Recipes

Zucchini Breakfast Cookies (ADAPTED AND CHANGED from littledairyontheprairie.com)
1 heaping cup zucchini finely grated
4 oz. applesauce
1 egg
1/3 c. brown sugar (i gradually will try honey instead or use less)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups blended oatmeal oats
1/2 c. oatmeal not blended
1/2 c. wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix egg, applesauce, vanilla.  Add brown sugar (or honey) and mix again
3. Add all oatmeal and flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg.
4. Add chocolate chips and mix again
5. Add zucchini and mix gently
6. Drop 1 1/2 inch cookie balls on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes



Healthy Zucchini Bread
(Note: I double the recipe and make 5 mini loafs or 2 regular loafs.  If you want it to rise more... use unbleached flour instead of oatmeal flour, I prefer healthier so I use oatmeal)

• 1 cup oatmeal flour (put oatmeal in blender and blend until flour like)
• ½ cup whole wheat flour (or gluten free)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1½ tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• ½ cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt 
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• ½ cup honey
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1½ cups grated zucchini, water squeezed out (to squeeze water, use paper towel)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 8" x 4" loaf pan with oil or parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until combined.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together egg, yogurt, coconut oil, honey, brown sugar and vanilla then add grated zucchini. Fold in flour mixture until all combined and pour mixture into prepared loaf pan.
4. Bake for 45 min to an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove bread from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes

Noel's Pancakes (for 2 people, double the recipe for more)
1 c. light butter milk
1/4 c. plain or vanilla greek yogurt
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
3/4 c. oatmeal (ground like flour)
big dash of vanilla

Let sit for 5 minutes, then cook into pancakes


Homemade Berry Sauce
1 1/2 c. Blueberries or other berries (fresh or frozen, I usually use frozen wild blueberries)
1/2 c. water
less than 1/4 c. sugar or agave nectar (I use way less, start with a tsp. and add to taste)
3/4 tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 1/2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Place 1/2 of berries in water, in pan.  Add sugar/sweetener.  Heat over med/high heat until low boil and berries start to break apart, mash as needed.  Add cornstarch mix--bring to rolling boil, turn head down & simmer for 2-3 minutes until desired consistency.  Remove from heat, add remaining berries.


Noel's Steakhouse Sweet Potato Salad
1.5-2 lbs sweet potatoes (peeled and cubed)
7 ounces bacon
5-6 green onions thinly chopped

DRESSING (combine all ingredients here)
1/2 cup mayo (or more if you prefer more dressing--also consider making a homemade mayo)
1 tbsp. mustard (I tried Dijon, you can try others--add more if you like mustard--original recipe called for 1/4 cup and was strong)
1.5 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp salt
pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Cook bacon and cut up
Boil water, once boiling add sweet potatoes and boil until fork tender but don't fall apart (approximately 7-10 minutes)
Drain sweet potatoes and cool (put in fridge to speed up process if needed)
Once cooled mix sweet potatoes, bacon, green onion (leave some for garnish) and dressing.
Serve Chilled


Mostly Healthy Apple Crisp
Heat oven to 350 degrees, bake this for 45-50 minutes

Apple Filling (put in 8x8 or 9x9 greased pan)
4 large honey crisp apples and/or granny smith (peeled, cored and sliced into 1" chunks)
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup (i use honey)
2 tbsp. arrowroot starch or 3 tbsp. cornstarch (for gooier crisp, use half the amounts)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (i didn't use and it was fine)
2/3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground all spice (i didn't have so didn't use, was fine)

Topping (mix all together-then put in pan on top of apple mix)
1 cup old-fashion oats (gluten free)
1/2 c. almond meal or almond flour ( I used meal)
1/2 c. finely chopped walnuts or pecans-optional but recc. (I used 1 c. and had both nuts)
1/3 c. brown sugar (I used less)
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp. Butter, melted
3 tablespoons plain yogurt (Greek or regular)


Noel's Blueberry vanilla muffins
1 cup flour (I use around 3/4 c. oatmeal ground like flour, 1/4 c. wheat or all-purpose)
3 tbsp sugar (use less if you want-I currently don't use any)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder

1 egg
1/2 cup vanilla or plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
3 tbsp canola/vegetable oil (or 4 oz. applesauce for the healthy option)
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp honey (or more if you want it sweeter, agave works too)
4 pours, maybe 4 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Mix all liquid ingredients (second part of list) and then add dry ingredients and blueberries at very end.  Makes 9 muffins.  Bake on 350 for 20-22 minutes.

