Not fascinating, but healthy and easy.

Scale to servings

22 oz	chicken breast (3 7-oz)
2 tbsp	lemon juice
½ tsp	cumin
½ tsp	cinnamon
½ tsp	cardamom
½ tsp	dried cordiander
2 cloves	garlic, minced
15 oz	chickpeas, drained and rinsed
15 oz	tomatoes, diced
¼ cup	cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken breasts in a glass baking dish large enough to accommodate the chicken in one layer. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Combine spices in a small bowl and sprinkle over chicken, followed by garlic slivers.

Pour can of chickpeas over chicken followed by the tomatoes. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.

Scale to servings

1 tbsp	olive oil
6	green onions
2	bell peppers, red, chopped
0.13 tsp	salt
4 cups	turkeys, shredded or ground
15 oz	red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
16 oz	salsa
½ cup	cilantro, chopped
2/3 cup	cheese, shredded

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the turkey if using ground. Transfer to a plate.

Warm the oil in the skillet. Add onions and peppers and saute 3-4 minutes until lightly browned.

Add turkey, beans and salt. Cook 1 minute, stirring a few times.

Add salsa and heat through, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the cheese and cilantro is melted.

Garnish serving dish with additional cilantro and cheese.

Om nom nom! Better the next day when the chocolate has really set and the flavors have melded.

Set it out an hour before eating so it can warm up a tad.

Scale to servings

	Crust
1½ packages	low-fat honey graham crackers, crumbled
3/8 cup	powdered sugar
9 tbsp	butter, melted
	Filling
2 cups	chocolate, semisweet chips or chopped
1 1/3 cups	heavy cream
¾ cup	pecans, toasted, diced
	Topping
½ cup	sugar
1/16 tsp	salt
¾ cup	cranberry juice
½ cup	dried cranberry
6 oz	cranberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Crust

Process the crackers, sugar and melted better in a food processor until crumbly and well combined. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie pan. Bake about 5 minutes until set but not brown. Remove from the oven and cool.

Filling

Put the chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe container, and heat for about 90 seconds.

Remove from the microwave, and stir until the mixture becomes smooth and dark brown. Spoon the hot ganache into the cooled crust, and sprinkle the nuts on top.

Refrigerate the pie for at least 1 hour, probably 2, until the ganache has firmed up.

Topping

While the pie is chilling, make the topping.

Bring the sugar, salt, and cranberry juice to a boil. Stir in the dried cranberries, and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the fresh or frozen cranberries, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until some of the berries have burst.

Remove the cranberries from the heat, spoon into a bowl, and chill.

To finish assembling the pie, spread the cranberry sauce over the filling and chill until ready to serve.

Scale to servings

1 cup	flour
1 cup	cake flour
3.9 oz	instant vanilla pudding mix
1 tsp	baking powder
1 tbsp	potato starch
1 tsp	cinnamon
1 tsp	nutmeg
½ tsp	salt
1 stick	butter, room temperature
½ cup	brown sugar
1½ tsp	vanilla
4	egg whites, room temperature
¼ cup	maple syrup
½ cup	half and half
5 strips	bacon, cooked, chopped
	Frosting
8 oz	cream cheese, room temperature
2 tbsp	butter, room temperature
2 cups	powdered sugar, sifted
¼ cup	maple syrup
2 tsp	cinnamon
3 strips	bacon, cooked, chopped

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Combine the flours, pudding mix, baking powder, potato starch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl with a whisk.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugars with a mixer on low speed until combined, 6 to 8 minutes. Gradually mix in the vanilla and egg whites. Scrape down the sides of the bowl; continue mixing until light and fluffy.

Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the maple syrup and half-and-half, mixing after each addition and ending with flour. Mix until the ingredients are just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the bacon.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup about three-quarters of the way. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Cool completely.

Frosting

Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon; beat until combined. Spread on the cooled cupcakes; top with chopped bacon, if desired.

Eat them warm -- as soon as you can safely remove them from the cupcake pan.

Scale to servings

2	pie crusts
5 cups	peaches, sliced
2 tbsp	lemon juice
½ cup	flour
1 cup	sugar
1 tsp	cinnamon
½ tsp	nutmeg, scant
¼ tsp	salt
8 oz	brie

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place the sliced peaches in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix gently.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour over the peaches, and mix gently.

Use a 3.5" diameter circle cookie cutter to cut the dough into circles. Spray the cupcake pan (individual silicon liners work best for these).

