A creamy soft cheese made from kefir or yogurt. Easy to make and a perfect substitute for sour cream, cream cheese, and more!
Yield: 

Varies
Ingredients: 

8 cups (or more) homemade kefir or homemade yogurt

Supplies needed:

Strainer
Bowl
Cheesecloth or thin dish towel
Instructions: 

1.
Place your strainer in the bowl. (Ideally the bottom of the strainer
should rest at least a few inches above the bottom of your bowl.) Line
with the cheesecloth (2 layers of 90-count cheesecloth works perfectly!)
or clean thin dish towel.

2. Pour your kefir or yogurt into the cheesecloth or towel. Allow to
grain for 15-20 minutes. Carefully and gently tie the towel ends
together to cover the kefir (or yogurt). Allow kefir to drain for an
additional 8-24 hours (can be kept out on the counter or in the fridge
while draining), until the cheese is the consistency desired.

For a sour cream consistency, I like to drain for about 8 hours. This
makes a creamy spreadable texture, perfect on tacos, beans and rice, or
spread on crackers!

For a thicker cream cheese consistency, drain for 18 hours (approximately). This is great for cheese balls or cheese spread.

Drain for 24 hours or so for a thick soft cheese copnsistency.

Add herbs if desired! Store cheese in fridge until used (keeps for several weeks).

Quick and easy homemade refried beans! These beans are soft, flavorful, and good enough to eat all by themselves!
Yield: 

about 2 cups
Ingredients: 

2 cups cooked pinto beans*
2 tablespoons oil
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped green pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
~1/2 cup water, as needed
Salt, to taste
Your favorite hot sauce, to taste
Chopped fresh cilantro, optional Instructions: 

1.
Heat heavy skillet or pan (I use cast iron) over medium heat. Add oil,
then add beans, garlic, onion, pepper, and cumin. Cook and stir, mashing
with a spoon or spatula as you stir and adding a little water as
needed.

2. Cook until beans are hot and as smooth as desired (I like mine
chunky!). Add salt to taste and a few splashes of hot sauce along with
freshly chopped cilantro if desired.

Serve hot with tortilla chips for dipping, or use in any recipe calling for refried beans.

Cauliflower Carrot Herb Mash

1 head of cauliflower, washed, and cut into florets

3 to 4 small to medium carrots, peeled and chopped

1 sweet onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste
Place cauliflower and carrots in a steamer basket in a large soup pot, season with salt and pepper, and steam until soft (about 10 to 12 minutes, test with fork).

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in non-stick skillet on medium heat.

Saute onion, garlic, and herbs until onion is translucent. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Place steamed cauliflower and carrots into a food processor. Add the sauteed onion, garlic, herbs, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Process until smooth. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.

Garnish with additional fresh thyme or rosemary and serve.

Ingredients:
• 1 Cauliflower head, grated into “rice” over the coarse side of a grater.
• 1 Onion, finely chopped.
• 2-3 cloves of Garlic, minced.
• 2 tbsp chopped Parsley.
• 1 tbsp Chili Flakes.
• Salt and crushed Black Pepper.
• 3 tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil.

Instructions:
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan.
Add onions, garlic and parsley and fry for a few minutes until the onions starts to get translucent.
Then add the riced cauliflower and let fry for another five minutes or so, stirring every once in a while so the cauliflower and onions get evenly mixed.
Towards the end, add the chili flakes (Edit: start with just a small amount, taste it and then add more if needed until you have a level of heat that you prefer! You don’t want this too hot, it should have a pleasant heat to it…) and then salt and pepper to taste.
Serve as a side dish, eat and enjoy!

Sliced banana, spread nut butter on outside, roll in chia seeds, coconut, crushed pretzels, or walnuts.  Serve.

1/2 c butter, softened

1/2 c smooth peanut butter

1 1/4 c sugar

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

1/4 c water

1 egg

1 T vanilla

1 1/2 c flour

1 c rolled oats

1 c golden raisins (or chocolate chips)

3 c Cheerios

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Beat butter & peanut butter for 30 seconds.  Add sugar, baking soda & salt, beat until combined.  Add water, egg and vanilla until combined.  Beat in flour just until combined.  Beat in oats as much as possible.  Stir in raisins and cereal.

Drop large spoons fulls about 3 inches apart on a cookie sheet.  Flatten a bit and bake 10-12 minutes.  Cool on sheet for a few minutes before transferring to wire rack.  Can be frozen up to 3 months.  Last only 5 days if left out.

Try maple syrup instead of sugar.  Would whole wheat flour work instead of white flour?  How about canola oil versus the butter??  Add some flax seed?  Maybe almonds?

Original idea from Better Homes & Gardens

Ingredients

• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or regular whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (make your own the day before)
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 egg, beaten to mix
• 1 egg white
• 3/4 cup chopped dried tart cherries (or other dried fruit)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup apricot preserves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, wheat germ, cinnamon and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the honey, applesauce, oil, egg and egg white until well combined. Stir in the oatmeal mixture until well combined. Add the dried cherries and walnuts.

Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out

clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Put the preserves in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as the bars come out of the oven, brush with the preserves. Cool completely and cut into 12 bars, about 4 by1 1/2 inches each.