Fall Salad with Apples, Walnuts, and Stilton

There's nothing like a salad to throw together the best food of the season! I found this recipe for a Fall Salad with Apples, Walnuts and Stilton in the October, 2010 issue of Cooking Light magazine and it's really tasty. I like the use of three different lettuces in this salad. I did have to do a few substitutions though. I used watercress instead of arugula and Danish Blue instead of Stilton. It came out fabulous anyways!

The dressing is tangy and flavorful. But I'd suggest to watch how much dressing you actually put on the salad. I followed all the instructions and them tossed the full amount of dressing in with all the lettuces and apples (we added the prosciutto and cheese after it was plated) and I think it ended up being too much. We were kind of tilting our plates to let the sauce run off.

Fall Salad with Apples, Walnuts, and Stilton Makes 4 Servings 1 tablespoon minced shallot 1 1/2 champagne or white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon honey 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 dried apricot, finely chopped 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 cups torn green leaf lettuce leaves 2 cups thinly sliced Belgian endive (about 2 heads) 1/4 cup (1 ounce) Stilton cheese, thinly sliced 1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped 1 (5-ounce) package baby arugula 1 ounce very thin slices prosciutto, torn 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and thinly sliced

Combine first 6 ingredients in a blender. With blender on, slowly add oil; process until well combines. Stir in salt and pepper.

Combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; add apricot mixture, tossing gently to coat.

Nutritional information provided with magazine article:
CALORIES 294; FAT 18.4g(sat 3.6g, mono 8.9g, poly 5g); PROTEIN 9.2g; CARB 28g; FIBER 10.8g; CHOL 9.5mg; IRON 3.7mg; SODIUM 429mg; CALC 254mg

Chicken Tamale Casserole

With the cool weather settling in on Chicago, I decided it was a perfect time to make a casserole. I love to put everything together and then bake it up in the oven - making the house smell so great. I found this recipe for a Chicken Tamale Casserole in an email I received from Cooking Light highlighting casseroles.

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed in this recipe - not the taste, but the ingredients. I'm not a big fan of using processed products. This recipe calls for a lot of pre-packaged items (corn bread mix, creamed corn, canned chilies, etc.) and I used a rotisserie chicken which I purchased at the grocery store. Of course that made it very easy to prepare, but I felt a bit unhealthy while I was making it. And coming from Cooking Light I guess I expected a bit healthier of a recipe.

I thought the leftovers of this was tastier than when it was fresh out of the oven. The bottom of the casserole tasted a bit sweet at first so I think it tasted alot better after the flavors melded. I'd let it sit about a half an hour if you can.

To make this casserole taste a bit more homemade and also to make it more of a meal than just putting a piece of casserole on an empty plate, I placed it on to of some red leaf lettuce and then I topped it with a bit of chopped onion, sliced black olives and diced avocado. Those extra flavors made a big difference. We served this with Tortilla and Butternut Squash Soup and it was a very filling meal.

Chicken Tamale Casserole Serves 8 1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided 1/3 cup fat-free milk 1/4 cup egg substitute 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn 1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White) 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained Cooking spray 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso) 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter

I usually don't make recipes more than once. There are a few things I have made two or three times. But this recipe for Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter I have made at least 20 times. It is an old recipe from Cooking Light that I first made about 5 years ago. You can find the recipe online. It is incredibly easy to make and the flavors are amazing. Aren't those some of the best dishes to prepare? I always have butter, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar on hand, so whenever I grab some asparagus at the market I usually end up preparing it this way. Everyone who has every tried it has loved it. I hope you all make it and like it too!

Basil Roasted Vegetables Over Couscous

I have been wanting to make couscous for a while now. Not as a side dish, but as a main course. I used to have some fabulous couscous salads with fresh cucumber and tomatoes, but I enjoy those in summer time. Fall is upon us and I wanted something warm and hearty. While I have plenty of cookbooks to choose from, I just couldn't find what I was looking for. So I looked into my "recipes" folder on my computer. I have been carrying around this recipe (saved in notepad) from the June 1996 issue of Cooking Light. But it is still just as good as it was ten years ago. And my family agrees as well! Most of them were afraid of the goat cheese but once they tasted it the realized that it really made this dish special.

