Honey-Chipotle Pork Meatballs

Here is another recipe from my Magazine of the Month, Everyday Food January 2012: The Light Issue.  This time I made the Honey-Chipotle Turkey Meatballs.  I wanted to make this with ground turkey, but when I went to the grocery store to get the ingredients, there was no ground turkey.  I know that sounds crazy, but the last two times I have tried to get ground turkey, it wasn't available.  Maybe there is a shortage or a recall of which I am not aware, but fortunately there was ground pork on sale, so I decided to make the meatballs with that instead.  Granted, they are a bit fattier with turkey, but after making these meatballs, I think any kind of ground meat would work well with this recipe.

I loved these meatballs, they had a great flavor, and the combination of sweet and spicy was spot on.  I did make some changes.  I like my meatballs to be a bit saucier, so I doubled the ingredients of the sauce.  I used a chipotle sauce instead of the straight chilies, because I thought it would add a bit of a richer, more complex favor than the chilies alone.  The original recipe called for shaping the meat into 16 meatballs, but they seemed too big to me.  I wanted bit-sized meatballs, so I shaped mine into 20 meatballs instead.  These would make a great appetizer for a dinner or if you want to take them to a tailgate or potluck, you can easily double or triple the recipe.  

Honey-Chipotle Meatballs

• 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey or pork
• 1/4 of a yellow onion, minced finely
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced finely
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. flat leaf parsley, chopped finely (optional)

• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 5 Tbsp. chipotle sauce
• 2 tsp. cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl, add the ground meat, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley.  Mix together until just combined, being careful not to overmix as the meat will become tough when cooked.  

Form into 16-20 meatballs depending on the size of meatball you like.  In a large ovenproof skillet, heat one tablespoon olive oil to medium high.  Add the meatballs and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.  Transfer skillet to the oven and bake an additional 5 minutes.  Test for doneness by cutting one of the meatballs in half to make sure it is cooked all the way through.  

While the meatballs are cooking, stir together the honey, chipotle sauce, and cider vinegar.  

Remove the oven from the skillet and transfer the meatballs to a serving bowl, draining any fat that has accumulated (if using pork).  Pour the honey-chipotle sauce over the meatballs and toss to combine, serve immediately.


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Asian Chicken and Orzo Salad

I made this pasta salad when I had a few friends over for lunch one Sunday.  It's a great dish because you can make it the night before and serve it cold or at room temperature.  I found this recipe over at the Food Network.  It's from Paula Deen if you can believe it or not, and it doesn't contain one bit of butter.  Based on the reviews I changed things from the original recipe, like I reduced the oil in the recipe and added more soy sauce and some of the other ingredients.  I thought the changes added a lot of flavor, and I really liked it.  This recipe makes a lot, so it's great for a party, light and pretty healthy too.



Asian Chicken and Orzo Salad

• 1 cup of shelled, cooked edamame (you can cook them by blanching them in boiling, salted water for about 4-5 minutes if they aren't cooked when you purchase them)
• 1-16 oz package of orzo, cooked and drained
• 1 cup water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 3 cups diced cooked chicken
• 2 green onions, whites and greens, sliced thin
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil (any neutral tasting oil will work)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil 
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 
• 1 tsp Sriracha (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the orzo, chicken, edamame, green onions, and red bell pepper.  In a small bowl, whisk to combine the canola oil, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin, and Sriracha.  Pour over the pasta and chicken mixture and toss to combine.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.  Can serve cold or at room temperature.

Note: When you are ready to serve, give it a taste, it may need more soy or hoisin sauce.  Mine felt a bit dried out the next day, so I drizzled some extra soy sauce  and hoisin sauce over the top, stirred to combine, and it was just great.



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Easy Blackberry Cake

If you are looking for an easy weeknight cake studded with delicious fruit, then this is recipe for you.  I found this over at Pioneer Woman's website.   She calls it a cobbler, but to me, cobbler is usually a fruit filling topped with a biscuit-like crust.  In this recipe you make a batter, then scatter the fruit over top, and as the cake/cobbler bakes, the fruit sinks down into the batter and releases its delicious juices.  She does have another recipe for blackberry cobbler that is more like to kind I am used to, and I will have to try it sometime.

So like I said, this is an easy weeknight recipe, and you will see why.  It's a recipe that comes together in a flash, you don't even need to get out your mixer.  You can easily throw it in the oven while you are baking dinner on the stovetop, and it will be ready by the time you are finished eating dinner.  I made mine with blackberries like the Pioneer Woman did, but I think it would be good with almost any fruit.  I would love to try cherries, blueberries, or peaches as well.


