This is one of my favorite ways to make cod.  I cut this recipe off of a bag of frozen cod filets that I purchased a few years ago and have made it several times since.  To serve the fish you put a boiled potato down first on the plate and smash it with the bottom of a cup, then place the fish on top and drizzle with the sauce.  You may want to cut back on the amount of mustard if you don’t want it to have such a strong mustard flavor.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Coriander Seeds

1 Tablespoon Cumin Seeds

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

4 Cod Filets – I use frozen ones that have thawed

2 Tablespoons Canola Oil

2 Tablespoons Whole- Grain Mustard (more or less to your liking)

¼ cup of butter (1/2 stick)

2 Tablespoons of water

Directions:

1. Crush the coriander and cumin seeds with a mortar and pestle, or use the bottom of a heavy sauce pan to smash them.
2. Combine the crushed seeds with the salt and pepper in a small bowl
3. Sprinkle the mixture over the filets – coating both sides
4. Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a non-stick skillet over moderate to high heat.
5. Sear until undersides are well browned, about two minutes
6. Turn filets over and repeat the process – cooking two to three minutes more. Set aside and keep warm.
7. In a small saucepan heat the two tablespoons of water and the mustard mixing well.  Add the butter in small chunks.  Heat until the sauce has a creamy consistency.
8. Smash one or more small potato on the plate, place fish on top and add the mustard and butter sauce.

Did you know that Red Gold recently came out with a new line of tomato products?  I recently found out about them and decided to give them a try in a new recipe I read about in the January 2012 Woman’s Day magazine.  Of course I made a few changes to the recipe to make it just right for us.

The new product line is called Culinary Classics and come in a 28 ounce red can.  Currently these are sold exclusively at Meijer – I saw them last time I went shopping there on an end of aisle display.

Chef’s Cut Tomatoes with Basil in puree

Diced Tomatoes Chili Seasoned with Onions

Diced Tomatoes with Garlic and Olive Oil

Sliced Tomatoes & Zucchini with Onions, Celery and Bell Peppers

Diced Tomatoes with Chipotle

For my chicken recipe I used the Chef’s cut Tomatoes with Basil in puree.  It had nice chunks of firm tomatoes in a puree – perfect for my dish.

Chicken and Spinach Parmesan

Ingredients:

8 small chicken breasts – I didn’t pound mine – next time I will so they cook faster.

Salt and Pepper to season

1 cup bread crumbs or panko bread crumbs

¼ cup of olive oil

1 ½  cup of baby spinach rinsed and torn

¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 can Red Gold Chef’s cut Tomatoes with Basil in puree

Instructions:

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper then roll in the bread crumbs to coat.  You may have to press them to get them to stick.
2. Heat a sauté pan with 2 tablespoons of the Olive Oil and brown the chicken on both sides.  I pretty much cooked them through before transferring them to my baking pan.
3. Spray 8 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
4. Pour one cup of the Tomatoes into the pan and spread it around.
5. Place the browned chicken breasts in the pan.
6. Top the chicken with the spinach.
7. Pour another cup of the tomato sauce on top of the chicken (I had some left over).
8. Then sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the chicken.
9. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or so until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese has browned.

I changed the recipe in a few ways. I used more tomato sauce than what the original recipe called for since I wanted more sauce.  I also decided to bake the chicken instead of broiling it, just a personal preference.

I can think of a million ways to use the products in this line; soups, lasagna, spaghetti sauce, pizza and all kinds of casseroles.    The taste was excellent and they smelled delicious too!

Disclosure:  I received a box of Red Gold goodies to facilitate this review.  All opinions and views are honest and my own.

I made this dip over Thanksgiving and it went over well.  I love all the flavors- garlic, rosemary, lemon and almond.  Plus the beans makes it high in fiber with plenty of protein.

White Bean Dip – from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

Ingredients

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 Fifteen ounce can white beans – drained and rinsed

¾ cup sliced toasted almonds– divided

Sea Salt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (more if you like)

¼ to ¾ cup hot water

Grated zest of ½ lemon

Pita Chips

Instructions

Combine the olive oil, rosemary and garlic in a small saucepan. Use medium to low heat to warm until it starts to sizzle.  Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes.  Strain the oil to remove the garlic and rosemary (I left the bits in).

In a food processor combine the beans, two-thirds of the almonds, ½ teaspoon salt, lemon juice and two thirds of the rosemary/garlic oil. Pulse a couple of times to start mixing the ingredients.  Add the hot water ¼ of a cup at a time and continue pulsing.   Use more of the hot water if the mixture is too thick.  You can add more salt and lemon juice if you think it needs it.

Put the dip in a serving dish and sprinkle with the lemon zest and remaining almonds, then drizzle with the rest o the remaining rosemary/garlic oil.

Serve with Pita Chips.

Thanksgiving is over and now you have a ton of leftover turkey.  You don’t want to eat turkey sandwiches every day…not only will you get bord, but all that bread is going to add unwanted pounds to your middle.

Check out all of these leftover turkey recipe ideas over at Miami Mommies.

