I’ve always liked Apple Crisp from when my Mother and Grandmother used to make it when I was a child…. fond childhood memories, comfort food and all that goes with it!
My daughter recently made a Berry Crisp when we were visiting her – it was sumptious. Got the recipe from her and adjusted to what we had on hand. The fruit measurements are close to what I had available. You can use any combination you have on hand just so you have 4 1/2 – 5 cups of fruit – even if it’s only one or two kinds. I’ve been thinking of using peaches or nectarines for one of the fruits sometime.
Berry Crisp
Ingredients – filling:
- 1 1/2 cups sliced/diced strawberries
Berry Crisp – fresh out of the oven. One helping removed before it even cooled!
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 1/2 cups blackberries
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1/4 cup sugar (I’ve been using raw cane sugar)
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. cinnamon (I love Penzey’s Vietnamese cinnamon.
- 2 tsp. corn starch
Ingredients – Topping:
- 1 1/4 cups rolled whole oatmeal (not quick kind)
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I use pastry flour)
- 1 tsp. cinnamon (See my Penzey’s link on filling)
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar.
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4-1/2 cup chopped nuts (I’ve used sliced almonds or pecans cuz that’s what was there. You can omit if you wish, but why??)
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
Put it Together:
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Put all the filling ingredients in a large bowl and gently mix. Set aside.
- In another bowl, mix topping ingredients (except for butter) thoroughly. Add the butter and mix again.
- Put the fruit mixture in a deep dish pie pan.
- Cover with the topping mixture, spreading out evenly.
- Bake in 375 degree F oven for 40 minutes or until fruit is done and topping lightly browned.
Serve plain, with whipped cream, or with vanilla yogurt. This is not overly sweet, so it could easily be served for breakfast. In fact, I have had it for breakfast 
. Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!
Posted in Grains, Fruit | Tagged blueberries, oatmeal, fruit, crisp, berries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, dessert | 2 Comments »
I’ve been on a granola kick lately. I used to make it a lot when the kids were younger, but got away from that. Then my daughter made this granola for us that we really liked and inspired me to start again. Got her recipe and then made some changes just because I could. I’ve made this a few times and it’s gone over quite well. I had searched the Internet for recipes, but they all had too much oil and/or sweetener in them. So this is what I came up with…
Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups 7-grain cereal (the type I used had rolled oats, rolled wheat, some sunflower seeds and not sure what else)
Granola
- 4 cups Old-Fashioned Oatmeal
- 1 1/2 cups natural whole almonds
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 2 rounded Tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. Vanilla
- 1/3 cup Safflower Oil (or whatever you like for oil)
- 1/3 cup REAL Maple Syrup
- 2 cups dried fruit – I’ve used cherries, raisins, currents
Put it Together
- In a large bowl, combine oatmeal, 7-grain cereal, nuts, cinnamon, salt
- In a small bowel combine oil, maple syrup, and vanilla.
- Pour the syrup mixture over the cereal mixture. Mix thoroughly to coat everything.
- pour in two cake pans and spread out evenly.
- Bake at 270 degrees for 1 1/2 hours… stir every 14-20 minutes to bake evenly.
- Remove from oven and put granola into large bowl. Let cool. Add dried fruit and store in containers.
I put this on my yogurt/fresh fruit mixture for breakfast. My son likes to eat it by the handful as a snack.
There is room for a lot of variation in the recipe…. you could use all oatmeal, add some flax meal, maybe some pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Substitute walnuts for the pecans. Use honey instead of maple syrup…. you get the picture
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Posted in food, Grains, breakfast | Tagged granola, oatmeal | Leave a Comment »
April 15, 2012 by swanlzs
There are numerous ways of preparing refried beans and we all probably feel our way is the best. I used to have a recipe given to me by my sister several years ago that I can no longer find. I searched the Internet and none seemed quite what my sister made, so I decided to wing it. I think my rendition turned out pretty well so figured I’d better write it down before I forgot…
I initially soaked the beans and then started cooking them. Unfortunately, I didn’t turn the heat down and they burned in my nice stainless steel pot and left a black bottom. (BTW, boiling water with a healthy dose of Dawn Dish Detergent for 5-10 minutes really made this easy to clean!) Not wanting to do this again and it being later in the evening, I took more pinto beans, washed them and put them in a crock pot with water, salt and several cloves of garlic. Set it on high for a couple hours and then low before I went to bed. Wonderful perfectly cooked pinto beans in the morning!!!
Refried Beans
Ingredients
- 4 cups dried Pinto Beans
- 6-8 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
- Sea Salt to taste (I used a generous teaspoon)
- 2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp. Chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 4 Tbsp. oil (mixture of olive oil, safflower oil, or canola oil. Actually bacon grease drippings makes this extra good if that’s your want or you have bacon around)
Put it Together
- Rinse the beans and pick them over, taking the odd wrinkled ones out.
Refried Beans ready to be served with tortillas or as a side dish.
- Put in a large crock pot with 10-12 cups of warm water. Add a generous teaspoon or so of salt and the garlic. Put the crock pot on high for a couple hours and then on low overnight. I start this early in the evening.
- The next morning, drain off most of the liquid, leaving enough to make it a thick soupy mixture.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan and saute the onions, jalapenos, carrot, and another clove or two of garlic if desired.
- Add the beans, tomato paste, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly and heat through stirring constantly for a couple minutes.
