Savory Cornbread Stuffing Cakes withCranberry Sauce Syrup

My sister and I got together early for Christmas this year so that meant a pre-Christmas meal including one of one of our favorites, cornbread dressing. Our Nana made the best. (I keep trying...)

With some leftovers, a remake was in order. And Chobani invited me to include yogurt in my recipe.
This is a bit like a potato pancake, but cornbread dressing takes center stage. And no potatoes.

The savory surfing is balanced with a bit of apple sweetness. I also used leftover cranberry sauce thinned with apple cider for an additional nod to seasonal color and flavor.  These are a great side with leftover ham or turkey. Enjoy!

Savory Cornbread Stuffing Cakes with Cranberry Sauce Syrup
3-4 Cups of prepared (leftover!) cornbread stuffing
1 Apple, cut into chunks
5 Scallions, chopped (reserve some for garnish)
1/2 tsp. crushed dried rosemary
1-2 eggs
1/2  Cup Chobani Greek Yogurt (plain)
3/4 C. Flour
Oil for frying. (I use avocado oil which can handle the higher heat.)

Cranberry Syrup
1 Can jellied cranberry sauce
1/4 C. apple cider

To make syrup: Combine ingredients in food processor. Pulse to blend, adding more cider if desired for a thinner consistency.

To make pancakes: Combine stuffing, apple, and yogurt in food processor. Pulse to blend. Add one egg. Pulse, and depending on consistency, add additional egg if needed to make a soft but shapable dough.
Place flour in shallow bowl. Shape dough into egg-sized balls, dredge in flour and flatten with hands into small patty.

Heat oil in frying pan. Add patties and fry until golden. Turn and continue cooking until golden.
Serve with cranberry sauce syrup and green scallions.

Merry Christmas! (And make sure you check out the great recipes over at Chobani.  We use yogurt almost every day, and I'm looking forward to trying some new recipes soon! #chobani greek yogurt)

No compensation received, all opinions my own.

Romanesco Holiday

New to me, Romanesco's been around for while. Some botanists think it's been selectively bred since the 16th Century. I guess I don't get out much.

It was pretty enough for me to wrap up a head of it and give it to a friend for her birthday. (What? You don't give your friends vegetables for their birthdays?? She did say it was the most unusual gift she received…I hope that was a good thing!) :D

I bought some for myself and we liked it. Lightly steamed, just a touch of kosher salt.

And then I bought more the next week- it was $2 LESS a pound at Whole Foods than it was at the other natural foods store where I first saw it.  ($1.99 a pound versus the $3.99 a pound I paid the first time.)

This time, I sautéed it in olive oil with a sprinkle of curry powder and turmeric and a little sea salt. Yum. And the last of it was added to a pureed vegetable soup topped with cashews (pan roasted with dried onion flakes). Also very tasty.

Romanesco broccoli (also called Romanesque cauliflower) has a very mild taste, similar to cauliflower. It's beauty is striking- an approximate natural fractal. And the number of spirals on the head is a Fibonacci number. It's also high in vitamins C and K, fiber, and carotenoids. Give it a try!

Make it a Wonderful Day!

Quinoa Garden Salad

 A few years ago, I went to a cooking class at Ashley's house. She's an awesome cook, and she introduced me to quinoa. You know, the ancient, high protein grain raised high in the Andes?  The one with the funny name that looks like it should be pronounced "Key-No-Ah"? But you probably already know that it's "Keen-Wah", right?

Here is my rendition of Ashely's salad. This is the perfect time of year to enjoy this- fresh corn, zucchini, carrots, kale, red pepper, or what ever you've grown or picked up fresh at the farmer's market. Add the lime and cumin dressing and you're good to go. Colorful, healthy, easy to make ahead of time. Yum.

(Thrifted bowl and placemat, Value Village)

Quinoa Garden Salad

Salad:
1 C. Quinoa
Pinch of Sea Salt
1 3/4 C. Water
1 or 2 Cans Black Beans, rinsed and drained
Corn- Grilled, Cut from 2-3 large ears (but leave in big chunks)
3 large Carrots, julienned
1 large Red Pepper, chopped
2/3 Cup chopped fresh Cilantro
Kale-3 leaves with stem removed, finely chopped
1 small Zucchini, chopped
1/2 medium Red Onion, chopped (or use green onions)
1 (6-ounce) can Black Olives, halved (optional)

Note: You can add grilled or rotisserie chicken too for a non-vegetarian version

Dressing:
1/3 Cup Lime Juice, fresh squeezed
1 teaspoon Salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1/3 Cup Olive Oil

Prepare Quinoa: In large bowl, wash quinoa by rinsing and draining at least five times until water is clear. (This removes a natural, bitter coating.) Place rinsed quinoa, salt, and water in pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and cover, simmering 15-20 minutes until water is absorbed.

