Cranberry Butter

This butter is all things good about the flavors of the holidays.  I'd suggest making a batch to serve with Christmas morning toast or any other breads that may come your way this season.
*1/2 lb. butter, softened
*1/4 c. chopped fresh cranberries
*1/4 c. honey
*zest from 1 orange

Combine all ingredients until well-blended.  Keep refrigerated and let soften slightly before serving.

Candied Yams

This is our family's favorite way to eat yams.
*1 29-oz. can yams, drained
*1/4 c. butter, sliced
*1/2 c. brown sugar
*1 1/2 c. mini marshmallows
*1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Combine all in an 8" square baking dish.  Cover with foil and bake at 400 for 25 minutes.

Pesto Chicken and Parmesan Noodles

Here's a quick and tasty summer meal.
*1 lb. angel hair pasta
*2 carrots, peeled and sliced in small disks
*3 TBSP. salted butter, divided
*1/2 of a rotisserie chicken, shredded
*1/4 c. pesto (store-bought is great, too)
*1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook pasta according to package.  Meanwhile, melt 1 TBSP. butter over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add carrots and cook a few minutes more.  Add chicken and stir to combine and warm.  Add pesto and toss to coat.  Drain pasta and return to pot.  Add remaining 2 TBSP. butter and Parmesan cheese and toss.  Season with fresh-ground black pepper if desired. Serve pasta topped with chicken mixture. Top with fresh basil and drizzle with olive oil.

Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew

I'd seen this recipe a while back and when I saw cauliflower on sale at my market this week it reminded me I wanted to try it. But when I found the recipe online, the reviews were mixed.  I took a bunch of the suggestions to tweak it a bit. The whole family loved the end result and it was so easy!

*2 TBSP. extra-virgin olive oil
*1/2 medium onion, diced
*1 tsp. ground cumin
*1/2 tsp. ground ginger

*1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
*1/2 head of cauliflower, cored and cut into small florets
*1/4 tsp. kosher salt
*1/4 tsp. black pepper
*1 can fire-roasted tomatoes, with garlic
*1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
*1/2 c. raisins
*1 cup baby spinach
*Parmesan cheese, optional
*1 c. couscous
*1 c. vegetable broth

In a saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook a few minutes until tender.  Add cumin, ginger, and red pepper; stir to combine and cook another minute until fragrant.  Add cauliflower and continue to saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add tomatoes (I mashed mine a bit), chickpeas, salt and pepper.   Simmer over medium-low for 15 minutes. Just before serving, stir in spinach and raisins.  Meanwhile, put couscous in a large bowl and heat the broth until hot.  Pour broth over couscous and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit 5 minutes, then use a fork to fluff and serve.  Put a pile of couscous on the plate and spoon the stew on top. Top with Parmesan if desired.

This is a very good and good-for-you 30-minute meal.

Watermelon Granitas

Shared this with my book club last night and the ladies agreed it makes for a very refreshing treat.  These granitas are very simple to make and you can use any melon you'd like (but I've only used watermelon).

*1/2 c. water
*1/2 c. sugar
*3 lbs. watermelon

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over med-high heat.  Reduce heat and stir will until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Meanwhile, remove the rind and seeds from melon; cut into 1" cubes.  Put melon cubes and syrup into food processor and puree.  Strain out solids and pour into a metal loaf pan.  Cover with foil or plastic wrap and place (carefully) into freezer.  Freeze at least 4 hours until firm or a couple days.
To serve, remove pan from freezer and let stand at room temperature 5-10 minutes. Then use the tip of a fork to scrape the surface (rotating directions works well) to create 'shaved ice'.  Divide and enjoy!
This amount will serve 6-10 depending on how full you fill the cups.

Creamy Black Bean Burritos

I adapted a recipe from Everyday Food to come up with this dinner.

*2 c. lowfat (1%) cottage cheese
*1/2 tsp. onion powder
*1/2 tsp. garlic powder
*1/4 c. cilantro leaves
*1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
*2 c. black beans, cooked, drained rinsed
*12-ish corn tortillas

In a food processor, process cottage cheese until smooth.  Add onion and garlic powder, cilantro and red pepper flakes; process. Stir in black beans. Microwave tortillas to soften and lightly spray each with cooking spray before filling with a couple tablespoons of filling. Roll and place seam side down on a baking sheet. Cover with enchilada sauce and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until warm throughout.

Salsa

Grabbed this recipe from Pioneer Woman...and love it! I usually make a batch a week and use it in soups, burritos, and to dip.

*28 oz. canned tomatoes with juice

*20 oz. Rotel (original)

*1/4 c. chopped onion

*1 clove garlic, minced

*1 jalapeno, sliced thin (I like heat but sometimes if the peppers are hot, this may be too much...)

*1/4 tsp. sugar

*1/4 tsp. cumin (I use about twice this)

*1/4 tsp. salt

*1/2 c. cilantro

*1/2 lime, juiced

Put it all in your food processor and pulse until it reaches the consistency you like.

