Lentil Brownies - a healthy alternative to regular brownies and they are packed with protein and fiber. (4g protein, 2g fiber per serving) per Pea & Lentil Council
First, in a medium size pan, add water (3-4cups) and add 1/2 cup dry lentils. (1/2 cup dry lentils = 1 cup cooked lentils). Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 40 minutes. They should be very tender and mushy. Drain the lentils and I run them through my food processor to get a fine puree, or you can use a potato masher. Set aside and in a large bowl add:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil ( I use canola oil)
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup choc chips
1 cup lentil puree
1 cup small marshmallows (optional- I don't use them, but they can be added)
Preheat the oven to 350, grease a 9x13 cake pan. Mix the eggs, sugar, oil & vanilla. Then stir in the remainder of the ingredients and pour into the prepared pan. Bake 35 minutes. Cool and cut into serving sizes. No frosting is needed and they are dense and moist. Enjoy!
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| Pumpkin Truffles - a little bit of work, but so worth the effort |
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground gloves
• 2 cups cream (I used Half & Half)
• 1 pound dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 ounce butter, room temperature
• 2 cups finely ground graham crackers or vanilla wafers
Then to coat the truffles:
• 6 ounces melted dark chocolate (or I used about 2 1/2 cups choc chips melted over a double boiler)
• 3 ounces cocoa powder or more as needed
Directions
In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine pumpkin, brown sugar and spices. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes and set aside. In a medium saucepan over high heat, add cream. When cream boils, take off heat. In a heatproof medium bowl, add chocolate and hot cream. Let the mixture sit for a minute, then slowly begin to stir, starting in the center of the bowl and working outwards. Once the chocolate and cream are evenly mixed, add pumpkin mixture and whisk to combine. Add the butter and graham crackers. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.
On a parchment lined cookie sheet, scoop mixture into small balls using a melon baller. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour, or until chilled. Remove truffles from refrigerator and dip each in melted chocolate. Roll in cocoa powder and serve. (tip: the easiest method to get a good cocoa powder dusting was to place a sheet of wax paper on a cookie sheet, sift the cocoa powder over the wax paper so it is covered evenly and has a good coating. Then after dipping the balls into the melted chocolate, drop them on the cocoa covered wax paper. While the chocolate is still wet and before it hardens, dust the top of the balls with the cocoa powder). Refrigerate the truffles until the chocolate coating is set, then serve. Enjoy!
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| Apple Butterscotch Bars - easy to make & oh so yummy |
Apple Butterscotch Bars
Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 cake pan.
In a large bowl, mix:
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
¾ vegetable oil ( I use canola oil)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix well, then add:
1 tsp cinnamon
2 ½ cups flour
3 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Then fold in ( by hand):
3 cups or about 4 -5 apples that are peeled, cored and cut into thin slices
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Then sprinkle over the top:
1 cup butterscotch chips
Fold in apples ( & walnuts). Dough will be thick. Spread into greased 9x13 pan and sprinkle 1 cup butterscotch chips over mixture. My recipe says to bake 40 min or until done ( I usually have to bake my bars for 50-55 min). Cool and cut into squares. These are quickly becoming a favorite and hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
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Lemon Tart
Lemon Tart
Almond Crust
1 cup flour
½ cup chopped almonds
¼ cup sugar
6 Tbls cold butter
½ tsp almond extract
¼ tsp salt
2 to 3 Tbl water
Filling
1 cup sugar
¾ cup lemon juice
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 tsp lemon rind
Dash of salt
6 Tbls butter, cubed
In a food processor, add flour, almonds, sugar, salt till blended – about 3-5 seconds. Add butter & extract and pulse till blended, gradually add water 1 Tbl at a time pulsing until mixture forms soft dough. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 in tart pan or a rectangular tart pan. Bake at 400 for 15 min.
Next in small heavy saucepan, whisk first 6 filling ingredients until blended, add butter and cook & stir over med heat until mixture thickens. Strain; pour into crust and bake at reduced heat of 325 for 10 min. Refrigerate leftovers.
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Crust
1/3 cup butter
¼ cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 cup flour
Filling
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup butter
¼ cup dark corn syrup
2 Tbl heavy cream or Half & Half
In a food processor, mix all the ingredients for the crust (m ixture will be crumbly) and press into the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9” tart pan. Bake at 375 for 12-14 min. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Sprinkle the nuts over the crust. In a small heavy pan, add all ingredients for the filling and boil for 1 min. Then pour over the nuts and bake at 375 for 10 min. Serve tart at room temp and enjoy!
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| Peanut butter chocolate bars are easy to make and yield lots |
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup white sugar
1 cup chunky peanut butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup oats
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 cups choc chips
Preheat oven to 350 and grease a bun pan ( 13”x18” rimmed baking sheet/also known as a jelly roll pan). In a mixing bowl add butter, sugars and peanut butter & beat until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add in flour, oats, soda, salt and mix until just combined, then add choc chips. Spread dough evenly in the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 min or until lightly browned. See how easy that was? And sooo good, especially just out of the oven.
