Cranberry Applesauce Muffins

So I was looking for a good recipe to make treats for book club tonight, and I realized I also needed to use up the applesauce I made awhile ago.  It was cranberry applesauce, so I figured I would go with a cran apple muffin recipe.  I found a recipe on allrecipes.com and tweaked it to my liking to fit the ingredients I wanted to use and what I had, and here is the recipe I came up with.  The recipe makes 12 muffins, but I decided to double it and get more use out of my applesauce and maybe have something for my husband to eat before running off to work in the morning, too.

Cranberry Applesauce Muffins

1 c cranberry applesauce, recipe here
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 egg
2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c sugar (or half and half splenda/sugar)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c milk
1 c craisins, or other dried cranberries

Blend applesauce, oil, and egg together and set aside.  In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.  Mix lightly with a fork to incorporate some air.  Add the dry mixture to the wet, and mix til combined.  Add milk, and then mix again til combined, and then fold in the dried cranberries.  Spoon into a greased muffin pan, til each cup is 2/3 full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Applesauce

This is probably the easiest, most self explanatory recipe ever, and I am sure most of you have done it before.  Even better, its also very versatile.  You can change it to your liking to whatever flavors you like, and it's still done in only 20 minutes!  Sometimes I just use apples and water, sometimes I add cinnamon, sometimes I add brown sugar, and sometimes I even use apple juice as the liquid to get it going.  This is the basic recipe, and then I will give a few variations of my liking.

Apple Sauce

6-8 apples of your choosing, peeled, cored and sliced
1 c water

In a large pot, combine apples and water.  Over medium high heat, bring to a simmer.  Continue to simmer til apples are soft and water and juices are comined as one.  Blend in your blender or food processor til smooth. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks, or freeze for up to 1 year.

Variations I like:

Cran Apple Sauce

6-8 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 pkg frozen cranberries
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c water or apple juice

Same process as before--Bring to a simmer, cook until apples and cranberries are softened (usually the berries will burst), and then blend til smooth in your blender.  It's a bit more tart, but really tasty.  Storage time is the same as regular applesauce.

Apple Pear Sauce

6 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2-3 pears, peeled, cored and sliced
1 c water or apple juice

Same process, again.  This is sweeter, and has a slightly grainier texture because of the pears, but also very good.

**Note about apples:  you can use any kind of apple you like, depending on what sweetness or tartness level you prefer.  I find that the softer apples work well for applesauce because you don't have to worry about them going mushy--they're supposed to be that way.  So I would recommend golden delicious, red delicious, macintosh, or any other softer variety.  If you still like tarter apples, then you can go for granny smith, jonathans, or any other tart apple.  It really depends on your taste.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Okay, I have a newfound love.  My name is Carmel, and I love hummus.  I'm addicted, I am telling you.  At least it's a healthy habit, right?  Lots of protein and fiber, and its a low-glycemic food so it doesn't make my blood sugar spike fast.  And oh so delicious.  There are so many ways you can make it with so many different flavor profiles. And it's completely vegetarian, gluten free, and soy free....so it's friendly for most eaters out there, low risk of allergy troubles.  Try this recipe out, I like it, and so did my friends at church.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1-16 oz can garbanzo beans/chickpeas
2 red bell peppers
1 jalapeño, seeds removed and sliced
1 tbsp chopped garlic
3 tbsp chopped onion
1 tsp paprika
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, depending on your desired heat level
3 tbsp tahini (sesame paste--you can usually find it near the peanut butter in your grocery store)
1/2 c olive oil

Turn your oven on to the broiler.  Cut the tops off the peppers, and then pull out the seeds in the center, and cut them in half.  Place them skin side up on a baking sheet, and broil for 10 to 15 minutes, til the skins are charred on the outside.  Once done roasting them, place them in a bowl with plastic wrap tightly stretched on top.  Let them sit in the bowl and steam for about 15 minutes, this will let them cool, and make the skins come off easily.  Remove the skins, and set the peppers aside til needed. (if you have a gas stove, you can also roast them by just doing this on your range instead of in the broiler.  Just leave them whole, place them over the heat and turn them as each side chars on the outside.  When they are blackened on the outside, steam them just the same as I mentioned before.)

