A Honey of a Dressing!!

Having fresh honey on hand this time of year is a luxary that I relish. Being a beekeeper by day (and a super hero by night ;) I love this time of year with it's yields of golden honey. So, naturally I try to eat it on everything.

My mother was over this afternoon and gave me some wonderful looking greens from her garden. Self, I said to me, we need to make a honey dressing to go with said lettuce. And so I did.

2 tbsp Fresh Honey (Or melted cooled honey)

1/2 tsp Lemon Juice

1/2 tsp Olive Oil

1/4 tsp Vinegar

Mix it up and enjoy. It's enough for a salad for one, but can be multiplied.

No Yeast Focaccia Bread!!

This is a little bit different in texture compared with the types made with yeast, but it's tasty, quick and makes enough to add to any meal without having to eat a pile of baking for the next week.

2 cups white flour (you can use wheat, but it's a little tougher texture)

1 cup water

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp garlic (chopped jar kind)

chopped or dried herbs (basil, chives, oregano)

Herbs, spices or seasonings for the top

Mix all the ingredients together but the oil. Make the dough into a ball, and place in a large greased or sprayed pan or baking sheet. Flatten it so it's uniform at 1/2" using the oil on your fingers. Now, top with whattever you want. Rosemary, chives, olives, really its up to you.

Bake in a 425 F oven for 20m minutes or so (oven depending) take out and add cheese to the top (if desired) and pop back in for another 5 minutes. (Or leave it in there to finish) Serve warm

Lemon Balm Tea Cookies!! Come have a Lookie!!

All right, I'll admit it. I've developed an addiction to Lemon Balm. I love it as a tea, and now these citrusy little tea cookies are so superb, they make me want to shout Hip Hip Herb-ray!!

Lemon Balm is a wonderful citrusy herb that's related to mint. It boasts many health properties including a soothing sleep inducer, a calming relaxant and a purifier. It is simple to grow in your back yard, and thrives in sun with a little afternoon shade.

http://www.planetbotanic.ca/fact_sheets/lemon_balm_fs.htm

Steep a tea ball of it to go with these cookies.

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1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup margerine **

1 tsp white vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp grated orange or lemon rind

1 tbsp chopped lemon balm

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Cream sugar, margerine, egg and vanilla and mix. Add in juice, rind and balm. Add powder and flour and mix. Drop by teaspoon onto airbake pan and bake 350 F for 10-14 minutes (oven depending.) Use 375 F for crisper cookies, but watch your heat. Let cool on pan and then transfer to plate (or mouth :)

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** I used light Becel for these and they worked. For those of you who have tried to bake with light margerine, you can understand my shock here :)

Zen Stir Fry: It will Feng Shui your Palette!

I love stir fry's. But, I got tired of the overly salted, bizarre bought bottled sauces that were flavors I couldn't identify. What is a girl to do? Make her own simple sauce of course! This stir fry is easy, and I mean EASY, and has a little bite for those of you who like the noodle house flare to thier veggies! (The sauce can be used with Ramen noodles as well for a spicy noodle treat. Yum!) It doesn't take a fortune cookie to tell you this is one meal you won't wok out on!! ;)

1 bag oriental frozen veggies (you know the peas, carrots, mini corn ones or your fav)

1 1/2 cups chicken, shrimp or beef (or omit for a yummy veggie one)

(Double the sauce amounts if adding a meat to it. The amounts given are for NO meat)

2 tsp honey

1 tsp ground red pepper flakes**

2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp garlic powder or chopped or jarred

Add a little water to a pan you spray with Pam. Dump in the veggies and steam them. (Or, cheat like me and microwave them for three minutes to get the frost off, and then transfer to pan. What? So, I use short cuts? So what? ;)

Add all the sauce ingredients and simmer on lower-medium heat until the veggies are done.

For the Ramen version, make noodles and drain off liquid (you don't have to use the little sauce pak thingy) then add the saucde ingredeints and cook a few minuted to melt and mix flavors. Enjoy

**I use a mortar and pestle to grind it, but a coffee grinder would work well. Or, buy it pre-ground. It's all good :)

Saskatoon Bran Muffins! The Holy Grain of Muffins ;)

I admit it. I have way more healthy ingredients in my house than a normal 29 year old ought to have. (Ground flax? Really?) So super healthy recipes have been known to be born on my kitchen. Also, I got tired of sickly sweet bran muffins that defeat the purpose of it being healthy, so these little muffins were born. With so much going for them, bran, honey, flax and berries they may be the elixer for life! (Flax is good for digestion and skin, blueberries and saskatoons are rich in antioxidents and bran is great for your bowels!)

So go against the grain and enjoy these moist, low fat and healthy muffins.

Bowl One:
1 cup flour (regular or whole wheat)
1/4 cup ground flax
3/4 cup wheat bran
1/3 cup plus two tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Bowl Two:
1 lge egg white
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp canola oil
3/4 cup milk

1- 1 1/2 cups Saskatoons or Blueberries or Raisons

In one bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. In the second bowl, combine the next five. Mix the wet with the dry, and then mix in the berries. Bake at 375 F for 18-20 minutes (Oven depending) or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and enjoy! Makes 12

Lemon Sauce for Fish? Delish!

I find fish sort of boring sometimes. There. I said it. Don't throw a rolling pin at me! But, there are things that can be done to make it tastier such as this spiky fish sauce. And then you will have one fine kettle of fish indeed!! ;)

1 garlic clove, minced (or cheat like I do and buy the already chopped jar kind. Its still garlic!)

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup mayo (real kind, not fat free. FF Mayo is too sweet)

1/4 tsp milk

Touch of ground red pepper (to taste, or omit if you don't like spice. Or sub with horseradish)

salt and pepper to taste

Mix and refrigerate. Serve with batteref or breaded fish

Herb Dip/Spread that's Herb-tastic!!

This year I planted wa-ay too many herbs for what I possibly thought I could need for cooking...or so I thought! Any cook worth thier salt will tell you that you can never plant too much of anything!

This dip is great with veggies, crackers and chips, or omit the sour cream and use it as a topping on burgers, snadwiches, pita's and roll ups. Yum-yum!!

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayo

1 tsp chopped fresh oregano

1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp chopped chives

1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp coriander

salt and pepper to taste

Mix, refrigerate and enjoy!

**If you don't like larger pieces of herbs, blend in a food processor**