Make Dressing: Whisk all ingredients together, except oil. And oil in slow stream, whisking to combine.

Make Salad: Add cooked, slightly cooled quinoa to other ingredients. Drizzle with dressing, toss well and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. If made ahead, cover and refrigerate; bring to room temp to serve.


Make it a Wonderful Day!

Baby Kale Spread

We love kale. 

Especially baby kale.

 And tomatoes.

Healthy goodness, so far. 

And then we add some bacon.

And some yummy bread. We only eat bacon occasionally-but sometimes it's just the perfect salty goodness.

 

 This is my take on the classic BLT. With no lettuce, so it's my BKT.

We loved the fresh, bright taste of the kale spread. Enjoy!

 Bacon and Tomato Sandwich with Kale Spread

 12 Cups baby kale, rinsed and drained well

1 Lime

2 Tablespoons mayonnaise 

Freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Fit processor with chopping blade. Fill the processor to overflowing with kale. Pulse to finely chop. 

Add lime juice and mayo. Season to taste. (I didn't add salt because I was using it with bacon.)

Spread generously on toasted bread. Top with tomatoes and cooked bacon.

Enjoy on your favorite thrifted plate. (I found this at Value Village, and I'd love to find more..."Dixie Dogwood", by Joni. Made in the 50's.)

Make it a Wonderful Day!

Waldorf, Mumbai Style

A traditional salad with an easy twist!
(I used Patak Chutney that comes in a jar. Find it in your international section of the grocery store.)

Mumbai Waldorf

4 medium apples, seeded and chopped
4-6 celery ribs (or stalks or sticks- whatever you call them where you live!), sliced
1 Cup walnut halves, toasted
3/4 Cup mayo or plain yogurt
3 Tablespoons Sweet Mango Chutney (Or more to taste)
1 Tablespoon lemon or lime juice

Toast walnuts in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat until lightly browned. Chop coarsely.
In large bowl, toss chopped apples and sliced celery with lemon or lime juice. Add chopped nuts.
Combine mayo or yogurt with chutney.
Add chutney dressing to fruit mixture.
Move to your favorite thrifted serving bowl; garnish with celery leaves. Or plate individually on salad greens.
Enjoy!

Make it a Wonderful Day!

Orange-Carrot Side

(It seems like most of my recipe posts are orange!) But we LOVED this side dish of carrots and oranges, served with broiled salmon, steamed snow pod peas, and rice. Oh, and a spinach salad with apples, lightly candied sliced almonds, and a fig dressing.

Lots of carrots pureed with satsuma oranges, fresh ginger and a touch of honey. Yum!

Orange Carrots on the Side

(inspired by a recipe from Bon Appetit, Nov. 1998 and a big bunch of carrots in the fridge...)

4 pounds carrots, scrubbed or peeled, cut into 1/2 inch rounds

5 satsuma oranges, peeled and sectioned (reserve one peel)

3 Tablespoons of fresh ginger, coarsely chopped

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons honey

1 small stick cinnamon

1/4 Cup butter, melted

Salt and Pepper

Cook carrots in large pot of boiling salted water along with cinnamon stick and orange peel until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well and discard cinnamon stick and orange peel.

While the carrots are cooking, place orange sections and chopped ginger in blender or food processor, blending until fairly smooth. Add melted butter, lemon juice, and honey. Blend. Add hot cooked carrots and puree. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 6.

Notes to self: I used my stick blender and pureed the carrots right in the pot. I used my small food processor/chopper to puree the oranges and ginger. May be made a day ahead and reheated in a saucepan stirring often, or microwave.

Make it a Wonderful Day!

Citrus Salad

Here's one of our favorite winter salads- sunshine in a bowl!

This fruit salad is one I've made for years after enjoying a similar salad at our friends Rolla and Cornilia's home. It's lighter than a traditional ambrosia salad as it has no dressing at all, just the juice of the oranges and all the sweetness of the fruit.
Make sure to use dates that are soft-I prefer to use unpitted dates and then pit them myself- I think they are more moist.