Press the center of your circle into the bottom of a cupcake liner and work the rest up the sides. It should come about ¾ of the way up the side.

Fill the pie crusts less than halfway with slices of the prepared peach filling. Place 4-5 large chunks of brie on top. Fill the crusts nearly the rest of the way, and place 4-5 more chunks of brie on top.

Use a tiny cookie cutter to cut out a pie crust shape for each cupcake and place on top as decor.

Bake 20 minutes.

BEST. FROSTING. EVER. The tart balsamic vinegar is the perfect offset to the sugar.

Scale to servings

1½ cups	powdered sugar
1 stick	butter, room temperature
2 tbsp	olive oil
3 tbsp	balsamic vinegar

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add olive oil and vinegar and beat for another minute. Add more powdered sugar if necessary for stiffness.

Om nom nom! Make two for each person you expect to feed!

Scale to servings

14 oz	lite coconut milk
1¾ tsp	apple cider vinegar
½ cup	olive oil
1 1/3 cups	sugar
2¼ cups	flour, scant ¼ cup
4 tsp	vanilla
3½ tbsp	cornstarch
1 1/3 tsp	baking powder
7/8 tsp	baking soda
7/8 tsp	salt
3½ tbsp	curry powder
	Frosting
5 oz	cream cheese, room temperature
0.63 stick	butter, room temperature
2 1/3 cups	powdered sugar
1¾ tsp	lemon zest
3½ tsp	lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk the coconut milk and vinegar and set aside for a few minutes to curdle in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Beat in the oil, sugar, and vanilla.

Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and curry powder, and mix until no large lumps remain.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake 20-22 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Frosting

With an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream cheese and butter until softened. Slowly add the sugar, zest, and juice and beat until creamy, about 3 minutes.

Slightly sweet, slightly licoricey, very nibble-inducing. A grown-up cookie.

Scale to servings

1 stick	butter, room temp
¾ cup	sugar
1½ tbsp	fennel seed, ground
½ tsp	fennel pollen (reduce seeds by 1/2 tbsp)
¼ tsp	salt
1	egg
1¾ cups	flour
3 tbsp	chickpea flour, or cornmeal
1½ tsp	baking powder

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the fennel seeds, fennel pollen, salt and egg and beat the mixture together.

In another bowl, combine the flour, chickpea flour and baking powder and whisk to combine.

Stirring all the time, add the dry ingredients slowly to the wet. Shape the dough into a log, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight — this is important, because you need the chickpea flour to incorporate the moisture of the other ingredients. Skip this step and you will have gritty cookies.

The next day, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice off small cylinders of the log, roll them into a ball with your hands (warming the butter), then flatten them into a cylinder again. Squash each cylinder flat with a the bottom of a glass. They should be about 3/8" thick.

Bake until they begin to color on the edges. Remove and cool on a rack. Eat.

Make this with canned sweet potatoes if you're pressed for time.

Scale to servings

1½ lbs	sweet potatoes, up to 2 lb
14 oz	chickpeas
2 cloves	garlic
2 tbsp	olive oil
1 tsp	tahini
1 tbsp	ginger, mashed
1 tbsp	lemon juice
¼ tsp	salt
2 pinchs	cinnamon
1 pinch	cardamom
1 pinch	cloves
1 pinch	nutmeg
1 pinch	allspice

Peel the potatoes and chop into 1" cubes. Steam for about 10 minutes.

Drain water from the can of chick peas into a small bowl and reserve.

In a food processor or blender, blend all the ingredients. Add some of the reserved liquid from beans for correct consistency.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld and strengthen.

Serve With

Pita chips, french onion Sun chips, and celery sticks.

Johanna loves this.

Scale to servings

1 head	cabbage, small
1½ cups	peanutss, roasted
1 bunch	green onion
1 bunch	cilantro, chopped (amount is fairly arbitrary)
	Dressing
½ cup	vegetable oil, light - canola or olive
3 tbsp	rice vinegar
1 tbsp	brown sugar
1 tbsp	sesame oil
1 tsp	soy sauce

Shred the cabbage very finely. The fineness of the shredded cabbage is really what makes this salad; you want it in in threads, almost, and with the threads chopped into bite-size lengths.

Toss with the peanuts in a large bowl. Chop the scallions, including the green and white parts.

Toss the scallions and chopped cilantro with the cabbage, seasoning very lightly with salt and pepper.

Whisk the dressing until emulsified, then taste and adjust to your own preferences of sweetness and saltiness.

Toss with the cabbage. Garnish with a few more peanuts and serve.