Yellow Carrot Salad

Please forgive me, it has been WAY TOO LONG! I have eaten good food between last fall and now, ha. We have actually been trying to eat a bit healthier and that has required lots of new recipes. More to come!

A few weeks ago we were at this local Austin...sort of vitamin store/restaurant/bakery (so Austin, lol) and we were having dinner. They have this amazing sweet side salad called Yellow Carrot Salad. I wanted to see if I could make it at home and I DID! It is so easy, so yummy, so perfect for summer! Here is what I came up with.

1 fresh pineapple cut up into little wedges (and every drop of juice you can get in the bowl)
4 grated carrots
1 cup of shredded coconut
3/4 cup of raisins

Put them in a bowl and stir!!! The end.
Now you should try it like this, but I bet a little bit of sugar or maple syrup would be delish on this too!

Cracked out corn

Ok...my dear friend Mandi raves of this recipe and I am pumped to make it! She had it and went home and made it, lol. I love her.

Caramel Puff Corn
Prep Time:  10 minutes Cook Time:  45 minutes Chill Time:  30 minutes Yield:  5 quarts 1 bag (8 to 9 ounces) puff corn (also known as hulless popcorn) 1 cup butter (no substitutes) 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup Karo® Light OR Dark Corn Syrup 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon Spice Islands® 100% Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extract From: http://www.karosyrup.com/recipe_details.asp?id=1701		Preheat oven to 250°F. Spray a large roaster with cooking spray. Pour puff corn into the roaster. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and corn syrup and mix well. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook for additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla extract; the mixture will foam and expand. Carefully pour syrup over puff corn and toss to mix. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Pour onto waxed paper or foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Let Caramel Puff Corn cool at least 30 minutes. Break into bite size pieces and store in closed container. Note: Puff corn is found in the snack/chip aisle of the grocery store.

Pumpkin Spice Cereral Treats

If there is one thing in the whole wide world I love, it's fall. And one of the best things about fall is pumpkin. You have complete license to add pumpkin to anything and everything this season, and no one thinks you are nuts. I fully support this, and to contribute to the madness I made these.

First, I didn't use "puffed rice cereal" because I have a Costco size box of Cinnamon Cheerios that the daughter decided she doesn't like (which is nuts, because that stuff is amazing; it does mean more for me, and I'm totally fine with that.). And when you have enough cereal to feed an army and only two adults, you need to make sacrifices. Like mixing them up with pumpkin and marshmallows.

I think that if I did this again, I would:

• 1.5x the recipe; the bars were thinner than I would have liked. I did use a 9x13 pan, and the author of this recipe used 8x11 (where do you get such a thing) so I understand why mine weren't as tall.
• Perhaps try it out with Golden Grahams, as that would also be tasty. But that would be on the third time I make it, not the next time.

What I did different:

• I used parchment paper instead of buttering the pan, in an effort to justify eating more treats later on. It worked pretty well. (see amazing photo to left)
• I used Cinnamon Cheerios, and I'd try it with the Rice Krispies next time to see if there is a big difference.
• Because life is short, and browned butter is delicious, I browned the butter for a deeper, nuttier flavor. 

Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats

serves 12

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 (10 ounce) bag mini marshmallows plus one cup

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of allspice

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of kosher salt

6 cups puffed rice cereal

Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish (or a smaller dish — see Note below).
In a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add the pumpkin puree and continue to cook until it is warmed through. Fold in 10 ounces of the marshmallows, stirring frequently until almost completely melted. Stir in vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt, and remove from heat.

Allow the marshmallow mixture to cool 10 minutes; fold in the remaining cup of marshmallows. Continue to cool the mixture for another 20 to 25 minutes until it is room temperature (failure to cool the mixture will result in soggy rice crispy treats.) Add the puffed rice cereal and stir, using a silicone spatula, until combined.

