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Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

February 6, 2012 by 3 Comments

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Many recipes I see on Pinterest don’t seem user friendly or look a little too outrageous to actually try at home. Do you find that? I created a new pinning board called “recipes I might actually try,” and this was one. It’s a banana bread with very few ingredients, and it has a cinnamon sugar layer in the middle and on top. Delish, right? I thought so.

Easy to make with few dishes and no mixer required, I whipped this up last Friday morning. The bananas made it extra moist without needing oils or too much butter (1/3 C won’t hurt), and it was crisp outside and soft inside. Even Jeffrey ate a little and he doesn’t like banana!

We had family in town for the weekend, and the loaf slowly got nibbled away. Guess you know when it’s good!

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Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

Ingredients:

  • 3 ripe bananas, smashed up
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • dash of salt
  • 1 1/2 cups flour

For the swirl:

  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 T cinnamon

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350. Spray cooking spray on a 9×5 loaf pan. and four a loaf pan.
  • Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together.
  • In a separate bowl, mix baking soda and salt with flour.
  • In a small dish, mix together the 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbs cinnamon and set aside.
  • Combine flour with wet mixture and stir to combine.
  • Add 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and then sprinkle half, or a little more than half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture all over the batter in the pan. Add the rest of the batter, and then sprinkle the leftover cinnamon-sugar on top.
  • Bake for 50-60 minutes, checking after 45 for done-ness.

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Filed Under: Breakfast, Recipes, Snacks · Tagged With: , ,

Homemade Veggie Burgers

January 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment
 

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Trying to make a veggie burger from scratch has been on my to-cook list for months. I pulled a recipe at least six months ago and have been telling myself I need to make it probably since then. The problem is that it’s a food processor recipe, and sometimes, cleaning that thing takes the fun out of using it!

I finally wrote down what I needed to buy, made hummus so the food processor was already dirty, and got to work on the burgers last Sunday.

The recipe made 9 small-ish burgers, and I plan to eat some this week and freeze them to take for lunches.

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I really liked the texture and spices, and am very glad I finally tried them! No need to buy the frozen version when homemade is so much better, and you can freeze them to use one at a time. Really, these made my lunches so much better!

While this may look like a long ingredient list, it’s actually a lot of pantry items and spices that you might already have as a kitchen staple.

I also had one for dinner with sauteed veggies and some rice.

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Homemade Veggie Burgers

Ingredients:

  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 white onion
  • 1 egg
  • 1 C old-fashioned oats, processed into flour
  • 1.5 C bread crumbs
  • 1 C carrots
  • 1 C black beans, rinsed and mashed
  • 1/4 C parsley
  • 1/3 C cashews (or any nut like almonds, pecans, etc)
  • 1/3 C sunflower seeds
  • 1 T EVOO
  • 1 T soy sauce
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions:

  • In a food processor, pulse together carrots, garlic, onion. Add about 3/4 C of the black beans and pulse again. You want the consistency to be mashed but not mushed.
  • In a mixing bowl, add the remaining 1/4 C unblended black beans.
  • Remove food from processor and add to a mixing bowl.
  • Add almonds and sunflower seeds and pulse to a fine chop. Add to mixing bowl.
  • Add oats to the processor and grind to a flour. Add to mixing bowl with bread crumbs.
  • In mixing bowl, stir to combine, then add egg, EVOO, soy sauce, and all spices.
  • Stir to combine.
  • The mixture should hold together in your hand when you try to squeeze it. Before you try to add water, form a burger and see if it holds. I thought mine might need more liquid, but it held together as a burger, so I didn’t add anything.
  • Form mixture into patties and lay on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or cooking spray.
  • Bake at 350* for about 22 minutes, flipping halfway through.
  • Remove when burgers are starting to brown.

 

