Diane Atkins Granola Bars

I got this recipe from my daughter's Mother-In-Law, they are really good.

5 cups coconut
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 cup chopped dried craisins
2 cups gran. sugar
2 t baking soda mix 1st 9 ingred. well
2 1/2 t salt
5 cups W.W. flour
6 1/2 cups quick oats
1 cup chopped choc. chips
1 cup chopped W. choc. chips
2 cups slivered almonds

in a seperate bowl
2 1/2 cups veg. oil
5 eggs
5 t vanilla
1 cup molassas

blend both bowls together, place in 2 cookie sheets and pat down til firm, mix is crumbly.

bake in a 350* oven for 15 minutes"

Sweet and Sour Tomatoes

7 tomatoes
1 small yellow onion
1/2 cup white sugar1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.Thinly slice the tomatoes. Cut the onion in half through root end, then thinly slice into half-circles. In a large bowl, toss together tomatoes, onion, sugar, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. You may adjust the amounts of vinegar and sugar according to your taste. Serve at room temperature"

Green Beans

4 servingsIngredients
3/4 pound green beans - look for trimmed, raw packaged beans in your produce department
Salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons tamari aged soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Directions
Cut green beans into 2-inch pieces on an angle. Place in a skillet. Add water, salt, to taste and cook beans 5 minutes, then drain beans. Place the skillet back on stove and add vegetable oil. Heat pan over high heat until oil smokes. Add the beans and red peppers and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the soy and sesame oil and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve"

Ginger Flank Steak with Wasabi Smashed Potatoes

4 servings Ingredients

2 inches fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1/4 cup tamari aged soy sauce
2 limes, zested and juiced
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, eyeball it
2 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
2 pounds flank steak
2 1/2 to 3 pounds Idaho potatoes, 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
Salt
1/4 to 1/3 cup cream
1 to 2 tablespoons wasabi paste - how hot do ya like it?
4 scallions, root end trimmed
Handful cilantro leaves
Directions
Preheat a grill pan or indoor/outdoor grill to high.
Combine ginger, tamari, lime juice, oil and grill seasoning in a large seal able plastic bag. Add meat to marinade and coat evenly. Let stand 10 minutes then grill meat 6 to 7 minutes on each side.
Place potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, salt the potatoes and cook until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and add them back to the hot pot. Smash the potatoes with a masher to desired consistency with the cream and wasabi. Adjust salt, to taste.
While potatoes and meat cook, finely chop the scallions together with cilantro and lime zest.
Let meat rest 5 minutes then thinly slice on an angle against the grain. Serve meat on mash potato mounds with a garnish with a generous sprinkling of the chopped scallion-cilantro-lime zest."

Pepper Steak Sandwich

I sliced up thin slices of beef and cooked it with steak seasoning and salt and pepper and add a little beef broth. I added it to a pan of hot oil and cooked it until it was done, I then added onions and peppers to it and cooked until almost tender. Then I added cheese and a toasted roll.

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

¼ c butter
½ Apple Sauce
¾-1 c sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 t vanilla
½ c buttermilk
2½ c flour
¼ c unsweeted cocoa powder
½ t baking powder
½ t baking soda
½ t cinnamon
½ t nutmeg
½ t salt
2 c zucchini, grated
½ c chocolate chips
Directions
Grease the baking pan with a bit of butter and set aside. Preheat oven to 325.
Beat together butter, oil, sugar, and eggs, then whick in vanilla and buttermilk.
Gradually add flour, then cocoa, then baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips, then pour batter into cake pan and bake for about 45 minues, until knife inserted into center comes out clean.
Let cool before serving"

Hamburger Cupcakes

I use to make these with cookies but they are so much better with cake.

I just bake some yellow cake, I fill up the cupcake pan a little less then half way with the cake batter. Then for the meat I use chocolate cake and add about 1/4 of the way full. I cut them all in half so I have the top bun and the bottom and two meats per chocolate cupcake. I use white frosting for the mayo and tint some more white frosting red, yellow and green so ketchup, mustard and lettuce. I think I will roll out a spearmint leaf next time for the lettuce or just tint some coconut like I use to with the cookies. They were so easy and everyone loved them.

Oh and yes that is sesame seeds on the top.

Crunchy Vegetable Wraps

4 T Tofutti cream cheese or any nondairy cream cheese

4 Wheat wraps or wheat tortillas

1 cup shredded spinach

1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts

1/2 cup shredded red cabbage

1/2 cup sliced avocado

1/4 cup chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup diced cucumber

2 T diced red onion

salt and pepper to taste.

Spread one T of cream cheese over each wrap, sprinkle even amount of the remaining ingredients on each wrap; roll up and enjoy.

Tamales

OK I do not measure when I cook a lot of stuff but wanted to make sure I wrote this recipe down it was so good.

Pork Tamales

Pork

Garlic powder

salt

pepper

Cumin

Chili Powder

California chili (just throw them in the pan to cook with the meat)

onion

garlic

water

Bake in oven at 350 until meat falls apart easy.

Mean while take off the stems and the seeds out of a handful of California dried chilies and wash them out to take the seeds out. Put them in a pan and cover with water, boil and when it comes to a boil turn off the water and let sit until the water cools.

Soak corn husk in waters.

When meat is done take out onions, chilies and garlic, add to a blended with the chilies and water that you had cooling in the pan. Blend very well. Pour this over your cut up pork and set a side.

Chicken Tamales

sames spices as above but cover with water and boil until tender and cooked

can diced green chili

Green Enchilada sauce

Shred chicken and add can diced chilies and green enchilada sauce, set aside.

I always get my Masa made for me but never will again after making this one.

8 cups MaSeCa instant corn masa for tamales

5 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 cup corn oil

5 cups of the broth you cooked your chicken in.

Mix the first 4 items together well with your hands. Add broth 1/2 cup at a time continue mixing with your hands until the consistency of cookie dough. You should be able to spread this with a knife of a spreader. I find if you did the spreader in water it is easier.

If you add to much liquid you can always add a little more masa to thicken it. I found I had to keep adding broth because I was worried it would be to thin, when it was thinner it was easy to spread. Not to thin though.