Quinoa Salad with Hazelnuts, Apple, and Dried Cranberries

Serves 4

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well (any other grain will do as well. I used farro)
1 1/2 cups water, for quinoa
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, de-skinned and chopped (or use any nuts you have - I used almond slivers and raw cashews)
1 bunch (about 5 to 6) green onions, chopped (green parts only)
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped * see note
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, thoroughly rinsed and chopped
1 gala apple (really, any kind of apple will do)
1 large lemon, juiced
Generous drizzle of any kind of oil (I like hazelnut)
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 325F and toast your hazelnuts for about 7-10 minutes. Let them cool completely. You should begin to hear their skins crackle while cooling; this is a good sign!  Skip this step if you don't use hazelnuts.
2. Meanwhile, cook your quinoa. Importantly, rinse it well! Boil the water with a pinch of salt, and add your rinsed quinoa. Turn your stove down to medium-low and let it cook for roughly 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Fluff quinoa with a fork, and let it cool in the fridge. 
3. Going back to the cooled, toasted hazelnuts; remove the skins. Chop the hazelnuts up, leaving them in large pieces. Skip this step if you don't use hazelnuts.
4. Preheat a skillet with 1 tbsp of oil and soften your finely chopped onion and celery. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Try not to brown them, 5 to 7 minutes on medium - low heat should do the trick. Set aside in a large salad bowl. 
5. Rinse your parsley well and chop it finely followed by your dried cranberries and green onions. Add all this to the onion and celery mixture. 
6. Core and dice the apple, put your apple chunks in the bowl with the other ingredients. Squeeze the entire lemon over the apple to season the salad and prevent the apple from turning brown. 
7. Add your quinoa and hazelnuts to the mixture, drizzle with the oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Season with more lemon juice if you like. Mix well and cool completely. Allow the flavors to meld for 20 minutes before serving! 

Recipe is from Food52. They recommend using good quality dried cranberries. Craisins work but they tend to turn the salad a pinkish hue after a few hours, and may be too sweet.

Cranberry Apple Crisp Recipe

Cranberry Apple Crisp Recipe photo by Taste of Home

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 15 min. Bake: 50 min.
YIELD:6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups chopped peeled tart apples
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
TOPPING:
1-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine apples, cranberries, sugar and flour. Pour into a greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish. In a bowl, mix topping ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle over apple mixture. Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until fruit is tender. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Nutritional Facts
1 serving (1 each) equals 407 calories, 15 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 31 mg cholesterol, 122 mg sodium, 66 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 4 g protein.

Recipe from mom, originally from Taste Of Home

Smoothie Sweet Bok Choy

Smoothie Sweet Potato Apple Bake

We used Cinnamon instead of Allspice

Green Applecado Smoothie

INGREDIENTS
1 banana
1 cup water
1.5 cups kale
1/2 avocado
1 apple

DIRECTIONS
Put all ingredients into Vitamix. Set to smoothie setting on Vitamix and let program run to completion.
Good the next day. If you want to drink immediately replace water or some of fruit for frozen.

NOTES
Serves 1 (approximately 20 ounces)
It was very thick. Try more water.
Future Avocado recipes to try: http://www.healthysmoothiehq.com/avocado-smoothie-recipes

Blackberry Pear Smoothie

Ingredients
1 Cup (240 g Plain Yogurt
2/3 Cup (160 ml) Water
2 Bananas, Peeled
1 Pear, Halved, Cored
1 Apple, Halved, Cored
2 Cups (280 g) Frozen Blackberries

Directions 
1) Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid
(2) Select Purée Program
(3) Switch machine to Start and allow machine to complete programmed cycle

Nutritional Information
Per 1 Cup (240 ml) Serving: Calories: 142, TotalFat: 1 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Protein: 4g, Fiber: 6 g, Carbohydrates: 31 g, Sodium: 38 mg, Cholesterol: 4 mg

Servings 
Approximately four 15 ounce smoothies

Cost
$10.00 for all ingredients, or $2.50 per serving

5.5 frozen fruit
1 yogurt (buying bulk)
1.50 apple
1 pear

1 bananas

15 Minute Apple Dumplings Dessert

Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Total time: 55 mins
Serves: 16




Ingredients
2 (8 ounce) cans crescent rolls
1.5 sticks butter
1½ cups brown sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup 7 Up (or other lemon soda)
2 apples (Golden Delicious or Granny Smith)


Instructions
1. Butter a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
2. Preheat the oven at 350 F.
3. Peel and core apples, then cut each apple into 8 slices
4. Open up the two crescent roll packages. They will each have 8 triangle shaped flat crescent rolls. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll and place in a buttered dish.
5. Melt butter, stir in sugar, vanilla and cinnamon, and when it’s thickened, remove from heat and pour over the dumplings.
6. Pour the soda in the middle and along the edges of a pan (not over the rolls).
7. Bake for 35­ to 45 minutes, or until they become golden brown.
8. Serve warm.

Recipe is a slightly modified from OMG Chocolate Desserts version. 

