Middle Eastern Rice and Lentils

1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
1 cup brown rice
1 T tomato paste
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 cup lentils
1 t salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, or pine nuts

In a large saucepan, sautee the onion in the oil until soft. Add the rice and cook and stir for a few minutes until it is toasted. Add the water, tomato paste, cinnamon, and lentils. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir the salt, raisins, and nuts into the rice. It should still be a little watery, add 1/4 cup water if it's dry. Place in a greased 9x13 pan, cover with foil, and bake for another 20-30 minutes. Serve with a salad.

Tortilla Soup

1 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 t chili powder
2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
3-4 cups cooked black beans
1 can chicken broth
1 package frozen corn
1 cup crushed tortilla chips
1 T fresh lime juice
sour cream

Heat oil, cook garlic and chili powder until fragrant, about one minute. Add tomatoes, beans, broth, corn, 1 cup water, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add tortilla chips and cook about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice. Serve with more chips, extra lime juice, and a dollop of sour cream.

Split Pea Soup

2 cups split peas
2 cups ham
3 medium carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 t sugar
1/4 cup parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
6 cups hot water
salt and pepper to taste

Add ingredients in order given to crock pot. Do not stir. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or on high 4-5 hours. Serve with corn bread.

Pizza dough

1 1/2 cup warm water
2 T olive oil
4 1/4 cup flour (I use whole wheat)
2 t salt
2 t sugar
2 t yeast

Mix all ingredients on dough cycle in bread machine. Makes two pizza crusts.

Sweet Potato Souffle

4 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed about 3.5 sweet potatoes)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. To cook the sweet potatoes, boil with the skins on about 45-50 minutes until easily pierced with a fork. Let cool, and the skins easily slip off. With electric mixer whip all ingredients except nutmeg until light. Put into a buttered casserole. Spread evenly, and sprinkle nutmeg on top. Bake 45 minutes until golden. Double the recipe for baking in one 9x13 pan. (Yes, that means you would use an entire stick of butter and two packages of cream cheese. Hey, it's good.)

Honey Banana Poppyseed Bread

2/3 cup warm water
1 1/2 T butter or vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
1/2 t vanilla
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 banana, sliced
2 t poppy seeds
1 t salt
2 t yeast

Put all ingredients in a bread machine, wet ingrdients first. Use the dough setting on the bread machine to knead and rise the dough. When it's done, break the dough in two pieces and turn it out into two loaf pans. Let it rise again, then bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.

Baked Ziti

8 oz. UNCOOKED ziti
1.5 cups water
26 oz. spaghetti sauce
15 oz. ricotta
.5 c mozzarella

Combine all ingredients in casserole dish, cover, and cook at 375 for an hour. Put a little more mozzarella on top and return to oven until it melts.