The Baked Apple Bake-off

Maybe I shouldn't call this a "bake off" since there were only two entries. Yeah. Maybe I need to try MORE baked apple recipes - all for the "bake off", of course. Really, I just had two different recipes I wanted to try. Both were delicious (what's not to like about a baked apple in brown sugar with ice cream on the side?!), but I would choose the first one as my favorite. I liked the walnut/maple syrup combo better than the oat/almond duo.


This one came from Vegetarian Times. Aside from liking the walnut/maple syrup combo, I also liked that one serving was just half an apple as opposed to the whole thing.

4 large apples, such as Gala or Granny Smith, halved crosswise and cored

2 tsp. lemon juice, divided

2 Tbs. light or dark brown sugar

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup maple syrup

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush cut sides of apples with 1 tsp. lemon juice. Arrange apples, cut sides up, in baking dish. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in small bowl; sprinkle cut sides of apples with sugar mixture. Pour maple syrup in bottom of dish. Cover with foil, and bake 10 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 minutes more, or until apples are tender. Transfer apples to serving platter.

Pour syrup and pan juices into small saucepan, and stir in remaining 1 tsp. lemon juice and salt; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes, or until sauce is thickened, whisking constantly. Stir in walnuts. Spoon sauce over apples, and serve warm.

My sister passed on this recipe. I followed her suggestion and didn't make the horizontal slits around the apples because it probably wouldn't have looked as nice (although mine still ended up looking a bit like a pile of . . .).

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup semi-salted butter, softened

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 apples

With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except the apples. Set aside.

Slice a thin layer off the top of each apple. Using a melon baller, dig out the core, leaving the bottom intact. Make a horizontal cut through the peel around each apple so the fruit doesn’t burst when baking.

Place the apples on a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Divide the oat mixture among the apples, spooning it into the hollows and mounding it on the tops. Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the oat mixture is lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes.

Cool to room temperature. Serve as is or with vanilla ice cream.

Missing Meatless Monday - Whole Wheat-Walnut Muffins

Ok, so I know this isn't quite the Meatless Monday recipe you were looking for (ie, one that could be served for dinner), but things have been a bit crazy at our house and I honestly don't remember what we had for dinner last Monday. But I do remember that these muffins are amazing - and they don't have any meat in them - so I figured they could work for today's post. I wouldn't consider myself a baker, and I have no idea how very basic ingredients in a simple recipe can create such wonderful results, but I felt like the queen of baking when we bit into these moist and satisfying muffins. Maryana Vollstedt has won prizes for this recipe and after baking two batches in one week, I totally understand why.


1/4 cup butter or margarine, cut up
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or other nuts
1 Tbsp. sugar
Optional variation: Add 3/4 cup peeled, chopped apple


Preheat oven to 425. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until well mixed. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and blend. Add flour, baking powder, salt and nuts and mix until moistened.

Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin tins, filling them about three-fourths full. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Black Bean Chicken in the Crock Pot

Here is another delicious, easy, sure-to-be-a-crowd-pleasing meal. My husband was a HUGE fan. I'm definitely making this the next time I cook for our community group (upwards of 20 mouths to feed). I adapted Jessie's recipe just a bit and this still could have easily served 6 people. I cooked the rice with some lime juice thrown in and if my avacado hadn't been rotten, the meal would have been absolutely complete!

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained

1 (15 ounce) jar salsa, any kind

6 ounces cream cheese (reduced fat is fine on this one)
sliced avacado or cilantro for topping

Take 3-4 boneless chicken breasts and put into crock pot. It's fine if they are still frozen.

Add the black beans, corn, and salsa.

Cover and cook on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Shred chicken with two forks and then add the cream cheese (just throw it on top!). Turn the crock pot to low and let sit for about 1/2 hour.
Serve over a bed of spinach and cooked rice, wrapped up in tortillas, or in a bowl with tortilla chips for scooping.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

"What was that, Mom? You said I could eat all of these?!" He totally would.

I made quite a few changes from the original recipe (just because I can) and these are fantastic! I made a batch of minis and took them to a party . . . they were the first thing gone (not that I was paying attention). The muffins get most of the their sweetness from the chocolate and banana and are extremely moist.


