Buffalo Roasted Cauliflower

INGREDIENTS  

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 T. oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup hot sauce
• blue cheese sauce for dipping

DIRECTIONS  

1. Toss the cauliflower florets in the oil, salt and pepper, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated 400°F oven until lightly golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.
2. Toss cauliflower in the hot sauce and enjoy warm with blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping and celery sticks on the side.

Recipe Author: Closet Cooking

Peanut Butter Granola Bites

INGREDIENTS  

• ⅓ cup honey
• ¼ cup peanut butter
• 2 T. prune puree (blend prunes in a food processor)
• 1 cup rice cereal
• 1 cup rolled oats
• ¼ cup dried fruit (apricots, pineapple, cranberries)

DIRECTIONS  

1. In a small saucepan over medium, heat honey, peanut butter, and prune puree. Stir until smooth, around 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; mix in cereal, oats, and dried fruit.
2. Drop mixture by the tablespoon into cupcake liners and refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.

Image Author: Bostinno Streetwise

Cauliflower Soup

INGREDIENTS  

• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
• 1 head very fresh cauliflower (about 1½ pounds), broken into florets
• salt, to taste
• 5½ cups water, divided
• extra virgin olive oil, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS  

1. Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Sweat the onion in the olive oil over low heat without letting it brown for 15 minutes. 
2. Add the cauliflower, salt to taste, and ½ cup water. Raise the heat slightly, cover the pot tightly and stew the cauliflower for 15 to 18 minutes, or until tender. Then add another 4½ cups hot water, bring to a low simmer and cook an additional 20 minutes uncovered. 
3. Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender to a very smooth, creamy consistency. Let the soup stand for 20 minutes. In this time it will thicken slightly. 
4. Thin the soup with ½ cup hot water. Reheat the soup. Serve hot, drizzled with a thin stream of extra-virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.

Recipe Author: Food52

Avocado, Chickpea & Feta Salad

INGREDIENTS  

• 2 ripe avocados, chopped
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Sea salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• 4 T. lime juice (or the juice of 1 lime)
• ½ cup chopped feta
• 2 green onions, sliced

DIRECTIONS  

1. Put everything in a bowl and mix! Serve cold. Lasts in the fridge for two days.

Bread Gnocchi with Tomato and Basil

INGREDIENTS  

• 8 slices day old, good quality Italian bread
• 3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 T. butter, cut into pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups (2-oz. cans) tomato sauce
• 3 small plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• several fresh basil leaves, torn
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella, smoked mozzarella or provolone

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Chop bread into bite size pieces. Add extra-virgin olive oil, butter and garlic to the skillet. Melt butter into oil then add the bread. Season the bread with salt and pepper. Toss and cook the bread 7 to 8 minutes then add the tomato sauce and fresh tomatoes. Turn to coat and warm the tomato sauce, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Remove the bread gnocchi and tomatoes from heat and transfer to a casserole dish, top with basil then cover the dish with cheese. Place the casserole under the broiler and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese browns and bubbles. Serve immediately.

Recipe Author: Rachael Ray

Limoncello

INGREDIENTS  

• 20 lemons peels
• 2 (750-ml) bottles vodka
• 5 cups water
• 4 cups sugar

DIRECTIONS    

1. Zest the lemons, and place zest into a large glass bottle or jar. Carefully zest the lemons with a zester or vegetable peeler so there is no white pith on the peel.  Pour in vodka. Cover loosely and let infuse for 10 days or up to 30 days.
2. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar and water; bring to a gentle boil and let boil, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and let the syrup cool before adding it to the Limoncello mixture.
3. Discard the lemon zest and strained Limoncello in a coffee filter.
4. Pour into bottles.
5. Store Limoncello in the freezer.

Cranberry Liqueur

INGREDIENTS  

• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ cups water
• 1 lb. cranberries, cleaned, picked over and rinsed
• 1½ cups vodka
• Peel from one small lime, no pith

DIRECTIONS  

1. Make simple syrup by boiling the water, adding the sugar, and cooking until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cool to room temperature then add the cranberries and stir well to coat completely.
2. Put the cranberries and the sugar syrup in a blender or food processor and blend to a slurry. 
3. Add the lime zest and vodka, and mix thoroughly. 
4. Allow the liqueur mix to steep for 2-4 weeks. A longer wait will intensify the flavor.
5. Strain the liqueur, first through a mesh strainer, then through a coffee filter. The finished product may still be a bit cloudy, but the small amount of particulates won’t affect the flavor. The liqueur can last indefinitely, and will eventually settle out.

