Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake (Gluten Free)—Secret Recipe Club

I really like this Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake that I made from my Secret Recipe Club assignment for this month!  Even better, I love that I made it gluten free and with some other substitutions all on my own.  This may not seem like that big of a deal, but for me in my new adventures in to a gluten free life as well as refined sugar free, I was really happy with how this turned out (and scared it wouldn’t).  Win!

My assigned blog this month was Ilona's Kitchen.  Ilona’s blog is full of all kinds of yummy desserts (and some other things, too)!  It was, as usual with Secret Recipe Club, hard to pick what to make.  It seems that Ilona and her family really enjoy cakes of all kinds as there were many to choose from, but I wanted to pay tribute to that by making one of the cakes.  Lo and behold, since it is blueberry season, as soon as I saw her Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake, I decided that was the cake I needed to make.  Besides, I’ve been buying blueberries by the ton and lately always have some in my fridge.  I’ve decided, while I’m not sure I’ve ever met a fruit I don’t really like, berry season is my favorite—especially raspberries and blueberries!

My next task after deciding to make this cake, was to make it gluten free and use unrefined sugars, so that I could have some of it, too.  Though I don’t go without butter all the time, I also decided to swap the butter in this cake for coconut oil and at the last minute realized I didn’t have any more sour cream, so I used some plain whole fat yogurt in its place.  Lots of changes, but basically, Ilona’s bundt cake and mine could be twins, at least fraternal twins. ;  )

Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake (Gluten Free), by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

2  1/2 cups gluten free all purpose flour (I used Namaste GF Organic Perfect Flour Blend from Costco)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup coconut oil

1 cup unpacked (150 grams) organic light brown cane sugar

2/3 cup (227 grams) raw honey

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup plain yogurt (whole fat)

zest of one large lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice (save the rest of the juice for a glaze)

2 cups blueberries, washed and set on a towel  in single layer to dry

1/4-1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar

Glaze--

2 tablespoons raw honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Brush the insides of a bundt pan with coconut oil, making sure to get all the crevices.  Set aside.  Whisk together in a medium sized bowl the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.  In an electric mixer, combine the coconut oil, brown sugar and honey.  Beat until combined.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.  Add the yogurt, lemon zest and juice and mix well.  Add the dry ingredients and mix well just until combined.  Gently fold in the blueberries.  Pour the batter into the bundt pan and spread evenly.  Bake for 60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for about 20 minutes.  Invert cake onto a wire rack (set the rack on top of the cake, then carefully turn it upside down until setting the rack on the counter, the cake should drop right out).  Cool completely.  Dust with powdered sugar.  Make the simple glaze.  Put the honey and lemon juice into a small microwave safe dish.  Microwave for 20 minutes, whisk until well combined.  Let cool.   Drizzle a little bit on servings of cake (I did this instead of drizzling the whole cake at once).

I really like the hit of lemon in this cake from the zest and juice in the cake and the simple honey lemon glaze.  You could glaze the whole cake before serving, and I splurged on 1/4 teaspoon of powdered sugar and dusted the cake, then just put glaze on individual pieces of the cake.  Kevin thinks it would be good with a sugar-laden glaze or whipped cream and I’m sure it probably would, but my way is yummy and better for you.  Even though the cake is gluten free and “different”, usually my family steers clear when I tell them that, but they have been eating the cake.  I love the almost crust-like edges of the cake. 

Check out Ilona’s blog, Ilona's Kitchen for more great recipes!  I actually made another recipe from her blog, it was a last minute salad I needed to take to a ladies church activity.  I loved it.  Again, I made a few changes, but you can find her Spinach and Edamame Salad here.  Ilona’s salad didn’t have blueberries and had pine nuts instead of pecans. 