1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (use mini chips for mini muffins)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the egg, oil, yogurt and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in bananas and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22-25 minutes (10-12 minutes for mini muffins) or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

BBQ Chicken Calzone

I followed Jessie's suggestion for this recipe and used my crock pot set on low to simmer the chicken with the barbeque sauce all day, which makes this meal even more wonderful (because I am in love with my crock pot!). After shredding the chicken, I added the cooked bacon and onion. The flavor will change depending on what kind of barbeque sauce you use, but the combination of everything inside a dough pocket was very yummy!


4 slices bacon
1/2 small onion, chopped
3 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast meat
1 cup barbeque sauce
1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough (I used this recipe to make my own dough. It was ok. I have a different recipe that uses whole wheat flour that I'll try next time.)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I wanted more cheese!)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Fry bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove from the pan to drain on paper towels; crumble. Add the onion and shredded chicken to the hot bacon grease in the pan. Fry over medium heat until onion is tender. Stir in 1/3 cup of barbeque sauce, and remove from the heat. Mix in the cooked bacon.

Roll the pizza crust dough out onto a greased cookie sheet. Press out to an even thickness, and then cut in half. Divide the chicken mixture between the two pieces of dough, spreading on only half of each piece to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the filling. Sprinkle the cheese and cilantro over the top. Fold the uncovered portion of dough over the filling, and press the edges together with a fork to seal.

Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until browned to your liking. Cool for a few minutes, then cut each calzone in half. Each serving is half of a calzone. These can be served with additional barbeque sauce if you like.

Meatless Monday - Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

These turned out really good - especially the sauce. I used carrots, onions, spinach and mushrooms inside with a bit of tofu. The corn tortillas really soaked up the sauce, making it a little more like a casserole when we served it, but that didn't matter - it still tasted great! The tomatillo sauce is excellent and if you aren't in the mood for just veggies, a shredded chicken and cream cheese filling would be a great substitute.


1 lb. (6 to 8) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 medium white onion, sliced about ¼ in. thick
3 garlic cloves, peeled
Hot green chiles to taste (2 to 3 serranos, or 1 to 2 jalapeños), stemmed
1 1/2 tbs. vegetable oil, plus extra for vegetables and maybe tortillas
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth, plus a little extra if needed
1/2 cup Mexican crema, crème fraîche, or heavy whipping cream
8 cups cubed vegetables (about 1/2-in. each) such as carrots, onions, turnips, mushrooms, and broccoli
Salt
12 corn tortillas
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese like asadero, or Monterey Jack or cheddar

Roast tomatillos, sliced onion, garlic, and chiles on rimmed baking sheet 4 in. below preheated broiler until tomatillos are soft and blackened in spots on one side, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn vegetables over; broil about 4 minutes longer. Remove and reduce oven temperature to 400°F.

Scrape tomatillo mixture into food processor or blender. Process until smooth purée. Heat 1 1/2 Tbsp. oil in medium-large pot over medium-high heat. When drop of purée sizzles in oil, add remainder of purée. Stir constantly for several minutes until darker and thicker. Add broth and crema, reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Spread cubed vegetables on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt, and mix to coat evenly. Place in oven and roast, turning vegetables regularly, until crunchy-tender, about 25 minutes (reduce roasting time for broccoli and other green vegetables by 5 to 10 minutes).

If sauce has thickened and is no longer consistency of light cream soup, stir in a little more broth (or water). Taste and season with salt, about 1 tsp. Lightly brush both sides of each tortilla with oil. Stack, wrap in damp paper towels, and microwave on high (100%) for 1 minute to warm and soften. Or you can do what I did: cover two tortillas at a time with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 45 seconds. Roll some of the filling inside and place them side by side in the baking dish. Repeat with two more tortillas until your filling is gone.

Spread about 1 cup sauce over bottom of 13-by-9-in. baking dish. Working quickly, roll equal portion of roasted vegetables into each tortilla while tortillas are still hot and pliable. Place them side by side in baking dish. Douse evenly with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until enchiladas are heated through and cheese begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Garnish with onion rings and cilantro sprigs.

Chocolate Bavarian Torte

Oh, you are going to love this one - I promise. It's so simple my son was able to help. But he wouldn't stop licking the beaters after making the cream. Oh, wait. That was me. I almost spontaneously went to the store to buy a cake stand for this cake because it's just that good and deserves a more special presentation (wasn't I supposed to get one of those as a wedding gift?!). I got the recipe from my friend's blog and she included beautiful step by step pictures.


