SRC Reveal - Apple Butter Vinaigrette

This months Secret Recipe Club pick for me is Fran's Favs .  They couldn't have chosen better!  Fran grew up in an Italian household with a Sicilian Mom and a Neopolitan Dad.  This is one of those "wish we were neighbors" kinda thing for me.  Although I was not born Italian, it's one of my favorite cuisines.  Of course I went straight to the Italian section of her blog - Mamma Mia!  Cookies, soups, Momma's meatballs and so much more.  Unfortunately, I'm at a big disadvantage this month as my kitchen is currently under renovation and I have been without a place to cook for almost 3 weeks now.  I'm getting a bit of blogger withdrawal and Fran's blog has so many recipes that I would like to try!  So my options were to grill something or the Crockpot.  I spied a recipe for Beer and Brown Sugar Kielbasa with Sauerkraut  that's made in the Crockpot and I'm saving that one for later this week.

One of her other recipes that intrigued me was her recipe for Apple Butter Vinaigrette .  I made a batch of Apple Butter in the Crockpot in the Fall and have not really opened a jar up for quite a while.  I thought this would make a delicious grilled chicken salad.

1/4 cup apple butter

3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. dijon mustard

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup olive oil

 Combine all dressing ingredients and toss with mixed spring greens, dried cranberries and almonds.  Add sliced grilled chicken.  Garnish with cherry tomatoes.  The dressing is on the sweet side and I added a bit more salt and pepper to my taste.

I doubled the amount - saved half for the salad dressing and used the remainder to marinate the chicken.  The grill caramelized all the sweetness of the apple butter and it turned out quite different and delicious!

SRC Reveal - Chinese Pork Dumplings

This month for the Secret Recipe Club , I was paired with Bean of Without Adornment  and her Gluten-Free kitchen.  Bean has a lovely philosophy on life, and beautiful photography which shines through on her blog!  I am not familiar with gluten free cooking, and don't have many of the ingredients for her recipes, but I did come across her recipe for Ginger Beef and Chinese-esque Pork Dumplings .  I did have store bought won ton wrappers in the fridge.  I tried 2 different cooking methods - Shu Mai (steamed) and pan fried and steamed (pot sticker style).  These little gems had a bit of a kick from the ginger - so delicious!

Pork Filling for Dumplings

1 lb. lean ground pork

1/2 cup chopped green onion

2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. sesame oil(original recipe called for 2 tsp. oil)
1 Tbsp. cooking sherry 

1 tsp. salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tsp. sugar(my addition)

1 Tbsp. cornstarch(my addition)

1/4 cup finely grated carrot (for garnish)

 In a medium bowl, mix pork, with above ingredients and mix until well combined.

Using a 3" biscuit cutter (I used an empty tuna can - perfect for this), cut rounds from won ton wrappers.  Cover rounds with moist paper towel to prevent drying.

Working with 6 rounds at a time, brush edges of each round lightly with water.   Place 1 Tablespoon of filling into center of each round.  Form dumplings by crimping wrapper around sides of filling and leaving top exposed.

Pinch opposite sides of wrapper.  Continue until you have eight folds.  Gather sides and squeeze gently.  Lightly pack down filling.

Top center of each dumpling with pinch of grated carrot.  These can be frozen up to 3 months.  When steaming add an additional 5 minutes.  This will make about 40 dumplings.  Any leftover meat can be used to make Asian Style Meatballs (as Mr. Bean suggested) or a nice Pork Fried Rice!

Cut a piece of parchment slightly smaller than diameter of steamer basket and place in basket.  Poke about 20 small holes in parchment and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.  Place batches of dumplings on parchment liner, making sure they are not touching.  Set steamer over simmering water and cook, covered until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve with chili oil.

To cook them pot sticker style, heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a non-stick skillet,  Fry dumplings on one side until golden brown.  Add 1/2 cup water to skillet, cover and steam 8-10 minutes.

Chili Oil Dipping Sauce 

1/4 cup soy sauce

2-3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)

1 tsp. Chinese Chili Garlic Sauce

1/2 tsp. sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

Combine all ingredients and let stand one hour to meld flavors.

I know this is quite different from Bean's gluten free kitchen, but she gave me the inspiration to try these homemade dumplings!  Thank you Bean!

~Method from American's Test Kitchen

Orange Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Muffins - SRC Reveal

After taking a break in January, it's time for the Secret Recipe Club  to start back up!  This month's blog chosen for me was Food Babbles .  Kate is a sometimes stay-at-home mom who loves food, photography and writing.  She was featured on Bon Appetit's "What People are Cooking" Column!  So creative!  I chose her recipe for Lemon Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Muffins  and just swapped out the lemon with orange.  Orange and chocolate are great together - along with the cheesecake - delicious combination!

