Peanut Butter Pie

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/mrs-salters-peanut-butter-pie-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 graham cracker crust, store-bought or premade

Directions

Whip cream with 1/4 cup sugar. Mix all other ingredients until smooth and fold in whipped cream until well blended. Pour mixture into a graham cracker crust and chill for several hours before serving.

Avocado on Toast

Toast bread
slice avocado and spread on toasted bread
sprinkle garlic salt
squeeze lemon

Grilled Zucchini

Slice Zucchini
pour a teaspoon of olive oil into your hands and coat the zucchini
put on pan
sprinkle garlic salt and pepper
squeeze lemon juice onto it
grill

Smitten Kitchen's Butternut Squash Soup

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2006/10/the-leaf-peeps/

Winter Squash Soup with Gruyere Croutons
Adapted from Bon Appétit, December 1996

Serves 8

Soup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)*
4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)*
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 cup whipping cream (I didn't use this and it came out fine)

Croutons
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
24 1/4-inch-thick baguette bread slices
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

For soup: Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, all squash and herbs; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return soup to same pot. Stir in cream and bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.)

For croutons: Preheat broiler. Butter 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange bread, buttered side up, on baking sheet. Broil until golden, about 1 minute. Turn over. Sprinkle cheese, then thyme and sage over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with croutons and serve.

* If you are not confident in your knife skills or lack a very very sharp one, I’d suggest roasting the squash, halved and seeded, on a baking sheet coated lightly with oil at 425 until soft, scooping it into the pot, and cooking it the rest of the way there. Peeling, seeding and chopping raw squash is not the easiest endeavor. Alternatively, you could buy butternut squash already peeled and chopped in many stores. Haven’t seen acorn yet.

WW's Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin Soup

Makes 4 servings

PointsPlus™ value | 4 per serving

Ingredients

• 1 (4 lb) sugar or pie pumpkin
• cooking spray
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 quart reduced-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 tsp minced sage leaves or 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut pumpkin in half through its “equator” (that is, not its stem) and scoop out any seeds and fibrous membranes.
2. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray; set pumpkin halves cut-side down on it. Stick a garlic clove under each half. Bake until pumpkin is soft and tender, about 1 hour. Cool on baking sheet for 20 minutes. At this point, pumpkins can be put in a large, sealable container and saved in the fridge for up to 3 days.
3. Scoop soft flesh from shell and into a large blender or food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Add garlic cloves as well as 2 cups of broth. Process or blend until smooth, scraping down inside of canister as necessary.
4. Pour purée into a large saucepan; stir in remaining broth, sage, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes to blend the flavors.
5. Serving size: 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons

Vegetable Soup

• Put garlic, vegetables, thyme and broth into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in parsley or chives; season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Yields about 1 cup per serving. 

	2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
	2 medium uncooked carrot(s), diced
	2 small uncooked zucchini, diced
	2 cup(s) uncooked savoy cabbage, or other variety, shredded
	2 cup(s) uncooked Swiss chard, chopped
	2 cup(s) uncooked cauliflower, small florets
	2 cup(s) uncooked broccoli, small florets
	1 medium uncooked onion(s), diced
	1 medium sweet red pepper(s), diced
	1 rib(s) (medium) uncooked celery, diced
	2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
	6 cup(s) vegetable broth
	2 Tbsp fresh parsley, or chives, fresh, chopped
	1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
	1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
	2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, optional

Zucchini and Banana Bread

2 1/4 cups zucchini (about 2 medium)
1 banana sliced
1 carrot shredded

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup oil and applesauce combined
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla / almond
• 1/4 cup walnuts

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/low-fat-healthy-zucchini-bread-375809#ixzz1vkeGJKnW

Grace's Roasted Fennel

1 Fennel Bulb, cut into 3/4 inch wedges
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange fennel on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, and season with salf and pepper. Roast vegetables until caramelized on both sides, about 35 minutes, tossing after 20 min.

Drizzle with remaiing oil and the lemon juice. Add parsley, and toss to combine. Garnish with fennel fronds.

Svetlana's Muesli / Granola

5 cups rolled oats
1 cup shredded coconuts
2 tbsp sesame seeds
3/4 honey / maple syrup
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup slivered almonds
chai tea extract

CIA's Herb and Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs

12 Large Eggs, hard cooked, peeled, and split in half
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1/3 cup Mayonnaise
1/3 cup Creme Fraiche
3 ounces cold smoked salmon, diced fine
1 Tbsp Chives Minced
1 Tbsp Parsley, minced
1 Tbsp fresh bronze fennel frond, minced

Salt and pepper to taste
Place egg yolks in large bowl and all other ingredients.
Mix to break up the yolk, season with salk and pepper, spoon silling into egg white halves and garnish with parsley
Chill and serve.

