Everything muffins

These are absolutely delicious!

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup wheat bran
handful of oats (maybe like 1/3 cup?)
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
pinch of salt
2 carrots, grated (if you have a food processor that grates, use it!)
1 apple, diced into very small pieces
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup pecans
1/2 t cinnamon

1 egg
1/2 cup honey
1/4 oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup yogurt

combine, bake at 400 for 17 minutes, plus or minus.

Garlic and Bean Soup

Start by sauteing 12 cloves garlic.

Add 10.5 cups water, 4 carrots, 6 stalks celery, 2 diced onions, and 2 cans of garbanzo beans. Cook until celery is done.

Add juice of 1 lemon, chopped cilantro. Blend well.

There were a few things that we'll do differently next time we make this soup. First off, we substituted 3 cups of stock for water because we had it lying around, which helped.

Better proportions would be 8 cups of water/stock, 5-6 carrots, 3 stalks celery, and two cans of beans. White beans might work better than garbanzos, really. And if you're in a rush, maybe do without the celery entirely, it takes forever to cook.

Spanish/Mexican Rice

In a skillet, brown 2 cups rice (we use brown basmati) along with 1 chopped onion and some garlic in olive oil.

Meanwhile bring 4 cups chicken broth to boil. Add 1 cup diced tomatoes (canned is fine) and a pinch of oregano. Add the rice, simmer covered until rice is done.

Stir in some cilantro leaves and fresh lime juice.

Cardamom Cake

1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and lots of cardamom (preferably freshly ground)

1 1/2 cup applesauce (I only had 1/2 cup so I substituted 3/4 cup yogurt and 1/4 cup canola oil)
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Put in 9x9 pan, sprinkle with cardamom cinnamon sugar (combine cardamom, cinnamon, and sugar in a spice shaker) and bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Spicy Molasses Raisin Muffins

1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup dark molasses (can substitute a little honey to make it sweater)
1+ cup applesauce

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t cardamom
pinch of cloves
3/4 cup raisins

Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes.

Harvard Granola

4 cups whole oats
1 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup walnut pieces
2 T brown sugar

Mix dry, then add a few splashes of olive oil (optional), 1/2 cup of honey/maple syrup diluted with 1/2 cup of water.

Place on a baking sheet and toast at 300 for 10 minutes. Stir around and toast another 10 or more minutes.

Add dried fruit once it cools.

For a crispier granola, cook at 350 for 10-12 minutes, stir, and another 10.

Chicken Cacciatore

For this recipe you need a good sauce. Check out the Petrocelli Pasta Sauce or Caitlyn's lasagna sauce in this blog if you need inspiration. Or for you Norfolk folks, La Bella in Ghent sells a fantastic homemade tomato sauce!

Preheat oven to 375. Make a wet spice sauce with a little water, lots of basil, oregano, salt, pepper, crushed fennel, and garlic. Heat up some olive oil in a skillet on high heat. When it is good and hot, quickly brown 3-4 chicken breasts (whole, don't chop) then remove to a plate. Then quickly brown 2 zucchinis sliced and 1 onion sliced. In an 9x13 pan (a little smaller is fine), pour half your sauce on the bottom, place your veggies and chicken on next, pour over your wet spices, and then top with the rest of your sauce. Cover the pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. While it is still hot, lay some parmesan slices on top for melty cheese goodness.