Pumpkin Muffins - Tasty and Healthy? Yup, you need to try them.
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| Pumpkin Muffin |
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup wheat bran
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice ( 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp each of ginger & nutmeg)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup canned pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup plain, low fat yogurt or sour cream
1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey (Gayle uses honey)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup grated carrots *
1/2 cup mini semi sweet choc chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Melt butter, and mix all ingrediants in a large bowl until throughly mixed. Really, it is that easy. In a muffin tin, line the tin with cupcake liners and fill 2/3 full. This makes around 15 muffins. Preheat oven to 375 and bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are done (when a toothpick is inserted into center and it comes out clean).
*Gayle uses a food processor to grate the carrots)
Salted Nut Bars
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| The butterscotch chips are the key to the yum factor in these bars |
1 ½ cups flour
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened
¼ tsp salt
Topping
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 cups butterscotch flavored chips
2 Tbl water
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups mixed nuts
Preheat oven 350, spray 9x13 baking pan with a no stick cooking spray.
Next combine all crust ingredients in a bowl ( or I use a food processor) and mix well, the mixture will be crumbly. Press crumbs mixture into prepared pan and bake 10 min.
Meanwhile, place all toppings ingredients except nuts in medium size saucepan and cook over low heat stirring constantly until chips are melted and mixture is smooth (3 to 5 min), then stir in nuts until well coated. Then spread the mixture over the partially baked hot crust and continue baking for 17-20 min or until golden brown. The bars are easier to cut if they have cooled about 10 min, then cut into bars. It will take about 1 hour for the bars to completely set up and harden, but so worth the wait.
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Pecan Squares
If you like pecan pie, this will quickly become a favorite
Crust:
3 cups flour
½ cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
½ tsp salt
Filling:
4 eggs
1 ½ cup light or dark corn syrup
1 ½ cup sugar
3 Tbl butter, melted
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ chopped pecans
If you have a food processor, mix all ingredients and pulse until all mixed well and resembles course crumbs. If you do not have a food processor, blend together with a mixer. Press firmly and evenly into a greased 15 in x 10 in x 1 in baking pan (note: make sure your cookie sheet is the exact measurements especially the 1” sides or else it will boil all over your oven – this is from past experience on my part =) and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in another bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients & mix well then stir in pecans. Spread evenly over the hot crust and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
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Berry Shortbread Squares (Double yum on this one)
3/4 cup butter, room temp
1 3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup whole almonds
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
4 cups fresh/frozen berries
Preheat oven to 350 and put down buttered parchment paper on a 9x13 pan. In a food processor, pulse the almonds until finely ground. Add the remaining ingredients except the berries and mix till crumbly. Remove 1 cup of this mixture, set aside. Press the remaining mixture in the parchment lined pan, then sprinkle the berries over it and sprinkle the remaining topping over the berries. Bake 20 min, then rotate the pan and bake another 20-25 min or until the crust is golden. Let cool and be prepared to gain 10 pounds because you will not be able to stay out of these.=)
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Oatmeal Berry Breakfast Bars
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| Fresh berries make this one of my favorite breakfast foods |
Crust & Topping
1 cup flour
3/4 cup brn sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes
2 1/2 cups quick-cook oats
2 Tbls orange or apple juice
Filling
1/4 cup brn sugar
2 Tbls Flour
pinch of salt
3 1/2 cups fresh or frozen berries ( I like blueberries the best, but anything will work)
Heat oven to 375 & grease 9x13 pan.
In a food processor, add all the ingredients except the juice & pulse till crumbly, then remove 1 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside. Then add juice into the rest of the mixture in the processor and pulse till moistened. Press this mixture into the bottom of the 9x13 pan.
For the filling mix all the ingredients together and sprinkle evenly over the crust, then add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of topping over the fruit. Bake 35-40. Let cool for 2 hrs. Cut into bars store in refrig or airtight container. This is soooo yummy
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Layered Lemon Pie
This makes 2 pies
Pastry for 2 single crust pies (9in)
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups cold water
3 egg yolks, beaten (in a separate small bowl)
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tsp lemon extract
Second layer
1 pkg 8oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 1/2 cups cold 2% milk
2 pkgs 3.4oz inst lemon pudding mix
Topping
1 pkg 8oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 carton 16oz frozen wipped topping, thawed
Bake 2 pie crusts as directed and cool.
In large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt, stir in water until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat cook and stir 2 min longer. Remove from heat.
Stir in a small amt of hot filling in egg yolks, return all to the pan stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil and stir 2 min longer. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice, lemon peel, extract and butter. Cool to room temp without stirring. Spread lemon filling evenly into both crusts. Refrigerate 30 min or till firm.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners sugar till smooth, beat in milk and add pudding mixes till mixed well and let stand till soft set. Gently spread into pies and refrigerate for 30 min.
For topping, in another large bowl beat cream cheese and confectioners sugar till smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over top of pies, Refrigerate until set.
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