Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies

It's a chilly, rainy day here and I just had to put in a chick-flick (When Harry Met Sally) and bake cookies. The day demanded it and I am a tad sickly, so it fit my mood perfectly. Of course, I was not in the mood for something overly sweet (though traditional chocolate chippers were tempting), so I made these breakfast cookies. Cookies, for breakfast! What a wonderful idea =). 

Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies
Adapted from Enlightened Cooking

Preheat oven to 350°F

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpats, or lightly coat with cooking spray.

Makes about 16 cookies at about 140 calories each

¾ cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree

¾ cup granulated sugar 

⅓ cup vanilla low-fat yogurt

1 large egg

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup all purpose flour

¼ cup ground flax seeds (flaxseed meal)

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 cup raisins or dried cranberries

1.  In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar, yogurt, egg, oil and vanilla in a until smooth. Stir in raisins. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.

2. Stir the dry ingredients and raisins into the wet with a wooden spoon, mixing just until just blended.

3. Drop the batter by 2 tablespoonfuls for each cookie onto prepared cookie sheet, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart.  

4. Bake 14-15 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Repeat with remaining batter.

Black Bean and Spinach Lasagna

 

Lately, I have been looking for meatless entrees, especially ones that use beans because beans are so cheap when you buy them dry in bags. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it, even it sounded pretty weird. Don't let the combination of black beans and spinach/pasta scare you away. This was really good, to the point that I actually was sad I had to eat out the other day instead of being able to eat these left overs.


Spinach and Black Bean Lasagna
from Southern Living


2 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with peppers, divided
• 2 (16-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or cook your own)
• 1 (2-pound, 13-ounce) jar pasta sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 9 precooked lasagna noodles
• Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro

• Stir together first 5 ingredients and 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese; set aside.
• Mash beans with a potato masher or fork in a large bowl; stir in pasta sauce and cumin. Spread one-third of bean mixture on bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
• Layer with 3 noodles, half of spinach mixture, and 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese; repeat layers. Spread with one-third bean mixture; top with remaining 3 noodles and remaining bean mixture.
• Bake, covered, at 350° for 1 hour; uncover and top with remaining Monterey Jack cheese. Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese melts. Garnish, if desired.
  
  *You can halve this, using 5-6 lasagna noodles and in a 8x8 pan.

Pumpkin Delight

While looking through some old (1960's and 70's) cookbooks that my roommate and her mom found while antiquing, I came across this recipe. I had to try it. I mean, it's called "Pumpkin Delight." It's the perfect season to try such things, even if it means using a cake mix. This recipe ends up being almost like pumpkin pie filling, topped with something like a a thick, sweet, pecan-studded crust/shortbread. I highly recommend it if you are looking for an easy dessert to serve to a group

Pumpkin Delight

1 (29 oz.) Can Pumpkin 

1 (13 oz.) Can Evaporated Milk 

1 Cup Sugar 

¼ teas. Pumpkin Pie Spice 

½ teas. Cinnamon 

3 Eggs 

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix 

1 Cup Pecans (chopped) 

1 Cup Butter or Margarine (melted)

Beat together pumpkin, milk, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and eggs. Pour into a greased 9x13 glass baking dish. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the pumpkin mixture, then sprinkle on pecans. Drizzle melted butter over the top. Bake at 350F for 1 hour. Chill. Cut into squares, top with whipped cream, and enjoy!

Mom's Muffins, My Way

These muffins remind me of color antique pyrex mixing bowls, family dinners, and the phrase "But Mom, I am sooooo hungry! Just one, pleeeeeease?"
My mom made these pretty regularly and, by the time dinner ended, there were never any left but I always wanted more.

Smear these with cream cheese for a yummy breakfast =).

Zucchini Muffins
Yields 8-9 regular muffins

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

¼ cup oil

2 tablespoons honey

¼ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup and 3 tablespoons wheat flour
1 tablespoon flax seed *optional. If you skip, just replace with either flour

¼ tspn baking powder

¼ tspn baking soda

¼ tspn salt

¼ tspn nutmeg

1 c grated zucchini

1/3 c raisins

2 tablespoons millet *optional

Directions

Mix first 4 ingredients together in a bowl.

In a second bowl, mix the next 7 ingredients, then mix into the first bowl.

Fold in zucchini and raisins and millet.

Fill greased or lined muffin tins ½ or ⅔ full.

Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes.  

Raw, vegan, chocolate power bars!

As school really kicks into high gear, I find myself having less and less time to plan meals and eating more and more power/protein/snack bars. Combine my love for protein bars (ask my first college roommate, I had an entire dresser drawer devoted to them) with my food processor that I just found on craigslist, and you get lots of experiments with all sorts of [sometimes-whacko] grab-n-go bars. This particular recipe is from Enlightened Cooking and definitely wins my approval: easy and yummy.




Chocolate Power Bars
2 cups raw almonds (skins on)
1 pound pitted soft dates (two 8oz bags is usually how I find them)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (not Dutch process) OR raw cacao powder (for strictly raw eaters)
1/4 cup raw wheat germ (toasted is fine if you are not strictly raw)
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds (flaxseed meal)

Place almonds in a medium bowl. Fill bowl with cold water (preferably filtered, but tap is fine) to cover the almonds. Let the almonds soak for 3 to 4 hours. Drain the almonds and pat dry with a clean dish cloth.

Pulse almonds in food processor until finely ground. Add the dates and pulse until finely chopped and the mixture begins to resemble a thick "dough." Add the cocoa powder, wheat germ, and flaxseed meal. Process until blended.

Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with foil (seriously do this, it makes it so much easier to remove the bars). With clean, wet hands, press the bar mixture into the pan. Place in the freezer for at least an hour. Cut into 12 bars. Wrap each in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator (though they need no refrigeration when packed in a lunch or gym bag).

Note: roughly 260 calories per bar, if you are curious.

Pecan Pie Bars

• Yay fall. I made these last week for a Statistics study session. Only 4 people came, so there were plenty of leftovers for me to take to Tuesday Night at my friends' house, where the boys quickly devoured them. As you can see, I barely managed to get a picture before these bars disappeared!
• Pecan Pie Bars
  Adapted from Southern Living's Utterly Deadly Pecan Pie
• 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4-6 tablespoons cold water
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 8 large eggs
• 3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup milk milk
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 3 cups pecan halves
• Preheat oven to 350. Mix flour and salt into a bowl, add oil; mix with a fork. Sprinkle water 1 tablespoon at a time until moistened and dough forms a bowl. If it seems to wet (should be the consistency of a pie crust dough), add flour; too dry, add water. Press into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan until the bottom is completely and evenly covered. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Bake for approximately 10 minutes.

• Remove crust/pan from oven and let cool. Turn oven to 325°.  Whisk eggs in a large bowl until foamy; whisk in brown sugar and next 6 ingredients. Pour mixture into pan (on top of the crust), and top with pecan halves. Bake at 325° for 30 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 300°, and bake 30 more minutes. Turn oven off, and let pie stand in oven, with door closed, 3 hours.