Apple Pumpkin Crisp

Heres a warm, yummy cinnamony dessert, that is easy to prepare, delicious to eat and healthy to boot. 
Ingredients:
1 can apple topping

1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup pumpkin puree

For crumb topping
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
12 tablespoons cold butter

Mix first 5 ingredients and place in a 9inch pie pan that is 2 inch deep
in a seperate bowl, combine all the ingredients for the crumb topping and spread evenly over the apple combination.

What I love about this is the sweetness of the apple, the creamy smoothness of the pumkin puree and the crunch of the oats.  Pumpkin is low in saturated fats, low in cholesgterol, and sodium and a good source of vitamin E, fiber, vitamin A,C and K.  Also an excellent source of beta carotene which is high in antioxidents which keep bad cells out.  Combine this with the healthy goodness of oats which is extremely high in fiber and aids in keeping the digestive system moving, which in turn helps to prevent high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This cookie is a combination of cookie and cake.  It is great for a snack or dessert. I made them with dark chocolate, but they would be great with raisins, cranberries or nuts such as walnuts or pecans.  Once again, pumpkin is the star ingredient.

1 Cup  Pumpkin Puree
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup canola oil
1 Egg
2 Cups Flour
2 Tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp milk
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375
Mix pumpkin, sugar, egg, canola, milk, and vanilla.  Add dry igredients, mix well and add chips.  spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Pasta with Pecan Pesto Peas and Tomatoes

Once again, a successful pasta dish made great with nuts.  Its funny because I was never one to eat a lot of nuts, didnt necessarily like them, thought they were fattening, made me thirsty, but now when I use them as ingredients, I love them.  I talk about the health aspect them all the time.  Nuts a
are high in protein which is a building block to our bodies, they are a monosaturated fat which makes them very heart healthy, they also contain selenium which acts as an antioxident and not to mention they are high in fiber.  The dish also contains tomatoes that are high in lycopene, infact tomatos provide the most concentrated amount of lycopenes of any food.  The major claim of lycopenes is its prevention and treatment of cancers of the lung, prostate, stomach, bladder, cervix, and skin.  Lycopene is a powerful antioxident, a compound that blocks the action of free radicals.                                                                                                                                       
In this recipe I use peas to give the pesto a base and an added creaminess, but mushrooms could be used as well.
The entire meal can be made in as quick as noodles can be boiled.

ingredients
12 ounces pasta
2 cups(1 can peas)
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 cup parm cheese
1 cup diced tomato



Boil noodles according to instruction
in food processor combine 1 cup peas, pecans, olive oil, garlic powder, parm cheese
process the mixture until finely chopped
when pasta boiled, leave 1/2 pasta water reserve
add water to pesto and pulse one more time until pesto creamy
in large skillet, on low heat, combine pasta, pesto toss in diced tomatoes and remaining peas,saute for  a few minutes
remove from heat, and top with cheese

Shrimp Ceviche

Sometimes I just have a taste for something and eventhough, I know its going to be a stretch, I go for it anyway.  I think the key to ceviche is definitely the cilantro, lime, and in mine the avocado.  So this version was mising all those ingredients.  I had the obvious, the shrimp and I used a fill in of mandarin oranges to give the appetizer another dimension, but still there was a lot of flavor missing.  Dried parsley didnt do much but add color and citrus would have been nice.  I just didnt have the courage to add a splash of lemonade.  So the results were this- it didnt taste anything like ceviche, but that is ok, becasue sometimes a "knockoff" isnt going to work, but shrimp with mango and a touch of tobasco is good, or this  time, I will say, it is good enough.  That said, lets talk nutritional value.  On the good side, shrimp are low in saturated fat, high in calcium, high in iron, selenium, vitamin B12, protein.  On the not so good side, shrimp is high in cholesterol and sodium.  That is why it should be eaten in moderation. Added to my appetizer was mandarin oranges which are high in vitamin A and C. Vitamin A is a Beta carotene that promotes vision, and helps to nuetralize free radicals.  In otherwords, it fights off bad cells in our body.

