Flaxseed Breakfast Cookies

Gluten and casein-free and made with 100% flax (no other flours or meals)! They are crispy, chewy and nutty, plus made with ease in a muffin tin.


⅔ cup ground flax seeds (flaxseed meal)
½ cup almond butter, peanut butter, sunflower butter or tahini
⅓ cup pure maple syrup, agave nectar, liquid honey
⅓ cup almond milk, dairy milk, etc.
1 tea. vanilla extract
2 tea. ground cinnamon
⅔ cup raisins, craisins or chocolate chips

Optional: a couple Tablespoons seeds (chia, sesame, sunflower, hemp, pumpkin, etc.) or 1 egg will make them more  muffin-y.





Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray the cup of a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.*

In a large bowl, stir together everything except raisins until well combined. Stir in raisins until just combined.

Using a heaping tablespoon, divide batter into prepared muffin cups.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or edges are golden brown and tops appear somewhat dry. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer to the rack to cool.



*You could instead make 20 mi I muffins. Bake those for @18 minutes.



Storage Tip Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Or wrap them in plastic wrap, then foil, completely enclosing them, and freeze for up to 6 months. Let thaw at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours before serving.



Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 muffin top

Calories: 126 Fat: 7.4 g, Carbs  14.1 g, Fiber: 2.4 g, Protein 4 g



Source: Power Hungry

Black Bean and Espresso Chili with Three Cheese Cornmeal Mush (soft polenta)

1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 large onions, chopped
1/8 cup instant espresso powder
1/8 cup chili powder
1/8 cup ground cumin
1/8 cup dried oregano leaves
1-28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
3 Tab. honey
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 pound of black beans, cooked
2 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
Large pinch of ground cinnamon

Optional Toppings:
sour cream
chopped fresh cilantro
chopped green onions
shredded cheese
sliced jalapenos
shaved bittersweet chocolate

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Mix in espresso powder, 1/4 cup chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook 1 minute. Mix in tomatoes, honey, and garlic. Bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Add beans, 2 cups water, salt, liquid smoke, and cinnamon. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until mixture thickens slightly, stirring often, about 30 minutes. Season with salt.
(Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before serving.)
Place toppings in individual condiment bowls. Ladle chili into bowl and serve toppings alongside.

Source: modified slightly from the recipe at Epicurious

Serve with:

Three Cheese Cornmeal Mush (soft polenta)

1 cup cornmeal
1 tea. garlic salt
3 Tab butter or margarine
1 cup sharp cheddar
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
8 ounces mascarpone cheese

Put 3 cups water in a pot and heat to boiling. Meanwhile, mix cornmeal with 1 cup cold water in a bowl with a whisk. This is to prevent the cornmeal from clumping. Once the water boils, add the cornmeal-water mixture to the boiling water. Add garlic salt and butter or margarine. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently with a whisk, for 8-10 minutes. Stir in cheddar, Parmesan and mascarpone cheeses and stir until melted.
Serve with chili by putting a portion of the mush in the bowl and then top with the chili. Add toppings and then serve.

One Hour Easter Dinner

An entire Easter Dinner made in an hour, in a crockpot and the rest baked in the oven together, and all on sheet pans! 

photo from Chelsea's Messy Apron.

Easter Dinner Menu

serves 8

Pineapple Brown Sugar Ham

Roasted Parmesan asparagus

Honey-butter Roasted Carrots (or Honey-butter Roasted Sweet Potatoes)

Cheesy Au gratin Potatoes

Toasted Baguette

Shopping List

Au Gratin Potatoes
6 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon EACH: onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Honey Butter Carrots (or Honey Butter Sweet Potatoes)
1 pound baby carrots,* washed and peeled (or sweet potatoes)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, (or cinnamon)
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoon honey

Parmesan Asparagus
2 bunch asparagus, woody ends removed
1 teaspoon EACH: garlic powder, dried basil, dried thyme
4 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham
3 pounds Smoked Boneless Ham, OR 6 (7 ounces EACH) ham steaks (halved crosswise)
1 can sliced pineapples (reserve the juice)
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Toasted Baguette
1/2 large baguette, sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
Fresh parsley, fresh lemon

Instructions

Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham

In the morning, slice the ham into thick slices. Place in a crockpot. Place a pineapple slice on top of each ham slice. 

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of the juice from the canned pineapples, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Whisk. Generously coat all of the ham with this mixture.

