Recipe-- Whole Wheat Penne with Sausage, Asparagus, & Tomatoes

1- 12oz box of whole grain penne ( I like the kind with milled flax-seed)

1/2 lb Fresh Asparagus, with the ends cut off and then cut into 2" pieces.

1- 14.5oz Can of organic diced tomatoes with Italian herbs

1 lb Italian-style turkey sausage, cut into 1/2" slices (if you're veggie, the "Lightlife Lean Italian Links" faux sausage also works quite nicely- just use a little more olive oil)

2 cloves garlic, minced

Olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Shredded Parmesean, Asiago & Provolone Cheese

In a large frying pan, fry the minced garlic in a couple tablespoons of olive oil at medium low heat. Add the sausage, salt and fresh ground pepper, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is cooked through. Drain off half the fat/juices. Add the can of diced tomatoes and heat through. After the tomatoes are heated through, add the asparagus, mix in thoroughly, cover, and turn off the burner.

In a separate big pasta pot, bring salted water to a boil. Once water is boiling, add the asparagus. Boil the asparagus for 2-3 minutes, JUST until done. Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon, and put aside in a bowl.

Now add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions, just until al dente. Drain the pasta.

Dump the drained pasta and the sausage/vegetable mixture back into the big pasta pot and mix thoroughly.

Spoon onto plate and sprinkle shredded cheeses and more freshly ground pepper on top, if desired.

Serves a lot of people, let's say 6.

Recipe- Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Muffins

Dry Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup Unbleached White Flour
1/4 Cup light brown sugar (like sugar in the raw)
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/2 TB Baking Powder
2 Tsp Cocoa Powder
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Milk
2 TB Oil (I use Olive oil, 'cause that's all I buy)
1 Large Egg, Beaten

Mix-Ins:
3/4 Cup Ghiradelli or other good-quality semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Combine dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

Combine wet ingredients in a small bowl.

Pour Wet ingredients into the dry mixture and mix just until combined.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spoon into muffin tin, lined with paper cups, or greased if you have no paper cups.

Sprinkle Cinnamon Sugar Topping(2 TB Light brown Sugar mixed with 1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon) on to the muffin batter.

Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and bake the muffins for 15 minutes.

Recipe makes 6 muffins, which is just the right amount for just a few people. :)

(recipe adapted from an awesome basic 6 muffin recipe from Lauren Daniels)

Maple Cinnamon Apple Sauce

6 medium sized apples
½ cup water
½ cup maple syrup
2 small cinnamon sticks

Core and cut the apple into wedges. (I use one of those apple corer-wedger thingies) dump the apple wedges into a stockpot or large saucepan with a heavy bottom. Dump the ½ cup water, ½ cup maple syrup and 2 cinnamon sticks into the pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until apples are very tender. Remove the cinnamon sticks. Dump the mixture (in stages, if necessary) into the bender and blend the apple sauce until smooth. Some people use a sieve and throw away the apple skins, but they’re full of fiber and good for you, so I don’t recommend it. Allow to cool a bit and serve warm, or chill. You can also freeze it for up to 6 months, if so inclined.