Apple Crisp

Alright here's the recipe I promised you it is Super Simple, Healthy and very Tasty!  Especially with some Truly Gourmet Vanilla Ice Cream!  I also found it worked GREAT to make the crisp part up into a gallon size Ziplock and take a jar of Apple Pie Filling and the bag and quickly throw it together in any kitchen I'm at.  I'm going to love it for those times, like holidays, when we are traveling and I'm asked to bring a dessert.  So much easier then having to travel with something already made that could spill, has to stay warm or cold, or gets smashed.  I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

Just put the dry ingredients in first.

Then add the wet and mix it all right in the bag you don't even need to dirty a bowl.

Note in the picture above is enough stuff for 2 cake pan size ones.  Sorry I didn't get a picture of the final product I will do that next time we make it.  

Apple Crisp

1 1/2 cups Sucanat

1 cup Whole Wheat flour (hard or soft white)

1 cup Rolled Oats

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg

2/3 cup melted Coconut oil

1 Quart Apple Pie Filling

In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients and then add the coconut oil and combine well.  Press the combined ingredients into a regular size rectangle cake pan.  Spread the Apple Pie Filling on to the top of the crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until bubbling around the edges.  Cut into squares and serve in a plate or in a bowl great warm with a scoop of ice cream!  Also great with my Favorite Whipped Creme!

Feed a Crowd Pancake Mix

Update:  July 2010
Just bringing this forward again.  Summer is passing us by and we haven't gone camping yet!  But we are planning a few trips soon!   These will definitely be on the menu.  Thought you might like them too!  We have been doing lots of Dutch oven cooking though and are getting close to perfecting some really Tasty recipes!  No need to eat Hot Dogs while camping RIGHT!!

I came up with this recipe a while ago. We make it lots it's super Simple and very Tasty! This past Summer while camping I also found that I could mix the dry ingredients all together into a gallon size Ziplock and then put a label on the outside that said how much of the liquid ingredients to add. It made it so fast and easy especially for camping! And this particular recipe makes a good big batch!

Enjoy!

Feed a Crowd Pancake Mix

6-8 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon sea salt

3 teaspoons baking powder (the non-aluminum kind of course;)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup Sucanat

Mix the above ingredients together then add:

2 cups rice milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 Tablespoons coconut or olive oil

water to desired consistency

Add wet ingredients and stir add just enough water for the consistency you like some people like thinner crape like pancakes some like them thicker and fluffier. I just add some water stir and add a little more if it's still too thick. Also you can always add more flour if you accidentally make them too thin. See so Simple!!!

Tinfoil Dinners

Update: June 29, 2010  Hey I think it's my Nephew's birthday today!  Happy Birthday Myles!!!!  Alright It's time to bring this recipe forward again  but I have a question.  I don't really like the idea of cooking aluminum into my food.  But really is there another way to do Tinfoil Dinners?  I'm wondering if I took parchment paper and wrapped the food in that and then did a couple layers of the tinfoil.  Would that keep my food from absorbing the aluminum?  Would it work?  It may even help keep it from burning so easily!  Anyone have any thoughts?  Has anyone ever done this? 

Our family has always liked camping (I like it more now that we have a trailer;) What kind of food do you think of when you think about camping? Hot dogs roasted in the camp fire? Smores? Bacon, sausage, soda pop?! I have a hard enough time sleeping while camping I don't need heart burn and constipation too! ;) Needless to say we have had to get a little creative! I'm adding a label called "Outdoor Cooking" and I will try to post a number of our recipes that we have found work great for camping! Here is the first one! It's so Simple!

Just cut up some of your favorite veggies into chunks. We used potatoes, onions, carrots, and mushrooms. You could also use asparagus, peppers, broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash etc.

Place the cut up veggies on a piece on tinfoil. Add 1 Tablespoon coconut oil (Just blob it on top;) Some salt and pepper to taste and other seasonings if wanted. We use a little rosemary, basil, parsley, a little Mexican and some Italian seasoning.

Wrap tightly in the tinfoil and wrap a second piece tightly around that (you don't want dirt in your food;) Then place in HOT coals or on top of but be sure to turn. Depending on how hot your coals are it should only take about 20 minutes or less to cook. Longer if your coals are further from the fire;)


You can eat them right out of the tinfoil but we usually put them onto a paper plate! Simple, Healthy, Tasty! You should have heard my hubby MMMMmmmmMMMmmen over these! ;)

Hearty Vegetable Chili plus Baked Potato Bar

I'm featuring this recipe again because well it's that time of year! This is a great dutch oven recipe and is perfect for camping, picnics, or with a baked potato bar (I've added what we do for Baked Potato Bar below.)   It's so tasty on a cool evening around a campfire! We love it!

Hearty Vegetable Chili
With Lime and Cilantro

2 cans black beans

1 can pinto or garbanzo beans
1 can kidney beans
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 large or 2 medium onions
1 orange bell pepper or color of choice
2 stalks celery w/ leaves, chopped
½ summer squash, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes
1-2 cups frozen corn
1/4 cup sucanat
2+ Tablespoons chili powder
½ -1 ½ Tablespoon sea salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pepper
Juice of ½ -1 whole lime (to taste)
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Be sure to drain the beans well you can use canned or cook your own dry. Use whatever variety of beans you want. In large pot saute garlic, onion, bell pepper, celery, squash, and zucchini in olive oil for a 3 or 4 minutes. Add the drained beans, diced tomatoes (DON'T DRAIN), and corn. Add rest of ingredients except cilantro, bring to a boil and boil off a bit of the liquid until it is a chili consistency. Remove from heat stir in the cilantro, can reserve some to sprinkle fresh on top. We had this chili on baked potatoes with sesame dip, some fresh sliced tomatoes. With fresh cilantro on top!

