Moosewood Apple Krisp

A Mollie Katzen Recipe. What makes this stand apart is that it's not too sweet, and it's loaded with oats and nuts. The original recipe calls for walnuts and sunflower seeds, but I always use all walnuts because I like the flavor and texture better.



Ingredients

8-10 medium cooking apples
juice of 1 lemon
2 cups raw oats
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup orange juice

Instructions

1) Peel, pare & slice the apples. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice. Spread half of them into a large, oblong pan.
2) Melt the butter & honey together. Combine with oats, flour, nuts, seeds, salt & spices.
3) Spread this mixture onto apples in pan. Cover with the remaining apples and the rest of the topping. Pour O.J. over the top.
4) Bake 40-45 minutes, uncovered at 375. Cover if it crisps too quickly.

Curried Skillet Cauliflower with Cilantro

From America's Test Kitchen. This is a really good side dish for just about anything.

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower (~2 pounds)
1.5 T olive oil
1/2 onion, sliced thin
1 t curry powder
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/4 c yogurt
1/4 c water
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1 T fresh lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1) Cut cauliflower into 1" florets. Heat oil in 12" skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add cauliflower and cook until it just begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the onion and continue to cook until the florets begin to brown and the onion softens, about 5 minutes.
2) Stir in the curry powder and pepper flakes. Cook until the spices become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the yogurt and water. Cover and cook until the flavors blend and the cauliflowe ris completely tender, about 6 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the cilantro and lime juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Persian Split Pea and Barley Stew

From Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites. I substitute sweet potato for regular potato in this recipe.



Ingredients

1/2 cup raw barley
1 bay leaf
1 large garlic clove
4 cups water
1 cup dried split yellow peas
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup coarsley chopped onion
1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 cups sweet potatoes, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 pinch cayenne
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons currants
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1) In a medium saucepan, bring the barley, bay leaf, garlic and 2 cups of water to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
2) Add the split peas, cardamom, cinnamon and the remaining water and simmer, covered for another 45 minutes, or until the barley and split peas are soft and most of the liquid has absorbed.
3) Stir occasionally and, if necessary, add a small amount of additional water to prevent the mixture from sticking.
4) While the barley and split peas are cooking, place the onions, carrots, potatoes, salt, cayenne, and stock in a large saucepan.
5) Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes and continue to simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
6) Add the cooked barley and split peas. Stir in the parsley, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Discard the bay leaf.

Pasta with Creamy Spinach Walnut Sauce

From Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites. I used regular cottage cheese and a bit more basil, and it tasted really good. You can store the sauce in the fridge for a while and make the pasta in batches to suit your tastes.



Ingredients

10oz fresh spinach (washed)
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (or more) fresh basil
1/4 tsp salt
ground black pepper to taste
1 lb pasta

Instructions

1) Bring a large covered pot of water to a boil.
2) Wash and steam spinach - cover and cook the spinach on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, until wilted but still bright green. The water on the spinach leaves should be enough, but if it looks like it's burning, you can throw a little water.
3) In a food processor or blender, combine the spinach, walnuts, cottage cheese, garlic, Parmesan, and basil, and puree until smooth, working in batches if necessary. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
4) When the water boils, stir in the pasta, cover and return to a boil. Then uncover the pot and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce.

The recipe recommends eating this with steam broccoli.

White Chocolate Muffins

I made basic muffins the other day with white chocolate chunks in them. I didn't put any raspberry in them because I wanted pure, unadulterated, white chocolate bliss. They were pretty similar to the blueberry muffins just lest tangy and a bit finer of a crumb. Again, it made about 18 muffins. And I used the "quick" method of melting the butter rather than creaming it. Also, this muffin recipe can easily be adapted to include other ingredients, just play with the sugar depending on what you add and how sweet you want the muffins.

Ingredients

3 c all-purpose flour

1 T baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t table salt

10 T unsalted butter, melted

1c sugar

2 large eggs

1.5 c plain low-fat yogurt

Vegetable cooking spray or additional unsalted butter for muffin tins

Instructions

1) Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 375F. Spray twelve-cup muffin tin with vegetable cooking spray or coat lightly with butter (or use muffin cups).

2) Mix sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl; set aside.

3) Mix butter and eggs until frothy, then combine with yogurt.

4) To mix batter, alternate between dry and wet ingredients, in 2-3 batches. (i.e. Combine 1/3 dry ingredients with 1/3 wet ingredients, mix lightly, then repeat 2 times.)

5) Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake until muffins are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Set on wire rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove muffins from tin and serve warm.

Tamale Pie

A delicious, healthy recipe adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites. What could be better than getting corn, cheese, and vegetables all in the same plate?

The original recipe calls for (optional) cheddar cheese sprinkled on the bottom of the casserole dish, but I opted to mix parmesian into the cornbread topping because I love strong-flavored cheese. I think it made the topping a little more dense (i.e. it didn't rise as well), but it was still delicious, so you can go either way.



Ingredients

Veggies

1 T olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 T ground cumin
2 t ground coriander
1 t dried oregano
cayenne pepper to taste
1-2 T water
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
1 cup diced red/green bell peppers
1 cup diced zucchini
2 cups canned diced tomatoes (15oz can, undrained)
1.5 cups cooked beans (15oz can, drained)

Cornbread topping

3/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup grated parmesan
1 T flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 T olive oil

Instructions

1) Warm olive oil in pan, add onions and garlic, cover, and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
2) Add the cumin, coriander, oregano, enough water to prevent sticking, and the carrots. cover and cook 5 minutes.
3) Add the bell peppers, zucchini, and cayenne pepper. cover and cooke another 5 minutes.
4) Stir in the tomatoes and beans, cover, and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
5) Remove from heat and salt/pepper to taste.
6) Preheat oven to 400F.
7) In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, parmesian cheese, baking powder, and baking soda. in a separate bowl, mix together the egg, buttermilk, and oil. gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring until just mixed.
8) Prepare casserole dish with cooking spray or a light coating of oil. spread the vegetable-bean mixture in the bottom of the dish.
9) Pour the batter directly on top of the vegetable-bean mixture, pressing it down a little with a spatula. bake 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden and a knife inserted into the topping comes out clean.

Garnish with minced scallions, chopped cilantro, and sour cream.