Polenta with Black Beans and Spinach

Ingredients: 

6 cups water
1.75 cups cornmeal
2 teaspoons salt 

Canola cooking oil spray 
8 oz cremini mushrooms, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz fresh spinach
15 oz marinara sauce
1 can of black beans, drained
1/3 cup nutritional yeast. 

Instructions: 

1.) Boil the water and then whisk in the cornmeal and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Then pour the mixture into a 9" x 13" pan and leave to cool and firm up. (Give it at least a half hour at room temperature.) 

2.) Spray a pan with canola oil and saute the garlic and mushrooms for about 5 minutes on medium heat. 

3.) Add the spinach to the pan and saute until it cooks down. 

4.) Add the marinara sauce and black beans and cook until hot. 

5.) Stir in the nutritional yeast and then pour the mixture over the polenta. Cut and serve. 

Sweet Potatoes with Apples and Cranberries

1.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2.) Peel and chop 5-6 medium sweet potatoes and 1 large, tart apple.

3.) Toss them together with:
1/2 cup dried, sweetened cranberries
1/4 cup of water
1/4 cup of molasses
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 teaspoon Chili powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

4.) Put the mixture in a baking pan (I used 9" x 13") covered with foil and bake for 35 minutes.

I thought this was delicious hot or cold.

Sourdough Pumpkin Bread (for Bread Machine)

I made this last night to eat with black bean and pumpkin soup, and it was great! It's a recipe I found online but modified to be fat free.

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup sourdough starter
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons apple butter

2 1/2 cups bread flour

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Put all ingredients into bread machine or follow your user's manual for a 2 lb loaf of white bread.

Pasta with Chickpea Sauce and Peas

For the sauce, blend together: 

• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon jarred minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1 15 oz can chick peas, drained

Defrost 1 cup frozen peas. 

Cook 13 oz whole wheat rotini. 

Heat the sauce either in the microwave or in a sauce pan on the stove, then mix it together with the drained pasta and peas. 

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

A fat-free muffin recipe for autumn: 

Dry Ingredients:
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon honey

Wet Ingredients: 
1 cup pumpkin purée
2 tbsp flaxseed meal mixed with 6 tbsp warm water
1/4 cup apple butter
1/4 cup apple cider

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

2.) Mix up the wet and dry ingredients separately, then together. 

3.) Scoop the mixture into a standard size muffin pan for 12. 

4.) Bake for 25 minutes. 

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Another fat free pancake recipe. I made these for breakfast this morning. Seasonal and very delicious, especially with apple butter and maple syrup. 

Wet Ingredients: 

1.5 cups almond milk
1 cup pumpkin purée
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp honey 
2 teaspoons flaxseed meal and 1/4 cup hot water (mix together first, then add to the rest of the wet ingredient mixture.) 

Dry Ingredients: 

1 cup whole wheat flour 
1 cup all purpose flour 
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1.) Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately, then together. 

2.) Cook a few minutes per side in a frying pan or on a griddle on low heat using spray canola oil. (Or just use a non-stick pan if you want to be totally fat free.) 

Roasted Kabocha Squash

Trader Joe had Kabocha squash at a good price this week. I only first heard about these squashes this year, and this was only the third time I've cooked with them. It's a lot like an acorn squash, and I imagine you could do this recipe with acorn or butternut squash with similar results.

1.) Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds. Then cut it into 1-2" chunks, cutting off the discarding the rind.

2.) Toss the chunks in a bowl with:

• light spray of canola oil
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 teaspoon of curry powder
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• half a teaspoon of chili powder
• dash of salt

3.) Spread the chunks out on a pan (as shown in the photo) and roast for 35 minutes at 400 degrees.