Press the mixture into the greased rectangular baking dish. Let set for 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

• Note: I call for a 9x13-inch dish here, but I often use an 8x11-inch because I like taller treats. Any size in this range should do.

Recipe found Apartment Therapy's Kitchn

Chicken, Pesto & Veggie Pasta

So I have no clue what to "name" this. I had been wanting a pasta with a pesto sauce so I just threw some veggies and chicken together. Toward the end I figured a pure pesto sauce might be a bit too rich of a taste (for my one year old) so I ended up making a pesto cream sauce. The meal took about 40 minutes total to prep and cook. I expected it to take a bit longer - I was pleasantly surprised. This recipe makes a lot. I realized it was going to make quite a bit once I got started, but just went with it because we love having leftovers. Thankfully so because my daughter absolutely loved it and ate her whole bowl. I love when that happens - it's rare.

Chicken, Pesto & Veggie Pasta

2 tbs. EVOO

2 chicken breasts, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 bunch asparagus, chopped

1 14 oz. can artichokes, chopped

4 oz. sun dried tomatoes, julienne sliced

3 oz. black olives, sliced

Sauce

3 tbs. butter

2 tbs. flour

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup Parmesan cheese

6 oz. jar pesto

1 package Trader Joe's Vegetable Radiatore

Saute the chicken and onion in the EVOO. Add preferred seasoning to taste (I used garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper - kept it simple, would have preferred fresh garlic, but was hurrying). Once chicken is cooked, add in asparagus, artichoke, sun dried tomatoes, and olives. Let simmer.

In a saucepan, melt butter and then add flour. Once blended, add the heavy whipping cream. Stir until warm. Add Parmesan cheese. Once the Parmesan cheese is melted whisk in pesto.

Add pasta to boiling water.

You could toss everything together, I chose not to. This makes way more sauce than is necessary for the amount of chicken, veggies & pasta. Even after storing the leftovers in the fridge, I still had plenty of sauce left to freeze.

We loved it - hopefully you will too!

I love Cooks Illustrated. I love that when I make one of their recipes I know that they are pretty much fool proof. I know it will be worth my time and effort. They stuck behind their promise with these yummy chewy chocolate cookies! I have to say, they were pretty easy. Not a one bowl recipe, but 3 bowls. But they look amazing.

CHEWY CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Published January 1, 2009.   From Cook's Illustrated.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

We wanted an exceptionally rich chocolate cookie recipe with a sturdy, not crumbly, texture. The fat in melted chocolate made our dough too soft, so we replaced the chocolate with cocoa powder. Eliminating egg yolks further improved the struct...(more)

MAKES 16 COOKIES

We recommend using the test kitchen’s favorite baking chocolate, Callebaut Intense Dark L-60-40NV, but any high- quality dark, bittersweet, or semisweet chocolate will work. Light brown sugar can be substituted for the dark, as can light corn syrup for the dark, but with some sacrifice in flavor. A spring-loaded ice cream scoop (size #30) can be used to portion the dough.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3cup even more sugar granulated sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces), plus 1/2 cup for coating
• 1 1/2cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)
• 3/4cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/2teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4teaspoon table salt plus 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2cup dark corn syrup (see note)
• 1large egg white
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , softened (70 degrees)
• 1/3cup packed dark brown sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces, see note)
• 4ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Place ½ cup granulated sugar in shallow baking dish or pie plate. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl. Whisk corn syrup, egg white, and vanilla together in small bowl.
2. 2. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, add corn syrup mixture, and beat until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping bowl once with rubber spatula. With mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture and chopped chocolate; mix until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl once. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no pockets of flour remain at bottom. Chill dough 30 minutes to firm slightly
   (do not chill longer than 30 minutes).
3. 3. Divide dough into 16 equal portions; roll between hands into balls about 11/2 inches in diameter. Working in batches, drop 8 dough balls into baking dish with sugar and toss to coat. Set dough balls on prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart; repeat with second batch of 8. Bake, reversing position of the baking sheets halfway through baking (from top to bottom and front to back), until cookies are puffed and cracked and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), 10 to 11 minutes. Do not overbake.
4. 4. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes, then use wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack; cool cookies to room temperature.

