SRC: Homemade Vegetable Dip

It's time for another Secret Recipe Club post!!  Yea!  This month I was assigned Debbi Does Dinner Healthy & Low Calorie.  What a great site to be assigned right after the holidays!  Debbi's mission is to make healthy, low calorie meals without sacrificing taste, and she does it well!  I had alot of fun browsing through her site, and I'll definitely be back to try more of her recipes.  Thanks Debbi for all your inspiration!

So, where did I land?  The Home made vegetable dip.  I am so glad I chose this one.  We love to snack on raw vegetables, but my kids especially like something to dip it in.  I typically buy a yogurt based ranch dressing, it's an all natural sort of brand, and we love it.  Who doesn't love ranch?  But, this is real veggie dip, with all the flavors of one bought, but made at home.  It was easy peasy to make, and uses staple ingredients.  Total winner.

Ingredients:
1 6oz plain yogurt
1/3 cup light sour cream
1/3 cup light mayo
1 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
2 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt

Whisk it all together, and wa-lah!  I told you it was easy, or as my kids say... easy peasy lemon squeezy.  I bet this would be good with a squeeze of lemon, hmm.  Chill it for about an hour before serving to let all the flavors blend.

Don't you just want to munch on some fresh veggies right now?  :-)  Happy crunching.

SRC: Nutty Granola

This month's Secret Recipe Club  reveal is from Eliot's Eats.  Debra's blog is filled with wholesome goodness!  I loved looking through her recipe's, as well as just browsing the other parts of her blog.  I also loved that she has a heart for real food and eating local.

If you're new around here, The Secret Recipe Club is a once a month event where I'm assigned another members blog to cook from and blog about.  Likewise, someone has my blog too.  It's a secret until the big reveal day.  Plus, for a foodie like me, I've been introduced to so many amazing food blogs through this experience.  Please go check out The Secret Recipe Club for tons of awesome blogs, recipe's and bloggers.  These people are a fantastic community.

One of the favorite foods in my household is granola, so I was thrilled to find Eliot's Eats Nutty Granola recipe.  It is quite different from my 'usual', so I was excited to try it.  Not that I don't love the other one, I just think a little variety is good.  I did make a couple changes due to not having some ingredients on hand, and they are noted in the ingredient list.


Nutty Granola

2 T. canola oil
1/4 c. local honey
1/4 c. light molasses (not blackstrap)
1/2 c. brown sugar (light or dark—your choice)
1/2 t. Kosher salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
4 c. old-fashioned oats
1 c. pecan halves (I used walnuts)
1/4 c. raw pepitas
1/2 c. raw pistachios (I used cashews--although I would have loved the pistachios)
1/4 c. flax seeds (I omitted because I only had flaxseed meal)
1/4 c. chia seeds

I also roughly chopped my nuts, which Debra's recipe does not suggest.  I just have little ones eating it.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees . 

 Place canola oil, honey and molasses in a sauce pan.  I loved Debra's tip to measure the canola oil into a 1/4 c. measuring cup. Swirl it around to coat the measuring cup and then pour it in a small sauce pan. This will help the honey and molasses flow from the cup.  Add the brown sugar, salt and cinnamon.

Heat over low heat and stir with a whisk until sugar is dissolved. Let cool slightly while the other ingredients are mixed.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together oats, walnuts, pepitas, cashews, and chia seeds. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture and stir well so all ingredients are coated.


Divide mixture and spread evenly on the two baking sheets. Place in oven and and set timer for 10 minutes. After timer goes off, rotate baking sheets and stir. Add timer for another 10 minutes. Repeat. Total cooking time is 35-40 minutes.

This does tend to burn easily so watch carefully.

Some of our favorite ways to eat granola:  As a cereal,

Topping off Yogurt,

Or spreading some Almond butter on apple slices and sprinkling the granola over it.

This granola just might be a new favorite!  Thanks Eliot's Eats!

