Apple- Cinnamon Fruit Bars

The community we live in is so cool in the fall (figuratively and literally).  There are so many people around with gigantic gardens willing to share their produce.  Or even not so big gardens, but incredibly fruitful ones.  I'm dreaming of next spring/summer already!  Not that we didn't have friends with gardens in TX that were just as fruitful, but it seems that there are more here (or we just made friends with the right neighbors! :) )  

At any rate, leaving church one Thursday there was a box of organic apples sitting there waiting for a good home.  The box said "great for pies!"  DH suggested we take some and I could make a pie.  Oh, how I wish I took that class!!  But, these were really good apples, I just couldn't pass them up.  We later had the same priest over who was offering these apples and I just had to make something with them.  This is what I made.  It was a huge success!  I gave some to the boys for lunch and they actually called them apple pie squares.  Thank you Eating Well!
INGREDIENTS

CRUST

• 1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds or hazelnuts) or old-fashioned rolled oats, divided
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (see Tip)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

  FRUIT FILLING

• 6 cups diced peeled apples, divided
• 1/2 cup apple cider or orange juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

PREPARATION

1. To prepare crust: Combine 3/4 cup nuts (or oats), whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar and salt in a food processor; pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add butter; pulse until well incorporated.
2. Whisk egg, oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla and almond extract in a small bowl. With the motor running, add the mixture to the food processor. Process, then pulse, scraping down the sides, if necessary, until the mixture begins to clump, 30 to 45 seconds (it will look crumbly). Measure out 1/2 cup of the mixture and combine in a bowl with the remaining 1/4 cup chopped nuts (or oats). Set aside for the topping.
3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Generously coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
4. To prepare fruit filling & assemble bars: Combine 4 cups apples, cider (or orange juice), sugar and cornstarch in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is very thick, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 cups apples, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
5. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking dish. Spread evenly and press firmly into the bottom to form a crust. Spread the fruit filling over the crust. Sprinkle the reserved topping over the filling.
6. Bake the bars for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and bake until the crust and topping are lightly brown, 25 to 30 minutes more. Let cool completely before cutting into bars, at least 1 1/2 hours.

TIPS & NOTES

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the crust and topping (Steps 1-2) for up to 1 day. Cover or individually wrap and refrigerate the cooled bars for up to 5 days.

• Tip: Lower in protein than regular whole-wheat flour, whole-wheat pastry flour is milled from soft wheat and has less gluten-forming potential, making it a better choice for tender baked goods. You can find it in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets and natural-foods stores. Store in the freezer.

Creamy Dill Sauce

This sauce was meant to go with the Salmon Cakes recipe.  But it is so good, I need to find another way to use it!  It tastes almost like the sauce used on gyros.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt (I used greek)
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced (I used regular onion, maybe 2-3 T)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill, or parsley (I used dried dill weed)
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

PREPARATION

1. Combine mayonnaise, yogurt, scallions, lemon juice, dill (or parsley) and pepper in a small bowl and mix well.

TIPS & NOTES

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Salmon Cakes

This past weekend we had guests over.  And, I planned to make salmon on the grill.  However, our plans changed so my thawed salmon was never used that day.  No problem, I made it the next day!  But, without our guests, we had way more than we needed to feed just our family.  So, that yummy Simple Salmon recipe that I raved about having no leftovers, left me with a ton of leftovers simply because I cooked so much.

As good as that meal is, I really didn't feel like serving it the same way again.  So I found this recipe on Eating Well's site and thought I'd give it a whirl.  I am so glad I did!  They were a HUGE hit!  According to the site, the recipe takes about 45 minutes total time to prepare.  I never kept track of the time, but it sounds about right.  This is an easy meal to make ahead, so dinner time isn't so stressful.  Oh, and while you could eat them without the Creamy Dill Sauce, you would be totally missing out on a whole new realm of yumminess!

