Bean Dip

This easy bean dip recipe can be made super-low carb by using black soy beans, but many low carb diets include some other beans as well.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 can black soy beans (or other beans on your diet plan)
• 4 oz cream cheese (1/2 package) - any fat level - leave out of fridge for half an hour for better blending
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup medium salsa
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Put all ingredients in a food processor, and run until smooth.

Whole recipe has 23 grams of net carb, plus 23 grams fiber and 45 grams protein.

Hearty Greens Soup with Bowtie Pasta and Tomatoes

Serves 6 to 8

Use all manner of kale, chard or other hearty greens in this filling cold weather soup. Look for Parmigiano Reggiano rinds, ideal for flavoring soups and stews, in the specialty cheese department.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
4 plum tomatoes, cored and chopped
2 carrots, chopped
8 cups water
1 bunch Swiss chard (about 3/4 pound), roughly chopped
1/2 bunch escarole (about 1/2 pound), stemmed and roughly chopped
1/2 pound dried bowtie (farfalle) pasta
1 (3-inch) Parmigiano Reggiano rind, plus grated Parmigiano Reggiano for garnish
1/4 pound baby spinach

Method

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, bay leaf, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid is released and absorbed, about 5 minutes more. Add carrots and water and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Stir in Swiss chard, escarole, pasta and Parmigiano Reggiano rind, reduce heat, cover and simmer until broth is flavorful and greens and pasta are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in spinach and season with salt and pepper.

Remove and discard bay leaf and rind from soup then ladle into bowls, garnish with grated cheese and serve.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 17oz/476g-wt.): 200 calories (45 from fat), 5g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 350mg sodium, 34g total carbohydrate (5g dietary fiber, 4g sugar), 7g protein

Tomato Bulgur Soup with Warm Spices

Serves 4

This weeknight-friendly soup is made easy by using quick-cooking bulgur. Note that the bulgur will continue to absorb the liquid if kept overnight so you may need to stir in additional broth when reheating to return to desired consistency.

Ingredients

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup uncooked bulgur wheat
1 (14-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon feta cheese crumbles (optional)

Method

In a medium pot over medium-high heat, bring 1/2 cup broth to a simmer. Add onion and garlic and cook about 5 minutes or until onion is translucent and tender. Stir in coriander and cinnamon and cook 1 minute. Add bulgur and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add remaining 3 1/2 cups broth and tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until bulgur is tender. Stir in lemon juice. Garnish with parsley and feta.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 14oz/401g-wt.): 180 calories (10 from fat), 1g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 210mg sodium, 37g total carbohydrate (9g dietary fiber, 5g sugar), 6g protein

Black Sesame Otsu Recipe

From http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/black-sesame-otsu-recipe.html

The black sesame paste I use here has become one of my standbys. I typically make extra for use on salads, broccoli, spinach, green beans, edamame, even roasted potatoes. You can make the black sesame paste a couple days in advance, if needed, and it's fine to use white sesame seeds if that's what is available to you. Lastly! Otsu leftovers make a great next-day lunch.

1 teaspoon pine nuts
1 teaspoon sunflower seeds
1/2 cup / 2 oz / 60 g black sesame seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons natural cane sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons shoyu, tamari, or soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons mirin
Scant 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Fine-grain sea salt
12 ounces / 340 g soba noodles
12 ounces / 340 g extra-firm tofu
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch green onions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced

Salads to have on hand

White Bean Salad

1.5 cups dried white beans (or 3 cups canned white beans)

1 tsp fresh thyme, marjoram or sage or ½ tsp dried herb

3 shallots or scallions, minced

¼ cup minced red bell pepper

6 tbl olive oil

2 tbl balsamic or sherry or wine vinegar

½ tsp Dijon

-cook beans (cooked) with half of herbs for 5 min at medium; turn off heat and add shallots and red pepper, cool

-make dressing and poor over beans; let rest if you have time for 1 hour to 1 day.

Tabbouleh

-1/2 cup fine grind (#1) or medium grind (#2) bulgur

-2 cups minced fresh parsley

-1 cup minced fresh mint

-2 cups cored, peeled and chopped tomatoes

-1 finely chopped onion

-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

-4 tbl lemon juice

-soak bulgur in water 15-30 min. drain well, squeeze out water.