Avocado Lettuce Salad

This recipe is adapted from Cuisine At Home.  It's a great side dish that offers the best of guacamole and a crunchy salad.  It compliments any mexican meal.  Okay, it compliments anything if you love guacamole like I do!

1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 avocados
6 Tbs mayonnaise
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
8 cups shredded Romain lettuce
4 roma tomatoes, diced
2/3 cup sliced scallions
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup seeded, minced jalepenos (optional)

Mash avocados in a large bowl until smooth.  Add mayonnaise, lime juice, and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper.

Stir lettuce, tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, jalapenos, and bacon into avocado mixture until combined.

A couple notes:  If you like it really crunchy, you may want to use iceberg lettuce.  I like Romaine because there is still crunch to it, but it has more nutrients than iceberg lettuce.

The jalepeno's will add some heat.  I left them out because my kids are not big fans of hot-spicy food.

This recipe makes a lot!  I actually made a 1/2 batch for my family of 4.  My daughter tried it, but she is my picky one and didn't want seconds.  The rest of us all had a second helping and there was still a serving left over.

Enjoy, and please let me know what you think!

Avocado Feta Salsa

Here's a fantastic salsa that's a bit unique.  I just made this for the first time and brought it to a family gathering, and it was a hit!!  Everyone loved it.  Honestly, I wasn't sure it was going to make it to the party after I sampled it, it's that good!  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

My friend KELLY VISSER turned me on to this, she got it from  Your Lighter Side.  

2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and chopped
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp snipped, fresh parsley
1 Tbsp snipped fresh oregano
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp white vinegar
4 oz. feta cheese, coarsely crumbled

1. In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, avocado, onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, oil, and vinegar.
2. Stir gently to mix.
3. Gently stir in feta cheese.
4. Cover and chill for 2 hours or up to 6 hours.

Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips or crackers.  As far as I'm concerned, you could just ditch the chips and grab your spoon!!  I also think this would be great on chicken as well.  Top a nice piece of grilled chicken with it...YUM!

Red, White and Blue Salad

4th of July is almost here!  So many festive foods to make and not enough time!  Here's an awesome salad I adapted from Real Mom Kitchen.  Great tasting and good for you.


1 head lettuce, I used romaine and and some mixed greens from my garden
1 cup glazed walnuts
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 ½ cups blueberries
crumbled feta cheese

Dressing:
1/2  cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup persian lime oil
1/2 cup coconut vinegar
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbs poppy seeds

Glaze your walnuts.  Put the walnuts and 1 Tbs honey in a saucepan on medium and stir to coat.  Let them cook for about 5 minutes or so.  The honey will become a bit foamy in the pan, then they are finished.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to cool

Prepare your salad.  Place your lettuce on a serving platter.  Next add your cooled walnuts.  Then add your strawberries, cheese, and blueberries.  As you can see from the picture, I kept mine separated for a nice presentation, but this will still be beautiful with everything layered.  

 

Make the dressing.  Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix well.  

I know the oil and vinegar I chose are in the unique category and not everyone has that sitting around.  You can substitute regular olive oil and red-wine vinegar too, it will have a very different flavor, but very good.  If you do that, you will probably need to sweeten it.  I would use honey or maple syrup, and you could also just use sugar.  Check out the dressing recipe at Real Mom Kitchen.  

What are you making for the 4th?  I'd love to hear from you!

Chellie

St. Patricks Day Mystery Diner Part 2

In honor of St. Patricks day coming up, please enjoy this re-post.  This particular St. Paddy's day was one of my favorites because not only was it just plain fun, but it was 80 degrees in Michigan!  Unheard of in March!  

Finally, I'm posting about our wonderful celebration!  I've just been too busy soaking up the sun, running the household.  :D  If you missed Part 1 or our Mystery Dinner, you can see it here.
So, we had our lovely friends The Lubberts over for dinner.  They were great sports and totally up for our Mystery Dinner.  A good time was had by all.