Homemade Veggie Burgers
Print
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 22 mins
Total time: 37 mins
Ingredients
  • Homemade Veggie Burgers
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 white onion
  • 1 egg
  • 1 C old-fashioned oats, processed into flour
  • 1.5 C bread crumbs
  • 1 C carrots
  • 1 C black beans, rinsed and mashed
  • 1/4 C parsley
  • 1/3 C cashews (or any nut like almonds, pecans, etc)
  • 1/3 C sunflower seeds
  • 1 T EVOO
  • 1 T soy sauce
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
  1. In a food processor, pulse together carrots, garlic, onion. Add about 3/4 C of the black beans and pulse again. You want the consistency to be mashed but not mushed.
  2. In a mixing bowl, add the remaining 1/4 C unblended black beans.
  3. Remove food from processor and add to a mixing bowl.
  4. Add almonds and sunflower seeds and pulse to a fine chop. Add to mixing bowl.
  5. Add oats to the processor and grind to a flour. Add to mixing bowl with bread crumbs.
  6. In mixing bowl, stir to combine, then add egg, EVOO, soy sauce, and all spices.
  7. Stir to combine.
  8. The mixture should hold together in your hand when you try to squeeze it. Before you try to add water, form a burger and see if it holds. I thought mine might need more liquid, but it held together as a burger, so I didn’t add anything.
  9. Form mixture into patties and lay on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or cooking spray.
  10. Bake at 350* for about 22 minutes, flipping halfway through.
  11. Remove when burgers are starting to brown.
Filed Under: Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegetarian · Tagged With: , , , ,

Hearty Minestrone Soup

January 4, 2012 by 1 Comment
Here’s another easy weeknight meal. We made this on Monday night after our weekend away. A hearty soup is a great way to get back to eating your veggies and not eat something so rich and gluttonous after the holidays. We love our soups.

I found this recipe on the Whole Foods iPhone app in the car on the way home. I changed out some veggies to suit what we like, and served it with mini cornbread muffins that I made real quick. If it were just for me, I would have added mushrooms and some squash, but that’s a no-go for the other one eating.

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The recipe called for chickpeas and cannellini beans, but Jeffrey doesn’t like beans so I left that out and just used the chickpeas. It gave the soup a nice crunch to go with the other softer veggies. I also left out cabbage and replaced with more carrots and celery. And I love fusilli in soups.

We thought the soup was very thick and tomato-ey. I didn’t mind and like thick soups, but Jeffrey would have used less tomato or more broth. However, 6 cups of broth and 28 ounces of tomatoes makes a lot of soup! There was lots leftover. A great soup for freezing too! On the second night, I added some water to thin it out and it helped a lot. Do that.

Hearty Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped basil (subbed rosemary)
  • 2 large stalks of celery, sliced
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their liquid
  • 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
  • 1 cup dried fusilli pasta
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3/4 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

  • In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium high heat.
  • Add garlic and onions and cook until translucent.
  • Add broth, tomato paste, parsley, basil, celery, carrots, bay leaf, and tomatoes with their juice and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
  • Add chickpeas, pasta, and simmer for another 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Ladle soup into bowls and serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.

To go with the soup, I made a half batch of cornbread mini muffins. If you have cornmeal in your pantry, you probably have everything else you need–flour, egg, milk, oil. I amped it up by adding some frozen corn kernels, rosemary that we used for the soup, and some cayenne to give it a slight kick. A half batch made about 16 mini muffins–good to last a few days or take for lunch too!

As you can see, I love it when meals last a little while.

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Hearty Minestrone Soup
Print
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 60 mins
Total time: 1 hour 20 mins
Ingredients
  • Hearty Minestrone Soup
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped basil (subbed rosemary)
  • 2 large stalks of celery, sliced
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their liquid
  • 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
  • 1 cup dried fusilli pasta
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3/4 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium high heat.
  2. Add garlic and onions and cook until translucent.
  3. Add broth, tomato paste, parsley, basil, celery, carrots, bay leaf, and tomatoes with their juice and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
  4. Add chickpeas, pasta, and simmer for another 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.
Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: , ,

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

December 21, 2011 by Leave a Comment

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I was really looking forward to trying this recipe that I saw about a week ago. I love a good banana bread, and how could adding chocolate make it bad? I decided that I don’t really love chocolate and bananas together, but if you do, you’ll probably like this recipe.

It seemed too decadent to eat for breakfast, and I don’t really like banana flavored things for dessert. So I guess it’s a good snack bread. With a stick of butter inside and three kinds of chocolate, it’s not exactly slimming, but it still looks really good. Just warn people that it is banana flavored, or I think they may think it’s a weird chocolate loaf.

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If you want a purely chocolate loaf, I think there are better ones. And if you want a great banana bread, I think there are better ones too.

For this recipe, I made it into one foil tin loaf for giving away and one mini loaf. It would probably fit one normal sized loaf pan or a few mini ones. The pictures are the mini loaf size. I am taking the foil one on vacation this weekend. If people like it, I’ll let you know!

