August- Snack Time!

Split Pea Soup

(Courtney Zaugg)

1 cup chopped yellow onions

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/8 cup good olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4-5 medium carrots diced

1 small sweet potato, diced very small!

2 bay leaves

1 T. old bay seasoning

1 pound dried split green peas

10 cups chicken stock or water

In a 4-quart stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with the olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, bay leaves, old bay, 8 cups of the chicken stock/water, and 1/2 pound of split peas. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Skim off the foam while cooking. Add the remaining split peas. Add 1-2 cups of water if the soup is starting to look low and continue to simmer for another 45-55 minutes covered, or until all the peas are soft. Stir occasionally to keep the solids from burning on the bottom. In the last 5-10 minutes add another cup of water if the soup is looking low and heat through. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Back to School Power Bars 

Stephanie Partridge

2 cups flour

1 cup oat bran

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

3 cups oats

1+ cup cooked quinoa

2 cups dried fruit ( I used a tropical fruit mix)

1 cup honey

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup applesauce

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp almond extract (I love the almond flavor, so use less if you want)

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium/large bowl stir together the flour, oat bran, brown sugar, oats, quinoa, and dried fruit.  Make a little bowl within the flour mixture and put the remaining ingredients inside it.  Stir it a little bit and then incorporate the wet into the dry.  I make the flour bowl to save dishes, but you can mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl if you want and then just combine them.  The dough will be the consistency of a sticky cookie dough.  Spray 1-2 rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray and then scoop big blobs of the dough onto the baking sheets and spread out with the back of a large spoon or spatula.  You want it to be about 1/2-3/4 inches thick.  It doesn’t spread or rise much so don’t worry about it cooking strange if one of your baking sheets isn’t completely full of dough.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Note: This recipe is very forgiving so add, take away, do what you want and as long as you keep the amount of wet ingredients and dry ingredients equal to what I have, it will most likely turn out fine.  

July-Healthy

Jasmine's Quinoa Salad

This is less of a recipe, and more of an idea-starter.  :) I make this recipe whenever I don't really know what else to make for dinner or lunch! Quinoa is super healthy and packed with protein.

• Quinoa (amount depends on how many people you're trying to feed) (I usually plan on about 1/4 c. uncooked, or 1/2 c. cooked, quinoa per person...so if you're wanting to feed 4 people you'll want 1 cup uncooked (or 2 cups cooked) quinoa
• Raw veggies (you can use anything you like in your salads!) I usually use tomatoes, shredded carrots, cucumber, red pepper, and avocado (this is a must, yum!). Radishes, 
• I usually add either green or red onion, sliced thin
• Canned beans (for 2 c. cooked quinoa I add 1 can of beans), rinsed and drained. Again, whatever kind you like! Black, kidney, chick peas, pinto, I've even used black eyed peas!
• Herbs. Fresh herbs give this a really fresh taste! I usually use parsley and/or cilantro.
• Dressing. I usually make a balsamic vinaigrette and pour it over top. I don't really have a recipe for this, I just whisk together balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, a couple minced garlic cloves, salt, and pepper. Sometimes I add dijon mustard, agave/honey, and/or nutritional yeast. Here is a link to a good basic balsamic vinaigrette: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/balsamic-vinaigrette/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=balsamic%20vinaigrette&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe.  If you're in a rush, you can also top this salad with your favorite bottled salad dressing (Italian is really good).

In case you don't know how to cook quinoa, you cook it just like rice. 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water (or broth) I just cook it in my rice cooker. When I'm making this salad, I'll usually cook the quinoa in vegetable broth to give it extra flavor, but water is just fine.

If anyone has any questions on quinoa, or you want more ideas on ways to cook it, let me know!  :)