Into a 350 degree oven, place 2 Morningstar veggie burgers.  Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove, and let cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients below.

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Saute the following in a large saucepan:

1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
2 Stalks Celery – diced
1/2 Large Yellow Onion – diced
2 Large Cloves Garlic – diced
1  Red Bell Pepper - diced

After the above veges are softened (but not mushy) add the following:

24 oz. of canned crushed tomato
(use any brand you like)
1 Can Corn (any brand) drain off the water
1 box of Creamed Pearl Onions
(I use Birdseye)
6 cups water
1/4 cup Timari
Add the chopped veggie burgers you cooked earlier.

How to tell if the food you’re buying is genetically modified (GMO).

Excerpted from www.kipnews.org

We have adopted a healthy lifestyle for our diet, but virtually everyone I know LOVES pasta.  So I recently decided that I would make Sunday evening our Pasta Night.  But I don’t want to have the “white flour” version.

This dish was inspired by a recipe I saw by a well known T.V. Chef.  There was way too much cheese, and “white” pasta used, so I decided to amend it.  What I created was easy, quick, nutritious and beautiful to look at.

It still had the wonderful “mouth-feel” of a full fat version, but way less cheese.  I did not add cheese to the sauce.  I simply grated about 1 tablespoon over the top before serving.  Pine Nuts were also used sparingly.

MY HUSBAND LOVED LOVED this dish.

Spinach Pesto over Pasta

An absolutely scrumptious
One Dish delight

Serves 2 generously ~ or 4 as a side dish

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INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 Package of Whole Wheat Spaghetti or Angel Hair Pasta (Cooked) *
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  SAUCE:

• 8 cups baby spinach (I filled my Vita-Mix blender to the top)
• 6 cloves garlic (you can use less if you’re not a fan of garlic)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 avocado
  ..
  Prepare the sauce by adding the above ingredients into a blender and whirling them together until blended into a smooth sauce.  I used a Vita-Mix blender (filled it to the top with the baby spinach) and blended until the sauce was steaming hot in the blender.If you don’t have a Vita-Mix or Blend-Tec, make the sauce and heat it gently in the microwave or saucepan.When the sauce is finished warming, pour it over the cooked pasta and top with the Ingredients below.  Note:  Mix in the tofu (or your protein choice) before topping with the other ingredients.

TOPPING
6 oz. Tofu (extra firm) chopped in about 1/4″ cubes.  If you don’t like tofu, use chicken or fish.

* 2 teaspoons pine nuts  (you can substitute walnuts* or cashews)
1 PLUM Tomato (chopped)
2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese (or hard cheese of our choice)
Salt/Pepper to taste

TIPS for success.

* Cook the pasta in water seasoned with 2 Tbspns salt and 1 tspn oil.  The amount of pasta to use is 1/2 of the package.  That is, 1/2 package of uncooked pasta.

* If substituting walnuts, soak them for 1-2 hours.  You can use more nuts, but they are high in calories so use sparingly.

* I heard Ina Garten mention that if garlic bothers you, remove the little green piece you see when you’ve cut it in half.

* You can substitute Kale for spinach.

I had about 1/2 cup left over.  I intend to use it to spread on some whole wheat garlic bread.  YUM.

Excerpted from: www.chaboba.com

Bubble tea was invented in Taiwan, a country that is famous for its delicious food and drink. Bubble tea is a tea based drink, which has tapioca pearls at the bottom of the cup. The tapioca pearls give the drink a bubbly appearance hence the name bubble tea.  The tapioca pearls are also often called ‘boba’ and are bouncy and chewy.  Bubble tea is normally consumed using a big fat straw. Bubble tea drinkers can chew the bobas and drink at the same time. Everyone’s first bubble tea is always a memorable drinking experience! We have a bubble tea to suit everyone, don’t be a bubble tea virgin and try one today!

