MMMmonday - Apple & Parsnip Soup - perfect for Fall!

This is one of those soups that has great texture and depth of flavor with only a few ingredients! You can certainly make it with vegetable stock if you prefer and while I think the egg adds something, you can also use milk, cream or alternatives to dairy in its place...

Apple and Parsnip Soup

4 Tbs butter
1 1/2 lb parsnip, scrubbed and coarsely chopped
1/2 lb Macintosh apples, peeled, cored and chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp chopped fresh sage
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 egg yolks, beaten

Directions:
1 Melt the butter, then add the parsnips and apples, tossing in the butter.

2 Cover and cook over low heat 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the
juices start to run.

3 Pour in the stock the rest of the ingredients, except the eggs.

4 Bring to the boil, then simmer gently 30-40 minutes or until parsnips are softened.

5 Puree in a blender or food processor or use an immersion blender, until smooth.

6 Return to the pan and reheat gently.

7 Temper the egg yolks with 2 tbsp of the hot soup, stirring well, then add the eggs to the soup. Do not boil.

Serves 6 to 8.

MMMmonday - Citrus Shrimp Salad

This is an easy, refreshing salad that makes a great statement!

Citrus Shrimp Salad

2 oranges
1 grapefruit
1 ripe avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
1 lb (450 g) cooked shrimp, peeled, deveined if necessary, and coarsely chopped if large
Chopped lettuce for garnish

For the dressing:
1 cup (250 ml) sour cream (or yogurt)
3 Tbs (45 ml) orange and grapefruit juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Peel the oranges and grapefruit and cut out sections over a bowl to collect the juices. Arrange the citrus sections, avocado slices, and shrimp attractively on a bed of chopped lettuce.
Whisk together the dressing ingredients using the juice collected from sectioning the fruit and drizzle over the salad.
Serves 4 to 6.

Alternative idea: If you chop everything a little more finely you can also make yummy citrus shrimp lettuce wraps - just combine the ingredients and place a heaping tablespoon full on a large lettuce leaf and roll! You can drizzle a little extra dressing over the rolls if you desire

Other alternatives: Although it is citrus flavored, I've also added blueberries and strawberries in season.  If you want some crunch and a little extra kick I've also added diced bell peppers.

MMMmonday - Summer Fruit Chilled Soup

I went to lunch with a fabulous person that I connected with at Reviewer's Retreat today, and our conversation got me thinking about summer soup... and while it isn't terribly hot here in Charlotte, I started dreaming about chilled soup, so I thought I'd share this fabulous recipe with you! The most important ingredient of this soup is the the fruit. Use only perfectly ripe fruit, and substitute any fruits that are less than perfect.

Summer Fruit Chilled Soup

Saturday Brunch: Orange French Toast

I got inspired by how much response I got to my 25 Days of Cookies recipes, so I am going to try adding more yummy treats to the blog a few times a week.  Today I thought I'd share a different, but amazing take on French Toast - and I love that it's a make ahead recipe - perfect for a brunch party or just because... I also love that it's just a little bit unexpected...

Orange French Toast (Serves 4 to 6.)

MMMmonday - Leftover Turkey Lettucew Wraps with Cranberry Vinaigrette

One of the things I love most about the holidays is leftovers! And this is a fabulous way to make use of your leftover cranberry sauce and leftover turkey!

Turkey Salad Wraps with cranberry vinaigrette

25 Days of Cookies Day 25 - Pineapple Cookies

These may not seem like a typical Christmas cookie - and they're not - but they are what my hubby requested, and I figure that you're all baked out anyway, what with it being Christmas Day and all... so here's another yummy cookie recipe!

Pineapple Cookies

MMMmonday - Grilled Tomato-Peach Pizza

I found this recipe in Southern Living and knew that I had to try it out!  I would never have thought of putting this combination together, but I have to say that Grilled Tomato-Peach Pizza is fabulous!

MMMmonday - Peach Stuffed French Toast

Just as I was leaving South Carolina, the local peaches were popping up in stores... and it reminded me of this recipe that I got from Taste of Home.  It's a great make ahead stuffed french toast recipe that I play around with... I've also used cinnamon raisin bread instead of french bread, substituted other fruit (strawberries, nectarines, blueberries, plums, apricots)  for the peaches.

MMMmonday - Fresh Fruit in Honey Sauce

I love this time of the year, when I can get great fresh local fruit, so I like to take advantage of it and make simple  but yummy desserts, sides and main dishes!  I haven't done a MMMmonday theme month in a while, so I think I'm going to do a month of cooking and baking with fruit!


