Celery and Apple Salad with Pecans

I have a celery problem. I’ll choose a recipe that incorporates celery - a stir fry or salad, maybe - but I only ever need one or two stalks. I buy one bunch and tell myself I’ll make “ants on a log” (celery with peanut butter and raisins) or some other snack-y thing, but it never happens. The rest of that celery invariably ends up in the trash. I found a recipe, though, that seemed to have great “celery usage” potential - Celery and Apple Salad with Pecans from the March 2006 issue of Everyday Food.

The recipe calls for toasted pecans, so I started by baking 1/4 cup of pecan halves on a rimmed baking sheet at 350F for 6 minutes. While the pecans toasted and cooled, I peeled and thinly sliced 8 large stalks of celery. I also halved and cored 1 apple (I like Braeburn), thinly sliced it, and then sliced the slices in half.

To make the dressing, I whisked together 2 tablespoons of reduced-fat sour cream, 1 1/2 tablespoons of white-wine vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. I put the celery and apple slices in a large bowl, seasoned with salt and pepper, and then tossed everything gently with the dressing. I sprinkled the toasted pecans on top to serve.

This wasn’t a tastebud-blowing salad, but it was simple and good. I loved the crunch of the ingredients, and the pecans added really great flavor. I’m a lover of all things sweet, so I’m afraid I would have liked it more as a sugar fest… I could see tripling the sugar in the dressing and using candied pecans instead of just toasted ones. That’s an experiment for next time. This really was a terrific way to use the extra celery I had on hand, though.

TIPS: I had never peeled celery before and the peeling step is optional in this recipe, but I thought the extra effort was worth it. Peeling the celery completely eliminated its “stringiness,” which I thought made it more palatable.

Recipe link: Celery and Apple Salad with Pecans

Hill Country Coleslaw

Dr. O and I headed down to Texas Hill Country this year for the Fourth of July, and we went to this terrific lunch at Flat Creek Estate (a vineyard and winery). The food was amazing, and I was particularly impressed with the coleslaw and potato salad. After we returned to Dallas, I e-mailed the winery asking for the recipes. The potato salad was a family secret, but an employee was kind enough to send the coleslaw recipe: Hill Country Coleslaw from Anne Greer McCann, which actually had been printed in the Dallas Morning News.

To start, I prepped my ingredients. I sliced the kernels off of 3 ears of fresh corn, put the kernels in a colander, and then poured 2 cups of boiling water (boiled in my tea kettle) over the kernels to blanch them. While the corn cooled, I sliced 6 scallions, chopped 1 cup of cilantro leaves, and shredded 1 large carrot (1/2 cup).

To make things easy, I followed the recipe recommendation and used a 10-ounce package of shredded cabbage. I put the cabbage in a large bowl and added the cooled corn, scallions, 2 ounces of crumbled blue cheese, cilantro, and carrots. I seasoned with salt and pepper and tossed everything to combine.

Here’s where I deviated from the recipe a bit. The author says to refrigerate the mixture until you’re ready to serve the coleslaw and then toss the mixture with 1/2 cup of ranch dressing immediately before serving. Instead, I tossed the mixture with 1/2 cup of dressing immediately and then refrigerated the coleslaw for 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to blend.

This is seriously one of my new favorite summer sides. I remember when we first tasted it at the winery… It was subtly cheesy, but I couldn’t place the flavor. (Probably because the blue cheese was in tiny crumbles and the white color blends well with the rest of the slaw.) The veggie and sauce mixture is a bit non-traditional, for sure, but the flavor combination is just delicious. This is one time when I’m going to have to give “the Texas way” a big thumbs up.

TIPS: If fresh corn isn’t in season or if you don’t feel like dealing with it, I think frozen corn kernels (thawed, of course) would be a fine substitute.

