My Creativity Runneth Over

It would be surprising how little I'm using recipes if it weren't for the fact that my favorite cookbooks are put out by Cooking Light and only a small percentage of their recipes can be done without processed foods. Some of my latest creations:

* Baked onion rings. Turned out a bit bland, but surprisingly crispy. (dip onion slices into a beaten egg, then into a mixture of cornmeal, salt, and other flavorings. Bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees)

* Potato puffs. Microwave a whole baking potato until cooked thoroughly. Throw in the food processor with a couple eggs, some seasoning, skim milk, fresh herbs, cheese if you want it. Bake in a popover pan (400 or 450 degrees--don't remember exactly) until they are puffy and golden brown.

* "Fried" shrimp--cooked in a skillet on the stove with a cornmeal breading but only a spritz of olive oil

* Quesadillas with every vegetable & black bean combination imaginable

* Baked brown rice with vegetables--probably a complete waste of electricity, but it was a good experiment. I'll go back to cooking the stuff on the stove. If you get the brown rice baked the vegetables are REALLY overdone.

Know what I miss lately? Skippy peanut butter. Luckily Costco sells an allowable organic peanut butter so we don't have to keep grinding our own, but there's just something about that ultra-processed, shelf-stable creaminess that really just IS peanut butter. Sigh......