Spinach Edamame Blueberry Pecan Salad, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1 (10 ounce) bag of frozen edamame

1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

1/3 cup dried cranberries (I used apple juice sweetened)

1 cup blueberries, washed and dried

1/2 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped

1 (5 ounce) bag of baby spinach

juice of 2 lemons (about 1/3 cup)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Cook edamame according to package directions.  Rinse under cold water until cool.  In a large bowl, combine the edamame, chickpeas, dried cranberries, pecans, blueberries and spinach.  In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper.  Whisk until well combined.  Dress the salad just before serving with the lemon dressing a little at a time, tossing between each tablespoonful.  Don’t overdress it.  You could also dress individual servings as well.  (You won’t use all of the dressing, you could probably even halve the dressing recipe but it will be great on other salads.  Store leftover dressing in the refrigerator in a jar.)

Lots of delicious recipes to choose from  on Ilona’s blog!

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Almond (Amaretti) Cookies (Gluten Free)—Group B, Secret Recipe Club

On Sunday, I had a little time and was making cookies.   After making two different kind, I saw my friend, Suzanne mention on the Secret Recipe Club Facebook page that they needed someone to fill-in for a blog posting today.  I’m always up for “playing” with other groups in the club and helping out when they need an extra baker/cook.  So I scoured the blog I was assigned, Dee’s blog, OnTheMove-In The Galley and instantly had heck of a time deciding what to make.  This blog is full of delicious food.  I don’t know her whole “story”, but right now she lives on a boat and cooks and bakes there.  She has lots of salmon recipes, including this Barbecued Salmon that I wish I could have made for this post.  Still plan to make it sometime.  Check out her blog, so much good food!

Since I was already baking cookies, I made more.  I made these Almond Cookies, which are like Amaretti Cookies.  I’ve always wanted to try making amaretti cookies.  They are kind of like an extra crunchy French macaron.  Dee mentioned how hers were a little chewy in the middle on the first day, but the next day or two they were crunchy throughout—but she still liked them.  As I write this on the day I made them, they are a little chewy in the middle, but mostly crunchy.  I love the almond flavor.  These are a perfect little cookie treat.  The only fat is a natural fat for the almond meal.  Can’t beat that.  I will make these again for sure.  I like having something I feel I can nibble on when I make other goodies for everyone else that I don’t eat since they aren’t as healthy.  Hey, I just realized these cookies are gluten free!

Check out the link for the Almond Cookies above on Dee’s blog for the recipe, I didn’t change anything.  She added a sliced almond or chocolate chip to the tops of hers before they baked, which sounds great.  I didn’t do that this time.  And I cut the recipe in to thirds because I ended up not having as much almond meal left as I’d thought.  I was proud of myself for the math I did to figure that out! ;)  It’s the little things for me sometimes, people.  Still with 1/3 of the recipe, I got 16 cookies.  Love them!

In more of my “snooping” around her blog, (Would love to know more of the story about why she currently lives on a boat, since I didn’t have time to read back to the beginning and through her entire blog, but it is such a great blog and quite the intriguing life.)  But in my search for inspiration of what to have for dinner last night, I found this Balsamic Chicken Caesar Salad and was inspired to try it, especially when I remembered some cooked chicken I had in the freezer.  I did a quick thaw of the chicken, reheated/sauteed it a bit, prepared the dressing and a salad and Kevin and I had it for dinner (while I fed the boys hot dogs).  After mixing the dressing, which is olive oil, Greek yogurt, balsamic vinegar, garlic and parmesan (similar to Caesar, but lighter since nonfat Greek yogurt is used instead of a mayo or egg yolks), I knew the second I added the balsamic vinegar that it wasn’t going to be a very pretty color.  Worst part was I have some white balsamic vinegar and should have used it, I even thought of doing so before adding the black vinegar, but in the end, I didn’t.  I think the dressing and salad would have looked so much better.  Oh well—the taste is what mattered and it certainly tasted great!  The veggies I added to our salad weren’t the same as the one Dee used, but I don’t think that made it too different, since the dressing and the chicken were the “stars”.  See the not-so-pretty, but ever-so-tasty brown dressing?  Our salad had red, orange and yellow sweet peppers, some cucumber, tomatoes, carrot and croutons, along with the chicken and romaine lettuce.

