Pear, Raspberry and Pistachio Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

It's pretty unusual for me not to be posting a cookie recipe or a holiday dessert on the Monday before Christmas. I've done a little baking, but honestly I'm not as into it as usual. And that's ok. Because we all need vegetables, too.

I made this salad last week when I had pears that needed o be used up. (Again, with the buying too much produce!) I loved the combination of the pears and raspberries with the tang of the poppyseed dressing. And the pistachios? Those salty wonders just took this right over the top.

This salad was a big hit with my family and would be a great addition to any holiday menu. I love that it's so beautiful on the plate, too. And when you eat this salad, you can justify eating even more cookies. So, that's a pretty good deal. Merry Christmas!

Pear, Raspberry and Pistachio Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

6 cups spring mix
1 cup raspberries
2 pears, thinly sliced
1/3 cup shelled pistachios
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Creamy Poppyseed Dressing:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
3 Tbsp. sugar
4 tsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. poppy seeds

For the dressing, in a large measuring cup, whisk together the mayonnaise, milk, sugar, and vinegar until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in poppyseeds.

Place the spring mix in a large bowl and pour dressing over. Toss to coat all the greens. Divide the greens among 4-6 salad plates (depending on how big you want each salad to be!) and top with sliced pears, raspberries, feta and pistachios. Serve immediately. Serves 4-6.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples

I roast brussels sprouts a lot at my house. A LOT. And they're wonderful. But when I saw this recipe on Melissa's blog, I knew it would be the recipe I would have to try for this month's Secret Recipe Club. Melissa adds apples to the already wonderful roasted sprouts, which takes them over the top. The sweetness and softness of the roasted apple pairs perfectly with the savory, chewy brussels sprouts. I used braeburn apples for this, since that's what I had on hand, but there are probably many varieties that would be delicious. In fact, next time I'll try them with honeycrisp, THE Minnesota apple, and then I can be more of a locavore like Melissa!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples

1 pound brussels sprouts, halved
2 medium apples, cored and coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Combine chopped sprouts and apple in a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, then stir well to coat. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and sugar, and stir well again to coat all pieces. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast at 400 for 25 minutes or until sprouts are nicely browned. Serves 4.

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Carmelized Peach and Brie Quesadillas

I don't know about you, but I would have never thought of this amazing combination for a quesadilla. I love love love brie, and I rejoice when peaches are in season, so I knew this would be the perfect recipe for me. It made for a delightful light summer supper paired with a salad, and would also work well as an appetizer. Did I mention it's summer? Hooray!

Over medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet. Add onion, and cook,

stirring often, until onion is carmelized, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the onions to a plate and set aside. Add the remaining butter to the skillet, let it melt, then saute the peaches and thyme

for 2-3 minutes or until slightly softened.

Place tortillas on a flat surface. Evenly distribute about 1/4 of the brie, 1/2 of the onions,

and 1/2 of the peaches

on two tortillas. Place another 1/4 of the brie on top of the peaches.

Cover with the two remaining tortillas.

Coat a large skillet or grill pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add on stack and cook until golden on one side. Flip and cook until golden on the other side.

Repeat with the remaining stack. Cut into quarters and enjoy!

One year ago: Asparagus Soup with Herbed Goat Cheese
Two years ago: Spice Rubbed Salmon with Cucumber Relish
Three years ago: Chicken with Zucchini and Mushrooms
Four years ago: Rhubarb Blueberry Muffins
Five years ago: Grilled Rubbed Pork

Find more great ideas at Inspiration Monday, Mix it Up, Melt in Your Mouth, Recipe Exchange, Totally Talented Tuesday, Create Link Inspire, Clever Chicks, Share Your Stuff, Tasty Tuesday, Tickle my Tastebuds.

Carmelized Peach and Brie Quesadillas

4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
2 peaches, sliced
1/2 tsp. thyme
4 oz. Brie, cut into very thin slices
1/4 of one red onion, sliced
2 Tbsp. butter, separated

Over medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet. Add onion, and cook, stirring often, until onion is carmelized, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the onions to a plate and set aside. Add the remaining butter to the skillet, let it melt, then saute the peaches and thyme for 2-3 minutes or until slightly softened.

Place tortillas on a flat surface. Evenly distribute about 1/2 of the peaches, onions and brie on two tortillas. Cover with the two remaining tortillas.

Coat a large skillet or grill pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add on stack and cook until golden on one side. Flip and cook until golden on the other side. Repeat with remaining stack.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Oprah

Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal

Here is a fun baked oatmeal recipe using that wonderful strawberry rhubarb fruit combo. Eating this is almost like eating dessert for breakfast, but in a totally socially acceptable way. (Not that brownies for breakfast aren't socially acceptable, but, well, you know...) I really enjoyed this with yogurt - hearty grains, yummy fruit, creamy yogurt - it's a great way to start the day.

