Category — Recipes

Yikes?!  It’s TWO DAYS until Thanksgiving?  What? Are you all set?  You probably have dinner nailed down by now, but don’t you want something a little special for breakfast?  I made these muffins last weekend and they are the perfect seasonal breakfast item.  And so easy.  And because these are even better the day or two after you bake them, why not get ahead of the game and whip these up tonight or tomorrow, so you can wake up to a delicious homemade treat on Turkey Day? 

Apple Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel Topping (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease 18 muffin cups or use paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, pumpkin and oil. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stirring just to moisten. Fold in apples. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping evenly over muffin batter.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

After these cool, store them in an airtight container in the fridge.  Or freeze them.  Whatever you do, warm them slightly before you eat them, and if you like, slather with a little softened butter or whipped cream cheese that’s been sweetened with a little maple syrup. 

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Let me start by saying that although their price is right, I’m usually not a fan of boneless, skinless chicken thighs.  I’ve tried to like ‘em.  I’ve made tagines around them, chopped them up for Chinese, etc., but they end up slimy and icky.  And this from a woman who has to hold back on the roasted dark meat because her daughter is also a lover.  But now, with this soup, I’ve found a home for those puppies.  No slime.  Just yummy deliciousness. 

This is very easy and very flavorful – great the night you make it and also yummy as leftovers.  [Read more →]

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And now for something completely different . . . not a soup, or a stew, or a Crock-Pot dish.  Not a chicken thing or a tofu scramble.  A desserty/snacky/breakfasty delight. 

I usually try to minimize my baking efforts.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy it.  And L. certainly digs getting her mixer on and crackin’ a few eggs.  But then we have the product, and it’s delicious, and, well, hard to resist.  So we eat it all up and then we (well, D. and I) pay the price on the hips, the belly and with the corresponding uptick on the scale. 

But we love us some baked goods in this house, and so when I was faced with a bunch of really brown bananas, well, I couldn’t resist trying out this new recipe for banana bread.

My recipe makes two full-sized loaves.  The Greek yogurt helps add moisture without added fat (there’s butter for that!).  We made one chocolate with chocolate chips, and one plain with chocolate chips.  They’re both damn good, although I think the choco/choco is a little too much . . . and I would’ve loved nuts, but the weirdospeople around here aren’t into those in their quickbreads. 

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (adapted from Savory Sweet Life)

Preheat over to 350°. Lightly grease two 9×5 loaf pans with cooking spray or butter. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Stir in egg, mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla until well blended. Add baking soda, salt, flour. Mix everything until well incorporated. Add chocolate chips, cocoa powder (if you want both loaves to be choco/choco) and nuts (if using), and split the batter in half.  Add cocoa to one-half of the batter.

Pour batter into loaf pans and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaf – if it comes out clean, your loaves are done.

Makes 2 full-sized loaves, and this stuff freezes like a dream – pack one away for your next coffee-klatch.

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What? North African cuisine in the Crock-Pot? Yeah baby!  When I saw this recipe, I immediately tagged it and made a note: “MUST MAKE THIS RECIPE!”  [Read more →]

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When I first saw this recipe, I groaned.  Until I made this, I treated my soup pot a lot like my Crock-Pot – it was for dump-n-go meals.   No browning, no pre-cooking the ingredients.  Puleez.  But for whatever reason (not enough to do with my time?  nope, that’s not it.) I decided to try this crazy roasting the veggies thing, and let me tell you, it’s worth it.  Not in a “I will never again eat soup with veggies that aren’t pre-roasted” kinda way, but so good that I don’t begrudge the effort. 

This recipe is ripe for customization – add whatever you have kicking around your fridge – winter CSA time is coming, along with a deluge of root veggies.  Parsnips? Check!  Turnip?  Sure!  Kohlrabi?  Delicious.  Toss ‘em in there and turn your family onto a warm, veggie-licious winter meal (or several!).

Roasted Vegetable Soup With Kale (adapted from Simply Recipes)

Preheat oven to 400°. Line two rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil. Arrange the squash in a single layer on one sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir gently to coat.  Add the carrots, onion, and garlic to the other sheet. Drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast vegetables until they are brown and tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.

