Peaches, Greek Yogurt, and Honey {Healthy Snack}

What You Need

Peaches (local, if possible) — or any seasonal fruit
Greek yogurt 
Honey
Almonds (or substitute any nut)

1  If desired, toast the nuts: in a dry pan over medium heat, heat the almonds, stirring occasionally, until browned – about 3 to 4 minutes (make sure to watch them constantly so they do not burn). We like to make a batch and keep them in a sealed container in the pantry.

2  Cut the peaches into bite-sized pieces. If the fruit needs some sweetness, add a bit of honey.

3  Place some Greek yogurt in a bowl. Stir in a bit of honey. Taste, and add more honey if desired. Top with peaches and toasted almonds.

Buckwheat Dutch Baby with Strawberries

Makes: 3 to 4

What You Need

• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons 2% milk
• ½ cup buckwheat groats (or ½ cup buckwheat flour).
• 3 tablespoons arrowroot
• Zest from ½ lemon
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus more for serving
• 1 pint strawberries
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

What To Do

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Grind your buckwheat flour by placing ½ cup buckwheat groats in a coffee grinder and grinding until a very fine flour forms.
3. Combine the eggs, milk, flour, arrowroot, lemon zest, salt, maple syrup, and vanilla in a blender and run until the batter is smooth.
4. On the stove top, melt the butter in an 8-inch (or 10 -inch) cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet. Swirl around to cover the pan. Remove from the heat and pour in the batter. Place in the oven and bake until golden brown and puffed, 22 to 24 minutes for an 8-inch skillet and 18 to 22 minutes for a 10-inch skillet.
5. Wash the strawberries and slice them. Place in a bowl and pour over 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Stir and let sit until the Dutch baby is finished.
6. Serve the Dutch baby topped with strawberries and whipped cream, if desired.

Crepes with Strawberries, Peaches, and Cinnamon Yogurt

Makes 8 crepes

What You Need

• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• ¼ cup whole wheat flour (or buckwheat flour)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup milk
• 1½ tablespoons grape-seed or vegetable oil
• 8-inch skillet and chopstick, for cooking

Ingredients for the crepes 

About 2 cups chopped fruit — we used strawberries and peaches 1 to 2 tablespoons honey 1 to 2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar½ cup plain yogurt (full-fat)1 tablespoon honey½ teaspoon cinnamon Fresh mint (optional)Or substitute sweetened whipped cream for the yogurt sauce

What to do

1  Chop the fruit into bite-sized pieces. Add about 1 tablespoon honey and 1 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar. Taste, and add more if desired.  If using mint,  chiffonade the mint.

2  Mix together the 1/2 cup yogurt, 1 tablespoon honey and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. (If desired, place in plastic squeeze bottle – to get the nice drizzle seen above.)

3  Make the crepes.

4   To assemble the crepes: place some fruit and yogurt sauce inside each crepe; roll up into the shape and style that suits you!  If desired, drizzle with additional sauce.

Whole Wheat Chive Waffles with Poached Egg

Makes: 4

What You Need

• 1½ cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅓ cup unsalted butter
• 1½ cups milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 4 eggs
• Maple syrup
• ¼ cup grated white cheddar cheese

What To Do

1. Heat waffle iron on high heat.
2. In a medium bowl, combine 1½ cups white whole wheat flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt; mix to combine.
3. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt ⅓ cup butter. Add 1½ cups milk and microwave for another minute. Whisk 1 egg into to the wet ingredients until fully combined.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined; do not over-mix (batter can be lumpy).
5. Chop 2 tablespoons chives; reserve extra chives for a garnish. Add 2 tablespoons chives to the dough.
6. Add the batter to the heated waffle iron and cook the waffles until golden brown. Remove the cooked waffles and place on a baking sheet without stacking. Place in the oven to keep warm.
7. Meanwhile, poach the eggs.
8. When ready to serve, place the waffle on a plate and drizzle with a bit of maple syrup. Top with a poached egg, additional chopped chives, and grated white cheddar cheese.