-combine with rest.

Crunchy Granola Wedges

Crunchy Granola Wedges

Cranberry Muesli

Cranberry Muesli

Maple-Nut Granola

Maple-Nut Granola

Almond-Honey Power Bar

Almond-Honey Power Bar

Fruit & Pecan Granola Bars

Fruit & Pecan Granola Bars

Marathon Cookies

My guess is that you could substitute spelt flour or all-purpose flour if you don't have whole wheat pastry flour on hand, or have difficulty finding it.

2 cups rolled oats (not instant oats)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon aniseed, crushed in mortar and pestle (or spice grinder)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
zest of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
one 15-ounce can white kidney, great northern, or navy beans, rinsed & drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup chopped dates
1/3 cup sesame seeds

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees and place a rack in the top third. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Pulse the oats in a food processor (or blender) until they resemble a raggy flour. Transfer the oats to a large mixing bowl and whisk in the flour, aniseed, baking powder, baking soda, lemon zest and salt.
Pulse the beans and olive oil in the food processor until they are creamy. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract and pulse until smooth. Scrap down the sides of the bowl once or twice along the way.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until the ingredients start to come together. Sprinkle the dates across the top of the batter and stir until everything just comes together.
Place the sesames seeds in a bowl. Make each cookie with a scant 1/4 cup scoop of dough. Roll each scoop of dough into a ball then coat it with sesame seeds. Set each ball on the prepared baking sheet and with the palm of your hand flatten the dough just a bit (see photo). Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving at least an inch or so between each cookie - they'll spread a bit, but not much. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the sesame seeds around the bottom start to get golden.
Makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies. I'm not 100% sure about the yield here because I tested a variety of cookies sizes.

Honey-toasted Fruit Muesli Recipe

HS notes: Michele's recipe calls for triticale. If you have a hard time finding it, just substitute another cup of rolled outs, I am able to get rolled triticale at my local natural foods store in the bin section.

Preheat the oven to 300F degrees.
Put 5 cups rolled oats into a large bowl. Add 1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds, 1 cup slivered almonds, 1 cup triticale (see above note), 1 cup shredded coconut and 2 tablespoons sesame seeds. Stir to combine.
Heat 3/4 cup honey and 4 tablespoons vegetable oil in a saucepan over low heat. Pour the warm honey mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until they are well coated.
Spread the mixture on across two (rimmed) baking sheets and bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Add 1/4 cup finely sliced dried apricots, 1/4 cup finely sliced dried apples and 1/4 cup finely sliced dried peaches (heidi note: I used dried papaya). Toss to combine. Store the muesli in an airtight container.
Makes 12 servings.
Kitchen: The Essential Guide to the Kitchen by Michele Cranston (Whitecap, September, 2005) - reprinted with permission

bars

Peanut Salvage Bars

Jeff Cox says: They're called "salvage" because they'll save you when you need a burst of energy and nutrition. Heidi notes: These taste delicious, but they came out pretty dry. Sweet, peanuty goodness with a nice puffed rice crunch. Getting them to stay in a bar shape was a bit of a challenge. I did a second batch and increased the ratio of sweet peanut-butter "glue" to dry ingredients by quite a bit which helped - put them in the refrigerator and really let them set. Let me know how you fare, my adapted version below.

1/4 cup raw or toasted wheat germ
1/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds
1/2 cup shelled peanuts
salt
1/2 cup raisins
2 cups 1-minute rolled oats
2 cups puffed rice cereal (hs note: I used puffed brown rice cereal)
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
If using raw wheat germ, spread it on a baking sheet and toast for a few minutes until fragrant.
Spread the sunflower seeds and the peanuts in an even later on separate baking sheets and toast in the oven - the sunflower seeds will take about 6 minutes and the peanuts will take 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and let cool; salt the peanuts lightly.
Mix the wheat germ, sunflower seeds, peanuts, raisins, oats, and puffed rice in a large bowl. In a separate bowl that fits your microwave, mix the peanut butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup; microwave on high for 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and stir until well blended. Pour over the dry ingredients and fold in until everything is evenly coated.
Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan and transfer the mixture from the bowl. Cover the surface with waxed paper and press it down firmly. Refrigerate until completely cool. Cut into eight 2x4-inch bars.