Noel's Banana Bread (complete Noel original)
2 heaping cups of oatmeal (use blender to make it like flour)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder (heaping)
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
3 large ripe bananas (use 4 if they are small)
1-2 tsp. vanilla
Then to sweeten: I add 1-2 tbsp of honey and then 1-2 tbsp of sugar, you can also use agave and you can add more to make it sweeter if you like.

Blend all ingredients above in a blender, then pour in greased bread pan.
Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes, until knife comes out clean

Noel's Banana Bran Muffins
1 1/2 c. whole bran
1/2 c. boiling water
1 egg lightly beaten
1 c. light buttermilk
3 ripe bananas (use blender to blend bananas with buttermilk, then add to mixing bowl)
4 oz. apple sauce
dash of oil (optional)
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. white sugar (1 use a few squirts of honey/agave and then approximately 2 tbsp brown sugar--your choice on how much sugar--I prefer less)
3/4 c. oatmeal (ground like flour)
1/2 c. Coconut flour (you may need an extra splash of oil if mix is too thick)
vanilla (a big pour)
cinnamon to taste (optional)
mini chocolate chips to taste (optional)

Mix bran with water, stir until moist, set aside & let cool.
Mix egg, buttermilk-banana mix, oil, applesauce, then add everything else.

Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes, they need to cool before you can eat, otherwise may be too soft.

Crispy regular or Sweet Potato Fries
Items Needed:
    Gallon size baggie
    cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (key to have that paper to make fries crispy)
    enough potatoes or sweet potatoes to fill baggie about 1/2 to 2/3 full
    Salt, cinnemon, pepper, garlic and/or onion powder and other spices you choose
    2 1/2 tbsp corn starch
    1/4 c. olive oil

1. Peel, then Cut potatoes to be about 1/4 inch in width
2. Put potatoes in bag
3. Add corn starch (more or less as needed) to potatoes in the bag
4. Zip baggie shut and coat the sweet potatoe fries
5. If there is excess corn starch, dump that out of baggie
6. Add olive oil to bag and shake around again to coat fries
7. Put fries on pans lined with parchment paper.  Note: Be sure the fries do not touch each other to better cook them and make them crispy
8.  Bake 15 minutes on 400 degress, turn fries and bake another 15 minutes.
9. Turn off oven and leave fries sit in oven for 30 minutes then serve and enjoy


Noel's Black Bean Burger
1 can (14.5 oz) black beans
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (or something like bread crumbs)
less than 1/4 c. chopped onion
less than 1 egg, beaten
2 garlic cloves (pressed)
chipolte powder to taste
salt & pepper to taste
onion & garlic powder as needed
corn or quinoa (optional)
Gouda Cheese and avocado for toppings

Drain, but do not rinse black beans.  Mash them in a bowl, using a fork, some whole beans visible is okay.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined, let sit for 5 minutes, form in to patties, put in freezer to let harden..  Use olive oil and butter in pan to cook.  Cook 5 min. first side and then 5 min. the second side.


