Heavenly Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

2 cups whole hazelnuts
3/4 cup powdered sugar
5 Tb. good-quality unsweetened dark cocoa powder
pinch of salt
2 Tb. canola oil or more if necessary (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast until you can smell them, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and place in a cotton towel. Scrub and roll them around in the towel to remove the skins. (Don’t be concerned if not all the skins are removed)

2. Place hazelnuts in a food processor or high-powered blender and process until makes a smooth paste, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and process until thoroughly mixed.  Add the salt, and if the mixture is dry, add the canola oil while the machine is running.

4. Let cool completely before transferring to a jar and sealing it. Keeps about 1 month in a cool, dark spot. ENJOY!  Makes about 2 cups.

–Recipe taken from Nuts In the Kitchen (p. 50) by Susan Herrmann Loomis.

Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

1 cup organic probiotic vanilla yogurt
1 cup frozen blueberries
cinnamon or some ground flax meal if desired

1. In a blender mix together blueberries and yogurt. Pour into individual bowls and serve immediately

Makes 1-2 servings.

Enjoy!  This “frozen yogurt” can be made with a variety of frozen fruits, so experiment with frozen bananas, mangoes, peaches, strawberries.

Recipe by Susan Greeley, MS, RD

Going Green Rotini

¾  lb. rotini (or pasta of choice)

½ lb. Asparagus

½ cup sugar snap peas

2 cups broccoli florets

2 lemons

¼ cup olive oil

1 clove garlic crushed

salt & pepper

Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta in large pot.
2. Cut tough ends off asparagus (about 1 inch at bottom) and cut spears into thirds.
3. After 5 minutes of cooking pasta, add asparagus, sugar snap peas & broccoli and cook about 3 more minutes, until pasta is soft and vegetables are tender but not overcooked.
4. Pour pasta/veggies into colander to drain, then transfer to serving bowl.
5. Squeeze lemons over a strainer (to catch seeds) into a small bowl. Add olive oil ,  crushed garlic, salt and pepper. Stir together and pour over pasta.
6. Add Parmesan cheese to taste. Toss, serve & savor!

Try It You’ll Like It Turkey Chili

3 Tb. olive oil
1 lb. ground turkey breast (or lean ground beef)
2 Tb. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin
½ Tb. cinnamon

1 large red onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (any color)
1(28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (15 oz.) can black beans

½ tsp. ground black pepper

½ tsp. sea salt

1. Heat olive oil in large pot or pan over medium high heat. Add the turkey meat. Brown the meat while stirring it and breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula.
2. Add all the seasonings (chili powder, cinnamon, cumin) as well as the chopped onion and peppers.  (Reserve about ¼ of the onion to put on top of chili if desired.)  Cook about 10 minutes.
3. Add both types of tomatoes and black beans and bring to bubble.
4. Reduce heat to low and let chili simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt & pepper to your taste. Remove from heat and serve.

Serving suggestion:  Top with finely chopped onions, fresh cilantro and shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese if desired.

Serves 4-6

For baking cookies, muffins and quick breads, I use whole wheat pastry flour. It is important to make the distinction between the pastry flour and regular stone ground whole wheat flour, which is much denser and makes for dry, heavy products.  Whole wheat pastry flour is a staple in my kitchen.

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

2 sticks butter or margarine (such as Earth Balance “vegan buttery sticks”)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups whole oats
1 cup raw cranberries, rinsed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine flour, soda, cinnamon and salt and set aside.  Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.  Add flour mixture and stir until well-blended.  Add oats and cranberries and mix well.  Spoon heaping teaspoonfuls of batter onto ungreased baking tray or parchment paper on tray. Bake 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack before munching. Enjoy!

1 large fennel bulb, stems & base cut removed

1 cup dried lentils, rinsed

8 cups water or vegetable broth

1/2 tsp. salt

1 large bunch fresh spinach, washed

1 Tb. fennel seed

salt & pepper to taste

1-2 fresh lemons

In a large soup pot, heat the oil and add chopped fennel just to soften.   Add lentils and water or broth, salt  and fennel seed. Cook about 20 minutes on medium-low heat.  Add fresh spinach and let cook another 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.  Squeeze some fresh lemon juice onto soup before serving. Yum!

For a spicy option, add 1 chorizo sausage cut in chunks about 10 minutes into cooking.  (Soy chorizo can be used to keep it vegan.)

1 ½ cups brown lentils

1 Tb. olive oil

2 celery stalks, diced

1 yellow onion, peeled & chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled &  minced or 2 tsp. chopped (from glass jar)

1 Tb. fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped  (or ½ tsp. ground ginger)

1 1/2 – 2 quarts (6-8 cups)  low-sodium chicken broth

½ tsp. salt

2 carrots, pared and diced

2 Tb. tomato paste

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

2 cups diced yellow or white potato

½ tsp. hot pepper sauce or to taste (if desired)

Pick over and rinse lentils.  Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauté the celery, onion, carrots, garlic and fresh ginger until softened and fragrant, about 3-4 mins.  Add the lentils, broth, salt, tomato paste and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 30 minutes.  Add the potato and continue to simmer until lentils and potato are tender, 10-15 minutes.  Serve immediately or add hot pepper sauce if desired, stir and let sit for a few minutes to allow flavors to blend. Taste and correct seasoning if needed.

1 cup of cooked lentils has:

16 grams fiber (mostly soluble)

18 grams protein

and is a good source of folate and iron as well as other trace minerals.

North African Lentil-Vegetable Soup

Super Simple Spinach-Fennel-Lentil Soup

Grind the raw berries and onion together. (“I use an old-fashioned meat grinder,” says Stamberg. “I’m sure there’s a setting on the food processor that will give you a chunky grind — not a puree.”)

Add everything else and mix.

Put in a plastic container and freeze.

Early Thanksgiving morning, move it from freezer to refrigerator compartment to thaw. (“It should still have some little icy slivers left.”)

The relish will be thick, creamy and shocking pink. (“OK, Pepto Bismol pink.”)

Makes 1 1/2 pints.

Creamed Onions
1 lb. (or more) Pearl onions, white or mixed colors
2 Tb. Butter
2 Tb. Flour
1 1/2 c. Whole milk
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. White pepper (or black)
1-2 Tb. Worcestershire sauce
1-2 Tb. Dry cooking sherry (optional)

Put onions in a large saucepan and fill with water.  Place pan on stove and heat to boiling. Reduce to simmer and cook 7 minutes (set a timer).  Remove from heat and strain off water, reserving about 1/2 cup cooking water.  Rinse onions with cold water and then peel and cut off ends.  Set aside in a bowl.

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine butter and flour by whisking them until they are light brown and start to bubble.  Gradually add all the milk, whisking constantly.   Cook/whisk another 2-3 minutes, until thickened.  Mix in the cooking water and add salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.  Add the onions and let stand covered until serving.

These may be refrigerated for several hours and reheated slowly on the stove. Do not let the mixture boil.  If too thick, add milk as necessary.  Salt and pepper to taste and add cooking sherry if desired.