Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Pumpkin Pie Boatmeal (Baked Oatmeal)

This recipe came from a blog that my friend Teresa recommended I check out. The blog is called Chocolate Covered Katie, and it has tons of healthy and delicious looking recipes. (Here is the link to the original recipe, because the author of the blog  has a special request that you link back to her page, which I totally understand.
http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2010/11/10/baked-pumpkin-oatmeal-for-one/)
Teresa tried one of the boatmeals and said it was the best oatmeal she's ever had! I thought this one sounded yummy, so here it is... 

1/2 cup oats
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon 
1/8 tsp nutmeg
sweetener, such as 1 1/2 to 2T maple syrup or 1 to 1 1/2 packs stevia
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup milk or creamer or water
1/8 tsp salt
Optional: 1 to 2T oil or favorite nut butter (if oil, scale the milk back a tiny bit)
Optional: raisins, walnuts, brown sugar for the top 

Preheat oven to 380 degrees. 
Combine raw oats, spices, pumpkin, and milk. 
Pour into a small baking pan, 1-cup ramekin, or mini-loaf pan.
Cook for 20 minutes, or more until it gets firm. 
Finally, set your oven to “high broil” for 3 more minutes, or until it reaches desired crispy-ness (or simply just bake longer, but broiling gives it a nice crust).

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Roasted Sausage, Pumpkin, Apples and Onions with Maple and Beer Pan Gravy

This is a Rachael Ray recipe my friend Adrienne sent me. Not long after sending it to me, things worked in my favor and I ended up making a trip to see her. She made this for lunch and it was sooo good! Instead of pouring the gravy on the sausage and veggies, she made mashed potatoes and we poured it on there. Even better! Also, she gave us the option of eating the brats on buns, with cheese. Enjoy!

1 small sugar pumpkin or 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into large-bite pieces (She used butternut squash)
2 medium red onions, peeled and cut into wedges with root ends attached
2 Gala or Braeburn apples, quartered, core trimmed away 
Squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds, half a palmful (She didn't use this, and everything still came out tasting great)
8 links bratwurst or other sausage of choice (She used beer brats and before putting them in the oven, she seared them in a skillet with some butter, to give them color.)
EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for liberal drizzling
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup stout beer (She used Guinness Extra Stout)
1 1/2 cups chicken or beef stock, whichever you prefer (She used chicken)
1/4 cup dark amber maple syrup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 

Preheat oven to 425°F.
In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, onions and apples with lemon juice, salt, pepper, a little freshly grated nutmeg and the caraway seeds. 
Add sausages and dress everything with a layer of EVOO, about 3 tablespoons to coat. 
Arrange on large baking sheet and roast 30-40 minutes.
Heat butter in small pan over medium heat. 
Whisk in flour for 1 minute then add beer and whisk half a minute more. 
Whisk in stock, syrup and Worcestershire, add some coarse black pepper and let thicken a few minutes more to coat spoon.
Serve roasted sausages and squash doused with gravy.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Grape Dessert Salad

This recipe was sent to me by my friend Sue. Her husband's cousin made it for a picnic, and though she called it a salad, Sue and I both agree that it's more of a dessert. Enjoy! 


1 lb green grapes
1 lb red grapes
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup powdered sugar
2 large Butterfinger candy bars, chopped
8 oz cream cheese

Wash and dry grapes
Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar and mix until smooth (This works much better if the cream cheese is room temp)
Mix grapes with cream cheese mixture and place in (11x7) glass dish
Combine brown sugar, pecans, and crushed candy bars. 
Sprinkle on top of salad and chill
It's best if it sits for a couple of hours

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Mexican Chicken Lime Soup

I found this recipe on Pinterest, but it's a Rachael Ray.  It got great reviews on the website. It sounds good, and cooks fairly quickly. However,  you could also throw the ingredients in the crock pot and let them cook on low for the day, so it's ready that evening. 
 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
1 onion, finely chopped 
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce (If you're not into spicy food, just use 1 chile)
6 cups chicken broth 
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 
Juice of 2 limes 
Salt and pepper 
1 hass avocado, thinly sliced lengthwise into 12 pieces 
Crushed tortilla chips


In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. 
Stir in the onion and garlic. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the onion begins to brown, about 7 minutes. 
Increase the heat to high, push the vegetables to the side of the pan, add the chicken and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. 
Stir in the chipotles and adobo sauce, then stir in the chicken broth. 
Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming any foam. 
Stir in the cilantro and lime juice. 
Season with salt and pepper
Place 2 avocado slices in each of 6 soup bowls and pour in the soup. 
Top with the tortilla chips.