Category: Easy

Holiday Spice Blend

An easy to make ahead store purchased pumpkin pie spice substitution made with existing spices in your cabinet.
Direct replacement for pumpkin pie spice used in holiday cooking.

Ingredients

2 T cinnamon

1 T ginger

1 t nutmeg

1 t allspice

1/2 t mace

1/2 t cloves

Directions

Add all ingredients in small bowl. Combine.

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Place combined ingredients in storage container.

Use in place of pumpkin pie spice for pumpkin muffins,cookies, pies,and breads.

Use as direct substitute for purchased pumpkin pie spice spice blend.

Store in air tight container.

Frisée, Radish and Endive Salad

Frisée offers so many textures in a bite from the delicate slightly bitter lacy leaves to the crunch of its stem. The radishes offer spiciness. It is a stunning salad visually.

Ingredients

1 large head of Frisée or curly endive¹

6-8 radishes sliced thin

2 heads of endive rough chop

1/3 C sunflower seeds

Lemon Garlic DressingLemon Garlic Dressing

Directions

Serves 2-4

Wash and shake dry Frisée. Place on serving platter. Add endive, radishes, and sunflower seeds.

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Drizzle with dressing. Cut into halves or quarters and serve.

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NOTES:

¹I used organic Frisée . The heads are very large but tender and slightly bitter to the taste.

Gluten Free Peanutbutter Cookies

An easy to make gluten free cookie that is chocked full of peanutbutter and chcolate. It is has a nice crunch with the addition of the oats.It tstes good crumbled on top of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 C white sugar

1/3 stick buteer softened

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

1 C chunky peanut butter

2 t baking soda

3 C old-fashioned oatmeal

10.53 ounce bag Milk Cocolate M&M’s or chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven 325º F  Parchment covered baking sheeys

In medium add butter and sugar and beat until fluffy.

Add eggs and vanilla and whisk.

Add peanutbutter and mix until incorporated

Add oatmeal and baking soda and mix.

Add M&M’s and combine.

Drop by teaspoonfuls on baking sheet evenly spaced and bake 10-12 minutes. Do not overtake.

Let cookies rest a couple minutes and then gently lift with spatula to baking rack.

 

Hummus Pizetta with Cucumber Tomato Salad

Addictively tasty healthy food.  That’s what toasted lavash with lemon hummus and tomato cucumber salad is.  Crunch. Yum. Pick up the crumbs.  Repeat.

Ingredients

1 lavash(9 x 12 inch)

1 T olive oil

2/3 C hummus *

Salad Ingredients

1/2 C cucumber diced

1/2 C tomato diced

2 T shallot diced

1 T mint chopped

2 T Kalamata olives chopped

Dressing Ingredients

1/2 t salt

Pinch of pepper

1/3 C white balsamic vinaigrette plus 2 T set aside

Last Ingredient to Add

2 C Little Gem (baby romaine) lettuce **

Directions

Serves 2 or 4.

Preheat oven to 450º F.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make Salad

Chop and prep all salad ingredients.

In small bowl, combine all salad ingredients (except romaine).

Set aside.

In a container, combine salad dressing ingredients and toss.

Make Dressing and Dress Vegetables

Make white balsamic vinaigrette.

Add 3 tablespoons of  dressing to vegetables and marinate for 1 hour. Set aside.

Flatbread Prep

Place flatbread on baking sheet and paint both sides lightly with olive oil.

Transfer to oven and bake about 3 minutes per side and remove from oven and cool.

Assemble

Spread flatbread with hummus.

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Add romaine to marinated salad mixture and toss.  More olives could also be added.

Add mixture to flatbread and drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of dressing on top.

Cut and serve.

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Notes

* I use lemon hummus or caper hummus in this recipe.

** If I am out of romaine, I use arugula. This changes the crunch factor and the taste profile.

This is a favorite luncheon meal–vegetables and protein on lavash.

Flatbread with Chèvre Raspberries Bacon

Ingredients

Crisp flatbread covered in spicy arugula with fresh raspberries, crispy bacon, crunchy pecans, creamy blue cheese dressed lightly with lemon vinaigrette

1 flatbread 9 x 11″

1/3 – 1/2 C Chèvre

4  slices of bacon crisp and crumbled

1/2 C pecans

2 C arugula

6 ounces raspberries

1/3 C blue cheese crumbled.

Lemon vinaigretteLemon Garlic Dressing

Directions

Preheat oven 400º F  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place flatbread on prepared baking sheet and butter generously with chèvre to the edge. Transfer to oven and bake until edges are lightly browned about 8-10 minutes. Remove and cool for 5 minutes. Add arugula and remaining ingredients over arugula. Drizzle lightly with lemon dressing. Cut into 8 or 12 slices. Serve

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Roasting brussel sprouts turns them from a bitter despised vegetable into a delicious carmelized vegetable. They are sweet with some crunchy leaves. 

Ingredients

2 C sliced brussel sprouts

3 T olive oil

Salt and pepper.

Fresh squeezed lemon juice and 1 t lemon zest(optional)

Directions

Preheat oven 400º F. Foil cover baking sheet. Serves 4

Rinse and dry brussel sprouts. Cut off the tip end and remove outer layer of leaves. Slice in half and place on baking sheet. Pour olive oil over them and toss until all sides are coated  in oil.*

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Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in oven. Roast 8-10 minutes then toss and roast another 8-10 minutes on other side until outer surfaces are carmelized. Remove, add lemon juice and zest. Toss and serve.

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Note:

*This step could be done in a bowl.

Lemon adds brightness to the dish.