Also, don’t worry if it seems like 1/2 cup of ranch dressing is barely enough to coat the vegetables. If you make the coleslaw the way I did and refrigerate it for a bit before serving, the vegetables release some of their moisture to create a bit more “sauce.” I just tossed the mixture again immediately before serving.

Recipe link: Hill Country Coleslaw

Request Line! Chickpea Fries

Hallelujah! I finally fried something and it actually *wasn’t* a total disaster. My dear friend Leslie sent me a link to a blog post about chickpea fries, which I thought sounded fantastic. Central Market actually had chickpea flour (I can’t imagine that’s an easy find in your average grocery store), so I decided to go for it.

The post was more of a discussion of chickpea fries rather than step-by-step instructions on how to make them. Luckily, there were a few detailed user posts that helped me get started.

The first step was a lot like making polenta. I combined 2 cups of water, 1 cup of chickpea flour, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan and whisked it together over medium heat. It was pretty liquid at first, but when it thickened, it thickened quickly. I just kept whisking periodically until it was thick and smooth (about 5 minutes).

I sprayed a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and lined it with wax paper. (The cooking spray helps the paper stick to the dish.) I scraped the chickpea mixture into the dish and smoothed the top with a spatula. I covered the dish and refrigerated it until the chickpea mixture was firm (1 hour).

Next, I turned the firm chickpea mixture out onto a cutting board and cut it into “blocks” that were about 1/2-inch by 2 1/2-inches thick. I heated about 1/2 cup of canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and fried the chickpea mixture in 2 batches for about 6 minutes per batch. (I turned the fries at the 3-minute mark.) I removed them from the skillet with a slotted spoon, drained them for a few minutes on a paper towel-lined plate, and seasoned with salt and pepper to serve.

So, I feel blessed and cursed. These were SO deliciously addictive. They had a thin, crisp layer on the outside and a warm, custardy, just-salty-enough inside… Mmm, mmm, mmm. The curse is that I have at least enough chickpea flour for 5 more batches… Or is that another blessing?

The bag of chickpea flour has a yummy-looking recipe for hummus, so that may be my next project. Thanks for introducing me to a great recipe and a fun new ingredient, Leslie!

TIPS: Initially, I actually tried frying the chickpea fries over medium heat, but they weren’t coloring the way I wanted them to. Using medium-high heat gave me the results I wanted.

Also, you can probably tell by the picture that I made the equivalent of steak fries (pretty thick). They really did turn out wonderfully, but I may spread the mixture out on a baking sheet next time to experiment with thinner fries. The chickpea mixture isn’t as firm as potatoes, though, so I’ll want to keep a decent amount of thickness to keep them from falling apart in the skillet.

Recipe link: Chickpea Fries

Twice-Baked Potatoes

I rarely get a chance to post great side dishes, so today is a special day! It seems like every time Dr. O’s family gets together at his grandma’s house, she makes twice-baked potatoes as part of the meal. They’re always *so* good… I don’t usually go for second helpings, but those potatoes are hard to resist. I had never actually tried to make twice-baked potatoes, though, until last night. The recipe from the October 2003 issue of Everyday Food might not have much family history (yet!), but the results were pretty tasty.

The potatoes only require about 10 minutes of hands-on time, but they take 2 hours from start to finish with baking and cooling included. If you have the time, they’re totally worth it.

First, I scrubbed 2 large russet potatoes and pricked them all over with a fork. I baked them in a 375F oven (directly on the oven rack) until tender (90 minutes).

After 10 minutes of cooling time, I split each potato in half lengthwise. I scooped the potato flesh into a medium bowl, leaving a thin shell. Next, I added 4 tablespoons of milk, 2 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons of reduced-fat sour cream, and 1/4 cup of grated white cheddar cheese to the bowl. I seasoned the mixture with salt and pepper and folded in 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped chives.

I filled each potato shell with the potato mixture, transferred the potatoes to a baking dish just large enough to hold them, and sprinkled them with another 1/4 cup of grated white cheddar. I baked them at 375F for 20 minutes and garnished with more chives to serve.

