Waffles with cinnamon apple topping

Apple season in Upstate NY has been AMAZING this year.  After last spring's late frost killed off most of the apple blossoms we weren't able to go apple picking last fall- and the apples that have been in the stores for the last year have been terrible.  But not any more!  This year was a bumper crop and the apples are the biggest I've ever seen.  

I lucked out a few weeks ago at the Public Market and scored a 1/2 bushel for $5 of Gala apples.  Not my favorite eating apple- but a great apple sauce apple.  $5 for literally 15 jars worth of apple sauce are now in my freezer.

We also went apple picking a the Victor Apple Farm (not quite so economical- $30 for that same 1/2 bushel's worth).  

So what do we do with all the apples?  Once you're sick of making apple sauce you give them to your husband to make breakfast!  Here's what he came up with on his own last weekend:

INGREDIENTS

2 apples, cored, peeled & sliced

1/2 cup walnuts (or pecans)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup maple syrup

DIRECTIONS

There is probably a recipe with more panache than this.  But we aren't those kind of cooks.  Throw everything in a frying pan over medium heat and cook until the apples are tender, about 5 minutes.  Serve over pancakes or waffles.

VERDICT

Breakfast on the table and I didn't have to lift a finger?  Who am I to complain?

This is so quick and easy to whip up, it's the perfect fall breakfast.

Spaghetti squash with pesto and tomatoes

Part II of "Faux-Pasta" night.

This recipe did not interest my husband at all.  He's fine with real pasta.  But spaghetti squash?  That's pushing it just a little bit too far!

If you've never cooked with spaghetti squash before, it's worth trying at least once.  You may not be able to convince yourself that this vegetable is a suitable replacement for real pasta, but it does make a unique side dish.

INGREDIENTS

1 small spaghetti squash

1 tomato, diced

1/2 cup prepared pesto (use the store-bought kind, try this garlic scape pesto, or whip up a quick batch with this recipe here:

     15 large basil leaves

     1 small clove garlic

     1/4 cup olive oil

           3 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano

     salt and fresh pepper

DIRECTIONS

To prepare the squash, cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and fibers.  Cook by either baking at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes or by microwaving for 8-9 minutes.  Once cooked, use a fork and  scoop out flesh into a large bowl.

If you're making pesto with the ingredients above, toss into a food processor and process until well blended (will still be chunky)

When everything is ready combine spaghetti squash, pesto, and chopped tomatoes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

VERDICT

Although he wasn't thrilled about "faux-pasta" night, my husband quickly relented when he came home and realized I was cooking with vegetables, and not some kind of odd gluten free imitation pasta.  Still, he's not a big fan of either spaghetti squash or pesto.  But this?  I got his seal of approval.  Mostly for the eggplant lasagna stacker, but this pesto spaghetti squash didn't last long on his plate either.

Eggplant rolatini/Eggplant lasagna

I declared last night "Faux-pasta" night.  

Between this eggplant lasagna rolatini and the spaghetti squash with pesto, it was Italian without the gluten!  

There are two versions of this recipe using the same ingredients.  I found the rolatinis to be a bit time consuming, and honestly my eggplants weren't the right shape to make long, thin strips with.  I had one big fat eggplant so I cut that into big coins and made an eggplant lasagna stacker.  But I'll get to that in the directions portion.

INGREDIENTS

 2 medium Italian eggplants, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices (use a mandolin slicer or vegetable peeler)

salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce of choice 

 1 large egg

1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese

 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving

 8 oz frozen spinach, or 1 cup fresh

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup (4 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella 

1 tomato, chopped

DIRECTIONS

For version A (rolatinis):

Sprinkle the eggplant with kosher salt to help remove excess moisture and bitterness from the eggplants. Set aside for about 10 to 15 minutes. Pat dry with a towel.
Preheat oven to 400°F.  Season the eggplant with a little more salt and pepper,  then arrange on two parchment-lined baking sheets.  Cover tightly with foil and bake until eggplant is tender and pliable but NOT fully cooked, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Spread 1/4 cup pasta sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg then mix together with ricotta, Pecorino Romano, spinach, garlic, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.  If using fresh spinach, keep separate.