Easy Blackberry Cake

• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 1 cup of sugar, divided (3/4 cup and 1/4 cup)
• 1 cup self-rising flour (or 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups blackberries 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a baking dish (I used a glass pie pan).

Melt the stick of butter in the microwave.  In a separate bowl, combine 3/4 cup sugar and 1 cup flour, slowly pour in the milk and mix well.   Then pour in melted butter, and mix until it is fully incorporated into the batter.

Rinse and thoroughly dry the blackberries.  Pour batter into the prepared baking dish and scatter the blackberries over the top of the batter.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup over the top of the cake.  (Don't skip this step, as it gives a sweet, crisp top to the cake).

Bake in the oven until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.  For me it was about 40 minutes, but the original recipe calls for up to one hour.  So check around 35 minutes, and keep close watch from there.  Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack.  Serve alone or with ice cream or whipped cream.


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Honey-Glazed Carrots with Cilantro and New Blog Features!

So I haven't blogged in almost three months.  I really didn't want to post one recipe in November and one in December.  I wanted to come back when I was ready to devote more time to it and really make it a commitment in my everyday life.  I've decided that there is no time like the present.  In order to blog more and to utilize my great collection of food magazines and cookbooks, I am introducing two new features to my blog.  One is what I am calling Magazine of the Month.  I am going to take one of my many magazines from my numerous subscriptions and cook 3-4 recipes from that magazine during the current month.  The recipe above is from this month's choice.

Everyday Food January 2012: The Light Issue

Another addition to my blog is what I am calling my Current Cookbook.  I am going to pick one cookbook and cook 4-5 or more recipes from that book.  At the end, I will write a comprehensive review of the cookbook and give it a rating.  I have so many, yet I rarely cook from them, I just love to look through them and get ideas about what I want to cook.  This isn't a bad thing, I just want to try so many recipes from these books, now I am giving myself the chance to do it.  My first choice for my Current Cookbook is America's Test Kitchen's Slow Cooker Revolution.  I thought it would be a good choice for these cold winter months, and I also just got a new slow cooker that I am eager to try out.

So onto the recipe.  Like I said, this is from Everyday Food, and the reason I picked it was because it had an interesting method for cooking the carrots.  You place the carrots in a skillet with a little olive oil, then you cover it for water.  As the carrots boil in the water they become soft, and then the water eventually evaporates.  The carrots then begin to caramelize in the skillet and pick up those lovely charred spots that add a lot of flavor to the carrots, add in some honey time to bring in a bit of extra sweetness.  You then deglaze the skillet with a bit of water or broth.  The carrots are finally tossed with a bit of cilantro for some brightness.  I really love this technique.  It's so delicious and the carrots and cooked wonderfully.  I will definitely use this method from now on.

Honey-Glazed Carrots with Cilantro  

   serves 4

• 6 medium sized carrots, halved lengthwise and chopped into 2 inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons of broth, white wine, or water
• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh cilantro

In a large skillet, combine the carrots and the olive oil.  Add just enough water to cover the carrots (about 2 cups).  Cook over medium-high heat until the water is evaporated and the carrots are soft, about 15 minutes.  

At this point, cook, tossing often until the carrots are light golden brown with some charred spots. Season with salt and pepper.   Add 1 tablespoon honey and 2 tablespoons broth, white wine, or water.  Stir and scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon, until the carrots are glazed, about 2-4 minutes.  Stir in 2 tablespoons of the chopped cilantro.  Serve immediately.

Print Feature:

Another great feature that I have added is a "Print/PDF option" to the blog.  This means if you click on the icon below, you will be able to print or save a pdf of this blog post.  I really love this feature on other blogs, because when I see a recipe I like, I like to print it out immediately or save it as a PDF onto my computer, so I can use it later.  Anyway, I hope you like the new features, and I hope to be around more often!

Pinterest:

I don't know who has checked out Pinterest yet, but it's a great website where you can "Pin" different things on your personal pinboard. It's a place to share all the wonderful things you see on the web.  People use Pinterest to remind them of ideas for cooking, organizing, decorating, you name it.  If you see  a recipe you like here, and you want to "pin" it, that would be wonderful.  Just click on the button below, and you will be able to do that.  

