Beans, Beans the Magical Fruit

It used to be that we were afraid of beans--we weren't quite sure how to use them, they took too long to cook, they weren't exactly user friendly, and they just seemed a little too plain, well no more!

If you haven't had the chance to attend my "Beans, Beans the Magical Fruit" class, now is the time to reserve your spot and open your mind to a whole new concept in using beans everyday!

You'll love learning how to make Ezekiel Bread using a variety of beans and grains, all ground into flour to make a high protein bread. You'll learn sneaky tips and tricks to infuse beans into everyday meals you already serve. One of the favorite recipes is the Honey Nut Cereal you can make at home using bean flour, cinnamon and other tasty ingredients.

Lunch of course will be delicious, featuring Mediterranean lentil turkey burgers served in fresh homemade pita bread with shredded cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and drizzled with a creamy and refreshing yogurt mint sauce. You'll also taste a hearty couscous salad with a delicious vinaigrette and featuring a variety of beans. And don't forget the black bean fudge--a true delight!

Learn the shortcut to cooking beans using a pressure cooker, and discover how delicious fresh beans can be!

If you've enjoyed attending this class in the past and would like to share what you've learned, or simply have questions about the recipes we discussed make a comment here on the blog.

Triple Berry Cobler

Cobbler Crust

1-cup flour

1-cup sugar

1-teaspoon baking powder

1/2-teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 stick butter

Mix the above ingredients together.

Beat 1 egg and add to the flour mixture. Sprinkle on fruit filling and then pour

1 cube melted butter over the top.

Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Great over apricots, apple pie filling, blackberries, cherries, or your favorite fruits.

Stylish Subs

1 long baguette or french bread loaf

1/4 cup Italian dressing

8 oz. creamcheese

salt and pepper to taste

ham, turkey, roastbeef, sliced thin

sliced swiss, american or cheddar cheese

sliced tomatoes

sliced olives

shredded lettuce

Cut the baguette in half lenthwise, leaving the top and bottom of the bread connected at the back. Mix together the creamcheese and the italian dressing, and spread onto both sides of the inside loaf. Layer the meats, cheeses, and vegetables onto the bread, and fold the top layer of bread over the filling. Wrap tightly in saran and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Makes a perfect picnic sandwich. Serve with potato salad and fruit.

BBQ Chopped Salad

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup bbq. sauce

Marinate chicken in barbeque sauce, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Ghop into pieces and refrigerate.

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped

1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped

3-4 roma tomatoes, chopped

1 jicama, peeled and diced

12 cilantro, chopped

1 can black beans, rinsed, and drained

1 can sweet corn, drained

1/2 cup grated monterey jack cheese

Combine chicken and salad ingredients, and toss. Serve with Ranch dressing and bbq sauce and crispy tortilla chips.

When you have a big crowd to feed, there is nothing like a big delicious batch of brownies to save the day and make everyone excited!

Brownies

1 cup butter

1/2 cup cocoa

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp. vanilla

1 # bag miniature marshmallows

Cream the butter, cocoa and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and beat to blend. Gradually add the flour. Add the vanilla and mix well. Bake in a greased and floured 9x13 pan at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with mini marshmallows as soon as you remove the pan from the oven. Return the pan with the marshmallow to the oven for about 5 minutes until they are puffed up and golden brown. Cool for 1 hour. Then frost.

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter

1 2/3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

1/3 cup evaporated canned milk

Mix the ingredients until smooth. Frost after the brownies have cooled for 1 hour. Let brownies set in the refrigerator for at least 1 day before cutting and serving.

Egg on My Face

This past week, my family and I hopped down to Zions' National Park for a few days and stayed in a breathtaking resort. The cliffs and canyons were gorgeous and the weather was perfect. We enjoyed swimming, hiking, zip lining, paint balling, tennis, and of course, great food!

Then, it was back home for a night, and skipping up to Heber Canyon for a Youth Conference with almost 300 kids! This was truly a fun culinary experience for me, as I was asked to head up a food committee to feed all these people for 2 days. I was amazed at the amounts of food we went through in such a short time, and how voracious teenage kids can be when they're out playing in nature.

And about the egg on my face...

You would have egg on your face too, if you made 350 eggs for breakfast, along with 400 sausage links--and let's not forget the 250 marshmallow brownies, and almost 60 lbs of lunch meat that were served up! Phew! It's exhausting just to remember it all, but thanks to a great team, we all enjoyed seeing the smiles on the kids' faces and their hearty appetites as they feasted on what we had prepared.