Here's my daughter, all decked out in her green.  She was even wearing green corduroy pants--and it was 80 degrees here in Mi.

also very excited about her stick-on earrings.

Originally, it was just going to be for my family, but when we added our friends, I changed a few of my ideas really just to make it easy on myself.  You'll notice some changes here from my Part 1 post.  Things have to be ready to serve up, so, I did prepare some things in advance (and prepared easy things)

Here's what we had:

Shamrock Shake:  Pour the dressing on the veggies and shake her up!  (kids totally dig this)

Leprechaun Pie (recipe here) 

Spoon Bread   (recipe here)

Taste a Rainbow

Emerald Isle (recipe here)

U-Pick Clover (sour cream cookie recipe here)  This was a decorate your own cookie dessert.

Irish Kiss (napkin)

Blarney Stone (fork)

St. Pat's Sword (knife)

Digging for Gold (Spoon)

As you can see, some of the menu items are your utensils.  This keeps it really interesting!  

Here's our Menu's:

The first thing we do is fill out our menus.  You'll want each person to keep a copy and give a copy to the chef.  All the fun names are listed and 3 courses.  We all eat 1 course at a time, then I serve up the next, and so on.  

How do you celebrate St. Patricks Day?  Or don't you?   I would love to hear from you!  Please share your traditions in the comments.  

I hope you find a reason to celebrate today!

Blessings

~Chellie

Pineapple Jalapeno meatballs

Are you planning a Super Bowl party yet?  I brought these to a New Years Eve party.  I'm not sure if it was my husband eating them all or if people really liked them!  Haha!  My husband had been mentioning meatballs since my Christmas Eve Open House.  I refused him as I was already into 3 days food prep for the party.  He kindly said:  "It's not too late, I can fire up the Crockpot" on Christmas Eve.  To Which I replied:  "Sorry honey, I need the Crockpot for the Hot Cocoa Bar".  So, I decided to love on my hubby by making him some meatballs on NYE.  This is not your traditional recipe.  It was really good, and not burn your lips spicy.  Plus, it's super easy!!

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
2 Tbs water
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 Tbs dried minced onion

For the Sauce:
1 jar pineappple preserves
1 jar jalapeno jelly

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix the beef, egg, water, breadcrumbs and onion well.  Form small meatballs and place on baking sheet.
I got about 35 meatballs from one batch.  Cook in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, turning once.

Meanwhile, put your preserves and jelly into a small saucepan and warm.  I did this just so it would be thinner and spread over my meatballs easier.

Once your meatballs are finished cooking, you can put them in the crockpot and cover with the sauce.  Stir gently.  I kept my crockpot on low just to keep them warm.

Enjoy!

Christmas Eve Open House 2011

As many of you know, we host an open house on Christmas Eve.  We've been doing it for a few years now.  This year was another blessed evening.  I was so blessed by those that came, and hope they were too.  This is the Menu:

Cold

Caprese Salad on a Stick

Sparkling Cranberry Brie Bites

Cheese Plate

Olive Plate

Fruit Plate

Warm

Sweet Potato Cakes with Black Bean Salsa

Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Pies

Apricot Bacon Wraps

Desserts 

Assorted Christmas Treats  (see the bottom of this post for a photo)

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

Blizzard Bars

Beverages

Sparkling Jubilee

Candy Cane Punch

Hot Cocoa Bar

The recipe's that are posted should be highlighted.  If they aren't, just hover your mouse over, and you should be able to click to the recipe.  

In case you are wondering "Sparkling Jubilee" is 1 bottle of White Grape juice,  and 1 2 liter 7-Up in a punch bowl.  I add fresh cranberries and fresh mint to garnish.  I just thought it needed a fun and festive name.  :-)

Christmas cheese plate

This was fun and easy to do.  Just a more festive way to serve cheese and crackers.

Sparkling Cranberry Brie Bites

These are delicious!  And almost too pretty to eat.  The recipe comes from Yummy Mummy.  I love how in her post she compared them to her sparkly shoes.  So creative!  I adapted it a little.  Instead of cranberry chutney or relish, I used jellied cranberry sauce and warmed it a little so it would be thinner.

