Fruit Crisp

Ingredients:

4 cups ripe fruit, peeled and diced
1 cup oats
1 cup brown sugar, unpacked
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray 8x8 inch square dish with cooking spray.

Peel and dice 2-3 large mangoes. Place diced fruit in bottom of prepared 8x8" square pan or other casserole dish.

Combine oats, flour and brown sugar until blended. Then, using your hands, lightly work cold margarine or butter into the oat mixture until mixture is crumbly (resembles wet sand).

Evenly distribute oat mixture over fruit in dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. 

Green Grasshopper Smoothie
(as seen on Ben 10 Omniverse)

Organic 1% chocolate milk
Organic spinach
frozen Organic banana
mint extract (see below for making it yourself)


Blend until smooth

Homemade caramel sauce.
Ingredients: 

Cream cheese
Powdered sugar
chocolate syrup


Set out cream cheese until softened, add powdered sugar and mix with a hand mixer until the cream cheese is the consistency of icing, then add chocolate syrup.  Max all of the ingredients with a hand mixer until the consistency is that of caramel dipping sauce. 

This can be used as a dip, topping or icing.

Blueberry Zucchini Muffin
3 eggs
1/2 cup safflower or grapeseed oil
1/2 cup natural applesauce
3 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup cane sugar
2 cups zucchini, grated
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour  (King Arthur flour recommended)
1 1/2 cup white flour (King Arthur flour recommended)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups fresh blueberries
For Crumble Topping:
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup cane sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
dash of salt

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two standard muffin tins.
In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, sugar and zucchini until well combined.
Mix in dry ingredients until incorporated. Fold in blueberries. Scoop into prepared muffin tins (I used a medium sized scoop to portion out the batter into the muffin tin).
In another smaller bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter together using your fingers or a pastry blender until it is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the tops of each muffin.
Bake 25-30 minutes or until muffins are golden and cooked through. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.  For loaf pans increase the cooking time to 40-50 minutes.

Frugal French Onion Burger

Makes approximates 8 4oz. burgers

1 pound of 80/20 or 75/25 ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

2 puréed Organic apples

1 8 oz container puréed Organic Mini Bella mushrooms (the drier the better)

1/8 cup maple syrup

2 T Victoria Taylor's Toasted Onion Herb seasoning
Slices of Gruyere, Provolone or Havarti  

Mix the ingredients thoroughly, patty out the meat check to make sure it is not too wet, if it is add more meat. 

Topping

Two cans of Organic French Onion Soup (I used Wolfgang Puck brand.  It is sweeter and gives a better consistency once baked.)

1 whole white onion sliced

Bake in a glass dish at 350 degrees until the topping is firm no longer soupy.  This is about 2 hours.   

For the bread you need a crusty roll.  I used Sourdough English muffins and Sourdough rolls from the bakery.  I put mayonnaise on the roll and grilled the bread on a wire rack elevated from the grill-I use a cookie rack with no plastic feet. 

Commentary:

* The pork can be omitted.  I used it because it was considerably cheaper than ground beef at the time. 

*  The Toasted Onion Herb seasoning is at TJMAXX.  I use it a lot.  I think you could substitute a dry onion soup.

*  The apples could be left out and more mushrooms added in.  That is how I usually make these burgers.  I just had some apples on hand that needed to be used.

*  If you do not have two hours, I think you could get the same effect by cooking the soup and onions on the stovetop until the onions are tender and let the mixture set without a lid.  Another options is to make them in advance and put them in the refrigerator.

*  Do not be afraid to experiment!  Let me know if you find something that works better!