I had a craving for cookies the other day and I had some shredded coconut so I decided I wanted to make coconut cookies. Problem is, I'm currently not eating flour or granulated sugar, so my options were limited. I still *needed* cookies (for my sanity), so I knew my only option was to create a recipe of my own. I started with a coconut peanut butter recipe I found online and eliminated the flour. I also substituted the white and brown granulated sugars in the recipe for honey, added almonds, and changed a few more amounts since I wasn't using flour. My husband and I were somewhat skeptical that these would turn out to be stellar cookies since we had changed so much of the recipe, but we figured if nothing else the batter would hit the spot. They actually turned out really well!

Also, I'm no gluten-free expert but since these don't use flour they might qualify... but check it out first before serving to a friend who has a gluten intolerance and causing him/her some problems later.
:-)

Finally, a friend tried them and used some oats instead of part of the almonds, she said that was really good. I imagine you could make several substitutions here and get a similar effect. Ex: Almond butter instead of peanut butter; other nuts/oats instead of almonds; add a few chocolate chips. Enjoy the cookies!
 
Not much in the produce section is really looking good this time of year, but broccoli is thriving. I do love broccoli, but after a while there is only so much of it I want to eat steamed as a side dish. This broccoli cheddar soup is a good way to mix it up. It's ready in under an hour and really hits the spot on a cold winter day.
 
Beans get a bad rap for being boring. And I have to admit that a lot of the time they can be. As a child the thought of pinto beans sounded so dry and gross. It was clearly something that only my parents would eat.

However, there are SO many great ways to fix beans to make them more exciting. I have a sweet tooth, so for me adding some honey, ginger, and other spices to my beans gave them much more of a comfort food taste. I've even made these beans for people who originally heard pinto beans and thought "great, should have come for dinner a different night" and ended up really liking them!

There's no exact science called for in this bean recipe. Feel free to add more, or no, meat. Add more honey, ginger, or any other spice you want/have in the pantry. Enjoy!