Pear Pie with Gruyere

Just in time for the holidays a recipe that combines my favorite things - fancy cheese and fresh fruit.

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
2-3 tsp of cinnamon
2 tbsp flour or cornstarch (to thicken filling)
7-8 ripe pears, peeled and cored
juice from 1 lemon
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts (these are usually near the tubes of cookie dough at the grocery store)
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and core your pears. I use a potato peeler and then slice the pears and remove the core. Maybe one day I will get one of those fancy fruit corers. I think Bartlett (aka Williams) pears work pest for this pie, even though Bosc pears are my favorite variety for snacking. Cut the pears into 1-2 inch pieces and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Combine the dry ingredients and add them to the pears. Mix thoroughly. I have found that there is no such thing as too much cinnamon. To be honest, I never even measure it out. I just shake it on until I think there's enough.

Put one of the pie crusts into a 9-inch deep pie dish. Cut the extra dough off the edges. Normally, I would recommend making your own pie crust, but with apple or pear pie there is already so much prep work involved. Premade crusts significantly cut down on the prep time.

Pour the pear mixture into the dish, making sure to pile the pears higher in the center. Place the butter pieces on the pears and then cover with your second pie crust. Press the crust edges together and cut off the extra dough. You can use a fork (or other utensil) to decorate the edges of the dough. Cut a few slits in the top crust to vent the pie. I usually make five slits radiating from the center.

Sprinkle the grated Gruyere on top of the pie. Cover the pie very loosely with foil, place it on a baking sheet and bake it for 55-60 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes - just enough to turn the top crust golden brown.

Let it cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. It is excellent with vanilla ice cream. If you don't like Gruyere you can also use Edam or Swiss cheese. If you don't like cheese (how is that even possible) brush the top crust with milk and sprinkle white sugar on top of the pie before baking.

Vegetarian Lentil "Meat"loaf

1 1/2 cups French green lentils
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup cooked brown rice*
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup flax meal
2/3 cup egg whites
1 (6.5 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt to taste

Measure the lentils into a saucepan and fill with enough water to cover them by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 45 minutes. (Or prepare as directed on packaging) Check occasionally and add more water if needed. Drain and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the onion, carrot, bell pepper and wheat germ. Pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl. Put the lentils into the food processor and process into a paste. Add any additional flavoring to the lentil paste -i.e. mustard, worstshire sauce, teriyaki, etc.

Spoon the lentils into the bowl with the vegetables and mix in the rice, bread crumbs, flax seed, egg whites, tomato sauce and olive oil. Season with desired spices. I use Cavender's Greek seasoning. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan.

Cover with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes in the preheated oven, until heated through. Remove foil and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes until browned on the top. If you enjoy meatloaf with tomato paste, ketchup, or cheese on top you can add it here. Cool slightly before slicing and serving.

*I didn't feel the rice was necessary, so if you don't have it on hand or just don't feel like making rice you could probably leave it out.

Braised Kidney Beans & Sweet Potato

1 medium onion, chopped
4 medium cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1 medium carrot, sliced thin
1 medium green bell pepper, cut in 1 inch squares
2 cups sweet potatoes, cut in 1 inch cubes
2 cups crimini (or baby bella) mushrooms, sliced medium thick
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups vegetable broth
15 oz can kidney beans, drained
salt & black pepper to taste

Prepare first 6 ingredients by chopping and slicing. Saute' onion in broth over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add garlic, ginger, carrot, pepper, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms. Continue to sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add spices and mix thoroughly.

Mix tomato paste and broth together and add. Cover and simmer on low for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

Add beans, salt, pepper, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat uncovered, or until vegetables are tender.

This has a very Indian taste, but does not have any curry in it. We ate it over baked chicken, but it could be a side dish or served over rice.

Tofu Spinach Lasagna

1 package of whole wheat or rice lasagna noodles (usually about 13 - 16 ounces)
1-2 jars of your favorite marinara sauce (we like Newman's tomato basil)
1 small container of ricotta cheese (we use skim, but you can use whatever type you like)
1 8-10 ounce package of firm tofu
1 bag of fresh spinach
parmesean, romano, and mozzarella cheese - as much or as little as you like
whatever veggies you like - we like zucchini and onions
sliced mushrooms, to add to the sauce
whatever herbs and/or spices you like in Italian food - I use minced garlic, oregano, and parsley.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

First, take the tofu out of the package and set it aside to drain. I usually cut it into slices and lay them between two towels.

Next, cook your noodles according to the package directions. While you are waiting for water to boil or pasta to cook saute as many mushrooms as you want. Once the mushrooms are sauteed add them into the sauce and set it aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and the tofu and mix them together. Add the herbs and spices to the ricotta-tofu mixture and set it aside.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the spinach to the water and let it boil for 1 minute. Drain the spinach and spead it out on a towel to drain the excess water.

In a 9x13 glass casserole dish layer all your ingredients. It works best if you start with a thin layer of sauce, then noodles, the ricotta-tofu mixture, spinach, veggies, mixed cheese, and then sauce. Build your layers until you fill the dish or run out of ingredients. You want to make sure that you end with a layer of noodles and then sauce and cheese on top. Bake for about 20-30 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes after you take it out of the oven.

You can adjust this recipe to suit your tastes. We like a lot of sauce and veggies so I tend to make those layers pretty thick. This also freezes really well.

Apple (or any fruit) Cobbler

Apples or peaches are probably the most labor intensive fruit options. Originaly, I made this as blueberry cobbler when blueberries were in season and cheap. Now it's apple time, so apples it is. I like to mix Granny Smith apples and another, milder red apple. I'm partial to Gala apples.

