Blue Cheese-Apricot Bites

Photo by Rachel's Bite, Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 3.0 US licensed.

Sweet, savory, and crunchy! You do have to be a fan of blue cheese to enjoy these, but I think there's nothing better than a pungent cheese with a bit of sweet. I found this recipe for Blue Cheese-Apricot Bites in a 2010 Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications for Appetizers. It's the perfect party food! And these candied walnuts you end up with, you'll want to make a whole batch of just those. But be careful, they can get soggy.

I have made this recipe several times. I usually make a double batch because you only end up with 16 and I always eat 3 or 4 while I'm putting them together because they are so yummy. I have tried these with organic apricots which is a bit better for you, but the organic apricots are darker and might look strange to some. Being an appetizer people just think they are dark because they are cooked, but I wanted to warn you of the discoloration in case you try those out.

Blue Cheese-Apricot Bites
Makes 16 appetizers

2 tsp. butter
2 Tbsp. finely chopped walnuts
2 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. snipped fresh rosemary or ¼ tsp dried rosemary, finely crushed
¼ cup crumbled Gorgonzola,Roquefort, or other blue cheese (1 ounce)
1 ounce cream cheese
16 dried apricots
Snipped fresh rosemary (optional)

In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add wlnuts and sugar; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until walnuts are lightly toasted. Stir in ½ teaspoon fresh or ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary; cook and stir for 30 seconds more. Transfer nuts to a foil-lined baking sheet; cool.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine Gorgonzola cheese and cream cheese. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

Spoon about ¾ teaspoon of the cheese mixture on top of each dried apricot. Sprinkle with nuts. If desired, garnish with additional fresh rosemary.

Per appetizer: 33 cal., 2 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 5 mg. chol., 24 mg sodium, 3 g carb., 0.3g fiber, 1 g pro.


Love is all around you... Enjoy!

- Rachel

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Fresh Orange-Apple Chutney

This is some tasty chutney, but I probably wouldn't have made it just on it's own. It is used for the Shrimp and Coconut Curry with Green Beans recipe from the December, 2010 issue of Bon Appetit magazine. There's lots of chopping involved in this one and there is tons left over. But it goes great on all kinds of leftovers (see the recipe for Spicy Shrimp Quesadillas).

Fresh Orange-Apple Chutney Makes 2 cups 1½ navel oranges 1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored, cut into ⅓-inch cubes 1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 tablespoon chopped seeded jalapeno chile 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey 1 teaspoon (generous) garam masala 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger

Cut and peel all white pith from oranges, following contour of fruit. Cut segments into ⅓-inch cubes; place in medium bowl. Add all remaining ingredients; toss to blend. Season with salt.

Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Celery, Grilled Grape and Mushroom Salad

Okay, I better fess up that this salad cost over $40 to make! But that is probably because I bought all organic at Whole Foods. And also since the recipe was from the June, 2011 issue of Food and Wine magazine I should have known it would be a bit more on the pricy side. It was SUPER yummy though and is a great addition to a buffet. I made this for 4th of July and we had it with some steaks, grilled vegetables and other traditional salads (potato salad, coleslaw, etc.). It was a really classy addition to our dinner.

Also, this lasts surprisingly well as leftovers. Maybe I got lucky, but since there isn't too much lettuce there wasn't really anything to get soggy from the dressing.

I think the most fun part is that we grilled grapes. I know I've had grilled pineapple and peaches before, but grapes are novel. We just put them on the fire in a veggie basket and they cooked up great! ("We" really equals the guys who did the grilling and thought I was nuts.)

Celery, Grilled Grape and Mushroom Salad 6 servings 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice ½ tsp. celery seeds ¼ tsp. Dijon mustard 2 small garlic cloves, minced ½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing ¼ cup roasted almond oil Salt and freshly ground pepper ½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves ½ cup tender celery leaves (from one head) ¼ cup salted roasted almonds, chopped 1 pound king oyster mushrooms, sliced lengthwise ¼-inch thick 2 cups green grapes (12 ounces) 2 heads butter lettuce, leaves separated 2 cups very thinly sliced celery

In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar with the lemon juice, celery seeds, mustard and half of the garlic. Gradually whisk in ¼ cup of the olive oil and the almond oil until emulsified. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.

