Pho

Recipe Status: Pho is my go to soup for when I'm sick. The marrow from the chicken bones is good for your body, and the spices are very healing and soothing to your digestive system. I've made this multiple times, most batches have been heavenly, and some have been meh, but I'm sure I've figured out the perfect recipe for me. Bonus: Your house will smell AHHHHMAZING!

In a large tea infuser or cheesecloth, place the following spices:

5 Star anise seeds
6 whole cloves
1-2 cinnamon sticks depending on size
6 cardamom pods
3 tbsp fennel seeds
3 tbsp whole peppercorns
2 tbsp whole coriander
1 whole onion, peeled with ends trimmed off
3-4 inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut in smaller pieces
3 large cans/boxes chicken stock
1 flat of chicken drumsticks

• In a large pot, place spice packet, onion, ginger, chicken stock and chicken legs. Simmer on low for a few hours.

• As soon as the chicken is cooked (and this is very important so it doesn't turn mushy) remove the chicken legs from the pot. As soon as they've cooled down enough, separate the meat from the bones, and place in a bowl in the fridge. Throw away the skins and cartilage, and put the leg bones back in to the pot to continue to simmer. This is when you get all the healthy marrow. 

• Continue to simmer a few hours, and when you're ready to serve, remove bones, onion and ginger pieces from the broth and discard. 

While Pho is simmering, prepare/dice/shred the following items (to taste) to put in your bowls:

White onions

Green onions
Carrots
Cilantro
Lime
Basil
Bean Sprouts
Cabbage 

Prepare rice noodles per package instructions. They'll stick in a clump, that's okay. 

Assembling your pho bowls: 

Place, to taste, any or all of the suggested ingredients in the bowl. Add chicken and noodles, then ladle broth over everything and fill the bowl. Add a few drops of hot chile or hoisin sauce if you'd like. Stir it all together and squeeze a lime wedge over it. Enjoy! 

*Note: when leftover broth is stored in the fridge, it will thicken and will be slightly gelatinous. That's how it's supposed to be. Just warm it back up and it'll liquify.

Thai Sweet Coconut Sticky Rice with Mango

Recipe Status: I am in LOVE with this, and look forward to it at every Thai restaurant I go to. Unfortunately it doesn't always taste good. But THIS does! Happy sigh.

1 1/2 cups Boton rice

2 cups water

2 cups coconut milk, divided

1 cup large dried coconut shavings (NOT sweetened shredded coconut.)

1 cup sugar

3/4 tsp sea salt, divided

3 mangoes

• Combine rice and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to low. Simmer until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

• While the rice is cooking, mix together 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup (or a large handful) dried coconut, and 1/2 tsp salt in saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then set aside. Stir cooked rice into the coconut sauce and cool for an hour or two.

• Slice the mangoes in half along the pit, scoop out with a spoon and cut into cubes.

• Make a sauce by mixing 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 tbsp sugar 1/4 tsp salt and a small handful of dried coconut if desired. Bring to a boil, then simmer for a few minutes until thickened.

• Place the mango on top of the sticky rice, then pour sauce over the mango and rice. Top with a pinch of cardamom or sesame seeds if desired. This will keep in fridge for a few days.

Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

Recipe Status: It's nice to have a peanut butter cookie that isn't hard and crumbly. And the wheat is a tasty compliment to the peanut butter. Yes, this recipe is a keeper.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup peanut butter (we recommend extra chunky)

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups white flour

Cream peanut butter, butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add dry ingredients until completely mixed. Roll (or use a cookie scoop) into walnut sized balls and place on a sprayed baking sheet.

Bake at 350 until the edges are slightly browned, about 7-10 minutes. A little bit longer if baking on a stone, mine took about 12 minutes. Store in an airtight container and they'll stay soft!

Candied Orange Peels

Recipe Status: Long standing tradition at Christmas time. My favorite is dipping each piece in high quality dark chocolate. Mmmm.

