Ole Fiesta Salad

Somewhere in the world there is a fiesta going on. It's sure not in this neck of the woods. Fall has settled in. Most of the colorful leaves of a few weeks ago have flown away. I love those wind storms we get only because they save me from doing any raking. The leaves are usually nicely blown into neat piles around the yard. The weather is noticeably cooler with storm clouds hovering over the mountaintops.

So why am I putting this recipe on my blog? It seems so inappropriate for the weather. Everyone is busy making Halloween costumes or making concoctions where pumpkin plays the starring role.

One reason is that it has been on my featured recipes list long enough and it's also super easy to throw together. Healthy too! You can always offset it with a few snickers bars, tonight! So if you're in a bind for time make this any time of the year.

Ingredients:

1 cup black beans

1/2 c red pepper, chopped

2 T onions, cut up

1 T chipotle hot sauce

1 T fresh lime juice

salt & pepper to taste

1 c roasted corn, or cooked frozen will do.

1/2 c chopped cherry tomatoes

1 handful chopped parsley

1 handful chopped cilantro

Mix all the above in a bowl, refrigerate for an hour or longer. Ole!

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Breakfast bars

The original recipe for these breakfast/snack bars called for banana chips on top. Somehow the chips were not very appetizing so I had no problem removing them. I also substituted so many ingredients that suddenly it became "my own original"!

I replaced the butter with pumpkin puree and used egg beaters instead of real eggs. (watching that cholesterol). All in all, the finished product was actually quite good and very simple if you're in a hurry. Superfiberalicious!

Ingredients:

2 c rolled oats

3/4 c brown sugar

3/4 c peanut butter

1/3 c pumpkin puree

1/2 c egg product or 2 eggs

2 T oat bran

1/4 c mini chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp five spice powder (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8 inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

Mix together in a large bowl the oats and brown sugar. Add the peanut butter, eggs, pumpkin puree, oat bran, vanilla and five spice. Add chips and mix well. Put into pan, spread evenly while pressing down. Bake for 25 minutes, cool and cut into squares. These can be wrapped individually and frozen but they get eaten too quickly around here! Makes about 10-12.

Pasta of the Month - October Butternut Squash and Sausage Penne

Pasta has always been one of my favorite dishes. As I've been exposed to different cultures I've found that creating pasta has endless possibilities. Pretty much, anything goes or shall I say, anything can go into pasta. Be creative!

As I've explained in previous entries, I like to roast most of my vegetables before they enter into a recipe. The flavor becomes so sweet and earthy at the same time and improves the overall dish. For "October pasta of the month" I chose to roast butternut squash. It's almost as seasonal as pumpkins. The hard part is cutting up and peeling, but, it's so worth it!

This last weekend we got together with some dear friends, our traveling buddies. We've spent time together in Mexico and Italy and will be in Costa Rica by the end of the year. It's a great friendship and partnership. They even let me experiment on them in their beautiful kitchen. I precooked most of the ingredients beforehand, packaged them up for the drive and literally threw them together for our dinner together. My only regret is that I'm not familiar with propane stove tops (mine is electric) and almost succeeded in blowing up their house! Not good!

Anyway, we sat down to a wonderful meal with great friends. Salute!

Ingredients:

2 cups pre -roasted butternut squash cut into bite size pieces

2 Italian sausages removed from casings and crumbled (I used hot)

3/4 c onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp fennel seeds, fresh fennel would be better

2 T olive oil

box of penne pasta

1 handful basil, fresh chopped

1 handful parsley, fresh chopped

2 handfuls Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 c pasta water

2 handfuls pine nuts

drizzle of more oil

Roast the squash and set aside. Put sausage in skillet and brown, add oil, garlic , onion and fennel seeds. Meanwhile boil water for penne. When done, add the 1/2 c pasta water to meat mixture. Then add the drained pasta, stir together and add the butternut squash, basil, parsley, cheese and pine nuts. When completely mixed drizzle with more olive oil and serve with additional cheese and red chili flakes for more heat if you wish.

Lavender Nut Pancakes

If you read yesterday's entry this is a continuation or Part II. Not only do I love lavender in my pancakes, I love the relaxing moments the plant brings. Lavender has it's roots in Spain, France and Italy. It is from the mint family so it resows itself readily. Just give it some dry sandy soil and it will usually grow. It has antiseptic properties and has been used in soaps and to clean floors! Sleep comes easier when you rub your temples with lavender essential oil or take a warm bath with bath salts. I use linen spray starch for my husband's shirts while ironing. (It lessens the burden of ironing!) It smells so good!

I'm just learning more about the culinary possibilities of the lavender plant. I like to use herbs de Provence ( lavender is one ingredient) in recipes. It's great in soups, as a rub for meats and now for pancakes! Even though I have many plants in my yard I chose to buy some culinary herb from the market.

I've used this pancake recipe for over 30 years. Or you can simply use any store bought pancake mix. I think they just taste better from scratch.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 flour

2 T sugar

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 egg, beaten

1 1/3 c milk

3 T canola or vegetable oil

Mix all of the above ingredients first. If you want thicker pancakes only use 1 c milk. Add 2 T lavender and 2 T chopped nuts. Pecans or walnuts are a good choice. Heat a griddle or skillet until a drop of water sizzles on the surface. Brush with oil or pan spray. Pour the batter in pan making a few at a time. Turn them when they begin to bubble and the ends are dry. Serve with butter and maple syrup. Makes about 10 4-inch pancakes.

Warning: You may want to take a nap after these you'll be so calm!

Nuts for Lavender Pancakes

Lavender pancakes bring back special memories. A few years ago we took a trip up to Washington state with our frequent flyer miles which were scheduled to expire. As part of our journey we caught a ferry from Anacortes and sailed into Friday harbor on the island of San Juan.

Arrangements were made to stay at the Hilltop House, our first bed and breakfast experience. I have to say it felt a little weird entering some one's home knowing we would be served breakfast by our gracious hosts. They had fresh cookies and a wine hour which we passed on so we could begin to explore the island. These vacations are usually whirlwind with lots of driving and cramming in as much of our surroundings as we could. More about this in a later post.

We chose the "Paris" room which was decorated in black and white toile and incredibly clean and comfortable. Upon rising the next morning we ventured out into the common dining area to be greeted by our hosts and a few other lodgers. Still feeling slightly intimidated and attributing it again to the catholic school girl quilt, I began to smell the aroma of lavender pancakes and coffee! Against one wall was a buffet of sorts where they had fresh fruit, muffins, and home made granola with chocolate! As I took my first bite of the pancakes I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor of these gems. I never got the actual recipe but I have always been meaning to try this at home.

If you're ever in the San Juan islands there is a winery, llama farm, beautiful harbors, great seafood restaurant, bald eagles, whales at times and a lavender farm, a must see and smell!

The recipe for pancakes will be on tomorrow's blog. Tune in...