Apple Dutch Baby with Green Chiles -- How Texans Celebrate Pancake Day!

Today is Pancake Day and I decided to make a Apple Dutch Baby, also known as a German pancake, for the first time.  It's good to shake things up every now and then.  I even went with a spiced up version to push my boundaries on spiciness since I often fear it.

Apple Dutch Baby with Green Chiles  Rating: 10

Why hasn't anyone told me about Dutch Babies?!  It's times like these I realize my mother never loved me. (Just kidding, Mom!--if you ever read this, which is unlikely...sniff, sniff)  Before I go and set up that counseling appointment, let me finish...

It was so yum!  Rich, warm heat, apple cinnamon syrupiness (I just made that word), like a giant pancake of love.  The sweet and spicy combo was great. I was so pleased with myself for using the jalapeno (and not obsessively cutting out the hot membranes).  Would do it again in a jiffy (except for the part when I touched my face even hours after handling the peppers -- yikes! Lesson learned).  I even forgot to give it a squeeze of lemon before shoveling it into my mouth.  I know that would have been a nice touch but it will have to wait for next time.

It was beautiful coming out of the oven but started to fall even as I was sprinkling (pouring?) on the powdered sugar, which was expected.  This was an easy recipe that had a good showman factor for company. 

My kids even ate it happily but they both mentioned the heat from the chile.  Sophie upon almost finishing her second serving said, "It's a little bit spicy." and Rhys at the end of his second serving, touched his mouth and announced, "Ow."

I did make changes: 3 Tbsp. instead of 4 Tbsp. of butter, 3 Tbsp. demerara sugar instead of 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon instead of 1/4 tsp., whole wheat flour instead of all purpose.  I used the Granny Smith apples and they were perfect for this.  You could use Rome or any firm-tart apple though.

I hear you can refrigerate the pancake and reheat it in the oven for 10-15 minutes but haven't tried it.  Now that I know about Dutch Babies, it would be hard not to gobble it up as soon as it left the oven anyway.

Can't wait to see what other variations I can try in the future.

Waste Not, Want Not -- Orange Zest

Orange peels aren't orange, they are gold!  That peels is loaded with amazing oil that will bring many of your recipes to the next level.  Don't throw it in the trash or compost!  Use it!

We do our best to zest our oranges and lemons before peeling or squeezing these fruits.  We love our microplane for this purpose.  It zests easily and beautifully.  It also grates ginger, garlic, and whole nutmeg like a dream.

The zest does not seem to keep well in the fridge - maybe 2 days.  We use a little air tight container to put the zest in the FREEZER.  You can put it in your recipes straight from the freezer. 

What to do with that zest?  Here are some recipes that use it.  Enjoy!

Bircher Muesli with Prunes

Citrus Broccoli Stir-Fry with Brown Sauce

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

Orange Rosemary Focaccia

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Dark Chocolate Bark with Pistachios and Dried Cranberries

Cashew Orange Spread

Cashew Orange Spread and Apple Wrap

Neal and I are trying to slip a few more raw meals into our diet when we find something that's inviting and not to much prep work.  This one fit the bill.  It looks iffy but it tastes great.

Cashew Orange Spread and Apple Wrap  Rating: 9

So the original recipe uses Swiss chard and I thought I have kale growing in the back, I'll just use that.  The taste was right but the size of my leaves was wrong.  I had to do a "taco" if you will instead of a wrap.  Still yummy though.

The Cashew Orange Spread is to die for and it made this a real treat.  I would slice the apples into thinner slices next time just for easier handling when eating.  For the kids, I knew this was not going to be difficult to handle so I just threw theirs into a food processor and hit the chop switch a few times.  It was a chapped salad for them and I just served it in a bow with a spoon.  They ate it up.

