Strawberry-Banana Pastries

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
2 cups oats-based granola (I used one with oats and berries)
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup slivered almonds
6 fresh strawberries (diced)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork.  Add granola, applesauce, vanilla, spices, and almonds. Stir thoroughly. 

2. Add diced strawberries to batter. Mix until well blended. 

3. Spray a non-stick cooking spray into muffin pan
4. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons into muffin pan. Only fill half-way. This will not rise. I just use the muffin pan to get a nice round result. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. 

Enjoy!

*You can find the original gluten-free recipe here where they are placed on a cookie sheet for bite-size fun*

Shrimp and Grits

Ingredients

Grits:

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup old fashioned grits (not the “instant” grits)

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup cheddar cheese

Shrimp:

2 tablespoons Olive oil

1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 cup thinly sliced scallions

1 large clove garlic, minced

Directions

1.  Bring chicken broth to a simmer. 

2.  While simmering, whisk in the grits and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir constantly and return to a low simmer. Cook until thickened, about 20-25 minutes, stirring often. 

3.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.

4.  Rinse shrimp and pat dry. 

5.  Add olive oil to a saute pan or skillet and heat on medium. Add shrimp and cook until they turn pink. 

6.  Add lemon juice, parsley, scallions and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes.

Spoon grits into a serving bowl. Add shrimp mixture and mix well. Serve immediately as a starter or as the main course.

Butternut Squash Risotto

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Ingredients

2 cups cubed butternut squash (feel free to buy the pre-cut squash)

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 onion, minced

1 cup Arborio rice

1/3 cup dry white wine

5 cups hot chicken stock

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place squash cubes into a saucepan. Add water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Allow to boil until the squash is tender (10 to 15 minutes), then drain, and mash in a bowl with a fork.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir for 2 minutes until the onion begins to soften, then stir in the rice. Continue cooking and stirring until the rice is glossy from the butter, and the onion begins to brown on the edges, about 5 minutes more.
3. Pour in the white wine; cook, stirring constantly, until it has evaporated. Stir in the mashed squash and 1 cup of the hot chicken stock; reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir until the chicken stock has been absorbed by the rice, 5 to 7 minutes. Add half of the remaining chicken stock (2 cups), and continue stirring until it has been absorbed. Finally, pour in the remaining stock, and continue stirring until the risotto is creamy. Finish by stirring in the Parmesan cheese, and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Avocado Shrimp Ceviche

Ingredients

• 2 pounds large shrimp - peeled, deveined and chopped
• 3/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 5 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
• 16 saltine crackers
• 
  

Directions

1. Place the shrimp and lime juice into a large bowl, and stir to coat. Let stand for about 5 minutes, or until shrimp are opaque. The lime juice will cook them. Mix in the tomatoes, onion, and cilantro until coated with lime juice; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Remove from the refrigerator, and mix in the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, hot sauce, salt and pepper. We have our own hot sauce recipe, but you can use whatever hot sauce you like, or leave it out and let people add their own when serving.
3. Serve in glass tumblers and top with avocado pieces. Set out extra Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, lime wedges and hot sauce for people to individualize their dish. Serve with saltine crackers.

Simple Turkey Chili

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cups water
• 1 (28 ounce) can canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 (16 ounce) can canned kidney beans - drained, rinsed, and mashed
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Shredded cheddar cheese and/or sour cream (optional toppings)

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place turkey in the pot, and cook until evenly brown. Stir in onion, and cook until tender.
2. Pour water into the pot. Mix in tomatoes, kidney beans, and garlic. Season chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.
3. Serve and top with cheddar cheese or sour cream (or nothing if you choose)

Monkey Bread

Before going in the oven

Sweet golden deliciousness afterwards

Ingredients

3 cans Buttermilk biscuits (NOT the flaky kind)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 sticks butter

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Open up all three cans of biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters.

3. Combine the white sugar with 2-3 teaspoons of cinnamon. 3-tsp will be really cinnamon-y. Dump this mix and the biscuits into a gallon size zip lock bag and shake it up really well.

4. Drop all of the biscuit quarters into a bundt pan (or jumbo muffin cups).

5. Melt the butter with the brown sugar in a sauce pan over medium-high heat until combined. Once the brown sugar butter has become one color, pour it over the biscuits.

6. Bake for 30-40 minutes (or 20 minutes for the muffin cup ones) until the crust is deep brown on the top.

7. Let it cool for about 15-30 minutes and enjoy.



(8-10 servings)

Spicy Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

Ingredients

• 1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
• 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (optional)
• tortilla chips
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Directions

1. Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips/chips over soup.

(8 servings)