Coq Au Riesling

In the beginning of the year, I made some great dishes in my Le Creuset-like pot, such as Mushroom Bourguignon and No Knead Bread. But then summer arrived and I cooked lighter fare. On Saturday, I brought the pan back out again to make Coq Au Riesling, which turned out to be a fantastic French meal.

I used 4 oz. of prosciutto and a drizzle of olive oil in place of the bacon lardons, and regular white mushrooms in place of fancier ones, but otherwise followed the recipe as written. It’s a good recipe for a dinner party, because you do a small amount of work up front and then let it simmer on the stove. (You know, so you can race around your kitchen making it presentable for guests!) The minute you lift the lid on the pot, you can smell just how good it’s going to be. The ham, chicken, leeks, and wine all blend together perfectly.

Although the recipe suggested serving the chicken over noodles, mashed potatoes seemed more appropriate to me, so I whipped up a quick batch by steaming the potatoes in the microwave. I thought it might be a cheap shortcut, but it wasn’t – the potatoes came out really well, and I didn’t have to put another pan on the stove.

When the chicken is served, bits of prosciutto and leek are clinging to the thigh, and the wine broth floods your plate. So make sure you have a piece of French bread on hand to soak it all up because you don’t want to miss a bite.

Split Pea Soup (Vegetarian)

There is nothing like throwing a bunch of ingredients in the crockpot, noticing a very nice smell a few hours later, and realizing it’s your dinner. I’ve made a meaty split pea soup before, but this time I used a recipe from Real Food Has Curves, and left out the ham to make it vegetarian.

There are a few ingredients that really make this soup great, like the freshly chopped sage. Sage always reminds me of my grandmother’s turkey stuffing, and I assure you that’s a very good thing. For the broth, I used Knorr Vegetable Bouillon and white wine, a winning combination.

The split peas retained more of their texture in the original version of this soup, but I let mine cook just a little too long, and the peas fell apart. It didn’t really matter to me though, I loved this meal. The vegetables were not overshadowed by a sometimes salty ham bone, and the fresh herbs supplied plenty of flavor. Go ahead, throw this in your crockpot this weekend and you won’t be disappointed.

Apple Hummus

I really do have a lot of apples to use up, and hummus is one of my favorites. This recipe falls into the category of “very interesting”. There are a lot of flavors combined with the chick peas: apple, lemon, peanut butter, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. I honestly wasn’t sure what I thought of it at first – I liked it, but my taste buds were confused! Kind of spicy, kind of sweet….

Oh, and I left the skin right on the apple, which is why there are red spots. This hummus did make a nice sandwich spread, and would be a good addition to a fall tasting plate.

Granola Stuffed Apples

My cooking club theme this month was cinnamon, and every dish was great. We had pork tenderloin cooked with apples and cinnamon, cinnamon spiced sweet potatoes, and a Persian grain salad with cinnamon and cilantro.

I made these granola stuffed apples for dessert, using my first batch of homemade granola. It was a very simple recipe, although coring the apple with a knife was a little tricky. After the apple is cored, you just stuff in the granola, top with butter and cinnamon, and bake in the oven until soft.

While the apples were good, I think they would have been even better if they were baked just a little longer, and then topped with ice cream. For some reason, they just seemed a little too ‘plain’. But if you’re looking for a simple dish, then give this a try.

Crunchy Buckwheat Granola

Oh my, someone please take this granola away from me! This was my first try at homemade granola, and it came out so good that I can’t stop eating it. The crunch is incredible!

The recipe is originally from a Virginia inn, and was posted on Kath Eats Real Food. There are so many nutritious ingredients in the list. I used oats, almonds, buckwheat, sunflower seeds, canola oil, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, coconut, and dried cranberries. Don’t be intimidated by this list though – I found just about everything I needed in the bulk bin at Whole Foods.