Ingredients
1 can baby shrimp(rinse with cold water)
1  10oz can mandarin oranges(juice as well)
2 tsp parsley
15 tortilla chips

combine all ingredients except for chips
top chips with a dollop of shrimp and mandarin
serve

Penne Cashew Pesto Pasta with Mushrooms and Tomatoes

This pesto dish was inspired a bit from Rachael Ray.  I found a cashew pesto recipe of hers on the internet and ofcourse adapted it according to what ingredients I had to work with.  Her dish included tomatoes, and so I added mushrooms and tomatoes.  I was missing fresh parsley, fresh garlic and lemon juice for the pesto, I added garlic powder, dried parsley and black pepper.  The dish came out awesome and I loved it so much I ate the leftovers the next day.    Along with being delicious, it was extremely healthy.  Cashews contain tons of nutrients and the unfortunte myth that they are fattening should be eliminated.  Yes, ofcourse any food eaten in excess can be fattening, but eating a 1/4 cup a few times a week, of cashews aor any nut, does the body good.  First of all cashews contain large amounts of protein, which is building block for our bodies at any age, next and very importanlty the Harvard School of Public Health reports that eating nuts such as cashews may reduce the risk of heart disease because they are monosaturated fats. 

Cashews are also very high in fiber, vitamin B ans selenium which helps in acting as a antioxident.  Also included in this dish are diced tomatoes which are loaded with tons of vitamins and nutrients including lycopenes which is a very powerful antioxident. and mushrooms which provide the highest form of vitamin D of any vegetable and that is essential for teeth and bones.                                                                     

Ingredients

12 ounces pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup cashews

1 tablespoon parsley

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/4 parm cheese

1 cup diced tomatoes

1/2 cup canned mushrooms

heat 1 tablespoon in skillet on medium, add tomatoes and mushrooms.  Saute for 5 minutes and add garlic salt.    Cook pasta according to instructions.  Save 1/2 cup pasta water.  In food processor or blender add cashews, olive oil, parsley garlic powder, pepper, parm cheese and pasta water.  Pulse or blend until pesto is smooth and creamy.

In large skillet add pasta and pesto, toss and coat noodles completely with pesto.  Add tomatoes and mushrooms and mix all together.  serve                                                                                                      

Tuna Pea Mac and Cheese

 12 ounce noodles
1 1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cheddar cheese
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 can tunafish
1 can peas

This entre packs tons and tons of essential nutrients and it taste awesome!  Cottage cheese and cheddar cheese is an excellent source of both vitamin A and calcium .  Vitamin A is great for hair and skin and a great source of antioxidants.  Calcium is one of the nutrients most likely to be missing in the American diet.  According to government stats, 9 out of 10 women and 6 out of 10 men fall short of calcium roccomendations.  Calcium is great for teeth and bones, but also brain function.   Canned tunafish is loaded with protein, vitamin A, iron, calcium, vitamin E, K, and many other nutrient and minerals.  The most important nutrrient however, is omega 3.  Omega 3's have been known to provide heart health.  Lastly peas are an excellent source of fiber, vitamin K and vitamin C.

zBoil noodles according to instruction
In a foodprocessor blend cottage cheese until smooth and creamy
In meantime, in large skillet, combine milk and flour and heat on medium, stirring constantly until forms a smooth and even consistency.
Add cottage cheese puree, mustard, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, salt and pepper

In large baking dish pour noodles, add sauce, peas and tuna
mix thoroughly and  top with remaining cheddar cheese
Bake at 300 for 20-30 minutes

remove from oven when dish crispy

BPT Pasta Salad

What to do with bacon, when you want to use it up.  I love BLT's, but lettuce is out of the question usually at convenience stores, so  why not sub in green peas, which happens to have lots of vitamins and nutrients.  I added tobasco and a little salt and pepper to mayo, and it came out nice and light with a slight kick.
The dish was hearty and filling and really did give a bit of a "BLT" feeling, especially with the bacon and the mayo.  I was happy because the pasta dish which included bacon, tomato and peas provided vitamin A, C, E, and all of these are antioxidents which help to fight free radicals which fights off disease. 
I had about 6 ounces of cooked pasta noodles, so this meal would be good for 2 people, however it could easily be doubled or tripled. 
 6 ounces cooked pasta noodles
1/2 cup diced tomatoes(drained)
2 strips of cooked bacon
1/2 cup peas
1 tablespoon mayo
1 tsp tobasco
salt and pepper to taste

mix mayo and tobasco thoroughly, add salt and pepper to taste
combine all other ingredients and toss with dressing

see if you agree, this BPT is really good and  incredibly easy to make!