Cut the carrots into 1/2 inch pieces; set aside. Place the garlic cloves and the onion in a food processor; puree until almost smooth. Transfer broth and vegetable puree to large pot. Add 5 1/2 cups broth, kale, thyme and bay leaf to pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until kale is tender, about 30 minutes.

Add the carrots, beans, and squash to soup. Simmer 8 minutes to blend flavors, adding more broth to thin soup if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf.

Serves six.  This can be made a day ahead of time, and in fact, I think it’s better left over!

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Have you tried sweet smoked paprika?  It’s a flavor like no other . . . cool, smooth smokiness with no heat – it’s so perfect in so many things.  Sure, it’s a classic Spanish spice, but it’s so versatile, you shouldn’t limit yourself.  Have you tried it sprinkled over your eggs over-easy?  Fry up some potatoes with onion, garlic and smoked paprika and watch your family wolf them down.  Somehow this stuff elevates whatever it’s used for to new levels of deliciousness.  Needless to say, I’m a huge fan, so when I saw this recipe I jumped on it – not to mention that I had an awesome head of Swiss chard from my Picadilly share.  This was super quick and super delicious. 

Sausage With Roasted Chickpeas & Chard (adapted from Serious Eats)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine the chickpeas, 1 T. of the olive oil, cumin, paprika, half of the garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss well.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread the chickpeas out in a single layer.  Cut the sausage into a few pieces and nestle the sausage amongst the chickpeas.  Set the baking sheet in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Meanwhile, trim and chop the chard. Add the remaining olive oil to a large skillet set over high heat. Add the rest of the garlic, and let it cook for a few seconds, just until fragrant.  Add the chard. Season with salt and pepper, and stir often. After a minute or so, add half the vinegar. Lower the heat, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the chard it tender.  Taste the chard to see if it needs more vinegar and/or salt and pepper.

Combine the chard with the roasted chickpeas in a large bowl. Toss. Serve the the sausage over the chickpeas and chard mixture.

Serves 2, but can easily be doubled for 4.

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I don’t know why it took me ’til last winter to get really into making soup.  What the heck was wrong with me?  I think I thought they were too complicated, and perhaps not satisfying enough . . . I’ll admit it.  I was wrong wrong wrong.  Case in point – today’s recipe.  It is easy (some chopping is required) and so hearty you really don’t need anything else to go alongside . . . although a little green salad and a piece of crusty bread would set you up for delight, I’m sure.  Enjoy!

White Bean & Kale Soup (inspired by the Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter)

In a small bowl, mash about 1/2 of the beans.  Set aside.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or soup bot over medium heat.  Add the sausage and cook, crumbling it with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.  Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic; cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant, 3-5 minutes.  Add the kale and toss it until it wilts down.  Add the broth, tomatoes and both the mashed and whole beans.  Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have blended, about 30 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Pass the Romano to sprinkle on top of each bowl at the table.

Serves 4.

If you have leftovers and they’re too thick, thin the soup with a little water or a little more low-sodium chicken broth.

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If you’ve been apple picking lately, chances are you still have a lot of apples on hand.  Like us.  I estimate there’s at least 15 pounds still waiting for me in the refrigerator.  And if you’re like me, there’s only so much pie, crumble, crisp, Betty, etc. you can handle (my mind says “yes”, but my booty says “no!”).  So how ’bout cooking up dinner with them apples?

Chicken with Cider Mustard Sauce (adapted from the Nutrition Action Healthletter)

Put the chicken in a plastic Ziploc bag and pound to an even thickness of 1/2-inch.  Heat 1 T. of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Sauté the chicken in two batches until browned, about 4-5 minutes each side.  Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 T. of oil and sauté the shallots and 1/2 the diced apples for 3 minutes.  Add the cider and boil until it’s reduced by half, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and mix in the remaining apple and the mustard.  Season generously with pepper.  Pour the sauce over the chicken.

Serves 4.

P.S.  The Nutrition Action hyperlink up there leads you to some other tasty looking, healthful recipes incorporating apples . . . .

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