Sunday Gumbo

This is one of our new favorite recipes. I made it for community group last night and everyone liked it. So I'm sharing the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 pound andouille sausage links, sliced (instead of Italian sausage)
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I omit this since I use andouille sausage)
• 3 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 2/3 cup uncooked brown rice
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (I omit- I don't like the rubbery texture)
• 2 cups frozen sliced okra
• I usually have Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning on hand for everyone to use in their own bowl. Adds a little extra heat.

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, brown sausage and chicken in oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. In the drippings, saute red pepper, onion and celery until tender. Stir in the seasonings; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, rice and sausage mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender.
2. Stir in tomatoes, shrimp and okra; cook for 10 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, stirring occasionally.

Stuffed Mushrooms

I love mushrooms. I like them in salads, ravioli, sauce, plain, fried, stuffed- pretty much any way you can prepare them. Unfortunately, Grant and Gabe think they are disgusting. So, we don't have them very often.

I found this great, healthy recipe for stuffed mushrooms several months ago and was waiting for a good chance to try it out. While I was at Costco the other day, I found a big container of perfect stuffing-sized mushrooms. So, I jumped at the chance.

Todd and I thought they were great. The boys ate cereal for dinner that night. Everybody wins!

Here's the recipe.
18 Large Mushrooms
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp bottled minced garlic
1 shredded wheat biscuit (I didn't have these, so I used a couple handfuls of panko bread crumbs)
1 TBS (or more) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp Italian Herb seasonings (salt free)
1/2 tsp paprika
Ground pepper and salt


Remove and finely chop mushroom stems. (Discard the very end of the stem)
Heat olive oil over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add chopped mushroom stems, onion, walnuts and garlic. Saute until onion is tender about 4-5 minutes. Stir in bread crumbs, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper til it tastes right to you. Spoon the stuffing into the mushroom caps. Arrange on the baking sheet. Then sprinkle with Paprika.

When I made them I didn't read the directions all the way through, soooo, I added the paprika early and then sprinkled it on top, too. We liked it that way, so that's probably how I'll do it from now on.

Some of my best recipe adaptations have come from not paying close enough attention to the directions. Some of my finest cooking disasters have come that way, too, but you live and learn, right?

Healthy Lemon Bars/ Protein Bars

I found this recipe on Lindsay Edmonds' The Passionate Homemaking blog. I enjoy reading the things she and her guest contributors have to say. Her blog is filled with healthy ways to care for your family. Honestly, most of the recipes or suggestions are things that require lots of planning and discipline that don't naturally jive with my laid back self. However, when I saw this recipe, I decided to give it a try. It was pretty simple and they turned out great. Next time I might add a little more honey to the filling or a little less lemon, but other than that they were just right for a healthy treat.

There are few others I'm going to try. I'll let you know how they go.


Filling:
3 whole eggs

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup coconut oil (Choice virgin cold pressed unrefined coconut oil for best nutritional value.)

Filling Directions:
1. Blend the eggs, honey, and lemon juice together in a small sauce pan until thoroughly combined.

2. Turn the heat on to medium high and add coconut oil, mixing regularly until the oil has melted.

3. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens and bubbles.

4. Remove from pan and place in a bowl in the refrigerator to cool and thicken further.


Crust:
1 cup of raw almonds

1 cup of raw pecans (I used cashews because that's what I had on hand and they were great)

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup of melted virgin coconut oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon sea salt


Crust Directions:
1. Place nuts in a food processor or blender and pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed. You may have little chunks of nuts, and that is fine.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse again until well combined.

3. Spread over the bottom of a greased 8 x 8 inch pan.

4. Bake for 15-18 minutes in a 400 degree oven, until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

5. Cool completely before layering the filling over the top. Return to the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Cookies for Breakfast

After I cleaned the kitchen from last night, I made these for breakfast this morning. Everyone likes them and they are good for us. Plus, you get to say you ate cookies for breakfast and that's just fun!

I usually double the recipe so they last for a few extra days. I also leave out the raisins and craisins since none of us like those when they are cooked. They freeze well if you have any left over.



Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies

12 breakfast cookies

Ingredients

* Nonstick cooking spray
* 1 large banana, mashed (1/2 cup)
* 1/2 cup chunky natural peanut butter (unsalted and unsweetened) or regular chunky peanut butter
* 1/2 cup honey
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 cup rolled oats
* 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
* 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 cup dried cranberries or raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat two cookie sheets with cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together banana, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine oats, flour, milk powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir the oat mixture into the banana mixture until combined. Stir in dried cranberries.

Using a 1/4-cup measure, drop mounds of dough 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. With a thin metal or small plastic spatula dipped in water, flatten and spread each mound of dough to a 2 3/4-inch round, about 1/2-inch thick. Once baked, each cookie will be about 3-1/2 to 4 inches in diameter.

Bake, one sheet at a time, for 14 to 16 minutes or until browned. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months; thaw before serving.
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