Once again, so glad I got to “play” with Group B in the Secret Recipe Club.  (I’m officially in Group A.)  Check out all the other posts for Group B below.

Apricot Empanadas---Secret Recipe Club

I don’t like to read novels.  There I said it.  Don’t hate me, but I don’t care for the Harry Potter series or any other fiction (not that I hate any of it).  I just can’t sit and read things that aren’t true.  That said, I do enjoy reading non-fiction.  I love it when someone writes true, heartfelt things that have really happened to them.  I think that is one of the things I love about most of the blog world.  We are all here writing about things we love and find important in each of our lives and sharing it with others.

This month for the Secret Recipe Club, I had the pleasure of getting (randomly selected) one of my favorite food bloggers.  Will Suzanne of Thru the Bugs on My Windshield please stand up and take a bow?  I got to meet Suzanne last year.  She lives in Texas, but through her and her husband’s travels all over the country, sometimes on motorcycles with bugs on their teeth windshield, Suzanne came to Utah last year.  We met---

in Salt Lake and had lunch at a fabulous Mexican restaurant, Red Iguana.  Before that, I hadn’t actually been acquainted with Suzanne’s blog for very long—she hadn’t been at it that long.  But food bloggers become friends very quickly I’ve learned and the chance to meet any of them is always such a fun, welcome thing.  It only seems right to meet for food’s sake!

Suzanne is warm and friendly and she’s witty, thoughtful and just one of those kinds of people who are wonderful to just sit and chat with (over chips and salsa, of course, hehe).  She’s got a great sense of humor, too!  Suzanne made me feel like I was meeting up with an old friend. 

I have spent the last month, since learning I had Suzanne’s blog for this month’s Secret Recipe Club, reading pretty much every post Suzanne has written (she started her blog in March of 2010).  I know, why would I bother reading all her posts?  For the Secret Recipe Club, all I needed to do was pick a recipe from her blog and make it.  As I was looking at all her yummy posts and great photography, I couldn’t stop.  Suzanne’s writing is entertaining, thoughtful, and REAL stuff.  None of that magic wand wizardy stuff.  She writes in a charming way and always throws in just enough and the right kind of humor—like this---

This Dairy Queen photo (from Suzanne’s blog), has a little caption under it that says “Texas Stop Sign”.  If you’re on the road, wind in your hair, riding your bike and you see one of these signs—STOP!

Maybe you’re on a hundreds of miles empanada run on your motorcycles.  That’s what Suzanne and her husband did all in the name of some empanadas.  That’s dedication and determination and well, just a little bit crazy!  I love it!  While on this bike ride through New Mexico, they ate at a place that Suzanne described as having a tasty morsel that never pleased her palate more—and they were apricot empanadas.    She later recreated them and sold me on the deal as well.  (You must read this post (Empanada Run) and see all of Suzanne’s photos.  She’s got leather boots on and is sitting on a bike for the first time when she was a teenager and then tells about how she became crazed with motorcycle riding.  She’ll reel you in hook, line and sinker and you’ll spend a few hours trying to read all her posts.  They are that good.  THAT is my kind of reading.  Real stuff.  Real people. 

Ready for the oven, my pretties!

I followed Suzanne’s recipe for the sweet dough exactly as she had written and it is a great dough to work with and simple to make.  I’m happy that the dough is put into two disks—because I have one of those ready in the freezer for when I just need another apricot empanada (or two)—and then I’ll need to run, run, run after that!

Suzanne’s apricot filling is made with reconstituted dried apricots, but I had some fresh ones from last summer in the freezer and decided to use those and make a filling with them.  That stuff is good and could be used for all kinds of things!  I also made a thick blueberry compote to try in a few of the empanadas, but although good, they don’t hold a candle to the apricot filled ones.  I almost need to stop talking about them or I’m liable to get that extra dough out of the freezer sooner than later.