I baked the granola on a cookie sheet, so it browned a little more quickly. It doesn’t clump together as much as other granola, but that’s fine by me. I enjoy it with milk or yogurt, and I used it for another special recipe which I’ll post tomorrow.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (Vegan)

When I was invited to a pumpkin party this weekend, I immediately started googling ideas for what to bring. After all, there was pumpkin infused vodka being served, so clearly snacks were required. This recipe for pumpkin cinnamon rolls jumped out at me, but I was a little nervous at first. Dough can be unpredictable, at least in my cooking experience, and I was worried they wouldn’t turn out well. But at the very least, it would make a good story, so I forged ahead, and was very pleased with the final result!

I used almond milk instead of soy milk, and used 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice in place of the nutmeg and ginger, but otherwise I followed the instructions exactly as they were written. And I have to say, it really wasn’t that hard. You do need to let the dough rise twice, but there was plenty to do around the house to keep me busy. When it came time for baking, I ended up placing 9 rolls in a 9″ pie plate, and the remaining 4 rolls in a small loaf pan.

Thanks to Don’t Eat Off the Sidewalk for posting such a great recipe! Wish I could stay home from work today and make another batch….

Pantry Pumpkin Chili

If you can operate a can opener, you can make this chili. And if you’re lucky, you’ll have all the ingredients right in your pantry. Last year, there was a pumpkin shortage but cans of pumpkin are back in stores now, so consider this a reason to stock up! Here’s what you need:

Just mix the pumpkin, diced tomatoes in juice, tomato sauce, beans (rinsed and drained), and the corn in a big pot. Add about a tablespoon of chili powder and simmer until heated through. That’s it!

The pumpkin flavor is subtle here, similar to this pumpkin chili made with ground turkey. And it’s definitely very thick! But served with some shredded cheese, it is a perfectly quick and healthy meal.

Pesto Mushroom Pasta

Back when the days were a little longer and the basil plant was thriving, a big batch of pesto was made. The pesto was promptly frozen in the sections of an ice cube tray, to be used at a later time. I didn’t write down the proportions of ingredients, and I can’t find any photos from the event, but I remember a lot of chopped basil, some olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and Parmesan cheese thrown into the food processor. I was excited this week when I stumbled upon the cubes in my freezer and decided to defrost one for a pasta dish.

When the pesto was defrosted, it was still fairly thick, so I added a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice. Unfortunately the pesto flavor got a little lost here, because the mushrooms were so dominant. While it was good, next time I want to make sure I choose a recipe where the pesto will shine – I am thinking about a pizza!

1 10 oz. package mushrooms

1 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained

1/2 c. orzo, cooked according to directions and drained

1 cube pesto

Olive oil

Lemon juice

Cook mushrooms in a large frying pan, until they are soft and release liquid. Add spinach, pasta, and pesto cube and stir until heated through. Add more olive oil and lemon juice if needed. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

English Muffin Pizzas

I always loved making English Muffin pizzas as a kid. Actually, they are still fun to make!

My sister really came up with this concept for the party. First, we put a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce on each muffin half, and then sprinkled on some mozzarella cheese. The pizza faces were given olive eyes, a carrot nose, a green bean mouth, and mushroom eyebrows. We baked them at 350-400F for about 15 minutes, and a kid friendly lunch was served. But I saw plenty of adults grabbing for these as well!

Monkey Cupcakes

We weren’t sure if the monkey cake(s) were going to be enough to feed the crowd at the party, so on the same night, the dream team also made these monkey cupcakes from the blog yanowhatimean. To keep things simple, we used the exact same cake batter and frosting mix. Of course, my Mom still had to visit several stores to find the mini-Nilla wafers.

It took us a few tries to get things right, but then we were on a roll and formed an assembly line. We found it best to apply a relatively thick layer of frosting in order to embed the cookies. Plus, has anyone ever complained that a cupcake had too much frosting? Then, we used decorating gel to make the ears, nose, and mouth. The final product was cute, and the cupcakes were a hit with the kids at the party.