1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Combine quinoa, pepper, and egg in a bowl, stirring well. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes; cool.
Mini Herbed Pommes Anna from epicurious.com
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 12-24 small tender thyme sprigs plus 2 teaspoons coarsely chopped leaves
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 3/4 pounds small waxy potatoes (such as Yukon Gold or German Butterball), each slightly larger than a golf ball
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Special equipment:A standard 12-cup muffin pan; a mandoline
Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Brush muffin cups all over with butter. Line bottoms with parchment-paper rounds. Arrange 1-2 small thyme sprigs in center of each round. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon butter into bottom of each cup.
Add chopped thyme and garlic to remaining butter in saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Using mandoline, slice potatoes crosswise into very thin rounds (less than 1/16″ thick), placing them in a large bowl as you work. Pour herb butter over and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat well.
Divide potato slices among muffin cups, layering overlapping slices to create a circular pattern. Lightly press center of each to make compact. Drizzle any remaining butter and seasoning from bowl over.
Cover muffin pan tightly with foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake until potatoes can be pierced easily with the tip of a knife, about 35 minutes. Remove foil; invert a rimmed baking sheet over pan. Turn, lightly tapping on counter, releasing potatoes onto sheet. Rearrange any slices that may have fallen out. Using a metal spatula, carefully turn cakes, thyme sprigs facing down. Discard parchment. DO AHEAD:Potatoes can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.
Increase heat to 425°F. Uncover cakes if needed. Bake until bottoms and edges are golden and crispy, 25-30 minutes. Carefully turn cakes, thyme sprigs facing up. probably not necessary to turn them
Spiced Almonds by Ellie Krieger
2 cups whole unsalted almonds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a bowl.
In a small bowl, stir together the cumin, garlic, cayenne pepper and salt. Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat. Stir the spices into the oil and cook, stirring until warm, about 30 seconds. Add the almonds and cook, stirring frequently, until the nuts are warm and the spices are evenly distributed. Add the hot pepper sauce and stir to distribute. Remove the almonds from the pan and allow them to cool before serving.
Cranberry Sauce from seriouseats.com
12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
Combine cranberries, brown sugar, white sugar, water, orange juice, orange zest, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until berries start to pop, about 5 minutes. Press berries against side of pan with wooden spoon and continue to cook until berries have broken down and sauce thickens to a jam-like consistency, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes. Adjust consistency with water as needed. Serve immediately or place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Can be served cold or reheated.
Soy Sauce Butter Pasta with Shrimp and Shiitakes from woks of life
10 oz. dried pasta of your choice (we used thin spaghetti)
olive oil
8 oz. shrimp, peeled, deveined, and thoroughly pat dry
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
8 oz. shiitake mushrooms (about 10-12), thinly sliced
1/3 cup white wine
3 tablespoons soy sauce (salt levels vary across different brands. Try to find a low sodium version)
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Bring a pot of water to a boil for your pasta. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over high heat, until the pan is almost smoking. Sear the shrimp just until opaque and crisp on the outside. Remove from pan and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium and add the garlic and shallots. Sautee until beginning to caramelize, about 2 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and caramelize, 5-7 minutes. If the pan is looking a little dry, add a bit more olive oil.
Boil pasta according to package directions, drain, and reserve a cup of pasta water. Deglaze the mushrooms with white wine and cook for another two minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Add the cooked pasta, soy sauce, and butter to the pan and toss until the butter is melted. Add the shrimp, parsley, and Parmesan, and give everything a final toss. Loosen it up with a bit of your reserved pasta water if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste (remember that soy sauce is quite salty, so you may not need any more salt at all), and serve. 4 servings
dmv note: I substituted red onion for shallots and button with cremini mushrooms for shitake.