This is pretty light so I'd keep it as a lunch.  We added more bulk to our meal by offering raw carrot and celery sticks and cauliflower florets.  I put the bowl of veggies in the middle of the table and threatened that they could not have any of them until they ate what was in the bowl first.  Inject evil laugh here.  They liked the salad version of the recipe and were downing the cru de te as their special treat in no time.  I love freaky child raising moments like this.  I feel like such a genius!

Ginger-Poached Soba Noodles with Broccoli and Tofu

Ginger-Poached Soba Noodles with Broccoli and Tofu  Rating: 8

This was light and the flavors were nice--a little heat, freshness of the mint and basil, and if you like ginger, it runs throughout the dish, not just the noodles.  I added cauliflower as well because I had some to use up and it went well with in the dish.  This didn't take long to make either.

Whole Wheat Biscuits with Sausage Gravy and Heather's Vegetarian Chili

Our family had fun giving our own salute to the annual Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering and Sam Bass Days this weekend.  As part of the celebration we started the day with a chuck wagon breakfast.

Whole Wheat Biscuits  Rating: 7

Sausage Gravy  Rating: 8

It was not as rich feeling as the fattier version with white flour and pork sausage but it was a good substitution.

That evening we continued the cowboy theme with Heather's Vegetarian Chili.  This comes from our friend, Heather Lindeman, and we use it often. 

Heather's Vegetarian Chili  Rating: 10

Ingredients
1 tsp. vegetable oil (we use grapeseed)
1 med. onoin, chopped (1/2 cup) (we have also used rehydrated onion flakes successfully)
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 sm. zucchini, jullieaned (we just chop it)
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 15oz. cans chili beans with liquid
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 cup water (may not be necessary, check consistency before adding)

We also add 2 finely chopped kale leaves

Method
1. Heat oil and saute all veggies.
2. Stir in beans, tomatoes, and seasonings.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low.
4. Simmer 20 minutes.

It's easy, quick, and just the right spiciness for Keri and the kids. Neal likes to add a little more heat to his individual bowl.  We sometimes top ours with a dallop of sour cream.

Waste Not, Want Not -- Roasting Squash Seeds

As you may have observed we eat a plentiful amount a squash around here.  We try to use as much as the produce as we can so we like to roast our squash seeds for a healthy, crunchy snack.  People seem to do this with their jack-o-lantern seeds during Halloween but we do it as long as we have squash to be eaten. 

We used seeds from butternut, acorn, and spaghetti squash.  We even mix them up when we are eating a lot of squash in one week.  We just store them in the fridge until we have enough or until we think they can't be stored much longer.

I find it easier to pinch the seeds out of the lovely, slimy strands while it is all still attached to the squash.  I don't have to deal with as much muck that way and then when they are all out, I scrape the strands out of the squash. As I said, we store the seeds in a air tight container in the fridge until we have enough to make ourselves happy. 

To roast approximately 1 cup of seeds, I add 1 Tbsp. of melted butter and whatever seasoning or spice blend we want and give it a stir to coat.  Then we spread them out on a baking sheet.

 Slide them in to the oven, preheated to 350 degrees F and roast them 10-14 minutes, checking them until they are crunchy and browned.

Seasoning blends we enjoy here are creole and a cinnamon/sugar blend.  Garlic is always a welcomed choice in our home as well.

Cranberry Orange Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Cranberry Orange Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash  Rating: 8

We had some acorn squash that was screaming "use me!" so we finally did.  We did make a few changes in that I used panko crumbs (Japanese coarse bread crumbs) instead of unseasoned croutons, walnuts instead of pecans, and I used a self-made mixture of sage, marjoram, and herbs de Provence for my poultry seasoning.  I also omitted the celery salt.  Finally, we doubled this and added 10 minutes to the baking time while tenting with foil those last ten.

It was good and it was sweet.  If it had sausage, it would be a 9 or 10 but it's a vegetarian recipe and fine on it's own.  I think it would be great with 1/2 dried apricots and 1/2 dried cranberries.  This would be a fitting vegetarian main for a holiday meal. 

