I had a handful of jalapenos to use up from the Farmer's Market, and this recipe had been calling out to me for weeks. I left the peppers out of the younger boys' sandwiches, even though I think they could have handled it...the heat wasn't too bad since I thoroughly seeded the peppers before roasting them.. Everyone loved these, and they really did remind us of Jalepeno poppers!


Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese
http://www.closetcooking.com/2011/04/jalapeno-popper-grilled-cheese-sandwich.html
Ingredients
2 jalapeno peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
2 slices sour dough bread
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup jack and cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon tortilla chips, crumbled
Directions
Place the peppers on a baking sheet with the cut side facing down.
Place the baking sheet on the top shelf in the oven and broil until the outer layer of the skin has blackened, about 8-14 minutes.
Place the peppers in a zip-lock bag or other sealable container, seal and let them cool until you can handle them, about 20 minutes.
Remove the skins from the peppers. The skins should easily "pinch" off.
Assemble sandwich and grill until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Banana Oatmeal Cups with Chocolate Chips

Their simplicity is one of the big reasons I like these muffins...only 7 ingredients! Because they contain no flour, the batter was runny and milky--I was skeptical about them baking properly. But wow, they have amazing texture, and just the right amount of sweetness. I find them a little bit addicting! Perfect to freeze and pull out individually for breakfast each morning (sometimes I pull out two). Something about them reminds me strongly of my Grandma Marshall, so I'm wondering if she used to make something similar to these. I'll be making them often!

Note: I used good old 2 percent cows milk. I added a little honey.

Banana Oatmeal Cups with Chocolate Chips (Sassix)

3 mashed bananas (the more ripe the better!)

1 cup vanilla Almond milk (you could use skim but you may want to add a little sweetener)

2 eggs

1 tbsp Baking powder

3 cups (240g) Old Fashion or Rolled Oats

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp (42g) mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Mix all ingredients except the chocolate chips together, and let sit while you prepare the muffin pans.

Spray a muffin pan and/or liners with with non-stick spray.

Stir the chocolate chips into the oatmeal batter.

Divide batter into 15 muffin cups. They should be just about filled.

Bake 20-30 minutes, you’ll see the edges just starting to brown and they will be firm to the touch.

The muffins may stick when hot but are removed easily when cooled for a bit

Oatmeal and Wheat Flour Pancakes

These are my personal favorite pancakes at the moment. I have the original recipe, and then my 'veganized' version, and while they offer a little different flavor, both versions are tasty. The original has a tad more flavor, but there are times I'm just not in the mood to use up three eggs to make pancakes. Bottom line...both versions will make your tummy happy, it just depends on your mood.

I have used canola oil instead of olive oil every time I've made them because I was little afraid of the  olive oil's flavor being too strong. One of these times I will try the olive oil.


Oatmeal and Wheat Flour Pancakes

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats 2 cups soy milk 3 eggs, beaten 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 cup frozen blueberries

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat a lightly oiled griddle over medium heat.
2.	In a large bowl, mix whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3.	In a small bowl, mix oats and soy milk. Whisk in eggs and olive oil. Pour into the flour mixture all at once. Continue mixing until smooth. Gently fold in blueberries.
4.	Pour batter about 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared griddle. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, until bubbly. Flip, and continue cooking until lightly browned.

Vegan Version: Follow instructions, substituting the flax seed 'eggs' for real eggs.

Ingredients:
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3 T. brown sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. quick cooking oats
2 c. almond or soy milk
2 T. ground flax seed soaked in 1/4 c. water until gummy
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. frozen blueberries

Enchanted Broccoli Forest

How enchanting! Seriously, with the steam rising from this adorable forest of broccoli, how could anyone resist it? My entire family LOVED this dish, and it's a fun way to present some veggies and whole grains together for supper. My three year old kept asking for 'more trees'--and he doesn't usually devour broccoli like that! We ate it alongside some grilled chicken tenders, but honestly, I think this could be a meal in itself (and it was-- the leftovers made me a filling lunch for 2 days). The rice had such a good flavor with the fresh dill, parsley and a touch of cayenne. I did not add the mint or the sunflower seeds, but I think I'll try it next time. Also, I added more cayenne than I thought I wanted (my hand slipped!), and the extra spice was just right, even for the kids.