Hint: If you've got the ingredients and cutting board out, here's a way to make this a little easier for your next batches.  Grab a couple onions, several peppers and garlic along with the bunch of cilantro.  Chop/slice/mince all of it.  Put a few squares of plastic wrap out on the counter and pile up enough of each to make one batch (or even half of this recipe) on each square. You could even freeze the lime juice in an ice cube tray and add the cube to the pile. Fold over the plastic to wrap each 'packet' up and put all of the packets into a zip-top bag and put in the freezer. Then the next time you're craving salsa all you'll have to do is open a couple cans of tomato, throw in the frozen packet and seasonings and you're done.

Mini Chocolate Mocha Cheesecakes

I pulled this recipe from last month's Everyday Food magazine and we loved every last bite.  I wasn't able to find the wafer cookies so I made made these.

*2 c. nonfat cottage cheese

*2 large eggs

*1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

*1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

*1 TBSP + 1 1/2 tsp. all-purpose flour

*1 1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder (could be optional)

*1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

*9 Famous chocolate wafer cookies

Preheat oven to 275.  Line 9 standard muffin cups with cupcake liners (I recommend the foil ones and I had enough filling for 10 cups). In a food processor, combine cottage cheese, eggs, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, flour, espresso powder and vanilla.  Process until smooth, about 4 minutes, scraping down sides as needed.  Divide mixture among cups and place 1 cookie on top of each.  Bake until fillings are set and cookies soften, 25-30 minutes.  Let cool to room temperature in pan on a wire rack, then refrigerate at least 1 1/2 hours (or, covered, up to 3 days). To serve, invert cheesecakes onto plates and peel off liners. Could top with whipped cream.

So, not only are these simple to make (especially if you aren't making the cookies, too), but here's how the nutrition looks per cheesecake: 174 cal; 2 g fat; 9 g protein; 30 g carb; 1 g fiber.  It's practically health food...delicious health food!

Tailgate Chicken Sandwiches

Sometimes I think Guy Fieri and Alton Brown are single-handedly trying to take over Food Network, and I'm ok with that because they both share some awesome recipes with their viewers. This is one of those recipes that seems almost too strange to work, but boy does it ever. We made these at a campout, but I'd do them again on the grill or in the oven for a fun hot-sandwich meal.

*2 oz. olive oil

*1 c. julienned red onion

*1 TBSP. minced jalepeno

*1/2 c. roasted red pepper, julienned

*1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

*1/4 tsp. sea salt

*1 tsp. black pepper

*1 TBSP. chopped garlic

*2 TBSP. chopped cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish

*2 TBSP. grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish

*5 oz. mozzarella, shredded

*4 oz. cream cheese, softened

*4 TBSP. lime juice

*3 oz. tequila

*1/4 c. diced Roma tomato, for garnish

*4 sourdough hoagie rolls, warmed (I toasted them)

Layer 2 15-inch sheets of aluminum foil and fold 1/4 inch along sides to create one sheet. Repeat with another 2 sheets to make 2 double foiled sheets. Bend the edges of one of the sheets up 2 inches to help keep the liquid in the foil.

On a double sheet of foil, layer the ingredients in this order: oil, onions, jalepeno, red peppers, chicken, salt and pepper, garlic, cilantro, cheeses, juice and tequila. Put the second foil layer on top of the first, fold edges in 1/4-inch folds 4 times. When all sides are folded together make sure nothing is leaking and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Preheat oven or grill to 250. Remove pouch from fridge and grill, being very careful not to puncture pouch. Grill for 10 minutes, flip and grill another 10 minutes. Remove pouch from grill, slice open, and garnish with tomatoes, cilantro, and Parmesan. Divide between rolls and serve.

hmm..this photo in no way shows how delicious these sandwiches were...

Chocolate Chip Cookies

If the bean idea in the last post didn't make you turn away, I thought I'd post a couple of the treat recipes I use them in.  Carlee and I have an ongoing discussion about the irony of 'healthy desserts', so my disclaimer is this: if you love a good Otis Spunkmeyer or can't imagine life without the Toll House recipe, stick with those and enjoy them for the delicious flavor they bring. If you love snacking and wouldn't mind having a slightly-better-for-you option, read below.

*1/2 c. beans, cooked, rinsed and drained
*1/2 c. + 2 TBSP. room temperature butter (or butter shortening)
*1/2 c. sugar
*1 c. brown sugar
*2 large eggs
*2 tsp. vanilla
*1 tsp. baking soda
*1 tsp. salt
*3 c. flour (I use 2 c. wheat + 1 c. white, but mix and match as you please)
*2 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Cream together beans, butter, and sugars.  Blend in eggs and add vanilla.  Stir in baking soda, salt and flour; mix well to combine.  Add chocolate chips.  Drop by tablespoon onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375 for 11-13 minutes.