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Author: Mary | Just Take A Bite

Sugar Coated Pecans

I’ve had this recipe from All Recipes marked for quite a while now. I finally decided to try it as part of our Seder meal (see next post for details). With over 700 reviews and a 5 star rating I figured it had to be pretty good. And a while ago Justin asked for praline pecans…which I couldn’t find. So I gave these a try. These are wonderful!!!!! Our house smelled like those nut stands at the mall or at sporting events. And it was unbelievably simple. Only took a few minutes to get them in the oven. I followed the suggestions of some of the reviews and used 2 egg whites instead of 1. And I replaced a little of the water with vanilla. These will make a great snack (and they are gluten free:) or a good munchy to set out when we have guests. And it makes quite a bit, so I have some in the cupboard and some in the freezer. They really are good right out of the oven. Mmmm. I want some now. I bet this recipe would work well with other nuts too. Almonds would be really good. We sprinkled these on chunky cinnamon applesauce. I bet they would be really good on vanilla ice cream with caramel.
Sugar Coated Pecans

1 egg white (I used 2)
1 Tbsp. water (I used 1 tsp. vanilla + enough water to make 1 Tbsp.)
1 pound pecan halves (preferably soaked and dehydrated)
1 cup organic cane sugar (or sucanat)
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (I used 1 tsp.)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Grease one baking sheet (I just lined mine with parchment paper. Worked great.).

In a mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and water until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, salt, and cinnamon.

Add pecans to egg whites, stir to coat the nuts evenly. Remove the nuts, and toss them in the sugar mixture until coated. Spread the nuts out on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake at 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes.

Chunky White Bean Avocado Dip

I make this dip all the time. But I guess I’ve never posted it. It’s a Robin Miller recipe I got several years ago, saw it on her show. It’s super simple and so good. Kind of like guacamole. Justin and I love it. I always make it when we have a Mexican meal. I don’t use a recipe anymore. And I don’t measure anything. I just mash the beans and avocado, stir in salt and lime juice and taste. And adjust as needed. I think my bean/avocado ratio is a bit different…more beans. Sometimes I add the garlic, sometimes I don’t. And I don’t always drain all the liquid from the beans. Depends how much of a rush I’m in 🙂 It’s different every time but always good.

Chunky White Bean-Avocado Dip

2 ripe Hass avocados, pitted and peeled
1/2 cup drained canned white beans
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Salt and ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, combine avocados, white beans and garlic. Mash with a fork until chunky. Fold in cilantro and lime juice. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.

Happy Birthday To Me :)

Yesterday was my birthday. I turned 29. I just can not believe I’m going on 30! Is that really possible?? Anyway, to celebrate we got take out sushi from Kobe Japanese Steakhouse. I haven’t had sushi for over a year now. I’ve only ever had it a couple times, but I really like it! So this was my birthday meal choice. We tried 4 different rolls (we’re not too adventurous with sushi yet :)…california (my favorite), philadephia, tuna and avocado and spicy yellow tail (neither of us was crazy about this one). There are a few pieces left for my dinner tonight (yum!).

 
I also made an ice cream cake. This was not the prettiest cake. This was a “how can I use up a bunch of cake scraps?” cake. I used a springform pan and layered homemade white cake (scraps/chunks), vanilla ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauces (to use up stuff that’s been in the fridge a while) and topped it with leftover chocolate frosting. And decorated it with leftover purple icing (both from the shower cakes I just made). It looked a bit messy. But it tasted soooo good! I’ll have to try making a real ice cream cake some other time…when I actually bake the cake intentionally for it and not just have a mess of cake scraps. There are so many combos that would be good. Maybe I’ll do chocolate cake and mint chocolate chip ice cream next time. Mmm. Sounds like a good summer project. I also want to try making a combo cheesecake/regular cake sometime. A few more items to add to my list of desserts/cakes.
 
I got a food saver from Justin for my birthday. I guess that will go on my list of appliances I need to try 🙂 I’m sure it will be handy when we buy some meat in bulk and when we have to start freezing produce again.

Drive-In Walnut Burgers

I tried a Semi-Homemade recipe last night for walnut burgers. I saw SL make them on tv and they sounded interesting…and meatless 🙂 Plus I had walnuts to use up. And I got to use my new food processor!!! I took a picture of the food processor…after I used it 😛 So it’s a bit dirty. It worked great! I’m excited to use it more often. I just need to figure out where to put it now.

