Cranberry-Pecan Corn Muffins

Now if you like mealy corn muffins, these are the one for you.  Have a nice slightly sweet taste that will make a nice complement with all your other Thanksgiving fixin's.

Cranberry-Pecan Corn Muffins

2-1/3 cups self-rising cornmeal
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup veggie oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 large eggs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/3 cup whole uncooked cranberries, rough chopped
1/4 cup pecans, chopped

In a large bowl, mix together cornmeal and sugar.  Set aside.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together oil, buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter.

Make a well in the dry mixture and pour in the wet mixture.  Whisk together until very well blended.

Fold in the cranberries and pecans.

Spoon batter into a muffin tin, filling each 2/3 full.*

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm.  Butter slathering optional.

NOTES

*I spooned mine into cupcake holders and discovered that they get very greasy-bottomed in the oven. So before serving I let them sit on a rack for a minute while I removed all the papers that way the grease wouldn't soak up into the muffins.  And by grease I mean butter.  I would recommend spooning them into the muffin tin directly, lightly greasing the sides of each cup to make them easier to remove.

Good and Good for You: Pecans

 

Being a North Carolinian, I am lucky to have easy access to fresh pecans.  There is nothing better as a sweet and crunchy snack and I do find any excuse to toss them into a recipe.

Did you know that pecans are really good for you?  Of all the nuts, they have the highest level of antioxidant nutrients which makes them a good partner in the fight against aging and disease.

PECANS

A common misconception is that eating nuts adds to weight gain, but actually the fatty acids they contain are the good ones.  Eating pecans may help curb those cravings for sugar goodies. A handful of pecans is on the Phase One approved foods list for people doing South Beach!

• They are rich in omega-6 fatty acids.
• Their high level of oleic acid can help keep your skin healthy and clear.
• They contain a good level of high quality protein.
• They are an excellent source of vitamin B6.

Pecans are considered an "All American" food because about 90% of the world's pecans come from the U.S.

They were widely consumed and traded by Native Americans because they provided 3-5 times more calories per unit compared to wild game, and they required no preparation because they could be eaten raw.

Pecan trees, which are a species of hickory, can grow and produce nuts for up to 300 years.  Wild pecans tend to be smaller and have a larger shell-to-kernel ratio. They are native to the Southwest (NM, TX, and LA) but found their way across the Southeast and up the coast to Virginia.

Because the tree genus is native to North America, Europeans weren't introduced to pecans until the 16th Century when Spanish explorers brought them back from their travels to the New World.

Pecans are harvested by skaking the tall trees they grow in and collecting them while fighting off squirrels once they are on the ground.

Unshelled pecans will keep up to a few months stored in a cool place.  Shelled pecans will keep up to a few weeks stored in an airtight container in the fridge and much longer than that if kept in the freezer which is where I squirrel mine away.

Pecans' slightly buttery flavor makes them great for sweet or savory dishes.  Toss them in a salad, add them to some stuffing, or bake them into a pie, you really can't go wrong with pecans!*

*Unless you are allergic to tree nuts in which case I am sorry you are missing out and apologize for flaunting their fabulousness in front of you.

Green Bean Gratin

Here's another new side to try this T-day holiday.  It's a spin on your traditional green bean casserole.

Green Bean Gratin

1 lb haricot vertes, trimmed
2/3 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese, divided
1/3 cup pecans, finely chopped
2 oz crumbled feta
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Trim and cut beans crosswise into thirds.  In a medium pot, covered just with water, cook beans until tender crisp.

Drain and drop into ice water to stop cooking process.  Remove from ice water and pat dry.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix bread crumbs and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.  Add olive oil and mix well until bread crumbs are coated with oil. I used my fingers to mix it up to make sure the olive oil got evenly distributed. Stir in pecans then set aside.

Toss beans with feta, whipping cream, salt, pepper.

Add in the remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese.

Spoon bean mixture into an 8x8" baking dish.

Sprinkle with crumb mixture and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes uncovered.

Place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top and continue to bake for another 15 minutes. 

Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

NOTES

The beans are still a bit al dente, which I love, but if you'd rather have slightly softer beans, I would boil them longer.  Give them a taste test at this stage because they won't baked down much softer.

If you like a little more crumb topping, then you can up the bread crumbs to 3/4 or even 1 cup without changing anything else.

It's not as moist a dish as a traditional green bean casserole.  If you'd like a little more moisture, just up the heavy cream to 3/4 cup and that should do the trick.

Yellow Squash Casserole

With Thanksgiving looming on the horizon, I wanted to try to come up with some non-traditional side dishes for that oh-so traditional food holiday.  I like a good change of pace and it's fun to come up with new alternatives so here's a nice squash dish thats crunch-topped and filling.

