Zucchini and Smoked Sausage Muffins

These 'muffins' are almost like little individual quiches.  But they are light and fluffy, and easy to handle, and don't need a crust!  I made them as mini muffins this time, but will be making them regular muffin sized for the men's Bible study meeting at our house on Saturday.  Unlike most muffins, these don't rise a whole lot, so you have to fill the tin most of the way up, not just half or 3/4 of the way.  (I learned this by trial and error-- you'll notice a few very tiny muffins in the picture... these were the first batch!)  :-) 

Zucchini and Smoked Sausage Muffins

Ingredients:

2 c. grated zucchini
1 c. cubed smoked sausage (I use Kielbasa sausage)
1 sweet onion, grated
1 c. all-purpose flour
½ c. grated parmesan cheese
½ c. grated Gouda cheese
3 eggs
¼ c. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. fresh dill (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 tsp. baking power
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground pepper

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Pour mixture into lined (or well-greased) cupcake tins and top with extra cheese if desired (this recipe should make about 18 individual cakes).

For regular sized muffins, bake for 17-20 minutes (for mini muffins, bake 10-12 minutes), or until the tops of the cakes are browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then serve.

These little cakes will keep for a few days in the fridge or a few months in the freezer.

Harvest Quinoa Salad

Sweet and savory. Light, yet full of flavour.  This quinoa salad is a tasty combination of harvest flavours with a light lemony vinaigrette dressing.  It was simple to make and well-received, even by people who had never had quinoa before.  I used red quinoa this time.  It has a little more crunch/ nutty flavour to it than the standard quinoa.  I would have liked to do a mix of the two, but red was the only type available at the time in the bulk section of my grocery store.  This makes a great side dish for any type of occasion. (FYI: since I was making this for the ladies at church, I had a few dietary restrictions to accommodate, so I omitted the pecans and used pineapple juice instead of orange.)
[Cook's Note  1: For those of you not familiar with quinoa, it is an ancient grain grown in South America that is chocked full of goodness.  It is not only high in fibre, but also a good source of protein.  It is similar to couscous, in that it absorbs the flavours of whatever it is cooked in, so I always use some sort of broth to cook my quinoa (the type of broth depends on the recipe/ flavours I'm going for).  See my note (*) at the bottom for what I did for this recipe.]
[Cook's Note 2: I learned a great trick when using raw onions in a dish.  To eliminate some of the pungent smell, and overwhelming taste, cut/ chop your onion to desired size for the recipe, then rinse in a sieve under cold water for a minute or two, and drain thoroughly.  This 'softens' the punch of the raw onion, yet retains the onion-y flavour and crunch!]

Harvest Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

FOR THE SALAD:
5 c. cooked quinoa (see Note Below)
2 whole Granny Smith apples
1 c. red bell pepper
1 small red (or sweet) onion, coarsely chopped
½ c. chopped, toasted pecans (optional) 

1 c. corn-- fresh (cut off cob), frozen (thawed), or canned (drained)
½ c. dried cranberries

FOR THE DRESSING:
zest and juice of 1 lemon
⅓ c. apple cider vinegar
½ c. orange juice (or pineapple juice)
⅓ c. oil (not olive)
⅓ c. honey

 

Directions: 

Note: To make 5 cups cooked quinoa, rinse 2 cups of quinoa in cold water for 1-2 minutes.  Add rinsed quinoa to 4 cups of liquid*.  Bring to a boil.  Cook covered for 7-10 minutes, until grain has 'popped' and is cooked to your taste preference  (I like mine a little crunchy).  Drain and cool. 

While quinoa is cooking, core and chop apples, red pepper and onion. Toast pecans and thaw or drain corn. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a mason jar and give it a good shake.  Once quinoa is cool, add all the ingredients together. Stir in the dressing. Chill for one hour prior to serving. Garnish with fresh parsley or mint (optional).

Keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days.

[*I used 2 c. apple juice and 2 c. water.  I think it would also taste good to make a corn broth by boiling the corn cobs (if using fresh corn) with a good bit of salt, whole peppercorns, and an onion.]

