Caramel-Apple Nut Bars

In the spirit of autumn quickly approaching, I am adding two apple recipes. (I mentioned earlier that my family has a boat-load of apples right now, so I've found a couple of recipes to use some of them up..along with the apple pie recipe previously posted).

This first apple recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens. I altered a few things, however...I used about double the amount of apples it called for, and I think it still could have used more! The moist, caramelly-apples were the best part, so feel free to load the apple layer up! PS- I thought these even tasted better the next day

Ingredients:

2 c all-purpose flour

2 c quick-cooking oats

1 1/2 c packed brown sugar (I used half b.sugar, half splenda brown sugar)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 c butter (This is a LOT of butter..I only used half! The bars were a bit crumbly, but I enjoyed them w/less butter, so feel free to experiment)

1/2 c caramel topping (used sugar free caramel topping--picture below)

3 T flour

1 c apples, chopped (**Use @ least 3 cups! The more the better in my opinion)

1/2 c coarsely chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease 13x9 pan

2. In large bowl, beat 2 c flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, butter with a mixer on low until crumbly.

3. Press about 3 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the greased pan. (I pressed it firmly with the bottom of a measuring cup). Bake 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix caramel topping and 3 T flour.

5. Sprinkle apple and pecans over partially baked crust.

6. Drizzle with caramel mixture.

7. Sprinkle with remaining crust mixture.

8. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. Cut/serve.

Nutrit Info: This info was from the original recipe, so if using the alterations I used, they will be lower in calories/fat...

1 bar: Calories-160, fat-8g, carbohydrates-21g, sodium- 130mg

Semi-Homemade Salsa

Welcome to my first-ever attempt at making salsa! Because I was a little intimidated by the process, I decided to go with a 'semi-homemade' approach for my first timer salsa experience. It was a success! I ended up using a package of salsa mix, but I added in 1 can of black beans and 2 ears of sweet corn. I love this salsa!! The only tedius part about it was peeling the skins from the tomotes...have plenty of paper towels around, because juice goes evvvverywhere:)















The picture above shoes the only ingredients you'll need! (along with the 18--or so--tomatoes pictured below).















Ingredients:
18 medium tomatoes
1 pkg Mrs. Wages create salsa mix (I used the Medium pkg and it is plenty spicy for me)
1/2 c apple cider or white vinegar
2 ears sweet corn (optional)--I just microwaved them for a few minutes before cutting them off the cobs
1 can black beans (optional)--I recommend the corn & beans!!
















1. First bring a pot of water to a boil. Add tomatoes for 10 minutes.
You will begin to see some of the skins splitting. This is what you want, as the next step is to peel the skins off of the tomatoes.















3. Next take the tip of your knife and carve a small circle around the center of the tomatoe, where the stems are; remove.
















4. Dice the tomatoes and add to the empty pot. (Drain the water from the boiling of the tomatoes first).














5. Add remaining ingredients to the tomatoes.
















6. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. THATS IT!!

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

Put the lime in the coconut and...make banana bread?? Here is a recipe for banana bread with a twist..of lime. It sounds interesting, but if you are a fan of coconut you will definately enjoy this moist quick bread. This recipe makes a tall, large loaf that is very moist and filled with the sweetness of coconut and banana. The glaze is really good when the bread is fresh and gives it a sweet sort of tang on top.

*While baking, I decided to leave the bread in the oven about 10 mins longer than called for, because it was still pretty gooey inside. Even when I took the bread out I was worried it was undercooked, but once it cooled it was the perfect moistness.
Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I used light sour cream instead)
3 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon flaked sweetened coconut
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk to combine.
4. Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute).

5. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

6. Add banana, yogurt, rum, and vanilla; beat until blended.
7. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist.

8. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut.

9. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coconut.

10. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. (I baked about 10 minutes longer, because I was worried the middle was too gooey)
Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan.

See what I mean by a large, tall loaf! (I had to move it to the top rack because it was rising up into the above rack).

For Glaze: Combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring with a whisk; drizzle over warm bread. Cool bread completely on wire rack.