Fresh Fruit in Honey Sauce (from Chef Joe at wwrecipes.com)

MMMmonday - Mango & Goat Cheese Sandwiches

This may sound a little strange, but I have to tell you that this is absolutely yummy - I use a good chevre cheese, but any goat cheese will work... This sandwich is great as an appetizer, cut into small pieces to be served with cocktails, or as a nutritional and unusual
breakfast treat. Fresh peaches may also be used instead of mango.  


I honestly can't for the life of me remember where this recipe came from, but wherever it was, I'm glad I found it!

MMMmonday - Scalloped Pineapple

I was skeptical when a friend introduced me to this dish, but I have to say that it totally works and if you are looking for a new family favorite for Easter, this might just be it:

MMMmonday - Winter Fruit Salad

I had this salad at my P.E.O. ladies group meeting earlier this month and absolutely everyone asked the lady who brought it for the recipe!  Since some of you are still experiencing winter like conditions and had to file away my Hot Berries and Cream, I present this Winter Fruit Salad:

MMMmonday - Hot Berries and Cream

Living in the South has some advantages, especially at this time of year when Florida strawberries are flooding our grocery stores, which means great sales...


I was looking for a simple, fairly quick way to showcase this year's berries, and Joe, the Chef at WWRecipes came to my rescue the other day with this yummy treat!  Easy, quick and made from ingredients I usually have on hand...


Hot Berries and Cream

1 cup (25 ml) sour cream
1 Tbs (15 ml) sugar
The grated zest of 1 lime
1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground cinnamon
1 pint (500 ml) fresh whole blueberries, blackberries,
raspberries, or halved strawberries
1/2 cup (125 ml) brown sugar

Stir together the sour cream, sugar, lime zest, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. 
Gently fold in the berries and transfer to a shallow baking dish or gratin dish. 
Sprinkle with the brown sugar and place under a preheated broiler. 
Broil until the brown sugar melts, 2 to 3 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.




What's your favorite way to showcase berries?  Leave a comment or link up your favorite berry recipe (or any other you like) to this month's linky:

MMMmonday - Caribbean Chicken Salad and recipe linky

Robyn cooked dinner tonight - her favorite thing to do is to head to Publix and check out their Apron's Simple Meals area and pick something to make for dinner...


Tonight's meal was Caribbean Chicken Salad and it was yummy, so I'm going to share the recipe and our changes in red:


Ingredients

3–4 Deli chicken tenders (.75 lb) - we used 1/2 a dozen frozen chicken strips
1 mango
Juice of 1 lime - we used realime (a cop out I know, but the limes looked terrible today)
1 head Bibb (or iceberg) lettuce - skipped this and just used bowls
3 tablespoons mango chutney
2 tablespoons peach preserves
3 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt - used a sm container of plain yogurt and omitted mayo
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1 (12-oz) bag broccoli slaw
1/2 cup golden raisins - we used plain dark raisins 
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds - we omitted because we forgot to get them

Prep

• Cut chicken tenders into thin slices.
• Peel and slice mango (1 1/2 cups).
• Squeeze lime for juice (1 tablespoon).
• Remove lettuce core; separate individual leaves.

Steps

1. Prepare dressing in medium bowl by whisking chutney, preserves, and lime juice until smooth. Stir in yogurt and mayonnaise until blended.
2. Add slaw, chicken, mango, and raisins; toss to coat.
3. Arrange lettuce leaves on serving plates and top with salad; sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Serve.

CALORIES (per 1/4 recipe) 470kcal; FAT 14g; CHOL 60mg; SODIUM 700mg; CARB 61g; FIBER 6g; PROTEIN 27g; VIT A 90%; VIT C 150%; CALC 10%; IRON 10%

This was really yummy and a great, quick meal - the hardest thing was chopping the mango!  If you actually bought pre-made chicken tenders you'd be done in no time flat..

Next time, I would probably just grill chicken breasts and cube them instead of adding breaded tenders.

Here's the last chance to add to this month's recipe linky!  I can't believe it's going to be March already!

MMMmonday - Simple Treats Cookbook Review, a Recipe and Linky!

As many of you know, Liam is on a gluten-free diet for his autism, and we've seen good results and a correlation between removing the gluten and a decrease in his stimming behaviours, so we continue with the discipline... the hardest thing to keep a child away from is sweets, so when I found out about a cookbook called Simple Treats: A Wheat-Free, Dairy-Free Guide to Scrumptious Baked Goods by Ellen Abraham, I was truly excited!

