No Bake Cookies

Quick & easy! Often the first recipe I have my Foods students make...

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients
2 C sugar
½ C milk
¼ C cocoa powder
½ C butter (1 stick)
1 tsp vanilla
½ C peanut butter
½ tsp salt
3 C quick oats

Directions
Combine sugar, milk, cocoa powder and butter in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture boils for 1½ minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat; quickly add vanilla, peanut butter, salt and stir. Add oats and stir together. Mixture will be semi-stiff.

Drop by spoonfulls onto waxed paper. Allow to cool and set before serving.

Brussels Sprouts with Butternut Squash

The colors are just beautiful for fall! It would look even prettier spread in a large serving dish or platter, but...right now this is what I've got available...

Ingredients
1.5 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
1 lb  butternut squash, medium diced
½ red onion thinly sliced
1-2 T olive oil
1-2 T honey
½ tsp chili  powder
¼ C dried cranberries
¼ C pomegranate molasses, warmed
s&p to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, honey, and chili powder. Place Brussels sprouts, butternut squash and onion in a large bowl. Toss with olive oil & honey mixture until evenly coated.

Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes or until squash is fork-tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer to serving dish; garnish with cranberries and drizzle with pomegranate molasses.

Italian Stuffed Zucchini

Saw a recipe very similar to this online. I'd credit the original (or post it in a link) if I could find it again. This isn't exactly it, but...the same basic idea. Tweak it to your own taste.

Ingredients
3 medium zucchini
24 oz marinara
1 T olive oil
1 lb ground beef
½ C onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ bell pepper, chopped
½ tsp each: basil, oregano, thyme
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
¼ C chopped italian parsley
salt & pepper to taste
1 to 1½ C shredded mozzarella
½ C shredded parmesan
¼ C Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.

Trim zucchini ends and scoop out centers, leaving about a ¼-½" thick 'shell'. I used a Parisian scoop (melon baller). Chop scooped out centers; set aside.

Place zucchini into baking dish with ½" of water; cover with foil and pre-cook 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully pour off excess water; set aside.

Photos: I only made a half recipe.

Brown beef, onion, bell pepper and garlic in a skillet with olive oil. Drain off excess grease. Add chopped zucchini centers, 2/3 (approx 16 oz) of the marinara, basil, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes. Simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour remaining marinara in bottom of baking dish. Place zucchini 'boats' on marinara in baking dish. Scoop beef & veggie mixture into scooped out zucchini, dividing it evenly. I had extra filling -- no problem if it fills in around the edges too! Cover with foil; bake for 20-25 minutes, until zucchini is tender.

While they're cooking, toss chesses and bread crumbs.

Remove stuffed zucchini from oven. Set oven to broil; remove foil and top stuffed zucchini with cheese and bread crumbs. Return to oven just long enough to melt and brown cheese & bread crumbs.

Pumpkin Biscuits

These are a very mild flavored biscuit, but still delicious, especially if you serve them warm with maple butter or cranberry relish. Throw some bacon on the side. Or go for a more savory spin with a sage herbed butter...

Ingredients
2½ C flour
1 T baking powder
½ t salt
¼ C loosely packed brown sugar
½ t cinnamon
¼ t ginger
¼ t nutmeg
½ C cold butter, small diced
1 15 oz can pumpkin purée

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Sift together all dry ingredients. Cut in butter until coarse crumbs form. Stir in pumpkin purée just until combined.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead gently, folding to create layers. Pat or roll to ½ inch thickness. Cut with round biscuit cutter, or slice for square biscuits. Transfer to parchment lined bakign sheet.

Bake 15-20 minutes. Best served warm.

BBQ Cauliflower 'Wings'

With some cauliflower I wanted to use up -- left over from making Parmeson-Garlic Roasted Cauliflower -- I found this recipe, courtesy of the Food Network. I have no intention of going vegetarian, so I would still much rather have real BBQ chicken wings (or tenders); but...even on cauliflower, BBQ is always an addictive, snackable flavor. The texture of the cauliflower obviously isn't the same as chicken. My adivce: take care to not overcook the florets...some of mine were really too soft.

Parmesan-Garlic Roasted Cauliflower

I didn't have fresh parsley, and I was a little shy on the parmesan cheese -- which would have made an even richer finished product! But it was still great...

Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower
1-2 T olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
½ C grated parmesan cheese
¼ C bread crumbs
1 tsp smoked paprika
fresh chopped parsley

Directions
Preaheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with foil.

In a large bowl stir together olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Chop cauliflower into florets. Toss florests in seasoned olive oil. Transfer to baking sheet, in a single layer.

Bake 15 minutes. Toss parmesan, bread crumbs and smoked paprika. Turn florets; sprinkle with cheese and bread crumb mixture. Return to oven; bake another 10-15 minutes. Test for doneness by piercing with a fork or knife. 

Garnish with chopped parsley to serve.