Pat eggplant dry with paper towels.  Dividing the ricotta-spinach mixture (about 2 generous tablespoons each) evenly and spoon onto one end of each eggplant slice, spreading to cover.  (if using fresh spinach, layer fresh leaves on top of cheese).  Add fresh chopped tomatoes on top of cheese.  Starting at the short end, roll up slices and arrange them each seam side down in the prepared dish.  Top with remaining pasta sauce and mozzarella cheese and tightly cover with foil.

Bake until the eggplant is very tender, about 60 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving with additional Pecorino Romano if desired.

For version B (lasagna stackers):

Forget the peeling, salting, and pre-baking.  Cut eggplant into coins.  Start stacking, alternate between eggpant, cheese, spinach, and tomatoes (you can also cut tomatoes in slices instead of dicing here).  Top with final layer of sauce and cheese.  Bake for same amount of time.

VERDICT

Obviously the same ingredients.  But you would be surprised at the different taste in the two different preparation methods. For the stackers I used sliced tomatoes, which gave the lasagna a sweeter taste.  

But either way you choose to make these you can't miss.  You won't miss the lasagna noodles at all! 

NUTRITION

Serving Size: 2 rollatini, or one stacker (depending on size of eggplant slices)

Calories: 227 

Fat: 10 g 

Carb: 18 g 

Fiber: 5 g 

Protein: 17 g 

Credit:  Based on a recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Tomatillo Salsa

Yes, salsa making is still in full swing.  But after 6 batches (roughly 50 jars) of regular old tomato salsa we decided to move on to more unique recipes.  First it was the hot pepper jelly, and now Tomatillo Salsa.  

What the hell is a tomatillo?  It's a green thing that came in my CSA share, ok?  I had to look up a recipe to use it up, and this is what I came up with.

First, this is a tomatillo:

Next, the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

5-1/2 cups chopped cored husked tomatillos
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 large)
1 cup chopped jalapenos

4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp minced cilantro
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vinegar
4 Tbsp lime juice

DIRECTIONS

Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and chop.  Transfer to a large saucepan.

Heat to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Ladle hot salsa in to hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.

Process  filled jars in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool.  Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed. 

VERDICT

So you may not want to use this many jalapeno peppers.  This stuff is SPICY! 

Chipotle Chicken Kabobs with Avacado Cream Sauce

I guess it goes without saying, but the weather in Upstate NY can be CRAZY!  Monday it was 45 degrees and raining.  It was a cold, miserable day.  The next day it was sunny and 70.  So while we were supposed to make eggplant parm over pasta last night... it really didn't seem like a comfort food night.  It seemed like a grilling night.

So instead of my first attempt at eggplant parm, I give you Chipotle Chicken Kabobs:

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken: 
Juice of 2 limes
½ cup of vegetable or canola oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
¾ tsp. chili powder
¾ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 chipotle in adobo, seeded and minced
2 lbs. chicken breasts and/or thighs, cut into 1½-2 inch pieces (I used 2 breasts and 4 thighs)
Minced fresh cilantro, for serving

For the kabobs:

Fresh vegetables, to taste (I used patty pan squash and red peppers).  Grab whatever you've got in your fridge or garden and chop into 2-inch pieces)

(Note 2:  Patty pan squash?  Double points for using something from our CSA share this week!)

For the avocado cream sauce: 
1 avocado, split and pitted
½ cup low-fat greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

 In a medium bowl combine the lime juice, oil, spices, garlic, brown sugar, and chipotle.  Whisk together to combine.  

Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and mix well to ensure that they are all coated and mostly submerged.  Cover, refrigerate, and let marinate for 30-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a grill to medium-high.  When the chicken is done marinating, thread the pieces onto skewers for grilling, alternating with fresh veggies.    Dispose of the excess marinade.  