Yellow Squash Casserole

3 lbs yellow squash, cut into 1/4" slices
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1-1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 cup carrots, grated
1 (10 oz) can cream of celery soup
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
1/2 cup cornflakes (cereal)
1/2 cup crushed French fried onions
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 tsp pepper

Places yellow squash slices in a large pot.  Add onion, 1 tsp salt, and water, just to cover.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cooking for 5 minutes.  The goal here is to parboil the squash before baking them.

Drain well and pat dry with a paper towel.

In a large bowl, stir together grated carrots, cream of celery soup, sour cream, chives, and 1/2 tsp salt.  

 

Fold into cooked squash and spoon mixture into a large (2 qt) baking dish.

Mix together cornflakes, French fried onions, butter and pepper. 

Sprinkle over squash mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.  After 20-25 minutes, cover with foil to prevent excessive browning.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving up to allow the cream base to thicken up a bit.

NOTES

It is important to get as much moisture drained out as possible after you parboil the squash, otherwise the extra moisture makes the creamy casserole base a little runny after it bakes.

I would recommend draining them, then placing them on a rack over a paper towel-lined cookie sheet to allow them to drain a bit more, then pat them dry.

Even if your mixture is runny after it bakes, we found that after a night in the fridge and a gentle reheating, the sauce get's thicker.

Ravioli Soup

Cooler weather calls for warmer bellies and what does the job better than soup.  Here's a nice vegetarian dish, light but hearty, that will hit the spot.

Ravioli Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 cup vegetable stock
4 cups water
1 (9 oz) package cheese ravioli
1/3 of a (10 oz) bag, leaf spinach, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
fresh shredded parmesan to garnish

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  Add onions, carrots, celery, and thyme to oil.  Cook, stirring occasionally until the veggies start to soften up (3-4 minutes).

Add stock and water to the pot.  Increase heat to high, cover and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, add ravioli to pot.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the ravioli are tender (about 10 minutes).

Add spinach to the pot and cook until it's wilted.  Season with salt and pepper.

Serve up with some nice fresh artisan bread.  Yum yum.

NOTES

This is a great springboard recipe, lots of room to make it your own.  I used pre-made four cheese ravioli, but you can substitute you own favorite stuffed shell (though if you switch to tortelloni, I wouldn't call it "ravioli" soup anymore).

You can use beef or chicken stock instead of veggie.

You can add any other type of veggie you'd like -- mushroom, zucchini, corn -- just be mindful of when you add it in.  If it's a denser veggie like carrots (any of your squashes) add it earlier.  If it's a lighter veggie like mushrooms, add it later.

You can switch out the type of fresh herb you use as well.

Bat Bake

 

Ghouled Evening and Happy Halloween!!!

Got any easy one for you because I know you'll be busy fending off mini monsters and fairy princesses with gobs of goodies this evening.  Halloween-inspired nachos, what could be better?!?  The test name for this recipe was Count Nacholar, but Bat Bake had better alliteration.

Bat Bake

Black bean salsa moosh
Blue corn tortilla chips
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Black olive slices

black bean salsa moosh

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup hot salsa
1/8 cup fresh lime juice
2 tsp minced garlic

Mix moosh according to directions (see link).  Set aside.

Fill the bottom of a baking dish or pan with foil and cover with a layer of tortilla chips.  Sprinkle some shredded cheddar over them, then add another layer of chips on top.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted and clinging to chips.

Transer to a plate, and dollop with sour cream, and cover dollops with a spoonful of moosh.

Insert two chip "wings", add olive "eyes", and you are ready to dig into some crunchy, tasty home baked-bat!  It's bat-astic!

Creature from the Black Bean Soup

I was going to save this for Halloween, but figured in case anyone wanted to make it for that special day, I would give you the recipe now.  Plus, I was really craving black bean soup...which is kind of crazy cuz I don't think I've ever had black bean soup before.  Gotta say, I love it when my experiments comes together.  Two words for you, monstrously delicious!

Creature from the Black Bean Soup

1 (10 oz) can tomato soup
2 (15 oz) cans black beans
3/4 cup veggie stock
1-1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
sour cream and green olives, to make eye garnish

Puree one can of black beans and mix in a pot with the tomato soup.  Whisk together and cook over medium-high heat.

Drain, but don't rinse, the second can of black beans.  In a skillet, over medium heat, cook beans with garlic, chili powder and cumin until the liquid from the beans is cooked out.  Add beans to soup pot.

Simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

NOTES

Depending on how thick you want your soup to be, you can reserve the bean juice from the drained can and use it to thin out the soup.

If you want it a little kickier, add up to another 1/2 tsp each of the spices.

Serve up in a bowl, put dollops of sour cream next to each other and use the olives to make eyes.

I ate mine with some shredded cheddar and some blue corn chips on the side.  Happy happy belly.