Ingredients:

1 cup couscous, uncooked

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ cups V8 or seasoned tomato juice

1 ½ cups water

1 cup lentils, uncooked and rinsed

1 bay left

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tomato, chopped

½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

Instructions:

Heat oil in a saucepan until hot, then sauté garlic until soft. Add vegetable juice, water, lentils, bay leaf and season. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes. Lentils should be tender, but not mushy.

Remove the saucepan from heat and take out the bay leaf. Stir in couscous, chopped tomato and basil. Cover and let stand for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve immediately.

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Instructions:
Soak the rice overnight in water to reduce the cooking time.

Drain rice and cook according to package instructions for about 15 – 20 minutes or until soft and most of the grains have burst open. Drain and set aside.

In the meantime, melt the butter in a saucepan and gently sauté the onion, carrots and celery for about 2 minutes. Pour in the stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the courgette sticks and cook for a further minute. Add the rice, mix well and reheat gently.

Top with the toasted almond flakes and serve immediately.

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Instructions:
Heat the ghee in a large saucepan. Sauté the onion, ginger, mustard seeds and cumin seeds until the onion is lightly brown and tender. Then add the chili powder, saffron and salt and mix well. Stir in potatoes and cook for a few minutes. Pour in the stock, cover and cook (on low heat) for about 25 – 30 minutes. Add the peas and heat through.

Serve immediately with rice.

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Instructions:
Trim the asparagus stalks and peel off the tough bits at the base.

In a saucepan, poach the asparagus stalks in lightly salted water for about 3 – 6 minutes or until tender (but not overcooked).

In a small bowl, mix the melted butter with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Pour over the asparagus, sprinkle with the chopped eggs and parsley.

Serve warm as an appetizer at your next dinner party.

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Instructions:
Drain the chickpeas from their liquid. Place all ingredients in a serving bowl and mix well.

Serve this delicious and healthy salad on a bed of lettuce leaves, together with grilled strips of chicken breast.

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Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

¼ cup onion, minced

2 lbs boned and skinned chicken breasts (eight 4oz halves)

16 oz (1 can) cranberry sauce, whole berry

2 cups green apples, peeled and chopped

½ cup dried cranberries

4 tbsp walnuts, chopped

2 tsp curry powder

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease large shallow baking dish. Add oil and onions and bake uncovered for about 5 minutes. Add vinegar and stir well. Place chicken breasts in the baking dish and baste the top of the chicken with the vinegar/onion mixture. Bake uncovered for a further 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine cranberry sauce, apples, dried cranberries, walnuts and curry powder and spoon over the chicken breasts. Bake for an additional 15 – 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and no longer pink in the center.

Serve immediately with green vegetables and rice.

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* Indian Chai Tea

Rather than grabbing a steaming cup of Joe, why not try something different this winter? This Indian Chai tea will warm you right up.

3 cups water
3 whole cloves
3 tea bags (black tea)
1 tbsp. whole cinnamon (pieces broken)
2 cups milk
Sugar or honey to taste

In a medium pot, place the water, cloves, and cinnamon on medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Let it boil for at least five minutes or until the water is fragrant and medium caramel colored. Add the tea bags and return to boil an additional minute. Add the milk and let it come back to a boil. Remove it from the heat and take the tea bags out. Pour up a mug of tea and season it with sugar or honey to taste. You’ll be warm and toasty in no time!

* Cruncy Buckwheat Cereal

You may be used to eating store bought cold cereal, but now that the mercury has dropped, you may want to try Crunchy Buckwheat Cereal for breakfast:

2 cups raw whole buckwheat groats
2 tbsp. maple syrup, brown rice syrup, honey, or agave nectar
1/4 cup nut or seed butter (almond butter is good)

In an oven preheated to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, place a baking sheet with the buckwheat spread on it. Bake this for 20 minutes and then stir it around. Let it cook an additional 15 to 20 minutes until its golden brown. Remove the buckwheat to a bowl and immediately add the sweetener and nut or seed butter. This can be stored in a covered jar in the refrigerator, if it lasts that long. Serve 1/2 cup of the cereal in a bowl with milk.