Baked Beans - The Healthy Foodie Version

Baked Beans - The Healthy Foodie Version  Rating: 8

These baked beans interested me because they had no lard or bacon and were sweetened with apple and what the creator claims is a reduced amount of molasses.  I have very little experience making baked beans.  Except for the past year, they have always come from a can in our house.

These were very good and I'd make them again.  The maker of this recipe suggest adding water as needed and I would add water a little more frequently than she suggested so the beans stay moist and the skins a touch more tender.  They were still super sweet which is what I want when I eat baked beans. 

We cooked them in a Dutch oven in the oven as directed but I'm sure this can be moved into the slow cooker as well.  While they were cooking, visitors continued to comment on the wonderful scent.

We teamed them up with green salad and corn on the cob and called it dinner.

Chicken Tagine

Chicken Tagine  Rating: 8

Hurray!  I totally got to use my food processor for this recipe.  It doesn't matter if it chops or slices every peice uniformly because it's a slow cooker recipe and all slow cooker recipes come out looking like slop anyway.  And it did.  It came out looking like slop and tasting really good!

Changes we made were using 1 lb. of chicken breasts instead of thighs, 3 cloves of minced fresh garlic for the garlic salt, and vegetable stock instead of chicken.  Okay, and we used brown rice instead of couscous and it was great but I do prefer it over couscous.  Wonderful, sweet aromas fill your home while this cooks all day.  Easy, tasty, makes enough for left overs.

Orange, Strawberry and Navy Bean Salad

Orange, Strawberry and Navy Bean Salad  Rating: 6

Fresh, fruity, and a lot of different flavors going on.  Loved the toasted sesame seeds in this. Beans didn't really do anything but add substance to the salad. Wouldn't necessarily make it again. 

We used romaine lettuce instead of bok choy and the next day for lunch I used shredded cabbage instead of lettuce.  Both were good but the finely shredded cabbage was better.  Used canned great northern beans instead of navy because I had it on hand.

Basil Chocolate Chip Pancakes

It is National Pancake Week!  How about a more sophisticated pancake to celebrate?  These sound odd to some but the flavor combination is delicious and a happy wake up call for the mouth.  Herbs such as lavendar, rosemary, mint, and here, basil, are often paired with sweets.  These pancakes should be a safe place to start if you are unsure about venturing out.

I first saw the idea at Simply Scratch.  But I am much to lazy to make her pancakes so I just do my thing.

Basil Chocolate Chip Pancakes  Rating: 10

2 cups Go-To Whole Wheat Pancake Mix
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. oil (I usually use grape seed or coconut)
1 1/2-2 cups milk, depending on the consistency you like
2 Tbsp.(or more) fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, less even

Cook them up on the griddle over medium heat and enjoy with pure maple syrup.  Makes about 10 pancakes depending on the size.  Two 4 inch pancakes are a hearty serving in my book.

Other possible choices to celebrate National Pancake Week:
Aloha Panckes
Carrot Cake Pancakes
Fresh Corn Pancakes
Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

Enjoy!

Apple Nachos

February is National Snack Food Month and I'd like to counter all the junk food options with a quick, easy, and fun snack that is a treat to eat.

Apple Nachos  Rating: 10

I make single servings with one apple sliced in 16ths and drizzle it with 1 Tbsp. of microwaved creamy natural peanut butter.  Then I sprinkle on the goodness but sparingly, as the calories can add up quick.  These apple nachos really don't need much to make my tastebuds happy.  I usually add 2-3 toppings on top of the peanut butter drizzle.

Topping options I usually add in 1-1 1/2 Tbsps. are:
chopped walnuts, almonds, or peanuts
shredded unsweetened coconut
raisins
dried cranberries
granola
dark chocolate chips (it really doesn't take much)
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon

Have fun creating your favorite combo.