Recipe Author: Food Republic

Split Pea Soup (Erwtensoep)

INGREDIENTS  

• 1.1 lbs. green split peas
• 34 oz. water
• 1 carrot, peeled
• 1 small potato, peeled
• 2 ribs celery
• 1 small onion
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small smoked ham hock, ham bone or sausage
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS  

1. Rinse and wash the split peas, and add them with the water to a pot. Chop the vegetables and add them to the water and add the bay leaf. Add the smoked meat.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 40 minutes. When the peas are soft, remove the bay leaf and either puree or just stir the soup several times, the peas will dissolve and give it a creamy consistence. Cut the meat off the bone, or slice the sausage and stir it back in the soup. Adjust the flavor with salt and pepper if needed.
3. Serve with a slice of buttered dark rye bread. This soup is best served the next day, when the flavors all have a chance to blend. 

Recipe Author: Holland.com

Yummy Peppermint Bark

INGREDIENTS  

• 2 sleeves saltine crackers
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 bag chocolate chips (try half semisweet and half dark chocolate)
• 12 miniature candy canes, roughly crushed

DIRECTIONS  

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Fill the baking sheet with Saltine crackers, salted side up. 
3. In a small saucepan, heat butter and sugar over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the butter melts. Continue heating and stirring with whisk until mixture becomes fluffy and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the vanilla, stirring to combine. Pour mixture evenly over Saltines; use a spatula to spread and smooth the surface. 
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until barely golden brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and immediately pour chocolate chips over the top. Allow the chocolate to melt for approximately five minutes, and then use a spatula to evenly smooth the chocolate. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes; refrigerate or freeze until hardened. Break into bite-sized pieces before serving. 

Recipe Author: Refinery29

Chocolate Truffle Crème Brûlèe

INGREDIENTS

• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, very finely chopped
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• 4 large egg yolks
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 T. cocoa powder
• pinch salt
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• granulated sugar, for topping

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place a folded dish towel flat inside a 13-by-9-inch baking dish (this will keep the ramekins from shifting around), and arrange four 6 ounce or six 4 ounce ramekins inside. Bring 3 to 4 cups of water to a simmer and keep warm.
2. Place chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, warm heavy cream until it begins to steam.
3. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and salt until smooth. Whisk in warm cream, ¼ cup at a time, until mixture is warm to the touch and about half of cream has been added. Do this gradually, as you want to temper the egg yolks rather than cook them. Pour yolk mixture back into saucepan and whisk until incorporated.
4. Pour warm cream mixture over chopped chocolate; let sit for 30 seconds, then whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. If you chopped your chocolate fine enough the residual heat from the cream should be more than enough to fully melt it. If not, return to saucepan and stir over very low heat until almost melted, then remove from heat and continue to stir until smooth. Whisk in vanilla.
5. Divide mixture evenly among ramekins. Place baking pan in oven, then very carefully pour hot water into the baking dish until it comes about half-way up the side of the ramekins.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until centers are just set but still slightly jiggly. Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes, then carefully remove ramekins from water and let cool to room temperature on a wire cooling rack. Once cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 or until ready to serve.
7. About 30 minutes prior to serving, remove ramekins from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Just before serving, sprinkle each custard with an even layer of granulated sugar, then caramelize with a kitchen torch, keeping the flame moving over the surface of the custards, until sugar is golden brown and bubbly. Let sit for 1 to 2 minutes to allow sugar to harden, then serve.

Recipe Author: Love and Olive Oil

Apple-Cranberry Casserole

INGREDIENTS  

• 3 cups apples, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1½ cups quick oatmeal (uncooked)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup flour
• ⅓ cup walnuts, chopped
• ½ cup butter, melted

DIRECTIONS  

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a 2-quart casserole that has been sprayed with cooking spray, combine apples, cranberries and sugar. Mix oats, brown sugar, flour, pecans and melted butter in bowl and place on top of apple/cranberry mix.
3. Bake for about one hour or until bubbly and brown. Serve hot. 

Recipe Image: Justapinchassets

Italian-Style Cabbage

INGREDIENTS  

•  3 T. olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 T. minced garlic
• 1 medium-size cabbage, cored and chopped
• salt and black pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes
• ¾ cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
• ¾ cup freshly grated Romano cheese

DIRECTIONS  

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot of medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onions are lightly golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 5 minutes.
2. Season with salt, black pepper and pepper flakes. Add the breadcrumbs and toss to distribute evenly. Transfer the mixture to a lightly buttered baking dish and top with the cheese. 
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
4. Bake until warmed well, about 25 minutes.

