Susan P. Baker

The long awaited second installment of the Lady Lawyer Mysteries is now available wherever ebooks are sold and in paperback on Amazon!

In the midst of a midlife crisis, lawyer Sandra Salinsky finds herself coerced into defending a ranch's Latina señora, who has been accused in the shooting death of one of the rancher's twin daughters. Set in a small town deep in the Texas Hill Country, this murder mystery encompasses a jury trial wherein the defense team battles not only what they and the rancher - who is the defendant's best friend - feel is an unwarranted murder charge, but also the prejudice towards Hispanic people in their Anglo community. Before the case is decided, Sandra and her lawyer mother sidekick will witness the ugly underbelly of white privilege as it exists in 21st century America.

Here are two more recipes I love to make when the weather is cooler. I love putting pumpkin in everything and these recipes are no exception!

First up are the Breakfast Brownie Muffins. You can make these exactly as they're written, or you can replace the egg with the flaxseed eggs I talked about in my last post! Either way they're delicious. I also added the option to include pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts for a bit of plant protein, and I recommend using coconut flour instead of almond flour if you like a slight coconut flavor!

    Ingredients:

    6 Tbsp. melted coconut oil

    3 Large eggs, whisked

    1 tsp. vanilla extract

    ¼ cup coconut cream (from the top of a can of refrigerated coconut milk)

    2 Tbsp. almond milk

    1 cup almond flour

    2 tsp. baking powder

    3 Tbsp. chia seeds, ground

    ½ cup erythritol + stevia, to taste 

    ½ cup unsweetened cacao powder

    ½ cup pumpkin seeds or walnuts, chopped small

Steps: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Melt the coconut oil and set aside to cool a little. Whisk the eggs, vanilla extract, coconut cream, and almond milk together. In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, baking powder, ground chia, erythritol, and cacao powder together. Stir in chopped walnuts or chopped pumpkin seeds. Once the coconut oil is cool enough, whisk it into the egg mix and then add the egg mix into the almond flour mix. Combine well and divide between 8 parts of a greased muffin tray. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Allow to cool before removing from the muffin tray.

Next up, Turkey Pumpkin Chili! I like to exchange garbanzo beans instead of the cannellini beans, but either way is great! The spiced pumpkin and lean turkey of this dish always leave me wanting more. It's definitely a personal favorite, so I hope you like it!

    Ingredients:

    2 Tbsp. olive oil

    1 small yellow onion, chopped

    1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey

    1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. ground coriander

    2½ tsp. smoked paprika

    1½ tsp. kosher salt

    2 (15 oz.) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (or garbanzo beans!)

    1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree

    1½ cups low sodium chicken broth

    1¾ cups water

    Hot sauce, sour cream, and sliced scallions, for serving

Steps: Heat oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in turkey, coriander, paprika, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until turkey is browned, about 5 minutes.

Stir beans, pumpkin, water, and broth into turkey mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until heated through, about 15 minutes. Top with hot sauce, sour cream, and scallions, to taste.

Here are two pumpkin recipes I've grown to love this fall! I'm always looking for more healthy recipes to try and here are two I've found extremely simple to make and satisfying to eat. I hope you like them as much as I do!

First, the Vegged-Out Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup.

This is a heartwarming vegan soup recipe I found by Nestle. This vegetable soup will leave you happy, healthy, and warm while you dive into your latest read!

    Ingredients: 

    1 Tbsp. olive oil

    5 green onions thinly sliced (separate light green/white parts from dark green parts)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

    3 garlic cloves, chopped

    1 ½ tsp ground cumin

    ½ tsp dried thyme

    2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

    1 (15 oz.) can pure pumpkin

    1 (14.5 oz.) can no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained

    1 (14 oz.) can vegetable broth

    ½ cup water

    ½ tsp. Salt, or more to taste

    ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Steps: Heat olive oil in a very large (12-inch) nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add white and light green onions, bell pepper, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes or until soft. Stir in cumin and thyme; cook, stirring occasionally for 1 minute. Add beans, pumpkin, tomatoes and their juice, broth, and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook for 10 minutes. Stir in salt and cayenne pepper. Top each serving with sliced dark green onion tops. Makes 8 (1 cup) servings.