Place the kabobs on the grill and let cook, turning once or twice, until all sides are slightly browned.  Remove to a plate and let rest 5-10 minutes.  Sprinkle with minced fresh cilantro, if desired.

To make the sauce, combine the avocado, yogurt, garlic and lime juice in the bowl of a food processor or a blender.  Process until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve alongside the kabobs for dipping.

VERDICT

This chicken was HOT!   Spicy hot!  It was nice to have the cream sauce to cool it down a bit.  Although.... I'm not sure this exact cream sauce is exactly what this chicken was asking for.  Don't get me wrong, it was good... I just don't know if the sauce was perfect.  It was good, and would be great in place of sour cream on something like quesadillas.  

Bonus:  Serve this up with Jalapeno & Cheddar Corn Bread!

CSA Summer Challenge: Spaghetti with Clams

Here's this week's haul from our CSA Share:

Cabbage
Raddicio
Italian parsley
Green Beans
Beets/Raddishes
Onions

I'm kind of cheating on the recipe this week.  Although I am using one of these ingredients, does parsley really count?  It has no flavor and isn't really anything.  To be fair it's about the only thing I felt like experimenting with this week.  Green beans?  We ate them all raw soon after this picture was taken.  Onions?  Meh.  Raddicio?  Yuck.  That's the red stuff most people push off of their salad when they buy the big bag from the grocery store.  With good reason!  My husband wants to try to make cole slaw with it... but it will likely end up rotting down in my vegetable drawer.

On to the recipe!

INGREDIENTS


1 lb. pasta
3 TBS olive oil
3 TBS minced garlic, or 3 cloves, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
red chili flakes- to taste
2 cans (6.5 oz) chopped clams
2 dozen fresh little neck clams
1/2 cup fresh parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Just a note on fresh clams- you can do this recipe without them if you choose.  If you are using fresh clams, you'll want to soak them in cold water for at least an hour before you need them.  This will help get some of the sand out.  You'll also want to scrub them since you'll be using the shells and all in your sauce.

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Season generously with salt.  Ad the pasta, and cook until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, work on the sauce.  Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes.  Add the wine and reduce by half.  Add the broth from the clams into the pan, setting aside the clams for later.  Add in the chili flakes and all of the little neck clams.  Cover and steam clams until they open.  Discard any clams that do not open.

Add in the reserved clams as well as the parsley.  Add the pasta to the skillet and mix well.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

VERDICT

This was so easy... and to tasty!  I altered the original recipe to add the fresh clams, so I'm pretty sure you can skip them if you're trying to make this on the cheap. 

Adapted from:  Gallo Family Vineyards (I'm pretty sure this was another magazine ad to promote wine!)

CSA Summer Challange: Buffalo Chicken Salad

My husband gets all the credit for this quick dinner.

But first, here's our haul from the CSA this week:
Lettuce
Swiss Chard
More Lettuce
Onions
1 garlic bulb
Red cabbage
green beans
Kale
Beets/Raddishes (no, I still don't know what they are.  I just pass them along to the others I share the CSA with each week)

And out of all that, I literally only know what do do with the lettuce and green beans.  Sure, the onions and garlic too, but red cabbage?  And when will the raddish/beet invasion end?  They're the vegetable that won't end... like zucchini!

But on to the dinner... this one is all my husband's brainchild.  And it used up all of our lettuce, yeah!

INGREDIENTS

Breaded boneless chicken fingers
Chicken wing sauce (Red Hot, store brand, anything will work here)
Lettuce
Ranch dressing (have I told you how in love I am with Wegman's Yogurt ranch? It's only 60 calories!)

DIRECTIONS


Cook the chicken according to directions.  With kids we always have a bag of chicken fingers in the house, these were Tyson and they worked great.  When they're cooked through, throw them into a big bowl and coat with sauce.

Put on top of salad.  Add-ins like cucumbers, tomatoes, shredded cheese and bell peppers are all great too!
VERDICT

Delicious.  The man's a genius. 