Brussel sprouts have become the favorite vegetable of out family and our guests. We enjoy them year round. In the warm months when we have the grill going, this is an easy to grill vegetable.

 

Romaine, Pear, and Manchego Salad

An easy to make salad with few ingredients that delivers a crunchy texture with sweet and salty flavors. It goes well with meat, fish, and pasta dishes.

The salad ingredients below are for a two-person salad.  Increase the salad ingredents for a larger salad with more servings.

Salad Ingredients

2 small  bunches romaine lettuce

1 pear

1/3 C Manchego cheese shaved

Dressing Ingredients

1/2 C olive oil

1/4 C lime juice

4 t maple syrup(real)

1/2 C Fromage Blanc or sour cream

1/2 t cumin

1/4 t red pepper flakes

Directions

Wash and dry 6 whole romaine leaves.  Line salad bowl with 6 romaine leaves.  You may need more romaine leaves for a larger bowl.

Chop remaining lettuce and place in bowl.

Make a light dressing such as a the dressing above or use a vinaigrette.

Toss lettuce with dressing.

Add Manchego and pears. Drizzle light amount of dressing over the top and serve.

Pear, Romain & Manchego Salad

How to Serve

We served this salad as part of an easy-to-fix meal with grilled steak, roasted fingerlings, lemon sorbet and fresh blueberries. Big flavors, little cleanup.

Notes

Use firm pears to add more texture.  The Manchego should be an aged manchego that easily slices.

The dressing was made with Fromage Blanc which is a fresh cheese.  Sour cream may be substituted, but will increase acidity.  Balance acidity with more or less maple syrup.

Arugula Radicchio Bay Blue Salad

A salad of traditionally more bitter greens dressed in a sweet lime dressing paired with creamy blue cheese and ripe pears. A salad that is crunchy and has bitter and sweet overtones with a creamy finish. 

Ingredients

5 ounces arugula*

1/2 head radicchio chopped

1 pear sliced or cubes

1/2 C blue cheese(Point Reyes Bay Blue)*

Dressing

1/2 C olive oil

1/4 C lime juice

1/2 C fro age

4 t maple syrup(real)

1/2 C fromage Blanca or sour cream

1/2 t cumin

1/4 t red pepper flakes

Directions

Dressing

Place  ingredients into salad dressing shaker and emulsify by shaking. Set aside

Salad

Place arugula and radicchio in salad bowl. Add pears and blue cheese. Drizzle dressing toss and serve.

Notes

Pecans or bacon crumbles added are a complimentary addition.

*Our groceries have an abundance of organic greens that are affordable, arugula being one.

*Point Reyes Bay Blue is a mild blue made from cows milk. It’s a cheese that pairs well with fruits like pears. As a substitute in the salad I would use a Roquefort or Gorgonzola. As an aside when traveling I like the Seattle International Airport because it has an artisan cheese shop that is called Beechers. Instead of spending time waiting for a flight I am sampling and buying cheese for my use or as gifts.

Soft Pretzels from Pizza Crust Dough

Ingredients

Pretzels in under an hour using pizza dough. Boiling them in baking soda water and baking at a high heat gives you a traditional soft pretzel that has a crisp outside and a soft inside.

Ingredients

1 pound package of pizza crust dough or medium size dough ball from pizzeria

6 quarts water

1/2 C baking soda

1 egg yolk

3 T water

2 T pretzel salt

Directions

Oven temperature 450º F Line one large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Bring large wide mouth pot or high walled skillet with water and baking soda to boil.

Sprinkle flour on large cutting board. Cut dough bowl into 8 pieces. Roll out slices to 18 inch roped. Shape them into pretzel bows.

Whisk egg yolk and water and set aside.

Drop pretzels into boiling water and boil 30 seconds per side. Using large spatula lift them out and place on baking rack. Continue until all pretzels have been boiled.

Using pastry brush apply egg yolk to the pretzels and then sprinkle salt onto the pretzels. Transfer them to baking sheet.

Bake for 10 – 15 minutes and remove to baking rack.

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Serve with dips or mustard. Mine were gone in1 hour.

Note:

We have used traditional pizza dough and whole wheat pizza dough, both deliver a good pretzel.

 

 

 

 

Tarte Pizza with 4 Cheese Artichoke Hearts and Sun-dried Tomato

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An easy to make 4 cheese pizza with delicious toppings. It is a no yeast pizza dough that cooks up crispy in 10 minutes or less.

Ingredients

Dough

1 1/4 C flour

3 T cano;a oil

1/4 t salt

5 T water

Sauce

2/3 C creme fraische

2/3 C fromage blanc(can substitute sour cream)

1/4 t nutmeg

Topping

2 artichoke hearts chopped

1/4 C thin sliced red onion

2 sun-dried tomatoes thin sliced

Handful of chopped spinach leaves

3/4- 1  C mozzarella shredded. Apply

1-2 slices provolone diced

3 T grated Parmesan

1/4 C feta crumbles

Salt and pepper

Directions

Oven temperature 550º F Baking sheet 13″ by 18″ lined with parhment paper Appetizer or serves 2

Mix flour,salt and oil until crumbly. Add water until dough comes together. Knead until smooth. COver and rest for 1 hour.

Sauce: Mix in small bowl and set aside

ssemble

Roll  and pat dough until paper thin.  Spread sauce, half of the mozzarella and provolone. Add onions, artichokes, tomatoes. Top with remaining cheeses. Season with salt and pepper.

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Bake about 10 minutes on lowest rack in oven.. Remove, slice and eat. Serve with green salad