Pineapple Cream Cheese Spread

Pineapple Cream Cheese Spread  Rating: 6

This sounded good and it was okay but three things didn't quite hit the spot.  1.) It needed way more pineapple or pineapple taste to hold its title.  2.) It was runny for a spread, even when the pineapple was squeezed to reduce it's juiciness as suggested by the creator.  3.) The spread had a bitterness to it.  I don't know if the celery I used in the recipe was bitter or what but it was noticable.

We used full fat cream cheese and sour cream and that did not add to any thickness.  Ate it with crackers and celery sticks.  This was okay--a good idea that didn't fully pan out.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Carrot Cake Pancakes  Rating: 9

Ingredients
2 cups Go-To Whole Wheat Pancake Mix
1 1/2 - 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger powder
1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. oil (I've used coconut or grapeseed)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. orange zest
2 cups carrots, grated, finer is better

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Combine wet ingredients in medium bowl and pour into dry ingredient.  Stir until just combined.  This will make a thick batter.  Get your griddle ready on medium heat and grease it with yummy coconut oil.  Use 1/4 cup scoop to pour on pan and sort of spread it out thin so they will cook evenly in the middle.  The batter will need your help to spread out.  I just use the bottom of the 1/4 cup measure.  They take a bit longer to cook than most pancakes I've made so flip when you see the right signs--bubbling, dry edge, proper browning on the bottom, and adjust your heat as needed.  They make dense, fat pancakes and are completely gratifying with just pure maple syrup.  Makes 10-12 pancakes.

Two is a perfect serving to me and you can pop the leftovers in the toaster when you are ready for them.  They're dessert for breakfast and a great way to sneak some veggies in before you even start the day.

Kung Pao Tofu on Rice

I have been on a Chinese food take-out kick lately.  I even told Neal I was interested in buying those dried red chiles they put in some of the spicier dishes.  Next time we were at the grocery store he suddenly appear next to me with a container of them and a big smile.  If you follow our blog, you know he prefers his meals spicier.

For the Kung Pao Tofu, I really combined two recipes, said a quick prayer, and started cooking hoping all would go well.

I wanted all the flavors and feel of Helen Chen's Kung Pao Chicken but I wanted to use tofu in our attempt to eat soy about once a week, and really up the veggies.  Thus, I took a peek at Eating Well's recipe too.

I used the sauce from Helen Chen's recipe and it all came together except it was a total and complete YAWN.  The heat was just right with two chiles but we kept waiting for flavor to appear and it never happened.  Thank goodness for the occasional yum added by a peanut here and there.

Kung Pao Tofu Minus the Pow  Rating: 5

Waste Not, Want Not --Vegetable Stock

Make your own vegetable stock from all the veggie tidbits you usually dump.  I keep a freezer bag labeled Veg. Stock in the freezer and whenever I finish prepping veggies for a meal I take the unloved parts and toss them in the freezer bag until it's full.  I make sure the tidbits are well washed and in decent shape beforehand.  You can use mushroom stems, carrot peels and stem ends, leafy tops of celery, onion skins, garlic skins, woody asparagus ends, herb stems, wilted lettuce or greens, coarse stalks from kale and chard, and so on. 

When the bag is full I separate the once unloved goods into three large pots and fill them with filtered water.  Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes without stirring.  Once it has cooled, we strain it in a colander and then a fine mesh sieve.  Then we bag 4 cups in quart freezer bags and lie them flat in the freezer or use our pressure canner and put them in our pantry. 

It's free vegetable stock, people, and we use it nearly every time a recipe calls for chicken stock.  Yeah us!

Asparagus Salad with Egg and Orange Rosemary Focaccia

Asparagus Salad with Egg  Rating: 8

Asparagus is super cheap right now and I love it.  The recipe that I used was originally for string beans but it worked great with the asparagus.  I just blanched it in boiling water for a couple minutes, drained it and ran cold water over it before tossing in the rest of the ingredients and dressing.  It was a simple, fresh salad with good flavor and paired well with the focaccia.