(I served this along with a Chicken Pot Pie and Green Salad at our December Quilt Group meeting-the fruit was like a dessert before our dessert buffet! You can substitute satsumas for the regular oranges for a milder orange flavor.)

Citrus Salad
5 or 6 large oranges, peeled, sectioned and chopped
1 Cup shredded coconut
3/4 Cup dates, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/2 Cup pomegranate arils

Toss in a bowl and enjoy!


Make it a wonderful day!

Give Thanks Sauce

Cranberry Sauce is just the right addition to the traditional Thanksgiving table, and this sauce, with honey, oranges, and spices is extra yummy!

I made the red work bread basket liner years ago, and love pulling it out each year.

Spiced Cranberry Sauce serves 8

3/4 Cup white sugar

1/2 Cup brown sugar

1/4 Cup honey

2 oranges, peeled and chopped (and all the juice)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ginger

dash of cloves

12 ounces fresh cranberries, sorted and washed

2 tsp. orange zest, optional

Boil all the ingredients over medium heat, except zest. Reduce heat and simmer 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat. Add orange zest if desired. Cool and refrigerate.

(I make a batch of plain cranberry sauce too. So I garnish the spiced one with orange peel and whole allspice.)

Make it a Wonderful Day!

Honey Pear Topping

You're going to love this! It's yummy and sweet, but with a hint of ginger to give it some zip.

Local pears and local honey, along with fresh ginger and a touch of lemon juice. Toasted pecans and chopped apples. And a big scoop of cottage cheese. For lunch. Oh, so good! 

And then the next day, I added some pear vinegar to the topping to make it into a salad dressing to use on baby spinach leaves, topped with more of the toasted pecans. (Sorry, no photo of the salad..we were too busy enjoying it!)

Honey Pear Topping

4 ripe pears, peeled and cored

4 Tablespoons mild honey

1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Process lightly. Use immediately or cover tightly and refrigerate.

For my first lunch, I chopped one seeded apple, and put in a large single serving bowl. Topped with a scoop of cottage cheese. Spooned  a generous amount of the pear topping over the cottage cheese, finishing with the toasted pecans. 

  

For the Honey Pear Salad Dressing...  Add pear or other mild, fruity vinegar to the pear topping, a small amount at a time, to taste. Use with baby spinach leaves or other greens, crumbled gorgonzola or feta, and toasted pecans.

Cilantro Pesto Marathon

I had some fresh basil that needed to be used up, so I thought I'd make pesto. But I also had some cilantro...okay, Basil Cilantro Pesto it is... or should it be Cilantro Basil Pesto? Either way, we loved it! The flavor was a little lighter and brighter than an all-basil pesto. We used it all week- if you don't want some at every meal, freeze it in small portions to add zip to your favorites recipes.

First, I used it to flavor up some homemade chicken vegetable soup.

 And then I tried it as a spread on crostinis topped with baby spinach and a grated Italian Cheese Blend...

And it was great with sliced fresh mozarella and tomatoes with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar...

(Love my thrifted placmat and plate from Value Village!)

 I didn't get a photo of the Pesto Pasta Chicken Bake... Or the yummy breakfast of scrambled eggs with asparagus, red onion, and pesto.  Or the last of it in the spinach soup. Delish in so many ways!

Cilantro Basil Pesto
1/2 Cup Pine Nuts, toasted
2 1/2 Cups Cilantro leaves
1 Cup Basil leaves
1-2 Tablespoons minced Garlic (I used the jarred kind this time, but fresh is great too)
2/3 Cup Olive Oil
3/4 Cup grated Pecorino Romano Cheese

Place nuts and herbs and garlic in food processor and pulse to chop. Add olive oil, pulsing to blend well. Add cheese and pulse. Add a small amount of olive oil if you'd like a smoother texture. Use right away for brightest color.Store tightly covered in the refrigerator. (If you plan on freezing, leave out the cheese until ready to use.)

Spinach and Sweet Pea Soup

I'm a "use-what-you-have-on-hand" kind of cook these days. So I started with shallots, fresh spinach and frozen peas....

... and made a bright green soup to have on a gray, rainy, day.

I started with a pea soup recipe from Emeril, and changed it up once I checked the fridge and pantry.

