Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 small sugar pumpkin, seeded
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2. Split pumpkin in half. Remove seeds and strings. Place on baking sheet, cut side down. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven until tender, about 90 minutes. Remove pumpkin pulp and puree in blender. Measure out 2 cups pumpkin puree; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together 2 cups pumpkin puree, vegetable oil and eggs. Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture until smooth. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Chicken Chili

Take some chicken broth and put it in a pot.
Add some rice or quinoa or both or neither. I used a half cup of red quinoa and a half cup of brown rice.
Take whatever vegetables you have in the fridge and chop and put them in the pot. I used a large sweet onion, three small red peppers, three heads of broccoli, and about five carrots.
Take whatever meat you have in the house and throw it in the pot. I used three large chicken breasts, chopped up.
Take whatever beans you have in the house and put it in the pot. I used a can of each: black, cannelloni, garbanzo, and pinto.
Add a jar of salsa. I used some fresh salsa verde and corn salsa that my friend Holly had made and canned for me. I usually just use a jar of store bought, though.
Spice as desired.
Cook until everything is nice and soft and smells delicious. Then eat!

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

2 pounds of pumpkin, cut into chunks

3 large baking potatoes, cut into chunks

1 large sweet potato

3 cups of chicken stock

2 cups of water

½ teaspoon of dried rosemary

½ cup of grated parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon of ground white pepper

In a large saucepan, combine the pumpkin, potatoes, onion, chicken stock, water and rosemary. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender.

Remove pumpkin and peel skins. Return meat to pot. Puree.

Add the cheese, salt, nutmeg, and 

Pesto

Ingredients:

Basil

¼ cup of pecorino or romano cheese, grated

¼ cup of pine nuts

1/8 – ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil

Add ingredients in food processor and chop. Let stand for one hour. Refrigerate or freeze.

Tilapia with Mango Salsa

• Ingredients
• 4 6-oz. tilapia fillets
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 tsp. olive oil

   Mango Salsa:
• 1 large mango, peeled, pitted, and diced
• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup diced green or red onion
• 1 tsp. minced fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp. rice wine vinegar

Combine salsa ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix well. Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. (Salsa will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly brush both sides of each tilapia fillet with olive oil. Place in nonstick baking dish and bake for 15 minutes, or until fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork. Place 1/2 cup of warm rice on each plate. Top each with a cooked fillet, and top each fillet with 1/4 of the salsa. Makes 4 servings.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes (plus 30 minutes or more to chill salsa)

Nutritional Information (per serving):

Calories	Protein	Fiber	Carbs	Fat Total	Saturated Fat
333	27 g	3 g	34 g	4 g	< 1 g

Lentil Burgers

 Ingredients:

1 cup dry lentils, well rinsed

2 1/2 cups water

1/2 tsp salt (optional)

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 medium carrot diced

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp soy sauce (optional)

3/4 cup rolled oats, finely ground

3/4 cup bread crumbs or plain wheat germ

(I remember adding some curry - maybe about 1 tsp.  You can play with spices to spruce it up a bit.  Some people put golden raisins in their lentil burgers for a sweet and savory taste.)

(maybe there is a way you can make these with quinoa)

 

1. Place the lentils, water, and salt in saucepan, bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes, until water is nearly gone and lentils are very soft, with splitting skins.

 

2. Saute the onion and carrot in oil until soft, about 5 minutes.

 

3. Mix the lentils, onions,carrots, pepper, and optional soy sauce in a large bowl, then mix ground oats and bread crumbs.

 

4. While still warm, form the lentil mixture into patties, which can be frozen, refrigerated (for up to 5 days), or cooked immediately.

 

Cooking possibilities:

1. In frying pan, heat a bit of oil, place a burger on top, and fry until brown, 1-2 minutes. Repeat on other side and serve.

2. In a 400 degree oven, bake the burgers on a greased baking sheet until light brown, about 15 minutes.

Chick Pea Masala (or Chicken)

Ingredients:

2 tsp parprika

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

2 tsp butter

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes (not sure how to subsitute the chick peas - maybe 1 16 oz can drained?)

1 cup chopped onion

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

 

1. Melt butter in large nonstick skillet on medium heat.  Add chicken, onion and lemon juice; cook and stir 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.  Add all of the spice except the crushed red pepper; cook and stir 1 minute.

 

2. Stir in tomatoes until well mixed.  Stir cream into cornstarch and salt until smooth.  Gradually stir into skillet.  Stir in the red pepper to desired spice level.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low; stirring frequently, simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.

 

Serve with rice and/or naan bread.