Pinning this to the front page, since I often refer to it.
Adapted from recipezaar, Recipe #388163. Recipe by TasteTester, Sep 1, 2009.
As the author says, this dish “is especially good to make when apples are in season and at the peak of their flavor, and it features a favorite food pairing: sweet-tart apples with cheddar cheese.” Use Jonathan apples (“you want a fine-grained apple in order to avoid the apples getting too mushy when cooked”).
I used turkey kielbasa, 2 Jonathan apples, and 4 cups dry spinach rotini pasta. I also omitted the hot sauce and final 1/2 cup shredded cheese; it wasn’t needed. This lovely pasta dish was perfect for a chilly autumn night.
Cook’s Notes: Adapted from Cara’s Cravings (link). I brought this Mexican-style pasta salad to a potluck recently, and it received good feedback. It’s a well-balanced vegetarian main dish. The wagon wheel shape holds the sauce nicely. Salsa and cumin add flavor. The lime-chili dressing would also be delicious on a mixed green salad. This pasta salad is good warm or cold and can be made the night before you serve it. Thanks, Cara!
Make the pasta salad as directed, with these changes:
- Instead of frozen corn, use 1 can (11 oz) “Mexicorn” corn, drained: whole kernel corn with red and green diced peppers
- Add 1 can (7 oz) diced mild green chiles, fire roasted type
- Use 3 medium “on the vine” ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
- Omit the fresh cilantro
- Serve with pitted black olives as well as diced avocado
Cook’s Notes: This recipe makes a light lunch for one. Adapted from The Big Book of Easy Suppers: 270 Delicious Recipes for Casual Everyday Cooking by Maryana Vollstedt (link).
Combine the following:
- 1 cup cooked penne pasta
- 3 oz cubed cooked chicken
- 12 Marcona almonds
- 1/4 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained
- Dressing to taste (see below)
Creamy Dressing
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 teaspoons dried onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder (such as Garlic Garni)
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Herbes de Provence from Penzeys
Cook’s Notes: These nuts are even better when cooled to room temperature. They are great eaten out of hand. Sally Sampson recommends serving them with orange slices, as a garnish on coconut cake, or sprinkled over ice cream sundaes. If you don’t want to use rum, the Ochef site says, “Rum is distilled from molasses or cane syrup, so your best bet could be a mixture of molasses thinned with pineapple juice or white grape juice.”
3 cups pecan halves
Heat oven to 350F. Spread pecans in a single layer on an ungreased baking pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly toasted.
Spice Mix
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Rum Glaze
3 Tablespoons dark rum
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1.5 teaspoon brown sugar
1.5 teaspoon unsalted butter
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. To make the spice mix, place the spices in a small bowl and mix to combine.
To make the glaze, place the glaze ingredients in a medium-size saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the toasted pecans to the saucepan and cook until they are well coated and the pan is almost dry, about 1 minute. Spoon the spice mix over the nuts, 1 tablespoon at a time, until they are well coated.
Transfer the pecans to the prepared sheet, separate with your hands or a fork, and let sit until completely dried, at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Makes 3 cups.
Source: Recipe adapted from the book Party Nuts by Sally Sampson; the identical recipe was also posted by the Georgia Pecan Commission (link)
Cook’s Notes: I love the lemon potatoes at our local Greek restaurant, but you can only get them with an entree. Here’s the version I developed to cook at home. This dish has potatoes, beans, and vegetables in a delightful lemon dressing.
16 oz bag fingerling potatoes (Trader Joe’s “steam in bag” kind)
16 oz bag fresh green beans
4 green zucchini, sliced
2 yellow squash, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup olive oil, divided
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 can cannellini (white) beans, rinsed and drained
Lemon Dressing:
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Heat oven to 450F degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil; lightly coat with cooking spray.
Microwave the potatoes according to the bag instructions. Slice the steamed potatoes into chunks.