Orange Rosemary Focaccia  Rating: 8

This was so much easier to make than I thought it would be.  I used this whole wheat focaccia recipe as the bread base and mixed 2 Tbsp. of chopped fresh rosemary into the dough instead of jalapenos and cilantro.  After letting it rise for an hour, I slathered 1-1 1/2 Tbsp.olive oil and the toppings from this recipe on the dough before popping it in the oven.  I decided to look into focaccia done with oranges when we received an incredible amount of citrus with our co-op produce order this week. 

By the way zest your well washed, fungal free lemons and oranges before peeling to eat.  The zest stores well in your freezer and can be thrown directly into recipes from the freezer.  Use it in stir fries, pancakes, muffins, muesli, dressings, or whatever else sounds good to you.

It looked lovely, had good texture and flavor, and smelled great.

I will certainly be using the whole wheat focaccia recipe as our Go-To Foccacia (Rating: 8) and continue to play with mix-ins and toppings.

Black Bean Brownies

I love sneaking healthy foods into meals, snacks, and treats for my family.  When my son glugs down a berry smoothie, I want to throw my head back and produce one of those evil laughs (much like Ursula does in Disney's The Little Mermaid), knowing I have slipped in some kale or spinach or whatever!

I do it all the time--kale in muffins, squash in oatmeal, flax in yogurt, spinach in smoothies, tofu on pizza, and too many to list in spaghetti sauce.  I feel like a freakin' evil genius!

Anyway, you've seen me slip protien packed beans into desserts and smoothies before, so of course I would make these brownies!

Black Bean Brownies  Rating: 3

We actually shared these with four other adults and the ratings were all over the place but never above 7.  It's chocolatey but you can taste beans and the texture is wierd.  The texture is what really bothered most people and none of them finished the brownie which, might I add, was small to begin with.

I did use raw sugar and instead of 3 eggs, I used 2 with a chia egg.  A chia egg is 1 Tbsp. chia seeds mixed with 3 Tbsp. water, give it 10-15 minutes to do it's thing and you have a omega-high gelatinus goop that serves as an egg. 

The kids ate these up but that, my friends, is inexperience at its best.  And until they gain more culinary experience, I will continue to slip healthy foods in any way I can.  Bwahahaha!

California Almonds' Veggie Pasta

California Almonds' Veggie Pasta  Rating: 6

I thought this might be a 7 but the more I got through it I was sure it was just a 6.  It's from the Almond Board of California and the almond part of this recipe added nothing to it.  Nothing! That was a bummer.  Loved the mushrooms though.  I made this with one Tbsp. less of olive oil.  Used an open package of linguini  noodles we had in the pantry, which by weight was only two thirds of the pasta called for and it was plenty.  Won't make it again.  Might do something similar but with plenty of tweaks.

Dark Chocolate Bark with Pistachios and Dried Cranberries

This was very well received by a group of friends we had over for tapas and dessert.  I can only make this to share with others so I do not binge on the entire recipe.  I came pretty close to that when I made this around Thanksgiving.  Thanks for helping me out this time pals!

Dark Chocolate Bark with Pistachios and Dried Cranberries  Rating: 10

We use dark chocolate chips for this sweet.  Use salted pistachios if you like the salty/sweet combo.  Go ahead and double the orange zest.  You will not be sorry you did.  We use dried cranberries instead of cherries.  I love fresh cherries but anything else just makes me think of cough syrup.  I have a friend that feels the same way about black licorice, apparently.  She eats Twizzlers!  But she is a good person so I will try to look past that little foible, if she will try to see past my judgmental nature.

Also, we line the baking sheet with parchment paper instead of foil.  It turns out well without worrying about wrinkles and cleans up easy.

White Bean Spread with Rosemary and Toasted Almonds

This is a rich, high calorie spread with healthy fats.  It is divine. 

White Bean Spread with Rosemary and Toasted Almonds  Rating: 9

I double the rosemary when making the oil because I love that herb.  I've used chickpeas and navy beans and prefer it with chickpeas for the body it provided.  I like it consistency thick so I add the least amount of water.

