Carrot-Zucchini Bars w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

Bars:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup honey
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups shredded carrots
1 cup shredded zucchini
½ cup chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Icing:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon lemon extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger and baking soda; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, honey, eggs and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until no flour remains. Fold in the carrots, zucchini and walnuts.

Spread the batter into an ungreased 9x13-inch pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool completely.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Spread evenly over the cooled bars. The bars can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Fresh Tomato & Watermelon Salad

1½  cup chopped tomatoes

1 cup chopped watermelon

¼ cup thinly sliced red onion

1 T chopped fresh mint

1 T olive oil

1 T balsamic vinegar

salt and black pepper

Arrange tomatoes, watermelon and onion on a large plate or small platter. Sprinkle with fresh mint, salt and pepper, then drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Recipe created by author.

Peach Coconut Banana Bread

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

3 cups flour

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tsp fresh or ground ginger

1 cup mashed bananas

1 cup peaches, diced small

1/2 cup shredded coconut (plus more for sprinkling)

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a loaf pan or 4 mini loaf tins by spraying with cooking spray.

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together sugar, butter, and egg, then stir in milk.

Add flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir until just combined.

Gently fold in bananas, peaches, and coconut, sprinkling a teaspoon or two of the coconut on top of the loaf/loaves.

Bake 50-60 minutes for a full loaf, or 30-35 minutes for mini loaves. Loaves are done when slightly golden on top and when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

adapted from a recipe from www.lilluna.com

Cream of Asparagus Soup and Asparagus Tart

Soup

1 pound fresh asparagus

½ c chopped onion

1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth*

2 T butter

2 T all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 cup milk

½ cup sour cream

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Rinse asparagus and cut into 1” pieces. Add to a large saucepan with chopped onion and ½ cup broth. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until asparagus is tender – about 12 minutes. Let cool 5 mins and process mixture in a blender to puree. Set aside.

In the same saucepan, melt butter over low-medium heat. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Whisk in the remaining chicken broth and increase heat to medium. Cook until the mixture begins to boil and reduce to a low simmer. Stir in the asparagus puree and milk.

Put sour cream in a small bowl and stir in a ladleful of the hot soup. Add the lemon juice. Stir mixture into the saucepan of soup and heat on low to serving temperature but do not boil. Serve soup immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com              *vegetable broth can be substituted

Tart

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

10 to 12 thin asparagus stalks

½ red onion sliced

2 cups shredded white cheddar

3 T Dijon mustard

1 tsp milk

1 tsp olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Coat asparagus and onion with 1 tsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill for 5 to 10 minutes till vegetables are tender but slightly firm. Cut onions into smaller bite-sized pieces. Set veggies aside.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment. Lay puff pastry down on parchment. Using a sharp knife, lightly score about ½ inch inward around all four sides of the pastry. This will allow the pastry to puff around the filling, framing it. In small bowl mix mustard and milk. Carefully brush over the inner square of the pastry. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese. Carefully lay out the asparagus and onions covering as much of the inner square as possible. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Pull out and sprinkle remaining cheese over the pastry, sprinkle with additional black pepper, and bake for 5 minutes more or until the pastry is puffed and golden. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes and then cut into desired portions. Best eaten same day.

Original Recipe 

Kale Crisps

1-10oz bag of curly kale, chopped, rinsed and dried thoroughly - about 8 cups
1 T olive oil - or - olive oil in a mister or aerosol
Seasoning salt of choice (recommended but can be omitted)

Preheat oven to 325 F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl add 4 cups kale (or half bag) discarding thick stems or veins. Drizzle w/ half the olive oil (or mist lightly). Toss the kale and oil lightly with your fingers until all leaves are evenly coated. Spread out evenly over the parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with seasoning salt, if desired. Repeat with the remaining kale and oil, spreading out over the second baking sheet.

Bake for 15 to 20 mins, rotating pan halfway through baking, until kale is crispy but not browned. Watch closely as if the kale is not crisped it will seem rubbery but don't bake too long as it can burn quickly! When both pans are done, let cool completely before storing in an airtight container or brown paper bag.

Slow Cooker Guinness Stew

 

 
2 Tbsp butter

2 pounds well-marbled chuck beef roast, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 cups chopped onion

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 pint (16 ounces) Guinness extra stout (make sure you use extra stout and not draught)

3 cups beef broth

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

2-3 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks

1 pound young turnips, peeled and cut into chunks

2 teaspoons dried thyme

Salt

2 Tbsp cornstarch (for thicker stew only)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Heat the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in the butter, starting with the fattiest pieces of meat, fat side down in the pan. This will allow some beef fat to render out. Work in batches as to not crowd the pan.  Sprinkle salt over the beef as it browns. Once browned on all sides, transfer the beef pieces into the slow cooker.

Add the onions and celery to the pan in which you just browned the beef. Sauté the onions and celery until they begin to brown at the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Cook for a minute or two, then add a little of the Guinness, enough to make it easier for you to scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Transfer the celery and onions into the slow cooker.

Add the rest of the Guinness, the beef broth, carrots, parsnips, turnips, and thyme to the slow cooker. Add two teaspoons of salt. Cover and cook on "high" for 4 hours, or "low" for 8 hours. In the last hour, if you would like a thicker stew, mix 2T cornstarch with ¼ cup of the stew broth in a small bowl. Add this slurry to the stew and stir vigorously for a minute. When done, add more salt to taste. If you want, sprinkle with fresh parsley to serve.

recipe adapted from www.simplyrecipes.com

Sprout & Potato Salad

3 lbs of Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and diced into medium chunks

1 package frozen Brussels sprouts
1 yellow onion, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
8 pieces of bacon, cooked & crumbled
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup of white vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp water

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking tray with tin foil then coat well with cooking spray.

Put potatoes, sprouts and onions in a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat and spread evenly on the prepared baking tray; season with salt and pepper. Place into the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and cooked through, making sure to stir the potatoes every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place into a clean large bowl.

While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat, until crispy and cooked through. Place the bacon on paper towels to drain the excess grease; crumble.

Combine the vinegar, water, and sugar together then mix until well combined. Add the bacon crumbles to the potatoes followed by the parsley. Drizzle the vinegar mixture on top and mix until evenly coated. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste and serve warm.

adapted from a recipe from www.fortheloveofcooking.com