Sugared Cranberries

2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup good maple syrup
1 cup granulated sugar

Rinse cranberries and place in a medium bowl. Heat syrup in a small sauce pan just until warm. Pour over cranberries when syrup is warm, not hot, or cranberries may pop. Cool, cover, and let soak in the refrigerator overnight.
Drain cranberries in a colander. Place sugar in a large bowl or baking dish. Add cranberries in 2 batches and roll around until lightly coated in sugar. Place on a baking sheet until dry, about 1 hour.

16 crackers
8 oz Brie cheese
cranberry chutney or cranberry relish (I used cranberry sauce)
fresh mint for garnish

Assemble crackers with one slice of brie, a light layer of cranberry chutney, and 4 or 5 sugared cranberries. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs.

Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Pies

This appetizer is a great seasonal one.  How I love pumpkin!  And I love goat cheese... so of course they're great together!  This was definitely a more tedious appetizer to do, but I felt it was worth the work.  :-)
I found it on Give Me Flour.

For the Dough:
2 cups of flour
1 1/3 stick of unsalted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
1 egg beaten
3 tbs heavy cream or yogurt (more if needed)

1. Place flour, salt and butter in a big bowl. Work with your fingertips or with a pastry blender ‘til the mixture resembles coarse meal. You want to keep some visible pieces of butter

2. Beat together egg and 3 tbsp of cream. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients.

3. Using your fingertips, mix them smoothly by making circular movements. Don’t knead the dough.

4. Keep mixing. The dough should get together quickly and if it doesn’t happen, add one more tbsp of cream.

5. Don’t worry about spots, visible pieces of butter and stripes of cream; they are a good sign. Press to form a ball, cover with plastic film and keep on the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

IMPORTANT: You can keep this dough on freezer for about a month. Just place it on the fridge and let it defrost overnight before using.

For the filling:

1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 small onion chopped

2 tbs olive oil

1/2 tbs fresh sage chopped

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

4 oz goat cheese

Sauté chopped onions and garlic in olive oil. Add all ingredients, (except cheese) mix well and let it cool completely before using.

Preheat oven to 350F˚.

Place dough in a floured surface and roll it out into a 1/8 inch thin layer. Using a 4 inch round cookie cutter cut the dough into circles. Place the pumpkin filling in the center of the circle, place a piece of cheese on top and fold the dough over into a semicircle. (I had goat cheese in log form, so I crumbled it to place on top) Crimp down the edges and arrange in a baking sheet. Keep doing the same process until the whole dough is gone. It makes approximately 24 pies.

Brush with eggwash, sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake for 30 minutes or until golden in color.

Caprese Salad on a stick

I love Caprese salad!  This was a great appetizer, of course I couldn't only eat one.  :-)

1 pt grape tomatoes
Fresh mozzarella balls
Fresh basil
toothpicks

For the dressing:
EVOO
Balsamic Vinegar
1 clove garlic

Depending on the size of your basil leaves, you may be able to use 1 basil leaf per "stick".  For me, I had to cut some of mine into large pieces.  All you do is thread the tomato, cheese, and basil on a toothpick.  Easy peasy!  I laid them all out on a plate and drizzled the dressing across them.  If you can't find mozzarella balls, you can use any type of fresh mozzarella.  I bought mine in the log form and cut it into cubes.  It worked just as well.

Dressing:
Crush 1 clove of garlic and put it in your dressing bottle.  Then pour in your oil and vinegar and shake it up.  I use about 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar.  If you like it less tangy, use less vinegar.

Sweet Potato Cakes with Black Bean Salsa

I haven't thought to make my Sweet Potatoes with a little mexican flair before.  These were really tasty!  I adapted this recipe from Lisa is cooking.