- Mash the beans with a potato masher or use an immersion blender (that’s what I did) pureeing until as smooth or chunky as you want it. Season with more salt if desired.
- Serve with tortillas, salsa, lettuce & shredded cheese. I also serve as a side dish with shredded cheese and/or salsa.
Posted in Beans | Tagged Mexican food, pinto beans, refried beans | 2 Comments »
January 15, 2012 by swanlzs
We had quite a bit of broccoli in our garden, especially after the first frost…my son froze it in several gallon freezer bags. We wanted to do something besides the typical stir-fry or steam/boil… so this is what we came up with. The amounts are really just what we had on hand and what looked good, so feel free to experiment. My son added the Cajun seasoning and we find that we like it! Putting lots of thin sliced onions in the mix gives this a delicious treat.
Stir Fried Broccoli with a Kick
Ingredients
- 2 bunches of fresh broccoli cut in bite size pieces or a large bag of frozen broccoli
- 2-3 medium onions – cut in half and sliced thin
- 5-6 large cloves garlic, minced
Stir Fried Broccoli with a Kick
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- Sea salt to taste
- Cajun seasoning such as Slap Ya Momma which can be found on Amazon
Put it Together:
- Steam the frozen broccoli until it is thawed and slightly done. If using fresh, steam for 5-6 minutes. Drain and rinse in cool water.
- Heat Olive Oil in large pan and saute the onions, garlic, and red pepper a couple minutes until onions are starting to go limp.
- Add the drained broccoli and continue cooking until done.
- Season with sea salt and the Cajun seasoning.
Posted in food, vegetable | Tagged broccoli, cajun, stir fry | 2 Comments »
December 4, 2011 by swanlzs
I got the recommend of this recipe from my sister who found it on Heidi Swanson’s 101cookbooks.com web site. Made a few changes such as more beans and less olive oil… upped the garlic and rosemary also. It is an awesome recipe!!
White Bean Dip
- 2 – 15 oz. cans white beans (I’ve used Cannellini & Great Northern) or cook the dry beans and use 3 1/2 cups of cooked beans.
- 1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
White Bean Dip
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 5 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 – 3/4 cup water
Put it Together:
- In small saucepan, heat olive oil and add rosemary and garlic. Cook on low sizzle for 2-3 minutes and then remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes. Pour through a strainer and set aside the olive oil.
- Rinse beans and put in medium size bowl.
- Add approximately 2/3 of the almonds to the beans along with the lemon juice, salt, 1/4 cup water and 4 Tbsp. Olive Oil.
- Puree the bean mixture adding additional water as needed to make a creamy paste to your desired consistency.
- Put the bean mixture in a serving dish (I use an oval shaped dish). Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top, add the lemon zest and the remaining toasted almonds.
- Serve with whole grain crackers, pita crackers, or veggies and enjoy!
Posted in Beans, food, hor dourves, vegetarian | 2 Comments »
November 19, 2011 by swanlzs
Broccoli is probably one of the more popular cruciferous vegetables being touted for its health benefits… but there are numerous other ones. Brussels sprouts is a favorite around here…. and our most favorite way of preparing it is to roast it. My mother used to harvest brussels sprouts from our garden after the first frost and prepare them by boiling and serving with butter. I always liked this, but roasting takes it to a new level.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients:
- 1-2 lbs. fresh brussels sprouts
Brussels Sprouts before roasting
- 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp. Maldon Salt (you can use any salt (regular or sea salt), but Maldon Salt adds a nice dimension to this dish
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
Put it Together:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Clean brussels sprouts – cut ends off, halve, and rinse in water, removing any leaves that are damaged or wilted. Drain.
- Combine brussels sprouts and olive oil in a 13 x 9 inch cake pan. Add salt and lightly mix.
- Roast brussels sprouts in oven 30-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Toss a few times to mix during roasting time. Season with pepper and additional salt if desired.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Serve and enjoy!!
Posted in vegetable | Tagged brussels sprouts, roasted, vegetables | 2 Comments »
November 10, 2011 by swanlzs
Scones are fun to make and can be relatively healthy. Here’s one I put together with ingredients on hand. I only have a few left after an hour, so it must be a keeper.
Almond Prune Scones
Ingredients:
- 2 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/3 cup raw cane sugar (sub regular if desired)
Almond Prune Scones
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 cup cold butter, cut in small chunks
- 2 tsp. fresh grated lemon zest
- 1 cup plain almonds – chop and toast lightly
- 1 cup diced prunes (substitute other dried fruit as desired)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup 2% milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
Put it Together:
- Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and lemon zest together in a large bowl.
- Cut butter into mixture using a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly
- Add almonds and fruit
- In a small bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, vanilla & almond extract
- Pour into large bowl of flour mixture and combine until dough just sticks together. Do not over mix.
- Generously spray 2 double lined cookie sheets with SPAM or other vegetable oil. Using 1/4 cup, drop dough on sheets approximately 2 inches apart. Brush dough with additional milk and sprinkle with sugar.
- Put cookie sheets in freezer for 20-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Bake approximately 15-20 minutes. Serve with butter or jelly/jam.
- NOTE: If you do not have double-lined cookie sheets, put parchment paper on the cookie sheet – the scones will burn easily if precautions not taken.
Posted in Dessert | Tagged almonds, prunes, scones | Leave a Comment »
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