I thought the burgers were great!! I love meals with nuts and beans. I’ll take that in place of meat just about any day. They were super easy to make. Came together in a few minutes (I prepped them ahead and put them in the fridge until dinner time.) and then cooked them in a grill pan for about 10 min. I topped mine with grilled onion, avocado, ketchup and honey mustard. Justin wasn’t too thrilled about the burgers. He said he’s willing to have the leftovers for another meal, but he’ll have to dress his burger appropriately…plenty of cheese, mayo, ketchup, pickles, etc. 😛 They don’t taste like a hamburger (I don’t think they’re supposed to). But they have good flavor. I used a barbeque grill seasoning. I think that really gave them a good flavor. I used some of my homemade whole wheat hamburger buns. Those are quite dense (using up the ones I made…hoping to make a new batch that turns out better). And the burgers are pretty dense (not super moist). So it was a hearty meal. I like the idea of making a burger out of other things. I’ll have to experiment and try other recipes…see if I can come up with something that even Justin likes 🙂 I still have to try my SIL’s recipe for lentil burgers. Maybe he’ll like those better. But I’ll definitely keep this recipe on file. I took a picture of the whole burger and with a bite taken so you can see the inside.

And I’ve adjusted my meal plans for the 3rd time this week so that we can use up the leftover burgers and jello. I had chickpeas left from the burgers that I put in a veggie cheese soup in the crockpot this morning. It’s a total experiment (just throwing a bunch of stuff from the freezer and pantry together). We’ll see how it turns out. I made a new batch of granola yesterday (added chopped walnuts, dried cranberries, cherries and raisins and sweetened it with pure maple syrup and agave nectar this time…can’t wait to try it!). I baked 2 more cake layers yesterday and one this morning. Just one small chocolate layer to go tonight or tomorrow morning. Just found out yesterday we are closing on our house (refinancing) tomorrow afternoon, so that means less time to get stuff done…and another reason for meal adjustments (no time to cook this week). And now I have to go to Meijer today, else I won’t have time until next Monday. The office is cleaned now. I’m making good progress on my weekly goals already. I think the cake is about the only thing left to finish.
Drive-In Walnut Burgers

1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup plain dried bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. grill seasoning (recommended: McCormick)
1 tsp. smoked paprika (I left this out)
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (I left this out)
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large egg
4 hamburger buns
Lettuce, tomato, avocado
Honey mustard

Set up grill for direct cooking over high heat. Oil grate when ready to start cooking. (I used a grill pan on the stove with a little EVOO in it.)

In a food processor, combine walnuts, garbanzo beans, bread crumbs, grill seasoning, paprika, pepper flakes, oil and vinegar and pulse until coarsely ground. In a small bowl whisk egg, add to food processor and pulse for 10 seconds, just enough to incorporate egg. Divide into 4 equal-size parts; roll into balls, and flatten with the palm of your hand into 3/4-inch-thick patties. Place burgers on oiled grill. Cook 4 minutes per side.

Serve hot on toasted buns with lettuce, tomato, avocado and honey mustard.

Chocolate Eclair Dessert

This recipe is from Justin’s mom…and I think she got it from Justin’s Aunt Mary. It’s called Pudding Dessert on the recipe card. But I think of it as chocolate eclair dessert. I don’t like this kind of dessert (I don’t like pudding or cool whip), so I make it when we’re having guests (Justin’s parents will be here today). Justin loves it but can’t eat a whole pan by himself. I let him have some last night…taste test 🙂 I only made a half batch since there will only be 3 people eating it. I like the top layer with graham crackers and chocolate 🙂

Chocolate Eclair Dessert

Layers:
2 pkg. instant french vanilla pudding (small size)
3 cups milk
9 oz. Cool Whip (thawed)
graham crackers

Topping:
2 squares baking chocolate
3 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. Karo corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 (or more) Tbsp. milk

Layer 9×3 pan with graham crackers (do not crush). Mix pudding with milk until set. Fold in Cool Whip. Put half of pudding mixture over crackers. Put another layer of crackers on. Put other half of pudding mixture on. Top with another layer of crackers.

Melt chocolate and butter in saucepan. Turn off heat. Add corn syrup, vanilla and sugar. Mix well. Add milk…enough to make it spreading consistency. Put on top of crackers. Let set in fridge for 10 hours.

Cranberry Walnut Quinoa Salad

I squeezed in one more grain this month 🙂 I made a quinoa salad last night. The recipe is from Food Network. I think it’s meant to be a side dish, but I served it as a main dish and our meatless meal for the week. The reviews…I thought it was awesome!!!! I wanted to eat the whole bowl 😛 Justin liked it, but not as a main dish. He said he couldn’t eat a huge quantity at once. I kind of figured that would be the case. So, I had seconds and Justin didn’t finish what was on his plate. That doesn’t happen very often. This was our first taste of quinoa. Very good. And super easy to make. I just wish it wasn’t so expensive. This was a very light and healthy dish. And since I shaved a little paremsan cheese over top it had something from every food group in it! This is a very good base salad. You could add different veggies to it. And feta cheese crumbled on top would probably be good too. The other nice part is that you make it ahead of time (since it’s a cold salad). Always a bonus to be able to prep ahead. I only made a half batch and it made plenty. I’m excited for leftovers 🙂

This post is linked to the Whole Foods for the Holidays progressive dinner – salad course.