Start by chopping up the strawberries and slicing the rhubarb. I used some strawberries that I had frozen earlier in the season, and they worked well. Super fresh would also be good.

Place the fruit in a bowl and add the honey.

and the cornstarch.

Stir well to coat all the fruit. Slice the banana and lay the slices in the bottom of a 9-inch baking dish. Spoon the strawberry/rhubarb mixture over the bananas.

Now in another small bowl, combine the oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, egg, honey, milk

and vanilla.

Stir well to combine, then carefully spread over the fruit mixture.

Sprinkle with the almonds.

Bake for 40 minutes,

then enjoy warm, with yogurt, if you like! Good morning!

One year ago: Black Bean and Veggie Quesadillas
Two years ago: Crispy Orange Beef
Three years ago: Banana Sherbet
Four years ago: Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie


Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal

2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 cup rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium ripe banana, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. honey, divided
1 cup oats
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Place sliced bananas in the bottom of a lightly greased 9-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, 1/3 cup honey and cornstarch. Stir well to coat all the fruit, then carefully spread the strawberry mixture over the bananas.

In another bowl, combine the oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the egg, 1 Tbsp. of honey, vanilla and milk, and stir well to combine. Pour the oats over the strawberry mixture and then sprinkle with the almonds.

Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Serve warm, with yogurt, if you like.

Banana Waffles

My love for bananas is well documented on this blog. From bread, muffins, crepes and cake to souffles, ice cream, pie and bars, I've got the banana theme covered. Even banana pancakes have appeared. When I saw that the theme for the Improv Challenge this month was bananas and nutmeg, I was excited! I love bananas (you already know that) and I love nutmeg, too! And I was happy to be able to expand my banana repertoire.

These waffles are a nice change from regular waffles - filled with mashed bananas and flavored with both cinnamon and nutmeg, they are delicious topped with whipped cream or with syrup (or both)! Any leftovers reheat nicely in the toaster oven.

You can throw together the batter while the waffle iron heats up - it's that fast. Start by whisking together the milk and egg in a large measuring cup or batter bowl. Then add in the flour, salt, baking powder,

cinnamon

and nutmeg.

Stir until combined and smooth, then add the mashed bananas.

Stir it again, then pour the batter onto a hot waffle iron.

Bake until golden brown.

(Clearly I pour a little to much batter on the iron!)

Hooray for bananas (and nutmeg, too)! See more great combinations below.

One year ago: Caramel Chocolate Pumpkin Blondies
Two years ago: Marbled Peanut Butter Brownies
Three years ago: Pasta with Garlic Shrimp and Broccoli

Find more inspiration at Full Plate Thursday, Recipe Box, Thursday's Treasures, Foodie Friday, Food on Friday, Foodjacabradalidocious Friday, Foodie Friday.

Banana Waffles

1 1/4 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 small ripe bananas, mashed

In a large measuring cup or batter bowl, whisk together egg, oil and milk. Add flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until mixture is smooth. Add in mashed bananas and stir lightly until combined.

Pour batter onto a greased waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot. Serves 4.

Apple Crisp

One of my colleagues at work gave me a bag of apples from her neighbor's tree. And a strong hint that I should use them to make a treat for the office! I made this apple crisp, and it was a HUGE hit. No wonder - juicy, cinnamon and sugar apples are cooked under a oatey topping that - true to its name - becomes crisp! It is SOOO good. Topped with vanilla ice cream, this is a wonderful seasonal dessert, and I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to eat it for breakfast, too. (It's fruit and oatmeal, right??)

First prepare the apples. This will take awhile, because you need about 10 cups! You want to peel, core and slice the apples - I have one of these neat tools. I only use it once or twice a year but it is worth it!

Toss the apples with the lemon juice, and then transfer them to a 9x13 baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon and then sprinkle over the apples.

Stir to coat all the apple pieces, then pour the water over.

For the yummy topping, combine the flour, brown sugar,

and oats. Use a fork to mix in the butter until the mixture is clumpy.

Top the apples with the oat mixture

then sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for about 45 minutes until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbly.

You can serve this warm, or at room temperature. But be sure to serve it with vanilla ice cream. (With caramel sauce if you're really daring...)

One year ago: Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
Two years ago: Carrot Cherry Bread
Three years ago: Pear Custard Bars

Get more great recipes at Full Plate Thursday, Sweet Treats Thursday, Recipe Box, Thursday's Treasures, Tastetastic Thursday, Foodie Friday, Food on Fridays, Friday Food, Foodtastic Friday, Foodie Friday (#2).

Apple Crisp

10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup water

Crisp topping:
1 cup oats
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Mix the sugar, flour and cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Stir well to coat all the apples, then pour water evenly over all.