Apricot Empanadas, adapted by Katrina, Baking and Boys!, from Suzanne, Thru The Bugs on My Windshield

Empanada Sweet Dough: (Made the dough exactly as Suzanne did)

3 cups all purpose flour (360 grams)

¼ cup sugar (50 grams)

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons ice water

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

½ to 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Add the flour, ¼ cup sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the butter one tablespoon at a time, pulsing a few times for each one. After 8 tablespoons have been added, add one egg and pulse together. Add remaining butter one tablespoon at a time, then add the second egg. Pulsing a few times after each, add a tablespoon of the cold water at a time just until the dough starts to form a ball.

Remove the dough from the food processor and form it into two disks. Wrap each separately in parchment paper and chill them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Apricot Filling:

2 cups frozen apricots, (or fresh, pitted and cut into quarters)*

½ cup water

1/3 cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

*You can also use dried apricots—the amounts and directions are different, you can get that on the link to Suzanne’s blog

In a medium sized saucepan, combine all of the filling ingredients. Stir together. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes. Mash with a fork when the fruit is soft. Stir occasionally while the filling is simmering. Let cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about ¼ inch thick. Cut circles 3 to 5 inches in diameter, depending on size you’d like. Set each round on a baking sheet, then fill each with just a teaspoon or so of filling. (Don’t overfill.) Fold over and secure edges with fork tines. Be careful not to press down too hard. If the dough is really soft, set the baking sheet in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to firm the dough. (You can freeze empanadas and have them ready to bake, just add a few minutes to the baking time and bake them while still frozen.) Fix about 12 to a baking sheet.

Mix together the 2 tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon and sprinkle the tops of each empanada with it.  Pierce each with a fork so they have a little steam room inside.   Bake for 25 minutes or so. You can also store a disk of the sweet dough wrapped in parchment and then a zip lock bag in the freezer to use later.

Delicious!

You know, I’ve actually made a number of other recipes from Suzanne’s blog—like this Fresh Crispy Pear Salad—loved it and so did the company we had over that I served it to a few months ago!

I have also made a version of her Very Southwestern Stuffed Poblanos.  I didn’t get those blogged, but check out her post!

I could not have been more thrilled with my secret blog this month and would love to get together with Suzanne again sometime.  That is what this wonderful world of food blogging is all about.  Thanks to Amanda for her hard work in getting this fun group up and running.  She’s even put it all together on a new website—check it out!  Secret Recipe Club

Kale Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash and Spiced Pecans Recipe and Oven Baked Kale Chips Recipe

We’re going light and healthy today.  I wanted to share this salad with you before I continue with my usual posts of goodies, baked treats and desserts.  I have been LOVING kale chips** lately.  I often make an entire baking sheet full, which is about 1/2 to 3/4 of a bunch of washed, torn kale and could easily eat the whole thing.  Problem lately is that I have two boys who have decided they like them, too, and any time my kids like a vegetable, I let them have as much as they’d like!

So I often have kale in stock and would never even have thought of it as an edible food until the last year or two. ;)  I’ve had it in some soups, but have never tried it raw in a salad, but decided to look around (on the internet) for any ideas and ran into this salad that not only had kale, but also another thing I had in my kitchen pantry that needed to be used.  I bought a butternut squash probably last fall—probably more than six months ago!  And it was still sitting pretty in my cupboard, but I decided that I should use it up.  So I went looking for something light to make with the butternut squash and kale and I found this recipe at Lisa’s blog, Lisa Is Cooking.  I followed most of the recipe, but since it called for raw red onions, of course, I left those out! ;)  I adapted a few other things in the recipe, but for the most part got it from the link to Lisa Is Cooking.  

I love this salad!  Of course, no one else in my family would even try it. grrrr  (Not even the kale chip likers.)  Didn’t bother me—I’ve been enjoying the salad for lunch and dinner for a few days now.  Even if you think you don’t like kale (or squash!) you should give this a try!

