End Your Year Healthy

Both my girls are home from college, so I have been cooking their favorite healthy dishes. So, what am I cooking? The girls love Lentil Joes (Sloppy Joes, made with Lentils). I serve these in a wrap using Trader Joes Whole Grain Flour Tortilla with Rolled Oats and Flax Seeds accompanied with roasted string beans as a side. As I mentioned in the past, I tinker with recipes, but can’t always take credit for some of these tasty dishes. I found Lentil Joe’s on Clean and Delicious with Dani Spies.

I also made Red Bean and Quinoa Chili from Cynthia Lair’s, Feeding the Whole Family, which has numerous worthwhile recipes. One of the few recipe books I recommend (normally, I find my recipes in blogs). If you make this chili, cook the beans from scratch as the recipe suggests; it takes longer, but a better result. I top the chili with taco or faux taco cheese, depending upon who is partaking. This meal is one of my ultimate comfort and winter recipes. Always looking to add greens, I sautéed broccolini and mushrooms in a little veggie broth, pepper and a dash of salt.

To complete the meal with something sweet, I often bake Walnut, Banana Oatmeal Cookies because they are easy, healthy, delicious and freeze well (although they usually don’t make it to the freezer). I confess these Oatmeal Cookies are nowhere near as decadent as a homemade chocolate chip cookie, but a decent substitution.

Walnut, Banana Oatmeal Cookies
• 3 small or 2 large very ripe bananas (the riper, the better!)
• 1 cup rolled oats (not steel-cut!, I use Bob’s Red Mill “Rolled Oats”, Bob’s makes Gluten Free Oats)
• ½ cup raisins (I’ve substituted fresh blueberries in season. Yumm!)
• 1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ cup Walnut Baking Pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In large mixing bowl, mash bananas well. Add in 1 cup rolled oats.
3. To bowl containing bananas/oats, add vanilla, cinnamon, raisins and walnuts.
4. Stir well. Drop cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto an ungreased baking sheet.
5. Bake for 14-18 minutes (or until very lightly browned).
6. Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before taking up with a spatula.

Tagged as: Dessert, recipe, Vegetarian