Cranberry Walnut Quinoa Salad
serves 10

1 cup quinoa
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup frozen green beans, defrosted (I cut them into bite size pieces)
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (soaked and dehydrated)
1/4 cup green onions, sliced (I left these out since I didn’t have any)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
(crumbled or shaved cheese for topping)

Combine quinoa with 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and continue cooking until all water is absorbed. (I cooked it for 12 min. Then left it covered for 15 min. off the heat.) (To make this easier to digest soak the quinoa over night, then proceed with recipe)

In a medium bowl, combine cooked quinoa, dried cranberries, green beans, walnuts, and green onions until well mixed. In a small bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and garlic until well blended. Pour over the quinoa mixture. Toss until well blended. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Add cheese as desired.

Cherry Square Bars

Today I’m visiting some of my former co-workers so I baked some goodies yesterday to bring along. This is a recipe from Justin’s mom. Simple, delicious and it makes a lot 🙂 They can be made with any fruit. I made cherry this time. I also made brownies.

Blueberry or Cherry Square Bars

Bars:
2 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1 can pie filling

Frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar
hot water (1-4 Tbsp.)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream sugar and butter. Add vanilla, almond and eggs, beating after each egg. Add flour. Mix well. Spread 3/4 of mixture in a 17x13x1/2 pan. then put pie filling on top. Then put remaining batter on top. Bake for 35 min. Drizzle frosting on while still warm.

Frosting: Mix enough hot water into powdered sugar until smooth consistency.

Belgian Waffles

Last night I made waffles for Justin for dinner. I got this recipe from my mom a long time ago. It works really well in our waffle iron. Each time I make them it seems like I get a different amount of waffles out of x amount of batter. I did a half recipe yesterday and got about 3 waffles. My usual estimate is 1/4 recipe = 1 waffle/1 recipe = 4 waffles. But I guess you could get more than 4 out of a whole recipe. Just depends on your waffle iron and how much batter you use. I made fruit topping from blueberries (from the farmer’s market) and raspberries (from our garden). The second pictures looks like it’s upside down because I was taking a picture across the table at Justin’s plate 🙂

Belgian Waffles

4 eggs, separated
1 cup milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla

In large bowl beat egg yolks until lemon colored. Add milk, flour, butter, salt and vanilla. Blend until mixed. In separate bowl beat egg whites until still peaks form. Fold into yolk batter. Pour onto greased waffle griddle and cook until browned on both sides. Makes 4-6 waffles.

Beef Stroganoff

Last night I made an old classic for Justin – beef stroganoff. I think this is a Kraft recipe. I’ve made it many times. Very quick and easy. This is a skillet dish, so it’s all in one pot. I make a veggie to go with it. I also have a beef stroganoff recipe from Justin’s mom. I’ve only made it once since it takes a long time to make. I’ll post that too. It’s better than the quickie version, but I don’t have time most days to cook something for several hours. Justin’s mom doesn’t have exact measurements for all of the ingredients…just do what seems right 🙂 I think I added more onion than the recipe says too. There is also some stuff crossed out on the recipe…I think the crossed out stuff would be better than the way she made it. I’ll add that in parenthesis.

Skillet Beef Stroganoff

1 lb. ground beef (I only use 1/2 lb. and think it’s plenty)
3 cups egg noodles (dry)
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) Velveeta, cut up (I just slice it)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups water
pepper

Brown meat in skillet. Drain. Add water. Bring to boil. Add noodles, stir. Reduce heat, simmer 8-10 min. Add Velveeta, soup and pepper. Cook until cheese is melted.

Beef Stroganoff

round steak, cut in small cubes (any beef or stew meat will work)
1/3 can mushroom soup (mushrooms, sliced – original ingredient)
1/8 onion, chopped
butter
flour
salt
pepper
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup beef bouillon (any form of beef broth)

(Saute mushrooms and onion in butter.) In (separate) skillet melt butter. Coat meat with flour and brown meat and onion in skillet. Add salt, mushroom soup and broth. Simmer, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours. (Add mushrooms and onion.) (Serve over noodles.) Serve over mashed potatoes.