You will need:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

2-1/2 cups flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

1-1/4 cup milk (I used buttermilk)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 tsp. grated orange zest

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup orange marmalade

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
- Beat together cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together egg milk, brown sugar, butter, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Stir egg mixture into dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
- Spoon batter into muffin cups to 3/4 full. Top each portion with 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture and 1 teaspoon jam.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove muffins and cool on rack. Store in airtight container.

 These muffins were very moist and have just the right amount of sweetness.

Join in the fun!

Add this recipe to ZipList!

Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp - SRC Reveal

My assignment this month for the Secret Recipe Club  is Hilary's  blog baking bad .  In my opinion, she bakes rather 'good'!  Her recipe index is awesome!  I chose to prepare the Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp.

I always have some kind of shrimp for the holidays - usually shrimp cocktail, but this one caught my eye.  It's simple to make, has a bit of a kick - and lot's of butter! :o)  The only change I made was to use peeled shrimp and some black pepper.

Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp
from Pioneer Woman Cooks
Ingredients:
2 pounds Raw Shrimp, Deveined, Shells On
2 sticks Cold Unsalted Butter Cut Into Pieces
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
4 cloves Garlic, Peeled
1/4 cup Fresh Parsley
1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
1 whole Lemon, Juiced
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse frozen shrimp to separate, then arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
In the bowl of a food processor, add cold butter, garlic, lemon juice, salt, parsley, and red pepper. Pulse until combined. Sprinkle cold butter crumbles over the shrimp.
Bake until shrimp is opaque and butter is hot and bubbly.
Serve with hot crusty bread. Peel and eat the shrimp, then dip the bread into the butter in the bottom of the pan.

Secret Recipe Club - Creamed Spinach & Potato Soup

My assignment this month in the Secret Recipe Club was a bit surprising this time!  The chosen blog for me was Chocolates and Dreams.  A dessert blog you say?  Nooooooo.... an interesting array of sweet and savory Indian delights!

A few hard-to-find ingredients, although they were tempting my tastebuds, led me to try Chocolates and Dreams Spinach and Potato Soup.  When I read the list of ingredients, it reminded me of Creamed Spinach - which I love.

There are so many health benefits from fresh spinach!

The 'powerhouse of nutrients' among all the leafy veggies, spinach is one of the most beneficial and healthiest vegetables.  It is filled with vitamins, proteins, and anti-oxidants and essential nutrients.

Now that cold season is upon us, boost your self up with a steaming, hot bowl of goodness!

• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 bunches fresh spinach, washed and stemmed
• 3 cups Homemade Chicken Stock or water
• 2 Tbsp. Onion and Chive Cream Cheese
• Garlic Croutons
• Sour Cream and fresh chives for garnish

Place potatoes, onion and garlic in a 4 qt. soup pot.  Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer.  Add cleaned spinach and simmer 15-20 minutes.  Puree soup in a blender.  Return to pot.  Add cream cheese and whisk until combined.  Salt and Pepper to taste.  Serve piping hot with garlic croutons.
This soup is also delicious cold.

Great for entertaining and quick to make!

Low Fat Apple Cake - Secret Recipe Club

My first assignment for the The Secret Recipe Club and I almost missed it!

We had a freak snowstorm yesterday that left us without power for 24 hours - no oven, no stove, no recipe to share.  Luckily our power came back on about 4 this afternoon so I was able to make my deadline....."whew"!
I was assigned The Realistic Nutritionist .  Claire is working towards getting her Masters in Nutrition, so I knew I would find some goodies here!

Claire's Apple Cake  is low fat and healthy due to the fact that she added NO butter or oil.  She also used organic eggs and applesauce, which I did not have, so my substitutions are after the organic ingredients.

• 1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 medium apples, peeled and chopped
• 1 organic egg (regular egg)
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup organic applesauce (homemade apple butter)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat baking pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt with a whisk.  Set aside.
In a larger bowl mix white sugar, apples, almonds, egg and applesauce.  Add flour and stir until well combined.  Pour mixture into prepared pan.  Mix brown sugar and powdered sugar together and sprinkle over the cake.  Bake for 32-35 minutes or until cake is browned.

This is a delicious snack cake, great for after school or a midnight snack.  The brown sugar topping makes a crunchy, delicious addition to this moist cake.