(Recipe courtesy of Nestle)

Second, these Pumpkin Spice Thyroid Booster Muffins!

These pumpkin spice muffins are the perfect, gluten-free fall snack, and with my flaxseed meal substitution, vegan too! They're also filled with great ingredients that help your thyroid, so with these you can't go wrong!

    Ingredients: 

    6 eggs*

    ¾ cup coconut flour

    ¾ cup maple syrup

    ½ cup unsweetened pumpkin puree

    1 ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice

    1 tsp. lemon juice

    ¾ tsp. baking soda

    ⅛ tsp. salt

    ¼ cup pumpkin seeds

    *to replace 1 egg, substitute one tbsp. flaxseed meal mixed with 3 tbsp. of water. Scale up this mixture x6 to replace all 6 eggs.

Steps: Combine all ingredients except pumpkin seeds and mix well. Divide evenly among 12 lined or greased muffin cups. Top with pumpkin seeds. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until centers are set, between 25-30 minutes**. Let cool and enjoy!

    **If you like your muffins less moist and more firm, leave them in the oven five to ten minutes longer!

Thanks to eBook Daily for featuring my books for the third time! Head to eBook Daily to get FREE ebooks every day! If you havent gotten My First Murder yet, now's your chance! Head here to get your free copy and see the other featured books!

Enjoy this sneak peek at my upcoming novel Death of a Rancher's Daughter, the sequel to Death of a Prince! This book is coming by the end of 2020.

In the midst of a midlife crisis, lawyer Sandra Salinsky finds herself coerced into defending a ranch's Latina señora, who has been accused in the shooting death of one of the rancher's twin daughters. Set in a small town deep in the Texas Hill Country, this murder mystery encompasses a jury trial wherein the defense team battles not only what they and the rancher - who is the defendant's best friend - feel is an unwarranted murder charge, but also the prejudice towards Hispanic people in their anglo community. Before the case is decided, Sandra and her lawyer mother sidekick will witness the ugly underbelly of white privilege as it exists in 21st century America.

Click here to download it now!

I collected bits from magazines and newspapers I've been reading. I'm including a few of them below:

Morning pickup - Lemon in the morning - sip 16 oz. of water mixed with 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (30 min. before breakfast, if possible). This allegedly will cut tiredness, brain fog, and body aches by 45% in one week. Lemons have d-limonene that encourages tissues to release toxins. The water dilutes them so your kidneys can excrete them. I've been drinking lemon water for quite a while. I don't measure it, but will now, though I add lemon to my iced tea later in the day.

Help for thyroid slowdown - 1 tsp. seaweed a day can help thyroid function by 35%. Seaweed gomasio can be sprinkled on food instead of salt if you don't want to eat seaweed.

To be peppier - 20 grams of protein for breakfast can give you more energy and make you feel stronger all day. 3 whole eggs, 1 cup Greek yogurt, or 1 cup oatmeal with ½ cup nuts.

Teeth whitening - the natural combination of xylitol (which increases saliva) and activated charcoal makes teeth look whiter. (Whether this actually makes them whiter is not clear from the article I read. Maybe it's a matter of semantics.) Tom's of Maine Peppermint activated Charcoal Toothpaste contains this. I haven't tried it. I just bought a tube, and if you're curious, contact me in 3 months.

Cracked skin - combine 2 tbsp. Ground oatmeal with 2 tbsp. water. Rub onto dry hands and rinse after 10 minutes.

Memory problems - a cup of tea a day whether black, green, or oolong can help lower the risk of mental decline by up to 50%. Tea protects nerves from amyloid protein damage, which is a toxin that accumulates in the brain.

Thinning bones - eat ½ cup of leafy greens, 6 oz. of Greek yogurt, or ½ cups of nuts every day to get silica, boron, lysine, and magnesium which stimulate cells to build new bone tissue.

~~these hints derived mostly from Women's World Magazine

If you were signed up for my newsletter over the holidays, you might remember I sent out a free Mavis short story called The Holiday Cookie. Ever wonder what the recipe was for the cookies Margaret was making? Well here it is! Now you can cook along with Margaret and baffle the Mavis in your life!