Enchanted Broccoli Forest

First: Cook 2 cups brown or white rice, fluff with a fork and set aside. 

(I used my favorite base rice, click here)

Ingredients:

1 lb bunch of broccoli                                 cayenne to taste

1 T. butter or canola oil                               2 T. minced fresh dill (2 t. dried)

1 c. chopped onion                                     3 T. fresh mint (3 t. dried)

3/4 t. salt                                                    1/4 c. minced fresh parsley

1 large garlic clove, minced                         1/2 c. toasted sunflower seeds (optional)

2 T. fresh lemon juice                                  1 packed cup grated cheddar or swiss (optional)

about 6 cups cooked rice                            a little melted butter for the top (optional)

1. Trim the tough bottoms from the broccoli stalks, and cut the tops into smallish spears of whatever size suits you. Cook them in a steamer over boiling water until bright green and just barely tender (I did about 5 minutes). Rinse under cold running water, drain well, and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease a 9x13 in. baking pan.

3. Melt butter or heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or a Dutch oven. Add the onion and salt, and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the onion begins to soften. Add the garlic and lemon juice, and saute for about 2 minutes longer. Stir in the rice, some black pepper and cayenne to taste, the herbs, and the optional sunflower seeds and/or cheese (cheese is NOT optional in my family!). Taste to correct salt, if necessary, and spread into the prepared pan.

4. Now for the fun part. Arrange the broccoli upright in the rice, and, if desired, drizzle with melted butter. Cover loosely with foil, and bake until just heated through (15 to 20 minutes). Serve right away.

Source: The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen

Southwestern Pinto Bean Burgers with Chipotle Mayo

The flavor of this bean burger is awesome! The chipotle mayo adds great spice to it as well--but I think the burger stands alone just fine. This will become a staple in our house. I did have a problem with the patties holding together as I cooked them, so next time will make 6 or 8 smaller burgers and I think they'll hold together much better. I cooked them until they had a nice golden crust on each side, and once I carefully laid a patty on a bun and smooshed it all together, the sandwich held together fine while eating it. YUM!

Southwestern Pinto Bean Burgers with Chipotle mayo
The-Skipper-Bunch via Cooking Light

1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño pepper
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained
1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no salt-added whole-kernel corn, drained
Chipotle Mayonnaise:
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon canned minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce

Remaining ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 (1 1/2-ounce) whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted
4 romaine lettuce leaves

--- To prepare burgers, combine the first 10 ingredients in a large bowl. Add pinto beans and corn; partially mash with a fork. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each portion into a 3 1/2-inch patty, and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
To prepare chipotle mayonnaise, combine mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon chipotle in a small bowl; set aside. Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties to pan, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until thoroughly heated. Assemble burgers.

Wild Mushroom and Greens Soup

This is a simple mushroom soup that is great if you need to use up some greens. I had a bunch of chard from my CSA that needed a home, and this is where it went! I was able to find each type of mushroom needed at Meijer. The different mushrooms add such nice texture. I halved the recipe and froze portions for myself for lunches, because although I find it filling and good, my family is not crazy for greens in their soup. One of these days I WILL convert them!

WILD MUSHROOM, WHITE BEAN AND GREENS SOUP

Souper Jenny

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

4 cups shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

4 cups oyster mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

8 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 cup dry sherry

4 cups white beans (canned), rinsed

2 bunches of your favorite winter greens, chopped (kale, Swiss chard or broccoli leaves)

4 quarts low-sodium vegetable broth

Preparation

Heat olive oil in soup pot. On medium heat saute onion and garlic until soft. Add all mushrooms and saute until soft. Add sherry and broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat, add greens and white beans and simmer 45 minutes. With a hand blender, pulse soup a few times. If too thick for your taste, add more broth.