Foodie Friday!

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My Sister in law has been in the south for 2 years. Needless to say we have had an impact on her. She is now digging in the dirt, making floral arrangements and baking from scratch. The funny hats are on the way. Yes sir, this girl is now truly dripping in SOUTHERNESS

(Katy's floral arrangement)

So to celebrate Katy (whom I admire so much) and her new found southern roots, we are cooking some of her wonderful ORIGINAL recipes. How adore my Sister in Law. I hope you will as well!

These include her "notes" on each one.

Greek Grilled Eggplant and Chickpea Salad
When you taste this, you won't believe how good for you it really is!

Dressing:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil...the good stuff

2 tbl red wine vinegar

1 tbl lemon juice

2 large cloves garlic, presseddried oregano (I don't actually measure it, but use quite a bit)

salt and pepper to taste

Salad:

1 large eggplant, sliced thick enough to grill without falling apart

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped (or 2, depending on how you feel)

1/4 large red onion (or half a small),

mincedpint grape tomatoes, halved

4 oz feta, crumbled

2 cans chickpeas, well drained and rinsed salt to taste (with all the veggies in this, I often need a little extra salt)

I make the dressing ahead of time. Since my olive oil solidifies in the fridge, I usually make it in a jar, shake well, and let it sit at room temperature for about 12 hours, shaking intermittanly, to let the flavors "meld".

We're big garlic fans, so two raw cloves may or may not be too much for you.

When the dressing is ready, I oil the grill, grill the eggplant over a medium heat, then allow the slices to cool before chopping. Then, simply mix everything together.

We can't get enough of this stuff...enjoy!

Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Cookies!

(the picture is from my baking them this week)

Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2 tbl canola oil

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 overripe banana

1 cup rolled oats

¼ cup wheat bran

¼ cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup sugar equivalent

(like Splenda or Stevia)

(I find this much to be plenty sweet, but feel free to add more)

½ tsp cinnamon

1 tbl ground flax seed

2 tbl dried blueberries (or dried fruit of your choice)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat eggs, oil and vanilla together with a fork. Add Splenda and beat in. Add banana, and mash, mixing well.

2. Put oats into food processor and process until it is the consistency of a very coarse flour. (With as little wheat flour as I have in this recipe, they don't stay together well if you skip this step.)

3. Add oats and remaining dry ingredients, except blueberries, to the egg mixture and stir well until evenly moist. Stir in blueberries.

4. Spoon onto an oiled cookie sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. Can be baked longer if you prefer a crisper cookie. Makes 6 cookies.

5. For a sturdier bar-like consistency, spread into an oiled loaf pan, and bake 20 minutes. Invert onto a cutting board. When cooled enough to touch, slice into 6 pieces and return to oven, upside down, on oiled cookie sheet, for an additional 15 minutes, or until beginning to brown.

THANK YOU FOR SHARING KATY!!

We love you!