In a mini food processor, combine the remaining garlic with the parsley,c elery leaves and almonds nad pulse until finely chopped. Add another ¼ cup of the olive oil and puree to a chunky paste. Season the pesto with salt and pepper.

Light a grill. Brush the mushrooms with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat, turning once, until tender and browned, about 5 minutes. In a bowl, toss the grapes with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat until the skins begin to blacken in spots, about 3 minutes; line the grill with perforated foil if the grapes will fall through. Transfer the grapes and mushrooms to a large bowl and toss with the pesto.

Arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter and drizzle with half of the dressing. Spoon the mushroom-and-grape salad onto the lettuce. Toss the celery with the remaining dressing, spoon it on top and serve.

Pineapple-Fennel Salad with Ginger-Sesame Dressing

The combination of radishes, pineapple and fennel drew me to this salad. The avocado sealed the deal.

I have made a few recipes with fennel and I'm always looking for something to pair it with - other than oranges (which seems like the most common combo). This is a nice and light salad that would probably go with anything. I served it with the Roasted Vegetable Linguine with Torn Fresh Basil and some steaks.

Both the salad and linguine were both featured in the February, 2010 issues of Vegetarian Times magazine as part of a Valentine's feast article. Almost every ingredient in the salad had some "love potion" quality which is kind of fun.

Pineapple-Fennel Salad with Ginger-Sesame Dressing Serves 6 Dressing 1 Tbsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. honey 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger 1 Tbsp. sesame oil 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds or black sesame seeds Salad 1 medium fennel bulb, quartered and thinly sliced (1 cup) 1 cup diced fresh pineapple 1 cup sliced radishes 2 green onions, thinly sliced (¼ cup) 1 cup diced avocado 3 cups watercress or arugula

To make Dressing: Whisk together lemon juice, honey, and ginger in small bowl. Whisk in oil, then sesame seeds. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

To make Salad: Toss fennel, pineapple, radishes, and green onions with Dressing in large bowl. (Salad can be made ahead to this point, and refrigerated overnight.) Stir in avocado, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Divide watercress or arugula among serving plates. Top with pineapple mixture.

Strawberry-Almond Smoothie

Isn't part of the fun of cooking getting to use new ingredients? I love trying new things and experimenting with new ingredients. Of course it's not always so easy to FIND the new ingredients.

I found this recipe for a Strawberry-Almond Smoothie under the well-being detox diet section of the December, 2008 issue of Food & Wine Magazine. By the name it seems quite simple, but I was intrigued by the ingredients... coconut water, agave nectar and figs? Those are not the usual ingredients I expect in a smoothie. And this one has NO DAIRY!

Luckily, I had some leftover figs from when I made Polenta Crostini with Fig and Kalamata Olive Tapenade at Christmas. I headed to Whole Foods in search the coconut water and nectar agave.

If you are feeling creative, I hope you give this a try. The cinnamon is perfect to balance the sweetness. It's good for breakfast or a snack.

Strawberry-Almond Smoothie 1 serving 2 Tbsp. raw almonds, soaked over night and drained 1 cup coconut water Pinch of salt 1 cup frozen strawberries 2 dried white figs, coarsely chopped 1/2 tsp. agave nectar Pinch of ground cinnamon

In a blender, puree the almonds with the coconut water and salt until smooth. Strain the almond milk through a fine sieve. Rinse out the blender. Add the strawberries to the blender with the figs, agave nectar, cinnamon and the almond milk and puree. Pour into a tall glass and serve.

Watermelon Flavored Water

I am fascinated by flavored waters. Typically, I use lemons to flavor water. On occasion I use limes or oranges. I have even been know to use cucumbers (inspired by my favorite spas). But I never thought about flavoring water in a way other than by throwing slices of fruit in there. This method has you pureeing watermelon and adding to the water. It seems like the same process for lemonade, but by using watermelon the result is more refreshing (and unique).

Refreshing Watermelon Delight Refresco de Sandia (Makes 1 gallon) 2 pounds watermelon 3 1/2 quarts water 2 cups sugar Remove the seeds from the watermelon, slice the flesh from the rind, and cut it into chunks. Transfer to a blender, in batches if necessary, and blend for a few seconds; there should still be some small chunks of watermelon. Combine the water and sugar in a large pitches, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the watermelon puree, blending thoroughly. Refrigerate until chilled before serving. Variation: You can substitute cantaloupe for the watermelon.

