Spider:

1.5 cups skim milk (may sub water)
2 tsp dry yeast
2.5 Tbs brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
0.25 cup oil (I used Smart Balance oil blend)

0.5 cups rolled oats (not quickcook)
2.75 cups flour (I did half unbleached bread flour and half whole wheat)
1tsp salt

0.5 cups chopped dates
0.5 cups chopped dried apples
1tsp cinnamon
healthy dash of pumpkin pie spice (ginger nutmeg allspice cinnamon)
0.5 tsp salt

If you use a bread machine, set it to regular bread with a light crust setting and add the fruit mix when it beeps. By itself though, I'd suggest mixing the wet and dry ingredients, letting it sit 5-10 to allow gluten to form, then adding in the fruit mix. Let it rise to double, punch it down, form a loaf, put it in a greased pan and let it rise again. When it looks ready (i.e., the size of a breaf loaf), bake it at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Edited to Add: the picture of the Kale soup

Chicken Stock*

2 rotisserie chicken carcasses (the meat having been eaten earlier)**
1/2 onion, quartered
4-5 carrots, rough chopped
1 small bunch celery, rough chopped (incl. leaves)
1 leek, split and chopped
pinch Mrs. Dash
pinch pink Alaea salt (any sea salt would be lovely)
water (mine is filtered)

•Dump ingredients into very large soup pot, fill with water sufficient to cover them. Cook over high heat until brought to a boil, then reduce to low. Simmer for however many hours you like, checking it periodically to skim off the surface impurities. (I usually go midday to dinner time.)
•Most recipes call for a strain first, but my kitchen space is limited, so I pull out the bones and then strain the stock into a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and cool in the fridge. The next day, remove the fat that has solidified on the surface.
•Freeze in containers, or ice cube trays (perfect for singles or small family units).




Kale, White Bean, and Sausage Soup - 8 "hearty" servings

1 bunch Kale, rough chopped
3 sausages [.75 lb] (mine were pork, garlic & sweet pepper ones from Whole Foods)***
1/2 onion
2-3 carrots
1 can cannellini beans (navy beans), drained and rinsed
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 package baby bella mushrooms
olive oil
pinch salt
pinch pepper
stock

• With a little olive oil, brown the sausages in the bottom of a soup pot. Don't worry about cooking them all the way through now, they're going to cook more later. Drain in papertowel lined container.
•Add onions and carrots to pot, cook until onions go translucent. (I also threw in a bit of celery and leek for flavor.)
•Add Kale and stock (you may have to cook kale down a bit first). Simmer on low for about 2 hours.
•Once the kale has cooked down, slice the sausages into bite sized pieces and reheat in a skillet with a little olive oil. Remove and add sausages to soup.
•Add cannellini beans to soup. Continue simmering.
• Add minced garlic to skillet and cook through. Then, add mushrooms. Once sauteed, add mushrooms to
soup. Simmer for a short while longer (10-15 minutes). Serve!




Tuna Salad Mediterraneo - 4 servings

2 cans tuna in water, drained
1 good handful of olives (I used oil-cured Moroccan black olives)
3-4 sweet hot peppers from a jar/olive bar (sometimes called cherry peppers; you can sub roasted red), chopped
4-5 marinated artichoke hearts
some celery (for crunch only), fine dice
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 TB balsamic vinagrette
salt and pepper to taste

•Drain and squeeze tuna of water. Mix with all solid ingredients, then add mayo and balsamico and mix well.






*I know most of you know how to do this already, but I'm just throwing my version up there, as I was doing this along with the others.
**This is considered a brown stock (as opposed to a light or clear stock), because the chicken has been cooked first.
***Absolutely no reason not to do with vegetarian sausages and stock, if you are so inclined.

Sausage Cornbread Bake (the lighter version)

1 lb turkey sausage
1 can Petite Dice Tomatoes with peppers and onions
½ cup Egg Beaters (2 eggs worth)
1 ½ cups SELF-RISING buttermilk cornmeal mix
¾ cup skim milk
some Cayenne Pepper or Chili Seasoning or Hot Sauce!
shredded (light or fat free) cheese, to taste

Preheat to 425F. Grease 2-qt backing dish. Brown sausage in skillet and drain.

Combine all ingredients except cheese and sausage in a bowl. Mix well. Pour half into the greased baking dish. Sprinkle with sausage and cheese. Pour remaining batter over top. Bake for 30 minutes and let cool. Makes 12-24 servings, depending on how you want to cut it!