I’m up to my eyeballs in Turkey, green bean casseroles, and Apple Pie, so tonight I needed a break. I devoured this in 3 minutes flat, and it’s so easy! Layer: brown rice (I love TJ frozen microwaveable bags) Avocado – with kosher salt and ground pepper Hawaiian Ahi Tuna- add sesame oil, green onion, soy sauce glaze, s&p Drizzle soy sauce glaze, you’ll want a lot! Soy sauce glaze- boil then simmer low sodium soy sauce and sugar until it’s reduced by 3/4
Read More...
Fall food at it’s best: Tomato soup with cornbread croutons and jalapeño cream sauce and an open faced pastrami melt. Tomato soup- Roast (on the Traeger or oven) tomatoes, peppers, mirapeaux (already chopped TJ mix is the best), drizzled with EVOO and a lot of s&p. After they’re cooked through, blend roasted ingredients in a blender with a can or two of fire roasted diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, vegetable broth (if you need to thin it out) and boxed tomato soup (if you want to add more volume). I leave it slightly chunky so blend to your desired consistency. Cornbread croutons- cube and toast store bought cornbread (freeze what you don’t use) Jalapeño cream sauce- in a blender, combine roasted jalapeños that have been deseeded and sour cream. Pastrami melt- toast wheat sourdough bread Layer-mustard, pastrami, low fat Swiss cheese and Trader Joes sauerkraut with Persian pickles (the best out there)
Read More...
A family approved protein packed snack! Core apple (perfect with pink lady apples that are slightly tart and crisp) fill with a combination of natural peanut or almond butter and your favorite granola.
Read More...
Playing around with my current kitchen ingredients for a Fall salad for tomorrow. Chop kale very thinly Cut pear and apple (Granny Smith is good with this salad) into matchsticks Add toasted pecans or whatever you have in your freezer (you always keep nuts in your freezer, right?) *Toast or candy your entire bag of nuts and then freeze whatever you don’t use and you’ll be ready for your next weekday salad. Add crumbled TJ blueberry vanilla goat cheese (always in my freezer). Dressing- balsamic evoo maple syrup sliced shallots s&p This salad will hold up well because kale doesn’t wilt very fast.
Read More...
My Favorite Green Bean Casserole EVER!! Can you say buttermilk fried onions! 2 lbs green beans 2 lb sliced cremini mushrooms 2 cups sliced shitake mushrooms 2 cups chopped oyster mushrooms 1 medium onion, diced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tbs freshs thyme 1 stick butter 1/4 c flour 4 cups milk 1/2 C sour cream 1 c shredded gryere or swiss Dash of nutmeg S&P Directions: 1.Blanch green beans in salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove green beans and shock in cold water to stop cooking. For white sauce, melt 5 TB butter. Add diced onions, garlic, half of thyme, and season with S&P and a pinch of nutmeg over medium heat for 7-10 minutes. Sprinkle four over and stir to coat. Using a whisk start adding in milk and mix until lumps have dissolved. Continue to stir until sauce thickens and cook over low for 10 minutes. Add sour cream and the gruyere and stir until dissolved. In a large sauté pan melt remaining butter and drizzle EVOO. Add all of the mushrooms to the pan…
Read More...
Use 7-8 cooking apples… I like to use Granny Smith but I also add in some Pink Lady apples which are not quite as tart. Core and slice 8 cups of apples very thinly. You’ll start by mixing in a Tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice, and anywhere from a half cup to three quarters of a cup of sugar—depending on the sweetness of your apples. Add 2 tablespoons of flour, a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and a quarter teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg. Mix until evenly distributed through all the Apple slices (use your hands!) Press your pie crust into a 9 inch pie plate, I just use a store-bought pie dough…it’s such a timesaver but still tastes great. My secret is a quarter cup of melted apple jelly….I brush it over the crust for added sweetness, and then I pour in all the Apple filling. For a little twist on traditional apple pie, I like to use a crumble top instead of crust…so you get the crust on the bottom but then you get an apple crisp on…
Read More...
‘Tis the season for everything pear! These goat cheese stuffed pears look gourmet, are so easy to make and taste amazing. Use any type of pear (I think red pears look best) slice 4 in half and scoop out middle with a melon baller or spoon. Combine 4 oz goat cheese (Vermont creamery apricot and thyme is to die for in these), chopped dates, honey, toasted pecans, kosher salt, a dash of cinnamon, and ground pepper. (Use any type of cheese and toppings you love, the possibilities are endless.) Stuff cheese mixture into pears. Fill baking dish with some apple juice or cider then place the Stuffed pears on baking dish. Cover and cook for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Place pears on top of any type of greens you like. Bon Appetit! For your Traeger: cook on 400 degrees for 20 minutes and it’s twice as good!
Read More...
Bringing dinner to a friend on this chilly rainy day. Cook orzo to package directions (I used 16 oz whole wheat orzo and chicken broth instead of water). Drain and set aside. Sauté 3 Tb of butter, fresh sage leaves, chopped onion or shallots, and s&p until cooked through. Add 3/4 C chicken broth and 1/2 C milk and simmer until it starts reducing. Add 1/2 C canned pumpkin (a little goes a long way in this dish) and stir until combined. Add orzo and Parmesan cheese to Pumpkin mixture. Bring grape seed oil or veg oil to a boil and drop fresh sage leaves in for 5 second to fry. Use slotted spoon to remove and salt right away. Use as garnish for the orzo.
Read More...
We went for the healthy option on this National Doughnut Day. We baked these delicious apple cider doughnuts and even used apple sauce instead of oil. I have to admit they taste more like a muffin but everyone loved them. 2 cups apple cider 2 cups all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoon baking powder 1½ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon Dash of fresh nutmeg ¼ teaspoon salt 1 egg 2 tablespoons butter, melted ⅔ cup light brown sugar ½ cup milk (add a little vinegar to make buttermilk) 2 tablespoons apple sauce (we used baby apple oatmeal) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Simmer apple cider until reduced to 1/2 C. Add all dry ingredients together and mix Add all wet ingredients and mix. Add wet ingredients to dry mix until combined. This was originally for doughnut holes but you can use mini muffin tins, doughnut trays, I used some fall molds I had. Anything works! For the icing I used 1/2 C maple syrup, 1/4 C butter (melt together). Then add 1 cup sifted powdered sugar. I added some cream cheese too….
Read More...
I made these Stuffed sweet potatoes for a cooking segment I did this past month and I can’t imagine going back to sweet potato casserole ever again. 12 large sweet potatoes 3/4 cup butter 3/4 cup light brown sugar 3/4 cup all-purpose flour Dash of ground cinnamon Dash of salt 1 cup toasted pecans 1 cup mini marshmallows Wash and prick the sweet potatoes and place on a cookie sheet. Bake or TRAEGER for about 45 minutes or until soft and squishy inside. Mix the butter, brown sugar, and flour together until it’s crumbly-looking. Add the cinnamon, salt, pecans, and marshmallows until combined. Once the sweet potatoes are done baking, slice them down the center and open up to make room for topping. Stuff the sweet potatoes generously with the topping and return to the oven or grill. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and brown. These are especially amazing on the Traeger with that hint of smoky sweet flavor.
Read More...