This Thanksgiving I have been assigned to dessert duty, in addition to my normal lemon meringue pie I wanted to try something new this year. I decided to come up with a dish that was a little more on the healthy side using the new Del Monte Diced Peaches with Cinnamon and Brown Sugar. I didn’t want anything with a crust or frosting, so I started flipping through cookbooks for inspiration. I ended up mixing a few different recipes together and tweaking them a bit to come up with Peach and Cranberry Crunch. I gave it a trial run the other night and thought it turned out great. It was super easy to make and had really good flavor and texture.

The new Del Monte Diced Peaches with Cinnamon and Brown Sugar come in individual sized containers that have 70 calories each. While I used them for baking this time around, I also sampled them straight out of the container and thought they were really good. You could put these in a lunchbox or just keep them around for a snack.

I found them at WalMart along side a few other flavors including pear and mixed fruit. For details on my shopping trip check out my story on Google+.

Peach and Cranberry Crunch

Ingredients

• Fruit Filling:
• 5 individual sized containers of Del Monte Diced Peaches with Cinnamon and Brown Sugar – DRAINED
• 1 Cup fresh cranberries – washed
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar

• Crunchy Topping:
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 Tablespoons melted butter

• Garnish:
• Whipped Cream or Ice Cream Optional

Directions

Preheat over to 375°. Spray an 8×8 or 9×9 inch pan with nonstick spray. In a bowl mix the peaches, cranberries and sugar – toss to coat with the sugar. Pour mixture into baking dish. In the same bowl mix the topping ingredients, mixing gently until crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit mixture. Bake 25-35 minutes until bubbly and golden brown. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Follow Del Monte on facebook  www.facebook.com/delmonte and twitter at www.twitter.com?#DelMonteFoods for great information on Del Monte Products.

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias. All thoughts, opinions and photo’s are honest and my own.

Here’s a fun way to use Pringles this fall.  You could make these brownies anytime of year, but I love the Halloween theme, especially the Pringles tombstone topper. Remember, Pringles Snack Stacks are a great alternative to sugary treats for trick-or-treat, and are also a great tailgating party snack.  I use the Pringles Grab & Go for my son’s lunchbox.

INGREDIENTS:

·         6 ounces baking chocolate, unsweetened

·         3/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine

·         2 cups sugar

·         3 eggs

·         1 tsp. vanilla

·         3/4 cup flour

·         1-6.41 ounce can of Pringles Original or 1-5.71 ounce can of Reduced Fat Pringles Original

·         1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

·         Orange and black frosting (optional)

·         Edible decorations, such as sprinkles and candy corn (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1.       Preheat oven to 350 F

2.       Line 13×9-inch baking pan with foil, and spray foil with cooking spray.

3.       In a glass bowl, microwave chocolate and butter on high for 2 minutes.  Stir until chocolate melts.

4.       In a stainless steel bowl, mix sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well mixed.

5.       Pour in butter chocolate mixture and mix well.

6.       Empty Pringles and flour into a food processor, and puree until very fine.

7.       Empty flour mixture into chocolate mixture and mix well; add nuts to distribute.

8.       Bake for 30 minutes, and cool.

OPTIONAL DECORATION DIRECTIONS:

1.       Before pouring Pringles into food processer, reserve 3-5 crisps and set aside.

2.       While brownies cool, gently break Pringles crisps in half and decorate with frosting gel.

3.       Top brownies and frosting and place crisp “gravestones” in brownies along with other edible decorations to create a fun and playful graveyard scene.

Disclosure:  Lucky me – I received a free sample of Pringles, however all views, opinions and thoughts are my own.  We are a Pringles household!

Apple butter is a southern mainstay.  It’s great on biscuits, toast, waffles and you can even use it with pork too!

You can easily pick up apple butter at any cider mill and many grocery stores, but it’s so easy to make!  Using your crock pot, you’ll have enough to last or give as gifts this holiday season.

Crock Pot Apple Butter Recipe

Yields 4 pints

• 5 1/2 lbs apples, peeled and finely chopped*
• 4 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Place apples in a large bowl.
2. Combine sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt.
3. Pour over apples and mix well.
4. Place in crock pot, cover and cook on high for 1 hour.
5. Decrease heat to low; cover and cook on low for 9-11 hours or until thickened and dark brown.
6. Stir occasionally.
7. Uncover and cook on low for 1 hour longer.
8. If desired, press through a sieve or run through a blender.
9. Spoon into freezer containers, leaving 1/2-inch head space. Or can using water-bath method.

*For a deeper color, leave apples unpeeled and cut into chunks.  Be sure to run through a sieve (step to remove the peels.

Image courtesy of SwtTeddy00 on Photobucket.

Gluten Free Halloween Treats don’t have to be expensive or hard to make!

Do you know that there’s an estimated 3 million Americans that suffer from Celiac Disease?  Chances are, someone in your child’s circle of friends are on a gluten-free diet.

Gluten-free products are becoming more readily available at chain grocery stores, but they can be very expensive.