I've served it with cucumber slices to not obliterate my calorie intake for the day but the pita chips or crackers would be easy and certainly my preference.

I've also stuffed mushrooms with it but I felt it detracted from the lovely tastes and creaminess of the spread.

Hawaiian Tuna Salad

We were so busy today, I didn't snap a photo of dinner and there were no leftovers to speak of.  You'll have to trust me when I say this was quick and easy to prepare, made with stuff we had on hand, and most importantly, yummy.

Hawaiian Tuna Salad  Rating: 8

I subbed in fresh pineapple for canned.  I've had it with canned and it was a 7.  Fresh is always better unless it's skunk roadkill.  Then not so much.  Used almonds instead of cashews this time and both are great.  We served it on romaine lettuce and used a honey-Dijon dressing Neal whipped up.

Hearty Chicken Stew with Squash and Quinoa

Hearty Chicken Stew with Squash and Quinoa  Rating: 9

Party in our mouths!  Sweet, briny, fruity...yum!  We really enjoyed this recipe and it came together pretty smoothly.  We did make a few substitutions for what we had on hand--vegetable stock for chicken stock, kabocha squash for butternut, and a red onion for the yellow.  You must include the kalmata olives!  They make the dish.  Makes 6 very generous portions.  So happy we ran into this recipe.  We'll make this again and again.

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes  Rating: 9

There are so many poppy seeds in these  pancakes, I dare not take a drug test thereafter!  They taste so fresh.  I prize them topped with a light drizzle of lemon juice and lightly sweetened sliced fresh strawberries.  Good morning to me!  Neal, when given a listing of pancake options will often choose these.

We used whole wheat flour, raw sugar, and oiled the pan with olive oil spray.  Don't skimp on the lemon zest!  You can use the juice from those lemons to make your buttermilk (2 Tbsp. lemon juice then pour enough milk in the same measuring cup to level to 2 cups, wait 5 minutes, use), drizzle over the pancakes, and flavor your water for the rest of the day!

Enjoy and don't forget to brush your teeth afterwards!

Soba Noodle Salad

In an effort to use some of our co-op produce we decided to make this dish and bought soba noodles for the first time.  Soba noodles, for those who may wonder, are Japanese buckwheat noodles and can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store or local Asian market.

Soba Noodle Salad  Rating: 9

We used a combination of asparagus, broccoli, and edamame, but it would be fine with just one or two of those.  Didn't have enough fresh ginger on hand so used 1/2 tsp. of ginger powder in the dressing and it worked great.  This came together super quick and tasted fresh.  The buckwheat noodles are an unappealing color but taste just fine.  We are looking forward to having it again.

Spanakopita Triangles

Spanakopita Triangles  Rating: 10 

Yep, a 10! Opa! (Greek exclamation that is the equivalent of "Hooray!", "Woohoo!", "Heck Yeah!", or "Yeehaw!"

I had leftover phyllo dough from this recipe and already knew Neal and I liked spanakopita (a spinach and feta cheese stuffed pie) from dining experiences at Greek restaurants.  I was also secretly hoping this would be a way to get some more greens into my kids.

These were easy and very good!  I got to use my microplane to grate the whole nutmeg which always make me feel extra "chefy."  I threw a salad together and added some dried dill to some plain Greek yogurt for a quick and befitting veggie dip while the triangles baked.

Neal said it was commensurate to the best restaurant ones he has had and my kids asked for seconds! I loved these.  We served them as a main dish but they make great appetizers as well.

I still have phyllo dough so I wonder what will be next to use it up.

Red Lentil Dal with Roasted Onions and Gobhi Paratha

Neal likes Indian food and so I am trying to lean in that direction more.  One of our friends, Jess, gave us a simple recipe for red lentil dal that Neal really likes.  I like it too, especially because it's a breeze to whip up.  We served it with Gobhi Paratha, a cauliflower stuffed bread.