Peels of 3 oranges

2 cups water

2 cups sugar, divided

Cut the tops and bottoms off the oranges. Cut the peel in four vertical lines, like you're quartering the orange, and remove the 4 pieces from the orange. Cut each piece into thin strips.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and boil the orange peels for 15 minutes. Boiling it in water reduces the bitterness of the rind. If desired, drain and boil in fresh water a second time. Drain and rinse.

Bring 2 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a boil over medium heat. Add the peel, reduce heat to med-low, and simmer until the peels are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain, and toss or roll peels in remaining cup of sugar.

Place peels on a cooling rack and let them sit until sugar coating is dry. Usually it takes about a day, sometimes 2.

If desired, dip each piece in dark chocolate, or lay a bunch of pieces on wax paper and drizzle chocolate on the bunch. Or eat as is. Delicious.

This is also exceptionally tasty with grapefruit rinds.

Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

Recipe Status: The BEST pancakes EVER! ;) Excellent flavor and texture.

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups white flour

3 tbsp sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

3 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup milk

3 eggs

1/4 cup butter, melted.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over med/high heat. (Or if you have an electric griddle, heat to 350.)

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, melt the butter, then beat together wet ingredients.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, and stir with a spoon until it's just blended. Don't over stir. Scoop batter onto the griddle (1/3 cup is prefect size). Cook about 4-5 minutes (or until one side is golden brown) and flip and finish browning the other side. This recipe makes roughly 2 dozen pancakes.

Cranberry Apple Pie w/ Oat Cookie Crust

Recipe Status: It's like having apples dipped in a cinnamon-sour cream dip and topped on an oatmeal cookie. But better. Much better. Many thanks to my friend Tyffani for sharing this with me.

Crust:

3 cups rolled oats, not instant

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

6 T brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup butter, melted

Filling:

7 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced (Granny Smith or Jonathan's are best)

1 cup whole cranberries, fresh or frozen

3 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 dash of cloves

3 T flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

Combine all crust ingredients until completely moistened. Reserve 1 cup and set aside. Press firmly onto the bottom and sides of a pie dish, forming a thick crust.

Place sliced apples and cranberries in a large bowl. Drizzle and coat with lemon juice. Add spices and mix well. Add flour and mix again. Gradually add brown sugar and sour cream as you mix. Pour into crust, and distribute evenly. Sprinkle on remaining oat topping and pat gently in place.

Bake @ 375 for 45-50 minutes.

Sweet Wassail Potatoes

Recipe Status: I've always passed on the candied yams because they were sickeningly sweet, marshmallows, crushed pineapple, sugar, sugar and more sugar. Blech. But wanted to find a way to still have tasty sweet potatoes without all that sugary nastiness. Today's experiment was a success! (Even though it does have a small amount of sugar.) Smacking my lips...

3-4 large sweet potatoes, cubed (About 6 cups)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp grated orange zest

1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/2 tsp each: nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger

1/4 tsp each: cloves, salt, pepper

Boil the cubed sweet potatoes until just tender. Spread in a 9x13 casserole dish. Combine brown sugar, juices and spices, and pour over potatoes. Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes. IF you so desire, you can top with mini marshmallows. But it stands on its own.

Pumpkin Coconut Curry

Recipe Status: Delicious. Just trying to figure out how to make it less runny. Perhaps less broth. Also this doesn't specifically call for Curry powder. The spices that are in this are common spices in a Curry blend. If you have a favorite curry blend, feel free to substitute about 4 T of it for the turmeric, cumin and coriander. Also, I prefer it without the red pepper flakes, but that's just me.

*The Thai Carrots are PERFECT with this, by the way. ;)

1-1.5 pounds chicken breast halves, cut into small pieces

2 tsp poultry seasoning

2 T olive oil

4 pounds pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed

2 T butter

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 (1 inch) pieces fresh ginger root, finely chopped

2 T coriander

2 T cumin

1-2 pinches turmeric

1-2 tsp red pepper flakes (opt)

1 cup canned coconut milk

2 cups chicken broth

Salt to taste

Season the chicken pieces with the poultry seasoning and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, or pot. Cook chicken until browned on the outside and cooked all the way through. Remove chicken and set aside.

