Popcorn Balls!

INGREDIENTS

• 12 cups popped popcorn
• 3 cups mixed dried fruit such as golden raisins, cherries, and chopped apricots and figs
• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup corn syrup
• ½ cup water

DIRECTIONS

• 1. Toss popcorn and mixed dried fruit together in a large, lightly oiled, heatproof bowl.
• 2. Oil 2 waxed paper-lined baking pans and a long metal fork. Set aside. Bring sugars, corn syrup, and the water to a boil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer.
• 3. Reduce heat to medium and cook until mixture reaches 260°F. Carefully pour the syrup over the popcorn mixture. Stir with the fork to distribute. Let sit for 1 to 2 minutes.
• 4. With well-oiled hands, form 3-inch balls, place on pans, and cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

This recipe looked pretty tasty.

Quinoa and Cranberry Salad

My friend Rachel, a total foodie and expert blogger (www.rrrachel.wordpress.com) just wrote about a salad she recently had on her first night in Seattle. Simple but delicious sounding:
"we followed it with a quinoa and cranberry salad with pecans and goat cheese on a bed of lightly dressed spinach. "

In the spirit of the season...

I stole this recipe from the SF Chronicle. Cas, I think I'm making these this weekend, and you better be around to help me eat them.

Pumpkin Pancakes

From "Breakfast in Bed: 90 Recipes for Creative Indulgences," by Jesse Ziff Cool (HarperCollins, 118 pages, 1997).

Top with maple syrup, yogurt or sour cream. Or try caramelized onions, bacon bits and creme fraiche.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups mashed cooked pumpkin or winter squash
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup milk or apple juice
2 whole eggs, beaten
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (optional)
Vegetable oil or butter

INSTRUCTIONS:
Beat the squash with the brown sugar, milk and eggs until smooth.
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Stir the dry ingredients into the squash mixture just until combined. Fold in the chives if using.
Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat and lightly grease it with vegetable oil. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Drop the batter onto the hot pan by heaping tablespoonfuls. Lightly oil a spatula and flatten the pancakes. When they are golden brown on the bottom, flip them. As they brown on the other side, transfer them to a baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while you cook the rest of the batter.

Serves 4

PER SERVING: 205 calories, 8 g protein, 34 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat (2 g saturated), 114 mg cholesterol, 420 mg sodium, 4 g fiber.

To make later - Browned Sausages with Napa Cabbage Braise

I've been hearing good things about Napa Cabbage... and this sound delectable (reminds me a little bit of our meal in Paris - Kate and Justine). Note to self: make this when you have time to be a little fancy (although it doesn't seem to be a high maintenance recipe at all). From the San Francisco Chronicle's Food and Wine Newsletter.




Browned Sausages With Napa Cabbage Braise

This dish, which can be prepared in less than 25 minutes, is great with roasted or boiled potatoes.

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 chicken-apple sausages, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 onion, sliced
1 large head napa cabbage, sliced widthwise
1/2 tart green apple, cored and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 teaspoon mustard Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken stock

INSTRUCTIONS:
Heat 1 or 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the sausage halves and brown for a few minutes on both sides. Remove from the pan and cover with foil.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and, when hot, add the onion and saute for a few minutes.

Add the cabbage to the pan, stir to wilt slightly, then add the apple, garlic, wine, mustard, salt and pepper. Add enough stock so that the cabbage will be able to simmer without getting too juicy (it releases liquid while cooking).

Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the cabbage and apples are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. If the sausages have cooled down too much, add them to the pan and simmer gently, uncovered, for a few minutes until reheated.

Serves 4

PER SERVING: 400 calories, 24 g protein, 12 g carbohydrate, 28 g fat (7 g saturated), 120 mg cholesterol, 977 mg sodium, 5 g fiber.

To Make Later

I also subscribe to the San Francisco Chronicle Food and Wine Newsletter and this week's "Appetease" looks sublime. Note to self: make later when you have company (lord knows the damage these babies could do if I was the only one around to eat them!).

Grilled Blue Cheese Onions

Onions sliced neither too thinly nor too thickly (1 inch is about right) will easily cook through and still be hefty enough to stay on a skewer.

