Chinese Chicken Salad

This salad is a great warm-weather meal. Making it ahead of time makes it a convenient meal for a picnic or for a company meal. Sesame oil really adds to the flavor, but if it doesn’t fit into your budget, you can use regular oil instead.

Marinade:
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sesame oil (or regular cooking oil)
1/2 cup rice vinegar or 1/3 cup white vinegar
2 ramen noodle seasoning packets
1 Tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups cubed chicken breasts or thighs

Whisk together marinade ingredients and toss 1/4 cup of it with the chicken breasts. Set aside the rest of the marinade. Let the chicken marinate for 1 hour.

Salad:
1 Tbsp sesame or cooking oil
1 head Napa cabbage, cut into very thin slivers
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
2 Tbsp sesame seeds (toast them if you prefer that)
Three 3oz. packages oriental or chicken flavored ramen noodles, broken

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook it until no longer pink in the center. Transfer cooked chicken to a large bowl and add remaining salad ingredients. Toss to combine. Pour remaining marinade over salad and toss until everything is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, or overnight.

Carrot Raisin Salad

1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and shredded
1/3 cup raisins, washed and drained
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp honey
Dash of cinnamon, optional

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Let it sit for several hours, or overnight. This is a very small recipe, so you might want to double or triple it.

Apple Nut Salad

1 cup chopped fresh apple
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or other nut or seeds of your choice
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp orange juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp poppy seeds, toasted (optional)
honey, to taste (optional)

Combine apple, celery and nuts in a bowl; mix well. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well. Pour over apple mixture and toss to combine. Serve immediately. Apples will become mushy if you make it too far ahead of time.

Pineapple Sunshine Mold

This healthy gelatine salad is great for a snack, dessert, or side dish.

3/4 cup orange juice
1-1/2 envelopes unflavored gelatine (3 tsp.)
8oz. can crushed pineapple, unsweetened, undrained
6oz. can (3/4 cup) pineapple juice, unsweetened
1 orange, peeled, chopped
1 banana, sliced
1/2 cup seedless grapes, cut in half (We prefer the red ones)
3 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup chopped pecans or sliced almonds (optional)

In a small saucepan, whisk gelatine into orange juice to soften; let stand about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together pineapple, pineapple juice, orange, banana, and grapes in a mixing bowl. To dissolve gelatine, heat to a  full boil while stirring constantly with wire whisk; remove from heat. Blend honey into dissolved gelatine and combine with remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pour into 8″ quare pan, salad bowl, gelatine mold or individual serving dishes; chill in fridge until set.

Note: We like to make this using individual serving dishes. This recipe makes 10 snack-size servings. When we have poured the mixture into the serving dishes, before it sets, we sprinkle the nuts on top. Just a few on each dish.

Hearty Peanut Butter Raisin Cookies

2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening (or butter)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups uncooked old-fashioned rolled oats
1-2/4 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Combine sugar, peanut butter, butter, shortening, eggs and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Add oats, flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat until soft dough forms. Stir in raisins and seeds. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350*F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 1 minute before removing from cookie sheets.

Granola Bars

1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
scant 1/3 cup wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
approximately 1/3 cup each raisins, coconut, chocolate chips, wheat germ, sesame seeds, ground flax seed
1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon water

Grease a 8×8 pan and preheat oven to 350*F. Put the honey and butter on the stove to slowly melt. Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add the melted mixture and the vanilla and water. Mix that well, then mix in the peanut butter. Bake it for about 25 minutes and let it cool completely before cutting into bars.  

These hold together very well, but are still nice and chewy. Until my grocery budget gives me room for more healthful sugar substitutes, or more dried fruits and nuts so that I can make a completely healthy bar, I will be using this recipe. It is our new staple!

Best Ever Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sifted soy flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Place butter into your blender and blend until creamed. Add sugar, egg, and vanilla. Process until well mixed. In a bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda and baking powder. Empty blender contents into bowl with dry ingredients. Mix together. Chill dough for 1 hour. Shape into small balls and roll in sugar/cinnamon mixture. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 375*F for 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Stuffed French Toast Sandwiches

8 slices French bread
4 thin slices deli ham
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp sugar
pancake syrup

Place 4 bread slices on baking sheet. Top each with 1 ham slice. Top with remaining bread slices. Whisk eggs, milk and sugar in medium bowl. Pour egg mixture over sandwiches. Allow sandwiches to stand at room temperature about 5 minutes, turning once to absorb egg mixture. Lightly grease a large skillet. Heat over medium heat. Cook sandwiches about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Cut each sandwich in half diagonally and serve with pancake syrup and fresh fruit. Yum!

Potato Hash

This meal is very versatile. I’ve posted the basic recipe here, but you can add other veggies of your choice, or ham or bacon or other meat. And it’s about as cheap as meals can get! It makes a great breakfast, as well.

one potato for each person
1 large onion per 5-6 potatoes
Butter (approximately 1 tsp per potato)

Peel potatoes. Use a cheese grater to shred the potatoes into a big pot. Cover with plenty of water and bring to a boil. Boil for approximately 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Strain potatoes using a fine mesh strainer. Melt butter in pot. (If you’re using bacon or other meat, you might want to omit the butter and just start with the meat in the pot.) Add onion and potato (and any other veggies you’re using). Fry, stirring occasionally, until browned and fairly dry.