Melt the butter in the pot over med-low heat. Saute the onion, garlic and ginger until the onion is transparent. Add coriander, cumin, turmeric and red pepper. Cook until spices are fragrant. Add pumpkin, chicken, coconut milk & broth. Season with salt to taste. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft. Do not over cook, the pumpkin will get mushy! Serve over Basmati rice.

Chicken Pumpkin Stew

Recipe Status: Every single one of my picky eaters loved this. High in fiber and vitamins too. WIN!

2 lbs chicken breast cut into small cubes

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp each: Salt & Pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 carrots, sliced

2 celery ribs, sliced

4 cups chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 tsp seasoning(s) of choice (thyme, rosemary, savory, etc.)

1 qt peeled, cubed pumpkin.

Place flour, salt & pepper in a gallon sized ziplock bag. Put the cubed meat in a few at a time and toss to coat. Cook chicken in oil/butter until browned on all sides. Add onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes more, until onions are transparent. Stir in broth, carrots, celery, seasonings & bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for an hour-ish. Add the pumpkin cubes and simmer for another 20-30 minutes, until the carrots & pumpkin are tender. Discard bay leaf and enjoy!

*This can easily be converted to beef stew by using beef bullion and, obviously, stew meat. Next time, I think I'll add mushrooms as well. :)

Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins

Recipe Status: A gorgeous blend of sweet & tart, and also sweet & spicy. Not to mention incredibly moist. YUMMM!

2 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1-2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, as preferred. (I like more.)

2 eggs

2 cups sugar (can use as low as 1 cup if desired.)

1/2 cup oil

1 16 oz. can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix.)

1-2 cups fresh cranberries, whole or chopped.

In large bowl, mix first 4 ingredients. Set aside. In separate bowl, mix eggs and sugar until blended. Mix in oil and pumpkin. Pour into dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Fold in cranberries. Bake @ 375° for 20ish minutes.

Can be made into a bread loaf, but I have no idea how long to bake it for. I'll have to experiment!

The best ever Pumpkin Chili, hands down.

Recipe Status: A great low fat, high fiber chili that you'd never know it had pumpkin in it. It's great because the pumpkin is the base of the chili, so you don't get the acidity tomatoes give. But no worries, the salsa gives you enough of the tomato flavor. This usually wins at our chili cook-off's each year, but I think they gave someone else a chance this year... ;)

2 lbs ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 package fajita seasoning

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp ea. Salt & Pepper

1 16 oz can pumpkin

1 cup salsa (medium tastes better)

1 small can diced green chilis

1 28 oz can black or dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Brown turkey, onion & garlic until almost no longer pink. Add fajita seasoning, chili powder, salt and pepper. Mix well to blend the seasonings. Reduce heat to med-low. Stir in salsa, green chilis and pumpkin. Bring to a gentle boil, and stir in beans. Let simmer for a few hours to let flavors blend. I like to cook the meat and seasonings, then mix everything together in the crock pot and let it cook on low for the afternoon.

Serve with a glop of sour cream, cheese, diced green onions, olives etc. This also is quite tasty with baked potatoes and Indian fry bread. Happy harvest!

Pumpkin Harvest Cookies (Kerstin's Sweet Spicy Goodness)

Recipe status: These are the ultimate health nut harvest cookie. There is no sugar other than the natural sugar in the pumpkin (and the sugar from the morsels). It's almost like having one of those nature bars, or a very chewy granola bar. I will definitely be packing these on my hikes.