• INGREDIENTS
• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided (I used unsalted butter)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I used dry)
• 15 ounces canned salmon, drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked salmon
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 3/4 cups fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs, (see Tip)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• Creamy Dill Sauce, (recipe follows)
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in parsley; remove from the heat.
3. Place salmon in a medium bowl. Flake apart with a fork; remove any bones and skin. Add egg and mustard; mix well. Add the onion mixture, breadcrumbs and pepper; mix well. Shape the mixture into 8 patties, about 2 1/2 inches wide.
4. Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in the pan over medium heat. Add 4 patties and cook until the undersides are golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a wide spatula, turn them over onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining patties.
5. Bake the salmon cakes until golden on top and heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare Creamy Dill Sauce. Serve salmon cakes with sauce and lemon wedges.

TIPS & NOTES

• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 3. Cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

• Tip: To make fresh breadcrumbs: Trim crusts from firm sandwich bread. Tear the bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. One slice makes about 1/3 cup.

Dijon Mustard

Ever have a recipe call for dijon mustard and you are fresh out?  I LOVE dijon mustard, and usually have it on hand.  However, I think I may be the only one in the house that uses it.  So it may not be the most cost effective condiment for me to buy.

The other day, I was creating a recipe which called for dijon mustard.  (Did I mention this was a last minute throw together something for someone special coming over?  ALWAYS happens to me!) I had yellow mustard, but just wasn't willing to compromise the true taste of the dijon.  So, I tried to find a better alternative.  While most said you should either use whatever mustard you have, there were a few that said don't bother... that you couldn't possibly recreate the taste, as it comes from specific ingredients.  (They were really specific in their post, but I have no idea what they actually said now.)  But, I did find one brave soul who shared their recipe for dijon mustard which works quite well in a pinch.  Actually, it works really well.  I would consider making my own now, if it didn't require me to take the extra step to actually make it!

1 T dry mustard
1 t water
1 t white wine vinegar (or 1/2 white wine, 1/2 white vinegar)-- I (of course) didn't have either option available, but I did have red wine vinegar, so used that.
1 T mayo
pinch sugar

Mix all ingredients well.
Yield: 2 T
(* found the recipe in a Taste of Home community post.)

Stuffed Summer Squash

Since we haven't been very successful at growing our own garden-- likely has something to do with the fact that we actually need to stay home during the summer months-- we've been enjoying the fruits of others' at the local farmers' market.  A couple of weeks ago we brought home a summer squash bigger than I've ever seen.  I mean, I've seen large squash, zucchini specifically, but this thing was HUGE!  So, I decided to make the most of it's size and stuff it.  I have never attempted to "stuff" anything before, but I love my mom's stuffed peppers and stuffed zucchini.  So, I figured I'd give it a whirl.

After searching a bit online for an acceptable recipe I came across one that was intriguing.  It didn't have many ingredients (at the time very important, as I really needed to go to the store and didn't have the time to do it), and called for a lamb sausage called Merguez and goat cheese.  Interesting combo I thought.  Of course, we now live in a town that makes finding unusual items like this impossible... even goat cheese would be included under the unusual label.  But still my mouth was watering and I wanted to attempt something similar.  So, I took that recipe, and some elements of other recipes and went to work.  The result was mmmmmmm sooooo good!  It was decided by the family that this must be recorded and repeated!  Even the four year old, who at first turned up his nose went back for seconds and commented at how great it was!  The oldest said I needed to put it in a restaurant!  (Number two was too busy eating while his brothers were talking!)  WOW!!