We had sliced red and orange peppers, grape tomatoes on the side, along with some cantelope. The soup is garnished with crumbled bacon and low fat yogurt, and I quick-fried some spinach leaf strips for a bit more crisp garnish.

Serving it in a thrifted polka dot bowl (Value Village) made it taste even better!

Spinach and Sweet Pea Soup

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 T. oil (or bacon drippings)
3T. flour
1 1/2 C. sliced shallots
4 C. vegetable stock
4 C. peas (fresh or frozen)
1/2C. plain lowfat yogurt, divided
5 C. (approx.) fresh leaf spinach, coarsely chopped
fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp. Garam Marsala, optional

In soup pot, heat oil. Add flour and cook 3 minutes. Add shallots, cooking  until softened and lightly carmelized. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add spinach and peas, cooking for 10 minutes. Puree in batches in blender or food processor. Stir in 1/4 C. yogurt and adjust seasoning. Garnish with crisp bacon and spinach, yogurt, and coarse ground black pepper.  6 servings.

Make it a Wonderful Day!!

Blue Ribbon Bread

I've had this bread recipe for many years. In fact, it was the first bread I ever made, way back in 1976. Dave and I were newlyweds, living in Moscow, Idaho while Dave was in grad school.  I was learning how to cook, and when a friend brought us a loaf of this savory bread, I asked for the recipe and gave it a try.

We loved it, and a few months later, another friend suggested I make some and enter it in the county fair...

...which I did. And I won first prize in the specialty bread section, and I got a blue ribbon.

There was prize money too!!!

$1.50

Yes, you read that correctly. One dollar and fifty cents.

Even back then, that was pretty funny.

Wheat Germ Herb Bread

5 1/2-6 1/2 Cups unsifted unbleached Flour

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Marjoram leaves, crushed

1 tsp.Thyme leaves, crushed

2 packets (or 5 tsp.) granular Yeast

1/3 C. Sugar

1 1/2 C. Milk

1/2 C. Water

1/2 C. Butter

2 whole Eggs

1 Egg Yolk

1 Egg White, beaten

1 1/3 C. Wheat Germ

In large mixer bowl with dough hook attachment, combine 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and herbs. Mix well.

In saucepan, heat milk, water, and butter until warm. (120-130 degrees) (Butter doesn't need to melt)

Add to flour mixture. Add eggs and egg yolk. Blend at low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed. Gradually stir in the wheat germ and enough flour to make a soft dough. Continue kneading for another 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Shape into ball and place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place until light and doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down. Divide into 2 parts. Shape as desired into loaves. (I did mine in two twisted rings.)

Place in greased loaf pans (9x5x3) or on greased cookie sheet. Cover; let rise 30-40 minutes. Lightly brush with egg white. Sprinkle with 1 Tblsp. wheat germ. Bake in 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes. (Cover with foil the last 5-10 minutes of baking. Remove  from pans and cool on rack.  Make 2 (1 1/2 lb) loaves.

(Try it toasted and served with your favorite soup and salad...yum!) 

Make it a Wonderful Day!

Art in the Soup

Here are a few more pencil drawings done by my Art Club Artists, grades 1-6. Along with learning about form, we worked on getting a range of values from our regular Ticonderoga pencils. (This little group in the photo below are some of the samples  started as demos with my classes, not finished drawings. Each of the kids made a value scale, first in little boxes, then without.)

I had a variety of papers, some with texture, some smooth.

Peppers, onions, and garlic are fun to draw. I loved how the kids could see that some of the peppers looked like cubes, the onions spheres, and the garlics a sphere with a cone on the top.

After we finished our drawings, I took the veggies home and made "Art Soup"...

Art Soup

Roast the peppers (4 or 5 red peppers)   in a 500 degree oven. Once the peppers are blackened, carefully put the hot peppers in a bowl and seal them in with plastic wrap to steam. (This will loosen the skins.)

While they steam, in a large pan with a T. of vegetable oil, saute the chopped onions (1 or 2), along with carrots (5 or 6) and celery ( 5 or 6 ribs and the leafy celery heart too). Add the garlic (4-5 large cloves, minced) , along with some ginger, and a quart of chicken stock. 

 After the peppers have steamed and cooled enough to handle, peel, seed, and stem. Blend all the ingredients to smooth texture in batches in the blender, seasoning as desired. Serve with a hearty bread and salad greens.