The pitcher that I planned to use could not hold a gallon of liquid. I ended up modifying the recipe by using 10 cups of water, 1 pound of watermelon pulp, and 1/3 cup sugar/splenda.

Grilled Chicken Thighs

Have you ever grilled oranges? Putting fruit on the grill is a great idea. They were featured as a garnish in photo accompanying the recipe for Grilled Chicken Thighs with Green Olives and Sherry Vinegar-Orange Sauce. Just cut in half, brush a little oil on them and throw them on the grill. They add a lot of drama and color to the dish you serve them with and they actually taste good too.

The page for this recipe Bobby Flay's Grill It! is covered in grease spots. That must mean I had a lot of fun preparing it, right? I like almost all recipes using chicken thighs so I definitely wanted to try grilling them.

Most people may just throw their chicken on the grill or use a store bought marinade, but it is well work preparing this sauce to go with the chicken. My family members were gobbling it up like it was candy! I served this with some Rice-A-Roni and Marinated Grilled Portobello Mushrooms.

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Green Olive and Sherry Vinegar-Orange Sauce Serves 4 4 Tbsp. olive oil 2 shallots, coarsely chopped 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped Grated zest of 1 orange 2 cups orange juice (not from concentrate) 3 Tbsp. aged sherry vinegar 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, plus extra for garnish 3 Tbsp. honey Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 (8-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs 1/2 cup picholine olives, pitted

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft and lightly golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the orange zest and juice and the vinegar and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the broth and rosemary and simmer until reduced by half and slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.

Strain the sauce into a bowl, stir in the honey, and season with salt and pepper. The sauce can be made 1 day in advance, covered, and refrigerated. Reheat before using.

Heat your grill to medium.

Brush the chicken on both sides with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on the grill, skin side down, and cook until golden brown and slightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the thighs over, close the cover of the gill, and continue cooking until just cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes longer.

Remove the thighs to a platter and drizzle with some of the sauce. Tent loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Scatter the olives around the platter and garnish with rosemary sprigs. Serve additional sauce on the side.

Pineapple-Cashew Salad

This recipe for Pineapple-Cashew Salad is a dessert, not a light meal. Soaking it in the wine actually ends up quite a strong alcohol taste, almost like one of those chocolate candies filled with rum. I don't usually like that in my desserts, but for the people who do, this is really a unique dessert that would be fabulous to serve at a dinner party.

Pineapple-Cashew Salad (4 servings) 1/2 cup sweet white wine, such as Riesling or ice wine 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 golden pineapple, peeled, cored and diced (about 1 1/2 cups) 1/2 cup roasted cashews 4 mint leaves, finely shredded

Pour the wine into a medium bowl and add the sugar, stirring until it is dissolved. Add the pineapple cubes. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

To serve, stir the cashews into the pineapple. Divide among serving bowls and sprinkle with the mint.

Mini Strawberry Trifles

It's strawberry season! At least it is in Florida anyways. So how does strawberries with pound cake, vanilla pudding and fresh whipped cream sound? Sounds yummy to me! These Mini Strawberry Trifles are from Cupcakes! From the Cake Doctor - a book that is becoming quite handy for quick and easy but really elegant desserts.


This month's Fruit of the Month is Strawberries! Look for the A Fruit A Month roundup hosted by the Beyond The Usual blog at the end of the month.

Mini Strawberry Trifles 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix 2 cups cold milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream 2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar 8 foil liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2-inch size) 1 small (10.75 ounces) loaf frozen pound cake 2 tablespoons cream sherry 1/2 cup chopped fresh ripe strawberries 8 whole medium-size ripe strawberries, for garnish

Prepare the instant pudding according to the package directions, adding the cold milk as directed. Stir in the vanilla. Immediately place the pudding int he refrigerator to chill until it is needed.

Meanwhile, place a medium-size mixing bowl in the freezer for 1 minute. Pour the cream into the chilled bowl and mix on high speed until the cream has thickened, 1 1/2 minutes. Add the sugar. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes more. Place the whipped cream in the refrigerator to chill.

Place the foil liners on a serving platter and set aside.

Place the frozen cake on a cutting board. Slice the cake thinly into 16 slices that are about 1/4-inch thick. Cut a 2-inch round out of each slice, yielding 16 rounds. Generously brush one side of each round with the sherry.