1 small can pumpkin

1 stick butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

(or 1/2 tsp each nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger & allspice)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup wheat flour

1 cup flour

1 cup combination of any of the following: Chopped pecans, walnuts or cashews, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, golden raisins, craisins or raisins *

1 cup butterscotch or cinnamon morsels, carob or chocolate chips

Blend pumpkin and butter. Mix in egg & vanilla. Add dry ingredients until completely blended. Fold in remaining nuts, berries & morsels.

Drop by spoonfuls on a baking sheet about an inch apart. These hardly spread, so press them down a bit. Bake @ 375° for 12-15 minutes, depending on size. I've been told these freeze well. Not sure of these will last long enough to find out.

*In addition to the 1 cup, I also added a cup of uncooked 9 grain cereal (looks like oats) & a handful of shredded zucchini because I so desired. Had I had any flaked coconut left, I'd have added that also. Not the sweetened coconut, but the dried shaved coconut from the bulk bin at the health food store. That would have been amazing.

12-Grain Bread

Recipe Status: The first time I had this bread, it was the most amazing thing I had ever tasted. Now either I've since made better bread, or it didn't turn out as well as it could have. Or, I just plain wasn't feeling good and it didn't agree with me. Also, since making amazing bread without dough enhancer and extra gluten, I don't see the necessity for either of them. But I'm not knocking the recipe, I'll try again. Perhaps I'll be more impressed next time.

The original recipe made a lot of dough, so I've cut it in half. However, if you have a Bosch, it'll handle the full recipe, so knock yourself out if you so choose.

The altered recipe makes 3 loaves.

3 cups hot water

1 cup 9-grain cracked cereal, uncooked

1/4 cup millet

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (cracked if desired)

1 cup high gluten flour or vital gluten

1/3 honey or molasses

1/3 cup oil

1 tbsp salt

1 heaping tbsp yeast

1 1/2 tbsp dough enhancer

6-7 cups whole wheat flour

Measure first 5 ingredients into bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Add honey, oil, salt & 5 cups flour and mix to a paste. Stir in yeast and remaining flour, a bit at a time, until mixture cleans sides of the bowl. Knead for 5-7 minutes. Add dough enhancer and knead until mixed through. Form into 3 loaves. Let rise in greased loaf pans until about 2 inches above pan. Bake @ 350° for 30 minutes.

Orange Ginger Chicken (HCG Friendly)

Recipe Status: I guess I've been spoiled with orange chicken recipes that have been very bold in flavor and at times very spicy. This in comparison was very bland. I liked it okay, but if I made it again, I'd definitely have to spice it up. A little cayenne and crushed red peppers, probably. Oh and more ginger. I could not taste any ginger. :(

100 g chicken breast, cut into cubes

1 orange cut into quarters

2-3 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp fresh ginger root (roughly 1/2" to 1" piece of root)

1/2 tsp basil

Juice from half a lemon

Pepper to taste

Sprinkle chicken with pepper. Add chicken to heated pan and stir fry until all edges are no longer pink. Add garlic and cook 1 additional minute. Squeeze juice of orange quarters & lemon over chicken, then peel and separate sections of orange and add to the chicken. Stir in ginger & basil. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

*This counts as one meat and one fruit serving.

Tomato Frittata (HCG Friendly)

Recipe Status: Remember that Asparagus Frittata recipe I posted and said "I'll bet it'd taste awesome with a vine ripe tomato instead."? Well, I tried that recipe with a vine ripe tomato. And it was delicious. (Although I did alter how I made it just a bit.)

3 egg whites

1 full egg

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp dried minced onion

1 tbsp water

1 tsp parsley (or savory, as I like to add.)

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 vine ripe tomato

Mix eggs in a bowl. Add garlic, onions, water, salt & pepper. Pour onto heated non-stick skillet. While that's starting to cook, chop up the tomato into small chunks. (Try to leave behind as many seeds as possible.) Place on top of eggs. Sprinkle savory over tomatoes. When eggs look ready to, flip over so the top layer can cook around the tomatoes.