For the cakes:

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 green onions, both white and green parts, finely chopped
4-6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4-6 tablespoons butter

-Steam the sweet potato chunks for 15-20 minutes until completely tender, and then transfer to a colander and allow to drain until dry. 
- Once very dry, place sweet potato chunks in a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher to break up chunks. Add flour and finely chopped green onions, and mix with your hands to form a smooth batter. Using your hands here is best so that it doesn’t become over mixed. In a food processor, the sweet potato mixture could quickly become gummy. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed. Once the mixture is smooth, and the flour and green onions are mixed in, you’re ready to fry. Note: the mixture should be sticky but not wet, so more flour may be needed.
- In a non-stick skillet, heat two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and two tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Form round, flat cakes from about two tablespoons of batter per cake, and fry four or five at a time for three minutes per side until golden. Transfer finished cakes to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain and cool. Add more oil and butter to pan between batches as needed, and continue frying a few cakes at a time until all are ready for their toppings.



For the black bean salsa:
1 16 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 cup dried beans, prepared
1 small can mild green chilies, chopped**
1 small, yellow bell pepper, small diced
¼ cup finely minced red onion¼ cup cilantro leaves, choppedJuice of 1 lime
¼ teaspoon salt
Sour Cream for serving


-Combine all salsa ingredients (except sour cream) in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Salsa can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator.


-Top each cake with sour cream and black bean salsa and serve.


**If you like heat, use a chopped chile in adobe sauce instead of the mild green chilis.  This will really kick it up!

Bean soup

If you haven't entered my giveaway yet, there is still time!  The details are here

This recipe comes from a room mate I had years ago.  At the time I had no interest in cooking like I do now.  She was an excellent cook and I had her write this recipe down for me.  I've kept it all this time.  It's probably been at least 13 yrs. or so.  It's a classic tasting dish.  I hope you enjoy it.

1 lb dried Great Northern Beans (or navy or other white bean)
1 medium onion finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 tsp sugar
2 carrots
1 ham shank
salt and pepper to taste

If you're preparing ahead of time, rinse your beans, cover them with about 3 inches of water and soak them overnight.  If you don't plan that far ahead, still rinse the beans, place them in a large pot and cover with about 3 inches of water.  Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour.

Add the rest of the ingredients and let the soup simmer, covered, about 3 hours or until the beans are tender.  You may need to add more water, but I never have.  Once it's finished, remove the shank and pull off all the ham and add back to the soup.  The ham should fall right off of it.  You can add additional ham if you like.  For me, it just depends on how much actually was left on the ham bone.  In this case, I bought a spiral cut ham and used the shank from that.

Squash Soup in Pumpkin Bowls

Hello bloggy friends!  I am so excited today to have my FIRST GUEST POST!  Please welcome my friend Rebecca.  Rebecca and I met in person a couple of times, but most of our friendship has grown over facebook.  I know, kind of crazy.  It was there we discovered our shared passion for cooking, lounging by the pool and ice cream. Unfortunately we live in different states, so this is as close as it comes to cooking together, but I'll take it!   WELCOME REBECCA!!

Thank you Chellie for inviting me as a guest on your cooking blog! I have had a passion for artful cooking for many years now and it is an honor to come along side of you.
This season I endulged in a very fun and festive recipe -squash soup - served in baked pumpkin shells.  My guests were delighted at their appearance as they were served individually with croutons floating atop.  The taste is delicate, creamy, and somewhat smoky if you add the bacon or ham.  We all rated the dinner a success!  I hope you all will enjoy it for yourselves!