Place 8 rounds, sherry-side up, in the foil liners. Dollop 1 tablespoon of pudding on top of each cake round. Place 1 tablespoon of chopped strawberries on top of the pudding. Then, dollop with 1 tablespoon more pudding. Place the remaining 8 cake rounds on the top of pudding, sherry-side down. Cover the platter with plastic wrap and chill the cakes until time to serve.

Just before serving, slice the whole strawberries. Top each trifle with a heaping tablespoon of whipped cream and garnish with 2 or 3 of the nicest strawberry slices.

* Stores these "cupcakes," covered in plastic wrap or in a cake saver, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Leftover Fish and Random Pantry Salsa

David over at Cooking Chat has challenged us with Leftover Tuesdays. The concept is simple: use your leftovers in a creative way to make a new meal.

The idea is sound and even seems like fun. My problem is that when I eat leftovers, I am use to just reheating the same meal. That is why I only like to eat leftovers one time and then the rest goes to the dogs. However when I was cooking this weekend, I looked at each meal and tried to come up with ways to change it up and make some creative leftovers.

I decided to work with the fish leftover from the Red Snapper Alicante I made on Saturday night. I wanted to use this because I had two large fillets left and, besides the fact that it was expensive and I didn't want to waste it on the dogs, re-heating fish for lunch in the microwave does not appeal to me. The fish was cooked simply with rings of onions and peppers so it was nicely flavored but there was no sauce.


Now I had to figure out what to do with the fish. At first I thought of making a taco but I thought that seemed kind of boring. I'm sure it would have tasted good but I didn't want to cover up the delicate taste of the red snapper with lots of filling. I racked my brain for flavors to compliment fish and I settled on doing something with fruit. I was thinking about some sort of mango salsa.

The only problem was that I didn't have any fresh mangoes. And this being a leftover challenge, I didn't want to make a special trip to the store to get some. So I turned to my pantry. I used a cup of Dole's Mixed Tropical fruit. I drained out the juice and placed the mango, pineapple and papaya fruit pieces in a bowl. Then, back to the pantry . . .

I received an order last week from Casa Oliver. I had ordered several items from Matiz, a company from Spain. I found them because the peppers are on the list of 100 foods I have to try in 2007 that Food & Wine magazine put together. I grabbed the peppers and Sweet Garlic.


I also grabbed some Banana Ketchup that I bought while in the Caribbean last year. It tastes so good but I have not found anything to eat it with. Since I was feeling creative I decided to toss that in with the fruit, garlic and peppers. I mixed it all together and poured it on top of the fish.

It turned out great! The peppers didn't really contribute that much because I probably didn't add enough, but every once in a while I'd get a vinegary crunch from them. The fruit and the banana ketchup both definately go well with the fish. I'm going to have to find some more creative uses for that banana ketchup.

I have to thank David for this challenge because I am usually a recipe follower. I rarely put random things together. But tonight I completely stepped out of my comfort zone and it was really fun. I'm going to have to do this more often.

Stuffed Roasted Strawberries

They taste better than they look! I first saw these Stuffed Roasted Strawberries on 30 Minute Meals. I had the Food Network on one day while I was doing things and I happened to catch Rachael Ray putting strawberries into the oven. I was intrigued by that. When I started to pay attention I noticed that the strawberries were being filled with chocolate! At that point I knew I wanted to try them to use as my entry for Sugar High Friday #27: Chocolate By Brand hosted by David Lebovitz. Strawberry season is just starting down here in Florida. This is a perfect way to eat more fresh strawberries!

As is typical for me, my strawberries ended up looking nothing like hers. Even though I cut off the bottoms so that they were level, over half of them tipped over while roasting. I filled my strawberries with some chopped Lindt Lindor Dark Chocolate Truffle pieces which I received as a Christmas gift. The result is like a warm inside-out dipped strawberry. It is a fun dessert because it is light and unusual. All my friends know that Lindt is my favorite chocolate so I received a whole bunch of yummy Lindt chocolate. Ah, the simple pleasures . . .