Pad Thai

This is from my favorite, Americas Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook. This was for my hubby and he loved it. He said he would have liked a pinch more spice. Even my 2 and a half year old ate her bowl of this all gone! I did prep everything in bowls before cooking with you really have to do for this one. I should have gotten the 4 quarts of water boiling and the rice noodles cooking while I prepped. Once you are done prepping this recipe went SO fast. Hope you try it.

Pad Thai
Serves 4

Sauce
2 Tbsp tamarind paste or tamarind substitute
3/4 c boiling water (boil, then measure)
3 Tbsp fish sauce
3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Noodles, Shrimp, and Garnish
8 oz (1/4 inch wide) dried flat rice noodles
1 Tbsp canola oil
12 oz medium shrimp (40-50 per pound) peeled and deveined - I bought what was on sale
1 shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
6 oz bean sprouts (about 3 cups)
4 scallions, sliced on the bias
salt
1/4 c minced fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp chopped, roasted, unsalted peanuts
lime wedges (for serving)

1. For the sauce: Soak the tamarind paste in the boiling water until softened, about 10 min. Push the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, removing the seeds and fibers and extracting as much pulp as possible. Whisk the fish sauce, sugar, oil, vinegar, and cayenne into the tamarind liquid. (Discard the strained seeds and fibers)

2. For the noodles, shrimp and garnish:
Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Off the heat, add the noodles and let stand, stirring occasionally, until softened but not fully cooked, about 10 min. Drain the noodles and leave them in the colander.

3. Heat 1 1/2 tsp of the oil in a 12 inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are pink, curled, and browned around the edges, about 3 min. Transfer to a bowl.

4. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tsp oil to the skillet and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add the shallot and garlic and cook until lightly browned, about 1 1/2 min. Stir in the eggs and cook, stirring constantly, until scrambled but still moist, about 20 seconds.

5. Add the softened noodles and sauce, increase the heat to high, and cook, tossing gently, until the noodles are evenly coated, about 1 min.

6. Add the cooked shrimp, sprouts, and scallions to the skillet and cook, tossing gently, until the shrimp are heated through and the noodles are tender, about 2 min. Season with salt to taste and sprinkle with the cilantro and peanuts. Serve with lime wedges.

Thai Chicken Tacos

This is a recipe from my sweet friend Alicia. I believe she said the make this almost every week?!? I can see why. This is such a pretty dish. We are having it for dinner tonight so we have the chicken marinating and the cabbage slaw chillin in the refrigerator. It all looks so great. Can't wait. We doubled this bad boy for us so we could eat for several meals from this.

Thai Chicken Tacos
Serves 4 (2 taco) servings

Tacos
1 lime, halved
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts or tenders, cut into 1/2-3/4 inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 large shallot (didn't have any, so I did a 1/4 red onion & 2 more garlic cloves)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp hot chili sauce (such as Sriracha)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
16 corn tortillas, heated

Cabbage Slaw (put this all in a bowl & toss)
2 cups shredded Napa cabbage
1/2 c shredded carrot
1/2 c sliced green onions
1/3 c sliced radishes
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 coarsely chopped peanuts
1/4 c rice vinegar

1. Juice one lime half (about 1 Tbsp.); cut remaining half in wedges. In bowl stir together chicken, cilantro, shallot, garlic, the 1 Tbsp. lime juice (added all the juice because my chicken was a little over a pound), fish sauce, soy sauce, pepper, and chili sauce. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour (I am going to leave it all day). In large skillet cook chicken mixture in hot oil over medium-high heat 5 min or until chicken is cooked, stirring occasionally.

2. To serve, layer two tortillas. Top with chicken and cabbage slaw. Serve with remaining slaw and lime wedges.

This recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens June 2011