Tag: cinnamon
Apple Crisp- Easy Fall Dessert
I am in the holiday/fall mood and all I want to do is cook with all the ingredients that remind me of cold weather. Apples is one of those ingredients that makes me think of cosy evenings in my house with a cup of hot apple cider or eating a delicious hot apple crisp with some ice cream.
I made this last weekend for a dinner at a friend’s house. I used my favorite apples- honey crisp but any kind of apples can be used-whatever you like.
I used a very typical crisp topping including flour- I used my usual white whole wheat flour and oats. I paired it with walnuts and cinnamon- and butter, of course. You can’t really go wrong with any of these ingredients.
The apples are mixed with orange and lemon zests giving the filling a wonderful citrusy, fresh taste. Everyone enjoyed the dessert. I served it with pumpkin gelato- which I made a few days ago. It came out really well- if I do say so myself.
The whole combination was a very successful one. This is another great idea for Thanksgiving. I will post the gelato recipe soon.
- 2 pounds variety of apples (about 4 – 5 medium), cut into 2 inch pieces
- Zest and juice of one lemon
- Zest and juice of one orange
- 1/3 cup turbinado sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
Mix all the ingredients in a medium sized baking dish. An 8 X 8 square or an oval shaped will be fine.
Topping
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup turbinado sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup toasted and chopped walnuts
- ½ cup toasted oats
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of a mixer, add the flour, sugars, and butter. Using the paddle attachment, incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks mealy or crumbly. Stir in the oats and nuts.
Distribute the topping over the apples. Bake for an hour, or until the topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling. Cool slightly and serve warm.
Pumpkin Duffins with Cream Cheese
Here is another version of our favorite healthy dessert- duffins. I wanted to make something for Halloween and the first thing I think of – is pumpkin. When I think of pumpkin, cream cheese frosting comes to mind- it really is a match made in heaven.
So, in order to make duffins, I decided to invert the two and use the cream cheese as a filling in the middle.
The result was delicious- well, eventually. I made one batch and had a few friends taste test for me and give me some critical analysis. My daughter is the most honest taste tester I have- she has no qualms about telling me when things are not right. She told me the duffins didn’t have enough pumpkin flavor and the filling tasted too much like cream cheese and not like a frosting. She was right- I had forgotten to add vanilla extract in the cream cheese mixture.
The second batch included more spiced including cinnamon, ginger and cloves. It also included the missing vanilla extract. The result was delicious.
Make these for halloween…
- 1 cup raw sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1½ cups white whole-wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup extra light olive oil
- ¾ cup 1% milk
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
Filling
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Keep aside.
Topping
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- ½ cup fine raw sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Lightly grease a 12 muffin tin with a bit of oil in each cup.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg till light and fluffy. Pour in vegetable oil, milk and pumpkin puree. Mix to combine.
In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. Pour into the egg mixture and stir well.
Add a quarter cup batter in each cup. Add a teaspoon of cream cheese on top. Top each cup with the rest of the batter to cover the filling.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
While muffins are baking, melt butter in a small bowl. Pour ½ cup sugar into another small bowl.
Once the muffins are done, lightly brush the top with melted butter, remove from the pan and roll in the sugar, coating all parts of the duffin.
Cranberry Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies
Another delicious way to have pumpkin flavored desserts!
- 2½ cups white whole-wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup extra light olive oil
- 1½ cups turbinado sugar
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup dried cranberries, chopped
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves into a medium bowl. Keep aside. Cream together the oil and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat for another minute. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and beat for another minute. Add the cranberries and chocolate and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix to combine. Scoop with a tablespoon measure and drop the cookies onto a lined cookie sheet, flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake for 15 and 20 minutes. Cool on a baking rack and serve.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies.