CSA Summer Challenge: Grilled Pesto Pizza

Here's this week's haul from the CSA Share:

Lettuce
More lettuce
Swiss Chard
Kale
Raddishes (or are they beets?)
Dill
Sugar Snap Peas

 And I have to admit... I am hopelessly behind.  The lettuce is easy, it gets cleaned, dried, and tossed into a large container for salads immediately.  But the Swiss chard?  I STILL haven't eaten last week's portion.  And the dill?  Into the freeze it went, to be used at some later time.

And since I'm so hopelessly behind, I finally used last week's garlic scape pesto that has been in the fridge just waiting to be tried out.  Remember that?  You can find that recipe HERE.

So back to the pizza.  I love grilled pizza.  Over the last few years since we've discovered that you can grill it we've made numerous little tweaks to make it easier and tastier.  Here are a few pointers we've learned by trial and error:

-keep your heat low- under 200 degrees if possible.  If the heat's too high the outer crust will burn, and no one wants a burned pizza.
-take time to assemble each pizza.  We used to both stand over the grill- him cooking the dough and me slapping the sauce and cheese on in a hurry to get it on there before the other side burned.  Who needs that stress?  Now he cooks one side, brings the dough back in, I top it and take it back out for it's second stint on the grill.
-Make sure all of your ingredients are in place and cut up before you start.
-Let the dough sit out on the counter for 20-30 minutes so it stretches out better when you are ready to flatten it out and use it.

Here's what we used for the Pesto Pizza:

INGREDIENTS

Pre-made pizza dough (the kind from the rolled Pillsbury can is fine, the fresh ball from the super market is better
Pizza cheese, or shredded mozzarella cheese
Garlic Scape Pesto, or jarred pesto
olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Dry dough sticks to everything.  So lather up your hands and a cutting board with some olive oil and roll the ball out, making sure it's evenly coated with olive oil.  Once rolled into a large circle (or in my case, usually an odd-shaped rectangle) cut into smaller workable pieces.

Put each piece on the grill on low heat to cook one side.  Once grill marks appear, turn over and add toppings.  Grill again until cheese is melted and under side is now cooked as well.

VERDICT

Once you've got it down grilling pizza is one of the easiest summer dishes you can make.  We made a mix of green pesto and regular tomato pizza's this week.  Yum!

CSA Summer Challenge: Garlic Scape Pesto

We're in Week 4 already!  I know, you didn't get to see what I had last week (it's all still sitting in the fridge... oops) but here's the haul for this week:

Beets & Beet Greens
Garlic Scapes
Lettuce

Romaine Lettuce
Cilantro
Spikey Lettuce

Lots of lettuce and greens again this week- so lots of terrific fresh salads for lunch time!  As for the cilantro- I just bought a bunch at Wegman's the day before so this is kind of useless. I froze it immediately to use at a later time (in guacamole, obviously!)

So that leaves the beet greens and scapes.  I think the beet greens will hold a few days while I figure out what to do with them, but after 3 weeks the garlic scapes are starting to pile up.  Turning the scapes into Pesto was the first idea since we eat it on almost everything.  So let's see how we did.

INGREDIENTS

9-10 garlic scapes, knobby seed-pods removed and discared
1/2 cup slivered almonds (I've also seen recipes using pistachios, walnuts, or pinenuts)
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Puree scapes, olive oil, and nuts.  Pulse the cheese into the mixer.  Go easy as over mixing will make the pesto gummy.

VERDICT

So... you can really adjust this recipe to suit your needs.  Some versions omit the nuts all toghether.  Others are really heavy on the cheese. Definitely play around with the ingredients and make the pesto to your liking.

CSA Summer Challenge: Pizza Rustica

Here is what was in this week's share:
Swiss Chard
Beets
Some kind of strange beets?  Or water chestnuts?
Lettuce
Spinach
Different Lettuce
Garlic Scapes

I have one recipe that uses Swiss Chard.  It's the slow cooker lasagna, and it's fantastic.  But it's also not exactly slow cooker and heavy dinner weather.  With this week's abundance of Swiss Chard from the CSA share I found a new recipe to try.

