Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

6-8 C sweet potatoes, chopped ( about two large sweet potatoes)
1/4 C coconut oil, melted (you can also use olive oil, but the coconut oil gives it a really good flavor)
1 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. cayenne

1. Chop the sweet potatoes, and peel if you can’t stand peels
2. Melt your coconut oil
3. Add the potatoes, spices, and oil to a large zip loc bag shake them up to coat the fries well.
4. Evenly space the fries on a cookie sheet, make sure they don’t touch
5. Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes. Pull out of oven and flip them. (or optionally put the fries in a cold oven and turn the heat on to 425 covering them with tinfoil for 20 minutes. Take off the tinfoil and continue to cook them)
6. Bake another 15 minutes or until crispy and soft. Does that make sense, I guess cooked all the way through and crispy.
7. Best eaten right away.

This is on of my favorite recipes! I LOVE them!!! I hope you do too. 

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

1 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour or 2 cups wonder flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup water
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 cups fresh raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Combine all the ingredients except raspberries in a large bowl and stir just until combined. Gently fold in the raspberries.

3. Divide mixture evenly in a greased standard muffin tin. (I like to use an ice cream scoop for uniform, mess-free muffins.)

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until slightly golden on top. Let cool 10 minutes before removing from tin.

Lentil Soup

This is a recipe from the Green Smoothie Girls 26 day detox...so yummy. I was surprised how good it was. I accidentally forgot the vinegar and it was great without it.

½ lb. green or red lentils
½ C wild rice, rinsed well
3 large onions, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. salt-free herbal seasoning, or more to taste
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. cumin
1 qt. vegetable broth (no-sodium, if you buy canned)
1 small can tomato sauce
2 tsp. red wine vinegar

Cover lentils and rice with boiling water and let sit for 15 min., then drain. In a large stock
pot, sauté the onions and garlic with the coconut oil and seasonings until the vegetables
are tender. Add the carrots and celery and sauté another 5–10 min. Add the vegetable
broth, tomato sauce, and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Add
vinegar and serve.

Introducing...

Our new contributor...Carla!  Hey everyone I wanted to let you know Carla will be joining us and contributing recipes to this blog. Carla used to live right next to door to me until she and her family moved a few years ago. Anyways, she is a fabulous cook and I can't wait to try some of her recipes. Welcome Carla and don't be shy. :)

Rumbi Rice Bowl

Ingredients

1T sesame oil
4 carrots peeled and grated
3 celery stalks washed and sliced
2 heads of broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
2 zucchini chopped into small cubes
***These amounts are only a start off point. I usually add more than this so we can have it for lunch the next day.

* Thai Peanut Sauce
* Brown rice



Instructions

Heat large skillet on medium hight heat. Add veggies and Sesame oil. Cook until veggies just become tender.

Serve veggies over Brown Rice, topped with Thai Peanut Sauce

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup

YIELD: SERVES 6-8

Note: You can use regular diced tomatoes if you don't have or can't find petite diced, but if you have the option, go for the petite diced. The smaller size of the tomatoes meshes better with the finely diced vegetables.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 (14-ounce each) cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1 cup finely diced onions
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1- 1 1/2 cups cashews or peanuts
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Croutons for serving (homemade version here)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, celery, carrots, onions, oregano, basil, broth, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours until the vegetables are tender. **Don't be afraid to add more veggies than this calls for
2. Remove Bay leaves. 
3. Ladle in about 3-4 cups of soup into a high powered blender. If you want the soup chunky, ladle in mostly liquid. If you or your kids have problems with lots of veggies, I'd recommend ladling in lots of the veggies.
4. Add about a cup of nuts and blend until smooth. Once blended well, place the soup back in the slow cooker and stir. If you think it needs to be thicker repeat the process, but only add 1/2 cup of nuts. 
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with homemade croutons.

Summer Corn on the Cob Salad

*adapted from authenticsuburbangourmet.com, pictures from andwhatiate.com

- 4 ears corn, cooked
- 2 avocados, diced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (I use orange & red for a little color) 
- 1/2 an english cucumber, finely diced, skin on
- 1/3  C. crumbled feta
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced

Cilantro Vinaigrette
- 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. salt or Herbamare
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
- 6 tbsp. EVOO

(serves 6-8) 

1. Cook your corn - there are a ton of ways to do this, but the easiest is just to put the oven on 350, and throw the corn in, husks and all. Bake them for 25 minutes, let it cool, and then cut off the very bottom of the corn. You should be able to easily pull off the husks and the silk

2. Cut off the kernels with a large knife, add to a big bowl.

3. Chop the avocados, cherry tomatoes, english cucumber, and red onion, then add to the bowl. Add the feta.

4. For the vinaigrette, combine the first 5 ingredients (so the seasonings react with the vinegar), then add the cilantro and the EVOO. Shake it up.

5. Gently mix all the salad ingredients together. When ready to serve, add the dressing and stir to combine.