Lentil salad with dried apricots and pistachios

I made this dish for February book club and it was a hit. This salad is easy to make and tastes delicious... and bonus, it's healthy too!

1 cup dried French lentils, rinsed

1 tsp. veggie bouillon

1/4 tsp salt

3 TBS or more shelled pistachios, roasted (I bought pre-shelled, roasted salted)

2 TBS olive oil

2 TBS fresh lemon juice

2 tsp honey

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger

1/2 cup dried apricots, diced

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion

2 TBS fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (optional)

1. Place rinsed lentils in a medium sauce pan and cover with water to 2 inches above lentils. Stir in veggie bouillion. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 - 20 minutes until lentils are chewy-tender. Drain any remaining liquid, set aside to cool.

2. Combine oil, juice, honey, coriander, ginger and salt. Stir with a whisk until combined. Pour over lentils, gently stirring until coated. Let sit 20 minutes or until cooled to room temperature.

3. Add nuts, green onions and cilantro to lentil mixture. Transfer to a serving dish, top with goat cheese if desired and enjoy!

Scallops with spinach and olives

I love eating and cooking scallops because they taste delicious and cook up FAST! If you need a fast yet good for you meal, this is a great one to try. I buy frozen scallops for menu planning convenience but fresh would be super tasty and make the meal even fast to prepare.

Scallops with spinach and olives (modified from cooking light magazine)

1 1/2 pounds seas scallops, rinsed

1/2 tsp salt (or less)

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/2 cup dry vermouth

2 TBS fresh chopped parsley

2 TBS fresh lemon juice

2 - 3 TBS butter

1/4 cup chopped green olives OR capers

1 pkg baby spinach

12 oz cooked spaghetti pasta

1. Heat large cast-iron skillet over med-high heat. Pat scallops dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add 1 TBS oil to skillet, swirl to coat. Add scallops and cook 2-1/2 minutes on each side until browned and done. Remove from pan, keep warm.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add chopped garlic. Cook 10 seconds. Add vermouth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 2 minutes until liquid is reduced by about half. Remove from heat. Add parsley, fresh lemon juice, butter and olives, stirring until butter melts. Add in scallops.

3. Heat small amount of oil in skillet over medium-high heat and add spinach. Saute 30 seconds or so until wilted. Serve scallops with sauce over pasta and spinach.

Pierogi Bake

For all you pierogi lovers here is the dish for you! I was lucky in childhood to have a Polish Granny who made real-from-scratch pierogies and they were amazing. Don't worry, this recipe calls for frozen pierogies and is super easy and delicious. I can only imagine how yummy this would be made with Granny's pierogies....

1 (16 oz) package frozen potato and onion pierogies

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup reduced fat cream cheese

1/2 cup broth

1/2 cup (or more) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4 cup chopped tomato

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Arrange frozen pierogies in an 11 X 7 inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray or oil.

3. Heat small amount of olive oil in pan over med-high and saute garlic 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add cream cheese, stirring until begins to melt. Stir! Gradually add broth, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Pour cream cheese mix evenly over pierogies. Top with cheese and green onions.

4. Bake for 25 minutes until thoroughly heated. Remove from oven and top with tomatoes and black pepper.

Walnut-breadcrumb Pasta with a soft egg

Super delicious and pretty simple pasta dish. Great with a salad and dinner bread! Look for fresh pasta in the refrigerated section of the grocery store... it makes this recipe!

4 large eggs

1 (4 oz) piece French bread baguette, torn into small pieces

1/2 cup walnuts

2 TBS olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

9 oz pkg uncooked fresh linguine

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsely

2 TBS finely chopped fresh chives

goat cheese

1. Bring 3 inches of water to a boil in medium saucepan. Add eggs and boil 5 - 7 minutes. Drain. Plunge into ice water for 5 minutes. Drain and peel.

2. Place bread in food processor, process until finely ground. Add nuts to bread and pulse until finely ground. Heat skillet over med-high heat. Add olive oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add breadcrumb mixture, salt and pepper to pan. Saute 5 minutes until toasted, stirring frequently.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Add pasta to breadcrumb mixture, tossing to combine. Sprinkle with parsley and chives. Add egg and cheese before serving.

Orange Chili-Spiced Pecans

Seriously folks, this is one of my favorite pre-holiday meal snacks. So pretty, so yummy, so easy to make! These pecans are a crowd pleaser too, so why not try making them for your next holiday party?

1 TBS grated orange rind

1 TBS fresh orange juice

1 large egg white

2 cups pecan halves

1 TBS dark brown sugar

1 or less tsp salt

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 225 - 235

2. Combine first 2 ingredients in a bowl, stir with a whisk. Add pecans, stir to coat.

3. Combine sugar, salt and chili powder, add to pecan mix and toss well.

4. Spread in a single layer on a jelly-roll/ cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake 40 minutes - 1 hour, stirring occasionally. (mine usually finish around 40 min)

5. Remove from oven, cool completely. Stir in cranberries.

Phyllo dough fried figs and apples

This is a modified, Amy-made version of a similar recipe I found on-line a few weeks ago.

Ingredients:
phyllo dough, thawed and ready to use
dried figs, stems cut off
finely cubed fresh peeled apple
smoked mozzarella or provolone cheese, small thinnish pieces
brown sugar
melted butter (for spreading on phyllo dough layers)
oil (for frying)

1. Cut phyllo dough into squares - roughly 3x3 seemed to work but no need to bust out a ruler!
2. Pace small piece of cheese, about 1/8 - 1/4 tsp brown sugar and either a piece of dried fig or apple on top
3. Gently wrap phyllo dough around ingredients, adding 2 or 3 more phyllo dough layers
4. Heat oil in non-stick skillet over med-high heat and fry phyllo dough bundles 2min on each side until golden brown.

Tuscan Chicken with White Beans and Spinach

Howdy folks! Wow, I've been pretty slack about posting this year. In my defense, this has been one hell of a year.

Anyway, I'm updating now with yet another carnivorous delight. I realize how this blog has changed over time, and will document my fall from vegetarian to omnivore. I'm happy about this switch as is my GI system.

I went to the local farmers market and bought bacon to use in this dish and bought a local whole chicken raised in Winston Salem. While I am eating meat I make an effort to buy humanely raised and local (if possible) meat.

I served it with black rice and peas. If you have never tried black rice, I highly recommend it!

This dish is pretty easy to make and wonderful to eat. Enjoy!

Tuscan Chicken with White Beans and Spinach (from Cook.ing Light 2010)

1 roasting chicken (cut into 8 pieces)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

3 slices center-cut bacon

1 cup chopped onion

2 cups or more torn spinach ( I used a 6 oz. bag)

1/2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary

2 (16 oz) cans cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14.5) oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

1. Pre-heat oven to 350

2. If cutting up your own whole chicken: Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Trim excess fat. Cut chicken into 2 breasts halves, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs and 2 wings. Season with a little salt and pepper. (I had the butcher cut up the chicken for me)

3. Cook bacon in a 12-inch oven proof skillet over med-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan. Chop and set aside.

4. Add chicken pieces to reserved drippings in the pan. Cook 2 minutes on each side until browned. Remove chicken from pan. Set aside.

5. Add onion and sprinkle of salt to pan. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 minutes until onion begins to brown. Stir in bacon, spinach, rosemary, beans and tomatoes. Remove from heat.

6. Arrange chicken pieces on top. Back at 350, uncovered for 40 minutes. Discard skin before serving.

YUMMY!!!