These aren’t “grandma potatoes,” but they sure taste good. The cheese topping forms a light crust, and the potato filling is creamy and so, so yummy. I think adults *and* children would just love these… I’m planning on putting them into permanent rotation.

TIPS: If you just don’t have the time to bake the potatoes for 90 minutes, you can cook them in the microwave on high for 9 minutes and then bake them in a 375F oven for 20 minutes.

Also, I left my potato mixture slightly chunky before I spooned it back into the shells, which I thought was delicious. If you want super smooth potatoes, go ahead and mash them before you fill the shells.

Recipe link: Twice-Baked Potatoes

Request Line! Lime and Peanut Coleslaw

Summer is a time for terrific sides, and my friend Christopher sent me a yummy-looking request for Lime and Peanut Coleslaw from 101cookbooks.com. I’m a coleslaw fan for sure, but I rarely stray from the mayonnaise-based standard, so I was excited to give this one a try.

The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of unsalted raw peanuts, but Central Market didn’t have any in the bulk section and I couldn’t will myself to shell that many peanuts. I bought dry roasted unsalted organic peanuts instead. I still toasted them in a skillet over medium for about 8 minutes as the recipe suggested.

Next, I cut half of a medium-large cabbage into two quarters. (Cabbage type wasn’t specified in the recipe and Savoy cabbage looked the best at Central Market, so that’s what I bought. Regular old green cabbage would be perfect.) I cut out the core and used a sharp knife to cut the cabbage into the thinnest strands I could manage. I also quartered a pint of grape tomatoes and chopped 3/4 cup of cilantro.

To make the dressing, I whisked together 1/4 cup of fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a small bowl. I combined the cabbage, tomatoes, and cilantro in a serving bowl, added the dressing, and tossed gently to coat. I folded in the peanuts just before serving.

I really wanted to love this one. I really did. On the plus side, the peanuts add great texture to the dish. There’s just something missing. Heidi at 101cookbooks.com said the inspiration for the dish was eating peanuts with salt and lime in Mexico City… I think some cumin or chili powder in the dressing might have livened things up a bit. An Asian twist could have worked as well, with soy sauce, rice vinegar, and scallions.

It was fine - don’t get me wrong - but this isn’t the kind of dish where I’d seek out the recipe if I ate it at a party. I do feel like a master cabbage slicer now, though.

TIPS: If you decide to give this one a try, I would recommend letting the cabbage, tomato, cilantro and dressing sit together in the refrigerator for around 20 minutes before serving. I tasted the slaw right after I dressed it and I thought the lime was just too overpowering. The flavors blended much better after a bit of time had passed. As Heidi suggested, though, add the peanuts just before serving so they don’t get soggy.

Recipe link: Lime and Peanut Coleslaw

Request Line! Marshmallow Fruit Dip

When I was back home a couple of weeks ago, my mom asked me to find a good fruit dip recipe. (Thanks for the request, Mom!) I started combing my favorite recipe sites and saw that many of them had the same basic ingredients - like cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla - with differing quantities. Some had “special” ingredients, like orange juice concentrate, ginger, or maraschino cherry juice. Some even had mayonnaise or butter, which aren’t ingredients I would typically want to put on my fruit.

I ended up choosing a recipe from a site that offered a basic recipe with four variations - almond, raspberry, lemon, and marshmallow. The marshmallow recipe sounded especially delish, so I decided to give it a whirl.

This was so, so easy and it only took about 5 minutes. I used reduced-fat ingredients to lighten up the dip a bit, but you can use regular ones if you want. (I wouldn’t go with fat-free sour cream or cream cheese, though. I think fat-free dairy usually lacks in texture and flavor.)

