Sausage and Bean Soup

Ingredients:

12 oz. dry beans, soaked, drained and rinsed according to package directions
1 can chicken broth
4 cups water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 tbls. coconut oil, separated
1 cup chopped onion
1 lb. sausage, cooked and crumbled or sliced - use any sausage you like,
        I used a 1 lb. roll of New York Style Italian sausage
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery diced
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 tsp. garlic powder)
12 oz. fresh or frozen corn

Prepare beans, drain soak water and rinse. Add chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Add bouillon, pepper and salt.

In a medium skillet, heat 1 tbls. oil.  Add diced onion and saute until softened and translucent.  Add onions to soup pot.

Turn down heat and simmer for 1-2 hours until beans are softened.

Meanwhile, cook sausage in skillet.  When browned, drain and add to beans.

In same skillet, heat remaining tablespoon oil.  Saute diced carrots until soft and add to soup pot.  Then saute diced celery and garlic until softened and add to soup pot. Simmer for an additional 20 - 30 minutes.

Ten minutes before serving, add corn.  Cook until heated through.

Breakfast Crumb Cake

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 12X15 inch cake pan.

Cake:

1 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups almond milk
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tbls. baking powder
1 tbls. vanillla

Filling:

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 tbls. cinnamon
2 cups flour

Topping:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Cream butter and sugar. Add almond milk and eggs. Stir in flour and baking powder until combined. Mix in vanilla.

Spread half of batter in greased 12X15 inch baking pan.

Mix all filling ingredients together until crumbly. Sprinkle 1 cup of filling over cake batter in pan, squeeze some of the filling mixture into balls and spread around, reserve about 1 cup filling.  Spread remaining batter on top of filling. Then sprinkle with remaining filling crumbles.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 - 45 minutes.

Remove from oven. Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.

Yogurt Coffee Cake

I modified this recipe from an old recipe my mom used to use. Sorry, I wasn't able to get a picture this time, the kids ate it up too fast! Or the next...

Preheat oven to 375°
Grease the bottom and half way up the sides of a 9X13 inch pan.

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar or coconut sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup melted coconut oil
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups plain or vanilla yogurt (I used Nancy's Plain Honey Yogurt)
3 eggs

Mix flour, brown (or coconut) sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.  Add coconut oil and stir until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Set aside one cup of mixture for topping.

Stir in baking soda and baking powder.

In a separate bowl mix yogurt and eggs until combined.

While stirring the flour quickly, pour the yogurt mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture, this will prevent the cold yogurt and eggs from causing the coconut oil to clump up.

Spread about 3/4 of the batter into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle 2/3 cup of the reserved mixture on top of the batter.  Drizzle the remaining batter on top - don't spread.  Sprinkle with remaining topping.

Bake at 375° for 35 minutes.

Serve warm with butter or an additional drizzle of coconut oil.