Kitchen on Fire's Phyllo Wrapped Apples with Whiskey Caramel Sauce

Caramel:
1 cup sugar
2-3 tbsp whiskey or bourbon
1/3 cup cream (room temperature)

Cook sugar on saucepan on medium heat
Melt, stirring occationally and breaking up sugar crystals till it turns amber in color
remove from heat and slowly stir in whisty and cream until smooth

For the Apples:
Preheat oven to 375-400°
mix 3 tbs sugar and 2 tbs cinnamon
Toss in thick sliced apples/pears/mangos
Add 1 tbsp lemon juice

Lay 2 sheets of phyllo dough and brush with melted butter
Roll 1 apple slice in dough
place onto a parchment lined cooking sheet and brush top with melted butter
repeat with remaining phyllo and apples
place apples into oven for 15-2 min till phyllo is golden brown

Ryan's Cous Cous

Pearled Cous Cous, garlic and herb flavored one

cook that
put it in the fridge to cool it down
Add chopped up veggies (cucumber, tomato, avocado, green onion )
add a little olive oil

Kitchen on Fire's Vegetable Coconut Curry with Herbed Jasmine Rice

Rice:
3 cups water blended with cilantro
Heat 2 tbsp oil in sauce pan over med/high heat, add rice with salt and pepper and sautee for 2-3 min, add cilantro water, bring to a simmer, cover, reduce heat for simmering.
Cook for 15 min till rice is tender
Remove from heat and fluff before serving.
Wrap lid in dry towel to prevent condensation (soggy rice eww)

Curry:
Head 3 tbs oil in large soup pot over medium heat
add 2-3 tbsp of red (I prefer the red) or yellow curry paste and stir til broken down and fragrant.
Add 2 cloves of minced garlic
1.5 tbsp minced ginger (you can mince by peeling ginger with a spoon)
1 tbsp lemongrass minced
1 medium onion minced
and sautee with salt and pepper
Increase heat to high
add veggies: carrots diced, sweet potato doced, 2 cups of button mushrooms quartered, delicata squash diced.
Sautee
Place in 4 cups of coconut milk
Add 3 cups vegetable stock
simmer and cook for 15-20 min till vegetables are nice and tender
remove from heat
stir in 1/4 cup thai basil
adjust seasoning with salt and pepper
Serve over rice

Yum!

Kitchen on Fire's Creamy 3 Cheese Sauteed Mushroom and Greens Pasta

olive oil
onion
3 cups of mushrooms, thinly sliced. You can use Button Mushrooms (soft and mild taste) or Shittake Mushrooms (meaty, robust flavor, just don't use stem it is too fiberous) or a mixture of the 2 types.
Bunch of greens, chopped
3 tbsp all purpose flour
3.5 cups 2 % milk (and less fat and it will be watery)
1/2 cup Mozzarella shredded
1/2 cup Provolone, shredded
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
1 lb Pasta of choice, cooked in salted boiling water
parsley minced
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in large saucepan over high head, add minced onions, salt pepper and sautee till onions are translucent.
Add in mushrooms with salt and pepper, saute till starting to brown.
Stir in greens till wilted
stir in four and saute for 2-3 min till flour turns blonde colored
Stir in milk and lower heat to medium simmer for mixture to thicken for a few minutes
remove from heat
(The combination of flour and milk used as a thickening agent is called Roux.)
stir in cheese
stir in cooked pasta and parsley.

When cooking pasta, strain with handle strainer (safer) and put directly into the sauce. Do this 1-2 minutes before pasta is done so it can complete cooking in the sauce and soak up the sauce instead of having to add oil (saving calories) to make it not stick and then dip in sauce which won't mix well chemically with oil.

Kitchen on Fire's Pesto

Pesto:
Basil Leaves or Cilantro
2 cloves garlic, peeled, cut in half
3 tbsp Pinenuts/Walnuts/Almonds/Cashews
3 tbsp Parmasan Cheese grated
1/4 cup olive oil (this was a bit much I thought)
6-10 slices Thick Crusty Bread
Salt and Pepper to Taste

food process till the puree is smooth and season with salt and pepper

Kitchen on Fire's White Bean & Greens Minestrone

2-3 tbsp Olive oil (taste it before you use, make sure you like the flavor of the oil since it will determine a lot of the flavoring of the final dish)
1 medium Diced Onion
1-2 Celery stalks diced
1 medium carrot diced
2 cups Canned Cannellini Beans, drained
1 small bunch of Kale chopped (keep the stem there is lots of flavor there, if it is super thick just chop that section into smaller pieces)
1 cups Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
8 cups of Vegetable or Chicken Stock
3/4 cups Arborio Rice

heat oil in large stockpot on medium heat and add salt
add in onion (till transluscent), celery, carrots, saute for about 5 min until starting to turn tender
stir in half cannellini beans along with tomatoes, greens, stock, rice
bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover for 25-30min till veggies are tenter and rice is cooked through
strin in remaining beans and simmer for 3-5min