Mushroom-Miso-Mustard Gravy from crescent dragon ****
- 2 tbsp of butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 cups sliced mushroom caps (about 1/3 pound) or more
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
- 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon golden miso (sweet white miso)
- 1 tablespoon dark miso (traditional red miso)
-or- 2 tbsp white miso - 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (see tips, below)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp sage
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp worchestshire sauce
- 1 tbsp marsala
- 2 tbsp minced parsley
1. Melt the butter and olive oil together in a large skillet, over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add the onion and sauté, stirring often, for about 4 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften add the garlic. Raise the heat slightly and add the mushroom caps. Continue cooking, stirring often, for 5 to 6 minutes more.
2. Pour the vegetable stock into a medium saucepan or Dutch oven, preferably nonstick, and warm over medium-low heat.
3. Pour the wine into cup of emersion blender add flour, golden miso, dark miso, nutritional yeast, and mustard. Buzz together to form a paste.
4. Whisk the paste into the warmed, but not hot, vegetable stock. Gently bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Take a ladleful of this liquid and swirl it into the sautéed mushroom mixture, stirring well to scrape up any little flavorful bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add the mushrooms, onions, and liquid to the pot with the stock, scraping the sauté pan clean. Add spices and other ingredients.
5. Reduce the heat to very low and let the sauce simmer very gently, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Correct the seasonings with salt (you’ll need little, if any, since miso is salty) and a lot of pepper. Serve hot, ladled over whatever good thing you are serving.
Creamed Tuna on Toast from food.com
1/4 c margarine
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 can drained tuna fish
1 cup frozen peas (or to taste)
salt and pepper
bread (for toasting)
Thaw frozen peas in a collender.
Melt the margarine in a saucepan.
Add the flour and blend.
Add the milk, stirring constantly to prevent clumping and stir until creamy.
Add the tuna, peas, salt and pepper and warm through
As the tuna is warming, toast bread.
After toasted, cut in triangles and spoon tuna mixture over the toast.
Broccoli and Apple Salad with Seasoned Nuts from whatroseknows
- 1 medium app
le cut into small pieces - 2 small heads of broccoli chopped into bite size pieces
- 1 cup shredded or matchstick carrots
- 1/4 red onion chopped into itty bitty pieces
- 1 cup Planter’s Winter Spiced Mix – divided
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pepper to taste (I usually give it 3 shakes)
Step #1 Combine broccoli, onion, apple, carrots, and 1/2 cup Planter’s Winter Spiced Mix into bowl.
Step #2 Mix together mayo, Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl.
Step #3 Add the mayo and Greek Yogurt mixture to the broccoli and apple mixture and stir together until well coated.
Step #4 Sprinkle the remaining Planter’s Winter Spiced Mix on top.
he Planter’s Winter Spiced Mix gives this salad extra crunchiness and a little bit of extra sweetness. This addition has made it my favorite variation of a broccoli & apple salad yet! This may not be your typical side dish for the holidays, but the added spiced nuts do make it a little more fitting. Plus, everyone seems to try and not indulge over the holidays and with this salad, you don’t have to feel guilty!
Southern Biscuits from Alton Brown
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons shortening
1 cup buttermilk, chilled
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don’t want the fats to melt.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.
Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first, but hey, that’s life.)
Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili
2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon ground dried chipotle pepper
1/2 teaspoon
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided]
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder, or to taste
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup water, or more as needed
1 tablespoon cornmeal
teaspoon Salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup sour cream, for garnish
1/4C. Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.Combine sweet potatoes, chipotle pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large bowl and toss to coat. Spread sweet potatoes on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.Roast sweet potatoes in the preheated oven until the outside is crunchy and inside is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.Cook and stir remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, onion, garlic, red bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, ancho chile powder, cumin, and dried oregano together in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook and stir until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.Pour tomatoes and water into the onion mixture and bring to a simmer. Add cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, sugar, and cocoa powder. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutesStir black beans and cooled sweet potatoes into the onion-tomato mixture. Add more water if mixture is too thick. Simmer until heated through, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Serve topped with sour cream and cilantro.