Red Lentil Dal with Roasted Onions  Rating: 9
3 Servings

Ingredients
2 1/2 - 3 cups vegetables broth
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 cup red lentils
2 medium onions, sliced in to rings
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Scatter onions on a baking sheet, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and toss.  Roast them in the oven for 30-40 min., checking and stirring occassionally, unitl soft and browned. 

In the meantime, in a medium pot, bring vegetable broth and curry powder to a boil, add red lentils, simmer for 15 minutes (or until lentils are to your desired tenderness), stir occasionally.

Spoon some into a bowl and top with roasted onions.

Gobhi Parantha (Cauliflower Stuffed Bread) Rating: 5

These are definitely best served warm with yogurt.  We like bread.  We like cauliflower.  We did not like or dislike these.  The ajwain seeds are pungent and I would probably leave them out next time and double the cumin instead.  But I got them cheap at an Indian food store so I have lots of them now.  Oh well. 

My kids, on the other hand love bread and ate them up.  Love veggies in disguise. 

I really like the lady, Manjula, and that she provides a video to her recipes.  I actually felt calm and had fun while making her stuffed cauliflower bread because I knew what to look for due to her video.  This, despite, having the heat too high and burning my oil a bit, setting off the smoke alarms repeatedly, which might I add, did not happen in her video.  Hmmm.  Luckily, Neal had just gotten home and was available to air out the house while I finished up.  I am going to try more of her recipes and see how it goes.

 

Andy's Cranberry Apple Pie with Walnut Crumb Topping

Our local library has a copy of Apple Pie Perfect: 100 Delicious and Decidedly Different Recipes for America's Favorite Pie by Ken Haedrich and this is the first of his pie recipes we have done but we have many others bookmarked. 

Andy's Cranberry Apple Pie with Walnut Crumb Topping  Rating: 8

You'll have to hunt down the recipe yourself due to copyright laws.  The directions were easy to follow and produced a good pie.  We used only Jonigold apples because they were on special this week and are a decent baking apple.  We made our usual substitutions of demerara sugar for the regular granulated sugar and whole wheat for all-purpose flour.  I can't believe I'm saying this but I think the crumb topping was overly generous.  The cranberries made for a pretty pink slice.

If you are wondering where I found cranberries now that the holidays are over, I freeze them.  Lots of them.  They are easily added into the recipe straight from the freezer.

I did use my preferred whole wheat pie crust recipe: Giddy Gabby's Single 9" Whole Wheat Pastry Shell (Rating: 10), despite the irksome name.  It always produces a wonderful crust and now that we have a food processor, it is quick to create.  This crust can also be used for savory quiches and the like.

We made it to share with company and this is what was left the next day.  Honestly, I know that is mostly due to my addiction to sweets.  But we and our friends gave it an 8 so there you have it.

Aloha Pancakes

Good Morning from Hawaii!  Okay, I've never been but I put this together using the ingredients that one typically thinks of when picturing somewhere tropical and slapped the trite title of "Aloha" on it to strengthen the stereotype.  Yeah me!

Aloha Pancakes (makes 10 4-5" pancakes)  Rating: 8

2 cups Go-To Whole Wheat Pancake Mix
1 egg
1.5 cups milk (or to desired consistency once all the other stuff is added)
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
1/2-1 cup crushed pineapple, drained (reserve pineapple juice), even more awesome with fresh pineapple
1/8 cup coconut, shredded/flaked, unsweetened
sliced bananas

Get the griddle heated up to medium and grease with a bit of coconut oil.  Use 1/4 cup measure to pour out pancakes on griddle.  Drop heat to medium-low.  And if you don't know the rest watch a youtube video or something.  There is help for you.  I even watched a video on how to properly mop a floor and my family is happier for it.  God bless youtube.

Once plated drizzle a bit of the reserved pineapple juice on them and top with sliced bananas.  You can add a touch of maple syrup too if you like it sweeter.  I did. 