When you’re hosting a party or providing snacks for your child’s classroom, there’s no need to make a special trip to the store to accommodate food allergies.  There’s plenty of gluten-free treats you can whip up with what you have on hand.  More importantly,  children with gluten allergies won’t feel excluded.

Caramel Popcorn

recipe source: Food.com
A fall classic!

• 1 (3 1/2 ounce) bagmicrowave popcorn or 2 quarts plain popped popcorn
• 1/3 cup butter (use soy butter to make this gluten AND dairy free!)
• 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup or 1/3 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• peanuts (or you can use a different type of nut if you prefer) (optional)

Directions:

1. Prepare microwave popcorn as directed on bag.
2. Remove any unpopped kernels.
3. In 2 quart microwave-safe bowl, microwave butter on high until melted, about 1& 1/2 minutes.
4. Stir in sugar and corn syrup, and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes.
5. Stir in vanilla and baking soda until blended.
6. Stir in popcorn, mixing well. (It may be a bit tricky to mix the popcorn in at first, but the more you stir, the easier it gets.) If you are using nuts, add them here too.
7. Microwave on high for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes to coat popcorn evenly.
8. Transfer caramel corn to tray lined with waxed paper, or parchment paper.
9. Cool and break popcorn apart.
10. Store in airtight container.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

recipe source: AllRecipes.com
It doesn’t get any easier than this!

• 3 cups peanut butter
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Combine ingredients and drop by teaspoonfuls on cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes.

Rice Krispies Treats

recipe source: RiceKrispies.com
The pre-made version contains gluten, so stay clear of those.  This recipe has always been gluten-free!

• 3 Tbs butter or margarine
• 10 oz regular marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal (Thanks to reader, Erin, for pointing out that you need to look for specially marked boxes of Gluten-Free Rice Krispies)

Directions:

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
2. Add cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray.
4. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. (or use fun cookie cutters!)

Caramel Apples

recipe source: Yummly
Another fall classic that’s naturally gluten-free!

• 6 apples
• 14 oz caramels (unwrapped)
• 2 Tbsp milk

Directions:

1. Remove the stem from each apple and press a craft stick into the top. Butter a baking sheet.
2. Place caramels and milk in a microwave safe bowl, and microwave 2 minutes, stirring once. Allow to cool briefly.
3. Roll each apple quickly in caramel sauce until well coated. Place on prepared sheet to set.

How do you accommodate for food allergies when planning a kids’ party?

I try to cook with seasonal produce whenever I can. This time of year it’s not hard to do. There are plenty of squash, peppers, onions, and cabbage in the stores. I was lucky enough to be included in a project to highlight cooking with the New Hillshire Farm Gourmet Creation Sausage. The sausage comes in four great flavors; Beef and Bacon with Monterey Jack cheese, Chicken Apple with Gouda cheese, Sweet Italian with Peppers and Mozzarella cheese and Beef and Jalapeno with Monterey Jack cheese. For my recipe I chose the Beef and Jalapeno Sausage. I came up with a stir-fry recipe using cabbage, peppers, and mushrooms. I got a little more creative on the sauce— mixing Dijon mustard, dark beer, balsamic vinegar and horseradish sauce!! This might sound like a little much, but it worked out well.

Since Saturday was Sweetest Day I chose to make this special meal for the occasion. The day, I went to WalMart to pick up the sausage. It’s a new product so I was happy to find it. I really like that it has not artificial flavors or colors or by-products. A four pack cost $3.68 – not bad. Then I stopped by Vince and Joe’s to pick some fresh veggies. For more details and photo’s of my shopping trip please click here.

Ingredients:

One package of Hillshire Farm Gourmet Creation Sausage – Beef and Jalapeno
2 cups shredded green cabbage
2 cups shredded purple cabbage
4-5 large button mushrooms – sliced
One large red pepper – sliced
3 cups prepared white or brown rice

For the sauce:

Whisk together and set aside
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup dark beer
1 tablespoon horseradish sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Instructions:

1. Add 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil to your pan and let it get quite hot.
2. Add the sliced sausage and heat through – I like to brown mine.
3. Remove and set aside in a separate dish
4. Add all the vegetables to the pan and cook for approximately 4-5 minutes depending on how crunchy you like them. About half-way through add the sauce.
5. Serve hot over the white or brown rice.

Both my husband and I thought the stir-fry turned out great. I think the sausage would be great in pasta dishes, on a crusty roll or on a pizza.

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions, views and photos are my own.

How about celebrating the season with this yummy pumpkin shake – we had it for dessert the other night.  It comes together pretty quickly.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2 cups vanilla ice cream

1 cup milk (I used skim) – or less if you like you shakes thicker.

1 cup pumpkin pie filling

1 cup crushed ginger snaps or graham crackers (reserve some for topping)

2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spices

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Whipped Cream

Place all ingredients in the blender and mix until smooth.  Pour into glasses, top with whipped cream and sprinkle remaining crushed ginger snaps on top.