Thursday, October 27, 2011

Hot and Salty Pumpkin Seeds Recipe



Yay!  Another pumpkin seed recipe.  I still had a bunch of pumpkin seeds to do something with after my sister came to visit for the week and we decided to carve pumpkins!  These pumpkins are simple, but perfect if you are craving a healthy alternative to something salty.  

3 Cups of Pumpkin Seeds, washed 
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon (or more to taste) of season all salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Several dashes of hot sauce (I used Texas Pete)

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Take a spoon and scrape out the pumpkin seeds into a bowl.  Separate the seeds from the stringy pumpkin innards. Rinse seeds in a colander.  Place pumpkin seeds back into a bowl. 

2.  Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the seeds.  Add the above ingredients to the bowl and then toss until everything is evenly distributed. 

3.  Add wax paper to your cookie sheet and then spread the seeds out on the pan in an even layer.  Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring once every 15 minutes so the seeds do not stick.  

Spaghetti Squash with Italian Sweet Sausage, Fresh Tomatoes and Mushrooms Ragout Recipe



Oh man do I ever have a new obsession this fall with spaghetti squash.  This dish is wholesome, packed with lots of fresh ingredients including tomatoes, mushrooms and of course the bulk of it squash!  It's filled with earthy aromas of rosemary and chilies, yet guided by a sweet and acidity.  Shave off about an hour of your time by cooking the squash in the microwave.  You know I am down for anything that requires the majority of the cooking in the microwave.   For a vegetarian dish ditch the sausage and enjoy!  

1 spaghetti squash, cleaned and halved lengthwise
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, roughly minced
2 links of Italian sweet sausage
1 very large tomato, diced
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 pinch of crushed rosemary
1 pinch of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1/4 teaspoon of chili pepper flakes
4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1 tablespoons brown sugar
5-8 leaves of basil shredded
1/4 cup of romano cheese (optional)

1.  Place 1/4 inch of water in a microwave safe dish and place squash in the dish, with cut sides down in the dish.   Cover with plastic wrap and then microwave on high for 13-15 minutes.

2.  While the squash is cooking,  heat a skillet.  Add the extra virgin olive oil, garlic and sausage for about 3-5 minutes under medium heat.  Now add the tomatoes, mushrooms, rosemary, nutmeg, chili powder, chili pepper flakes and cook for about 10 minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken.  Now add the remaining ingredients and cook for another 5 minutes.  Take the sausage out on a cutting board and slice thinly, add the meat back to the pan and stir.

3.  In a large bowl shred the squash  and then add about 1/2 cup of the water that the squash was cooked in stir carefully.  Add sausage and tomato mixture on top of the squash.  Top with additional romano cheese.    

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Sweet and Smoky Pumpkin Seeds Recipe



Halloween is less than a week away and that means it's time to start carving pumpkins.  So bust out those cookie pans because it's time to roast some pumpkin seeds!  These seeds are my absolute favorite, they are sweet and smoky and ohhhhh so yummy.  Seriously I am addicted!  Oh, and learn from my mistakes and actually use the wax paper, if not have fun cleaning baked on brown sugar.  

3 Cups of Pumpkin Seeds, washed 
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of brown sugar ( I used Splenda Brown Sugar)
2 teaspoons of chili powder
1 pinch of nutmeg
Wax paper

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Take a spoon and scrape out the pumpkin seeds into a bowl.  Separate the seeds from the stringy pumpkin innards. Rinse seeds in a colander.  Place pumpkin seeds back into a bowl. 

2.  Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the seeds.  Add the above ingredients to the bowl and then toss until everything is evenly distributed. 

3.  Add wax paper to your cookie sheet and then spread the seeds out on the pan in an even layer.  Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring once every 15 minutes so the seeds do not stick.  

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Balsamic Strawberry Preserves Recipe


I went to Whole Foods yesterday and I love their pecan-encrusted tilapia!  It tastes so simple and yummy and the price is very affordable too.  I served the fish with my super easy Balsamic Strawberry Jam Recipe.  I know what you must be thinking, strawberry preserves on fish?  Trust me it's so good!  It's sweet, but slightly acidic from the vinager, which enhances the delicate fish flavor.  It would also be wonderful if paired with chicken or pork chops!

1/4 cup of strawberry preserves
4 strawberries chopped up
1 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

1.  In a small bowl combine the above ingredients.  Whisk until well combined.  Serve with chicken, fish or pork chops.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with New York State Maple Syrup and Rosemary Recipe



I had some free time before I had a freelance photography event I had to cover so I thought hey, why don't I head to my favorite produce stand up the road!  I bought a whole case of yams for only 3 bucks.  I really don't know what I am going to do with all these sweet potatoes, so if you are curious why the next few weeks there are so many yam recipes on here, it now should make sense.  Once starting to bake, the syrup starts to caramelize, which further enhances the sweet, earthy flavor of the roasted veggies and intensifies the rosemary.  Am I painting an aromatic dining experience yet?   

5 large sweet potatoes, cubed
2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary
Salt and Ground Pepper to Taste

1.  Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Spread the sweet potatoes in an even layer on a baking sheet.  Drizzle olive oil and maple syrup on top.  Sprinkle the dried rosemary.  Mix so that everything is incorporated.  

2.  Place into the oven for about 30 minutes or until tender.  

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes Recipe


Key Lime Cheesecake is one of my all time favorite desserts and hits the spot really anytime!  Imagine deliciously tart and sweet and yummy all rolled out into one cute little cheesecake!  I usually make this recipe using a springform pan (so that is always an option just bake for about 50-60 minutes instead), but I thought they would be cute to bring to a BBQ individually sized. I actually made two batches of this recipe this weekend- one using sugar and the other using Splenda (same measurements).  So anyone who is diabetic, this will surely hit their sweet tooth! It makes a total of 12 tarts.

Crust
1 1/4 cup of graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 dash of cinnamon 

Filling
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup of sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons of flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup of key lime juice
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 drop of green food coloring

Whipped Cream For The Topping


1.  Mix the graham cracker crumbs and sugar with the melted butter.  Grease a cupcake tin.  Scoop a little bit out of the graham cracker mixture and then press onto the bottom.  Bake at 375 degrees for 3 minutes.  Allow this to cool while preparing your filling. 

2.  Set your oven down to 325 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour until it is fully smooth.  Add your wet ingredients next including the eggs, juice, vanilla and food coloring (seriously only one drop guys 2 honestly puts it over the top.)  Stir until mixed (be careful not to over beat your batter). 

3.  Scoop mixture into the individually sized tins.  There will be enough to make 12.  Pop in your oven for 20 minutes and then allow the cheesecakes to cool.  Run a knife around the edges to allow it to loosen.  Allow the cheesecakes to cool for over an hour and then place in the fridge over night or for several hours.  Top with whip cream and enjoy!

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