Basil Roasted Vegetables Over Couscous According to folklore, basil is a harbinger of romance. Should a man give a sprig to a woman, she will fall in love with him and never, ever leave him. In Italy, if a woman puts a pot of basil on her windowsill, it means she is ready to receive her suitor. She might have many suitors if she serves this recipe, too. 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch slices 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges 1 (8-ounce) package mushrooms 3 cups hot cooked couscous 1 (3-ounce) package basil-flavored chèvre (goat cheese), crumbled 1/8 teaspoon pepper Fresh basil sprigs (optional) Preheat oven to 425°. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. Add zucchini, bell peppers, onion, and mushrooms; toss well to coat. Arrange vegetables in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan. Bake at 425° for 35 minutes or until tender and browned, stirring occasionally. Spoon roasted vegetables over couscous, and top with cheese. Sprinkle with pepper. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs, if desired. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup vegetables, 3/4 cup couscous, and 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese) NUTRITION PER SERVING CALORIES 65(3% from fat); FAT 0.2g (sat 0.1g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.0g); PROTEIN 2.5g; CHOLESTEROL 1mg; CALCIUM 67mg; SODIUM 59mg; FIBER 0.0g; IRON 0.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 13.3g

Moroccan Stew: Chicken Tagine with Lemon and Olives

I decided to go Moroccan for the inaugural Waiter, There's Something in my . . . Stew hosted by Spittoon Extra. This is a fun new blogging event with a different foodie theme for each month. For my entry, I chose Chicken Tagine with Lemon and Olives from the January, 2007 issue of Cooking Light Magazine. A tagine, the food, is a rich Moroccan stew. Many tagines are vegetarian, but I also like ones with meat. The cooking method yields some wonder flavors making something really special out of vegetables.

A tajine (tah-zheen) is a Moroccan dish as well as a special pot for preparing this dish. The traditional tajine pot is formed entirely of a heavy clay which is sometimes painted or glazed. It consists of two parts; a bottom which is flat and circular with low sides, and a large cone or dome shaped cover that rests inside of the bottom during cooking. The cover is so designed to promote the return of all condensate to the bottom. With the cover removed, the bottom is open and shallow for easy serving at the table.

Tajine dishes are slow cooked at low temperatures, resulting in tender, falling-off-the-bone meat with aromatic vegetables and sauce. The cover has a knob-like formation at its top to facilitate removing it. While simmering, the cover can be lifted off without the aid of a mitten, enabling the cook to inspect the main ingredients, add vegetables, move things around, or add additional braising liquid, if needed.

While a ceramic tagine is on my wish-list, I currently don't own one. I made this dish in deep pan on the stove. I have only prepared a tagine one other time in my life and it came out so flavorful and tender that I immediately fell in love with them. The smells in the house are so amazing while it is cooking and it is perfect for a comforting Sunday evening meal. The taste with the Moroccan flavors is always so different from my average meals that I feel all proud because it tastes as good as anything you would eat at a restaurant.

And, it was perfect meal for tonight because THE CHICAGO BEARS ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!!!! They are my home team. I was in grade school the last time they went and watching the game tonight made me totally homesick . . . except for the fact that my house was all warm and yummy smelling like it used to be when I'd have friends over to watch the Bears games on Sunday afternoons in Chicago. It was always freezing cold and we'd all cuddle up on the couch and then we'd eat a good meal. Even though it's hot down here in Florida, watching it snow on TV and smelling a cold-weather stew made it perfect.

The recipe is good as it stands, but the only thing I suggest is to use olives from an "olive bar" that are found in a lot of supermarkets. The olives really make this dish and the ones out of the jar won't be as fresh. If you have to use jarred olives, make sure you buy large ones.

Chicken Tagine with Lemon and Olives Serves 6 (serving size: 2 chicken thighs and 1/3 cup sauce) Ingredients 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 12 skinless, boneless chicken thighs 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper 2 teaspoons olive oil 2 cups chopped onion (about 2 medium) 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 1/4 cup pitted green olives, halved (about 12) 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions
Combine juice and chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Dredge in flour; sprinkle with salt, black pepper, turmeric, and red pepper. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet with high sides over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken; cook for 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken.

Add onion, ginger, and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Return chicken to pan. Add broth, olives, rind, and cinnamon stick; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until chicken is tender. Discard the cinnamon stick; stir in cilantro.

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 240(34% from fat); FAT 9.1g (sat 1.6g,mono 4.4g,poly 2g); PROTEIN 28.6g; CHOLESTEROL 115mg; CALCIUM 27mg; SODIUM 612mg; FIBER 0.8g; IRON 1.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 9.9g