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!!!

Amazing Carolina style BBQ

Yes, this recipe involves REAL chicken, but feel free to sub veggie chicken if you have not come to the dark side like me. It has been over 20 years since I've eaten BBQ and I never had carolina style, so this was an experience. This recipe is simple and absolutely deeeeelicious!

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 TBS white wine vinegar, divided
1 1/2 TBS honey, divided
2 TBS water
3 TBS Trad.er Joe.s seeded Dijon mustard
1 - 2 TBS Trad.er Joe.s BBQ sauce (my alteration to the original recipe)
salt/ pepper
1 TBS butter
1 1/2 lbs skinless, bonless chicken thighs (or veggie chicken)
Buns, toasted on grill

1. Pre-heat grill to med-high heat
2. Combine sliced onion, 1 TBS vinegar and 1 1/2 tsp honey in a small bowl. Toss well. Cover and place in fridge 30 min.
3. Combine remaining vinegar, 1 TBS honey, water, mustard and 1/4 tsp pepper in a small sauce pan over med-low heat. Bring to a simmer (do not boil). Simmer 5 minutes, stir in butter, remove from heat.
4. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Grill 4 minutes on each side until done. Remove. Cool slightly. Shred chicken into bite sized pieces. Add to sauce.
5. Place on toasted bun and top with pickled onions!

Penne with Zucchini Pesto

1. Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add zucchini to pan and saute 5 minutes or until tender and browning. Remove from pan.
2.Place 1/4 up cooked zucchini, basil, 1/4 cup cheese, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor. Process until finely chopped. Keep mixture in processor.
3. Heat more oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add onion to pan and saute 10 minutes or until browning. Return remaining cooked zucchini to pan. Remove from heat.
4. Bring water to a boil and cook pasta until desired tenderness. Scoop out 1/3 cup pasta water before draining. Add drained pasta to veggies.
5.With processor on, add reserved water to the basil mixture and process until smooth. Add basil mix to past. Add cream, a bit of salt and pepper. Top with remaining cheese.

Cook.ing Li.ght July 2010

Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken

This is NOT veggie chicken people. Nope, this is the real thing and super delicious.

1/2 cup diced roasted red bell pepper (I used jarred to make life easier)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped pitted kalamata olives
1 - 2 TBS fresh minced basil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

1. Mix together the bell pepper, cheese, olives, basil and salt/ pepper
2. Butterfly the chicken breasts to create a pocket for the mixture
3. Gently spoon the pepper mixture into the pocket of chicken breast
4. Heat pan over medium-ish heat and add chicken
5. Cook 6 or so minutes on each side until chicken is fully cooked through and a beautiful golden brown. Some of the filling will spill out when flipping, but just scoop it back in or spoon it over the top before eating.

I served this with fresh green beans sauteed with olive oil, garlic and rosemary and dinner bread.

Frozen sorbet pie

Here is a super simple and extra yummy desert that is perfect for the hot days of summer.

Frozen sorbet pie

1 pint raspberry sorbet (or strawberry or whatever flavor you like)
1 Oreo cookie pie crust
1 - 2 cups whipped topping (cool whip)
dark chocolate shavings

Soften the sorbet and whipped topping enough to be able to spread into the pie crust but make sure it is not melted

1. Smooth sorbet into the bottom of chocolate pie crust.
2. Smooth whip topping on top of sorbet
3. Sprinkle dark chocolate shavings on top of whip topping
4. Freeze for about 1 hour or longer.

EAT!!!!!

Ricotta tart

Ricotta cheese is so delicious and this tart is full of it! This is a wonderful dish to make in the spring because you will be able to find locally grown green onions and chives, maybe even dill! We ate this for dinner last night, although this dish would be wonderful for brunch too. This recipe was modified from Cook.ing Light June 2010

Ricotta tart

1 refrigerated pie crust (pillsbury works great)
2 cups thinly sliced green onions
1 (15oz) container part skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced chives
2 TBS minced fresh dill OR 1 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 - 1/2 cup grated white cheddar

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Unroll dough and press lightly into a 9 inch pie dish.
3. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add small amount olive oil and saute green onion for 3 -5 minutes.
4. Combine cooked green onions, ricotta cheese, chives, dill, salt, pepper and eggs in a bowl. Stir gently to combine.
5. Pour mixture into pie crust.
6. Top with cheddar cheese and bake 35 minutes until crust is golden brown and center is set.

Asparagus and smoked salmon frittata

I found this one in the new Cook.ing Light magazine and modified the dish ever so slightly. It called for smoked trout, but I chose the smoked salmon instead due cost and package size. The substitution was great! I also chose to saute the asparagus rather than steam it. This is a super easy dish to make, coming together in about 30 minutes or less.