Pumpkin Scones

Don't store/ transport these in Ziplock bags-- they get squished.

Fall is here!  This is my favourite season of the year, and it always puts me in a baking mood!  This is the season where I really start trying out new recipes, this week was no exception.  We had a "Fall Kickoff Brunch" last weekend at the church, and I used it as a perfect way to test out some yummies that I've had earmarked for a while.  Our family really seems to like pumpkin-- in our family cookbook "Kiss the Cook" (available here), we have pumpkin pie, pumpkin pie cake, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, pumpkin pie dip, and now... I'm adding pumpkin scones!  

I haven't always had good luck with scones, because they often come out quite dry... but NOT THESE PUPPIES!  They are moist, rich in flavour, and mildly addictive, especially if you've got a steaming mug of chai next to you!  :-) 

Pumpkin Scones
Ingredients:
For the SCONES:
1 c. Canned Pumpkin Puree
⅓ c. Heavy Cream
2 eggs
4-¼ c. Flour
¾ c. Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Ground Ginger
½ tsp. Ground Cloves
¾ tsp. Nutmeg
2 tsp. Cinnamon
¾ c. cold butter, cut in cubes
For the SUGAR GLAZE:
1 c. powdered sugar (icing sugar)
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
For the CINNAMON GLAZE:
1-½ c. powdered sugar (icing sugar)
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. (dash) ground cardamom
1/8 tsp. (dash) ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp. heavy cream (may need up to 3 Tbsp.)

Directions:

For the SCONES:
In a small bowl, mix the pumpkin, heavy cream and eggs with a whisk. Set aside.
In mixer bowl, using a pastry blender, mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and spices. Add in cold butter cubes and mix until crumbly.  Using paddle attachment, slowly add in pumpkin mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.
Divide dough in half, and form the first half of the dough into a 12×5 inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. If it’s too sticky, using your hands, mix in enough flour so it is easier to shape.
Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut dough into triangles by first making two vertical cuts -- you should now have 3 rectangles. Next, cut each of the rectangles by making an X. Then make ONE horizontal cut across the center. You should have 18 triangles.  (They may be different sizes.)
Place each triangle onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 425 degree F oven for about 13-15 minutes. Repeat with the other half of dough. Cool completely on rack.

Make SUGAR GLAZE by whisking the sugar with heavy cream. Using a brush or butter knife, paint the tops of each scone with the glaze.  Allow to dry at least 30 minutes before adding cinnamon glaze.

To make the CINNAMON GLAZE, whisk all the ingredients together until smooth. Pour into a Ziploc bag and cut the corner off (make sure it is a tiny cut, or else your drizzle will be gloppy), or use a pastry bag with a very fine tip. Drizzle the glaze over all the scones. Allow to dry (about 15 minutes). Eat and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Dip

I got this recipe several years ago from one of my colleagues at Willoughby Elementary School (Norfolk, Virginia), and it quickly became a Fall staple in my repertoire.  I recently 'tweaked' the original recipe, and I realized I'd never posted it here before, so I thought, now's the perfect time.  Right season and everything!  :-)  This dip has traditionally been used to dip ginger snaps into, which is a heavenly combination.  I make my homemade chewy ginger cookies to go along with it, and my friend Linda pointed out this week that apples would also pair very nicely with this dip.  She was right!  Its not a 'low-calorie' option, but man, is it good.  Its great for potlucks/ food functions because, in a bind, store-bought ginger snaps work great too. 


Pumpkin Pie Dip
Ingredients:

2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened (I use light because it is a little softer)

1 c. powdered sugar (icing sugar)

2 c. pumpkin puree

1/4 c. (or less) sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

dash of ground cloves

dash of nutmeg

Directions:
In a mixer, blend together cream cheese and icing sugar, until light and fluffy.  In a separate bowl, mix together all other ingredients.  Add to cream cheese mixture, and blend until well combined.  Serve in small, cleaned out  pumpkin or decorative bowl, with ginger cookies or apples, or both.