Noel's Chili (work in progress)
1 tbsp veggie/canola oil
1 onion
2-3 garlic cloves
1/2 lb beef/turkey burger
6 oz. sirloin
14.5 oz diced tomatoes with juice
12 oz. dark beer
1/2 c. strong coffee
6 oz. tomato paste
14 oz. beef broth
1 tbsp + 2 1/4 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (or cumin)
1 1/2 tsp unsweetened cococa
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
2 15 oz kidney beans
2 hot peppers


Noel's Sweet & Spicy Sweet Potatoes
2 large sweet potatoes, cubed
3 tbsp olive oil

SPICE MIX
2-3 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
dash of cayenne pepper
Other spices to taste

Coat sweet potatoes with olive oil, add spice mix and put on single layer baking sheet (lined with tin foil, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray)  Bake on 425 for 15 min, then flip, bake another 10-15 min. until soft.

Noel's Healthy Fruit Pizza
CRUST
2 tbsp butter melted, mix with 1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c. oatmeal (blended like flour)
1/4 c. flour
2-3 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp honey (or more if you want)
Bake at 375 for approx. 10 minutes, or until cooked.  Cool before adding toppings

SAUCE (add more of each ingredient as needed, until taste is perfect)
5.3 oz. vanilla greek yogurt
3 tbsp. lite cream cheese
1 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
dash of vanilla

FRUIT
Any (i.e. strawberry, blueberry, kiwi, mandrin orange, etc.)


Almond-Parmesan Crusted Tilapia (makes approx. 3 fillets)

MIX TOGETHER:
1 egg
1/2 tsp lemon (or black) pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

MIX TOGETHER:
1/2 c. fine ground almonds
1/2 c. parmesan cheese or Italian cheese blend

Dust fish with flour, dip in egg mix, dip in dry mix and bake at 400 until done


Noel's Creamy Mushroom, Spinach; Chicken Tortellini Soup
2 tbsp butter or oil
8 oz mushrooms
1 onion
2-3 garlic cloves (pressed)
1/4 c. flour
approx. 6 cups broth (veggie or chicken)
1/2 c. white wine (optional)
8-12 oz. cheese tortellini
1/2 c. parmigiano reggiano (or Itialian blend)
10 oz. baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1/2-3/4 c. half and half or milk
2-3 chicken breasts (optional)

Melt oil/butter in pan, add onion, mushrooms until liquid evaporates (10-15 min)
Add garlic and flour, stirring until flour starts to brown (2-3 min)
Add wine or broth to deglaze pan
Add remaining broth and tortellini, bring to boil, reduce heat & simmer until tortellini is cooked.  Add chicken, then cheese, let melt and add spinach, let it wilt, add cream/milk, add other seasonings to taste.



Butternut Squash Soup (adapted from www.wellnessmama.com)
1 Medium Butternut squash
1 can lite coconut milk
1 1/2 cups (or more) chicken broth or stock
1 medium sweet onion
2 tbsp Butter or coconut oil
salt/pepper/thyme to taste
1/2 tsp nutmeg (to taste)
1 tsp. garlic/garlic salt

1. Cut top and bottom of butternut squash and peel off skin
2. Cut in half and scoop out seeds
3. Chop squash into small cubes and dice onion
4. In a large pot, melt butter and add diced onion
5. Saute 3 minutes until starting to soften and add squash
6. Saute an additional 5 minutes until squash starts to brown
7. Add coconut milk, stock and spices and bring to simmer
8. Simmer 20 minutes or until soft
9.  Blend in blender until smooth


Chicken Marinade
8 oz. Lite Italian dressing
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 heaping tbsp. brown sugar
dash of ground ginger
1 lb chicken
DIRECTIONS: Mix together, marinade 8 hours or overnight, then grill.


Noel's White Bean and Cheese Soup
32 oz. Chicken/veggie broth
2 cans white beans, drained
ham, chicken or other meat as desired, already cooked, around 3/4 to 1 lb is a guess
1 medium potato (diced small)
around 1 cup of carrots or more
1 medium onion diced
2-4 cloves of garlic
1/2 container of mushrooms, diced small and sautéed
Real Parmesan cheese and other Italian blends as desired
Spices to consider: Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Onion powder, garlic powder, salt

Heat broth with potatoes, onions and garlic, sauté carrots and mushrooms separately,  eventually add everything together, add cheese after simmering whole pot for at least an hour, or the length you choose.