Okay, well, I'm off to my first surfing lesson.  Okay, not really, but my hands will get wet doing the dishes!

Pickle Soup

Pickle What?  Oh, yeah, you heard me--Pickle Soup.  I checked out Anna Thomas' Love Soup from our local library and bookmarked a bunch of recipes, including this intriguing soup.  My mom has used pickle in dinner dishes on occasion so I knew it wasn't too weird for me.  I know that briny taste is a nice surprise for your mouth, if done well. 

Pickles aren't just a hamburger topping, you know?!  In truth, I had a botched batch of dill pickles that came out somewhat mushy due to my home canning inexperience and this was a great way to use them without the texture issue sabotaging the dish.

Pickle Soup  (exact recipe as in her book but online) Rating: 8

1/10 of a recipe = approximately 160 calories

Served this up with some oven warmed roasted garlic bread found on the discount rack.  Neal liked the flavor and the variety of vegetables.  I liked the flavor too.  If you do make this, let the pickles do their thing during the simmering process so you don't make the mistake of adding more pickle juice too early.  It mellows somewhat over time.  We noticed it was milder the next day when we had it for lunch.  The Pickle Soup was really hearty.  This makes a ton and does freeze according to the author.

One jar of botched pickles down, 5 to go!

Too Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole

I really liked the cabbage rolls my mom made when I was little.  I think it happened 2-3 times in my life--4 tops!  I don't feel the need to package the meaty mixture in a cabbage leaf.  It seems tedious. It's all going to get chewed up and look like slop anyway.  So that is where I decided to start--a casserole.  By the looks of it, I'd say it's a pretty accurate description.

I actually combined two recipes to get what I thought I might want.  I was right, of course. 

Too Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole   Rating: 9

1/6 of recipe = 210 calories

Ingredients
4 cups cabbage, shredded
1 lb. turkey, ground
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup rice
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar (we used demerara sugar)
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. oregano, dried

Method
Place cabbage in a lightly greased 2.5 casserole dish.

In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook the turkey, onion, celery, and bell pepper until turkey is no longer pink.  Add the uncooked rice and stir to incorporate.

Place turkey mixture over the cabbage in the casserole dish.

To make the sauce combine all remaining ingredients and pour over the turkey mixture.

Cover and bake for 60-70 minutes or until rice is cooked. 


We loved the sweet and tangy sauce.  My kids ate it up and asked for seconds.  My husband, when he heard I was making this, expressed his concern over possible texture issues with cooked cabbage.  He gave it a 9 and then I saw him sneak another bite from the casserole dish.  It was great and met my childhood expectations and then some.  Served it up with a nice green salad and herb dressing.

Cheese Melt with Apple and Candied Pecans

Cheese Melt with Apple and Candied Pecans  Rating: 8

I got my inspiration from the link above but things certainly were changed for ours.  We used Jarlsberg (Swiss) cheese.  I bought Gouda for this specifically and tossed it into the freezer until this recipe's turn came around.  When it did, I pulled out the Jarlsberg accidentally to defrost but I'm fine that I did.  It was still a good match for the other flavors.

We used homemade whole what bread instead of a croissant, red leaf lettuce instead of spinach, and candied pecans from this recipe made earlier in the week.  Just melted the cheese under the broiler and the rest came together quickly as well.

Nice change from the usual oatmeal, pancake, and egg based breakfasts we lean toward.

Citrus Pomegranate Quinoa Salad

Citrus Pomegranate Quinoa Salad  Rating: 6

1/6 of recipe (a main dish serving) = 380 calories, 1/8 of a recipe (smaller main dish serving) = 285 calories, 1/10 of recipe (side dish serving) = 228 calories.

All things I like with no wow.  Tasted good but nothing special.  At least I got some vitamin C!

If you do decide to make this, her recipe does not mention you must cook the quinoa in the vegetable broth before adding to the salad.