If you missed the story or want to read it again, click here.
 
Basic Sugar Cookies

1 ¼ cup sorghum flour     ½ cup teff flour

¼ cup amaranth flour      ¾ cup potato starch

¾ cup tapioca starch       2 tsp xanthan gum

1 ½ tsp baking soda          1 tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp sea salt         
2 tbsp flax seed meal mixed with 1/3 cup hot water

¾ cup nondairy butter      ½ cup coconut oil

1 cup packed organic brown sugar

½ cup organic evaporated cane juice or organic raw honey or pure maple syrup

1 tbsp organic, unsweetened applesauce

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

Process:

Whisk dry ingredients together.

Mix hot water and flax seed meal and set aside

Cream together butter, coconut oil, brown sugar, and sugar

Add dry ingredients slowly to wet ingredients until fully mixed. If dough is too dry and doesn't stick together, mix a little water at a time until it looks like traditional cookie dough.

Mix for 1 minute.

Cover and refrigerate dough for one hour or overnight. (or bake if you can't wait)

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets

Bake at 350º for 11-12 minutes til edges are slightly browned but center doesn't look done.

Do not overbake.

Cool on rack.

(May add chocolate chips, nuts, or other bits as desired)

Adapted from The Healthy Gluten-Free Life by Tammy Credicott

Remember Carl and The Rex Cafe in My First Murder? Here's a recipe for Carl's "Truck Stop Enchiladas", to make and eat while you devour the book!

12 (uncooked/soft) corn tortillas
1-pound mild cheddar shredded
2 cans chile con carne or meat sauce (chili without beans)
1 chopped onion
Preferred oil for cooking
Fresh cilantro for garnish
13 X 9 inch greased baking dish

1. Pour chili into a medium bowl and warm.
2. Heat ¼ inch of oil in a skillet until almost smoking. Using tongs, dip a tortilla into the hot
oil for 5 seconds, turn it over for 5 more, lift and let oil drip back into the pan.
3. Dip tortilla into the warm chile con carne until covered, remove to a greased baking dish.
Put two tablespoons of cheese on the tortilla, roll and place seam side down in baking
dish. Repeat.
4. Pour the remaining chile con carne over the enchiladas, top with shredded cheese and
finely chopped raw onion.
5. Heat in a 400F oven for 10 minutes or until the top is melted and the dish is bubbling.
6. Makes 12 enchiladas, or six servings.

Adapted from, Unorthodox Epicure, Adam Holland

Yesterday evening I was interviewed on Chat & Spin Radio UK about my books and writing experience. Scroll on the player below to 1:05:00 to listen to the short interview!

In these frightening times, with corona viruses springing up—that includes the really scary Covid 19—emphasis has been on washing hands and disinfecting surfaces, and that's really important. However, we should also be diligent about protecting our families from food that may have come into contact with people who have been exposed to a virus.

Some people suggest simply rinsing your produce under the faucet prior to eating. Others say spraying with white vinegar and rinsing prior to eating will disinfect. (This will clean but not disinfect.) When I lived in Mexico, there were vegetable and fruit washes on just about every corner. They're a bit harder to find here and not always effective, though if it's easier for you, certainly use them liberally on your fresh produce.

For a home solution, I suggest the following recipes:

For most fruits and vegetables: mix together 4 cups water, 1 cup white vinegar, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Fill your spray bottle with this solution and spray your fruit or vegetables liberally (you will want to put your produce in a colander in your sink). Wait about five minutes. Rinse with cool water and scrub thick skinned produce with a brush. Pat dry.

For leafy greens: fill a large bowl with 4 cups of water, one cup of white vinegar, a tablespoon of salt. Soak the greens for five minutes. Rinse completely with cold water. Dry thoroughly because wet greens decay faster in the refrigerator.

Of course constantly be diligent about scrubbing your hands with soap and water for two verses of Happy Birthday. And use disinfectant to wipe down surfaces with which strangers may have had contact.

If you're holing up in your house for any period of time, all of my books are available inexpensively as e-books. Simply go to www.susanpbaker.com for the links.

Stay safe!