Bubble tea is very popular in Asia, North America, Canada and Australia

Classic Bubble Tea Recipe – How To Make Bubble Tea

Recipe Type: Beverage, Tea
Yields: 1 (16-ounce) drink – Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min (Tapioca Pearls Cooking)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chilled, cooked large tapioca pearls (if substituting smaller tapioca, use 1/3 cup)* 
1 cup crushed ice
1 cup very strong chilled black tea (or orange pekoe tea or Lichee tea)
1 cup milk or to taste
Honey or granulated sugar to taste

* See How To Cook Tapioca Pearls below.

Preparation:  Place the pearls in a large parfait glass. Combine all remaining ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and shake vigorously until the mixture is frothy. 

Pour into the glass, and serve with extra-thick straws.

Yields one (16-ounce) drink.

How To Cook Tapioca Pearls:

Ingredients:
6 to 8 cups water (the ration is a minimum 7:1 water to tapioca pearls)
1 cup tapioca pearls

Preparation:  In a large pot (Make sure the pot is big enough so boiling tapioca water will not spill over) over high heat, add water and bring to a boil. 

Slowly stir in the tapioca pearls so that they do not stick together (after 1 minute, the tapioca pearls should float). Reduce heat to medium and let boil, covered, for approximately 15 minutes; turn the heat off and let the tapioca pearls site, covered, for an additional 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from heat, rinse the tapioca pearls in cold water, and drain.

NOTE: The cooking time above is a general guideline. If you shorten the cooking time, you will get chewier tapioca balls. Cook longer and you will get less elastic tapioca balls.

Add the cooked tapioca pearl to your favorite Bubble Tea recipe.

Recipe reposted from: Whatscookingamerica.com

And so a  while back I found this recipe for one of the most delicious dressings I’ve ever tasted.
WARNING: A little goes a long way.   Even though these are “good fats” you don’t want to overdo it.

VERSION #1: (Makes a lot)
VIDEO FROM THE CHEF AND THE DIETITIAN

Version #2 - HEALTHY GIRLS KITCHEN

Version #3 - Nut Gourmet

Personally, I think this is a lot of almond butter … I would cut way back on the portion of that ingredient.

Ingredients:
2 large heads of curly kale (about 24 ounces)
sesame seeds, hemp seeds, peanuts, almonds or cashews (optional-I don’t think it needs this)

Dressing:
1 cup raw almond butter (raw, unsweetened and unsalted) **
1 cup coconut water (or regular water)
¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 2) and zest (I used the juice and zest of one large lemon, cause that’s what I had on hand)
2 cloves garlic
fresh, peeled ginger (approximately 1” or ¾ of an ounce)
2 tablespoons low sodium Tamari (soy sauce)
4 pitted dates I used Majool (soaked in water if not soft)
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
If it’s too thick, add some water or even almond or soy milk.  I like my dressing so that it’s the consistency of heavy cream.

Preparation:
In a high powered blender combine all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Remove the thick, larger stems from the kale and place in a large bowl. Pour 2 cups of the dressing over the kale and using an Ulu blade, massage the dressing into the kale while using the Ulu to finely chop the kale. Sprinkle with seeds or nuts before serving, if desired. Like a woman, this only gets better with age.

This dressing also makes a delicious peanut dip for fresh veggies but you need to cut way back on the water and add some cilantro. http://www.chefajshealthykitchen.com/

** You don’t need to pay for expensive nut butters already made in a jar.

I used one cup of RAW unsalted almonds.  You will need a powerful blender to grind them into a “nut butter”.  I used a Vita-Mix.  You could also use a Blend-Tec.  I just threw the almonds in first, then added all the other ingredients on top of them.

Open dates, take out the pit,and spread them out on a dehydrator. Now dry on about 105 degrees for about 2 days, until they are rock hard. You do not need expensive dates for this, so use whatever dates are the cheapest at the time. Barhi dates are good for this. When the dates are rock hard, put them in a food processor and pulse until they are in a powder form.   The live enzymes will still be there, with all the flavor.

Sprinkle on whatever you want sweetness and that wonderful date taste to be in.

Quite simple actually. One cup of dates will yield about 8 ounces of date sugar.

How to update Twitter or Facebook with Siri

If you ask Siri to “Update Twitter…” she replies,
“Sorry, I can’t help you with Twitter.”

Here’s a workaround.