* Hearty Irish Stew

Traditional hearty Irish Stew is a favorite in winter months.

3 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tbsp. crumbled dried thyme
6 cups chicken broth
3 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 large finely chopped onion
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 stalks celery, trimmed and ribs cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Find a large kettle, 7 to 8 quart is good, and simmer the lamb, parsley, and thyme in 4 cups of broth. Leave the kettle covered and allow it to cook 1 1/2 hours. After that time has passed, add the vegetables and the remaining broth. Let this simmer covered on low heat for an additional hour.

Whisk together the flour and oil until smooth and then add that, incorporating well, to the stew. Simmer it an additional five minutes until the stew has thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then enjoy.

* Turkey Chili

Chili is normally a winter favorite but you may be looking for something different. Try this Turkey Chili and you may not want to use ground beef or pork again.

1 lb. ground turkey
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
1 minced clove garlic
15 oz. kidney beans, with juice
15 oz. tomato sauce
14 1/2 oz tomatoes, chopped with juice
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the first four ingredients in a large, non-stick skillet or Dutch oven until the meat is brown and the vegetables are beginning to get tender. Remove from heat and drain the fat. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let the chili stand uncovered for about 30 minutes. Taste the chili and adjust the seasonings to taste.

* Italian Garlic Bread

If you’re going to have soup or chili, you may want bread to go with it. Try this Italian Garlic Bread recipe.

1 large loaf Italian bread
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. parsley
2 tsp. thyme
3/4 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. paprika

In a small bowl, add olive oil to minced garlic and mix it well. In another bowl, add the Parmesan cheese and seasonings, mixing well. On a baking sheet, place a loaf of Italian bread which has been sliced open. Brush the bread with the oil mixture and sprinkle the seasoning on top. Wrap the bread in aluminum foil if you prefer softer bread, or leave it unwrapped for crispy bread. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

If you’re looking for recipes to warm you, look no further than these five winter-warming recipes for the whole family. Then be prepared to soak in the praise for the great food.

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Ingredients:

1 banana cut in chunks

1 cup grapes

1 (6 oz) tub vanilla yogurt

½ apple, cored and chopped

1 ½ cups fresh spinach leaves

Instructions:

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour into nice glasses and serve immediately.

Delicious and very healthy.

More kids green smoothies.

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Ingredients:

1 ½ to 2 lbs firm white fish fillets (such as Haddock)

1 can cream of cream of celery soup

½ cup milk

2 tbsp sherry

½ cup mild Cheddar cheese (grated)

1 ½ cups bread crumbs tossed with 3 tbsp melted butter

1 tbsp fresh parsley

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Grease a baking dish with butter and arrange fish fillets.

In a saucepan, combine celery soup with milk and heat over medium heat. Add sherry and stir. Pour soup mixture over the fish fillets. In a little bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese and parsley and sprinkle over the fish.

Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden and the fish is cooked through and flaky.

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What You Need:

1 lb extra lean ground beef

4 C water

1 lb potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 small carrots, chopped

2 (4 oz) cans mushroom stems and pieces, drained

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

1 (16 oz) jar chunky salsa

How to Make It:

Place the meat in a skillet over medium heat.

Cook the meat 12 minutes or until completely browned.

Drain the meat well in a colander and pat with paper towel.

Pour all of the water into the crock pot.

Add the ground beef, potatoes, onion and carrots.

Pour in the drained mushrooms.

Sprinkle the dry onion soup mix in with the vegetables and meat.

Blend in the salsa being sure all the ingredients are incorporate together.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Serving Size: 8

If you aren’t partial to ground beef, ground turkey or pork will also work.  Stew meat cut into small chunks also makes this soup a treat.

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