Recipe Author: Nola.com

Asiago Cheese and Potatoes

INGREDIENTS  

• 1 (30 oz.) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1½ cups grated Asiago cheese
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 1 8 oz. container sour cream
• 8 oz. heavy cream
• ½ cup butter, melted
• Paprika, salt and pepper (to taste)
• ½ t. Paprika,
• ½ t. salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS  

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In medium casserole, mix everything.  Bake 1 hour or until hash browns are fully cooked and top is lightly browned.   

Recipe Image: Clever Housewife

Guacamole Quinoa with Mango

INGREDIENTS  

• 1 ripe large  avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
• Juice of 1½ limes
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• ½ jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• ½ ripe mango, diced
• ¾ cup baby tomatoes, quartered
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup diced red onion
• ¼ t. ground cayenne
• ¼ t. ground cumin

DIRECTIONS 

1. In medium bowl, mash together avocado, lime juice and salt.
2. Add remaining ingredients; toss to combine well. Serve warm or chilled.

Recipe Author: Foxeslovelemons

Creamy Avocado Hummus

INGREDIENTS  

• 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained
• 2 ripe avocados, cut into chunks
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1½ T. tahini
• 1 clove garlic
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS  

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine chickpeas, avocado chunks, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, and garlic. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper. Blend until combined and smooth. 
2. Add more salt and pepper and lemon if necessary. Blend for another 5 minutes until light and smooth.
3. Serve topped with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve with fresh vegetables and pita chips. 

Recipe Author: Joy the Baker

Spaghetti Squash with Spinach and Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS  

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 8 ounces mushrooms
• 12 oz. fresh spinach
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 T. unsalted butter
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS  

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. 
2. Carefully slice the spaghetti squash in half horizontally. Remove the seeds and discard. Place the squash, cut side down, into a large 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Fill 1/3 full with water.
3. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until soft. Let cool slightly and then use a fork to pull out the "spaghetti" flesh insides. Place in a colander and rinse out the excess water.
4. Grease 4 baking ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions. Cook until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and spinach. Cook until vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.
6. Scoop the spaghetti squash into the 4 ramekins. Top each of the squash ramekins with spinach mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with 1/4 cup cheese.
7. Preheat broiler. Broil the mixture for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown.

Recipe Author: She Knows

White Bean and Roasted Garlic Dip

INGREDIENTS

• 2 whole garlic heads
• 4 T. olive oil, divided
• 2 cans (15.5 oz. each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• ¼ t. salt
• ¼ t. white pepper
• ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley plus more for garnish
• Baked pita chips or vegetables for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Cut the top third of garlic heads off so tops of cloves are exposed. Place heads, unpeeled, in ovenproof dish and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Cover with aluminum foil; bake about 30 minutes.
3. Uncover and bake until the garlic cloves are soft and golden brown, another 30 to 40 minutes. You can make the roasted garlic in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
4. Remove the garlic from the oven and when cool enough to handle, squeeze the soft garlic from the cloves.
5. Blend the beans, roasted garlic, remaining 3 tablespoons oil and lemon juice and process until smooth. Add the salt and white pepper. Stir in the parsley.
6. To serve, transfer to a bowl, garnish with the parsley leaves and serve with pita chips or vegetables.

Recipe Author: Freep.com

Mashed Potato and Cabbage Pancakes

INGREDIENTS  

• 2 cups finely chopped steamed cabbage (about 1 pound cabbage)
• 2½ cups mashed potatoes
• ½ cup chopped chives
• 1 T. chopped fresh marjoram (optional)
• 1 t. baking powder
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 3 to 4 T. canola oil for frying

DIRECTIONS  

1. Core and place cabbage in a steamer above 1 inch of boiling water. Steam 10 to 15 minutes, until tender when pierced with a knife or skewer. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then squeeze out water, and chop fine. 
2. Mix with the potatoes in a large bowl. Add the chives, baking powder, marjoram if using, salt, pepper, and flour. Beat the eggs and stir in.
3. Begin heating a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add 2 T. of the oil and when it is hot carefully scoop up heaped tablespoons of the potato mixture and use a spoon or spatula to ease them out of the spoon into the pan. Gently flatten the mounds slightly with the back of a spoon or a spatula but don’t worry if this is hard to do – if they stick — because when you flip them over you can flatten them into pancakes. Brown on the first side – about 2 or 3 minutes – and using a spatula, flip the mounds over and gently push them down so that they will be shaped like pancakes. Brown on the other side and remove to a baking sheet. Continue with the remaining potato mixture, adding oil to the pan as necessary.