(Adapted from Dr. Fuhrman)

My friend Dawn named this cake.   I am a member of Dr. Fuhrman’s online center and found this cake.  I was going to make it “as is” but decided to add a couple of eggs and dress the top with some extra nuts.

The result, a truly gorgeous cake good enough for any special occasion.

Instead of making one big 9 x 9 cake, I used smaller pyrex bowls and ended up with 5 cakes.

Two 6″ cakes ~ Two 4.5″ cakes and One 3.5″ cake:  Perfect sizes to give as gifts.

The batter is red (because of the beets) but the finished cake is brown, as you see in the picture above.  ALL the sweetness comes from natural ingredients.  NO SUGAR, NO OIL.  Unbelievably moist.  Unbelievably good.

I also used the same recipe and instead of making 5 smaller cakes, I made two bread loaves.  You can see them below.  We like to have a couple of slices with our morning coffee.  Add 1/2 of a grapefruit and you have a wonderful nutritious breakfast.

So below is the Beet/Carrot recipe adapted from Dr. Fuhrman.   I didn’t alter it too much, I just added two eggs, about 1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional) and I topped the cake with some pecans which I had added some (scant) maple syrup and molasses to.  I PROMISE you that this will be one of your “go to” cake.  It is very dense, and yes, even heavy (like carrot cake) but so delicious.

I’m going to make a cashew cream sauce (recipe below) for the “frosting”.

Serves: 12-14

Holiday Cake

Ingredients:
(My additions are in bolded green)

I did not use currants.

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour and baking soda in a bowl. In a larger bowl, beat date sugar, blended pineapple, mashed banana, and applesauce together (add eggs if you’re using them here) . Stir in the vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add the flour mixture along with the chopped walnuts and mix. Now add the shredded carrots and beets. Mix well. Spread in a 9″ square nonstick baking pan. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

You must be a paid member of Dr. Fuhrman’s website to access his recipes. Some of them, however, can be found online outside of his blog.

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Uses for Dry Milk:

1. Make English Muffins (Alton Brown)

This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten

Heavenly Holiday Fudge

Ingredients:

1 can (15oz) of black beans
½ cup of dark cocoa powder
1 cup medjool dates pitted and chopped
3 apples chopped
1/4 c. water
1 banana
2 t. vanilla
1-2 cups walnuts

Place all ingredients (except walnuts) in a vitamix or high power blender. Process until very smooth. Then stir in by hand walnuts (not finely chopped) and bake in a 9 x 13 pan at 350 degrees for an hour until the top has a crust and the middle remains gooey. Transfer the batter into a rectangular plastic container and pack in tightly and put into the refrigerator overnight. Afterwards cut into 1 inch squares.

Store cut up fudge in-between layers of wax paper in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer and enjoy!

While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks

Welcome December Checklist:

Fabulous Decorating Ideas

* On December 1 …. you absolutely have to visit J.Peterman.  Click on the graphic to the left. For the first 12 days of December, they have a great sale every day.  You can submit your email address and they will send you a notification every day of the days’ special sales.  If you like vintage…you’ll LOVE this store.  You can request a catalogue too.

I like to decorate the day after Thanksgiving.  It is then, also, that I prepare to send my greeting cards for the year.   If you weren’t able to decorate during the lull between Thanksgiving and December 1, start now. 

Now for the traditions: When I was first married, I had no traditions. I grew up in a large family.  Sadly we really didn’t have any traditions.  Unless you call putting up the tree and gift giving “traditions”.  But I wanted to develop some real traditions in my home.  The place to begin is at the beginning…maybe your beginning is now…maybe you have some of your own traditions you’d like to share.  I’d love to hear them.

So …. I may do all, some or none of what you see below.  But these are the kinds of things I like to do.   Begin by putting on some gorgeous instrumental Christmas music.  Years ago I simplified my holiday decorating, and I have learned to keep my decorations very simple so it truly only takes me a couple of hours. If you do a huge holiday decorating thing, you will of course need an extra day.

* Take time to reflect on The LORD, Jesus, who after all is the reason for the season.

