Apple Crisp

I hate saying goodbye to summer, but what makes the goodbye somewhat bearable is the abundance of fall fruits and vegetables available in the market. That's why I went to my local farm stand yesterday and picked up three pounds of Cortland apples to make an apple crisp. This recipe is simple and not over-the-top in calories. Plus it's hearty and satisfying and a great way to welcome the season.

Apple Crisp

Filling
3 pounds tart apples (I used Cortland)
1/4 cup sugar (I used Splenda no calorie)
Juice of one lemon
2 T AP flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Crisp
1 cup AP flour
1-1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar (I used 1/4 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend)
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter cut into small pieces

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the filling, peel, core and slice apples into 1/4 inch slices. Toss with sugar, lemon, flour and cinnamon. Place in prepared baking dish misted with cooking spray. I used a souffle pan but a 9 x 12 glass baking dish would be great too.



To prepare topping, mix all ingredients and sprinkle over apples. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool slightly and serve with ice cream. I didn't have any ice cream in the house so I poured some fat free half and half around the perimeter of the dish and it was delicious. And by the way, it was fabulous for breakfast the next morning.

Avocado Salad Dressing and Dip

Avocados are on sale this week so I took advantage and came up with a creamy, ever-so-light (in texture) avocado dressing that works beautifully in a tossed salad or maybe even better as a dip for chips or raw vegetables. If you're an avocado lover, this is a must try. Tonight I topped a spinach, romaine, chopped egg and turkey bacon salad with it and it was simply delish.

Avocado Dressing

1 scallion chopped

1 garlic clove chopped

6 oz plain fat free Greek yogurt (I think sour cream would work well too)

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp tabasco sauce

1/2 tsp kosher salt

black pepper

2 avocados peeled and chopped

Combine all ingredients in blender except the avocadoes. When mixture is smooth, add the first avocado and blend. Your dressing is basically done. Remove from blender and carefully stir in the second avocado. You now have a chunky, decadent dressing with good size chunks of this heavenly fruit that will make every bite of your salad or dip more exciting.

Spinach and Romaine Salad

2 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped baby spinach
4 strips turkey bacon cooked and chopped
2 eggs hard boiled and chopped
3/4 cup croutons (I love home made-Ann Burrell's recipe)

Combine all salad ingredients, toss with dressing and dig in. You won't be disappointed. This salad should serve two. You will have some left over dressing so get creative and slather it on sandwiches, bring out the pita chips, or mix it with some rotisserie chicken, celery and carrots for a very tasty chicken salad. Use it up though, since I don't think it will last more than a day or two.

After the Storm

The day after I got my electricity back I went to the market to replace some of the food I had thrown away. I didn't buy too much since the threat of another storm seems imminent. You might think I picked up a steak or something decadent, but I bought some turkey bacon and fresh vegetables. I was in the mood for comfort food and decided on Turkey Bacon and Cannelini Bean and Vegetable Soup, my adaptation of a recipe I discovered in Southern Cooking. This is a quick fix, no fuss recipe for whatever has gotten you down. The beans are creamy, the broth is flavorful, the bacon is smokey and the vegetables and simple spices make this a go-to recipe when you've had a tough week.

Turkey Bacon and Cannelini Bean and Vegetable Soup

8 strips turkey bacon cooked and chopped, one inch pieces
1-1/2 cups chopped onion -I used frozen
1 large carrot diced
2 small celery stalks diced
5 cloves garlic minced- this sounds like a lot, but it's really very mellow
2 T canola oil and any leftover bacon fat
Salt
lemon pepper
3 dried bay leaves
2 cans (14.5 oz each) low sodium, fat free chicken broth
2 cans (15.5 oz each) cannelini beans rinsed and drained
2 T hot sauce
3 oz baby spinach chiffonade
Shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)
Croutons for garnish (optional)

Cook bacon and set aside. In large pot, add oil and bacon fat and warm over medium/low heat. Add carrots, celery and onion and stir. Cook about five minutes, add garlic and 1/2 tsp salt and lemon pepper. Cover pot and sweat vegetables another 5 or 7 minutes. Add turkey bacon.



Cook another minute or two and add bay leaves, broth and beans. Cook 20 minutes covered. Add spinach and hot sauce and cook until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Taste and re-season if necessary.

