apple ginger spice cookies

I wish I could take credit for this recipe, but I really did follow it right out of vegetarian times!! I highly recommend their publications- many of my recipes are inspired from them!!

Makes 20 4-inch cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup turbinado for rolling cookies
1 large apple, peeled and finely diced (1 cup)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter baking sheets.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in large bowl.

3. Whisk together oil, applesauce, and molasses in separate large bowl. Whisk in 3/4 cup sugar. Stir in flour mixture with spatula. Fold in diced apple.

4. Place remaining 1/2 cup sugar in bowl. Roll 1/4 cup dough into ball, then roll ball in sugar. Repeat with remaining dough. Place balls on prepared baking sheets. Don't be sugar shy- this makes the cookies less tacky and easier to roll, in addition to tasting deeeeelicious.

5. Put baking sheets in oven, and bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until tops of cookies are dry and bottoms are golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Couscous Salad

1 box Near East couscous (I like the parmesan and olive oil)
olive oil
lemon
red wine vinegar
parsley
oregano
cherry tomato
shallot or red onion
red pepper
broccoli
(optional: tofu, feta, cucumber)
salt & pepper

1. Prepare the couscous according to the package. Fluff with a fork.
2. Combine in a bowl the couscous and vegetables.
3. Toss in the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and lemon
4. Let sit for about an hour!

Chipotle Chive Cheddar Cheese Dip

1/2 cup greek plain yogurt
1 tblsp mayo
2-3 tblsp sour cream
squirt of lime
1-2 small cloves of garlic
pinch salt
1 cup cheddar chive cheese (cotswold)
1 adobo pepper
1 chipotle pepper
(If dried, heat @ 400 for 5 minutes, remove stems and seeds and soak in hot water)
small drizzle of pepper soaking water

1. Heat the peppers, remove stem and seeds for soaking.
2. Put small chunks of the cheese in food processor and blend.
3. Blend in the yogurt, sour cream, and mayonnaise, and garlic.
4. Slowly add in a small piece of chipotle and adobo pepper. This part needs to be done to taste as the pepper can get quite spicy.
5. Adjust heat with lime, add more sour cream if need be.
6. puree to desired smoothness!!

We served it with diced radish for dipping and it was delish!!

Apple Pie

Ah, apples. What other symbol of fall is more awesome or delicious?? And apple pie... well that's just heaven, isn't it?

Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter (softened)
5-6 tablespoons ice water

Combine flour & salt with a whisk. Add in butter and combine with a fork until crumbly. Drizzle water and shape into a ball. Refrigerate in Saran wrap for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. (My oven runs HOT. Some folks do this @ 425)

Filling:
5-6 large apples, peeled and cut into wedges (about 2 lbs)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tblsp flour
squeeze lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch brown sugar, too

Roll out dough, add filling to center, and top with dollops of butter. Then complete with lattice crust. Place a baking sheet under the pie and Bake @ 400 for about 30 minutes, checking crust to make sure it is not burning.

Turn down to 350 degrees for an additional 30 minutes. Basically, over an hour, let the pie cook, removing the baking sheet for the last 20 minutes or so if the pie is not yet bubbling, turning the heat down farther if the crust starts to burn. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar on the top right before the end of baking.

Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream!!

Concord Grape & Pear Pie

Our latest CSA pickup included some concord grapes, which I decided to turn into a pie. I thought about jelly, but then figured... I have some pears, and a dinner party to go to... so... why not pie?

The process has a few extra steps, but it's well worth it!!


Crust:
1 1/2 cups pastry flour
1 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter (softened)
5-6 tablespoons ice water

Combine flour & salt with a whisk. Add in butter and combine with a fork until crumbly. Drizzle water and shape into a ball. Refrigerate in Saran wrap for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. (My oven runs HOT. Some folks do this @ 425)

Filling:
5-6 bunches concord grapes*
4 pears
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tblsp cornstarch
squeeze lemon juice
Generous Sprinkle of Cinnamon

*First, separate the skins off the grapes. A light squeeze at the end opposite of the stem should be enough to pop out the pulp. Keep each in a separate bowl. Heat the pulps in a small pot, until boiling, for about 5 minutes. Then, mash in a strainer to remove the seeds. Combine the mashed pulps with the skins.

Add in the pears, and then add the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and lemon to this mixture, let sit in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

Roll out dough, add filling to center, and top with dollops of butter. Then complete with lattice crust. Bake @ 400 for 20-30 minutes, checking crust for burning. Some folks brush butter or milk on top of the crust, this works too. Then turn down to 325 degrees for an additional 30 minutes. Basically, over an hour, let the pie cook, and turn down the oven when the crust burns at that degree. This is an art and not a science, and so I suggest checking the pie about every ten minutes!

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, and garnish with sprigs of mint!!

Pasta with Mushrooms in a White Wine Sauce

An amazing savory sauce for any type of stuffed pasta (butternut squash or portobello raviolis, etc) or for Ryan and other carnivores, on top of chicken or beef!


Ingredients:
baby bella, hen of the woods, shitake, portobello mushrooms, or other, cut into small pieces
Asparagus tips
butter
white wine (2/3-3/4 cup or so)
1 tbsp lemon juice (I'm squeezing a wedge...)
1 or 2 shallots
3 large or 5 small cloves garlic
chicken or vegetable stock (3/4- 1cup)
olive oil
heavy cream
pecorino & parmeggiano cheese
rosemary, chive, parsley, sage (your choice of blend!)
salt & pepper


1. sear & brown mushrooms in small amount of butter over very high heat. (optional: press with bottom of a pan to get a crisper texture)

2. Turn down heat to low and add in shallots and garlic. Add a small amount of olive oil to the butter, add additional butter if need be. (Don't be shy here.) Sweat the onion and garlic slowly so they turn translucent.

3. Add in parsley, rosemary and any other herbs to pan and crush with spoon into the oil/butter/garlic/shallot mixture. Cook until greens are soft and wilted.

4. Add in fresh lemon juice and dry white wine to mixture, and allow wine to reduce off until down to about half of the original amount. Add in chicken stock and continue to reduce. Add in asparagus tips now as well.

5. Add in cream, slowly, to desired amount (I go light on this, actually) and grated pecorino and parmesan cheese, and add pepper & salt to taste. Here it becomes all about tasting the flavor and adjusting as desired to create a balance between the cream, garlic, wine, and stock.

6. To adjust the texture of the sauce, thin with pasta water or thicken with a little flour.

7. Drain pasta (saving water for thinning and for storage of any leftovers!) And toss 2 servings of pasta right in the sauce in the pan, allow to cook for a minute or two before serving.

8. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve over whatever pasta you'd like!!