Apple and Cabbage Oven Baked Chicken

Picture credit from The Healthy Foodie.
Serves 2.   Ready-in 1.5 hours

I N G R E D I E N T S
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 small onion, thinly sliced
½ small Savoy cabbage, shredded
1 Red Delicious apple, thinly sliced
1 Golden Delicious apple, thinly sliced
½ cup all natural unsweetened apple juice
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

I N S T R U C T I O N S
Preheat oven to 375F

Prepare ahead

Thinly slice the onion and apples and shred the cabbage as finely as possible. The use of a mandolin is strongly recommended here.
In an oven safe dish (mine was about 7" x 7") add about 1/3 of the shredded cabbage, followed by ½ the onion and ½ the apples.
Continue layering by adding another 1/3 of the cabbage, the rest of the onions, the rest of the apple slices and finally, the rest of the cabbage. Set aside.
Place your chicken breasts on top of the cabbage and add another sprig of rosemary, if desired.

In a small mixing bowl, add apple juice, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, rosemary, salt and pepper and mix until well combined. Pour over chicken and cabbage mixture.
Cover with aluminum foil and cook in the oven for about an hour, until chicken is cooked through.
Remove the chicken breasts and slice them on a diagonal
Divide cabbage/apple mixture between 2 serving plates and place sliced chicken breasts on top.
Serve immediately.

N O T E S
*  Recipe from The Healthy Foodie.
*  I put my oven safe dish over a cookie sheet in the oven and covered with tinfoil and this led to a very slow cook. Recommend not using cookie sheet, and removing tinfoil for a few minutes.
*  Double-recipe quantity = 6 servings. Delic left overs, maybe make triple next time & freeze individual meal-sized portions.

Caramel Apple Muffins

Total time: 1 hr 30 minutes.  Makes 12 muffins.

Cinnamon Topping Ingredients:
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons butter

Muffin & Caramel Ingredients:
1 (8-oz.) container sour cream
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith apples (2 cups = 2 apples)
1 (14-oz.) package caramels
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 cup chopped lightly salted, roasted pecans
Wax paper
Food-safe twigs or craft sticks (if you grow mint in your backyard, twigs are perfect for this recipe)

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375°. Prepare Cinnamon Topping as directed.
2. Beat sour cream and next 3 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 30 seconds or until blended.
3. Stir together flour and next 3 ingredients. Add to sour cream mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. (Do not overmix.) Stir in diced apples. Spoon into a lightly greased 12-cup muffin pan, filling three-fourths full; sprinkle with Cinnamon Topping.
4. Bake at 375° for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely (about 30 minutes).
5. Microwave caramels and cream in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until thick enough to coat muffins.
6. Quickly dip bottom three-fourths of each muffin into caramel mixture; roll bottom half of caramel-coated portion of muffin in chopped pecans, and place muffins, caramel sides up, on lightly greased wax paper. (If caramel mixture begins to harden before you've dipped all the muffins, microwave mixture a few seconds to soften.) Insert food-safe twigs or craft sticks into caramel-covered portions of muffins.

Comments:
Recipe from Southern Living, SEPTEMBER 2012. Find original post here.
Be careful not to burn your fingers on the hot caramel.

Apple Sauce

Happy Hanukkah. Learn here how to make apple sauce to serve with your latkes.

4 Apple (frugal me chose the least expensive variety)
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar (either white or brown)
1 tspn cinnamon
1 vanilla bean

In a saucepan, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher.

Comments: My next apple sauce trial will be to a baking recipe.

Mocha-Apple Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

Double Layered

Recipe published in Southern Living's September 2011 issue. Find it here. Hag Samech & Shana Tova! 


Cake Ingredients
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith apples (about 2 lb.)
2 (2.6-oz.) milk chocolate candy bars, chopped
Browned Butter Frosting


Cake Directions

• 1. Preheat oven to 350º. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.
• 2. Beat sugar and next 4 ingredients at high speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer 5 minutes. Stir together flour and next 4 ingredients; gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Add apples, chocolate, and pecans; beat just until blended. Spoon into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
• 3. Bake at 350º for 28 to 32 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour). Spread Browned Butter Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.
• Mocha-Apple Bundt Cake: Omit Browned Butter Frosting. Prepare batter as directed; spoon into a greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan. Bake at 350º for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours).

Browned Butter Frosting Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Frosting Directions
1. Cook butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, 6 to 8 minutes or until butter begins to turn golden brown. Remove pan immediately from heat. Pour butter into a bowl. Cover and chill 1 hour or until butter is cool and begins to solidify.
2. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add powdered sugar alternately with milk, beginning and ending with sugar. Beat at low speed until well blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Comments: The cake batter is very thick and turns out similar to a cookie dough consistency.  Very interesting. Not my favorite cake, but definitely would make it again for the right occasion. Shocking realization that others don't agree - only received 2/5 stars on recipes.com. 

Green Apple Salad

INGREDIENTS
Spinach
2 Granny Smith Apples, slivered
Walnuts
Yellow Raisins
1 Sweet Red Pepper
1/2 Purple Onion
If you would like, add chicken
Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Serves 3
Looking for tips to improve this salad!