Noel's Chicken Salad
Cooked/diced/shredded chicken
Grapes
Sliced Almonds
Greek Yogurt
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Cayenne
Other spices

Mix everything together until it's how you like it best.  I usually use about one pount of chicken and 2 small yogurts, about a 1/2 cup of grapes, maybe 1/4 c. almonds and then add everything else to taste, you may want more or less almonds, make it how you like it.

Fruit and Nut Energy Bars
1 1/2 tbsp. Flax seeds or flax seed meal
1/4 c. rolled oats
(Blend together)

1/3 c. walnuts
1/3 c. pecans
3 pitted dates
1/2 c. apricots (or dried cherries or another sweet dried fruit)
pinch of salt (optional)
2 tbsp. protein powder
Vanilla to taste (a nice pour)
Chocolate Chips (optional)

Combine in the blender.... blend until desired texture is reached.  Press mix into thick rectangle and cut into bars.  Add the chocolate chips on top if desired.


Noel's Sweet Potato Bisque
1 can of pumpkin
2 large sweet potatoes
3 large carrots (about 1 cup or so)
1 medium onion
4-6 cloves garlic (to taste)
1 c. chicken broth (add a little more)

Cook all veggies and then put in blender--add broth as needed to make it blend together.

1/2 c. uncooked quinoa (cook and add to soup at the very end)

SPICES (add to your taste- be a chef)
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cumin
nutmeg (optional)
2 tsp garlic pepper
black and red pepper (to taste-it's a black peper/cayenne blend)
Onion powder
garlic powder

Sweet Chili-Mango Dipping Sauce
1 ripe medium mango diced
2 Tbsp. Fresh lime juice, more to taste
1 Tbsp. sugar or honey, more to taste
1/2 c. sweet chili sauce, Mae Ploy brand is good

Using food processor, pulse the mango, lime juice and sugar/honey into a chunky puree, put in bowl and whisk in the chili sauce, season to taste with more lime or sugar/honey if necessary.

Sweet Potato Oatmeal Crackers

1-1/4 c. oatmeal flour

1/4 c. regular flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter

1 medium sweet potato (1 cup of sweet potato puree)

1-2 tsp honey

Cook sweet potato until softened. Let it cool, remove skin, and puree until smooth.

 You will need 1 cup of sweet potato purée. Set the cooled sweet potato puree aside.

Place butter into the bottom of your mixer.  Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together into a large bowl. 

Mix the butter into the flour mixture until it becomes a coarse meal texture.

Add the sweet potato puree and let it stir until it turns into one big clump.

Roll it into a ball using your hands. Divide dough into 4 pieces. For easier rolling, wrap it in wax paper and chill if needed.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and and roll each very thin. Seriously, as thin as you can roll it. You’ve got to make sure it’s all even so the crackers all bake evenly. (putting between parchment paper works too)

Place on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

You can sprinkle with salt, sesame seeds and a little cayenne, if desired.

Bake in a preheated 350 F oven on an ungreased parchment paper-lined jelly roll pan or cookie sheet for 10 minutes until bottoms are slightly browned.

Turn over and bake until they’re crispy. The original recipe says 5-8 minutes depending on your oven.  You want them to be crispy, not chewy. Just don’t let them get too brown. 

Cool on a  wire rack before storing in a airtight container. Remember there aren’t any preservatives in these so you should probably snack them up within a week. 


Vanilla Syrup (for coffee drinks)
1 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. vanilla (I used a little more)

Combine (except vanilla) and heat, cook 10-15 min or until syrup like then add vanilla


Pumpkin Protein Bread
1 1/3 c. wheat flour
1/2 c. oatmeal (quick rolled oats)
1 c. honey
1 tsp. baking soda
3 scoops vanilla whey protein
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. unsweet applesauce
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin

Mix together and put in bread pan, bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.
(10 slices, 40 g carbs, 10 g protein, 2 g fat)