Really Scrumptious Banana Nut Bread

Take a bite out of this! My daughter came home for spring break last week; and after we exhausted ourselves shopping we decided to get to work! Like me, my daughter loves to cook and when we felt like eating some rich delicious bread, we decided to remake everyone’s favorite- banana bread. We added nuts, cut the fat, and created a delicious healthy treat.

Recipe:

Israeli Haroset

A thick sweet jam used during the Passover Seder, but I eat it any time! 

I have been making this Passover Haroset for years; it is based on a version of my husband’s Mothers’ recipe. He remembers the taste more than the exact ingredients.

Recipe:

Spicy Southern (not!) Fried Bean Cakes with Porter Gravy

Delicious Southern Comfort Food (minus the calories!)

 These amazing little bean cakes are great for dinner or party appetizers. They taste and look scrumptious- but the best thing about them? They’re not fried! Yes, I said it. Healthy and yummy Southern Comfort food! Take them on picnics, to work, or just about anywhere. You can serve it with wonderful homemade Porter-mushroom gravy or, if you really want to taste the South, you can make them into sandwiches topped with onions and pickles, baked potato wedges and cornbread on the side. Yum!
 

Spicy Bean Cake Recipe:

Fresh Pita Bread

Imagine hot -- out of your oven, fresh, steamy, chewy pita bread. Split these open and fill with your favorite things. Or if the smell of hot fresh bread is so tantalizing just take a big bite and enjoy!

Recipe for Pita Bread:

Baked Salmon With Citrus Rhubarb Sauce

Easy baked salmon, with citrus rhubarb sauce; no extra oil or butter needed!

Wild Alaskan salmon! Salmon pink, like a bright Alaskan sunrise above the snowy mountains!

Whatever the season, fresh or frozen, salmon tastes delicious with a fruity menagerie of flavors.

Baked Salmon

Recipe:

Baked Citrus Rhubarb Sauce

My Grandmother had a beautiful, but tiny garden. It was all well planned and meticulously divided into square beds surrounded by white marble stones. Not a weed was to be found. Every variety of flower and fruit that would grow in Bayside, Queens, NY, grew and flourished in my grandmother's garden. Colorful pink and yellow candy tuft, geraniums, begonias, salvia’s and dusty miller strutted their heads next to a small rock garden filled with chicks and hens and other small plants, like strawberries. Gardening and cooking were her favorite hobbies; I inherited my love of cooking from her. Among the plants she grew, my favorites were pie plant (rhubarb) and tart red currants. So here is to the rhubarb plant, with its wonderful tangy tint and sweet allure!

Baked Citrus Rhubarb Sauce

Curry Lentil Soup

Curry lentil soup

Yes, the exotic spices of the Far East 

 India -- the amazing markets with hundreds of amazing colorful and inspiring spices! A cooking nirvana! And here is an Indian inspired dish -- but much healthier without added oils! Down to earth, substantial, nourishing, and comforting -- a delight to the eye and the taste buds! Serve this soup on a cold winter day. Add whole wheat rolls for dipping to turn this soup into a complete meal. It’s visual beauty will turn it into a conversation piece when company comes over.

Leftovers can be frozen and kept in the freezer, so make an extra batch for another day!

Recipe:

Banana-Apple Whole Wheat Waffles

Bright morning rays of sunshine start penetrating through the curtains, one eye opens, and the brain jumps into action with a breakfast thought: Oh, I don’t want those supermarket waffles –I want something hearty you can sink your teeth into – fruity, grain filled, wholesome and nutritious!

So I quickly put together these wonderful oil-free, whole grains and fruit waffles! What a great way to start your day! And you can make them in a jiffy! Make a large batch on the weekend and freeze the rest for an easy breakfast or brunch during the week! Eat them plain, or serve with your favorite jam, yogurt, or syrup.

 Banana-Apple Whole Wheat Waffles Recipe:

Home Dried Tomatoes

Oh, dried tomatoes! They look so pretty -- like a treasure of red gems!
 And the taste of tanginess and goodness! Why not make your own dried tomatoes?
They are so easy to make and so good to have -- wonderful additions and garnishes to an uncountable variety of dishes.

The best thing about homemade dried tomatoes is that they are not tough -- just a bit chewy; and they have that great tangy tomato taste. And best of all -- there are no mysterious additives or preservatives, like nitrites, nitrates, sulfites, and their friends!

It's so easy to make your own dried tomatoes! Let's do it!

How to dry tomatoes in your oven:

Tangy Tomato Pizza!

If you love tomatoes and pizza and food that’s good for you; try this pizza!

It’s filled with lots of veggies and fiber and a sweet tangy taste! No one will guess the ingredients!

Tangy Tomato Pizza Recipe 

Quick and Healthy Vegetarian Eggplant Appetizer

Easy eggplant appetizer –takes less than 10 minutes to make!

My family really likes this recipe; you can make it tangier by adding more lemon juice or vinegar. Cooking in the microwave will get it done in a jiffy, but for added grill flavor I put it under the broiler or on the grill.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

1 clove garlic minced

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

¼ teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

2 tablespoons tahina paste – optional

Spring Is Finally Here!

It’s glorious spring weather here in North Florida—even if it is a bit rainy. We need the rain and - I love those milky clouds and the pleasant spring breeze that accompanies them.

Photography by Ivy Hammer 2013

I just bought a 6 pack of cyclamen flowers -- they were on sale today! And now -- here they are! -- Planted and ready for spring, holding their own well against my Azalea and Indian Hawthorn shrubs. I enjoyed planting the cyclamen! The warm sun joins with the delicate whiff of freshly dug dirt into a rejuvenating elixir of spring! Welcome flowers! 

Photography by Ivy Hammer 2013

Healthy Recipe: Yummy Polenta Vegetable Casserole

Hi- 

I started this blog to share my favorite healthy recipes, no fats or oils added, lots of veggies, and other goodies. I like whole grain foods and lots of spices from all over the world, including my own garden. With my recipes, you can eat as much as you like and still lose weight!

I use no oil, even when sautéing! So, instead of using oil, I dry sauté': just heat up the pan and drop in your onions or veggies to be sautéed; they may stick a little at first, but just keep stirring them around. Soak the pan in water after it cools down for easy cleaning.

Polenta Vegetable Casserole

What is a polenta, you ask? Well - according to the New Oxford American Dictionary, it is "a paste or dough made from cornmeal, which is boiled and typically then fried or

baked". It's something yummy and easy to make!