Chewy Granola Bars

I confess over the years I've relied heavily on prepackaged, overly wrapped "granola" bars, laden with chemicals and unhealthy additives. I decided to try my hand at making my own granola bars and was thrilled to see how many SuperFoods are in the recipe.

3 1/2 cups uncooked rolled oats
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. butter (not margarine)
1/2 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients together and press into a 9 X 13 pan. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes until it sets and edges brown slightly.

*may stir in 1 c. raisins/dried fruit* (or chocolate chips, DARK chocolate)
*may substitute 1/2 c. butter with peanut butter*

Pesto Tilapia En Parchment

Parchment paper makes this all in one meal easy and quick.

Serves 4

4 large sheets of parchment paper
Cilantro Pesto

4 cups of packed baby spinach
4 pieces of tilapia fillets (about 6 ounces)
1 red bell pepper cut into thin strips
1 orange bell pepper cut into thin strips
1 green bell pepper cut into thin strips
16 stalks of asparagus, trimmed and sliced

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Mix 2 tablespoons of the Cilantro Pesto with all the peppers and asparagus into a bowl, set aside.

Take one serving of the fillets and cover each side with the pesto then place in center of the paper. Cover fish with one cup of spinach. On top of the spinach goes 1/4 of the pepper/asparagus mixture.

Move the package to a cookie sheet. Then carefully fold in the short ends then the long ends of the of each piece of parchment, securing by tucking the ends under the packet.

Bake for about 20 minutes. Fish is done when it flakes easily (you can snip a corner of the package to test).

Using a spatula, transfer the packets to each plate. Carefully cut open an end of the package to allow the steam to escape. Serve.

Superfood Pizza, from the NY Times

This recipe utilizes Olive Oil, Whole Wheat, Walnuts, Dark Leafy Greens (arugula). I've not tried it but thought it would be a good one to check out.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/health/26recipehealth.html?_r=1&ref=health

Wonder Nut Oatmeal

I love this breakfast as it incorporates so many SuperFoods... with exception of the salt, every item is a nutrient-dense. And on a cold winter morning, it is official comfort food.

Ingredients:
½ cup of Quick Cooking Oats (not 1 minute kind)
2 tablespoons of ground flax seed meal
2 tablespoons of oat bran
1/3 cup of dried blueberries or cranberries
2 T of chopped walnuts
1 cup of non-fat milk or soy milk
dash of salt
dash of cinnamon
drizzle of honey to taste

Microwave oats for 2 minutes, let stand for 1 minute then sweeten according to taste.