Toss the zucchini and green beans with half the olive oil and half the salt. Spread them out in a single layer on one of the prepared pans. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until tender. You may need to remove the green beans and let the zucchini continue roasting.
Turn the oven down to 425F. Toss the squash and red pepper with the remaining olive oil and salt. Spread them out in a single layer on the second prepared pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until tender.
Combine potatoes, roasted veggies, and cannellini beans.
Combine dressing ingredients in a jar, shake well, and pour over vegetable mixture. Serve at room temperature.
Adapted from an orzo recipe at Show Me Vegan (link)
Cook’s Notes: This dip is great served with jicama slices, carrots, cucumbers, celery, red pepper strips, and crackers. It looks beautiful in a bread bowl.
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
16 oz sour cream (or 12 oz sour cream and 4 oz mayo)
1.4 oz package Knorr’s vegetable soup and dip mix (or 1 Tbsp fresh dill and 1/2 cup packed fresh parsley)
8 oz can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 green onions, chopped and sautéed with 2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 red bell pepper, diced fine
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
In medium bowl, combine spinach, sour cream (optional mayonnaise), soup mix (or fresh herbs), and veggies. Cover and chill 2 hours to blend flavors. Stir before serving. Top with the grated Parmesan.
Source: Family recipe adapted from several sources, including Knorr’s; Everyday Food; and The Quick Recipe by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated (Boston Common Press, 2003).
2 cups of corn kernels (from 4 ears, steamed)
1/2 cup diced red onion
Cider vinaigrette dressing (see below; or use 3 Tbsp of any other vinaigrette)
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
Cider Vinaigrette Dressing:
1.5 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
In a large bowl, combine corn kernels and red onion. Gently toss with the dressing. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let flavors combine. Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil.
Adapted from Penzeys Spices, Harvest 2009 catalog
Cook’s Notes: I found the oatmeal is thick enough without the powdered oats. Also, I tried the non-dairy creamer, and it made the oatmeal taste way too artificial (there was a definite “chemical” taste). This simple recipe has only 5 basic ingredients, and it’s delicious on a cool autumn morning. And it is much more economical than buying the pre-made packets.
1/3 cup quick-cooking oats (the “instant” kind that is ready to eat in one minute)
1 to 1.5 teaspoons sugar (to taste, start with the smaller amount)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons dried cranberries (or raisins or chopped toasted nuts)
Optional Add-ins:
1 to 2 Tablespoons powdered oats (puree 1/4 cup oats in a food processor or blender)
1 teaspoon fat-free non-dairy creamer
1 teaspoon ground flax
Place all ingredients in a zip-top plastic sandwich bag.
When ready to eat, pour bag contents into a bowl (save the bag for reuse, of course). Add 3/4 cup boiling water to make oatmeal. Stir well.
Source: Adapted from thekitchn (link) and The Simple Dollar (link)
This recipe is very flexible, and the biscuits are amazing. You can also use 1 cup of plain, nonfat yogurt or 1 cup buttermilk instead of the vinegar and milk mixture.
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 cup milk
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Combine the vinegar and milk and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. Heat oven to 450°F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Drizzle the oil over the mixture and blend it in with your fingers. Add the buttermilk, and stir to form a stiff dough. Use a little additional flour if needed to prevent the dough from sticking. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into an 8×16-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 8 biscuits, 4-inches on each side (cut dough into 2 rows x 4 columns).
Place the biscuits slightly apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake 12 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 8 large biscuits.
Cheese Garlic Biscuits. Add:
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1 tsp minced garlic
Sweet Potato Biscuits. Add:
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 to 1.5 cup mashed sweet potato (canned okay)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice
Sources: Adapted from several sources: Lisa Cowden, Ladle, Leaf, & Loaf; Faith Ford, Cooking with Faith; and Joy of Cooking, 1975 edition. Cheese Garlic Biscuits adapted from Mills and Ross, Desperation Dinners. Sweet Potato Biscuits adapted from Diana Rattray and allrecipes.com.