Kale Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash and Spiced Pecans, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!, adapted from Lisa at Lisa Is Cooking

1 small butternut squash

2-3 tablespoons  extra virgin olive oil

1  cup pecans

1 egg white

1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 bunch kale

3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place the whole squash in the microwave for about 3 minutes.  (You don’t have to do this, but it softens it just a little tiny bit so it is much easier to slice in half.)  Cut it in half and remove the seeds.  Cut each half into half and peel each piece.  Cut each piece into about 3/4 inch cubes.  Toss the cubed squash with about 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Lay the squash in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, until it is tender.  Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

In a medium sized bowl, whisk the egg white with the cayenne pepper, sugar and a pinch of salt.  Whisk until the egg white is foamy.  Toss the pecans in the mixture until well coated.  Place the pecans on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer (don’t dump the extra egg mixture on the baking sheet).   Toast the pecans in the 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until they are crisp.  Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet on a wire rack. 

Cut the ribs from each kale leaf.  Then tear each leaf into about one inch pieces.  Wash the leaves in a salad spinner or bowl.  Pick them leaves up out of the bowl so you’re not dumping the dirty water back onto them.  Spin them dry in the salad spinner.  Place the washed/dried kale in a large bowl.  Pour about three tablespoons of balsamic vinegar over them and massage it into the kale with your hands, squeezing it.  This tenderizes the kale.

Add the roasted and cooled squash and pecans to the kale.  Toss to combine.  Add another tablespoon or so of olive oil  and salt and pepper to taste to the salad and toss to coat.  Taste and decide if you’d like a little more vinegar and/or oil and adjust according to taste. 

  

I think this salad has gotten better with age.  I love the taste of the kale as it has softened a little over a day or two.  Kale just might be making an appearance in more salads around here!  As for the butternut squash, stay tuned next week for what I did with a half cup of it pureed!  See in the picture above the kale salad sitting on a plate next to another salad?  I’ll be sharing that soon, too.  It’s quinoa, mango, blueberries…….love it, too!

Now bring on those 4th of July treats! ;)

**Never had Kale Chips?  So easy—try these as a replacement to your favorite store bought potato chips.  You might not be sold at first try—but keep eating them and just like Lays, you won’t be able to eat just one.

Oven Baked Kale Chips, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1/2 bunch of kale, ribs removed and torn into 1-2 inch pieces (washed and dried)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lay the kale on a baking sheet and toss lightly with olive oil and salt and pepper, sprinkle with optional parmesan cheese if desired (I love it!).  (As much in a single layer as you can.)  You can also just add the cheese as soon as you remove the baking sheet from the oven if you’d like.

Bake the kale for 12 minutes.  Check to see if all the pieces are crispy.  Bake another 1-3 minutes if they are not all crispy.  Sometimes I remove the ones that are and leave the ones that just need another couple minutes.

Put the warm, crisp kale chips on a plate and try not to eat them all!  Healthy!

Melon and Berries Salad with Fresh Mint

I have a silly little confession to make.  I workout on the treadmill every day (early morning) for an hour.  While briskly walking and jogging, I read food magazines and look at recipes and pictures of decadent, tempting food.  Why would I subject myself to that?  Really, because I don’t have any other time of the day where I could just sit and read magazines.  And because sometimes I find recipes I must try.  This salad (which is actually healthy!) is one of them.

I love fresh fruit.  Sometimes I think I could just live eating fruits and vegetables alone.  But then I am quickly brought back to reality—chocolate! ;)  I saw this salad in a supplement to Better Homes and Gardens magazine (April 2011 edition).  We were having dinner with some friends a couple days ago an I had volunteered to bring salad.  I brought this salad and a vegetable salad that I will share soon that I also found in the same BH&G supplement.   You can find the exact Better Homes & Gardens Melon and Berries Salad recipe online.  But here’s how simple I made it.