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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

makes one large loaf (or about 3 mini loaves)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 large bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 4 ounces dark chocolate, melted (I subbed semi-sweet baking squareS)
  • 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
Instructions:
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a loaf pan liberally with non-stick spray.
  • In a bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking powder, then set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk egg and sugar together until smooth.
  • Whisk in vanilla extract, then add bananas and milk and mix until combined.
  • Add in dry ingredients slowing, mixing with a spoon until batter comes together.
  • Add in melted butter and mix until incorporated, then stir in melt chocolate.
  • Fold chocolate chips into batter. Pour batter into loaf pan. Set pan on a baking sheet, then bake for 55-60 minutes, or until center is set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cook time may be shorter if you do mini-loaves.
  • Remove bread from over and sprinkle with additional chocolate chips if desired. Let cool completely (1-2 hours) before cutting.

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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Print
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 55 mins
Total time: 1 hour 15 mins
Ingredients
  • Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
  • makes one large loaf (or about 3 mini loaves)
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 large bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 4 ounces dark chocolate, melted (I subbed semi-sweet baking squareS)
  • 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a loaf pan liberally with non-stick spray.
  2. In a bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking powder, then set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk egg and sugar together until smooth.
  4. Whisk in vanilla extract, then add bananas and milk and mix until combined.
  5. Add in dry ingredients slowing, mixing with a spoon until batter comes together.
  6. Add in melted butter and mix until incorporated, then stir in melt chocolate.
  7. Fold chocolate chips into batter. Pour batter into loaf pan. Set pan on a baking sheet, then bake for 55-60 minutes, or until center is set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cook time may be shorter if you do mini-loaves.
  8. Remove bread from over and sprinkle with additional chocolate chips if desired. Let cool completely (1-2 hours) before cutting.
Filed Under: Dessert, Recipes · Tagged With: , ,

Oatmeal Bars…with M&Ms

December 14, 2011 by 7 Comments

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This is a quick and easy recipe and makes a great snack. I made a similar bar last June and froze them, and have been thinking about them! I like these best because they cut really nicely. No ragged edges. Pretty colors inside.

This time, I decided to put in some crushed M&Ms because why not? More colorful for the holidays.

I think these make a great little snack, and even better with peanut butter spread on.

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Chewy Oatmeal Bars–with M&Ms

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 C rolled oats
  • ¼ C chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 C raisins
  • 1/4 C M&Ms, chopped
  • ¼ C brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 ½ C milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • In two separate bowls, mix dry ingredients, then wet ingredients. Pour wet into dry, mixing until combined.
  • Pour batter into a square baking dish lined with parchment paper for easy transferring. My dish is 9 x 9.
  • Bake 30 minutes. Once cool, cut into bars or squares.

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Filed Under: Recipes, Snacks · Tagged With: ,

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

December 7, 2011 by 3 Comments

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These cookies will help you get through a hump day, or anyday. Somewhere between a Tollhouse cookie and an after dinner mint, these cookies are soft and plump with a crispy exterior.

As much as I try to bake healthy, cooking with butter is just really, really much better.

Here is how this cookie came to be: I wanted to find a cookie that I could make a lot of for gifts. I wanted them to be perfectly delicious, a nice round size, and special.

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I started with this recipe on How Sweet It Is, doubled it, subbed in Andes mint baking chips (win!) instead of chocolate chips, and then realized that her recipe is basically the Tollhouse cookie recipe cut in half. Sneaky. And no wonder they are really good.

My recipe (below), makes about 45 medium sized cookies. Growing up with Tollhouse cookies usually in the house, I rolled these into bigger sized balls which made for a nicely round and substantial cookie size. You could make them smaller for more cookies.

I planned this batch for gifts, but then took them to two parties and now I need to bake more.

The secret that makes these cookies so great are the Andes baking chips. Perfectly chopped, the chocolate blends into the dough and makes even the non-chocolate bites minty. Pretty tasty we think.

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Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

makes about 45 medium cookies

  • 1 cup butter (two sticks), at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1.5  cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 cups Andes mint baking chips (found in the baking aisle at holiday time)

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 375.
  • Beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer until smooth.
  • Add egg and vanilla, mixing well until combined.
  • Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon with the mixer on medium speed. Beat in oats.
  • Mix until dough comes together. Fold in chocolate chips.
  • Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Remove dough from fridge and roll into big 1 1/2 inch balls. Set on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Lightly press down on dough to flatten it.
  • Bake at 375 for 18 minutes, or until edges start to brown.