4 cups of apples (or your choice of fruit), peeled and diced
1-2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp baking powder
6 tbsp butter, melted
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Spread the apples on the bottom of a glass baking dish (preferably 10x16 or close to that size). Sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and egg with a fork. It should be crumbly. Spread this mixture evenly over the apples. Drizzle the melted butter on top. Sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar on top.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. Best with vanilla ice cream.

Turkey and Black Bean Chili

In honor of the fabulous cool weather we are having here is a great (and super easy) recipe for turkey chili that freezes well, too!

1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 lbs ground turkey breast*
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, undrained
1 (15 ounce) can dark red kidney beans
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

*tofu crumbles or gardenburger crumbles can be substituted instead of turkey

In a large heavy pot over medium heat cook onion and garlic until onions are translucent. Add turkey breast and cook, stirring, until meat is brown. Stir in beans, tomatoes, chili powder, oregano, basil and vinegar. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for at least 60 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover, and let cool for about 15 minutes before eating.

This is so yummy. Plus, it's a great way to get lots of protein, soluable fiber, and vitamins. As you can tell from the ingredients it is not spicy at all as written, since we don't like spicy food. Feel free to add your favorite type of mouth burning seasoning.

Authentic Fish Tacos

+/- 1 lb of flaky white fish with skin still on one side, we used haddock last night
1 small red onion
1 small can of chopped green chilis (in the ethnic aisle by the taco shells)
white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
a few limes
1 small container of sour cream
1 small head of green cabbage
cumin
chili powder
course salt
fresh cilantro
oregano
olive oil
soft taco shells

First, mix about 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp chili powder, and 1 tbsp oregano. Then add 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro and a +/- .25 cups of olive oil (enough to make a marinade). Rinse the fish and make several shallow slashes through the skin. Lay the fish in a pan or dish and rub the marinade on both sides. Set the fish back in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Dice up half a small red onion and mix it with a small can of chopped green chilies (drained). Add about 3 tbsp of white wine vinegar, 1 tbsp of sugar, and a sprinkle of course salt. Mix it up, cover it, and put it in the fridge.

Next, mix half a cup of sour cream, juice from half a lime, and a splash of water to make crema (Mexican sour cream sauce). You want this to be thin enough to drizzle over the tacos. Refrigerate until it's time to eat.

Shred half a small head of green cabbage. Put the cabbage in a colander and mix it with a few shakes of course salt. Set the colander aside on a towel or in the sink to drain.

Grill the fish over medium-high heat (make sure to oil the grill surface so the fish doesn't stick). Put the flesh side down first and grill it for 3-5 minutes. Flip it so the skin side is down and grill for another 5-7 minutes. You may need to use two spatulas if you don't have any fancy fish grilling gear (which we don't). Just be careful to keep the fish all in one piece. You can also heat up your taco shells on the outskirts of the grill while you are cooking the fish.

To assemble:Use a fork and flake off some grilled fish onto your tortilla. Add some pickled onion/green chili mixture, shredded cabbage, and crema. We also added some prepared roasted red peppers (they come in a jar in the pickle section of Publix). You could add avocado slices, too. We ate this with corn on the cob. It was soooooo awesome! It would be really great with a tequila-based libation or an ice cold beer.

Awesome Banana Bread

1 stick of butter at room temperature
2 eggs
3 medium to large super ripe bananas
1.5 cups all purpose flour
.5 cup of whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp baking powder
.75 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup total of extras (chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, raisins, etc.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, cream the butter (beat on low for a minute) and then beat in the eggs and bananas. Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients and mix together. Don't over-stir, just mix until dry ingredients are saturated. Mix in vanilla and extras and pour into the greased loaf pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes, just until a toothpick comes out relatively clean and the top is light brown. Let it cool on a rack in the pan for 15 minutes and store in wax paper.

So good! I made this while the coffee was brewing this morning and by the time I was ready for work it was done cooking. I used the rest of the walnuts from the previous recipe I posted and some chocolate chips. A good use of bananas that were otherwise destined for the garbage can.

Baked Chicken Breasts with Honey Mustard Sauce

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts*
1.5 cups chicken broth*
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp honey
2.5 tbsp dijon mustard
.25 cup sliced, dried apricots
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 big bag of fresh spinach, washed and ready to eat
salt and pepper

*vegetable broth and baked extra firm tofu can be substituted, use the broth to marinate the tofu before baking

Preheat the oven to 375. Trim your chicken and place it in baking dish. Season it with salt and pepper, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 25-30 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once it is boiling, add all the spinach and cook for 1 minute. Drain and press the spinach to remove excess water.

While you are waiting for the water to boil, start the sauce by combining the broth, lemon juice, honey, and mustard in a small saucepan. Whisk it together and bring it to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn the heat down and simmer for about 20 minutes. The amount of liquid should reduce by about half.

(at this point you can pour a glass of wine and chill out for a few minutes)

Add the apricots to the sauce and turn the heat up to high. Let it boil for about 5 minutes. Then remove the sauce from heat and add the walnuts and parsley.Put the spinach on the plate, lay the sliced chicken breast on top, then cover it with the sauce.

Viola! A gourmet meal in 30 minutes!

I think I will add a little horseradish to the sauce next time to give it a little kick.

I cook a lot....

...I mean a lot. I blame my dad. Growing up in restaurant kitchens kind of forces you to learn how to cook. Of course, I love to cook, so it's all good.

Anyway, I have posted so many recipes on our family page that I decided I would just make a dedicated recipe and cooking page. I will transfer the other recipes to this page and then start adding more.

The first new recipe will be apple cobbler.