Ants on a Log Lunch Box Surprise

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Ingredients:

• 8 celery ribs each cut into 3 pieces 3 to 4 inches each
• 8 ounces cheesecake cream cheese spread or 8 ounces cream cheese spread
• 1/2 cup raisins or 1/2 cup yogurt covered raisins

Steps:

• Fill celery with cream cheese spread and smooth with knife
• Add a row of raisins for the ants

Aunt Lynn's Green Bean Casserole

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Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/4 cup onion diced
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 14 1/2 ounce cans French style green beans drained
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can French-fried onions aka fried onion crisps
• 1 tablespoon butter melted
• 1 4 ounce can chopped water chestnuts
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1 4 ounce can chopped mushrooms

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees 175 degrees C
• Melt 2 T butter in large skillet over medium heat
• Stir in flour until smooth and cook for one minute
• Stir in salt sugar onion water chestnuts pecans mushrooms and sour cream
• Add green beans and stir until coated
• Transfer mixture to a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish
• Spread cheese over top
• In a small bowl toss taste toppers and butter and sprinkle over the cheese
• Bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown and cheese is bubbly

Bacon With a Vegan

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Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon oil neutral tasting don't use extra virgin olive oil-too strong
• 1 14 ounce package firm tofu cut into strips to resemble bacon
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce I use Bragg's Aminos
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar I might try molasses next time
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• fresh ground black pepper

Steps:

• Heat oil into large skillet
• Fry bacon strips on low heat until crispy on the outside To do this
• place them in the pan in the oil and let them simmer for about 10 minutes
• without turning Now they are firm enough to turn easily
• Turn them and simmer another 10 minutes on the other side
• Mix the soy sauce with the liquid smoke and brown sugar
• stirring to disolve sugar
• Remove skillet from heat
• Pour the liquid smoke mixture into the pan and move the tofu around so all sides are coated Place back on heat
• Sprinkle the nutritional yeast
• covering all sides If you like
• sprinkle a little freshly ground black pepper on now Stir gently until the liquid is gone and the tofu is covered with a crispy coating of yeast Enjoy

Basil Vinaigrette

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Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in jar or salad dressing container
• Cover tightly shake and refrigerate

Blueberry Green Tea Slushy

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 3 green tea bags decaffinated
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons agave syrup or honey or maple syrup

Steps:

• Bring 2 cups of water to a boil Add the tea bags and let steep for about 5-7 minutes Remove the tea bags and discard
• Divide the cup of blueberries between the compartments of an ice cube tray Cover with teaabout 1/2 cup and freeze
• Puree tea ice cubes in a blender with remaining tea1 1/2 cups 1/2 cup water and 2 tbls agave syrup
• Serve garnished with berries Enjoy

Cajun Spice Mix

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Ingredients:

• 1 1/8 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon dried sweet basil leaves

Steps:

• Mix all spices together and store in a shaker

Chocolate Nut Crunch

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Steps:

• Mix butter and sugar in saucepan
• Bring to a boil
• Boil 4 minutes stirring constantly
• Pour into buttered 8x8in pan
• Sprinkle with chocolate chips
• Cover and let stand for 2 minutes
• Spread chocolate
• Sprinkle with nuts

Creole Tomato Salad

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Ingredients:

• 3 ripe tomatoes cut into 1/4-inch thick slices about 2 lbs
• 1 vidalia onions or 1 other sweet onion thinly sliced and separated into rings
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon of fresh mint thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons fresh chives chopped
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh garlic minced

Steps:

• To prepare salad alternate tomato and onion slices on a platter Sprinkle with salt Top with mint and chives
• To prepare vinaigrette combine oil vinegar mustard and garlic in a jar Cover tightly; shake vigorously
• Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and serve it at room temperature

Easy Toffee Brownies

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Ingredients:

• 1 3 1/2 ounce box chocolate pudding mix such as jello brand use the cook and serve kind not instant
• 2 cups 2% low-fat milk the more milk fat the richer it will be
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 18 ounce box devil's food cake mix such as duncan hines
• 1 12 ounce package toffee pieces with it won't effect the outcome of the brownies or 1 12 ounce package without chocolate it won't effect the outcome of the brownies

