Easy Salad Using Winter Fruit

This salad is so simple and it is great with a heavy entree.  Simply wash and dry however much ARUGULA you want to use.  Then core and thinly slice a PEAR or GREEN APPLE. If you are going to wait to use the fruit, in a large bowl fill with ice water and a tablespoon or so of lemon juice.  Let sit for 7 minutes and then drain and pat dry.  Place fruit in a plastic bag with a paper towel in it.   When ready to use, toss with arugula.  Then at the last minute toss with the vinaigrette recipe.  You could even add some crumbles of goat cheese or blue cheese.  I did find a great lemon/cracked pepper vinaigrette at Whole Foods. It certainly made this salad VERY easy...

ingredients

• 2 to 3 large garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon or basil (optional)

• preparation

  Mince garlic, then mash to a paste with 3/4 teaspoon salt.
  Whisk together garlic paste, pepper, lemon zest and juice, vinegar, and mustard, then whisk in oil until emulsified.
  Whisk in herb, if using.

Tarragon Roasted Halibut

Looking for a fish lite dish to cut through all of the party food?  Looking for a dish to stay trim and fit?  Then this is a dish for you.  And on top of that, it's simple.  

If using skin-on hazelnuts, rub them inside a clean kitchen towel after they've been toasted—the skins will slip right off. Serve the fish with a lightly dressed butter lettuce and herb salad.

photo by Christopher Baker

Serves 6-8

ingredients

• 1/2 cup blanched hazelnuts
• 1 large bunch fresh tarragon
• 1 3-3 1/2-pounds skinless halibut fillet (halved lengthwise if very wide)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• Lemon halves

preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, stirring occasionally, until golden, 8-10 minutes. Coarsely chop; set aside.

Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Scatter tarragon sprigs on a large rimmed baking sheet. Place halibut on top, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until halibut is just opaque in the center, 20-30 minutes, depending on thickness of fish.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until butter foams, then browns (don't let it burn), about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let brown butter cool slightly. Stir in lemon juice, hazelnuts, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper.

New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp

I know.  Americans don't like to eat shrimp with the heads and tails on.  But it makes for a more flavorful dish.  Just have plenty of paper towels, bowls and lemon water to wash the digits...
Serves 4

photo by Linda Pulgiese, food styling by Chelsea Zimmer

ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• 1 pound jumbo Louisiana shrimp, peeled, leaving heads and tails on
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Crystal hot sauce
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 cup Abita or other amber beer
• 1 teaspoon minced rosemary leaves
• 1 loaf French bread, thickly sliced on the diagonal and warmed

preparation

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the garlic until lightly browned and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for 1 minute on each side. Increase the heat to high and add the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, lemon juice, Creole seasoning, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes, then remove the shrimp from skillet.

Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

There is almost nothing better than steak, mushrooms and red wine.  And pair that with some great roasted vegetable, and you've got a great meal.

Serves 6

photo by Con Poulos

• 6 skirt steaks, 4 ounces each
• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 pound French or regular carrots
• 1/4 pound baby summer squash, halved
• 1/4 pound pearl onions, peeled and halved
• 1/4 pound brussels sprouts, halved
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms
• 4 ounces portobello mushrooms
• 4 ounces button mushrooms

• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1/3 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
• 24 ounces low-sodium beef broth
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 ounces tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

preparation

Season steaks with salt and black pepper. On a grill pan coated with cooking spray, cook steaks over medium-high heat, turning once, until pink inside, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from heat and cover with foil. In a bowl, toss carrots, squash, pearl onions and sprouts in 1/2 tablespoon oil. Over medium heat, in batches and turning once, cook until soft and seared, 6 minutes. In a large pan over medium heat, heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Slice mushrooms; to pan, add mushrooms, white onion and garlic; cook until onion browns, 5 to 7 minutes. Add wine and simmer 3 to 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. In a bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 1 tablespoon cold water. Reduce heat and slowly add cornstarch mixture to broth mixture, stirring constantly, until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add tomato paste, Italian seasoning and salt and black pepper; simmer 7 to 10 minutes. Slice steak, top with mushroom sauce; serve alongside vegetables.

Per serving: 369 calories, 19 g fat (6 g saturated), 20 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 30 g protein

Five Spice Fall Fruit Salad

This is great for a winter brunch.  Always need some balance to that bacon and eggs dish...

