Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins w/ Chocolate Chips

3  1/3 c. whole wheat flour, fine ground

1  t. baking soda

2  t.  baking powder

1  t. salt

4   eggs

1 c. milk, or prepared powdered milk

1/2 c.  oil

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 c. cooked cream of wheat, oatmeal, or cracked-wheat cereal, warm (optional, adds moisture)

1  1/2 c. sugar

15 oz. can pumpkin, or 2 c. frozen pumpkin puree defrosted and drained

2  t. cinnamon

1/8  t. nutmeg and 1/8 t. cloves (optional)

12 oz. bag chocolate chips

Makes 24 tall muffins or 36 short muffins. 

Mix first 4 ingredients, then add the rest.  Grease muffin tin with oil, not with oil cooking spray. Put 1/2  to  2/3 full into the greased muffin tins.  

Bake 15-20 min at 350 degrees. The smell of autumn will fill your kitchen. Lightly touch the center of a few muffins, if it bounces back, they are done. Wait 2 min before removing from tin. Enjoy them hot! 

These muffins freeze very well. They make a great (somewhat healthy) after-school snack. We like to make '36 short muffins' because they cook fast, fit in kid-sized mouths, and if frozen defrost easy.

No need to spread extra butter on top of these babies.  The butter is already inside.

Pumpkin Nutrition:

Great source of  Vitamin A

Low in calories and fat

High in fiber

Can replace oil for pumpkin in many recipes.

The bright orange color of pumpkin is a dead giveaway that pumpkin is loaded with an important antioxidant, beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is one of the plant carotenoids converted to vitamin A in the body. In the conversion to vitamin A, beta carotene performs many important functions in overall health.

Current research indicates that a diet rich in foods containing beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer and offers protect against heart disease. Beta-carotene offers protection against other diseases as well as some degenerative aspects of aging.

Japanese Restaurant Cucumber Salad

Japanese Restaurant Cucumber Salad

                          Lindsey Scarber 2013     

      Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 teaspoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil

1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

      Veggies:

4 large cucumbers - peeled, cut into 1/4-inch slices

2 carrots - peeled, julienne cut into 1/4 x 1/4 inch strips  (I used the carrot peeler to make strips)

2 Green onions - sliced thin

Directions

Whisk sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and salt together in a bowl.

Add cucumbers, carrots and green onions.  Stir to coat.

Allow salad to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Blender Whole Wheat Pancakes

Do you have wheat but no wheat grinder? This is a wholesome delicious recipe just for you!  It is the Blender Wheat Pancakes recipe found in the LDS "Basic Food Storage Cookbook," only a little bit bigger portion. ~Lindsey Scarber

1 ½ c. dry wheat kernels

1 ½ c. cup milk  (Make your own: 1/3 c. non-fat dry milk + 1½c. water)

2 eggs                                          

2 Tbsp. sugar or honey

2 Tbsp. oil

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder (add last)                      

Put wheat and milk in blender.  Blend on highest speed for 4-5 minutes or until batter is smooth.  Blend on low speed while adding, in this order, eggs, sugar, oil, salt, baking powder.  

Bake on hot griddle.

Makes 12 to 14 pancakes. Do not double.

Black Bean Burgers

I'm so sorry it's taken so long to post this!  But this is what I made for the "food storage iron chef" ward activity that we had FOREVER ago...  Enjoy!  --Casey Gifford

BLACK BEAN BURGERS
Prep time: 30 min. Cook time: 15 min. Total: 45 min.

PATTY INGREDIENTS
4 cups (2 cans)	black beans
1/4 med	red onion
1 clove	garlic
1/4 bunch	fresh parsley
1 Tbsp	sriracha
1 Tbsp	mayonnaise
1 tsp	worchestershire sauce
1 tsp	cumin
to taste	salt and pepper
1 lg	egg
1 cup	bread crumbs
TOPPINGS
6 lg	hamburger buns
2 med	roma tomatoes
1/2 med	red onion
1/4 bunch	lettuce
1/4 cup	mustard

STEP 1: Pour the black beans into a colander, rinse well and let drain. Add the beans to a food processor along with everything except the salt, egg and bread crumbs [parsley, onion (roughly diced), garlic (minced), sriracha, mayonnaise, worchestershire sauce, cumin and fresh cracked pepper (about 20 cranks)]. Process until everything is combined and the mixture looks pasty with a few chunks. See photos below

If you don't have a food processor, mash the beans with a fork and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Make sure the onion, garlic and parsley are well chopped.