As I waited for the book to arrive, I wondered how the author would balance the flours and replace the gluten to get the 'scrumptious' baked goods.  I found out quickly when I scanned the book - in this case wheat-free doesn't mean gluten free... Ms. Abraham has found out that the secret to baking without wheat is to find another grain with gluten in it... in this case, barley.

Barley is a wonderful old grain, which is invaluable to people who are allergic to wheat, but not gluten-free...

Still, the idea of baking wheat and dairy-free gave me hope to tweak the recipes to make them gluten free... so I set out to experiment...

So far, I've had good experience with building on a few of her recipes and Liam has been a super willing guinea pig ;) The book is divided into sections - Muffins and Breads, Cookies, Cakes and Cremes, Frostings and Glazes.  If you are looking for fabulous vegan alternatives to baking, you will definitely be happy with this book - as will anyone who has a straight 'wheat' allergy.  The recipes are also simple to tweak if you are looking to bump the recipe into the gluten free zone - with the addition of either a mixed purpose gf flour or a blend of rice flour and tapioca with xantham gum.

One of the best recipes that I've found is the Baked Apple-Cranberry Crisp because it combines all of the yummy-ness of Fall with the fruit that I battle to keep in his diet, so the recipe from the book is in black with my changes in blue:

Baked Apple-Cranberry Crisp

This simple dessert is warming and delicious- and an amazing way to use up fruit that might be a little past its prime.  Everyone always thinks you've worked so hard on this dessert when you present them with this scrumptious bubbling confection. 

Topping:
1/4 cup barley flour  (I used the King Arthur Gluten Free multi purpose flour)
1/2 cup maple sugar, Sucanant or date sugar (I used light brown sugar)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup walnuts
3/4 cup rolled oats
3 tablespoons canola, safflower or sunflower oil

Filling;
4 cups sliced, peeled apples (about 5 apples)
1 cup fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup maple sugar, Sucanat or date sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Dash each of grated nutmeg, ground allspice and salt
Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons arrowroot

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.  Oil a t2 quart baking dish or casserole and set aside.
2. To make the topping, sift the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt into a small bowl; add walnuts and oats.  Mix with a knife or a fork to combine the ingredients well.  Drizzle in the oil while stirring with a knife; stir until all of the oil is mixed in and the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. To make the filling, combine the apples, cranberries, juice, sugar, spices and arrowroot and toss until everything is well coated.  Spread the apple  mixture in the prepared dish and cover with the topping.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350F.  Bake 25 minutes more, until the topping is browned, the filling is bubbly and the apples are soft.

* For a change of taste, try substituting raisins for the cranberries and/or pears for the apples.

I would totally recommend picking up Simple Treats: A Wheat-Free, Dairy-Free Guide to Scrumptious Baked Goods if you are looking to bake yummy vegan desserts!

Now for the linky - please share your favorite recipes here:  This is a monthly linky so please keep adding  yummy new treats and feel free to click on the ones that interest you most!

MMMmonday - Melon Salsa and a link up!

This sounded too good not to try when I read it in the local newspaper - the Post and Courier



Melon Salsa

Yield: About 2 1/4 cups

Ingredients

3/4 cup diced honeydew melon

3/4 cup diced cantaloupe

3/4 cup diced watermelon

1 1/2 teaspoons minced serrano chile, with seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh mint

1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Directions

Thoroughly combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.

Serve with shrimp or chicken.

Per ( 1/4-cup) serving: 15 calories; no fat; no saturated fat; no cholesterol; no protein; 4g carbohydrates; 3.5g sugar; no fiber; 5mg sodium; 4mg calcium.

-- Adapted from "The Great Salsa Book," by Mark Miller (Ten Speed Press, 1994)

Heather's notes: If you want to mitigate some of the heat, you can substitute a pepper with less heat, or eliminate the seeds of the Serrano... being pregnant, I wanted to make a milder salsa so I substituted jalapeño pepper and still got a mild kick...  If you're not sure where your peppers rank in heat, check out this site

Link up a favorite recipe to share here and check out what everyone has been cooking!

I'm also hooking up with some other great linky's today:








 The  last book I read and reviewed was A Chance to Say Yes by Tina Murray

1. What is your favorite dessert?


Butter Pecan Ice cream

2. What do you wear to bed?
Usually shorts and a t-shirt or pj pants and a t-shirt

3. Do you get regular manicures/pedicures?
no

4. Did you play any sports in high school?
I played volleyball and soccer and swam, but not particularly well

5. Do you have an iPod?
my hubby does, and I borrow it occasionally, but I rarely have a need to use it