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Pumpkin Apple Donuts with Apple Cider Glaze

Fall is my favorite time of year.  Living in the Midwest, you get to experience the best of it.  The leaves change color, and it's finally getting cooler.  It's this time of year that you start to see all the pumpkin recipes showing up on the blogs and in the cooking magazines.  I love pumpkin desserts, and after I got this pan on sale the other day, I knew I wanted to make pumpkin donuts.  I had some honeycrisp apples (another wonderful fall occurence) on hand, so when I found this recipe from Cherry Tea Cakes for Pumpkin Apple donuts, I knew I had to try them out.  


These donuts are really delicious, they are cake-like considering they are baked and not fried, and the apple cider glaze add a spicy sweet topping to the apple filled donuts.  I altered the original recipe a bit by decreasing the amount of sugar and increasing the spices in the batter.  I also swapped out some of the white sugar for brown sugar to incorporate a deeper more molasses-like flavor to the donuts.  I think the changes turned out well.  You will have some extra glaze left over after you dip the donuts, but I just spooned some over the donuts once the first glaze had dried to add an extra sweet layer.  I will definitely be making these again.  


If you didn't have a donut pan, you could always bake these in muffin tins, but you would have to increase the baking time a bit. 




Pumpkin Apple Donuts with Apple Cider Glaze
    makes 10-12 donuts


For the donuts:

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup white sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼  teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ½  cup canned pumpkin puree
• ¼  cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup peeled, cored and chopped apple

For the glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ cup, or less of spiced apple cider or milk if you don't have cider
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease donut or muffins pans.  

In a large bowl sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. 

In a separate bowl, mix together egg, white and brown sugar, pumpkin and oil. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stirring just to moisten. Fold in apples. Spoon batter into doughnut molds filling roughly half full to three quarters full.  

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let sit in the pan for a few minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.  Allow to fully cool before dipping in the glaze.  

To make the apple cinnamon glaze,  mix powdered sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Add cider or milk until you reach the desired consistency. Dip each doughnut in and allow glaze to set.  If you have any extra glaze you can always spoon it over the donuts once the first layer of glaze has fully set.  

Butterfinger Cookies

I've never been a huge fan of Butterfinger candy bars, they always seemed brittle and crumbly, and they got stuck in my teeth.  However, when I saw this recipe from Lori over at Recipe Girl, I thought it sounded intriguing.  The Butterfinger pieces actually melt in the batter and become chewy bits of toffee-like chocolate and peanut butter.  I love toffee and peanut butter, so count me in.

These cookies were pretty great.  They were chewy and sweet, with a slight peanut butter flavor, and Lori was right, the Butterfinger does turn into chewy bits of toffee.  I would definitely make these again. Thanks Lori for another great recipe!


Butterfinger Cookies
    adapted from Recipe Girl

• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature 
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups plus 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups Butterfinger pieces (I used a sharp knife to cut them up into chunks, you also end up with a lot of crumbly pieces too)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla and mix until thoroughly incorporated.  In another bowl, combine the flour, salt (if using), and baking soda.  Add to the butter/egg mixture and mix until just combined.  Stir in the Butterfinger pieces.  Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 min.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper and drop rounded tablespoons of dough (I used a medium cookie scoop) at least 3 inches apart on the sheets (the cookies will flatten and spread out).
Bake cookies for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Transfer to wire rack to cool.

CEiMB: Saffron Chicken, Lemon and Green Bean Salad

It's my week for picking a recipe for Craving Ellie in My Belly.  I chose for our group to make the Saffron Chicken, Lemon, and Green Bean Salad from The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life by Ellie Krieger.  I wanted to pick a recipe that would both use some summer ingredients like green beans and fresh mint, and I also wanted something healthy and light I could take to work for lunch.


However, the main reason I chose this recipe was because it had an unusual cooking technique that I had never tried before.  The recipe calls for boiling a whole lemon for 50 minutes until it breaks down, and the skin is so soft that you actually scoop out the pulp and chop up the peel and add it to salad.  It's kind of messy because the pulp disintegrates and breaks down, so scooping out the pulp is a bit difficult, and I wanted to completely get the skin clean and free of the pith, so I found that laying the lemon flat on the counter and scraping out the pulp with a spoon worked rather well.


I found this salad to be so delicious.  Chicken is marinated in fresh mint, saffron, garlic and lemon juice.  Once it is cooked, it is combined with steamed green beans and the chopped lemon peel.  You then toss the salad in a lemon-honey dressing.  The mint and lemon combination is so bright and fresh.  It really is bursting with lemon flavor, but it is soft and mellow, not tart or abrasive at all.  The saffron adds a subtle floral flavor and the sweet honey balances out the lemon flavor.  I think this recipe is a wonderful discovery, and I will make it again and again.