Melon and Berries Salad with Fresh Mint, adapted by Katrina, Baking and Boys! from Better Homes & Gardens

1 cantaloupe, seeded and cut into cubes or made into balls

1 honeydew melon, seede and cut into cutes or made into balls

1 pint blueberries

1/2-1 cup strawberries, cut into small chunks (raspberries would be fantastic, too, but were not on sale at the time I made this)

1 tablespoon honey

juice of 1 lime (about 1 tablespoon)

1-2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

Combine the cantaloupe, honeydew, strawberries and blueberries in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, combine the honey and lime juice.  Whisk together to combine well.  Drizzle over the fruit and carefully stir it with a big spoon.  Sprinkle with chopped mint and stir again to distribute evenly. 

Besides the strawberries being a little “sad”, this salad is really much better the next day as the lime and mint flavors develop even more.  You can chill the salad the day before serving and just add the berries before serving.  But I’ve eaten some leftovers the last few days and it is still good, though I’ve picked out the strawberries.  I love the honeydew melon and cantaloupe after it has been in the lime juice for a few days.  The blueberries are great, too.  This would also be great with watermelon added. 

I may not ever have “plain” fruit salad again!  I will be planting some mint soon, too.  I found a nice bundle of it at the grocery store, but I know once planted it can take over and grow like weeds.  Nice thing is out where we are with an acre of land, we have the room for that to be okay.

Speaking of our land, we woke up to this this morning—after it was in the mid-70’s yesterday, then by evening was VERY windy and rainy.

Happy Spring, Ya’ll!  Apparently some other areas of Salt Lake and Utah County got well over 6 inches.  Last night the wind knocked over our free standing basketball standard and it hit the deck stairs railing and knocked out a big part of it.  That will be fun to get fixed.

Wheatberry Salad with Dried Cherries, Roasted Butternut Squash and Toasted Pecans

I LOVE this Wheatberry Salad.  I could eat this and nothing else except maybe chocolate for the rest of my life.  I made a similar wheatberry salad a month or so ago, but it didn’t have squash in it and when I saw this one on Fallon’s blog, Fallon's Cucina, recently, I knew I wanted wheatberry salad again.

I mostly followed Fallon’s recipe, but I did make a few changes.  Her recipe called for green onions, and I just don’t “do” onions, so I added celery instead.  I also added some chopped fresh parsley.  Then the only other difference was that I cooked the wheatberries different from her recipe.  Fallon first soaked the wheat for an hour and then cooked it with a specified amount of water and simmered it covered on the stove.  I don’t taste a difference, but in the first recipe I made, it just said to cook the wheat, no soaking and to just have water covering the wheat by about an inch, then to  boil/simmer it with no lid on the pot.  So that is what I did.  The wheat was done in about 45 minutes.  The salad has a great balsamic Dijon dressing.  Here’s the recipe as I made it and you can check out Fallon’s on the link above, too.  She’s got more yummy pictures of her salad.

Wheatberry Salad with Dried Cherries, Roasted Butternut Squash and Toasted Pecans, adapted by Katrina, Baking and Boys! from Fallon’s Cucina

3/4 cup cooked wheatberries* see instructions below

3/4 cup diced into about 1/2 inch cubes, roasted butternut squash* see instructions below

1/2 cup celery, diced

1/2 cup dried sour cherries, chopped

1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

*Cover the wheat in a medium-sized saucepan with a good inch of water over the top of the wheat.  Boil it uncovered until wheat is tender and chewy, about 45 minutes.  Keep the water level about an inch over the wheat, when it gets low, add more water.  Drain any access liquid and cool the wheatberries.

*Roast the diced squash on a baking sheet in a single layer for about 20-30 minutes (until tender) in a 400 degree oven.  Once the squash is cut, peeled and diced, toss it with some olive oil and salt and pepper.

Assemble the salad by combining the wheatberries, squash, celery, cherries, pecans and parsley and tossing it in a large bowl when the wheat and squash are cooled.

Make the dressing while the wheat cools and/or while the squash is roasting. 

Honey Balsamic Dijon Dressing

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons honey (ooh, I just realized I used tablespoons—still good!)

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Combine the vinegar, mustard, honey and salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl and whisk together.  Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking.  Taste for seasoning adjustments.  Set aside.