Greek Style Beef and Orzo
I love all my recipes but there are some that are extra special and absolutely yummy. This is one of them… I think I saw a version of it on tv but now I can’t remember exactly where.. but I got the idea to do this one pot meal. The orzo is cooked right in the ground beef and then topped with dill and feta!! Absolutely yum… serve it with a delicious crunchy salad and a red wine. Great for a cool, rainy evening…
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground grass fed beef
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 14 oz can of tomato sauce
- 2 to 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup orzo
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup dill, chopped
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Heat a saucepan with the olive oil. Add the ground beef and separate and brown with a wooden spoon over high heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, coriander and salt. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Simmer with the lid on for 20 minutes. Take lid off and add 2 cups chicken broth. Bring to a boil and add the orzo. Cook for 8 to 9 minutes or till the pasta is cooked. Add more broth if needed. I made this in advance and needed to add more broth while reheating. The consistency should be of a stew. Check for seasonings and garnish with parsley and dill. Crumble feta before serving.
Homemade Chocolate Granola- Perfect Holiday Gift
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- ½ cup flaxseed meal
- ½ cup wheat germ
- ½ cup oat bran
- ¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup sliced raw almonds
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1½ cups mixed dried blueberries, cranberries, cherries, etc
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup extra light olive oil
- 1 cup honey
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl add the oats, flaxseed meal, wheat germ, oat bran, coconut, almonds, walnuts and the dried fruit.
In a large measuring cup, add the olive oil, honey, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Heat in the microwave for a minute to liquefy the mixture and mix well.
Add the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon.
On a large lined cookie sheet or two small cookie sheets, spread the granola mixture, smoothing the surface evenly.
Bake for 20 minutes. Take out of the oven and separate with a fork while the mixture is still warm. Once the mixture cools off, add the chocolate chips. If you want the chocolate to melt all into the granola, add the chips while the mixture is still warm.
Eat with milk, coffee or on its own.
Iced Spice Tea
A close friend from college is taking a hiatus from work and so I have been spending a lot of time with her. She and I are both into food so we try out lots of restaurants in the area or go to our favorites. We have been meeting for lunch almost daily if not a few times a week. Our favorite places are mostly in Edison- the Indian area- we tend to eat the street foods we miss so much that tend to assault the palette- spicy, sweet and savory, all at once. Recently we went to an Ethiopian restaurant in the area and had a fabulous lunch! We ordered some vegetables and a spicy salmon dish- it was really good. It was a warm day and we saw something called spice tea on the menu- served hot or cold. The person taking our order recommended the cold version. I was a little skeptical especially because I make the hot version at home all the time! Well, I was pleasantly surprised! It was absolutely delicious- very refreshing indeed. It was sweet yet extremely flavorful- the aroma of cinnamon came through very clear without being overpowering. I asked the gentlemen for the recipe and he gave it to us- well he gave us the ingredients. I decided to replicate the drink and serve as a refreshment for the cooking class I had a few days ago. I think I was able to duplicate the flavor successfully. I foresee enjoying the spice tea this summer- well, when I am not indulging in the sangria!!!
- 3 cups water
- 2 black tea bags
- 1 4-5 inches cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves, crushed
- 3 cardamom pods, crushed
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 cup ice
In a small saucepan bring the water, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom pods to a boil. Add the tea bags and steep for a minute. Take the bags out and turn the heat off. Let the spices steep in the tea for an hour. Strain the liquid and pour into pitcher. Add the honey and mix till dissolved. Add ice and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
Achari Gosht- Pickled Goat Meat
My Mom has been making this dish as long as I can remember. I particularly remember eating this goat dish when we went for picnics or a train ride to visit my cousins. It was cooked for those occasions since it was essentially ‘pickled’. It doesn’t go bad and can be kept outside for a long time. We would eat it room temperature and it was delicious.
It has a strong flavor of cooked onions with the tomato paste and is cooked for a while to cook off any water coming out of the vegetables. It is a concentrated flavor and so a little goes a long way. Typically Indian pickles consist of onion seeds, fennel seeds, etc. This dish has those flavors. Vinegar is added to finish the dish.
This dish can be made with any kind of stew meat. You can make it with dark meat chicken as well. To me, the goat tastes the best- I guess since I grew up eating it- that is what I like.
Looking at the list of ingredients, it may seem like a complicated dish- it isn’t. It does take a while to make it but it is totally worth it. It keeps for a while in the fridge so it is great to make a big batch and eat it once in a while. It is perfect for when there is nothing to eat and you don’t have time to cook anything. Take some pickled mutton out and eat it with a naan- yum!!!
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