One hour before planned dinner time, prepare two extra large sheet pans by lining them with parchment paper or buttering both pans. Arrange the oven racks so that one rack is the second down from the top and the other oven rack is the second one up from the bottom. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Au Gratin Potatoes and Toasted Baguette

Start with the potatoes. Scrub clean and then thinly slice (1/8th inch thick) all the potatoes. In a small saucepan over medium high heat, melt the butter. Briskly whisk in the flour and, whisking constantly, stir for 30 seconds. While whisking constantly, slowly add in the milk and whisk until smooth. Allow to thicken. Add in all of the seasonings. Stir in the sliced potatoes and then cover and reduce the heat to medium low. Allow to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until potatoes are fork tender. If needed, add a few extra tablespoons of milk. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheddar cheese. 

Arrange the potatoes on 2/3 of the first prepared sheet pan. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese over the potatoes. Place the rest of the potatoes on top and then sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Bake the potatoes on the top rack for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are crisp. 

Remove from the oven and add the baguette slices on the last 1/3 of the sheet pan. Spread butter over each slice and sprinkle with the Italian seasoning. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the baguette is toasted and soft.

Remove from the oven and top the potatoes with fresh parsley if desired.

Honey Butter Carrots & Parmesan Asparagus

Place the washed and peeled carrots on the second sheet pan and drizzle with oil, salt and thyme. Toss to combine. Separate the carrots to one half of the sheet pan.

On the other side of the sheet pan add the asparagus. Pour the oil and seasonings over the asparagus and toss to coat.

Bake on the bottom rack for 10 minutes; stir veggies around, and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Remove from the oven.

For the carrots: combine the butter and honey and melt in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Pour over the carrots and toss to coat. For the asparagus: top with the Parmesan cheese and a squeeze of fresh lemon if desired.

Salt and pepper everything additionally to taste and enjoy immediately!

Recipe Notes

I have made Honey Butter Sweet Potatoes instead of the Carrots by substituting the carrots for peeled and cubed sweet potatoes and substituting the thyme for cinnamon.

source: Chelsea's Messy Apron.

Moroccan Butternut Chickpea Stew

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, small dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb. butternut squash, large dice
3/4 lb. red potatoes, large dice
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
14 oz. diced tomatoes, with juices
pinch saffron threads (optional)
1/2 preserved lemon, finely chopped
1 cup brined green olives
cooked couscous
fresh cilantro, chopped
slivered almonds
Greek yogurt
hot sauce of your choice

Heat olive oil in a large and deep heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium flame. When hot, add onions, garlic, cumin, and cinnamon. Sauté until the onions are translucent (about 5 minutes). Stir in the butternut squash and the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir to coat. Cook until tender – about 5 minutes and then add the broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, and saffron. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover with a tight-fitting lid for about 10 minutes until the squash is fork-tender. Remove the pot from the burner and stir in the chopped preserved lemon and the olives. Ladle the stew over cooked couscous and garnish with cilantro, toasted almonds, plain yogurt, and hot sauce. Serves 6 to 8.

source: Use Real Butter

Oatmeal-Peanut Butter Bars

1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 tea. Cinnamon
1/2 tea. Baking Soda
1/4 tea. Salt

Preheat oven 350F. Coat a 13x9 pan with oil spray. Whisk together above ingredients in a medium bowl.

1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter (or Sunflower Seed, Almond or other nut butters)
1/2 cup firmly packed Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Honey

Beat above ingredients in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until blended.

1 large Egg
2 large Egg Whites (or the equivalent of Just Whites)
2 Tab. Canola Oil
2 tea. Vanilla Extract

Mix above ingredients into peanut butter mixture until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix with a rubber spatula

2 cups old-fashioned rolled Oats
1 cup dried Cranberries (or Raisins)
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts or Almonds (or Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds)
1/2 cup bittersweet or semisweet Chocolate Chips

Add in rest of ingredients. Scrape batter into greased pan and use plastic wrap or parchment paper to lightly press batter into an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely and slice into 24 2x2 inch bars.

One serving is one bar
175 calories
4g protein
24g carbohydrates
2g fiber
8g fat

Cinnamon

Perfect Portion : 1/2-2 teaspoons

• Very low glycemic index 
• Helps prevent clots that can cause heart attacks 
• Boosts brain activity and improves concentration