Nutrit. Info:

Makes 16 Servings

Calories- 193, Fat-4.5g, Protein-2.9g, Carb- 35g, Sodium-179 mg

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary

This recipe is a variation of one I make often. I am addicted to sweet potatoes. You might be thinking..Eh...Sweet potatoes..Blah, but if you haven't ever tried roasting sweet potatoes I highly recommend it. This time I used both regular Yukon gold potatoes and sweet potatoes, so any variety of potato can be used. Personally, I just like the flavor of sweet potatoes, but also found out they are suuper good for you and packed with vitamins. Let's take a moment to honor the sweet potato shall we?
Sweet Potatoes:
A nutritional All-star, sweet potatoes are loaded with vitamin A, vitamon C, potassium, caratenoids, and fiber. Despite the name, sweet potatoes are very low in sugar (unlike other starchy vegetables) so they are known as a low glycemic food. This means, sweet potatoes do not send a spike in your blood sugar when eaten. Sweet potatoes are high in anti-oxidants and high in folate. Regular sweet potato consumption has even been shown to strengthen the body's immune system and are great for muscle cramp prevention. Because of their ability to prevent muscle cramps, sweet potatoes should be a regular part of athlete's diets. This makes me remember a comment I heard from Usain Bolt (the sprinter that recently ran the fastest of any human in the 100 and 200m races) after asked what his training secret was. He responded with something like.."I've been eating a lot of sweet potoates."
So, I guess it should be..."A sweet potato a day keeps the doctor away."

Now on with the recipe:
Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes
3 regular potatoes
2 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic (the more the better in my opinion)
Ground pepper
3 sprigs Rosemary

**Have fun experimenting with different seasonings/herbs. In the past I have used parsley, basil, oregano, garlic, black pepper, Mrs. Dash..in all sorts of different combinations. However, I think garlic, black pepper, and olive oil are the three essentials when roasting potatoes.
Directions:
1. Dice uncooked pototoes
2. In large bowl, coat potatoes with olive oil.
3. Add garlic, pepper, rosemary. Stir to coat.















4. This time, I grilled the sweet potatoes on the charcoal grill using a new grill basket. However, every other time I have baked the potoes on a cookie sheet. Either way works great. (Slightly more olive oil may be needed when grilling than in the oven).

5. If grilling, place potatoes in grill basket, or in a foil packet. Grill for 30-40 minutes.

6. If baking in the oven, spread potatoes evenly on a cookie sheet. Bake @ 375 for about 45-55 minutes.

Mini Turkey Meatloaves

Who doesn't love meatloaf?! Well..on second thought I can think of a few that don't...but, that is beside the point..I LOVE meatloaf! When I think of comfort food, meatloaf is definately one of the first things that I think of. This recipe is made with lean ground turkey that is very flavorful, is the perfect portion size, and looks too cute to eat...almost:) The mini meatloaves are packed with spinach, onions, and finished with a sweet and spicy glaze. This recipe comes from the TV show Cook Yourself Thin on Lifetime. I changed the glaze, because I didn't have any hot sauce (which the recipe calls for), so I used cumin instead. The glaze was wonderful! I made the comment that I plan to make the glaze in the future just to dip stuff in. Along with these meatloaves I made some roasted potatoes, which is also posted.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Ingredients:
1 slice whole-wheat bread
1/2 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, diced (I only used 1/2 a yellow onion and it was plenty!)
5-ounce bag baby spinach leaves
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

For Glaze:
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp ground cumin (go easy on it..a lot goes a long way)
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Grind the bread in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a large bowl, and pour milk over crumbs.
3. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 5 minutes. Add spinach, and stir until just wilted, about 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl with soaked crumbs. Add the turkey, cheese, egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Combine the mixture with your hands until well mixed; it will be quite wet.

4. Pack 1 cup of the mixture into a 1-cup dry measuring cup. Invert the cup onto a rimmed baking sheet, gently shaking the cup to release the mixture. Gently pat the mound to smooth its shape. Repeat three times with remaining mixture. Bake mini meatloaves until cooked through and golden, about 40 minutes.