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 Who can turn down a chocolate cookie? I’ll bet Santa will like them too.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Print
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 18 mins
Total time: 33 mins
Serves: 40
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies makes about 45 medium cookies
Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter (two sticks), at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1.5  cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 cups Andes mint baking chips (found in the baking aisle at holiday time)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer until smooth.
  3. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well until combined.
  4. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon with the mixer on medium speed. Beat in oats.
  5. Mix until dough comes together. Fold in chocolate chips.
  6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  7. Remove dough from fridge and roll into big 1 1/2 inch balls. Set on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Lightly press down on dough to flatten it.
  8. Bake at 375 for 18 minutes, or until edges start to brown.
Filed Under: Dessert, Recipes · Tagged With: , , ,

Pumpkin Loaf with Apricots

December 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment

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You may be wondering why I am still baking with pumpkin, but it makes for a great breakfast bread all year round. And December is still a seasonal month so I think I can get away with it while pumpkin is still on the shelves.

I also want to show one last healthy-ish recipe before we get deep into holiday cookies.

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I still enjoy baking a whole loaf on the weekend and freezing it by the slice. Makes for easy breakfasts to take to work with a little fruit and yogurt. One of my favorite go-to breakfasts all year long.

You could also sub out the apricots in the recipe for dried cranberries, raisins, or even fresh blueberries for an extra pop.

This recipe was not sweet enough, and next time I would add more brown sugar or add some white sugar too. Otherwise, it was a nice, dense loaf.

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Pumpkin Breakfast Loaf

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 C whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 C oats
  • 1/3 C ground flaxseed
  • 1/3 C pecans
  • 1/4 C brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 C canned pumpkin
  • 1/2 C dried apricots (could sub dried cranberries)
  • 3/4 C skim milk (or dairy substitute)
  • 1/3 C pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  •  In two separate bowls, mix dry, then wet, and then combine, adding wet to dry and stirring gently until the mixture is combined.
  • Spray cooking spray on a non-stick loaf pan. Spoon in the mixture.
  • Bake for about 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool before slicing. Freezes well.

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Pumpkin Loaf with Apricots
Print
Ingredients
  • 1.5 C whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 C oats
  • 1/3 C ground flaxseed
  • 1/3 C pecans
  • 1/4 C brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 C canned pumpkin
  • 1/2 C dried apricots (could sub dried cranberries)
  • 3/4 C skim milk (or dairy substitute)
  • 1/3 C pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. In two separate bowls, mix dry, then wet, and then combine, adding wet to dry and stirring gently until the mixture is combined.
  3. Spray cooking spray on a non-stick loaf pan. Spoon in the mixture.
  4. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool before slicing. Freezes well.
Filed Under: Breakfast, Recipes · Tagged With: , , , ,

Thanksgiving Recipes

November 21, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving week! I’ve mentioned before that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year, and I’ve been eating the flavors of the season since October. If you’re looking for easy last-minute recipes for your table, here are a few I’ve posted this year.

For a list of recipes I wrote about last year, see this post. 

You’ll notice lots of focus on pumpkin and apple, and even a few veggie dishes.

Enjoy spending time with your families!

Apple Cranberry Sauce

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Sausage Apple Stuffing

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Homemade Marshmallows

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Pumpkin Spice Muffins

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Pumpkin Gingerbread Loaf

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Apple Cake

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Squash and Farro Salad

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Sweet Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

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Filed Under: Recipes, Thanksgiving · Tagged With: ,

Sausage Stuffing

November 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Here is another Thanksgiving recipe. New to our kitchen for this year! I wanted to try making a stuffing, but thinking of the ingredients that we both eat is a little limiting. I also wanted it to be substantial enough to eat as a meal. I searched some magazines and online and found this sausage one with vegetables we both like such as carrots, fennel and onion, and even had some delicious seasonal apples.

The recipe I found made a whole side dish for Thanksgiving, so I cut the recipe down. I really liked using the Italian sausage. I went to the meat counter at Whole Foods and the butcher knew what I wanted, and took the casings off for me so it was easier to break apart.

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Jeffrey commented that he wished the pieces of everything were smaller, so spend more time chopping. I didn’t mind it as bigger pieces. He really liked the dish and it was his kind of flavors. Very savory and filling.

The cooking process was pretty straightforward and clean. I started cooking something on the stove, then dumped it in a mixing bowl. Then more on the stove, then into the mixing bowl. And repeated about four times before going all together in the oven.

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Sausage Stuffing

(This is the full recipe from myrecipes.com. I halved the recipe (except where noted) and put it in a smaller dish for cooking.