Devil's food cake mix (not the kind with pudding
1 package 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pint heavy whipping cream, whipped
2 Tablespoons chocolate shavings or mini chocolate chips


Make the cake according to box directions. Cook in 2 round pans. While the cake is cooling, make the cream:

Whip the Heavy Whipping Cream and then set it aside. Combine the SOFTENED cream cheese, brown sugar, salt and vanilla until fluffy. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.

Cut each cooled cake in half. String or dental floss helps with this. Layer the cake and the cream mixture, starting with cake and ending with cream. Top with chocolate shavings or mini chocolate chips. Wrap sides in plastic wrap to prevent cake from drying out. Refrigerate 8 hours before serving.

If you are a nursing mom and burning crazy amounts of calories a day from feeding your baby – you can cut a piece in the morning, fix a latte and if anyone asks what you had for breakfast tell them “Coffee Cake”.

Roasted Vegetable Linguine

I did some tweaking to this recipe. The original said to double the red pepper if you like your pasta spicy, but I would say 1/2 teaspoon is plenty for an edible zing. I wouldn't suggest this meal on a hot day (unless you have air conditioning!) since the stove and oven are running at the same time, but the end result was fresh summer goodness.


2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 lb. fresh or frozen asparagus, cut into 11/2-inch pieces
1 small onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 13.25-oz. pkg. whole-wheat or white linguine
1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves
1-2 chicken breasts, halved lengthwise if super thick

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss together mushrooms, asparagus, onion, oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in large roasting pan. Roast 20 minutes, or until mushrooms and onions begin to brown, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Add tomatoes to pan, and roast 7 to 10 minutes more, or until tomatoes shrivel and soften. Transfer vegetables to bowl. Add wine to roasting pan, stirring to scrape off any stuck-on bits from bottom of pan. Place roasting pan on burner over medium heat, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, or until wine has evaporated by half; or return roasting pan to oven 5 minutes, and let wine cook off.

Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions and grill chicken. Rub chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and dried basil. Grill 3-5 minutes per side or until juices run clear. Drain pasta, and reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Stir reserved cooking water into reduced wine in roasting pan.

Return pasta to pot. Add wine mixture and vegetables, and toss over medium-low heat until heated through. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Stir in torn fresh basil leaves, and serve immediately with chicken on top.

Strawberry, Cucumber, and Basil Salad

I came across this recipe while searching for ways to use our fresh strawberries. I enjoyed strawberry balsamic ice cream last summer, so I figured this would be similar. It was delicious, light, and the perfect side salad for a summer dinner.

4 cups hulled strawberries, quartered (1 pound)
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl, and toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Combine cucumbers and juice; toss to coat. Add cucumber mixture, salt, and pepper to strawberry mixture; toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.

Meatless Monday - Spicy Tofu Bento Bowl

I thought this was delicious (especially the flavor of the tofu), but my husband said I crossed the line. "What line?" The one where Meatless Mondays become too exotic. It wasn't the tofu. He likes tofu. I think it was the unusual (yes, exotic) flavor combination and too many raw vegetables. If you decide to give this one a try, let me know what you think!

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup chile-garlic sauce
2 Tbs. dark sesame oil
14 oz. extra-firm tofu, drained and cubed
5 green onions, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup nonfat yogurt
2 Tbs. lemon juice

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. chile-garlic sauce
2 cups cooked short-grain brown rice
4 1/2 cups mixed baby greens (I just used spinach)
2 carrots, peeled
1 cucumber, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
1 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds

To make Spicy Tofu:

Whisk together soy sauce, chile-garlic sauce, and sesame oil in bowl. Heat skillet over medium heat. Dip tofu in soy sauce mixture; cook 10 minutes, or until browned. Cool 10 minutes. Add green onions, yogurt, and lemon juice to remaining chile mixture. Toss with tofu.

To make Salad:

Whisk together soy sauce, lemon juice, ginger, and chile-garlic sauce in bowl. Mound rice in serving bowls. Top with greens. Shave carrot strips over top with vegetable peeler. Top with tofu, cucumber, and avocado. Sprinkle with sesame seeds; serve with soy sauce mixture.