Puppy Chow

From Chex - makes 18 servings

We used to eat this by the handful on bus trips to away soccer games.

Photo courtesy of Blissfully Domestic

9 cups Chex cereal

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.

In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla.

Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.
Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.

Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool.
Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Cilantro Chicken Burgers

Courtesy of Cara. 
I recommend serving with your choice of dressing as well. I used a sesame ginger vinagrette.

 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
4 large clove of garlic, minced
2/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro
zest from 1 lime (or lime juice)
dash of soy sauce
freshly ground salt & pepper
1/2 cup plain oatmeal

Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the burger ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times, until chicken is uniformly ground. Remove and divide into 6 or 8 portions. Shape each into a ball, place on the baking sheet, and flatten with your palm.

Broil the burgers for about 10-12 minutes total, flipping halfway through. Serve on sandwich thins with sauteed peppers and onions.

Bucket O' Spuds

Courtesy of Penny Cluse Cafe in Burlington, Vermont

Easily one of the best breakfasts I have ever eaten at a restaurant. We began with this dish. It lasted about a minute and a half between the five of us.

Chop potatoes into bite-size chunks. Boil & Saute, then season liberally with salt, pepper, and paprika and toss in a frying pan over medium-high heat with a little olive oil.

In separate pan, saute onions until translucent. Add in chopped scallions, parsley, salsa, and potatoes.

Plate and top with melted cheese, sour cream, and 2 fried eggs. Upon eating, break yolks open.

Not even mildly healthy, but certainly delicious.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Remove stems from large portabella mushrooms and gently wash the caps.

In a small pan, with a little olive oil, lightly saute:
chopped red bell pepper, onion, carrots, scallions,
mushroom stems from first step, red pepper flakes,
salt & pepper

Once heated through and beginning to soften (not entirely sauteed) transfer veggie mixture to a small bowl. Toss with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, then spoon into mushroom caps. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until tender.

Gen's Lentil Soup

Sorry, friends. No measurements on this one. I sort of made it up as I went along. Really simple, hearty recipe. If possible use all organic veggies, it makes the soup sweeter.

(some) carrots
(some) celery
(some) potatoes
(some) onion

Chop the veggies into bite-size pieces and saute in olive oil, with some pepper and sea salt, until slightly tender. Next add:

1 bag green lentils (I used a bag of Goya lentils from Wegmans International section)
2 small cans of chicken broth (once again, from Wegmans; i'm not sure how many ounces)

Stir mixture well, adding water, if needed, until the liquid level rises just above the solids. Simmer (medium) for about 1.5-2 hours, stirring every 15 mins or so and adding more water as the lentils absorb it. add fresh chopped parsley and more salt/pepper to taste. Cook until lentils are soft.

Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan and enjoy!
The batch I made was approximately 8 servings.