A word of warning.... this is no "hey, I just got home from work, this would be a great recipe to have for dinner tonight."  There are a lot of time-intensive steps here.  A weekend brunch or dinner are your best bet if you're a working mom.

INGREDIENTS

Crust:

• 7.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup water

Torta:

• 2 medium red bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 pound Swiss chard, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 (8-ounce) packages cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 8 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 ounces fontina cheese, shredded (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 large egg white
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon fat-free milk

DIRECTIONS

To prepare crust, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and baking powder in a food processor; pulse 2 times to combine. Combine 1/3 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl. With processor on, slowly add oil mixture through food chute, and process just until dough begins to form a ball (dough will be crumbly). We're getting overly complicated early here.  Mixing it all in a traditional bowl with a spoon works just fine.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 3 minutes; add enough of the remaining 2 tablespoons flour to prevent dough from sticking to hands. Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Press each portion into a 5-inch circle on plastic wrap. Cover with additional plastic wrap. Chill at least 30 minutes.

To prepare torta, preheat broiler to high.

Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 10 minutes or until blackened. Place in a paper bag; fold to close tightly. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel and coarsely chop.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil; swirl to coat. Add chard to pan; cook 1 minute or until greens begin to wilt. Place chard and bell peppers in a large bowl. Return pan to medium heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots and garlic to pan; cook for 1 minute. Add mushrooms; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place mushroom mixture and chard mixture in a fine sieve; let drain 5 minutes. Place vegetable mixture in a large bowl. Add ricotta and next 7 ingredients (through 2 eggs) to vegetable mixture, stirring to combine.

Preheat oven to 375°. 

Slightly overlap 2 sheets of plastic wrap on a slightly damp surface. Unwrap one dough portion, and place on plastic wrap. Cover dough with 2 additional sheets of overlapping plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered, into an 11-inch circle.

Again, overly complicated.  And, the dough doesn't roll well through the plastic wrap- it won't spread out enough to make the 11-inch circle.  Forget the damn wrap, put the dough on the counter and roll it out with a rolling pin. Place the dough in freezer for 5 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed. Remove top sheets of plastic wrap; fit dough, plastic wrap side up, into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Remove remaining plastic wrap. Spoon vegetable mixture into prepared pie plate.

Slightly overlap 2 sheets of plastic wrap on a slightly damp surface. Unwrap remaining dough portion, and place on plastic wrap. Cover dough with 2 additional sheets of overlapping plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered, into an 11-inch circle. Place the dough in freezer for 5 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed. Remove top sheets of plastic wrap; fit dough, plastic wrap side up, over vegetable mixture. Remove remaining plastic wrap. Press the edges of dough together. Fold edges under, and flute. Brush top of dough with milk. Cut several slits in top of dough to allow steam to escape.  As you can see, I did not have enough dough to make the bottom crust, and had to borrow from the top.  So the top was kind of messy.  But it worked.

Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool 30 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges.

VERDICT

If you've got the time, this is a great recipe.  But between the dough making, chopping and cooking all the vegetables, and the 45-minute cooking to finish it off, it's a long recipe from start to finish.  

Overall it's a great dish.  Very different from what I usually cook in the house, but this is a challenge after all, and I'm trying to stretch a bit from our usual.

My husband loved it.  I served it with a side of salad (also from our CSA share) but this would also make a great quiche-like dish for a brunch on the weekends. 

NUTRITION

• Calories: 348
• Fat: 19.8g
• Saturated fat: 5.6g
• Monounsaturated fat: 11.1g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 2g
• Protein: 14.5g
• Carbohydrate: 29.4g
• Fiber: 2.9g
• Cholesterol: 73mg
• Iron: 3.3mg
• Sodium: 589mg
• Calcium: 220mg