Apple Muffins

Made with fresh apples, these are healthy and so scrumptious! Substitute an artificial sweetener for the sugar, if you want to cut even more calories.

2 cups apples, peeled and chopped

4 cups flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp allspice

1 tsp cinnamon

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1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 cups water

2 beaten eggs

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray. I would not recommend paper liners for this recipe.
Stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, add apples and stir to coat. In a separate bowl, stir together eggs, water and applesauce. Make a well in the conter of the dry mixture and pour in the wet mixture. Stir gently just until combined, do not over mix or your muffins will be tough. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake 15 minutes, don't overbake. Makes 3 dozen. Store tightly covered. They can be frozen.

Per muffin: 82 calories, .4 grams fat, .6 grams fiber

Crock Pot White Chicken Enchiladas

2 onions, chopped
2-3 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 can diced green chile
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can corn, undrained
1 can black beans, undrained
1 t salt
1 t cumin
1 t coriander(opt.)
1 t chili powder
1 t garlic
20-24 corn tortillas, cut into wedges
1/2 cup milk or water, if needed
2 cups shredded cheese, cheddar or your favorite

Spray a large pot with cooking spray. Spray crockpot and turn on low.
Add onion and saute on medium high for 5 minutes. Add green chile and chicken, stir in seasonings. Add cream of chicken, corn, and beans, add milk or water if the sauce seems too thick. Spread a thin layer of sauce in the crock pot, then a layer of tortilla wedges. Continue layering tortillas, then sauce until you use the last of the sauce. Top with cheese and cover. Cook on low 2-3 hours, or high 1- 1 1/2 until cheese is melted and starts to bubble up.

"Crab" Spaghetti

1 pound whole wheat thin spaghetti
2-4 T Olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2-3 small zucchini, halved and sliced into 1/2" slices
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 8 oz pkg imitation crab
about 10 leaves fresh basil
salt to taste

Heat olive oil in large skillet, saute onion and zucchini until tender, about 15 minutes. Add garlic during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
While that is cooking, boil water and cook spaghetti according to package directions.
Take the crab out of the package and cut into bite size pieces. Add to the top of the cooked zucchini mixture, don't stir it in yet, cover and turn the heat down to low. Heat until crab is hot, then gently toss together. Turn off heat.
When spaghetti is al dente, drain and return to pot. Add zucchini and crab mixture, toss gently and salt to taste. Tear basil up and top individual portions with it.

Strawberry Muffins

Try making these with blueberries or peaches!

4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 t baking soda
1 t cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cinnamon
2 c sliced strawberries(I halved them before slicing)
2 beaten eggs
2 c water
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray(do not use liners, they will stick!)
Combine dry ingredients, gently stir in strawberries. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to dry mixture. Stir just until combined, don't mix too much. Fill muffin tin halfway full and bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges start to look golden(do not overbake.)
This recipe made 3 dozen muffins for me, which makes them 55 calories each.

Pizza Dough/Foccacia Dough

Pizza Dough

9 Cups Flour
1 Tbsp Salt
3 cups very warm water
2 Tbsp Yeast
¼ cup sugar
½ cup powdered milk
1/2 cup olive oil(or whatever you have)

In large bowl, combine flour and salt, set aside. In medium bowl, stir sugar into warm water, then add yeast. Wait 10 minutes for yeast to bloom, then add powdered milk and oil. Add medium bowl mixture to large bowl and mix. Let rest 10 minutes, then knead until smooth. Place in oiled bowl and turn over. Cover with plastic wrap or cloth and let rise 1 hour. Roll into pizza crust, let rise 15 minutes. Bake crusts 8-10 minutes at 425 degrees, then add pizza toppings and bake 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Can also wrap crusts up and freeze after baking the first time.

I actually used this pizza dough recipe to make the focaccia(I saw it on Emeril.) I made a couple pizzas out of the dough and used the rest to make focaccia bread to freeze for later. After rising the first time: for focaccia shape it into about a 12" circle about 1/2" thick. Press your finger into it and make indentations all over about 1" apart. Cover and let sit a minute while making the topping.

Topping:
1 large onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp Rosemary
1 Tbsp Oregano
1/4 cup olive oil
Saute onion in olive oil with rosemary and oregano for about 3 minutes, then let cool slightly. Spread on top of Focaccia dough, cover and let rise 30 minutes or until double in size. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Original Pancake Recipe

This is a large recipe.
3 cups flour
3 cups milk(may need to add up to 1/2 cup for desired thickness.)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon oil
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix all ingredients together in large bowl. Batter will be lumpy. Add additional milk if batter is too thick. Pour circles of batter onto a hot griddle. Turn over when edges start to dry and bubbles on the surface start to pop. Cook other side a minute or two until browned, then remove from griddle. Top as desired with butter, syrup or fruit.
Cook all batter, any leftover pancakes will freeze and reheat well.

Biscuits and Beef

This name is boring, if you try this recipe, please give me ideas for better names!

1 pound ground beef
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
2 Tablespoons oil
1 large onion, diced
1/2 teapoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper(or to taste)
2 cups shredded cheese

Biscuit Batter:
2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortning
1 1/2 cups milk


Preheat oven to 450.  Cook potatoes in oil 5 minutes on medium heat or until tender.  Add onions and cook until they are also tender, the potatoes will brown a bit, that is good.  Add ground beef and season with salt and pepper, brown.  Drain that mixture well.  While it is cooking, put the flour, salt and baking powder in medium mixing bowl with shortning.  Cut it with a fork or pastry cutter until the shortning is all mixed into the flour.  Stir in milk, it will be a lumpy.  Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray and place ground beef mixture in the bottom of it.  Top with cheese and then batter over everything.  Bake for 20-30 minutes or until it is golden brown on top.  Cut and serve.