In a food processor, blend garbanzo beans til smooth.  I usually pulse them until they are chopped and then blend them the rest of the way.  Add your bell peppers, jalapeno, garlic, onion, cilantro, and spices.  Blend til well combined, and then add your olive oil and tahini, and blend til smooth.

Chill in refrigerator til ready to serve.  Serve with pita chips, veggies, or spread inside a falafel or any other sandwich of your choosing.  Delicious!!

Lemon Bars

I love this recipe.  By far my favorite version of lemon bars.  My mom has made these since I was little and they have always been a family favorite for as long as I can remember.  I can't give mom full credit, since she got the recipe from Joy, our favorite cookbook on the planet. I hope you love them as much as I do.

Lemon Curd Bars

1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1/4 c powdered sugar
3/4 c butter (1 1/2 sticks)

6 eggs
3 c sugar
zest of 1 lemon (I used two, I like the extra lemony flavor)
1 c plus 2 tbsp lemon juice, fresh is best.  (about 5 lemons worth)
1/2 c all purpose flour

powdered sugar to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Whisk together 1 1/2 c of the flour with the powdered sugar.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture is combined well and comes together in clumps like small peas.  Press this into an ungreased 9x13 pan.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Reduce oven heat to 300 degrees.

While baking the crust, whisk together the sugar and eggs until well combined and a light yellow color.  You may want to use a mixer for this.  Add your lemon zest and juice and whisk again til well combined.  Add last half cup of flour and mix well.  When the crust is done baking, remove from the oven and pour the custard filling over top, then bake again for 35 minutes at 300 degrees.

Chill for at least an hour, then sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into 1 inch squares.  Serve cold.

Mini Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes, and Asparagus

That's what we had for dinner tonight.  It was pretty good, so I think I will blog it for you all.  You can always use the same recipe to make a big meatloaf (or rather, normal sized meatloaf), I just had a husband who wanted what he called "pub steaks."  So I did my best and it was more like meatloaf, I just didn't add bell peppers or mushrooms or other things I sometimes add to meatloaf.  I should clarify that when I make meatloaf, it's never really a specific recipe.  It's more like whatever I have in the fridge that I think will be good in it, which means anything that tastes good with beef.  Sometimes I will even do half sausage and half ground beef....it just depends on my mood and what I want it to taste like...  So here is tonight's recipe.

Baked Potatoes

(not really a recipe, but we adopted this method from Alton Brown from Good Eats on Food Network and we will never go back)

1 potato per person eating (I did a few extra to make fries or hashbrowns with later)
olive oil
coarse ground kosher sea salt

Wash and poke potatoes with a sharp knife or fork.  On a cookie sheet or baking sheet, place your potatoes.  Pour a little olive oil on each one, and then rub it all over the potato, and then sprinkle the salt to cover all sides.  Place baking sheet in a 400 degree oven, and bake for an hour.  The result will be tender fluffy potato inside, and a nice crisp crusty peel....yummy!

Mini Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef
1/2 a white onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced finely
1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 c oatmeal or plain breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 tsp dried rosemary

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl (I use my hands, but you can also use a spatula or something).  Shape into mini loaves or little football shapes, and place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees.

Asparagus

1 bunch of asparagus, ends snapped off
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced fine
salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
juice of half a lemon
1/4 c water

Over medium high heat, heat olive oil.  Add your asparagus and then your garlic.  Saute just til asparagus is almost bright green.  Add your water, and then the dijon, along with the salt, pepper, and lemon juice.  Continue to cook til asparagus is bright green and water is fully absorbed.  Serve hot with baked potato and your mini meatloaf.