Stuffed Roasted Strawberries
Serves 4

Ingredients
12 extra-large strawberries (the bigger the better!)
1 to 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar, optional
Spray whipping cream (the real kind in the can in the dairy section)
Cocoa powder, for garnishing

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice the tops of the berries off just below the stem. Cut the tips off (about 1/4-inch), so that the berries will sit upright. Next, use a small spoon or a melon ball scoop to hollow out the strawberries, working from their tops, in order to create a cavity in each one. Stuff some chocolate into the cavity of each strawberry and place them upright in a baking dish. Lightly sprinkle the berries with sugar, if using. Roast the berries until soft and the chocolate is melted, about 10 to 12 minutes.

To serve, place 3 strawberries on a dessert plate in a triangle. If the berries have given off liquid in the baking dish, spoon it over them. Spray a small mound of cream in the center of the berries, and top each berry with a rosette of cream. Sift a little cocoa powder over the plate, and serve!

#76: Crispy Pineapples, Apples and Apricots

"real fruit, real taste, nothing else!"
I went digging for a midnight snack last night. I wanted something somewhat light so I tried the Crispy Apricots I received earlier that day from Crispy Green. My package from them included the 6-pack of Crispy Apricots and 6-pack of Crispy Pineapples that I ordered. It also included one package of the Crispy Apples that they provided as a free sample (unlike Kate at Kate in the Kitchen who received 2 free samples!). These Fruit Chips are really dehydrated fruit. I found them because they were listed as #76 on Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try.

My first taste of the Crispy Apricots was a bit disappointing. The natural apricot flavor is there for sure, but I felt a bit tricked when eating these. They are crispy and LOVE crunchy snacks but there is no follow through. The fruit disintegrates on your tongue and I finished them feeling unsatisfied.

This morning I tried the Crispy Pineapples and I like them 10x better. They are somehow more fulfilling than the apricot. And pineapple is one of my favorite fruits. I became more excited about this product because the Crispy Pineapples are definitely something I would bring to work as a snack when I'm in a "healthy eating" mood. And since I am attempting to taste everything on Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try, I tried the Crispy Apples next.

I really enjoyed the Crispy Apples. I think they are my favorite of the three I tried. They somehow keep the apple consistency after you chew them and they do not disintegrate as easily as the apricots. It may be that I am more familiar with apple being "crispy" because there are so many other apple flavored products out there.

Overall, I think these would be really good for someone who likes to bike or hike or camp alot. They are very tasty and would be a really great snack to throw in your backpack. They are as healthy as fresh fruit because all the nutritional value is retained in the freeze-drying process. I suppose anyone on the go alot would appreciate these, I however would rather have a granola bar or something else as a snack.

note* Each package of crispy fruit is 1 Weight Watchers point. Actually, you can have two packages and it still counts as only 1 point.

Exploring the Papaya

I bought some papaya when I was at the store the other day. I have had papaya before at restaurants and I think there is some in the Dole fruit cups that I like to eat. But I have never handled one before.

Thankfully, it came packaged already cut in half. But I didn't know how to eat it. Sometimes I feel like such an idiot when I don't know how to eat a certain food. But in my dorky way I also think it is fun to figure out. There are these black seeds in the middle. I tasted one and it was soft and reminded me of a pomegranate. But it didn't taste very good so I gave them as a treat to my parrot. He hasn't touched them yet.

There is also a soft skin on the fruit. Is this edible? I wasn't sure. So I just sliced it up and ate the fruit out of it, kind of how you would eat the inside out of a sliced orange. It was then I decided to check online and I found out that you are supposed to cut away the skin. The parrot got the leftover skin as well, and that he loves.

I found a clip of The Hippy Gourmet slicing up mangoes and papayas to make salsa. He shows you just how to prepare the fruit.

Rachael Ray's kick start kiwi smoothie

This morning I made a Kick Start Kiwi Smoothie. I found the recipe in the December/January 2007 issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine.

What a exhilarating drink! The little bit of lime juice and the tart sweetness of the kiwi fruit yields a very refreshing taste. It is quite light but also fulfilling. Drinking this is a great way to start the day.

note* each serving is only 2 Weight Watchers points.

Kick Start Kiwi Smoothie 4 kiwi, peeled and thinly sliced 1 tsp fresh lime juice 1 banana 1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt 2 Tbsp honey 10 cubes ice cube(s)

Instructions
In a blender, combine all ingredients except for 2 kiwi slices. Server in tall glasses and garnish each with a kiwi slice.