* Decorate the house, an don’t forget the manger scene.
* If you celebrate advent …. create your advent wreath.
* Send out Greeting Cards
* Make Christmas Cookies and invite a friend
* Make Fruitcake or even better … make the absolute best Holiday Cake ever. It’s called Black Cake (you’ll find the recipe
in the book Home Cooking By: Laurie Colwin, but it’s here too!)
* Attend some special Christmas events or watch something special on T.V.
* Host small Christmas Teas and invite your closest friends or some new friends or anyone you want to bless, and/or get to know better.
* Gather together some very special T.V. movies, eat your black cake and remember EggNog
* As always …. remember those less fortunate this Christmas.
* Don’t forget your Hanukkah friends – make some Latkes.
* Wrap any gifts that I’ve purchased so far. I normally shop all through the year for Christmas and that takes lots of pressure off running around to find the perfect gift.

* Send out my Christmas cards. To make this task easier, years ago I began building a list using a spreadsheet program on my computer. I use Microsoft Excel but you could use whatever spreadsheet program you have. I then use that list to make labels. I print off the labels and put them on the envelopes. Then I sit in a comfortable chair so I can write a brief note on each card. As I write the note I say a short prayer for that person and as the LORD to bless their life and give them a wonderful holiday season. Affix the stamp and you’re done. I like to send Hanukkah cards also, and I also put up a lovely glass Mennorah I purchased.

* We like to save all the cards and read them on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or anytime during the 12 days of Christmas. It seems more special than just ripping them open standing in your foyer. If you don’t want to wait til Christmas why not open them as a family at the dinner table, prayer time or any time you are all gathered together that feels more special to you. The point is that we want to give TIME to read the cards and letter, really absorb them and think about the dear people who have sent them.

* I prepare a box (or basket) with my Christmas cards, a pen and holiday stamps. The cards I receive along with the cards I will send go in that box and it keeps everything tidy. I prefer the box because you can get festive holiday boxes for very little money and the box becomes another Christmas decoration. I bought this one at (where else) Christmas Tree Shop, but I’m sure you could find them many other places. It cost me $2.99 (+ tax)

* One of my girlfriends saves her most beautiful Christmas cards from years past and makes a huge collage, which she then frames. That too becomes a holiday decoration and she gets to see the cards all over again. She saves these collages and sometimes will bring them out or she will even sell the entire beautifully framed creation. Brilliant!

* Take some alone time for yourself ~ reflect back on this year and think forward toward the coming year. Were there things you missed this year? Are there things you should remember to do and/or change in the coming year. Purpose now to begin on life goals, dreams and projects left undone for years.

* On or about December 27th every year, I go through my desk and “clear it all out”. Sort/Weed/Organize and get the papers ready for the tax account. Let’s hit the ground running in the New Year. I usually have a couple of free days right after the holidays, and taking that time to “reorder my world” just helps me feel calm and in control to face the new year.

* Have something luscious to eat and drink on New Year’s Eve. It doesn’t have to be alcoholic, but it should be something out of the ordinary and celebrative for you.

*  View the White House Decoration … they are always amazing.  You can get some great ideas for next year too.
We LOVE to Watch the T.V. Special “A WhiteHouse Christmas“  We never tire of hearing the gorgeous trumpet playing by the WhiteHouse Band at the end.  So majestic!

*  Suffern Lafayette Theatre - The Annual Christmas Show ~ It’s a wonderful life.  Time Saver Tip:  Buy your tickets online, and bypass the line.  Walk right in.  Aren’t YOU smart?

*  Order Flowers Early … the hug bouquet goes quickly.

You simply MUST visit this blog.  I love the idea of 12 days of Medieval Feasting to accompany the 12 days of Christmas.

Scrumptious Christmas (or any celebration) Recipes

12 Days of Cookies (Food Network TV)

Starter: Crescent Wrapped Brie
Salad: Pear and Pomegranate Salad with Gorgonzola and Champagne Vinagrette
Side Dish: Sweet Potatoe Latkes
Side Dish:  Creamy Vanilla Sweet Potatoes
Soup:  Acorn Squash Soup with Pistachio Parmesan Crostini

Dessert or Tea Party:  Individual Mixed Berry Pies
Dessert: Black Cake (The Real Thing)
Dessert: Sweet Potato Bundt Cake
Dessert: Gindersnap Cookie/IceCream Sandwhiches

So if you looking for Hanukkah decorations and are Jewish, know someone is Jewish or just love the celebration of Hanukkah, run over to christmas tree shop and see all the hanukkah goodies.  Just look at those shelves.