Bruscetta Pizza

So I wasn't sure what to call this recipe because its not really like anything else.  I kind of made up the recipe as I went along but used a pizza I had at California Pizza Kitchen as inspiration.  My sister and I had this wonderful roasted pepper and eggplant pizza with goat cheese once when we went to Salt Lake and it was DIVINE.  So this was what I went for, except I had no mozzarella or goat cheese, and I used Parmesan instead.

I was mostly trying to use the stuff I got in my Italian Pack from my Bountiful Basket....yep, I am going with that this week, using the basket stuff.  :)  Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

Bruscetta Pizza

1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
1 red onion, peeled and sliced thin
1 white onion, peeled and sliced thin
8 oz of mushrooms, sliced
olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste
4-5 roma tomatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
basil, oregano, and marjoram to taste (about half a tsp each--I used fresh, but you can used dried)
1/2 c parmesan cheese
1 recipe basic pizza dough, featured here

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Put some olive oil on a baking sheet and spread it around on the sheet.  Place eggplant slices on the baking sheet and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.  When they are done roasting, dice into medium cubes and set aside.  In the meantime, in a skillet, place about a tablespoon of olive oil, and then when heated, add onions.  You'll want to caramelize them, so you'll cook them over medium heat for awhile.   Add a bit of salt so they release their liquid, and just keep stirring them so they don't burn.  they will reduce in size to about a third of what you started with.  When they start to turn brown, and really soft, remove from heat and place in a bowl.  In the same skillet, saute your mushrooms.  Just until cooked through.  Remove from heat and place in another small bowl.  In the same skillet, cook your tomatoes with your garlic and herbs.  Add a bit of balsamic vinegar, and cook until liquid is reduced and thickened.

Stretch your dough onto a pizza stone or baking sheet to form about a 12" round.  Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven, then top with the tomato mixture, then the parmesan cheese, then the onions and mushrooms, and then the eggplant.  Add more parmesan to the top and then bake again for roughly 18 minutes.

Couscous with Asparagus

First, I apologize for not posting for awhile.  First there was Thanksgiving, and then there was Christmas crazy when all of my recipes I was using were already posted because they were all traditional.  Then we moved immediately after, and we have been having an interesting time getting settled in.  Not very good excuses, but there they are.

So tonight I felt like making something vegetarian with the asparagus I got in my Bountiful Basket.  Yep, I am still ordering baskets, and yes, I am going to try to start that series again, now that things are a bit more calm.  Tonight I decided to make couscous with some of the asparagus and mushrooms and onions I had in the fridge.  It turned out really tasty even though it was vegetarian.  You could easily serve this with some sort of protein, and I am sure it would have been really good with some of the fish I have in the freezer.  I just didn't have time to thaw the fish and cook it by the time I had already started on the couscous.  Here we go...

Couscous with Asparagus and Mushrooms

1 c couscous
1 c chicken broth or water (recommend the chicken broth, flavors the couscous well), plus 1/4 c
1 tsp olive oil, plus 2 tbsp
1/2 an onion, sliced thin, or diced.
3 cloves garlic, or to taste (I like a lot of garlic, so I was quite liberal with it)
4 oz sliced button mushrooms
1/2 bunch asparagus, cut into about 1 inch pieces
1/4 c parmesan cheese

Bring 1 tsp olive oil and 1 c of the chicken broth to a boil in a small saucepan.  Remove from heat, stir in couscous, and cover and let stand for 5 minutes--all the liquid will be absorbed.  In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil, and then add onions and saute for a little bit till they are almost tender.  Add garlic, and then mushrooms.   Saute til mushrooms are cooked through.  Add asparagus and the extra 1/4 c of chicken broth. Stir and cook over medium high heat til all of the broth is pretty much steamed off and asparagus is bright green and tender.  Add your couscous to the skillet, and stir everything together til combined.  Transfer to a bowl and then add your cheese and toss til all is combined again.  Serve hot with your favorite protein, or just by itself.