Kitchen on Fire's Asparagus & Leek Frittata

Saute garlic in pan
add leeks, asparagus, and herbs (thyme), salt, pepper
reduce heat and pour in 10 well beaten eggs
Stir in parsley and cheese
Cook on stovetop.
Once bottom is firm, use thin non metallic spatula to lift frittata edge closest to you.
Tilt pan slightly toward you so that uncooked egg runs underneath.
Bake in oven until top is set and slightly golden brown.
Remove from Oven, cool.
Run spatual around pan's edge to loosen.
Invert onto a serving plate.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Yum!

CIA's Avocado Quesadillas

Tortillas
avocado
chopped cilantro
lime
green onions
yellow onions
Cumin
Black Pepper
minced garlic
Cheddar cheese

Smitten Kitchen's Homemade Marshmellows

Link to Recipe

Springy, Fluffy Marshmallows
Adapted from Gourmet, December 1998

These homemade marshmallows are not only easy to make, they set as perfectly as promised: puffed and lightweight, bouncing off one another as I tossed them in the container. Even better, they toasted like a campfire charm speared on the end of a skewer, and s’mooshed between two graham crackers with a square of chocolate.

Makes about 96 1-inch cubed marshmallows

About 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold water, divided
2 cups granulated sugar (cane sugar worked just fine)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites or reconstituted powdered egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla (alternately: 1/2 of a scraped vanilla bean, 2 teaspoons almond or mint extract or maybe even some food coloring for tinting)

Oil bottom and sides of a 13- by 9- by 2-inch rectangular metal baking pan and dust bottom and sides with some confectioners’ sugar.

In bowl of a standing electric mixer or in a large bowl sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold cold water, and let stand to soften.

In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook granulated sugar, corn syrup, second 1/2 cup of cold water, and salt over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to moderate and boil mixture, without stirring, until a candy or digital thermometer registers 240°F, about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour sugar mixture over gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.

With standing or a hand-held electric mixer beat mixture on high speed until white, thick, and nearly tripled in volume, about six minutes if using standing mixer or about 10 minutes if using hand-held mixer. (Some reviewers felt this took even longer with a hand mixer, but still eventually whipped up nicely.)

In separate medium bowl with cleaned beaters beat egg whites (or reconstituted powdered whites) until they just hold stiff peaks. Beat whites and vanilla (or your choice of flavoring) into sugar mixture until just combined. Pour mixture into baking pan and don’t fret if you don’t get it all out (learning from my mess of a first round). Sift 1/4 cup confectioners sugar evenly over top. Chill marshmallow, uncovered, until firm, at least three hours, and up to one day.

Run a thin knife around edges of pan and invert pan onto a large cutting board. Lifting up one corner of inverted pan, with fingers loosen marshmallow and ease onto cutting board. With a large knife trim edges of marshmallow and cut marshmallow into roughly one-inch cubes. (An oiled pizza cutter works well here too.) Sift remaining confectioners’ sugar back into your now-empty baking pan, and roll the marshmallows through it, on all six sides, before shaking off the excess and packing them away.

Do ahead: Marshmallows keep in an airtight container at cool room temperature 1 week.

Lisa's Sweet Potato Fries / Hash Browns

Chop sweet potatoes into cubes.
Lay out on cooking sheet.
Brush on sesame oil or spray with Pam.
Powder with salt, pepper, cumin, curry powder, cinnamon
Bake for 30 min, flipping after 15 min.

Dayna's Coconut Rice Pudding with Mango

3/4 cup red Bhutanese rice

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk (can use 2 percent) or rice beverage

1 cup unsweetened low-fat coconut milk

Seeds from 1 split vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup raw brown sugar, preferably fair-trade organic

1/2 teaspoon rose water (optional)

1 ripe mango, peeled, seeded and cut in thin slices

Fresh lime juice

1. Combine the rice, water and salt in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed.

2. Add the milk, coconut milk, vanilla and sugar to the rice, and stir together. Bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring often, for 10 to 20 minutes until creamy. Stir in the rose water.

3. Scrape into a bowl or into individual serving dishes, and allow to cool. Serve warm, if you prefer. If serving chilled, cover and cool for at least two hours before serving. Spoon into wide serving bowls or plates, and arrange slices of mango atop or alongside each serving. Squeeze a little lime juice over the mango slices, and serve.

Yield: Serves four.

Advance preparation: This will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator, but it will stiffen up as the rice absorbs more liquid. Add more coconut milk or regular milk, if desired.

Nutritional information per serving: 346 calories; 3 grams saturated fat 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 milligrams cholesterol; 71 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 207 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein

Seriously Yum!