Tag Archives: walnuts

Blackberry Spinach Salad with Lemon Thyme Chicken & Blackberry Vinaigrette

For three weeks now, I’ve been crazy over local blackberries! They are so tasty on their own, I rarely have enough left to make something fun! So, this week I bought two pints instead of one.  Oh the possibilities!  Fruit crisp, muffins, pie… oh my!

I love summer berries as dessert, but I actually prefer to keep it simple.  Think smoothies, berries + yogurt + drizzle of honey = YUM!  I want the star of the show to be fresh fruit.  I also picked up some first of the season peaches at the market this week, so I certainly see smoothies in my near future! This weekend though, these HUGE blackberries went into a main entrée summer salad.

Step One: Lemon Thyme Chicken
If you are in a hurry and already have leftover chicken on hand, use it! But I really love my lemon thyme herb pot; I think it has a nice light summer flavor.

Season chicken breasts to taste with the following:

Salt and Freshly ground pepper
Paprika (for color!)
Fresh Lemon Thyme
Freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used 1/2 a lemon for 3 breasts)

Bake at 325* F until juices run clear.  I would have loved to grill these, but, we haven’t invested in a grill yet.  If you try it be sure to let me know how it is!  I actually over cooked our chicken a little because I forgot about it.  Set a timer if you need to.

Step Two: Blackberry Vinaigrette

Okay, so this step is a bit messy, and not for those of you in a hurry.  But – it sure was worth it!

Ingredients: (these are estimates, I didn’t actually measure anything, so go by taste!)

1 Pint Blackberries
1/4 cup red onion
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp. honey
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar ( I also used Pear infused Vinegar)
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

  1. Using a food processor, puree pint of blackberries.
  2. Here’s where it gets messy, using a mesh sieve (or piece of nylon) strain the blackberry juice from the pulp and seeds.  Take your time and wear an apron.  Set juice aside.
  3. Rinse out food processor.  Pulse red onions garlic, honey and vinegar.  Add blackberry juice and olive oil, process.
  4. Transfer to serving container.  A jelly jar works fine.
Step Three: Assemble
Here is where it all comes together.  The flavor combination is salty, fresh, sweet, and bright.  The texture is crunchy from walnuts, creamy from feta, and juicy from blackberries.
Ingredients:
Organic Baby Spinach
Sliced Lemon Thyme Chicken
Toasted Walnuts
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Fresh Blackberries
Blackberry Vinaigrette
QUESTION: How do you include fresh berries into your summer meals?

Snack Time: Pumpkin Granola Bars

First Things First – I want to say thank you to foodieblogroll.com for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this weeks featured blogs!  I am so excited! You can find the other featured blogs here. Check it out!

Halloween weekend is finally here!  Unfortunately, Jacob and I didn’t make it to the farmers market last weekend to pick out our pumpkins. The Williamsburg market is located right in the heart of Colonial Williamsburg and William and Mary’s Campus, and unbeknownst to us, last weekend was the University’s homecoming.  We navigated through the tailgaters and finally made it to the parking lots.  There are three parking lots near the market that allow 2 hour free parking.  Usually finding a spot isn’t a problem, and I don’t mind having to walk a little ways, but this was insane.  Not being one for chaotic large crowds, we got out of there ASAP.  I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty disappointed, and maybe just a little bit grumpy about it… maybe.

I’ve given up on picking out pumpkins at the market.  It just isn’t in the cards for us this year.  Tomorrow morning is the last regular market for the season, and I’m not going to be able to make it.  Luckily though, I found the perfect pumpkin at the grocery store tonight.  It’s definitely not the same experience, but it still works.  The pumpkin I picked out is adorable.  I’m sorry I don’t have a picture for you (yet), but it is a small, squat, very pale colored pumpkin! I love it!  It looks perfect on the table in my entry way.

With the candy-focused holiday this weekend, I thought I might share with you a great homemade fall treat, that’s a little on the healthier side: pumpkin granola bars.

I became interested in making my own granola bars about 2 years ago.  I tried several recipes, that all turned out terrible, and ended up in the trash.  Then last year I stumbled upon a recipe from  The Kitchen Sink that seemed much more promising.  They were better, much better actually, but still not quite what I was looking for.  I prefer a somewhat soft bar and these were very hard, like regular granola.  This fall though, I think I have finally figured it out, thanks to some simple words from Mark Bittman. He had this to say about homemade granola bars:

“…Kind of like rice crispy treats, but… not total junk”.

So simple and such an “ah-ha” moment for me.  Mr. Bittman’s recipe looks great, and I hope to give it a try sometime, but I was hoping to incorporate some fall flavor into my bars.  Specifically, pumpkin.  One of my favorite store bought bars are Kashi’s pumpkin spice flax.  I decided to combine everything I’ve learned from experimenting, and here is what I came up with.  These bars can be baked, or not, depending on your preference.  If you bake them, they will last longer and will hold together better.  If you don’t bake them, and let them “harden” in the fridge, they will be gooier and have a more “treat-like” consistency.  If you are making them for only one person, I would recommend cutting the recipe in half.  Have a fun, safe, and healthy halloween!

Pumpkin Granola Bars

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Cups Rolled Oats

1 Cup Crispy Brown Rice Cereal

1/4 Cup Flax Seed (whole or milled)

1/2 Cup finely chopped walnuts

1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1/2 Cup raisins or other dried fruit (optional)

1/2 Cup Natural Peanut Butter

1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree

1/4 Cup honey

1 Tbs. maple syrup

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp salt

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F if choosing to bake the bars.  Grease or line with parchment paper, a square or rectangular baking pan.  The smaller the pan the thicker the bars will be and vice-versa.