Finally, I came home, and jumped into bed--slept 14 hours, and am now ready to do it all over again. It was a great time!

When Life Gives You Lemons

Image via Wikipedia

Did you know the acid in lemon juice removes dirt and rust, and when mixed with salt, lemons make an excellent scouring paste? Here are a few easy tips using lemons:

1. To clean counter tops, dip the cut side of a lemon half in baking soda, scrub the counters, wipe with a wet sponge, and dry.

2. To increase the grease-cutting power of your dish washing detergent, add a teaspoon of lemon juice.

3. Combat lime scale on your faucets by rubbing lemon juice onto the taps and letting it sit overnight. Wipe with a damp cloth.

4. To clean your garbage disposal, cut a lemon in half, then run both pieces through the disposal.

5. when you touch raw fish, the smell can linger on your fingers. Rub your hands with lemon juice, and watch the scent of the fish dissappear.

6. To brighten laundry whites, add 1/2 cup lemon juice to the rinse cycle for a normal-size load.

Homemade Granola Bars

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup wheat germ

2 tsp. grated orange rind

1 cup sliced or slivered almonds

1/4 cup dried cherries or raisins

1/3 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cream butter with brown sugar until soft. beat in eggs, then stir in remaining ingredients. Pat into a 9 inch square pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and cut into bars. Wrap in foil or plastic wrap and pack in your backpack .

Dinner for 2 and a Fabulous View

Here's an easy and delicious dinner idea to use on a backpacking trip:

Mediterranean Couscous

3/4 cups couscous

1 tbsp. dried cranberries

1 tbsp. raisins

1/4 cup shredded dried carrots

1 chicken bouillon cube

2 tbsp. dried onion

2 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. brown sugar

3 tbsp. toasted sliced almonds or cashews

At home: Package all ingredients but nuts in a ziplock bag.
In camp: Add couscous mixture to 1 1/2 cup boiling water. Stir, cover, and let stand 10 minutes. Before serving, add nuts.

Terrific Trail Mix

Today I am in Zion's National Park with my family and it is so beautiful!

We are doing some hiking and I thought I would share this great trail mix recipe.

Trail Mix is a quick energy food that helps to stave off hunger and because of it's fat content, can help keep you warm at night!

You can make a variety of your own trail mixes. A salty mix can include any combination of Corn nuts, mixed nuts, pretzels, Chex cereal, roasted sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cheddar crackers, and sesame sticks.

Sweet trail mix can include granola, nuts, dried fruit like raisins, cherries, apricots, cranberries, dates, coconut flakes, honey-roasted peanuts, and M&Ms.

Simply combine your ingredients, and pack them into snack-size bags. It's a great snack to share with a hiking buddy.

Fruit Cobler ala Mountain Style

At home, package in one ziplock bag:

1 tbsp. instant tapioca, 2 tbsp. powdered milk, 1 tbsp. brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/2 cup dried apples, 2 tbsp. dried cranberries.

In a second bag:
1/2 cup granola, 2 tbsp. chopped nuts, or 1/2 cup crushed cookie crumbs.

In camp:
Put fruit mix in pot, add water to cover, and bring to boil; cook 1-2 minutes. Cover and allow to rehydrated for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with crumb topping, cover, and let stand 5 minutes.

Of course, the ice cream is purely optional!

Celebrate Summer!

Hope you're enjoying the beautiful weather and looking forward to a great summer.

Last weekend my family and I took an invigorating hike up to Donut Falls in the canyon, and it felt so good to breathe in the cool, clean mountain air, and to slush around in the snow that was still trying to melt. The rush of the waterfall and the energy it flaunted was spectacular!

I thought as we were hiking down the trail that it would be nice to share some ideas with you that centered around outdoor hiking and camping foods. While I am not really an avid hiker and certainly not a backwoods connoisseur, I thought it might be nice to pretend to know something about it......so I've been doing a little research in order to get you excited about the outdoors, and maybe inspire you to do some exploring of your own this summer in our beautiful mountains and canyons.

It's all about doing as great hikers do....preparing tasty, light to carry, and nutritious meals that makes being in the outdoors not only invigorating, but delicous!

Be sure to watch for upcoming post where I will give you great ideas and recipes.