Serves 6-8

photo by Tara Donne, food styling by Diana Yen

ingredients

• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 1 1-inch piece ginger, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 5 black plums, pitted and sliced
• 5 red plums, pitted and sliced
• 8 figs

preparation

Place 3/4 cup water in a medium saucepan. Add the honey, vanilla bean pod with seeds, ginger, and five-spice powder. Bring to a boil and stir until honey dissolves. Set aside to cool completely, and stir in lemon juice. Discard ginger and vanilla bean pod.

In a large bowl, pour cooled syrup over the sliced plums. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.

An hour before serving, slice figs in half and gently fold into plum mixture. To serve, use a slotted spoon to ladle fruit into a serving bowl.

do ahead:Syrup can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Sauteed Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

This is a perfect marriage of foods.  You have the sweetness of the potato, the tartness of the apple and mustard, and the juicy goodness of pork chops.  I think I  might even throw in some crisped bacon...

Photo by Jody Horton

Serves 2
ingredients

• 1/2 cup/120 ml apple cider or juice, plus more if needed
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• Salt
• 2 boneless, center-cut loin pork chops, about 3/4 in/2 cm thick
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium sweet potato, about 1/2 lb/225 g, peeled and very thinly sliced
• 1 Braeburn, Gala, or other sweet-tart apple, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard, smooth or whole-grain (see "it's that easy")
• 2 tsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

• preparation

1. Combine the cider, cinnamon and 1/4 tsp salt in a cup. Set aside.

2. Pat the pork chops dry and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.

3. Heat a 12-in/30.5-cm skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the seasoned pork chops to the pan and cook until lightly browned on the first side, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook until browned on the second side, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer the pork chops to a plate. (They will not be cooked through at this point.)

4. Add the sweet potato, apple, shallot, cider mixture, and a grind or two of pepper to the hot pan. Bring it all to a simmer, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low or low—the pan should bubble, but not too aggressively. Cook the potato mixture until a fork easily pierces the partially cooked potato but there is still some resistance, about 10 minutes.

5. Return the pork chops to the pan (along with any juices accumulated on the plate) and nestle them into the potatoes and apples. Cover and cook until the meat is cooked through and the potatoes are tender, about 8 minutes longer. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

6. Transfer the pork chops, potatoes, and apples to two warmed plates. There should be some liquid remaining in the pan to serve as a base for the sauce. (If the potatoes have absorbed all of the liquid, add 2 to 3 tbsp cider to the pan and heat it briefly over medium heat.) Stir the mustard into the pan juices with a fork. Taste the sauce and add more pepper if it needs it.

7. Spoon the sauce over the meat and vegetables, sprinkle the parsley over the top, and serve hot.

Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I love brussels sprouts and I love heat.  So, here's the perfect marriage.

Photo by Erin McDowell

Makes 4-6 side dish servings

Ingredients

1½ pounds brussels sprouts

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup rice-wine vinegar

¼ cup honey

2 tablespoons Sriracha, or more to taste

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Trim the base away from the brussels sprouts and discard. Cut the sprouts in half.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil with the vinegar, honey and Sriracha to combine. Add the brussels sprouts and toss until they are fully coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Spread the brussels sprouts on a baking sheet, cut sides down. Pour any extra olive-oil mixture onto the pan and tilt the pan around to distribute it.

4. Roast until the sprouts are crispy on the outside and golden and caramelized on the cut sides, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Read more: Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts | Recipes - PureWow 

Spiced Sweet Potato Bundt Cake

Looking for something different to bake?  This is addictive.  Even the chocolate sauce:))

ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled, plus more
• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour plus more
• 1 1/2 lb orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into large pieces
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp ground allspice
• 1 tbsp grated nutmeg
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• Chocolate-Chicory Sauce

Special Equipment:

• 12-cup Bundt pan

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour pan.

In a medium pot, cover sweet potatoes with water. Bring to a boil; cook until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Drain.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in a bowl.

Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cooked sweet potatoes and eggs on medium speed until smooth. Add melted butter and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture, and mix just until combined. Remove bowl from mixer and, with a wooden spoon, stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick or skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 40-50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely in pan, about 1 hour. Loosen cake from pan using tip of a dinner knife, then invert a rack over pan and turn cake out onto rack to cool.

Drizzle with chocolate sauce before serving.

cooks' note:Cake can be made 3 days ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

ingredients

• 10 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup brewed chicory coffee, such as Café du Monde brand
• 1 cinnamon stick

preparation

Put chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, combine cream, coffee, and cinnamon stick; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate.

Let stand, undisturbed, for about 2 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick; whisk until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is blended and smooth.

Reprinted from Brown Sugar Kitchen, by Tanya Holland with Jan Newberry, copyright 2014. Published by Chronicle Books.