Heart Healthy Cranberry Walnut Cookies

This recipe makes about 24 cookies.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup, plus 2 tbsps olive or sunflower oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup low fat, plain yogourt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried dates, chopped

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup 100% whole grain large flake oats
1/3 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup oatmeal crisp cereal, crushed
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 heaping tbsps ground flax seed

1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon (or more, to taste)
pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or very lightly oil.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together sugar, oil, egg and yoghurt and whisk well. Stir in cranberries & chopped dried dates.
3. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients, including walnuts
4. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture a bit at a time and stir after each addition until just combined. At this point, if the mixture is too dry, you can stir in a little more yogourt.
5. Drop by slightly heaping tablespoons full onto baking sheet. Bake for about 17 to 19 minutes on centre rack of oven. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Roasted Veggies

This is a good overall recipe for roasting vegetables, with a handy timetable for cooking different types of vegetables. As my husband just pointed, there is a large variation in cooking time. To clarify, the larger the chunk of vegetable, go for the longer cooking time based on that type of veggie. If the pieces are smaller, cook it less---simple, right?:) As always with my recipes, you can add some heat by sprinkling some dried red hot chili peppers or hot sauce into the mix.

Quick Roasting Time (10 to 20 minutes)	Medium Roasting Time (15 to 40 minutes)	Long Roasting Time (35 to 60 minutes)
Tomatoes Mushrooms Asparagus Scallions Corn	Bell peppers Broccoli Cauliflower Zucchini Summer squashes Onions Eggplant	Potatoes Sweet potatoes Winter squashes Turnips Brussel sprouts Carrots Beets

Oven temperature: 400F, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic in shallow roasting pan, toss lightly. Stir lightly half way through cooking time.

Start with the long roasting-time veggies, then toss in the mediums when their time is due; then the quick ones when their time is due.

Calabrese Potato and Pepper Salad

This is a recipe that my husband's mother made for him back in Italy. It's quite delicious and represents a typical recipe from Calabria in the south of Italy. It makes about four servings and I will be serving it tonight with Cod.

Ingredients:

6 potatoes, scrubbed and cut into large bite-sized pieces (do not peel)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 sweet bell peppers (red, green, yellow & orange, of your choice), chopped into 2 inch chunks, stems and seeds removed
6 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled (or 2 tsps garlic powder)
1 Vidalia (sweet white) onion, peeled and chopped into large chunks
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried hot chili peppers
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Place potatoes in a saucepan of water, with the water covering them & heat to a boil. Cook just until tender. Drain and cool and put in a large bowl. Toss with 1/4 tsp salt and some ground pepper.
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Toss in the chopped peppers and stir-fry for about five minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook another five minutes. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes.
3. Add the peppers, onion and garlic to the potatoes in the bowl. Drizzle the oil from the skillet over everything and toss lightly with the remaining 1/4 tsp salt and the dried chili peppers. Add more freshly ground pepper if desired. Serve warm.

Lentil, Bean and Spinach Curry

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned lentils
• 1/4 cup tomato puree
• 1/2 cup plain, low fat, probiotic yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground dried turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried red hot chili peppers
  
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, grated
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
  
• 1 16 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
  

Directions

1. Rinse and drain beans and lentils and set aside in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, stir together tomato puree and yogurt. Season with turmeric, cumin, and dried chili. Stir until creamy.
3. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, garlic, and ginger; cook until onion begins to brown. Stir in spinach; cook until dark green and wilted. Gradually stir in yogurt mixture. Then mix in tomatoes and parsley.
4. Stir lentils and black beans into mixture until well combined. Heat through, about 5 minutes.

Curried Chicken

I have adjusted this recipe somewhat from a recipe for curried goat. You can use goat if you want, but I prefer to use chicken thighs. The special spice in this recipe is turmeric, which is an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant. Serve this over wild and brown rice with a side of your choice of greens.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons ground parsley
  
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 2 inch piece ginger, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons picante hot sauce
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp ground turmeric
• 1 lb chicken thighs, boned and skinned
• 1 cup water
  

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Brown chicken on all sides & then remove from pan and set aside. Stir in the chopped onion, and cook until the onion turns translucent and the edges begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pepper & garlic. Cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in the parsley and cook 1 minute more. Pour in 1/2 cup of water & stir, bringing any browned bits up from bottomof pan.
2. Stir in the ginger and continue cooking until the ginger is incorporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the picante hot sauce, salt, and turmeric; continue cooking 2 minutes. Finally, stir in the chicken meat and the remaining 1 cup of water and again scrape up any brown bits on bottom of pan. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes.

Vegetable Tofu Soup

Panfry the tofu cubes before adding them into the soup.
This is a wonderful vegetarian soup that makes 4 servings. Tofu is an excellent source of protein and calcium.

To panfry a delicious tofu dish there are a few basic ingredients you need: oil-- olive oil is good, salt, acid (apple cider vinegar, lemon or lime juice work great), plus ginger and pepper, along with onion & garlic for flavor. Marinate the tofu in this mixture for at least 30 minutes or longer and then panfry it until slightly crisp.

Ingredients:

2-3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, chopped
8 shitake mushrooms, cut into bite-size pieces
4 cups water
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
½ pound extra-firm tofu cut into 1/2 inch cubes and marinated (see above)
1 tablespoon freshly grated gingerroot
2 cups chopped kale (or spinach)
2 spring onions, cut into thin slices
1 cup cooked wild and brown rice
wasabi paste (if desired)
Directions:

1. Heat oil in a 4-quart soup pot. Add onion and garlic; sauté over medium heat until onion begins to soften. Add panfried tofu, carrot and mushroom pieces; sauté a few minutes more. Add water, soy sauce and gingerroot.
2. Bring heat up until mixture begins to simmer. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add chopped kale and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes. Spoon 1/4 cup of rice into each of four bowls. Ladle the soup over the rice.
4. Garnish with spring onions.

Spice it up by stirring in some wasabi, if desired.

Black Bean and Spinach Soup

Black beans are high in fibre, protein and iron. Try this tasty vegetarian soup on a cold day and sop up the juices with a crusty artisan bread. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast over each individual serving.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cups baby spinach, chopped
3 cups water
1 tsp picante hot sauce
1 cup vegetable broth(low sodium, low fat)
1 can black beans
1 cup cooked wild and brown rice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Directions:

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the spinach and saute for two minutes.
2. Add water, stock and hot sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes. Stir in beans and brown rice, salt and pepper to taste, and cook for another five minutes.
3. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with either parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast. Serve with fresh bread.