George's Fruit-filled Energy Bars

Maybe someday I will try all these yummy recipes. These looked really good and I got them here.

1 cup raisins
1 cup dried blueberries
2 cups chopped dates
2 cups chopped dried apples
2 cups chopped dried apricots
2 cups chopped dried prunes
8 oz almond or peanut butter
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
8 cups rolled oats
12 oz pancake mix (complete)(3 cups)
16 oz honey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a large cookie sheet.

Knead together all the fruit and the nut butter.

Knead in sunflower seeds, rolled oats, and pancake mix.

Add honey and knead until blended.

Press out onto tin 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick and as even as possible. Using a table knife, press the bar lines into the sheet.

Bake about 20 minutes until top is light brown.

Freeze very well if individally wrapped and then put in a ziplock.

Ellen notes: boost the protein with 1-2 cups of vanilla protein powder or dried milk.

Swirled Pumpkin Yeast Bread

I got this recipe here. Also a big thanks to Chennelle.

• 4-1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
• 1-1/2 cups warm water (120° to 130°)
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 
  FILLING:
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oats, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, sugar and yeast. Beat in the warm water, pumpkin, applesauce and oil just until moistened. Add eggs; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining all-purpose flour to form a firm dough. Add raisins.
• Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into an 18-in. x 9-in. rectangle; brush with butter to within 1/2 in. of edges. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; pinch seam to seal.
• Place seam side down in two greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
• Bake at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves (16 slices each).

Pumpkin Rice Pudding

I got this recipe from here. Thanks to Chennelle...she is the one who sent me the links to these.

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 3 cups reduced-fat (2%) milk
• 1 cup solid-pack pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Bring the water to a boil in an ovenproof 4-quart saucepan. Stir in the rice and cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the rice is nearly cooked, about 20 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.

While the rice is still hot, add the pumpkin mixture to the saucepan and stir well to combine. Cover and transfer to the oven. Bake until the liquid has reduced by about a third and the mixture is foamy and bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir well to combine all the ingredients. Transfer to a large bowl, then cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight. The pudding will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Pumpkin Cornbread

I got his recipe here. I hope you enjoy! I cannot wait to try this.

1 cup flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup cornmeal
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin purée
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp molasses

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease an 8×8″ baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, spices, brown sugar, and cornmeal.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs, and then stir in the pumpkin, oil, and molasses.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined, and then pour the batter into the pan, smoothing out the top as much as possible.

Bake 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm!!!!!

Bruschetta Pizza

8 ServingsPrep: 25 min. Bake: 10 min.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound reduced-fat bulk pork sausage
• 1 prebaked 12-inch pizza crust
• 1 package (6 ounces) sliced turkey pepperoni
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1-1/2 cups chopped plum tomatoes
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• Additional fresh basil leaves, optional

Directions

• In a small skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer
• pink; drain. Place crust on an ungreased baking sheet. Top with
• pepperoni, sausage and cheese. Bake at 450° for 10-12 minutes or
• until cheese is melted.
• 
  
• In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, sliced basil, oil, garlic,
• thyme, vinegar, salt and pepper. Spoon over the pizza. Garnish with
• additional basil if desired. Yield: 8 slices.
• 
  

Black Bean Pitas with Avocado Salsa

avocado salsa

2 avocados, pitted and diced

1 1/2 to 2 cupes roma tomatoes, diced

4 green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

black bean pitas

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion (sweet or red work well)

1 teaspoon minced garlic 

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 16oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 salt (optional)

1/4 cup mayonnaise (no substitute or it will taste funny)

1/2 teaspoon minced chipotle peppers in adobo (can be found by the canned green chiles usually)

1 cup chopped lettuce

Pitas or Wraps

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, cook until clear. Stir in garlic and cumin. Add beans and salt. Heat thoroughly. Lightly mash the bean mixture, cover and set aside.

Combine the mayonnaise and chipotle in a small bowl. Taste and see how spicy/mild the mixture is and add more of mayo or peppers as needed. With small children, you can leave out the chipotle peppers all together.

To make the pitas, spread the mayonnaise over the pita/wrap, then add the bean mixture on top of the mayo, and top with salsa and lettuce.

***Got the recipe from my cousins website listed here.  I haven't tried these, but once again...I didn't want to loose the recipe and not know where to find it.

Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
Makes 16 Servings

One 15 ½-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed very well

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons canola oil

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, optional

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch salt

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, divided

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8 X 8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Place the black beans in the bowl of a food processor; process until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, oil, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, baking powder, and salt and process until smooth. Add ¼ cup of the chips and pulse a few times until the chips are broken up a bit.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.

4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before slicing.