INGREDIENTS:
4 large red and/or yellow onions
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
3/4 cup panko
4-5 ounces blue cheese
Balsamic vinegar (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Assemble 4-6 long metal skewers that hold 2-3 onion slices each; if using wood skewers, soak in water for at least 45 minutes. Preheat grill to moderately low heat.
Peel the onions and slice horizontally into 1-inch-thick slices. Run a skewer through the slices so the layers hold together; brush both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place onion slices on the grill, cover loosely with foil; turn occasionally until cooked through — about 30 minutes total.

Meanwhile, lightly brown the panko in a skillet over medium heat or on a baking sheet in a 375° oven, stirring frequently. Place panko in a bowl to cool slightly. Chop or crumble the blue cheese into small pieces and mix with the panko. Set aside. When the onions are almost done and have been turned over for the last time, brush onions with balsamic vinegar, if using, then top each slice with the blue cheese mixture and press down firmly. Re-cover the onions with foil and allow cheese to melt. Serve immediately.

Yields about 10-12 pieces

PER PIECE: 70 calories, 3 g protein, 9 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat (2 g saturated), 7 mg cholesterol, 139 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

Fancy Chicken Salad

So at a place near my work, they have this amazing chicken salad with capers. I've been wanting to try and make it for awhile, and this weekend I finally got the chance. I found a recipe on epicurious (I'm obsessed, can you tell?) and even though it wasn't exact, it turned out SO delicious. This is another good thing to make when you want to look fancy, but don't really want to put in too much effort. The hardest part of the recipe was going out for the obscure ingredients.

Chicken with Tarragon-Caper Sauce

As you can see, the recipe is for chicken breasts, which you then spoon the sauce over. I skipped all that (and the greens), and instead upped the mayo just a tad and mixed it in with cut-up chicken to make chicken salad. It was exquisite. I also made some garlic mashed potatoes with roasted chunks of garlic and shallots for a side. Looks and tastes pretty impressive, but like I said, VERY easy.

I served on toasted whole wheat Squagelbread which worked out quite nicely, although any bread would probably work fine. (I should try sourdough next...)

Prado Pressed Salad

I haven't actually made this myself, so it's kind of cheating. But Jeff and I went out to dinner this weekend and I had this salad before my main meal. It was big enough to be a whole meal in itself, and was so incredibly delicious, that I just needed to find out how to make it. Since I found the recipe online, I thought I'd share it with all of you.

I think it would be perfect for a night when you want to make a fancy main dish for yourself but still want it to be healthy (you could have it with bread, maybe), or if you were serving guests and are looking for something to go with a main dish.

(1 serving)
2 ounces baby arugula
2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) sliced dried figs
1/3 cup sliced strawberries
1/4 cup candied walnuts (see accompanying recipe)
4 tablespoons Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette (see accompanying recipe)
3 slices Asiago cheese, torn
Balsamic syrup (see note)

Place the arugula, figs, strawberries, walnuts, vinaigrette and cheese in a mixing bowl and mix well. On a 12-inch plate, place a ring mold in the center and fill with salad mixture. Press salad firmly until compact and then slowly lift ring mold while holding greens down. To finish, streak balsamic syrup over salad and plate.

Note: To make balsamic syrup, place balsamic vinegar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the liquid reduces by half, or until it has achieved a syrupy consistency. Remove from the heat and cool completely.

(Adapted from a recipe from chef Jeff Thurston of The Prado in Balboa Park.)

Candied Walnuts

(Makes 2 cups nuts)
2 cups walnuts
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Vegetable oil, for frying

Place walnuts in boiling water for about 1 minute. Drain and cool. Toss walnuts in powdered sugar until well coated. Heat oil to 325 degrees in a frying pan and fry walnuts until they are crispy and golden brown. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette

(Makes about 1 1/2 cups vinaigrette)
1/4 cup honey
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 cup olive oil blend
1/4 cup minced shallots
Salt and pepper, to taste

Place honey, mustard and vinegar in a mixing bowl. Using a whisk, blend in oil in a slow, steady stream. Add half of the shallots and lightly blend. When oil has been emulsified, season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the remaining minced shallots.