Saffron Chicken, Lemon, and Green Bean Salad

• 1 lemon, preferably unwaxed
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste, divided
• Pinch saffron
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped mint leaves
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 1 1/4 pound skinless boneless chicken breast, pounded to 1/2-inch thick
• 1 pound green beans, washed and trimmed
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Freshly ground black pepper

Prick the lemon in 3 or 4 places with a fork and place in a small pot with 1 teaspoon of salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 50 minutes or until the lemon is very tender.  Drain and set aside to cool.

In the meantime, mix the saffron, mint, garlic, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a small bowl. Pour the marinade into a sealable plastic bag, add the chicken and let it marinate while you prepare the other ingredients. 

Steam the green beans for 4 minutes and set aside to cool. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

Preheat a large skillet or grill pan which has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cook the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Set aside to cool. Cut into bite-sized chunks.

Slice the ends off of the lemon and slice it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp. Slice the peel thinly and then again into 1/4-inch pieces.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, lemon, green beans and thyme. In a small bowl combine the rest of the lemon juice and the honey, whisk in the remainder of the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.

Nectarine and Blueberry-Almond Cobbler

With summer in full swing, I thought it was a good time to post this recipe.  I adapted this recipe from David Lebovitz's book Ready for Dessert.  This book is full of lovely desserts and when I saw that the topping for the cobbler contained almond paste, I knew I had to try it.  David also has a really great blog with recipes and musings on his life in Paris.  The original cobbler called for cherries, which I also want to try, but this time I decided to make it with a combination of nectarines and blueberries.  They go very well together with the sweetness of the nectarines balancing out the tartness of the blueberries.  It a simple recipe.  The fruit is tossed with some sugar and lemon juice, and the cobbler topping is spread on top.  This isn't a typical cobbler with a biscuit like topping.  This is more like a fluffy almond-flavored cake.  It goes really well with a scoop of ice cream.  I had to bake mine about 10 minutes longer than the original recipe called for, so if your topping gets too brown before the cake is fully baked, cover it with foil so it won't burn.  

On another note, I know I haven't posted much lately, but I plan on unveiling some new features on the blog soon, so I hope you keep reading.  Thanks!

Nectarine and Blueberry-Almond Cobbler

Filling:

• 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (if using frozen, thaw and drain them)
• 3 1/2 cup nectarines, halved, pitted and sliced into 1/2 inch slices
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Topping:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 7 oz. almond paste, crumbled 
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk (whole milk or 2%)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the filling, in a shallow 2-quart baking dish, toss the nectarines and blueberries with 2 tablespoons of sugar and the lemon juice

To make the topping, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the almond paste and 1/3 cup sugar on medium speed until the almond paste is broken into fine pieces.  Beat in the butter, then the egg and vanilla extract.  Add half of the flour mixture, followed by the milk, then the remaining flour mixture, mixing just until combined.

Spoon the batter evenly over the fruit in the baking dish.  Bake until the topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the topping comes out clean, about 45 minutes (mine took about 55 minutes)

Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.  

Chickpea and Tuna Salad

 

After a long weekend hiking and backpacking at North Manitou Island (see pictures below), I wanted to prepare something healthy and light to take for lunch over the next few days.  I got home late today, so I didn't have time to go to the grocery store, so I was stuck with what I had in the fridge and the pantry.   I had some red peppers and carrots in the fridge, so I decided to combine them with a can of chickpeas and a packet of Herb and Garlic Starkist Tuna Creations. I tossed in some capers and some fresh parsley and added a dijon-lemon vinaigrette, and I ended up with something quite healthy and tasty.  The sweetness of the carrots and red peppers balances nicely with the tanginess of the capers and lemon juice.  I think this simple salad makes a great lunch when you want something healthy and filling.

Chickpea and Tuna Salad

For the salad:

• 1-15oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1-4.5 oz pouch of Herb and Garlic Starkist Tuna Creations
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced baby carrots (I used a mandoline, just be very careful because the carrots are so small)
• 1/4 finely diced red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained 
• salt and freshly ground pepper

For the vinaigrette:

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 5 teaspoons olive oil

In a medium sized bowl combine the chickpeas, tuna, carrots, red bell pepper, parsley and capers, set aside while making the vinaigrette.  In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice and the Dijon mustard together to form a smooth mixture then slowly drizzle in the olive oil to make a complete emulsion.  Pour the vinaigrette over the chickpea and tuna salad and toss to coat the salad.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.