In the bowl of my mixer, I combined 1 8-ounce package of reduced-fat (neufchatel) cream cheese, 1 cup of reduced-fat sour cream, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup of marshmallow creme. I beat the mixture on medium speed for about 30 seconds, scraped down the sides of the bowl, and then beat it again until smooth (about another 30 seconds). I let it chill in the refrigerator for an hour so the flavors could blend, and then served it in a hollowed orange. Pretty, huh?

This dip had great texture and flavor. I could really taste the vanilla and cream cheese, and the sour cream made it slightly tangy. If you don’t like cream cheese frosting, this probably isn’t up your alley, but if you do, watch out. I can see this as a yummy addition to a shower or picnic menu as part of a fruit plate.

TIPS: Bring the cream cheese to room temperature before making the dip for best results. If you don’t have time, just soften it in the microwave.

Also, I have to say I enjoyed this best with apple slices.  Dr. O liked it with strawberries, but I think super sweet fruit might overpower the flavor of the dip.

Recipe link: Marshmallow Fruit Dip

Strawberry Spinach Salad

For the number of times I’ve made Strawberry Spinach Salad from Pampered Chef’s Casual Cooking, it’s hard to believe I haven’t posted it yet. It’s my favorite salad, hands down, and I serve it often for company. Plus, it’s strawberry season, so the timing on this one is just right.

To make the dressing, I combined 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon of poppy seeds in a small Tupperware container. I put the lid on, shook the heck out of the dressing, and refrigerated it until I was ready to dress the salad.

The salad is topped with 1/4 cup of toasted sliced almonds, so I toasted them on a baking sheet in the oven at 350F while I prepped the rest of the salad ingredients. (Remove the almonds from the oven when they’re light brown and fragrant; this will probably take 5 - 10 minutes.)

The salad itself is made up of spinach, strawberries, cucumber, and red onion. I hulled and quartered 8 ounces (1 1/2 cups) of strawberries. Next, I scored the cucumber lengthwise with a zester tool in about 6 places. (This just means to peel away strips of the cucumber skin for decorative purposes. You can skip this step if you want. I use the large notch in my zester to accomplish this.) Once it was scored, I cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, removed the seeds with a spoon, and cut half of the cucumber into thin slices. (You only need half of the cucumber for this recipe, so save the other half for another use.) I also took 1/4 of a small red onion and sliced it into thin wedges (1/4 cup).

I put 1 package (5 - 6 ounces) of baby spinach in a serving bowl and topped it with the strawberries, cucumber, and red onion. I shook the dressing well, poured it over the salad, and tossed everything to coat. I finished things off with the toasted almonds.

This salad is amazing, truly. I’m not much of a salad eater and I think I could eat this one every day. (Or at least every other day. ) The dressing is zesty and slightly sweet, and the flavor combination of the strawberries, cucumber, and red onion is wonderful. This one will stay in rotation for years to come, I’m sure.

TIPS: I often make the dressing, toast the almonds, and prep the vegetables several hours before I serve the salad. Just refrigerate all of the ingredients (except the almonds - no refrigeration necessary) in airtight containers until you’re ready to eat. Always dress salads *immediately* before serving; otherwise, you’ll end up with a soggy mess.

Recipe link: Strawberry Spinach Salad

Creamy Corn

Side dishes seem to be getting the short end of the stick on my blog so far. It’s pretty rare for me to just grill, bake, or broil some meat and then focus on the extras. I had a Central Market coupon for some free marinated pork tenderloin this past week, though, so I figured it was time to find a yummy side. Creamy Corn from the April 2008 issue of Everyday Food caught my eye… I ate a rather unfortunate amount of canned creamed corn when I was growing up (sorry, Mom!), but I’ve never actually tried to make it. Plus, this recipe looked light years better than the canned stuff.