Serve with: Applesauce, Maple Yogurt, Fruit Salad, and eggs (if desired)

Porridge Oats Breakfast Cookies

This recipe is taken from the back of the Roger’s Porridge Oats bag. You need the porridge oats for the recipe, so you’ll always have the recipe if you have the main ingredient! These are not quite as filling as my other breakfast cookie, but they are still delicious.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp grated orange rind
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups porridge oats
3/4 cup chopped almonds (I left these out so that I could send them to school (nut-free) for my kids)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (because I left out the almonds, I doubled the sunflower seeds)
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350*F. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, allspice, cinnamon and ginger. Stir well and set aside. Place eggs, oil, applesauce, and brown sugar in a large bowl and beat well together. Add orange rind, vanilla, oats, almonds, seeds and stir until well combined. Add flour mixture and stir well. Add dried cranberries. Stir well. Use 1/4 cup dough per cookie. Place on a greased cookie sheet and press down with fork to approximately 3.5″ diameter. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Makes 20-24 cookies.

Maple Mush

This seems to be the only way I can get my family to enjoy cornmeal as a breakfast cereal. I guess, being Canadian, cornmeal isn’t something I grew up on, like so many of those “down South.” But really, this is very delicious. When you buy cornmeal for cereal, get the stuff that’s more grainy – not the stuff so fine it’s almost flour. If it’s too fine, this is just way too mushy.

3 cups cold water
1-1/2 cups milk
2 cups cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup pancake syrup
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Whisk together water, milk, cornmeal and salt in a medium-size saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently with a spoon, until mixture reaches a boil, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Cook 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in pancake syrup and butter; ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with raisins just before serving, if desired.

Citrus Ambrosia

2-3 oranges, peeled and cut into chunks
2 grapefruit, peeled and cut into chunks
2 Tbsp shredded coconut (optional)
2 Tbsp slivered or sliced almonds

Mix well and serve immediately.

Serve alongside muffins, biscuits, or toast for breakfast.

Breakfast Cookies

My husband is hard to keep fed. He just doesn’t feel full for long. Might have something to do with hypoglycemia. Nonetheless, these cookies are an answer to prayer for me. My husband claims that they keep him full all the way till lunch. That is nothing short of miraculous. (Granted, he does eat two of them, but still….) With a glass of milk, this is a great quick breakfast to feed the family on a busy morning.

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

1 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup mashed banana OR pumpkin OR applesauce OR rhubarb jam OR apricot jam OR marmalade

1/4 cup molasses

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

4 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup instant dry milk powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

 

Combine first seven ingredients. (You might need to do this by hand as it’s quite a thick mixture. I use a Bosch mixer.) Mix in the remaining ingredients very well. Scoop dough with a 1/4 cup measure and place several inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. With your fingers or the back of a spoon, shape into 1-inch-thick patties. Bake for 13 to 16 minutes at 350*F. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes; transfer to cooling rack.

 

These freeze well. I wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then store them in a large ziplock freezer bag. You could also just freeze them in a plastic container with wax paper between each layer.

These are very versatile cookies, as you can tell by the all the options on that one ingredient line. You could add in raisins or chocolate chips, coconut, other dried fruit or seeds, etc. Experiment and enjoy!

Banana Roll-Ups

These are surprisingly filling. This recipe makes enough for my family of five for one breakfast served with a glass of milk for each person, plus one snack.

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter, if you prefer)
4 Tbsp chocolate chips
2-4 Tbsp milk
4 flour tortillas (white or whole wheat)
4 large bananas, peeled

Combine peanut butter, chocolate chips, and milk in a saucepan. Heat on low and stir constantly until blended and smooth. (Variation: Just microwave it for 40 seconds to a minute.) Spread peanut butter mixture on the tortillas. Place a banana on one side of each tortilla and roll up tightly. Cut each roll-up into 8 slices.

Variation: Use finely chopped dates instead of chocolate chips. If you have a food processor (which I don’t) it would probably work well to put the dates and milk and peanut butter into the food processor and blend it all together well to make a spread.

You can also add ground flax seed, coconut, other dried fruit, etc. Get creative. Play around with it and make your own spread!

Almond Apple Granola

This granola recipe is a nice change from my usual granola. It has no oil and no sugar at all, so it’s also a very healthy granola recipe. I also find it to be crunchier than most, and gets into bigger “clumps” or “clusters”, which some people like. 

1-1/2 355mL cans frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1 cup chopped dried apples (optional)
1 cup whole or sliced almonds
10 cups regular rolled oats

Combine juice and vanilla in a mixing bowl and add the dates and apples (if using). Let that stand for several hours, or overnight, to allow the dried fruit to soak up the liquid and plump up. Then, pour into a blender, along with the almonds, and blend until ground fine and smooth. Pour over the oatmeal and mix thoroughly. (I used my hands because it’s just way easier.) Spread in two cookie sheets and bake at 200* for 2-3 hours until quite dry, stirring every 30 minutes. The granola will get crispier as it cools off. If you want to, you can add more chopped dates in the last 30 minutes of cooking time, or you can just add some raisins or chopped dried apple or whatever you want once it has cooled.