Bev's Recipe Collection

• 2 cups almonds
• 2 cups coconut, shredded or flaked
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (or 1/4 cup of chocolate chips for a sweet spread)

1. Place almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350 for 5 minutes, or until lightly toasted and fragrant; cool.
2. In the meantime, place the coconut in a food processor and process until it turns moist, scraping down sides as needed(about 8 minutes). Scoop into a dish and set aside.
3. Place cooled almonds in the food processor and process until it turns into butter, scraping down the sides as needed (about 8-10 minutes). Add the coconut, salt, vanilla, and cocoa powder and process till smooth. Palce in a glass jar and store at room temperature so it does not solidify. However, if storing more than 2 weeks, store in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before using.

adapted from www.minimalistbaker.com

• 3 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 2/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup chopped dates
• 1 1/2 cups all-natural creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup honey
• 3 Tbs vanilla extract
• chia seeds (optional)

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Drop by heaping tablespoons on wax paper. Wrap each bar and store in freezer.

From Dr. Oz

2 medium ripe bananas
2 eggs  (or two flax eggs if vegan)
1/2 cup natural, salted peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
3 Tbs honey (or maple syrup if vegan)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour (or oat flour)
1/2 cup almonds meal (ground from raw almonds)
3 Tbs chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins

Mash bananas in a mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs, peanut butter, coconut oil, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add the oats, flour, and almond meal and mix. Stir in the walnuts and raisins. Refrigerate for 5 minutes to harden. Drop cookies by spoonfuls on a baking stone or parchment lined pan.  The cookies won’t spread much when they bake, so you can place them 1″ apart. Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes or until lightly brown on top. Let rest on the baking stone for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. After completely cooled, store in an airtight container for up to a few days. Refrigerate or freeze for an even longer storage time.

Adapted from www.minimalistbaker.com

yield: 13 cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
3/4 cup ground flax seed
1 cup whole wheat flour (could try almond flour)
1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup raisins
3 Tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup to make these cookies vegan)
1 cup lightly packed thinly shredded carrots
2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 325F and toast the walnuts for 3-5 minutes, or until lightly roasted and fragrant; let cool.
2. In a bowl, mix the coconut oil, applesauce, honey, carrots, and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the flax, flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, and cooled walnuts.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. The dough will be very sticky, so not to worry.
5. With a spoon, scoop about 13 cookies onto a baking stone (or parchment lined baking sheet). They don’t spread much so you can put them an inch apart.
6. Increase the oven temperature to 350F and bake 16-18 minutes. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or cooled.

adapted from www.ohsheglows.com

A creamy homemade poppy seed dressing made with four simple on-hand ingredients.

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup honey granules (or sugar)
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
2 tsp poppy seed

Whip the ingredients in a blender; refrigerate.

8 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut oil (or butter)
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 T sucanat (or brown sugar)
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Place the oats in a large bowl. Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the peanut butter, sucanat, honey, and vanilla. Pour over oats and mix. Spread evenly on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 330 degrees, stirring every 4-5 minutes, until granola is golden brown. Let cool; transfer to an airtight container. Sprinkle  chocolate chips over the granola if desired.

Adapted from www.blogofjoy.com

A delicious dessert with sugar cookie crust, cream cheese frosting, and summer fruit.

Crust:
2/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered honey granules
1 egg
4 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tarter
1/4 tsp salt

Thoroughly cream the butter, honey granules, and vanilla . Add the egg and milk and beat until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cream of tarter, and salt. Gradually stir in the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Press dough into a parchment linned pizza pan. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.

Frosting:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered honey granules
2 Tbs milk
2 tsp vanilla

Cream all ingredients. Frost the cooled crust. Arrange desired fruit on top of frosting and chill.

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 C coconut oil or olive oil
• 1/2 C applesauce
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 T vanilla
• 1 t salt
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t baking powder
• 2 t cinnamon
• 3 cups flour

Whisk the eggs and oil in a large bowl. Add applesauce, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in zucchini. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour batter into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

This is a healthy version of the recipe that was passed around the teacher’s lounge when my mother-in-law was a teacher’s aide in the 1980’s. 🙂

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 cups flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. nutmeg
• 3 cups shredded summer squash

• 1/2 pound mango, chopped (about 1 1/2 C)
• 1/2 C red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/3 C onion
• 2 T chopped cilantro
• 1 T rice vinegar
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg
• 1/3 C shredded unsweetened coconut
• 3 pounds  boneless chicken breasts
• 3 T coconut oil

In a small bowl, combine the the first six ingredients.

In a shallow bowl, beat the egg with 1 t water and 1/2 t salt. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the chicken into strips and dip in the egg mix before placing in the skillet. Cook, turning once, until golden brown.  Transfer the chicken to a parchment lined jelly roll pan. Sprinkle coconut over the chicken and bake at 350 degrees until cooked through, about 12 minutes.  Serve over brown rice, and top with the mango sauce.

adapted from http://www.rachaelraymag.com