Steps:

• Preheat oven 350
• In a medium size sauce pan on med/low heat add in your milk and your pudding mix IMPORTANT DO NOT FOLLOW PUDDING MIX DIRECTIONS
• bring to a boilas soon as it boils add in your butterand mix and turn off heat and set aside Get a large mixing bowlempty out your cake mix IMPORTANT DO NOT FOLLOW CAKE MIX DIRECTIONS After you empty out the cake mixstir in your pudding mixtureOnce everything in mixed well pour batter into a greased 9x13 glass pan Sprinkle the whole bag of toffee chips over brownie batter Bake 350 for 45 minutes
• For a variation you can change cake mix baseand or add 1 cup chopped nuts

Layered Eggplant and Polenta Casserole

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Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 lbs fresh tomatoes or 2 lbs canned plum tomatoes peeled and chopped with 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms use button or cremini
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
• 3/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves roughly chopped
• fresh ground pepper
• crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 lbs medium eggplants sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 16 ounces log precooked polenta sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400F degrees with rack in upper third
• In a medium saucepan heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat; add the onion garlic and mushrooms cook stirring until soft and lightly golden about 8 minutes
• Add tomatoes and salt and cook stirring occasionally until sauce has thickened about 30 minutes
• Stir in vinegar oregano basil amp; Italian seasoning; season with pepper
• Remove sauce from heat
• Meanwhile heat a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium heat; lightly brush eggplant slices with the remaining tablespoon oil
• Working in batches lay slices in skillet in a single layer; cook until browned and they begin to soften 2 to 3 minutes per side
• Transfer to a plate
• Spoon about a cup tomato sauce into a 9-inch square baking dish spreading to coat evenly; arrange eggplant slices snugly in a single layer
• Spoon about 1 cup tomato sauce over eggplant and arrange polenta rounds in slightly overlapping slices on top
• Repeat with sauce and another layer of eggplant
• Finish by dotting with remaining tomato sauce
• Cover with foil; bake until bubbling and juicy about 30 minutes
• Remove foil; continue baking until sauce is lightly caramelized and eggplant is tender about 15 minutes more
• Remove from oven; let cool slightly and serve

Okra Gumbo

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups okra fresh or frozen
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 1 14 ounce can stewed tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove pressed
• 1 bunch green onion chopped tops also
• tomato juice like V8
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet basil
• 1/2 teaspoon whole rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Steps:

• Saute onions celery garlic and okra in olive oil until onions are clear
• Add all seasonings and stir to coat onions celery and okra
• Add tomatoes
• Add tomato juice to cover and cook until celery is tender
• Serve over cooked white or brown rice

One-Pot Hotshot Vegan Jambalaya

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Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 -2 bell pepper any color chopped
• 4 stalks celery chopped
• 1/2 large onion chopped
• 3 green onions diced
• 3 dried chipotle peppers deseeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped if you don't have fresh use 1 - 2 teaspoons of each herb dry
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 2 tablespoons regular chili powder or your fave spicy seasoning or 2 tablespoons hot sauce or your fave spicy seasoning
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 15 ounce can black beans or 1 15 ounce can pinto beans
• 1 cup brown rice uncooked
• 1/3 cup Bulgar wheat uncooked use more rice if you don't have
• 4 cups water
• 3 vegetable bouillon cubes several teaspoons of concentrated veggie boullion
• 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

Steps:

• Saute peppers
• celery
• onion and green onion in olive oil til tender
• Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil
• Reduce to a simmer and cover until rice is done
• stirring every few minutes
• Add more water if needed to get the rice done You want to have a little sauce at the end
• and no burnt rice
• Use more boullion
• chili powder
• a shot of hot sauce
• and/or more of the spices for flavor if needed
• You may want to add salt and pepper depending on the saltiness of your boullion
• Optional When its about ready
• add these and simmer until heated through 1/2 cup veggie sausage and/or 1/2 cup veggie chikn
• Remove bay leaves and enjoy Goes great with some nice crusty bread