I wanted to jazz this dish up a bit so while the soup was simmering I made Anne Burrell's croutons, shredded some Parmesan cheese and made this a very special meal. This recipe will serve four people, but it's so good that I ate two portions in one sitting. I'll double it next time.

Cookies Before the Storm

Last Saturday night I had a craving for cookies. I perused my freezer for whatever little bits of chocolate chips or nuts I had stored away, and decided on white chocolate and semi sweet chocolate chip cookies with a hint of sea salt. Little did I know that I'd lose power the next day and have no electricity for the next 4 days (due to Irene) and these would be my go-to snack when the going got tough. These are simple cookies, and rather sweet, but the sea salt gives them an identity that goes beyond your regular chocolate chip cookie. This is a very simple recipe, takes about 10-15 minutes to put together and 8 to 10 minutes to bake. And you'll get about 36 cookies, plenty to get through a 4 day power outage. Quite delicious with a steaming cup of coffee or a big glass of milk, non of which I could access in my home, but luckily Starbucks was open a a few blocks away.

White and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt

Makes 36 cookies

2 sticks butter softened

1 cup granulated sugar (I used Splenda no calorie sugar substitute)

1 cup light brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend)

2 large eggs (room temp if possible)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups AP flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup rolled oats

2-1/2 cups assortment of chocolate chips (I used white, semi-sweet and mini semi sweet)

Sea Salt for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place butter and sugars in a large bowl. With hand mixer combine sugar and butter until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla extract and incorporate. Set aside.

With a whisk or fork, combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add the flour mixture (in two batches) and incorporate the wet ingredients with the dry. Now stir in the rolled oats and the chips.


Spoon tablespoons of the dough (about 2 inches apart) onto the parchment lined cookie sheets. Gingerly sprinkle sea salt on top of the cookies (don't go crazy with the salt- you'll be disappointed) and bake 9 minutes or until cookies become lightly browned. Undercook these a bit and don't look for too many crispy edges. The cookies will continue cooking while cooling on a wire rack. I sometimes just let them cool on the rack for a minute or two and transfer them to a clean roll of paper towels and let them sit until they're cooled enough for me to start tasting.


Re-mix: I also had dry roasted peanuts, crushed walnuts, coconut, butterscotch and peanut butter chips in the freezer last Saturday. If you're not a lover of chocolate like I am, try shredded sweetened coconut and butterscotch chips (I warn you- it's a sweet combo). Or try peanuts, raisins and a small amount of white chocolate chips. You'll get the crunch of the nuts, and the tang of the raisins and sweetness of the chocolate. But I must advise, in all of these cookie combinations, don't leave off the small amout of sea salt. It's a breath of fresh air that enhances everything sweet.

Unstuffed cabbage

I've been in the mood for stuffed cabbage lately and decided I would give this time-consuming, flavorful dish from my youth a try. I've never made stuffed cabbage, never watched my mom make it and was at a total loss and in panic mode when I got home with the ingredients. So I did what any well respected re-mixer would do- I came up with a quick, no fuss recipe that tastes as good as the original, but takes half the time and is SIMPLE. Of course I can't call it stuffed cabbage, so I've opted for Unstuffed Cabbage and Meatballs. Try this oven-baked casserole when you're in the mood for a lower east side deli flashback.

Baked Unstuffed Cabbage and Meatballs

Meatballs
1 pound ground beef
1/2 large onion grated
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 egg beaten

Sauce-Inspired by Rae Fox
2 T canola oil
1 medium onion chopped, 1 inch dice
2 cups cabbage chopped and divided- I used the plain green cabbage
Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 tsp vinegar- I used rice vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar- I used 1/4 cup Splenda Brown
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can water

To make the meatballs, combine all ingredients except the beef. Add the beef and gently mix with your fingertips. The less you play with the meat, the more tender the meatballs will be. Form into 8 large meatballs and set aside in the refrigerator while you make the sauce.

To make the sauce, heat oil in large pot and add diced onion and 1 cup of chopped cabbage. Cook over medium/low heat until both vegetables are tender, but not brown. Add lemon juice, vinegar, brown sugar, tomato sauce and water. Bring to a boil, stir to combine, lower heat and simmer 5 minutes. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

To assemble the meal, spoon a small amount of the sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish. Arrange meatballs in casserole and cover with remaining sauce and reserved uncooked chopped cabbage. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake 2 hours. Serve with cooked rice.