For the bowls: 4 small pumpkins

2 teaspoons sugar

kosher salt

For the soup: 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 small onion - chopped

kosher salt

thyme

2 pounds of butternut squash

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons heavy cream

freshly ground pepper

5 cups water

For the toppings:

croutons

pumpkin seeds

paprika or chili powder

crisp prosciutto, ham or bacon

fried onions

fresh sage or parsley leaves

1. Make the bowls. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a paring knife -cut a large circle around the stem of each pumpkin. Remove the lid and scoop out the seeds and fibers. Sprinkle the inside of each with 1/2 teaspoon each sugar and salt. Place the pumpkins and lids on a baking sheet; roast until tender - 20-25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile make the soup: Cut the squashes in halves, scooping our seeds and fibers. Cook in microwave until tender. While squash is cooling - Melt the 3 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the onion and 1 teaspoon salt. Add fresh or dried thyme - a pinch. Increase the heat and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Scoop out cooked squash and add to pot along with 1 teaspoon sugar and cook, stirring, until glazed, 3-4 minutes. Add 5 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes.

Working in batches - transfer the soup to a blender, crack the lid on occasion to let the steam escape. Puree until smooth. Pour batches into large bowl -until finishing pureeing entire batch. Transfer back to saucepan. Stir in heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper, to desired taste. Ladle soup to individual soup bowls. Add topping as desired.

Again, thank you Chellie for your invitiation!  I believe our next venture should be an online version for our guests to view! The idea of us both together in the kitchen, cooking up something wonderful to share with our viewing guests, sounds exciting and fun!  Maybe Hollywood will discover us and we will be televised with our own cooking show - two blondes in the kitchen together - what a stir that would make.....


Thank YOU Rebecca for sharing your artful cooking with us!  What an honor to have you as a guest.


Be sure to stop by and say hi to Rebecca on her blog:  http://annysattic.blogspot.com/

Mexican 5 layer Dip

This awesome dip comes from "Clean Eating" Magazine.  A great magazine that features healthy and delicious recipe's.  Everything I've tried from it has always been full of flavor, but also packed with nutrients and low calories.  I'm not really one to count calories, but I do care very much about what I put into my body and caring for it.


The recipe is written just like the magazine, but I did make one change.  I added a clove of fresh garlic, crushed, to the beans in the food processor.


5.  Sprinkle cheese evenly over beans.  Dollop scoops of avocado mixx


1 cup dried pinto beans
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small white onion, chopped
2-3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (if you want less heat, use 1)
3/4 packed cup of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, divided
juice of 2 limes, divided
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus additional to taste, divided
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
6 oz reduced fat cheddar cheese, grated (I used regular, I don't like to skimp on cheese)
1 1/2 cups reduced fat sour cream


1. Rinse beans in a colander, discarding any debris or small stones.  Place in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover beans.  Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 2 minutes.  Turn off heat and let beans rest for 1 hour.  Drain beans in a colander and rinse.  Return to saucepan and add enough water to cover by 2 inches.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low to maintain a steady simmer.  Cover and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until beans are very tender.  REserve about 2/3 cup cooking liquid, drain beans and set aside to cool.  (I cook my beans in a pressure cooker so this step is much faster, but if you don't have one, this is the next best method--unless you use canned, but dried are much better for you)


2.  In a medium bowl, combine tomates, onion, jalapenos and about 2/3 of the cilantro.  Squeeze juice of 1 lime over tomato mixture and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.  Set aside.


3.  In a food processor or blender, combine avocados, remaining cilantro and remaining juice of 1 lime.  Puree until slightly chunky.  Season with salt and pepper.


4.  Place beans and 1/3 cup reserved cooking liquid in a food processor (or use a powerful blender or mash by hand with a potato masher).  Process until you have a slightly chunky puree, adding additional cooking liquid, 1 tbs at a time, as needed to reach desired consistency.  Add 1/2 tsp salt and pepper.  Pulse several times to combine.  Transfer beans to your serving dish or bowl and spread into an even layer.