8 oz thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1 TBS 2% reduced fat milk
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
4 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan (I used the Quattro Formagia blend from Trad.der Joes)
1 1/2 tsp fresh dill, chopped ( I used 1/2 tsp dried dill)
4 oz smoked salmon, skinned and flaked

1. Pre-heat oven to 450
2. Saute asparagus in non-stick skillet over med-high heat until crisp tender, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add green onions just before removing from heat.
3. Combine milk, salt, pepper and eggs in a bowl. Whisk.
4. Transfer asparagus mixture into an oven proof skillet coated with oil or cooking spray (cast iron worked well) and add eggs, stirring to combine. Sprinkle with cheese and cook over med-high heat for a few minutes until edges begin to set.
5. Place skillet in oven and cook 8 minutes.
6. Increase heat to broil and cook another 2 minutes until brown and bubbly.

I served this with a side of fresh local tomatoes, sliced and sprinkled with salt/ pepper and a crusty dinner bread. YUMMY!

Tuna and Arugula Pasta Salad

Here is a lovely dish that is super easy and extra yummy. It has arugula in it so already this dish is awesome! This recipe makes enough for dinner and left-overs for lunch the next day, which is always nice. This salad goes well with a nice dinner bread.

Found in May Cooking Lig.ht 2010

Tuna and Arugula Pasta Salad

1 large red bell pepper
8 -10 oz pasta (penne or fussille)
2 or more cups coarsely chopped arugula
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 TBS red wine vinegar
1 TBS capers, drained
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 (7.8 oz can tune) packed in OIL (I used regular sized cans) drained and flaked.
1/4 tsp salt
Pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat broiler
2. Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise. Discard seeds and membrane. Place pepper halves, skin side up, on a foil lined baking sheet. Flatten with hand and broil 15 minutes. Cover the peppers with the foil and let cool for about 10 minutes. Peel and chop.
3. Bring water to a boil in a large sauce pan. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water.
4. Combine bell pepper, pasta, arugula, capers and tuna.
5. Combine olive oil, shallots and vinegar. Whisk until combined. Pour over pasta and stir to coat.
6. Sprinkle with pepper and 1/4 tsp salt.

YUMMY!

Arugula, Orange and Feta Salad

This is one of my all time favorite salads! As you know I LOVE arugula, just can not get enough of this delicious peppery green. But don't worry, the sweet of the honey in the dressing and oranges take down the bite of the arugula. This salad is a hit every time!

6 cups arugula (one bag from Trader Jo.es)
3 navel oranges, peeled, sectioned
3 - 4 oz crumbled feta cheese
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp honey
1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl
2. Combine olive oil, lemon juice and honey. Stir with a whisk until blended.
3. Add sliced garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Strain out garlic prior to serving over salad.

Pour dressing on salad immediately before serving. If added too early, the greens will wilt a little from the lemon juice.

YUMMY!

A BIG ficken Sandwich

I made a wonderfully tasty and LARGE ficken sandwich for dinner last night. It took a little bit of creative eating, but we managed to fill our bellies with this delicious sandwich.

Mushroom Rosemary Rissoto

Here is a creamy, delicious risotto that will make your taste buds do a warm happy dance! Risotto offers a lesson in patience because the water is added 1/4 cup at a time while it is stirred....constantly. There is no walking away during the preparation of risotto, so devote your full attention to this dish. You can not rush risotto either, it takes it's time, slowly softening to the added broth. I enjoy the calm stirring and focused attention while preparing this dish as it makes me slow down and savor the moment.

Mushroom Rosemary Risotto
1 cup "no" chicken broth (found at Whole Foods)
2 3/4 cup veggie broth
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled (or 1 TBS fresh chopped)
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 TBS olive oil
2 cups sliced white mushrooms
2 TBS chopped shallots
1 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I skipped this and it was still yummy)
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a 2 quart saucepan, heat both the broths, rosemary, and thyme until simmering. Keep on low heat so the liquid stays warm throughout the cooking process.

2. While broth is heating, heat the oil in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and shallots, cook, stirring until mushrooms are softened. Add the rice, cook, stirring until rice is coated with oil.

3. Add the broth to the rice 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly, until the rice absorbs the liquid. (make the next addition of liquid when you can draw a clear path on the bottom of the pot as you scrape through the rice with a wooden spoon.) This will happen rather quickly at first and then take longer as you near the end of the cooking time.

4. Add parsley when you add the last portion of broth.

Homemade Granola

Years ago when we lived in Florida my sister in law passed along a fabulous recipe for granola. Just like us, she often found the store bought varieties to be too sweet. I had a bowl of her granola and fell in love with it's toasted flavor. This is a hearty granola, full of nuts and seeds as well as good for you oats. A BIG batch can be made in less than 30 minutes and saved in an air tight container for a couple of weeks. I usually half the recipe because it makes so much, but if you are big granola eater go ahead and make the full amount. This granola is good with yogurt or as a dry snack too. You can use which ever nuts and seeds you like, so do not feel as if you must stick to the ones that I chose. Have fun and happy granola making!

5 - 6 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or a little less if you want, but don't skimp too much)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Heat honey and oil for 15 - 30 seconds in the microwave to warm.
Add vanilla to the honey mix and stir.
Pour over oats in a large bowl and stir until combined.
Add nuts and seeds.
Spread mixture onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

Let cool then store in an air tight container.