I will admit this does not make the beautiful presentation of pillows of meat-stuffed cabbage my mom used to serve, but I promise you, the flavor is all there. And just like the original, it's even better the second day.

Spicy Asian Noodle Soup

I've been reading and sampling recipes from Cooking Light for as long as I can remember. More often than not I'm thrilled with what they have to offer, but occasionaly their dishes seem to fall flat. This weekend I made their Spicy Asian Chicken and Noodle Soup (September 2011 issue) and was almost satisfied with the recipe. I omitted the rotisserie chicken and carrots, have done some tweaking and think you'll be happy to try this spicy, low cal, low fat variation. It's a perfect appetizer, or with the addition of one of my many Asian meatball recipes, a hearty main course that comes together in a snap. All ingredients are available in your local supermarket.

Spicy Asian Noodle Soup
adapted from Cooking Light

4-1/2 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup thinly sliced snow peas
1 can (7 oz) corn
2 tsp Sriracha sauce (I use Huy Fong)
2 tsp lower sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1-1/2 tsp Thai red curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen)
1 (2 inch) piece of peeled fresh ginger
Juice of one lime

*****
4 oz dry linguini (I use Dreamfields-low carb)
1/3 cup sliced scallions

Bring first 9 ingredients to a simmer in a medium saucepan (chicken broth through ginger) and keep warm on low heat. Cook linguini according to package directions, drain and rinse. Discard ginger chunk from soup pot, add lime juice and stir. In each of 4 bowls, add equal amounts of linguini and ladle broth and vegetables over each serving. Top with chopped scallions.

If you want to make this a complete meal, try adding these chicken meatballs. They really round out the dish. I guess the pun's intended.

Chicken Meatballs
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 tsp sambal olek
2 tsp grated ginger
2 tsp minced garlic
1 slice of white or wheat bread ground in food processor or spice mill
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 T minced cilantro (I use Gourmet Garden Cilantro Herb Blend)

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and mist it with cooking spray. Set aside. In medium size bowl combine all ingredients except chicken. When all ingredients are incorporated, add chicken and mix gently with fingertips. You're now ready to make the meat balls. I made sixteen 1-1/2 to 1-1/4 inch meatballs out of this mixture. Place meatballs on baking sheet and bake 25 minutes. Add to your Spicy Asian Noodle Soup and enjoy.


Re-Mix: The possibilities are endless when it comes to switching out the veggies in this soup. I think I'd like to try it with bok choy or cabbage in place of the snow peas. Some straw mushrooms, baby corn and bean sprouts would also be nice. And if you want to replace the meatballs with another protein, a sliced hard boiled egg would certainly do the trick. Other garnishes? How about chopped peanuts or a sprinkling of fried won tons.

Back to Earth

After my last post I went into a food coma and decided some sensible eating was in order. So last night I made Roasted Shrimp with Lemon Sauce. Ina Garten has been roasting shrimp for ages and claims that roasting adds flavor to the shrimp that the boiling method takes away. I followed her recipe to the letter. But I wanted to add a little something, something to the mix so I zested a lemon, squeezed the juice, tossed the shrimp in the mixture and made a great little meal/appetizer.

Baked Shrimp Cocktail with Lemon Sauce
Inspired by Ina Garten

1 pound shrimp (16-20 count) peeled and de-veined, I left the tails on
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine shrimp with olive oil, salt and pepper and place in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Roast 8 minutes. While shrimp are cooking, zest and squeeze the juice from your lemon. When shrimp are done, toss with lemon juice and zest. Let cool and refrigerate.


The best part of this dish (for me) are the dipping sauces. My favorite so far is Sambal Olek right out of the jar.

A close second is good ol' Russian dressing, with a dash or two of horseradish. It goes well with the bite of lemon and is so easy to make. Mix equal parts of ketchup and light mayo, add as much (or as little) horseradish as you like, and sweet relish is optional.

Alternative Sauces: Sweet Thai chili sauce is good too, right out of the bottle. And if you like Asian flavors, mix a little soy sauce with rice vinegar, scallions and sesame seeds.

I agree with Ina- there's no reason to boil shrimp ever again.