients into dry. Combine with spatula.

Pour into pan and bake 45-50 minutes.

Kik Alicha

cook 2 cup of yellow split peas in 4 cups water(add more later if needed).

Saute 1 small onion for 5 minutes, add 4 cloves garlic, 1 tomato chopped very finely, 1 t tumeric, 1/2 t black pepper, 1/2 t cardamom, 1-2 T freshly minced ginger. cook until garlic and ginger are done. Add 1/4 cup water and generous amount of olive oil, and simmer covered for 3 minutes. Stir into cooked peas. Add 2 t salt. Simmer until peas are very soft.

Injera

For 2 servings:

Combine 1 cup white flour, 1/4 cup Teff or whole wheat flour, 1 3/4 t baking powder, 1/2 t salt and 1 1/2 cup soda water.

Stir until lumps disappear. Cook on crepe pan like you would a crepe (pour batter, swirl pan, wait until all the raw dough is just cooked and remove).

Stack the injera one on top of the other as you cook, covering with a clean cloth to keep them moist.

Yemiser W'et

Cook 1 cup brown lentils
Saute 1 chopped onion and 4 cloves garlic. Add 2 tsp grated ginger, 1/2 t tumeric, 4 cardamom seeds crushed, 2 whole cloves, 1/8 t nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground fenugreek seeds, 1 T fresh basil, 1 tsp cumin, 1 t sweet paprika and 1 t berbere. Mix in 1 cup chopped tomato and 1/2 cup tomato paste, simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add 1 cup water or stock and continue simmering. Mix the cooked lentils into the sauce. You can add 1 cup of green peas at this point if you want.

Serve with Injera

Green Chicken Masala

Cuisinart 2 cups cilantro, 1 cup mint, 1 jalapeno, 4 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 1/2 cup water.

Meanwhile saute 1 onion for 5 minutes. Add about 1 3/4 pounds chicken (best to do a combo of breasts and thighs) and 1 1/2 t tumeric and saute for 7 more minutes. Add 1/2 t cinnamon, 1/2 t cardamom, and 1/8 t cloves, saute 1 minute. Add 1 cup coconut milk and the cilantro sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until sauce is reduced and chicken is done.

Serve with rice.