Apple Craisin Salad with Pecans

My brother claims that this salad, "Tastes like fall." It's true, it really does once you think about it - apples, cinnamon, craisins, pecans. It weirded him out because we were eating it in April, but I had just thought up the recipe and really wanted to give it a try. (And test it out on unsuspecting victims.) I personally think it's yummy to eat year round, but it definitely is right at home now that apples are in season and there's a chill in the air. Plus, it's really easy and healthy.

In a large bowl, mix the yogurt and cinnamon until combined.

Chop apples into small pieces. I use Pink Lady apples in this recipe because they are some of my favorites. They're dense, crunchy and have a little bit of tartness to them.

Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir.

It's that easy, people! Take a bite and taste fall.

Apple Craisin Salad with Pecans

Ingredients:
5 medium apples
2 cups vanilla yogurt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Chop apples into bite size pieces. Mix yogurt with cinnamon, and add apples, cranberries and pecans. Stir together and serve immediately.

Recipe source: HeatOvenTo350

Maple-Oat Buttermilk Quick Bread

 
I grew up in Vermont, and therefore I'm a little biased toward all things with maple syrup in them, but I swear I would love this bread even if I didn't have such an appreciation for foods from my childhood. It's super fast, super easy, and super tasty. It's a moist quick bread (that means no yeast, so no rising time or kneading or anything like that) that has just a hint of sweetness. Think of it as the New England equivalent of that Hawaiian sweet bread that is so delicious. It goes great with a pureed soup like zucchini or butternut squash or just eaten fresh out of the loaf pan with a little butter.

Like most quick breads, you mix together your dry ingredients first, and then your wet ingredients, combine and bake. So easy. In this case the dry ingredients are flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. The wet ingredients are an egg, vegetable oil, maple syrup and brown sugar. I know, the sugar isn't technically a wet ingredient. Neither are the oats that you stir in next.

 

If you don't have real maple syrup (and no, you can't substitute Mrs. Butterworth) I've made this recipe with molasses before and it turns out okay. It's not as sweet and the maple syrup is definitely more special, but it's still a good bread. You could try honey, too, but you're on your own there.

I don't always have buttermilk on hand either, but I do make sure I always have powdered buttermilk. It's the best substitute I've found for buttermilk. You just add the powder to the dry ingredients and add water equal to the amount of buttermilk you were supposed to use in the recipe to the wet ingredients.

Mix the wet and dry mixtures and pour into a loaf pan that has been lightly sprayed with vegetable oil.

Bake at for about 50 min to an hour, or when a tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Slice and eat.

Maple-Oat Buttermilk Quick Bread

1 1/4 cups all-purpose white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 T lightly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups nonfat buttermilk
3/4 cup regular or quick rolled oats

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a loaf pan with vegetable oil spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the white flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg with the oil until smooth. Whisk in the maple syrup, brown sugar, and buttermilk. Stir in the oats.

3. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake until the bread is golden brown, the edges pull away slightly from the sides of the pan, and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about an hour.

4. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, turn onto a rack and cool completely before slicing. (This bread can be wrapped and refrigerated for 1 day or frozen for up to 2 weeks.)

Recipe source: American Medical Association Family Health Cookbook

Southwestern Chicken Pasta Salad

I'm picky about my pasta salads. I don't like heavy dressings, I don't like when you can't tell what the ingredients are, and I don't like when they are too sweet or contain tuna. These are my pasta salad rules. You could break maybe one of these rules and I might eat it, but two or more, forget about it. Life's too short to spend picking tuna out of a white, sloppy mess of mushy pasta and unrecognizable veggies. This salad breaks none of them, and I love it for that. Instead of plain mayo it uses a white BBQ sauce and there are plenty of colorful vegetables that lend taste, crunch and visual appeal. It's perfect for that one last fall get together before we all hibernate inside for the winter.

The white BBQ sauce consists of mayo, cider vinegar, horseradish, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. I had my doubts the first time I made this because I had a pretty bad experience at a reward dinner in high school for a scholarship or something that involved a salad made entirely of horseradish. That may be an exaggeration, but I do remember looking at my mom with a bright red face and tears in the corners of my eyes and seeing that she looked exactly the same. I don't think it was much of a reward at all. Anyway, the horseradish and cayenne pepper just add a little kick to the salad and not much more. In all, the sauce is not overpowering so don't let it scare you. It's also easy to make. You just whisk it together while you are boiling your pasta, and then start chopping veggies. There are so many colors in this salad, it's not wonder that I love it. Chop a yellow bell pepper, red bell pepper, red onion (I only had white on hand when I took this picture) a jalepeno and cilantro.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain it thoroughly and either cool it in the fridge for 30 minutes or rinse it under cold water until it is cold. Or both. Just let it cool down before adding the BBQ sauce, chicken and veggies. The recipe suggests saving some of the pasta cooking water to thin out the BBQ sauce. I nearly always forget to save some cooking water, but I do thin out the BBQ sauce with tap water. Stir to combine, and refrigerate until time to serve. This salad tastes better after sitting for a couple hours in the fridge, and tastes good even a couple days later. The sauce will get soaked up by the pasta but it still tastes good. If you don't like this, make a little extra sauce to add right before serving.