Peach-Mango Popsicles

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup mango puree from peeled fruit
• 1 cup ripe peach puree from peeled fruit
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• lime juice or lemon juice
• 6 -8 popsicle sticks

Steps:

• Puree fruit by placing sliced fruit in food processor and processing until smooth
• Combine fruit pures in a medium bowl Heat water and sugar stirring until sugar dissolves Add to pures with lime or lemon juice to taste
• If you have popsicle molds fill them leaving some room at the top to allow for expansion set the lids in place and insert the sticks through the holes
• If you dont have popsicle molds fill small cups or empty yogurt tubs about 3/4 full stretch plastic or foil across the top and make a small slit to insert sticks Freeze until firmly set 3 to 4 hours To remove the pops first remove the lids or wrap then squeeze the sides of the molds twisting them slightly to dislodge the pop If necessary rinse the outside of the molds under hot water first

Poppyseed Green Apple Coleslaw

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Ingredients:

• 1 granny smith apple julienned
• 1 head green cabbage sliced thin
• 1 large carrot grated
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon poppy seed

Steps:

• 1 Toss together the apple cabbage and carrot
• 2 Whisk together the mayonnaise honey vinegar and poppyseeds
• 3 Drizzle the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat

Roasted Sweet Onions Julia Child

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Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet onion
• 1/2 tablespoon cheese grated
• olive oil to taste or a href=https//wwwgeniuskitchencom/recipe/roasted-garlic-herb-butter-88873Roasted Garlic Herb Butter/a to taste
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary or herbs of choice

Steps:

• Pierce a whole sweet onion in five or six places with a knife or a pointed chop stick
• Put it as is either in a 450 degree oven for 45 minutes this method will caramelizeor in the microwave oven for 5 on high this method is steamed but so quick
• Remove from oven; cut it in half or open it up
• Sprinkle it with grated cheese and olive oil or butter herbs salt and pepper

Spinach amp; Pepper Quiche

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Ingredients:

• 1 deep dish pie shell
• 1/4 cup pickled sweet red peppers sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cups fresh spinach stemmed
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 ounces feta cheese crumbled

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Saute peppers in olive oil until slightly softened
• Add spinach and saute until wilted
• Mix eggs and heavy cream
• Place feta cheese in pie shell
• Add spinach mixture and the egg mixture
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until set

Sweet Georgia Peaches and Cream Popsicles

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Ingredients:

• 3 medium peaches
• 1/2 cup soy yogurt I like vanilla- or use 2% Chobani Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup sugar raw or your favorite sweetner
• 1/3 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk can use coconut milk or other milk of choice
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt

Steps:

• Halve and pit the peaches Cut the peach halves into 1/4-inch dice until you have 1 cup Place the diced peaches in a bowl; set aside
• Cut the remaining peaches into rough 1-inch chunks and place in the blender Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth scrape down the sides of the blender as needed Pour the mixture into the bowl with the diced peaches and mix to combine
• Divide the mixture evenly into the popsicle molds or disposable small plastic cups Insert the sticks and freeze until solid at least 5 to 6 hours

Threadgill's French Quarter Pasta Salad

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup black olives sliced
• 1/2 cup green olives sliced
• 1/4 cup green chili diced
• 1 red onion sliced
• 1/2 cup celery finely diced
• 1/2 cup cauliflower diced
• 1 teaspoon capers
• 1 green bell pepper sliced
• 1/2 carrot finely diced
• 1/2 cup broccoli diced
• 1/2 cup mushroom thinly sliced
• 4 lbs spiral shaped pasta uncookedfresh or frozen dry would work also
• 2 teaspoons parsley minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon basil leaves sliced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon leaf oregano
• 1 teaspoon tarragon leaf
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup vinaigrette dressing your favorite

Steps:

• Mix all salad ingredients EXCEPT pasta
• Mix salad dressing and pour over vegetables
• Let stand for 12 hours in refrigerator stirring occasionally
• Cook and chill pasta
• Add pasta to the vegetables
• Serve as a salad or as a base for entree salads