Month: December 2014

Cranberry and Orange Relish with Meyer Lemon

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I spotted these lovely cranberries and Meyer lemons at the market this week. And my mother-in-law brought some citrus for us, and I instantly thought of cranberry relish. Meyer lemons are one of my favorite foods- a cross between a lemon and an orange and smells heavenly!  I don’t make many jams and jellies, but I do really like cranberry relish.  I wanted to make something simple and found this recipe on the Ocean Spray website that was simply cranberries, a whole orange and sugar. No cooking involved. That is my kind of recipe!  I added the Meyer lemon and that’s it.  I didn’t know how much sugar to add because I only had one cup of cranberries.  I added a full 1/2 cup and it’s a tad too sweet for my taste, so I would reccomend adding less sugar and then add to your taste or use more cranberries. If I had time to “test” recipes, I would have tweaked this a little, but I had one cup of cranberries and one shot at it! I’ve been eating this relish with plain yogurt and walnuts! Very yummy and festive! And I’ll be adding this to baked brie for a simple New Years Eve appetizer!

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Ingredients:

1-2 cups of whole cranberries

1 orange, whole and quartered

1 Meyer lemon

1/4-1/2 cup of raw sugar

Add the cranberries, 1 whole orange (peel on) quartered and zest and juice of one Meyer lemon to a food processor and pulse until desired consistency.  Stir in the sugar to desired sweetness. Store in the refrigerator.  Eat by itself, use as a garnish on a turkey sandwich, add to baked brie or eat with plain yogurt and walnuts as a snack. I love all of the ways this relish can be used! Enjoy!

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Healthy Lentil Soup

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I love to make this soup when I need something healthy to have on hand to balance out all of the holiday treats!  It makes a great lunch and leftovers for days.  This is the season that is all about balance.  Balancing out the to-do lists and busy schedules with quality family time and taking time to enjoy the little moments.  Balancing out the christmas cookies and hot chocolate with healthy, slow cooked rich flavors of the season.  This soup is so good drizzled with some olive oil and balsamic or red wine vinegar and it takes this simple soup to a new level of flavors. Yum!

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Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

4 carrots, chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

Olive oil

1 tablespoon cumin

salt and pepper

2 cups of lentils, rinsed

2 quarts of chicken stock or vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs of thyme

Olive oil and red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar (optional to serve)

Cook onion in olive oil until translucent.  Add garlic and stir a few minutes.  Add carrots, celery, cumin, salt and pepper and cook until tender, about 7 min.  Add rinsed lentils, broth, bay leaf and thyme.  Simmer for 30 minutes until the lentil are tender.  Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar.  I like red wine vinegar, but balsamic would work too.  Enjoy!

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Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies

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I make a variation of these cookies to have on hand all the time.  They are great to grab on the go for breakfast.  A much better option then a packaged granola bar.  These “cookies” have no added sugar, contain fiber and a little fat so you are not hungry right away.  The original recipe I got from the book “Bread and Wine” by Shauna Niequist.  I vary the ingredients, but keep the same basic recipe.  I added pumpkin to these (tis the season!) and made some with blueberries, some with dark chocolate chips and some plain.  My three year old insisted on adding the blueberries as she was snacking on them when we were making these and loves to add anything to the bowl!

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Ingredients:

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup of pumpkin puree

1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups rolled oats

2/3 cup ground flax (or almond meal)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

2/3 cup shredded coconut (non sweetened)

1/2 chopped walnuts

dark chocolate chips (optional)

blueberries (optional)

Mix the banana, pumpkin, vanilla and coconut oil in a bowl.  Mix the dry ingredients together and incorporate all of the ingredients. Add the blueberries at the end if you are using them. Sometimes I just throw everything together in one bowl and mix it up and it turns out just fine!  I use an ice cream scooper to scoop them out in even cookies.  Add the chocolate chips to the top or mix them in the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes. Let cook and enjoy!  I freeze these for an easy breakfast or snack anytime.

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