Southwestern Chicken Pasta Salad

salt
1 pound corkscrew pasta
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups shredded grilled chicken
1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, minced
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced (leave the seeds if you want it spicier)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice
~1 cup White BBQ Sauce (below)
pepper

Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large pot. Add one tablespoon salt and pasta and cook until nearly tender, about 8 minutes. Add corn and cook one minute more. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and corn. Transfer pasta and corn to large bowl and refrigerate until completely cooled, at least 30 minutes.

Stir in chicken, beans, bell peppers, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, and sauce. Add reserved pasta cooking water. 1 tablespoon at a time, until sauce is loose. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. Salad can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 days. Check consistency and seasonings before serving.

White BBQ Sauce
(One batch equals ~1 cup)

3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate sauce in airtight container for at least one hour or up to 2 days.
 
Recipe source: Cooks Country June/July 2006

Pork & Bean Hotdog Skillet

You know how some things that you make you think to yourself, "This meal is a total chic meal." Meaning that maybe it's a really great salad or something. Then sometimes when you are making a real meat and potatoes kind of meal you think, "This meal is all for my hubbie.." Well this recipe may be classified under the latter. Don't get me wrong, it's such a yummmmmy recipe but it doesn't have really pretty color, nor does it have ummm any nutritional value aside from the protein and fiber. BUT if you are needing a really tasty skillet recipe that will stick to your bones, this is it!! It's got wonderful flavor, and just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy! So from my mom's kitchen to yours, here you go. (P.S. Sorry about the awful picture--by the time it was done we just dove in and there wasn't any left to take a pretty picture--I'll fix that the next time I make this dish. ;o) )

Pork & Bean Hotdog Skillet

1 lb Ground Beef

1 small Onion, chopped

1 30 oz can Pork & Beans

1 8 oz can Tomato Sauce

1 tablespoon Mustard

2 teaspoons Worsteshire Sauce

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Pepper

6 Hot Dogs, sliced

1 cup Cheese, for sprinkling on top

1. In a large skillet, brown the beef and onion together. Just browned (don't overdo this because you don't want your meat to be rubbery)

2. Add the pork & beans, tomato sauce, mustard, worsteshire sauce, salt, pepper, and hotdogs.

3. Simmer on medium low for 30 minutes.

4. Sprinkle with cheese and allow to melt.

5. Serve hot and bubbly.

Apples 'n Greens

Crisp, fall apples. A light apple dressing with a touch of cinnamon. Pecans. Cheddar cheese. This is the perfect fall salad to me. It's healthy and tasty, and it is another excuse to buy and eat apples. The dressing is very light and simple and so easy to make. Plus, you can make it ahead of time, which is great if you are bringing it somewhere or plan on having dinner guests.

The dressing includes apple juice, lemon juice, cider vinegar, vegetable oil, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, pepper, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. It's a lot of ingredients, but it whisks together quickly and most things I tend to have on hand already. I'm not much of a juice drinker, so I buy juice boxes of 100% apple juice for recipes like this one that uses only 1/2 a cup or less. That way I always have some in my cupboard and I don't waste a huge container of juice just for a little bit in a recipe.

Next, wash some romaine and red-tipped leaf lettuce and tear it into bite size pieces. The only chopping in this salad is the apples. Slice up a medium Granny Smith and a medium of your favorite red apple. (Unless your favorite red apple is a Red Delicious. In that case, go try some different red apples and discover how much better anything is compared to Red Delicious.)

If you are making the salad ahead of time, pour the dressing over the apples in the bottom of a large bowl, and then place the lettuce on top and refrigerate for several hours. The dressing will keep the apples from turning brown. When it is time to serve, mix the apples, dressing and lettuce with cheddar cheese and chopped pecans. Serve.

Apples 'n Greens

Dressing
1/2 cup apple juice
2 T lemon juice
2 T cider vinegar
2 T vegetable oil
1 1/2 T brown sugar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
dash ground nutmeg

Salad
1 medium Granny Smith Apple
1 medium red apple
4 cups torn red-tipped leaf lettuce
4 cups torn romaine lettuce
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (or more to taste)
1/2 cup chopped pecans


In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except apples, lettuce, cheese and pecans; whisk to blend. Core and cut apples into bite size pieces. Toss apples in dressing. Combine greens and gently layer over apples. Refrigerate, covered, several hours.

To serve: Toss lightly with cheese and pecans.

Recipe Source: adapted from The Best of Byerly's: A Recipe Collection

Chicken Broccoli Calzone

Calzones are one of those foods that always look like they are more difficult to make than they actually are. Nobody really gets impressed when you make a pizza, but if you somehow wrap that pizza dough around the filling and bake it, it turns into this amazing creation that makes people you slaved for hours in the kitchen. Put a little prepared pesto in there and it the magic factor goes up even more. This is one of my favorite fast, easy, impressive meals for guests. Little do they know how easy it is!  