STEP 2: Transfer the mixture to a bowl and season with salt. I used about 1 tsp of salt total. Adjust other seasonings at this time as well. Make the mixture slightly stronger in flavor and saltiness than you want the burgers to be because once the bread crumbs and egg are added, the flavor will be diluted.

STEP 3: Whisk an egg and stir it into the mixture. Stir in the bread crumbs. The resulting mixture should be moist chunks and crumbs. The mixture should stick together if squeezed in your hand. Adjust the bread crumbs up or down to achieve a mixture that will hold a patty shape.

STEP 4: Use your hands for form the patties. Coat a skillet with non-stick spray and cook the patties for 7-8 minutes on each side. The patties should be brown and crisp on the outside and slightly firm to the touch. Be delicate when handling the patties, they are not as cohesive as meat patties but should hold their shape while cooking.

Serve the patties on a bun along with any toppings you desire.

NOTE: You can cook just a few patties and freeze the rest.  Wrap them in plastic wrap and then place them in a zip lock freezer bag. To cook later, just thaw the patty for 30 seconds in the microwave then finish cooking in a skillet as described above.

Black Bean Hummus

Submitted By Lindsey Scarber

2 cups cooked black beans, drained (or 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained*)

1 Tbsp tahini (or 1 Tbsp creamy peanut butter + 1 t. sesame oil**)

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 lime, its juice (or 1 Tbsp lemon juice)

2 cloves garlic, minced (or garlic powder to taste)

1 tsp ground cumin

salt to taste

Pulverize the beans with an immersion blender.  Add all other ingredients.  (If an immersion blender is inaccessible, combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender.)  Blend again.  Taste it. Add a little of this or that until you get the taste you are looking for. 

Refrigerate for 30 min to 2 hours, to let the flavors blend. 

Serve with pita bread, pita chips, corn chips, or veggie sticks like carrots and celery

I like to double the recipe because it lasts in the fridge 2-3 weeks. 

Vegetarian. High in protein. Gluten-free.

*I use the Pressure Cooker to bottle black beans.  When I want to make hummus , I pull a jar off the shelf, use the perfectly cooked black beans, then reuse the quart jar for more pressure cooking. :)

**Tahini is sesame seed butter, found in the refrigerator section of health food stores like Sprouts and Trader Joes.  Instead of tahini (perishable), I use a combination of peanut butter and sesame oil (both of which are shelf-stable). It saves a trip to the store to buy tahini.

Vegetable Minestrone Soup

Submitted by Lindsey Scarber

Recipe from my AZ friend Cammi Hawker 

This a yummy and very filling vegetarian soup.  Low-carb, too!

3 T. olive oil

1 cup white onion, minced

4 t. minced garlic, fresh is best

1/2 cup zuchinni or yellow squash, chopped 

1/2 cup frozen italian cut green beans, or 1 (15 oz. ) can cut green beans

4 cups vegetable broth, or water
1 (15 oz.) cans smal red beans, or garbanzo beans, drained
1 (15 oz.) cans small white beans or great northern beans, drained
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup carrot, julienne cut or shredded
2 T. fresh minced parsley (or 1 T. dried)
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
3 cups hot water
4 cups fresh baby spinach, or 1 square pkg of defrosted frozen spinach
1/2 cup small shell pasta

Heat olive oil over medium heat in large pot. Saute onion, garlic, green beans, and zucchini for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add vegetable broth, drained tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, carrot, hot water, spinach, and spices.

Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add pasta and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. 

Black Bean and Couscous Salad

This recipe is delicious and it's all food storage and garden ingredients!

I like to make it ahead of time and pack it for a cold lunch to-go. 

~ Lindsey Scarber

3/4 c.   couscous, or whole wheat couscous

1  1/4 c.   chicken broth, or water + 1t. chicken bullion

6 T.   olive oil

6 T.   lime or lemon juice ( I like lime juice)

2 t.   Balsamic vinegar

1 t.   cumin

8   green onions, finely sliced

1 c.   dried cranberries

2 c. cooked black beans, drained, rinsed

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2-quart pot.  Stir in the couscous.  Cover and remove from heat.  Let stand for 5 min.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, and cumin.

Add green onions, cranberries, and black beans. Toss to coat.

Fluff the couscous well, breaking up all the chunks.  Add it to the beans and cranberry mixture and mix well.  Refrigerate. Serve cold.