1 large summer squash (doesn't really matter type-- yellow, green... could probably even use winter types)
1 lb ground Italian sausage (tried finding turkey sausage to decrease the fat content, but alas, this is "unusual" as well for our little community market)
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 large carrot, grated
plain greek yogurt (I used Fage which is a very thick and high in protein yogurt-- it worked well.  Original recipe called for 2-3 oz of goat cheese.  I didn't measure the yogurt... maybe 1 to 1.5 cups?  or more if you want)
salt and pepper to taste
bread crumbs and coconut oil as needed (recipe called for olive oil, but I've switched to coconut oil for all of my cooking and leave olive oil for nonheated or low heat recipes)

Directions:
1. Begin sauteing diced vegetables in a little oil.  Add sausage and grated carrot and continue cooking until sausage is cooked through.
2.  Drain as much excess liquid as possible from the pan.  Set meat and veggie mixture aside.
3.  Cut off ends of squash and slice in half lengthwise.  Spoon out seeds making sure there is enough of a cavity for the mixture.  (I didn't need to, but you could scoop some of the flesh out of the squash and add back to the meat mixture.)
4.  Salt and pepper the squash.
5.  Mix yogurt in with the meat mixture.  Place squash on a foil lined baking sheet and fill cavities.
6.  Dust top with breadcrumbs if you like (gives it a little extra crunch).  Bake at 375 until squash is tender.  (Timing will depend on the size of your squash... mine took almost an hour.)

Note: This made a ton for us.  We have enough for B and I to have lunch tomorrow if the kids will let us!  Though I think we all could have devoured the entire thing tonight.

Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Pork Roast

My original plan for our get together was to have pulled pork sandwiches (thus the pork).  But, my dear husband decided pretty last minute (like the day before) that he was in the mood for gyros instead of barbecue.  Ah!  Since I didn't want to wing it with such an idea (since most gyros are made with a combo of lamb and beef), I tried to find a happy medium.  And this is what I found.  True, it's not in a pocket or sandwich form, but it did meld the Mediterranean taste to the easy crockpot meal I had in mind.  Can we say compromise?? And it turned out great!  We didn't have any left!  This recipe originally comes from Family Circle.

2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and sliced
1 boneless pork loin roast (about 3 pounds), trimmed
4 tsp Greek seasoning mix (or for 1Tbsp seasoning mix, you can use 1/2 tsp each of oregano, marjoram, garlic powder, lemon pepper, ground mustard, and salt)
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/3 Cup plus 2 T low-sodium chicken broth (I use Better than Bouillon)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1-1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 C chopped black olives (optional... but, really, is does it say Mediterranean without them?)


Directions

1. Place fennel in slow cooker bowl.  Rub pork with 1 tsp of the Greek seasoning and place in bowl on top of fennel.

2. Scatter tomatoes around pork.  Pour 1/3 C of the broth in bowl.  Top with tsp Greek seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Cook 3 hours on HIGH or 6 hours on LOW.

3. Blend remaining 2 T broth, cornstarch and Worcestershire sauce.  Remove pork to a serving platter; keep warm.  Strain liquid from slow cooker into a small saucepan; place vegetables around pork.

4. Bring liquid to a boil over medium-high heat.  Whisk in cornstarch mixture, remaining 1 tsp Greek seasoning and 1/4 tsp each salt and black pepper; cook 1 minute.  Spoon sauce over pork.  Sprinkle with olives if desired.

Greek Salad

We recently had a Catholic Couples night at our house and we served Greek-inspired food.  I think this was one of the most popular dishes.  It was super fresh, cool (yes it's HOT here in TX!), and the dressing was nothing short of perfection.  Needless to say, despite doubling the recipe, we didn't have much leftover for lunch the next day.  Since the recipe is tossed with the dressing, any leftovers would taste great over spinach... no dressing needed!  (We've also tried it in a pita pocket.  YUM!)  Thank you to the Foodnetwork for this yummy new addition to my repertoire!

• 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 red bell pepper, large-diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, large-diced
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 red onion, sliced in half-rounds
• 1/2 pound feta cheese, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled)
• 1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted

For the vinaigrette:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup good olive oil

Directions

Place the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.

For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Still whisking, slowly add the olive oil to make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta and olives and toss lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.