5.  Sprinkle cheese evenly over beans.  Dollop scoops of avocado mixture over cheese and use a spatula to spread into a thin layer.  Dollop scoops of sour cream over avocado and spread into a thin layer.  With a slotted spoon, spread tomato mixture evenly over sour cream.  Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 4 hours.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Apple Cinnamon Chex Mix

I was at the orchard the other day buying some apples to dry.  The woman there was giving me some tips and we got to talking about recipes.  She mentioned that people were buying up her dried apples to make this chex mix.  So, I told her I was going to try it, and if I blogged about it I would mention her.  Then she told me the recipe was on the back of the cereal box.  :-)  But, I am mentioning her anyway.  I love Wells Orchards, and during apple season I always buy from them. So, if you live near me, you've got to check them out.  They are awesome!
So, this recipe is on the back of the Wheat Chex Cereal box, but I did make some changes.  Also, they give microwave directions, but I'd much rather cook it low and slow, plus the house smells fabulous!


4 cups Wheat Chex
4 cups Corn Chex
2 cups Rice Chex
1 cup pretzel sticks
1 cup peanuts
1 cup pepitas
1 stick of butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 cups dried apples
1 cup vanilla yogurt covered raisins


Preheat oven to 250.
Mix your cereal, pretzels, peanuts and pepitas in a large bowl.  In a seprate bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and spices.  Put in the microwave in 1 minute increments until the butter is melted and the mixture is boiling (about 2 minutes).  Pour the butter mixture on the dry mixture and stir well to coat.  Then spread the mixture on a large baking sheet(s).  Place in the preheated oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  I needed to baking sheets, and I rotated them each time I stirred them.


Let it cool completely and then add your dried apples and raisins.  Mix well, and enjoy!

Granola

My husband and I went to "A Culinary Escape" at the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City one year. It was a weekend with instruction, recipes, and best of all, samples! One of the things they made was Granola. I've altered the recipe some to fit our tastes a little more. This is a hit in my family. We love it on top of yogurt, with milk as cereal, even on top of pancakes or waffles. It also makes a great gift! How do you eat granola?

5 1/2 cups of Rolled Oats (not instant)
1/2 cup Sunflower seeds
1/2 cup Pepitos (pumpkin seeds--I have to find these green ones at the health food store)
1 cup Walnuts, chopped
2 tbs Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground clove
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tbs Vanilla Extract
1 cup Honey
3-5 cups Dried fruit

Preheat the oven to 250. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT the dried fruit into a large bowl.




Use your hands to turn the mixture over until it is thoroughly combined. Place on a large baking sheet. I find I need to use 2. Toast in the oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes and turning them over to be sure nothing burns. (your house is going to smell amazing!) If you use 2 baking pans, and one is above the other, rotate them each time you stir. Remove the pans from the oven and let stand for about 1 hour until it has cooled completely. Then mix in your fruit. You can use any type of dried fruits you want. Right now I have a pre-mixed medley that includes apples, peaches, apricots, raisins and dates, and I add cranberries. I really like the "anti-oxident" mix that I have found at the grocery store. You can go pre-mixed or individual, it just depends on your taste. You'll notice I put 3-5 cups of fruit, it just depends on how much fruit you want in the mixture.

Enjoy!

Roasted Eggplant with Tomato and Mint

What do you think of eggplant? I get mixed reviews on it. I have to say that I used to not be such a fan, but I've found a few ways to prepare it that I really really like! This is one of them. I would encourage you to give it a try even if you don't think you like it. My favorite way to have it is roasted. Roasting it just really brings out the nutty flavor. Well, that's my opinion anyway. I would love to hear your thoughts, ideas or recipes as well. Please share!

3 tbs EVOO
2 medium eggplants (1 1/2 lbs total), cut into 1 inch rounds
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 ounces feta cheese (you can substitute ricotta if you don't like feta, it's much milder)
2 tbs finely chopped pickles
1/3 cup red onion, diced small
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 tbs minced fresh mint leaves
2 tsp red-wine vinegar, plus more if desired

Preheat oven to 425. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with 2 tbs oil. Arrange eggplant rounds in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Roast until undersides are browned, 25 minutes. Flip each round and season with salt and pepper. Roast until undersides are browned and eggplant is tender, about 10-12 minutes more.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mixe together 1 tbs oil, feta, pickles, onion, tomatoes, mint, and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer eggplant to a serving platter and top each round with a spoonful of tomato mixture.