Baked Potato Bar

This is super easy just take a baked potato.  I bake mine in a covered casserole dish with a inch of water in the bottom I wash and poke the potatoes with a fork.  Bake at 350 for about an hour or 200-250 if you need them to take longer like say you are at church. ;)

Anyway just top with the Hearty Vegetable Chili, then some Cheezy Sauce, then some chopped steamed broccoli, I like to add some fresh tomatoes, more fresh cilantro and some of my Ranch dressing.  That's it all the other yummy veggies like corn, onion, etc are already in the chili!

VeggieKabobs

This weekend is actually going to be warm here!  Yesterday was also nice and sunny!  I have to admit I'm sporting a pretty good sunburn because I overdid the sunshine after a very long winter of none.  Oh well I have my aloe vera gel, lavender essential oil, and coconut oil that will help care for my skin so I will have a nice golden glow! (I hope;) 

Anyway all this warm sunny weather has me thinking of lots of outdoor activities and yes most of them involve FOOD!  My sister recently posted Veggie Bean burgers, I posted about onion rings not too long ago;  both would be great items in an outdoor BBQ or picnic!  As we get into Spring and Summer I will try to give you lots of Simple, Healthy, Tasty ideas for great outdoor eats!  So it will be easy for you to attend Family Reunions, BBQ's, Picnics, etc. and still eat healthy! 

First off I must post one of our very most favorite outdoor BBQ dishes!  We call them VeggieKabobs and they are so very, very good!  ENJOY!

VeggieKabobs

Lots of veggies of choice cut into BIG chunks

and marinated in Marinade

We love Mushrooms, Zucchini, Summer Squash,

Red and other colors of Bell Pepper, Artichoke Hearts,

Onion, Pineapple (fresh tastes best but canned works too)

Bamboo skewers, soaked in water for a few hours

Marinade

(sorry I just throw stuff in enough to soak the veggies in

not a perfect recipe but it turns out great every time and is so easy)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Juice of Lemons and/or Limes to taste

(I usually use 4 to 5 limes and sometimes one lemon)

Orange juice to taste

Honey to taste

Lemon Pepper seasoning to taste

Basil to taste

Salt and Pepper to taste

If you have a favorite grilling spice you could add that too

If I buy marinated Artichoke hearts I will add some of

that marinade to this too

Let Veggies soak in marinade in the fridge overnight!  During the next day before time to put them together I will usually stir them a few times.  Soak skewers a few hours before cooking.  Take soaked skewers and put the veggies on rotating them so you have a good variety.  Place on warmed grill.  Don't cook too hot or you will burn the outside.  Be patient and slowly let these grill turning a few times getting that nice smoky flavor.  Cook just until warmed with some grill marks on the outside. You want your veggies to still be crunchy.  You may brush them with more marinade while they are grilling.  Also the left over marinade makes a great salad dressing and I like to put it on some cooked whole wheat spaghetti with a little coconut oil and more lemon pepper added.  It goes great with the grilled veggies!

Veggie-bean Burgers

Kidney beans and chopped fresh
veggies join forces to make
this scrumptious burger.
While cooking...
open your windows and
let the aroma fill your neighborhood.
No one will ever guess you're
grillin' up health food.

Veggie-bean Burgers

1 (15oz) can kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 small carrot, shredded
1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 Tbsp organic ketchup
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup cooked brown rice (optional)

In a food processor bowl with
metal blade, combine first 9 ingredients;
process with on/off pulses until
coarsly chopped. Do NOT puree.

*This can also be done by blending
kidney beans in blender on low
then putting mashed beans into bowl and
adding finely chopped veggies, ketchup
and salt. Stir in cooked brown rice
if desired.

Shape mixture into 4 patties,
1/2 inch thick.

Cook in frying pan
over medium high heat
until both sides are browned,
10-12 minutes...
or until patties are thoroughly heated.

Place patties on whole wheat buns
with lettuce, tomato slices and
whatever else you like on your burger.

Perfect!

Note: I have made these
burgers for years, and just
last night I tried them
with brown rice.
They are delicious
either way...but I will
make them with
brown rice from now on.

Enjoy!

Lentil Soup Will Cook Up Great in a Dutch Oven Too!

In the picture I have the soup in a bread bowl. I made them by making up the "Best Yet Whole Wheat Bread" dough and making big round blobs and putting them on a cookie sheet to rise! You can get about 3 or 4 per sheet depending on how big you make them. Cook at the same temperature till done! We then cut a round hole in the top and scoop out the center. Which we love to eat and dip in the soup. You could easily bake these up and put in ziplocks to use while camping. The soup cooks up great in a dutch oven and the bowls would make it nice and filling! Or you could just have rolls or bread made that would be good too and maybe a little easier for camping!

French Lentil Soup


3 tablespoons extra–virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery stalks plus chopped celery leaves for garnish
1 cup chopped carrots
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups (or more) vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups lentils
1 14 1/2–ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
Balsamic vinegar (optional but I think it's a must)

Heat oil in a dutch oven. Add onions, celery, carrots, and garlic; sauté until vegetables begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add 4 cups broth, lentils, and tomatoes with juice and bring to boil. Reduce heat cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 35 minutes. With potato masher stir and mash up some of the beans NOT ALL! (If you don't have a potato masher with you while camping totally don't even worry about this part;) You may thin soup with more broth or water by 1/4 cupfuls, if too thick. Season with salt, pepper, and a splash of vinegar, if desired.