Recipe Author: New York Times

Buffalo Chicken Cheese Balls

INGREDIENTS  

• 1 large cooked rotisserie chicken
• ¼ cup Frank's Red Hot sauce
• 1 t. ground black pepper
• 1¾ cups sharp cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup freshly sliced scallions
• 1 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs
• Vegetable oil, for frying

For the Blue Cheese Dip:

• 1½ cups mayonnaise
• ½ cup packed blue cheese, broken up
• ½ t. hot sauce
• 2 t. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 t. salt
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 1 chopped garlic

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil to 350°
2. Pick the meat from the chicken and discard the skin. Place the chicken in a large bowl and add the hot sauce, pepper, cheese, and scallions, and toss to combine. Roll the chicken into 2-ounce balls, about the size of a golf ball.
3. Place the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in 3 separate bowls. Roll each ball in the flour, then the egg and then the bread crumbs. Set aside.
4. When the oil is hot fry the chicken balls in batches. Cook for about 2 minutes per batch. Remove the chicken to paper towel lined plate to drain the excess oil.
5. To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a large bowl and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve the chicken alongside the dipping sauce.

Recipe Author: Food Network

Apple Crumb Cake

INGREDIENTS  

• 2 large baking apples, cored, peeled, and thinly sliced
• 2 T. granulated sugar
• 1 T. flour
• ¾ t. ground cinnamon
• ¼ t. ground nutmeg
• butter (for the pan)
• flour (for the pan)
• 1½ cups flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• ¼ t. baking soda
• ½ t. salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• ½ cup buttermilk
• confectioners sugar (for sprinkling)

For the Crumb Topping  

• ¼ cup flour
• 2 T. granulated sugar
• 2 T.s light brown sugar
• 2 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup walnuts, chopped

1. In a bowl, combine the flour, granulated and brown sugars, and butter.
2. With your fingers or 2 blunt knives, cut the butter.

DIRECTIONS  

1. In a bowl, combine the apples, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
3. Butter a 9-inch spring form pan. Sprinkle the pan with flour and tap out the excess.
4. In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to blend them.
5. In an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat the butter and granulated sugar until well blended. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
6. With the mixer set on its lowest speed, blend in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Spread about ⅔ of the batter in the pan. Arrange the apple mixture on top. Drop the remaining batter over the apples and spread with a spatula. Sprinkle the crumbs on top.
7. Bake the cake for 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool. Dust with confectioners sugar and cut into wedges.

Recipe Author: The Boston Globe 

Artichoke Quiche

INGREDIENTS  

• 2 cups cooked long-grain rice
• ¾ cup (3 oz.) shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
• 3 eggs
  
• 1 t. dried dill
• ½ t. salt
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• cooking spray
• 1 (14 oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• ¾ cup fat-free milk
• ¼ cup sliced green onions
• 1 T. Dijon mustard
• ¼ t. ground white pepper

DIRECTIONS  

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine rice, ¼ cup cheese, ¼ cup egg substitute, dill, salt, and garlic; press into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 5 minutes.
3. Arrange artichoke quarters on bottom of rice crust; sprinkle evenly with remaining ½ cup cheese. Combine remaining ½ cup egg substitute, milk, and next 3 ingredients; pour over cheese.
4. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until set. Let stand 5 minutes; cut into wedges. Garnish with green onion strips, if desired.

Recipe Author: Health.com

Bean and Escarole Soup

INGREDIENTS  

• 1½ T. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 to 3 small garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1½ quarts low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 Parmesan rind (if desired)
• 3 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 1 (16 oz.) can cannellini beans
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ t. red chili flakes
• 1 head escarole, washed thoroughly, stem cut off, and cut into 3- to 4-inch strips
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS  

1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for 1 minute. Add the broth and Parmesan rind, bring to a boil.
2. Add the carrots and beans and reduce heat to a simmer. Season with salt, pepper and chili flakes. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the escarole and stir lightly until wilted, another 5-10 minutes.
3. Serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Recipe Author: Q.equinox.com