5. While the meatloaves are cooking, make the glaze: In a small bowl combine the ketchup, cumin, and worcestershire. Brush over meatloaves with about 10 minutes remaining in the cooking time.














Calories per serving, meatloaves: 227

Bert's Easiest Apple Pie

Next time you get a batch of apples or have a craving for an apple pie here is a great, eeeaasy recipe to try! This pie is great warm from the oven, with a lot of cinnamon and a sweet, buttery crust topping that's great all by itself or with some whipped cream or ice cream on top. Mmmm. .

But, the best part...there is absolutely NO rolling out of a crust for this pie!! Oh! and this recipe comes from my Grandma (Bert) and is a recipe we use again and again. Thanks Grams
Ingredients:
1 c flour
1 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 stick butter, melted
1/4 c cinnamon
1/4 c sugar
Apples-sliced, pealed (Amt depends on size of apples and pie pan-enough slices to fill pie pan 2/3 full)
1 greased pie pan
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Mix flour, sugar, salt, vanilla, egg, butter in a medium bowl.





























2. Fill greased pie pan 2/3 full with peeled, sliced apples.















3. Mix cinnamon + sugar

4. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon+sugar mixture. (Reserve about 1/2 T to sprinkle over crust before baking).

5. Cover apples with flour mixture.

6. Sprinkle dough with reserved cinnamon + sugar.
7. Bake @ 350 for 45-50 mins. Do not overbake

That's it! A simple recipe for a classic homemade apple pie. Enjoy

German Chocolate Cookies

This recipe comes from the Better Homes & Garden Magazine, from a section called 'Healthier Chocolate Desserts.' I've always loved the combo of coconut + chocolate and these didn't dissappoint! They are quick to make (only take about 9 mins to bake) and taste really chocolatey! They use dark baking chocolate and leave the option of adding flax meal (I didn't because we didn't have any..)
MAKES 35 COOKIES

Ingredients:
1/4 c butter, softened

1/4 packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp, baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 c all-purpose flour

2/3 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup flax seed meal (optional)

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 oz dark of sweet baking chocolate, chopped (I used half and half semi-sweet baking chocolate and chopped dark chocolate chips, b/c it's what was in the pantry!)

1/3 c flaked coconut

1/3 c chopped pecans

Optional- chopped pecans/coconut for top
Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350

2. In large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium for 30 seconds.

3. Add brown sugar, baking soda, salt. Beat until well combined, scraping sides occasionally.

4. Beat in egg, vanilla until combined.

5. Beat in flour.

6. Stir in rolled oats, flax seed.

7. Stir in cocoa.
8. Stir in chocolat, coconut, pecans. Dough will be thick.

9. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. If desired, sprinkle tops with chopped pecans, coconut.

10. Bake @350 for 8-10 minutes. (edges will feel a little firm, not much)

11. Let cookies cool on sheet for 1 min. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Storage:

Keep for 2 days at room temp or freeze for up to 3 months

Nutrit. Info:

84 cal, 4 g fat, 45 mg sodium, 11g carb

Makeover Banana Bars

A banana recipe? What a shocker. These bars are aaaamazing! Use this recipe next time you have a few over-ripe bananas lying around.. you won't be sorry. I brought a few of these to the dental office I worked @ today and everyone loved them! They are really moist with a creamy, sweet cream cheese frosting. The recipe comes from the Healthy Cooking Taste of Home Magazine and is one we make often at my house. Whenever I bring these anywhere, I often get asked for the recipe. YUM
MAKES 3 DOZEN
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar (I used half sugar, half Splenda)
2 eggs (I used 1/2 c egg beaters)
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Dash salt
FROSTING:
**I made half of the frosting and it was plenty! What is below is the full batch**
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
1/3 cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
1.In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until crumbly, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the bananas, applesauce and vanilla.














2.Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into butter mixture just until blended.














3.Transfer to a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray.
4. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.














5.For frosting, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth. Frost bars. Refrigerate leftovers.