Raisin Bran Muffins...

3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups toasted bran flake cereal
1 cup toasted wheat germ OR oatmeal
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup water
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups raisins

Combine whole wheat flour, bran flakes, wheat germ or oatmeal, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; mix well.

Combine buttermilk, water, eggs, oil, honey and molasses in a bowl; blend well. Add to flour mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in raisins.

Pour into glass or plastic container. Cover and store in refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours and a maximum of 4 weeks.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease or line muffin cups with paper baking cups. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Harvest Pork Chops...

4 boneless pork loin chops, 1/2-inch thick, trimmed
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
1 cup fat free chicken broth
1 tbsp. orange juice concentrate
2 Granny Smith apples, washed, quartered, sliced thin
1 pound butternut squash, trimmed, peeled, seeded, diced into 1-inch cubes
1 tsp. ginger

Season pork chops with pepper. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chops and cook 10 minutes, turning once, until well browned. Remove from paan, transer to paper towels to drain, and keep warm.

Add onion and garlic to skillet. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until onion is soft and garlic is golden. Stir in broth, orange juice, apples, squash and ginger. Heat to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer 5 minutes or until squash is fork tender. Return chops to skillet and cook 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Cream of Chicken and Vegetable Soup...

1/4 cup light butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 12oz. can evaporated milk
1 16oz. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables, prepared according to package directions
2 8oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and cubed
1 can low sodium fat free chicken broth
1/4 tsp. onion salt

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Add vegetables, chicken, chicken broth and onion salt. Heat through.

Ms. Linda's Bread and Butter Pickles...

3 quarts pickling cucumbers, sliced (about 13 small cucumbers
2 cups yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cups red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tbsp. salt
1 quart cider vinegar
3 cups sugar
1/4 tsp. turmeric
3/4 tsp. celery seeds
1 tbsp. yellow mustard seeds

Thinly slice the pickles into 1/8-inch slices. Peel and quarter the onion and slice each quarter crosswise into thin slices. Core the red peppers and cut into quarters lengthwise, then each quarter into thin slices. Combine these ingredients with the salt and mix thoroughly. Let the vegetables sit, covered, in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Afterwards, remove the vegetables from the refrigerator, rinse them in a colander to remove the surface salt, and set aside.

Meanwhile, combine the cider vinegar, sugar, turmeric, celery seeds and mustard seeds in a 2-gallon saucepot. Bring to a boil, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add the vegetables to the pot and bring back to a boil. Immediately remove from the heat and place the pickles with their brine into a shallow container to cool. Store the pickles and brine in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Beefy Mushroom Barley Soup...

1 pound cubed beef stew meat
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cups water
2 tbsp. butter
2 large carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
6 cups water
3 beef bouillon cubes
1/4 cup pearl barley
1/4 cup sour cream

Brown small cubes of stew meat in vegetable oil over medium heat until juices become a rich brown color. Add 2 cups water and simmer meat while preparing the vegetables.

In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Saute carrots, onion, garlic, celery, and mushrooms.

Add meat, 6 cups water, bouillon cubes, and barley to vegetable mixture. Cook until barley is soft. Adjust liquid and seasoning as desired. Remove from heat, and stir in sour cream. Serve immediately.

Roasted Vegetable and Beef Stew...

2 pounds beef chuck roast, cubed
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 carrots, coarsely chopped
4 large russet potatoes, cut into quarters
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 bay leaf
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place beef cubes in a metal roasting pan and stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Put in the oven, on the middle rung and cook for 30 minutes, turning occasionally, until brown and tender.

Meanwhile, put onions, mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, celery, and garlic in a roasting pan. Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place in oven underneath beef. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Remove both beef and vegetable mixture from oven.

Remove beef from roasting pan and set aside. Place roasting pan, on stovetop, over medium high heat. Add wine and bring to a boil, scraping up the bits of drippings, stirring. When the bottom of the pan is clear or all browned pieces, remove from heat.

Put beef and wine mixture in a Dutch oven and stir in beef broth and add bay leaf and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons flour to cooked vegetables and toss until all vegetables are coated. Add vegetables to beef stew. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, or until vegetables are heated through and tender. Serve hot.

Oat Bran Banana Walnut Muffins...

1/4 cup corn or canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, well beaten
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup oat bran
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
3 large fully ripened bananas, peeled and mashed
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, blend oil and sugar. Add beaten eggs. Blend well.

In a separate bowl, mix together oats, flours, oat bran, baking soda, and salt; add dry ingredients to egg mixture. Add bananas and vanilla. Stir just until combined.

Lighly coat cups of nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide batter evenly among cups, about 1/4 cup each. Batter will fill 12 cups. Press walnuts on top of muffins.

Bake in middle of oven for 25 minutes, or until tops are golden and tester comes out clean. Cool muffins in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from cup and cool on racks.

Oatmeal Spice Cookies...

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 egg whites
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup roasted, unsalted, shelled sunflower seeds
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Beat together sugar, brown sugar, egg whites and oil. Beat in vanilla, milk, and applesauce. Stir togethter flours, baking soda, salt and spices; blend into sugar mixture. Stir in oats, raisins, sunflower seeds and walnuts.

Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Dip bottom of a glass into sugar, then use bottom of glass to press cookie lightly and evenly to 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick. Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew...

3 pounds cubed beef stew meat
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup baby carrots
4 large potatoes, cubed
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. ground pepper
2 cups boiling beef broth
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
3 tbsp. butter
3 onions, sliced
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup warm water
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

Place meat in a large plastic bag. Combine flour with salt; pour into the bag with the meat, and shake to coat.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add stew meat, and cook until evenly browned on the outside. Transfer to a slow cooker along with the carrots, potatoes, parsley, and pepper. In a small bowl, stir together the beef broth and onion soup mix; pour into the slow cooker.

In the same skillet, melt butter and saute onions until softened; remove to the slow cooker. Pour red wine into the skillet, and stir to loosen browned bits of food from the bottom. Remove from heat, and pour into the slow cooker.

Cover, and cook on high for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook for 6 hours, or until meat is fork tender. In a small bowl or cup, mix remaining flour with warm water. Stir into stew, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until thickened.

Beef Stew...

2 pounds cubed beef stew meat
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 cups beef broth
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried parsely
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. cold water

In a large pot or dutch oven, cook beef in oil over medium heat until brown. Add beef broth, rosemary, parsley and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.

Stir in potatoes, carrots, celery and onion into the pot. Dissolvee cornstarch in cold water and stir into stew. Cover and simmer 1 hour more.

Whole-Wheat Chili-Mac...

12 oz uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
1 medium onion(s), chopped
14 1/2 oz canned stewed tomatoes, Mexican-style, undrained
1 1/4 cup canned tomato sauce
2 Tbsp canned green chili peppers, diced, drained
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup dry whole-wheat elbow macaroni
15 oz canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup SoyaKaas Grated Parmesan Style Soy Cheese, or similar product

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is browned, about 10 minutes; drain off fat. Stir in undrained stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili peppers, chili powder and cumin; bring to a boil.

Stir in uncooked macaroni and kidney beans. Return to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until macaroni is tender, about 15 minutes.

To serve, spoon into bowls and sprinkle with grated topping. Yields about 1 3/4 cups of chili and 2 tablespoons of topping per serving.