For the topping, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar and butter together. Mix up with a fork until the topping is clumpy. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture. Sprinkle with the cinnamon.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream. Serves 12.

Berry-Mandarin Tossed Salad

I grew up eating a salad similar to this - except it didn't have strawberries. I love the addition for both color and flavor and I really love the dressing that goes over it all - it has a bit of a kick which is a nice contrast to the sweet fruit. This is a delightful luncheon salad when served with sandwiches, would be a lovely first course for dinner, and could even be the main course if you wanted to add chicken, blue cheese or goat cheese.

To make the dressing, in a small glass measuring cup, combine the sugar, vinegar, honey,



onion salt, lemon juice, paprika,



and dried mustard.



Heat this in the microwave for a minute or so until the sugar is dissolved. Then whisk in the oil.



Transfer this to a jar with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate until you're ready to serve. (If you're not putting the dressing together ahead of time, you can just leave it in the measuring cup.)

When it's time to make the salad, combine the greens and red onion in a large salad bowl, then pour the dressing over



and toss the salad well to coat all the greens. Sprinkle on the mandarin oranges



then the strawberries



and top with the toasted almonds.



Serve immediately and dream of summer days to come. (I'm hoping that by posting this summery salad, summer - or at least spring! - will come my way soon...)



For more inspiration, visit My Meatless Mondays, Meatless Mondays, Meatless/Vegan Monday, This Week's Cravings, What's Cooking Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, What's on the Menu Wednesday, What's on Your Plate?, Made it on Monday, Let's Do Brunch, Recipes I can't Wait to Try, It's a Keeper, Full Plate Thursday, Recipe Swap Thursday , Pennywise Platter, Friday Food, Recipes to Run On.

Berry-Mandarin Tossed Salad

Dressing:
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
1 1/4 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. onion salt
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/3 cup oil (I use olive)

Salad:
8 cups salad greens
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 small can mandarin oranges
1 small red onion, sliced
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted

In a small measuring cup, combine sugar, vinegar, honey, lemon juice, paprika, onion salt and ground mustard. Microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Whisk in oil. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

When ready to serve, combine salad greens and onion in a large salad bowl. Drizzle dressing over and toss to coat. Sprinkle on mandarin oranges, strawberries and almonds. Serves 8-10 as a first course or side salad.

Gingered Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Lynn at Happier than a Pig in Mud is having a chef's challenge - and this month the chef is Paula Deen. So I perused her website, but it didn't take me long to find this recipe . I knew immediately that it would be the one for me. Around here, we are big fans of rhubarb, in pie, cheesecake, muffins and ice cream. And we are big fans of fruit crisp. So I knew this would be a winner, even before I made it!

Now I've never made a Paula Deen recipe before, but I know of her reputation. So I was quite shocked to read the recipe and see it called for a measley TWO tablespoons of butter. I thought it surely must be a misprint! But it's enough!

What really makes this a standout dessert is the crystallized ginger mixed in with the fruit. It's a perfect companion to the tart rhubarb, sweet strawberries and crunchy topping. And it adds a surprising flavor that really accentuates the fruity flavors. I'm so glad I made this, and I hope you will make it, too!

Start by combining the chopped strawberries



rhubarb,



cornstarch, sugar,



and crystallized ginger



in a mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Pour the fruit mixture in a 8 inch baking dish.

For the topping, combine the brown sugar, flour, ginger and cubes of butter in a small food processor



and pulse until the butter is incorporated. Then stir in the oatmeal.

(If you don't have one, don't worry - combine the brown sugar, flour, oatmeal and ginger in a mixing bowl and just use a pastry blender or your fingers to incorporate the butter!)

Sprinkle the topping over the fruit in the baking dish,



then bake for 35-40 minutes or until topping is golden and fruit is bubbly.



Let cool slightly, then serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

(Luckily, I have a whole rhubarb stash in my freezer, so this delightful crisp will be making frequent appearances after dinner this summer!)

One year ago: Sweet Potato Fries
Two years ago: Apple Slaw

Get more recipe inspiration at Seasonal Sunday, Made from Scratch Tuesday, Mouthwatering Mondays, Mangia Mondays, Make a Food "e" Friend Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday at the Table, Tasty Tuesday (#2), Delectable Tuesday, Sweets for a Saturday, Food on Friday: Ginger.

Gingered Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

2 cups large diced rhubarb
2 cups chopped strawberries
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. minced crystallized ginger
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup Bbrown sugar
2 Tbsp. cold butter, diced
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

In a large mixing bowl, toss together rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, corntarch and crystallized ginger. Pour mixture into an 8 inch square baking dish.

Using the same mixing bowl, mix together the flour, oatmeal, brown sugar butter and ginger until crumbly. (Alternately, use a food processor to combine.) Spread crumb mixture over rhubarb mixture and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Serves 6.