2. In a large bowl, mix together oats, brown rice cereal, flax seed, walnuts, and dried fruit.  Set aside.

3. In a small saucepan, over low-medium heat melt together the peanut butter, bumpkin, honey, maple syrup.  Stir until smooth, then blend in cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt.

4.  Pour pumpkin-peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture, and stir until well blended.

5.  Shape the granola into the pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or place in the fridge for about an hour.

6.  Once completely cool using a sharp knife cut into squares or bars.

 

Birthday Treat: Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Muffins

It is officially Autumn. The temps have dropped to the 70′s and it’s cloudy and raining here.  I finally feel like I can start to indulge in fall foods. This year I’m trying not to over do it with the fall favorites too soon. I still want to enjoy these things come November.

I never crave apples in winter, spring or summer, but as soon as September hits, they are all I think about.    Eating an apple only seconds after it has been picked is quite the experience.  Have you ever been apple picking?  When I worked at Husted’s Market in Michigan, we would have bins and bins and bins of apples!  Working there in the fall, was awesome.  Cider made on location, apple picking, pumpkins and gourds everywhere, hay rides, and of course homemade donuts!

When I first started working at the Market I was about 15 years old.  Making donuts seemed like the coolest thing in the world.  We had this little machine in the back room called a Donut Robot.  We made up the dough, poured it in the machine and went to work.  There we several different varieties including, chocolate, plain, cherry, and pumpkin.  But my favorite was the cinnamon sugar.  So good when dunked in hot cider!

Even after leaving my job at Husted’s I’ve made a point to go back for the fall treats every year.  But this year I won’t be able to make it back to Michigan until at least Thanksgiving.  Tomorrow is my 25th birthday,  so I’ve decided to make muffins that taste like cinnamon donuts.  Why not!?  I’ve never been a big fan of cake.  I dunked these in some hot caramel flavored tea and it brought me right back.  Almost just as good!

If you have been following my blog at all you might already know that I am a huge fan of muffins.  They are kinda my go to treat when I want to bake.  I’m also a huge fan of chocolate chip cookies, but I have no self control with those, so I stick with muffins!  This recipe is really really simple.  I use it for most of my muffins, just add and delete the flavorful things.  This time I added cinnamon and chopped MacIntosh apples then topped with brown sugar and diced walnuts.  If you want to play around with different versions, leave those ingredients out.

Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Muffins

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup canola oil

1 large egg

at least 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk

2 medium apples, chopped

brown sugar and diced walnuts for topping, optional

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease or line muffin tin.
  2. Stir together flour, sugars, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
  3. In a 1 cup liquid measuring cup, measure 1/3 cup canola oil.  Add egg to the oil.
  4. Add soy milk (regular milk works fine too) to the oil and egg until you have 1 cup of liquid.  Whisk together until combined.
  5. Stir oil mixture into dry ingredient, until just combined.  Don’t over mix, you may still see some floury spots.
  6. Stir in chopped apple, just until evenly distributed.
  7. Scoop into muffin tin.  Should make about 10 muffins.
  8. Top each muffin with about 1 tsp of brown sugar and 1 tsp walnuts.
  9. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean, and tops are slightly golden.
  10. Let sit for a few minutes, before moving to a wire rack to cool.

Hope you enjoy! Happy fall!

Memorial Day Morning Glory Muffins

This Memorial weekend was not a very exciting one for me.  I worked and volunteered, missing all the great sunny weather.  On Memorial Day, I had about 6 free hours in the afternoon to myself.  I had hoped to spend the afternoon basking in the sun, but the weather had different plans for me.  So, I settled down to do some serious dietetic internship research.  About an hour into this, a big storm rolled through, and I suddenly had this huge desire to bake something.  What is it about rain, that makes me want to dig out my apron and grab the flour?

I wanted a nice treat, I was thinking blueberry muffins maybe? Nah, their crumbly topping is too sweet.  Then, it came to me, MORNING GLORY MUFFINS!  These muffins allow me to fulfill my nagging urge to bake, while serving as a healthy breakfast or snack.  They are full of good-for-you ingredients like carrots, raisins, apples, walnuts, whole-wheat flour, and cinnamon!

Typically, morning glory muffins call for coconut, but I’ve never liked it, so I replaced it with extra carrots.  I cheated a little too, and purchased the pre-shredded kind.  And okay, I admit it, I may have added far to many.  I couldn’t help it.  I didn’t want to waste what “little” was left in the bag, so I used the whole 10 ounces.

I modified this recipe from this one at honey & jam.

1 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour

3/4 cup old fashioned oats

3/4 cups packed brown sugar

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and grated*

1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and grated

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup raisins

3 large eggs

2/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup orange juice

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Lightly line muffin tin with papers and spray insides of the papers.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the carrots, apple, nuts, and raisins. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, applesauce, vanilla, and orange juice. Add to the flour mixture, and stir just until evenly moistened.

Divide batter into the prepared pan.  Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool for 5 minutes in their pan, then finish cooling on a wire rack.

*I probably added close to 3 cups of carrots

Nutritional Benefits:

Whole Grains! White whole wheat flour provides the same benefits as regular whole wheat flour.  Old fashioned oats are considered a whole grain.

Vitamins and Minerals! Carrots are high in beta carotene, a form of Vitamin A, which is great for healthy eyes.  Carrots are also a good source of Vitamin C.

Healthy Fats! Applesauce replaces what would traditionally be vegetable oil, to reduce the calorie and fat content of these muffins.  The only fats here are from the walnuts.  Walnuts are high in the healthy unsaturated fats and omega 3′s.

Fiber! All of these ingredients contribute to a high fiber muffin, for example, apples and raisins are great sources of fiber.