Honey Almond Polenta

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/3 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup polenta (or cornmeal)
1/4 cup chopped or slivered almonds

Directions
Combine milk, butter, honey and cinnamon in a small saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Turn heat down to simmer, and stir in polenta. Whisk over low heat until smooth and thickened, then stir in almonds.

Pour immediately into ungreased 8 1/2 inch x 4 1/2 inch bread pan. Allow to cool.

Cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator. Serve warm or cold.

Makes about 6 – 8 servings.

Kale and Potato Soup

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
1 bunch kale
1 yellow onion, finally chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cubed small
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 pound spicy sausage, sliced**

Directions
Remove tough stems from kale. Wash and dry leaves; cut crosswise into 1/4-inch ribbons.

In a saucepan, saute onion in oil over medium heat until soft; add garlic.

Add kale, potatoes, and vegetable broth. Simmer until kale is completely tender and potatoes are falling apart (about 45 minutes).

In a pan, fry sausage slices in oil & drain on paper towels. Continue cooking soup for another 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

**We made this using 6 Morningstar Vegetarian Sausage patties instead, and thought it was delicious

Shortbread and Lemon Curd Bars

Servings: Makes about 24 bars

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt (this can be left out)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup lemon curd, chilled

Directions
Stir together flour, sugar and salt. Using pastry cutter, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Knead dough with hands until it comes together.

Press dough into an 8×8 inch baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until lightly brown at the edges.

Let the shortbread cool completely, then spread chilled lemon curd over the top. Place in refrigerator to set (overnight is best, but if you’re pressed for time, an hour or two will do).

Cut into 24 bars, and serve. Store remainder (if there are any) in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Smothered Onion Chicken

Servings: 8

Ingredients
8 chicken breasts (frozen is fine)
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes (or 1 large onion, finely chopped)
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (or similar type)
1 can chopped mushroom pieces, drained
1 package onion soup mix (dried)

Directions
Put chicken in crockpot. Dump all other ingredients on top of the chicken.

Cover; cook on medium (about 300 degrees) all day. Half an hour before serving, turn off crockpot to allow sauce to thicken.

Serve over rice or your favorite cooked pasta. Delicious!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies

Makes 36
Original recipe here

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cup flour
1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 tablespoon cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup butter (room temperature)
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs (or 1/2 cup egg substitute)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1⁄2 cup water
1 cup canned pumpkin (make sure it’s plain pumpkin and not spiced)
1⁄2 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350º.

Stir together butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add pumpkin, water, vanilla, and all dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips last.

Pour into lightly greased 10×15 jelly roll pan. Bake 25 – 35 minutes.

Let cool, then cut into pieces and serve.

Spaghetti with Peanut Sauce

Makes 4 servings, about 5 points per serving
(modified from original recipe)

Ingredients
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti, cooked (whole wheat preferred)
2 cups sugar snap peas (or other preferred crunchy veggies)
2 cups diced cooked chicken

Sauce
3 tablespoons peanut butter (chunky is fine)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions
Combine all sauce ingredients in medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat until well blended. If desired. Stir in chicken and sugar snap peas; simmer for 1 – 2 minutes to thoroughly coat.*

Remove sauce from heat, stir sauce and pasta together, serve.

Note – this dish is also delicious when served cold.

*We prefer our veggies to retain a little bit of crunch. Depending on the vegetable(s) you use, they may require some cooking prior to adding to the sauce.

Green Pea Pesto

Makes about 6 servings (1 serving is about 2 heaping tablespoons)
(ever so slightly modified from Cooking with Amy‘s version).

Ingredients
1 cup frozen peas
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon minced walnuts (optional)

Directions
In small saucepan combine garlic and green peas, with just enough water to cover. Bring to boil over medium heat, then lower heat to simmer and cover the pan. Cook for 3 minutes or until peas are cooked through and garlic is no longer raw.

Drain the peas, reserving the water. Place peas, nuts, and olive oil in blender and blend, adding just enough water to make a smooth paste (about 1 tablespoon).

Combine mixture with parmesan cheese. Serve over cooked pasta.

Spiced Plum Jam

Makes 8 cups of jam

Ingredients
3 pounds plums (weight with pits removed)
6 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cloves

Directions
Prepare 8 8-ounce jars for canning.

Put washed, chopped, pitted plums in food processor or blender and puree.

Pour plum puree into large stockpot. Stir in sugar and spices, then bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 5 minutes, continuing to stir constantly to avoid burning the jam.

Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Process in water bath for 10 minutes. Store in cool dark place until ready to use; when opened, store in refrigerator.

Plain Plum Jam Alternative
Follow all instructions as above, but leave out spices.

Potato and Corn Fritatta

Makes 4 servings
(6 Points per serving)

Ingredients

1 large potato, peeled and diced small
4 eggs (or 1 cup egg substitute)
2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
4 shallots, peeled and chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 oz (3/4 cup) shredded lowfat mozzerella cheese
1 oz (1/4 cup) shredded lowfat cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in large skillet. Stir in garlic and onions and cook on medium heat until soft.

2. Add diced potato and cook until nearly translucent (about 10 minutes). Stir in chopped red bell pepper and cook an additional 2 – 3 minutes, then stir in corn and cook an additional 1 – 2 minutes.

3. In separate bowl, stir together eggs and cheese, then pour over top of potato and pepper mixture. Cook over medium heat for 6 minutes.

4. Remove skillet from heat; place under broiler and broil for 2 or 3 minutes, until top is firm and fritatta is cooked through.

5. Serve warm or cold. Salt and pepper to taste.

(Recipe adapted from this one)

Lemon Curd

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed if possible)
  • 1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs

Directions

In large bowl, whisk together eggs and lemon juice until mixed thoroughly.

Pour into a medium saucepan and add butter and sugar.

Cook over low to mediumheat for 15 – 20 minutes, stirring enough to keep it smooth (I just stirred it the entire time). It will begin to thicken as it cooks. Note – watch carefully, as egg may have tendency to cook separately if heat is too high.

Remove from heat. Let cool and store in refrigerator (or pour into sterilized jars and seal and process appropriately).

A collection of some of our favorite recipes