*This counts as one meat and one vegetable serving.

Strawberry Julius (HCG Friendly)

Recipe Status: This is pretty much the same exact recipe as the Orange Julius, with the exception, of course, of strawberries. And I think I prefer this better! It's almost like strawberries & cream. Yum!

8 Strawberries

A handful or two of ice

A little bit of water (or your alloted 1 tablespoon of skim milk)

1 dropper full of Vanilla Creme liquid Stevia

Blend. Enjoy.

Lemon Shrimp & Spinach (HCG Friendly)

Recipe Status: I wasn't eating it thinking of how amazing it was. I was nervous about putting that much garlic in it, and I thought 200 g of spinach was waaaay too much. But I was wrong! There wasn't very much flavor at all. I sprinkled some dill over everything, and that made it much better.

100 g shrimp (shelled & deveined)

200 g spinach

3 tbsp water

Juice from one lemon (or half lemon if it's large)

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

Salt & Pepper to taste

Dill to taste (My addition)

Preheat non stick skillet over medium heat. Add water, garlic & shrimp, and cook until shrimp turns pink. Squeeze lemon juice over shrimp. Add spinach, salt and pepper. Cook until spinach wilts.

Asparagus Frittata (HCG Friendly)

Recipe Status: I love omelets, but I haven't decided if I really like this or not. It was okay, but I wasn't a big fan of the large chunks of asparagus, or the way they had it prepared. I'll bet it'd taste awesome with a vine ripe tomato instead.

Asparagus, allowed amount. (About a fist full)

3 egg whites

1 full egg

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp dried minced onion

1 tbsp water

1 tsp parsley (I didn't have some so I used savory)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Tabasco if desired.

Preheat pan over medium heat. Snap woody ends off asparagus, then break them into 2 or 3 smaller pieces. (I highly recommend breaking them smaller than that.)

Add asparagus to pan with minced garlic and heat through until tender. (Ummm, this burned the garlic. So I wouldn't add the garlic until the last minute or so.)

In a bowl, mix eggs and water. Add asparagus, onion and other seasonings. Pour into a non stick baking dish, or line with parchment paper. (I completely omitted this step and instead poured the egg mixture on top of the asparagus already in the pan and placed the lid on. I felt there was no need to dirty another dish, or heat up the kitchen. Also, I sprinkled the seasons on top of the eggs instead of mixing them in.)

Cook @ 400° for 10-15 minutes. (Or cook in covered pan over medium heat until eggs are visibly bubbly and cooked through.)

*This counts as one meat and one vegetable serving.

Orange Julius (HCG Friendly)

Recipe Status: Once again, pleasantly surprised. I'm not usually a big fan of orange julius because I love the tartness of fresh orange juice and the added sugar and vanilla makes it too sweet. But this was pretty good.

1 orange

Vanilla Creme liquid Stevia

Ice

Peel orange and place orange segments in blender. Add a handful, or two of ice in the blender. Blend. Add about 10 drops of the stevia. Blend again. If needed, you can add a little bit of water to help it blend better. Add more ice and/or stevia if desired. That's it!

Chicken Cabbage "Egg Rolls" (HCG Friendly)

Recipe Status: Don't be fooled by the title. These are nowhere near an egg roll. However, they are delicious. Even more so than I thought they would be. I was pleasantly surprised. After making it though, I think next time I'll cook the chicken in a little liquid aminos to give it more of the asian flavor, just to give that a try. But as it is, it's pretty dang good. I'm so glad I'm not starving! ;)

100 g chicken, cooked and cubed

2-3 cabbage leaves

1 cup shredded cabbage

Chinese five spice, onion powder & garlic powder to taste. (Dash or three...)

2 Melba Toast rounds

Steam cabbage leaves for 5 minutes, set aside and steam shredded cabbage for 5 minutes. Transfer shredded cabbage to a bowl and mix with cooked chicken and spices. Wrap in cabbage leaves and top with crushed melba toast.