Corn Salad

This quick mustardy salad is one of our summertime favorites.

Ingredients:

2 cups corn kernels
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion (or less)
1 Tbsp minced fresh dill
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1) In a large bowl, combine corn, bell pepper,onion and dill.  Set aside

2) In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the oil, mustard, vinegar, sugar and salt to a simmer.  Remove pan from the heat; pour the warm vinaigrette over the corn mixture; toss to coat.

Set aside at room temperature.  May cover and refrigerate for several hours.

4 servings.  Per serving: 225 calories, 3 gm protein; 24 gm carbs, 15 gm fat, trace cholesterol, 1 gm saturated fat, 181 mg sodium, 2 gm dietary fiber.

Cranberry Pecan Relish

This is a good tart, crunchy accompaniment to turkey.  You can leave it tart, or add more sugar or chopped apple to make it sweet.

Ingredients:

3 cups whole cranberries, fresh or previously frozen and defrosted
1 orange, peeled and seeded
1 tsp grated orange peel
1/3 - 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, lightly toasted in a 325 degree oven for 8 minutes (watch carefully)
  you can use a toaster oven for this
1 Tbsp chopped apple, skin on (optional)
(from an epicurious recipe, try adding a little mint, ginger (1" grated), and/or red onion)
Directions:

1) Chop the cranberries, orange, orange peel, pecans and sugar in a food processor until coarsely chopped.  Process with on/off bursts.
2) Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Couldn't be easier!

Sweet Potato Latkes

Blair Moser’s Sweet Potato Latkes

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled
2 Idaho potatoes, scrubbed but unpeeled (equal in weight to the sweet potatoes)
Salt for soaking the potatoes, then add salt and pepper to mixture.
4 scallions, finely chopped, including some of the green stems - -- use more, maybe onions.
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Olive oil (or high-heat safflower oil) for frying

1. Grate or finely shred all the potatoes into a bowl of large cold, salted water (using about 1 tablespoon kosher salt) and let stand for 15 minutes.

2. Drain the potatoes in a sieve, then dump them into a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much moisture as possible.

3. In a bowl, mix the potatoes with scallions and garlic. -- add salt and pepper

4. Sprinkle flour over the veggies and toss to combine, then stir in the eggs and mix well.

5. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a heavy skillet (preferably nonstick). Firmly pack a heaping tablespoon of potato mixture and flatten it on the griddle with the back of a spoon. Do not crowd the skillet, but fry each batch until lightly browned, then turn and fry the other side, maybe 3 minutes per side, adding more oil as necessary.

6. Remove the latkes to a cookie sheet lined with paper-towels and keep warm in a 200 degree oven until all have been cooked.

7. Serve at once with sour cream and applesauce.  -- very good with cinnamon sugar - isn't everything?!

Apple latkes

Paula Shoyer’s Apple Latkes
From “The Holiday Kosher Baker”

These pancakes look just like potato latkes. You can serve them either as a dessert or a side dish during Hanukkah.

1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour, plus one tablespoon, if batter is very wet
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 apples (Fuji, Gala or Granny Smith)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. Place a paper bag over a cookie sheet to use for draining the latkes after frying them. Heat 1/4 inch (6 mm) of oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.

2. Place the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking powder into a large bowl and stir. Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Set aside. Peel and core the apples and grate them on the large holes of a box grater or the large holes of a food processor blade. Add the shredded apples to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Sprinkle with the lemon juice, add the beaten eggs and mix.

3. The oil is ready for frying when it feels very hot when you place your hand two inches above the pan. Scoop up a heaping tablespoon of the apple mixture and gently drop it into the pan, using the back of the tablespoon to flatten it. Fry the latkes for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, until golden. Drain them on the paper bag and let them cool for about 15 minutes.

4. If the batter gets very watery halfway through the frying, add a tablespoon of flour to the mixture and mix it in.

5. Use a sieve to dust the latkes with confectioners’ sugar. These are best eaten fresh but can be reheated in the oven. Store them in the fridge for up to three days or freeze them for up the three months. To reheat, place frozen latkes onto a cookie sheet and bake them in a 400 degree Fahrenheit (200 degree Centigrade) oven until crisp.

Yield: 20 latkes.

Peppermint Oreo Bark

Included in asouthernfairytale.com/2013/11/09/oreo-peppermint-bark/
Asked my neighbor Melissa for this recipe after she sent over a container full and I couldn't stop eating eat.  If you're lucky, the thin delicious bottom chocolate layer will separate from the rest and you'll have the best thin chocolate 'crust' ever.

From the site:

I hope you enjoy! And come on over and visit me at Crazy for Crust sometime. I’ll ply you with sugar and talk your ear off. That’s a promise! {You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’m all of those places obsessively.}

Ingredients:

10 mini candy canes, crushed (about 1/2 cup)
12 Oreos, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup milk chocolate chips (or semi-sweet)
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions:

1) Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.

2) Add milk chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Pour onto prepared cookie sheet and spread flat. Sprinkle with chopped Oreos. Chill for 10 minutes.

3) Add white chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl and heat on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. (I use 50% power for white chocolate because it’s so temperamental!) Pour over Oreos and spread to the edges of the milk chocolate. Sprinkle with chopped candy canes. Chill until set, break into pieces and serve or package to give!

Teff Stew

from Bob's Red Mill website
Read about teff on Wikipedia

Teff Stew
This reinterpretation of wat--an Ethiopian soup traditionally eaten with flatbread made from teff flour--includes whole grain teff in the stew itself.

2Tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup chopped Onion
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground Allspice
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 cup Teff 2 large Tomatoes, chopped
1 medium Zucchini, sliced
1 medium Yellow Summer Squash, sliced
4 cups Vegetable Broth
1 cup cooked Garbanzo Beans
1/2 cup Lemon Juice
1/4 cup chopped Cilantro
ground Black Pepper
Salt

Heat oil in a heavy 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, spices and salt. Reduce heat to low and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add teff and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until teff is soft, about 15 minutes.

Add vegetables and beans; cook until tender, 10-15 minutes. Add lemon juice and cook 3 more minutes. Add cilantro just before serving. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

From Whole Foods blog

Ingredients:
1 medium pumpkin
4 cups water
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

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Method:
Preheat oven to 250°F. Cut off top 3 to 4 inches of pumpkin then scoop out seeds onto a clean work surface. Discard stringy fiber from seeds along with any seeds that are split or cracked then transfer to a strainer and rinse well. (You should have about 2 cups of seeds.)

In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Add seeds, reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes. Drain well then transfer to a paper towel-lined sheet tray and pat dry.

Transfer seeds to a medium bowl, toss with oil and spread out in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Roast seeds, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until just crisp and golden brown, about 1 hour total. (They will become crispier as they cool.) Set aside to let cool completely then shell or eat whole.

For spicy pumpkin seeds, mix 1/2 teaspoon each garlic salt, cumin, coriander and cardamom with seeds and oil before roasting. For sweet pumpkin seeds, mix 1 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, cloves and ginger and 1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar with seeds and oil before roasting.

Nutritional Info:
PER SERVING:Serving size: 2 Tablespoons, 130 calories (100 from fat), 12g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 0mg sodium, 3g carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 0g sugar), 5g protein