Why do the Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah?

Are you thinking of buying one of those Bake pop Cake Pop maker things?  My experience with these kinds of “specialty pans” hasn’t always been successful, so I decided to do some research first, but I think it looks like a terrific little pan.

Reviews I read were that the pop maker could be difficult to work with, but Liz from Nut in a Nutshell shares some great tips on using it.

You can buy the cake pop maker here and also direct from Bed Bath and Beyond.

If you buy it direct from the Bake Pop Cake Maker site, they have a “special offer, for a limited time” of two sets for $19.99.  BUT, there’s a catch.

You must pay 7.99 shipping and handling TWICE.  That amounts to $35.97.  With that you get some other goodies too, head over to their site to check it out.

Here is a picture of some cake pops finished.  Sweet yes?

The Holidays are officially underway at our house.  God bless you all.

It looks perfect for Thanksgiving and  is also Eat To Live Compliant.

I’m going to follow it to the letter.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.

Almond/Date Crust

Oat-Nut Crust (uses butter but only a little bit)

Dr. Fuhrman Oat Crust

Oats and wholewheat flour (works great to replace a butter crust)

Grape Nuts and Apple Juice

OAT PIE CRUST
1 cup quick oats (not instant)
1/4 cup ground almonds
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour (optional)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Pie Crust: Mix oats, almonds, flour. Blend oil and water together with a wire whisk. Add to dry ingredients and mix until it holds together. You may need to add a little more water.   Smooth a tiny amount of oil around pie dish and press the crust to thinly cover the bottom and sides of the pie dish.

Pie Filling:
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1/2 cup date sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1 10-ounce pkg soft tofu

Pie Filling: In a blender combine the pumpkin and date sugar. Add raisins, spices, arrowroot powder, and tofu. Blend until smooth. Pour mixture into pie shell and bake for 15 minutes at 450 then lower heat to 350 degrees. Cover crust with strips of aluminum foil to prevent burning, and bake for an additional 35 minutes.

While pie is in the oven make the Cashew Cream. Blend all ingredients together in a Vita-Mix or other powerful blender.

Serve slightly warm or cold with a dollop of Cashew Cream.

Note: The pie filling will firm up as it cools.
CASHEW CREAM
1 1/3 cups raw cashews
3/4 cup vanilla soy milk
2/3 cup dates

Tri-Nut Crust (modified from Dr. Joel Fuhrman)

Hhr>
TART SHELL (from Dr.Fuhrman)
1/2 cup walnuts, ground
1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts, ground
1/2 cup raw pecans, ground
1/2 cup oatmeal, ground
8 pitted dates (Go here to learn what to do with the dates)
3 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut

TART SHELL:
Make the nut crust by kneading the ground nuts and oatmeal with the dates and coconut and pressing them into the bottom of a glass or ceramic pie or tart pan.

By the way, here’s a tasty tidbit for you.  Did you know that the recipe for Yorkshire Pudding is almost identical to Popovers?   The major difference being that instead of using butter, one uses the “drippings” or rendered fat from cooked meat (usually beef/lamb or if you can get it, mutton).  No worries if you don’t want to use Beef drippings, use butter.
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Basic Popover (Alton Brown)
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Dutch Baby (Alton Brown)
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During the episode From Alton Brown (recipes above) he mentioned a book call The Whole Duty of a woman.  I was curious so I looked it up.  You can read it online.  From: www.archiveorg.

The whole duty of a woman, (1737) or, an infallible guide to the fair sex : containing rules, directions, and observations, for their conduct and behavior through all ages and circumstances of life, as virgins, wives, or widows : with … rules and receipts in every kind of cookery.  A real find.

Related: From blogs.princeton.edu

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Perfect Pie Crust Recipes:

1. The One Pie Dough To Rule Them All