Roasted Pepper Walnut Dip

Here's another versatile, few-ingredient recipe to add to your repertoire. It's something different for your holiday and game day parties, and it takes about 5 minutes to prepare.

Milder than recipes I usually go for, it nonetheless has a definite Mediterranean flair both in flavor and in the use of healthy ingredients. This would also be great as a spread on wraps and in pitas. Serve with falafel chips if those are available in your area - they're the perfect complement to this dip - or grilled pita wedges, pita chips, celery...


ROASTED PEPPER WALNUT DIP
2 c walnuts
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cumin
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained
1 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced

In a food processor, pulse walnuts, salt and cumin until walnuts are ground. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste, but be careful not to overwhelm the flavors of the base ingredients.

Re-Heating Your Leftover Pizza

Here's a super tip:

Use a skillet on the stove-top to reheat pizza. It'll crisp up your crust while warming the toppings. You'll think it's fresh. Try it!

Really Tasty, Really Easy, Really Quick - Lentil Soup

This recipe is a winner for several reasons:

• uses on-hand, long-term-storage-friendly ingredients so you can make it on a moment's notice with no trips to the store 
• quick - can be ready in as little as 35min, but prep time is only about 5min
• super easy - short list of ingredients and the hardest thing to do is chop an onion
• yummy, especially considering how simple it is to make - even my son liked it enough to ask for seconds
• it's on the healthy side of eating

LENTIL SOUP

2 c dried lentils, any type

8 c chicken broth

1 onion, diced

1/4 c tomato paste

2 cloves garlic (I used organic minced garlic from a jar)

1 T ground cumin
S and P to taste

fresh lemon if available

Throw all the ingredients except the lemon into a large pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer until lentils are soft - 30-45min. Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over each bowlful.

Apple Bread Pudding

 OK, this is just plain good. I'd been craving apples and for some reason, this just seemed like the recipe to try. Allrecipes was the source and I haven't changed the ingredients, but I have altered the process to make it simpler with less clean-up. Your house will smell delish while this is baking. It's wonderful just plain, warm from the oven; allrecipes suggested serving it with ice cream. But I've put a list of topping ideas at the end of the recipe, in case you want to dress it up for the holidays or a dinner party.

Of course, I left out the raisins.


FRENCH APPLE BREAD PUDDING
4 c cubed french bread
3 eggs
1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
3 med all-purpose apples, pared, cored and finely chopped
1 3/4 c hot water
1/4 c butter, melted
1 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 c raisins (opt)

Preheat oven to 350F. Place bread cubes in buttered (or sprayed) square baking pan. Toss with raisins if including, and diced apples* (see note below).

In blender, place eggs, condensed milk, melted butter, hot water, cinnamon and vanilla. Blend. Pour over bread cube mixture. Press the dry cubes on top down into liquid to moisten.

Bake 50-55 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Serve warm or cold.
See list of topping ideas below.

*Note: I have a Vitamix - a super-heavy duty blender, so here's what I did because I'm lazy: after paring the apples I used a corer/wedge cutter. Obviously, it cuts out the core of the apples and simultaneously cuts them into wedges. I tossed the wedges into the blender with the egg mixture. So my finished product had no little pieces of apple - it was a smoother texture. But, I had no mixing bowls, spoons, cutting board, knife, etc... to clean up and no dicing to do. Just tossed the blender container in the dishwasher and I was done.

Topping Ideas - feel free to use them in combination:
ice cream - vanilla, creme brulee, maple walnut, butter pecan
whipped cream - slightly sweetened, perhaps seasoned with rum or better yet, calvados, which is
     French and would carry the theme forward, and/or with a dash of cinnamon
rum, brandy or calvados sauce
caramel sauce
maple syrup
raisins soaked in a little rum, brandy or calvados - sparingly - or you could soak them in a little warm
     apple juice if you don't want to use alcohol - currants can sub for raisins and are healthier (less
     sugar spike)

Crackers! Great Snack for the Big Game

This is one STRANGE recipe - but somehow it works. I'm going to give you the original, which was shared with my mother by her friend and neighbour, Brenda Cloud in Georgia. Then I'll share two variations and some ideas. It's a forgiving recipe (my favorite kind), so by all means experiment. And then let me know what you came up with. Better yet, share it with everyone by leaving a comment.

And don't forget to search the blog for more appys for game day - the blog titled One in a Million Wing Dip springs to mind. Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos, Caviar and Sour Cream, I could go on...



SPICY CRACKERS

Original recipe
1 c peanut oil
1 t garlic salt
1 t onion salt
2 t cayenne
2 envelopes dry ranch dressing mix
1 lg box saltine crackers (4 sleeves)

Blend oil and sesonings. Spread saltines in a large Tupperware-type container such as for a sheet cake. Pour oil mix over crackers, tossing and turning frequently for 1hr. Keeps crisp in airtight container for 2 weeks.

Seriously, they stay crisp. How you can soak crackers in oil and they stay crisp, I'll never understand. Here's my mom's lighter version.

Grams' Spicy Crackers variation
1/2 c each canola and grapeseed oil - UPDATE: avocado oil is healthier and now readily available
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cayenne
1/2 t red pepper flakes
2 envelopes dry ranch dressing mix - when tested, I'll post on healthier homemade dressing mix
1 lg box saltine crackers (4 sleeves)

This next version is my first making of them, healthier still, but I'm sure the texture is a little heavier using the wheat variety of saltines.

1/2 c ea flax seed and extra virgin olive oils - or avocado oil
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cayenne
1/2 t red pepper flakes
2 envelopes Simply Organic dry ranch dressing mix
1 lg box wheat saltine crackers (4 sleeves)

So after trying this recipe once, here are my recommendations:

Dine-In Table Spicy Crackers
1/2 c ea flax seed and grapeseed oils
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
3/4 t cayenne
2 envelopes dry Simply Organic ranch dressing mix
1 lg box wheat saltine crackers (4 sleeves)

And next time, I'll add either cumin and chili powder, celery seed, or curry powder and cumin, depending on what I plan to primarily use them for. Actually, since this makes so many, I'll probably split it up and make two different types. These are so unique and tasty that you can serve them on their own with soft (or harder) drinks, but would be great with cheese, too. I'm sure you can think of other toppings depending on the spice combos you come up with. Have fun!