German Gingerbread (Lebkuchen)

Makes 2 - 3 giant hearts or several smaller ones

What You Need

• 7 T. butter (100 grams)
• 3/4 c. honey (275 grams)
• 5/8 c. (10 tablespoons) sugar (100 grams)
• 2 1/2 T. cocoa powder
• 1 T.(6 grams) spice mixture (see below the recipe)
• 5 c. flour (600 grams)
• 1 1/2 tsp. single or double acting baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg

What To Do

1. Bring the butter, honey, sugar, spices and cocoa powder to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. Boil for several minutes until sugar dissolves, then remove from heat and cool slightly.
2. Sift the flour with the salt and baking powder into a bowl. Make a depression in the bowl and add the egg, then pour the honey mixture over the flour and mix on low speed until a ball of dough can be formed.
3. The ball of dough might still be shaggy, but will form a smooth dough as it cools down so do not add extra flour.
4. Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap and put in a safe place at room temperature for 4 to 48 hours.
5. When you are ready, heat the oven to 350°F. Roll out 1/2 of the dough to 1/2 inch thickness on a lightly floured board.
6. Use a large, heart-shaped cookie cutter or your own template to cut out large, heart shaped cookies.
7. The hearts in the picture were made using a template I cut from a piece of Letter sized paper (approximately 8 by 10 inches), folded in half and cut into a half heart shape. I trimmed it until I was happy with the shape. Then I placed it on the dough and cut around it with a table knife.
8. If you want to hang these hearts from a ribbon, create one or two holes about 3/4 of an inch below the rim of the cookie before you bake it.
9. Repeat with other half of cookie dough. This dough does not re-roll well, so take care to roll it into the right size the first time.
10. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until cookies are set in the middle and lightly browned on the bottom. Bake the trimmed scraps to use for practice decorating.
11. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet. They will harden as they cool. Although they are edible, this dough is most often used to make decorative cookies which are hung on the wall (or around the recipient's neck) and are seldom eaten.
12. Use tinted royal icing to decorate the cookies. You only need about half of the recipe, but you will want to practice decorating with your baked scraps and you may want to use several colors, so make the whole batch.
13. Tint some of the frosting in a separate bowl using normal food coloring. Sometimes, it is nice when the frosting is not completely tinted, creating swirls of lighter and darker colors as you pipe it.
14. Place the frosting in a decorator bag with a leaf tip attached to make the border. Use a writing tip for the words.
15. Decorate as you like. It is traditional to write cute sayings in the center and give the cookies to people you like.

Spice Mixture for Gingerbread

What You Need

• 2 T. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground anise seed
• 1/2 tsp. ground star anise

What to do

1. If you have whole spices (which have a longer shelf life), place the spices in a cleaned out knife coffee grinder and grind until fine.
2. Sift the ground spices through a fine sieve to remove large pieces and add to other ground spices.
3. When your spices are ground, mix them together thoroughly and place in an airtight container to store.

Use 1 to 2 tablespoons per recipe.

Salmon Chowder

Makes: 6

What You Need

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/3 cup chopped carrot
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 12-ounce skinned salmon fillet
• 2 1/2 cups frozen cauliflower florets, thawed and coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or scallions, or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried chives
• 1 1/3 cups instant mashed potato flakes, or 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, or 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

What To Do

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrot and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables just begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add broth, water, salmon, cauliflower and chives (or scallions) and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, maintaining a gentle simmer, until the salmon is just cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the salmon to a clean cutting board. Flake into bite-size pieces with a fork.
2. Stir potato flakes (or leftover mashed potatoes), dill (or tarragon) and mustard into the soup until well blended. Return to a simmer. Add the salmon and reheat. Season with salt and pepper.

Restaurant-style macaroni with cheese

Makes: 3-4

Ready in 25 minutes

What You Need

• 1 1/2 cups macaroni 
• 6 ounces processed cheese, shredded 
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream 
• salt to taste 

What To Do

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Return drained pasta to the pot. Mix in processed cheese, Cheddar cheese, and cream. Stir until cheeses melt. Sprinkle with salt.