The filling in this recipe is super easy. Take some chopped cooked chicken, prepared pesto and mozzarella cheese and mix it together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Next, roll out your pizza dough. You can use your favorite pizza dough recipe, store bought dough, those pop-up dough containers that always make me jump when they open  . . . any kind of pizza dough you want. I always use my own recipe because it's almost as fast as the time it takes to get my nerves up to opening one of those pop-up canisters.

Divide the dough into eight balls, and roll each out until it is about a foot in diameter. Spoon about 3/4 cup of filling and fold the dough over the filling, even with the other half of the circle. There's all kinds of ways to seal this edge shut. You can use the tines of a fork if you want, or just kind of roll and pinch it. If you want to make a super-fancy-this-almost-looks professional seal, just place your index finger on the dough seam and wrap the edge up around it. Remove your finger and repeat this all the way around the edge.

Using a sharp knife, make five slits on the top of each calzone. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes.

Done! It's that easy.

Broccoli Chicken Calzones



1 (16 oz) package frozen broccoli spears, thawed and chopped medium

1 pound whole-milk mozzarella cheese or part-skim, shredded (4 cups)
2 cups medium-chopped cooked chicken (1 pound)
1/2 cup pesto, homemade or store-bought
Table salt and ground black pepper
Flour for the counter
2 pounds pizza dough (enough for about two pizzas)

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Pat the broccoli dry, then toss with the mozzarella, chicken, and pesto. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. On a lightly floured counter, roll out half the dough to a 12-inch round, about 1/4 inch thick. Following the photo, mound half of the filling onto one side of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the edges.Fold the other half of the dough over the filling and press the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

3. Transfer the calzones to a baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to cut 5 slits diagonally across the top of each calzone. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

Recipe Source: adapted from Cook's Illustrated Family Cookbook

Heavenly Refried Beans

I know the title leaves you wondering if it's true that you could really find Refried beans that taste like heaven without adding a pound of straight up lard?!? Well folks I tried this recipe about two years ago and I will NOT serve a mexican meal without having this on my table. The secret: Cream Cheese! Well I thought it was just me and my husband that really enjoyed it- until we were visiting my family in Utah and they actually requested that I make this. So here's the deal--it's the easiest thing you'll ever make and once you read how it's made, you'll never have to refer to the actual recipe again b/c it's just THAT easy--BUT I've had people ask for the recipe, so I figured I'd just post it and let you go for it!

Heavenly Refried Beans

1 can of your favorite Refried Beans (Here in MN I get the Referido Zesty Salsa)

4 ounces Cream Cheese (You can cut down calories and use the 1/3 less fat but DO NOT use fat free--trust me!!)

2 tablespoons Scallions, chopped (for sprinkling on top)

Cheddar Cheese--(for sprinkling on top)

2 tablespoons tomatoes, diced (for sprinkling on top)

1. Combine the refried beans and cream cheese in a medium saucepan (or a microwaveable bowl if you choose to nuke it)

2. Warm up until the cheese and the beans are smooth and hot (do NOT bring to a glumpy boil)

3. Pour in a bowl and garnish with scallions, cheese and tomatoes.

4. Serve by itself or with chips.

Quinoa Apple Curry Salad

Trisha was asking me about quinoa recipes a few weeks ago and I remember being surprised that I didn't really have any to give her. I've always felt like someone who was "in the know" about quinoa before it became popular because years ago I worked in a lab that was just kicking off a big quinoa breeding project, so when I realized I didn't have any go-to quinoa recipes I knew that had to change. I made this one this past weekend for a dinner we had with my husband's sister and her roommate. I wasn't sure how it would go over with a couple college freshman but they each took seconds, and so did I. It's the perfect food for this time of year, too. Can you get too many apples in your diet in the fall? I don't think so.

To start off with, maybe I should explain quinoa to those of you who are scratching your head right now. Quinoa is a little grain that is slightly larger than couscous. It bakes up light and fluffy and has a slightly nutty flavor. It's packed with protein, which makes it very healthy and filling.

To cook the quinoa, just add 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups of water, bring to a boil and let simmer until the water is absorbed - about 15 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, mix up the dressing. This includes honey, minced onion, curry powder, salt, lemon juice and olive oil.

When the quinoa is finished cooking, add the dressing, thinly sliced apple and almonds. You can also add some dried cranberries if you want.

Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Quinoa Apple Curry Salad
1/4 cup raw whole almonds
1 cup white quinoa
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small apple, cut into 1/8-inch-thick wedges

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread almonds on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Let cool; coarsely chop nuts.

2.Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa; return to a boil. Stir quinoa; cover, and reduce heat. Simmer until quinoa is tender but still chewy, about 15 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork; let cool.

3.Whisk together honey, onion, curry powder, salt, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Whisking constantly, pour in oil in a slow, steady stream; whisk until dressing is emulsified. Add quinoa, apple and nuts; toss well.

Recipe Source: adapted from Martha Stewart Living