My Vegetarian Chili

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 3/4 cup chopped carrots
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 bag or less Morning Star Meal Starters Sausage-Style Recipe Crumbles
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped or crushed
• (I prefer crushed so you don’t have to chop)
• ! can (14.5 oz.) Del Monte Diced Tomatoes Zesty Chili Style
• 1 can black beans
• 1 (19 ounce) can kidney beans with liquid
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, and garlic until tender. Stir in green pepper, red pepper, celery, and chili powder. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes.
2. Stir in tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, meatless crumbles. Season with cumin, oregano, and basil. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium.
3. Cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or longer to thicken, stirring occasionally.
4. Serve with shredded almond cheddar cheese and tortillas (Mulitigrain if you can find them)

Pound Cake with Butter Cream Icing

Pound Cake

1/2 lb. (2 sticks butter)

3 c. sugar

1/2 tsp .baking soda1

1 c. sour cream

3 c. sifted flour

1/2 tsp. orange extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

Bake at 325 degrees for one hour and 20 minutes in a buttered and floured pan.

Butter Cream Icing

3/4 c. butter

3-4 c. confectioners sugar

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

With electric mixer, cream butter in a large mixing bowl.

Slowly beat in the sugar until smooth and creamy.

Add almond extract and blend.

Potato Salad

10 small potaotes, red or new white

4 eggs

1/2 c. chopped celery

1/2 c. sliced cucumber

1/4 c. sliced onion

1 Tbs. salt

1 Tsp. celery seed and mustard seed

1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

3/4 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. brown mustard

Boil potatoes for 20 minutes and eggs for 10 minutes. Let cool. The potatoes can be cooked the day before and refrigerated.

Add remaining ingredients, except for mustard and mayonnaise, and toss well.

Add mayonnaise and mustard and toss well.

Refrigerate overnight if possible or several hours.

To serve, sprinkle with fresh or dried parsley and toss again.

Sweet Potato Waffles

1 c. cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

1 1/4 c. lowfat buttermilk

1 egg

1 Tbs. canola oil

2 c. lowfat pancake mix

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Powdered sugar- optional

Preheat waffle iron.

In a medium bowl combine sweet potatoes, buttermilk, egg and oil.

In a separate bowl whisk pancake mix, sugar and cinnamon.

Stir sweet potato mixture into dry ingredients.

Batter will be fairly thick.

Coat waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray.

Spoon 1/2 to/3/4 c. batter into waffle irons, close and cook until crisp.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

My Oatmeal Breakfast

1/2 c. cooked oatmeal

1-2 Tbs. quinoa

Agave nectar to taste

One to two fruits usually blueberries, cranberries, raspberries and cherries, fresh, dried or frozen.

I cook frozen berries with the oatmeal

1 Tbs. ground flax seeds

1 tsp. wheat germ

2 tsp. chia seeds

Sprinkling of black walnuts.

Almond milk.

Green Beans with Orange Sauce

1 Tb. oil preferably olive or light oil

One large sweet onion, thinly sliced

2 tsp. sugar

1 lb. green beans

1/2 c. marmalade

1 Tb. light soy sauce

Heat oil in skillet on medium heat.

Add onions and sugar. Cook, stirring often, until onions are golden brown, 25 - 30 minutes. Set aside

Cook beans in boiling water or steam until tender crisp.

Drain, plunge into ice water and drain again.

Add beans to onion in skillet.

Stir in marmalade and soy sauce until marmalade is melted and heated through.

Steak Salad Nicoise

1 1/2 c. vinaigrette dressing

3 Tb. Dijon mustard

1 lb. flank steak

4 c. mixed greens

4 cooked new potatoes, quartered

1 lb. green beans

3 plums tomatoes, sliced

2 hard boiled eggs, sliced

1/4 c. black olives

Stir together the vinaigrette and mustard and set aside 1/2 cup.

Combine flank steak and remaining vinaigrette in a shallow dish or resealable bag. Cover or seal and marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours.

Drain steak and discard marinade.

Grill with lid closed over medium high heat 6 to 8 minutes to desired doneness.

Slice diagonally across the grain.

Toss over mixed greens with potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, eggs and olives.

Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette.

Yogurt and Cucumber Dip

1 c. fat free plain yogurt
1/2 c. tahini
3 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 lg. cloves garlic, minced
1 medium seedless cucumber with skin, finely chopped
2 Tbs. finely chopped dill
1/2 tsp. salt
1/6 Tsp. ground pepper

Stir yogurt, tahini, lemon juice and garlic in a large bowl until well combined.
Mix in cucumber and dill.
Add salt and pepper.
Cover and chill one hour.