Ingredients:

  • 12 ounces sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used a little under 1/2 loaf)
  • Cooking spray
  • 9 ounces Italian sausage, uncooked (I used about 3/4 pound)
  • 5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 4 cups chopped onion
  • 1 1/4 cups sliced fennel bulb
  • 1 1/4 cups chopped carrot
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (didn’t use)
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 3 cups chopped Golden Delicious apple
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 large eggs

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 400°.
  • Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 16 minutes or until golden, stirring after 8 minutes. Place in a large bowl.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage to pan; cook 8 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add sausage to bread.
  • Return pan to medium-high heat. Add 3 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and next 5 ingredients (through garlic). Add 1/4 teaspoon pepper; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add vegetables to sausage mixture.
  • Return pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add apple and sugar; sauté 5 minutes or until apple caramelizes, stirring occasionally. Add to the sausage mixture.
  • Combine broth and eggs in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add broth mixture and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper to sausage mixture; toss well to combine.
  • Spoon sausage mixture into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover with foil. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Uncover dish; bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until browned and crisp.

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 I made this on a weekday and the start chopping to on the table process was about 90 minutes. We served it with roasted asparagus (on a baking sheet, same temperature as the stuffing, with salt, pepper, EVOO and paprika), and leftover cranberry sauce. A very hearty dinner for a weekday in our house!

Sausage Stuffing
Print
Ingredients
  • Sausage Stuffing
  • This is the full recipe from myrecipes.com. I halved the recipe (except where noted) and put it in a smaller dish for cooking.
  • 12 ounces sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used a little under 1/2 loaf)
  • Cooking spray
  • 9 ounces Italian sausage, uncooked (I used about 3/4 pound)
  • 5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 4 cups chopped onion
  • 1 1/4 cups sliced fennel bulb
  • 1 1/4 cups chopped carrot
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (didn’t use)
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 3 cups chopped Golden Delicious apple
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 large eggs
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 16 minutes or until golden, stirring after 8 minutes. Place in a large bowl.
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage to pan; cook 8 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add sausage to bread.
  4. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add 3 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and next 5 ingredients (through garlic). Add 1/4 teaspoon pepper; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add vegetables to sausage mixture.
  5. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add apple and sugar; sauté 5 minutes or until apple caramelizes, stirring occasionally. Add to the sausage mixture.
  6. Combine broth and eggs in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add broth mixture and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper to sausage mixture; toss well to combine.
  7. Spoon sausage mixture into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover with foil. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Uncover dish; bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until browned and crisp.
Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: ,

Apple Cranberry Sauce

November 14, 2011 by 1 Comment

This week, I have a few Thanksgiving themed recipes to share. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the whole year. I love spending time with family, I love that the weather is getting cooler, and I love the food better than any other holiday of eating.

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Probably my very favorite Thanksgiving dish is cranberry sauce. In the last few years, I’ve been enjoying the flavors for the whole month of November, and this year was no exception. I tried a different recipe for cranberry sauce this year, one I read in Cooking Light and then made some changes to it. The one I made last year and in year’s past is great too! It has a lot of fruity flavors like apricot and orange. But wanted to try this one this year, which has a lot of apples.

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Apple Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 bag (12 oz) fresh cranberries
  • 3 apples, I used Granny Smith, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 C maple syrup
  • 1/2 C white sugar
  • 1/2 C brown sugar
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 C Apple juice or apple sider
  • 3/4 C Apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 C lemon juice
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 C Dried apricots, chopped
Instructions:
  • Add everything to a pot and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce to a simmer and let cook until cranberries start to pop and bubble. Remove bay leaf.
  • Serve hot or cold. Keeps in the refrigerator 4-5 days.

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What I loved about the sauce was the bites of apple, and apricots and the pops of cranberries. While refrigerated, it gets thick and delicious. From the original Cooking Light recipe, I added the sugars and apricots because I like my cranberry sauce sweet.

To go with the sauce, we made cheddar chicken fingers from How Sweet Eats. I am trying to like chicken better and wondered if I just don’t know how to make good chicken, so we followed a recipe that looked delicious and hoped we liked it. Jeffrey thought it was great, I thought it tasted like chicken. And also took poor pictures of it, sorry. The link’s pictures make it look much better!

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Easy to make, smelled good, nice concept of soaking in buttermilk and dunking in bread crumbs and cheese, but I still can’t get over the chicken. Bluggghhh is what I say to chicken.

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