Toss the salad with the dressing about a tablespoon at a time.  You won’t use all of it.  Refrigerate for a few hours (or don’t—I didn’t).  Enjoy.

I had some for dinner on a bed of baby spinach.  I would eat this in a box or with a fox or in a car or on a train or in the rain….. ;)  Thanks, Fallon!

Dinner! Chicken & Arugula Meatballs in Tomato Sauce and Pear Salad

We had some friends from Kansas who are in Utah for the holidays come over for dinner a few days ago.  For some reason that day I was craving spaghetti so I planned to just make that for dinner.  Kevin reminded me that Dan doesn’t like spaghetti, as in there's only one food he really dislikes and it’s spaghetti.  Not the sauce, but the actual spaghetti pasta, it gives him the heebie-jeebies.  Weird.  He said he likes all other pasta.  I then remembered some meatballs I’d had in one of Paige's classes back in Kansas and I decided those are what I’d make and serve with penne pasta.

Try as I might, I can’t seem to do justice to savory food in photos.  Kevin got me a light box for Christmas, maybe once I figure that out I’ll get better.  But I did snap a few pictures of these fabulous meatballs.  One of the keys to making these is to make them small—the more the merrier, then everyone can have a plateful of meatballs instead of just one or two big ones.  This recipe makes 60 meatballs with one pound of ground poultry.  Another great reason to make these meatballs is that they freeze well.  Check out Paige's post about them from a few months ago.  These are perfect for pulling out of the freezer when you need a quick meal.

The meatballs were very well liked by our company (they begged for the recipe ;).  Paige has posted the recipe on her blog, which is adapted from an article in Food & Wine magazine back in the 90’s. 

Chicken & Arugula Meatballs in Tomato Sauce, by Paige Vandegrift, adapted from Food & Wine Magazine (My changes are in red—Katrina)

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for sautéing the meatballs (I ran out of olive oil and used canola)
3 thin slices pancetta or bacon, (about 2 ounces), chopped (I used bacon)
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 oz. arugula (or spinach), stemmed and finely chopped (I used spinach)
1 pound ground chicken (dark meat is best) (I used ground white turkey meat and it was a 19 oz. package)
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs (I used Panko bread crumbs)
½ cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese (about 1 ½ ounces)
2 tablespoons drained capers, chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large shallots, minced
¼ cup brandy, white wine or water is also fine (I used some chicken stock)
One 35-ounce can Italian (Roma) peeled whole tomatoes with juice, coarsely chopped in a food processor (this is a difficult sized can to find, a 28-oz. can is fine, but you can add half of a 14-oz. can if you like a lot of sauce) (I used both a full 28 oz can and a 14 oz can)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme (I used about 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large non-reactive skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the pancetta/bacon and cook over moderate heat until crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the arugula and cook, stirring, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, bread crumbs, cheese, capers, egg, ¾ teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper. Add the arugula mixture and beat until well blended. Roll the mixture by teaspoonfuls into ¾ -inch balls.
In a large skillet, heat some more olive oil. Add half of the meatballs in a single layer and cook over moderate heat, turning, until browned all over, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meatballs to a large plate. Repeat with the second batch of meatballs, adding more oil if necessary. Discard the fat and wipe out the skillet.
In the same skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the brandy/stock/water, whichever you’re using, raise the heat to high and cook until evaporated. Add the tomatoes and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 8 minutes.
Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer over low heat until hot through and very tender—15 to 20 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.  Serve with one pound of any pasta if desired.

I sauteed them in three batches.

Mmmm!

Almost ready!

These are some great meatballs and a simple tomato sauce.  To go with the pasta and meatballs, I decided to make a Fresh Crispy Pear Salad that Suzanne at Thru The Bugs on My Windshield posted recently.  I just served the salad with some mixed greens and it was great as well. 

 

You can get the recipe on the link above to Suzanne’s blog.  Check out her amazing pictures!  Served with some good crusty whole grain bread, this meal was perfect and I could eat it everyday and was happy to share it with company!