This one was quick and easy. I combined 1 package (10 ounces) of frozen corn and 1/4 cup of whole milk in a medium saucepan. I simmered the mixture over medium heat until the corn was tender (about 7 minutes), removed it from the heat, and then stirred in 3 ounces of reduced-fat cream cheese (cut into pieces for faster melting) and 2 tablespoons of snipped fresh scallions. I seasoned with salt and pepper and topped the corn with some extra scallions to serve.

This was actually really, really good. I haven’t served corn as a side dish in FOREVER, but I’ll definitely be making this one again. It was creamy, cheesy, savory goodness, for sure.

TIPS: This doesn’t make a large quantity of food. If you think about the size of a 10-ounce box of corn, that’s just about what you’ll have at the end. If you’re going to make this for a hungry bunch, you might double the recipe.

The recipe actually calls for chives, but I could only find scallions. They’re *almost* the same thing (chives are much skinnier and I’ve heard they have milder flavor), so either one should work fine.

Recipe link: Creamy Corn

Mini Cornbread Puddings

I have to say that I’m really *excited* about this recipe! Dr. O and I had friends over for a little barbecue-themed meal on Sunday night, and I tried the Mini Cornbread Puddings recipe from the March 2007 issue of Everyday Food for the first time. I was talking to my mom on the phone about them the next day, and I said I planned to make them every time I made barbecue or chili for the rest of my life. My life! They’re that good.

I started by buttering my 24-cup mini muffin pan. In a medium bowl, I whisked together the dry ingredients: 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup of yellow cornmeal, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda.

Next, I formed a well in the dry ingredients. In the well, I whisked together 1 large egg, 1 1/2 cups of sour cream, and 1 package (10 ounces) of frozen corn, thawed and patted dry. I mixed that with the flour mixture just until incorporated.

Dividing evenly, I spooned the batter into my prepared muffin pan. I baked the muffins at 425F until the tops were browned (14 minutes). I let them stand 5 minutes in the pan, turned them out onto a cooling rack, and then turned each one right side up to cool.

Holy smokes, these were SO good! I usually expect cornbread to be a bit dry and crumbly, but these were super moist and flavorful. (It’s the sour cream, I’m sure.) Dr. O really liked the “surprise” of whole corn kernels in the muffins. They’re fantastic!

TIPS: The whole “form a well, mix the wet ingredients in the well, then incorporate” step is a little weird. I was afraid I wasn’t doing things right because there was so little of the dry mixture while the egg, sour cream, and corn took up quite a bit of space. I just focused my whisking in the center of the bowl until I felt the wet ingredients were well mixed, and then I expanded my whisking to include the dry ingredients as well.

Recipe link: Mini Cornbread Puddings

Tropical Fruit Salad

Anyone have any breakfast-making plans this weekend? Tropical Fruit Salad from the December 2006 issue of Everyday Food is a perfect accompaniment to just about any breakfast dish. It’s super simple and really delicious; I’ve made it for picnics and parties as well.

All you need for this one is a small pineapple, 2 navel oranges, 3 kiwis, and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. First, I put the brown sugar in a large bowl. Then, I cut the pineapple into bite-size pieces (see How to Cut a Pineapple) and added 3 cups to the bowl.

The oranges were next. I cut both ends of each orange off with a paring knife and then followed the curve of the fruit to cut away the skin and pith. I quartered the oranges lengthwise, sliced them crosswise, and added the pieces to the bowl.

Finally, I sliced the kiwi. I cut each one in half, used a spoon to scoop out the flesh, sliced the fruit, and then cut the slices in half. I added those slices to the bowl and gently tossed the fruit to evenly coat it with the brown sugar.

This is so, so yummy. There’s just something about this fruit combination, and the brown sugar adds just enough extra sweetness to make this taste like a real treat. It’s a favorite!

TIPS: I’d recommend serving this in its own small bowl. The fruit juices and the brown sugar end up forming a bit of a syrup, which could run together with other items if served on a plate. Then again, if you’re going to use this as a French toast or pancake topping, that could be a good thing.

Recipe link: Tropical Fruit Salad