Cucumber Salad

Cucumber salad (shared by Talia)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
green onion

Directions: 

Thinly slice 1 long english cucumber and coat in dressing. I usually half the recipe above.  Let sit in fridge for about 1 hour to let the dressing marinade.

Orzo with Smokey Tomato Vinaigrette

Orzo with Smokey Tomato Vinaigrette (shared by Talia)

1lb orzo pasta
1lb cherry tomatoes

Vinaigrette
1/2 c packed fresh basil leaves
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp Agave sweetener
1 Tbsp smoked salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper

Place the tomatoes in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the tomatoes are tender and the skins are charred in spots, about 15 mins.  set aside to cool.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 mins.  Drain and place in a large serving bowl.

For the vinaigrette:  place th tomatoes, basil, vinegar, olive oil, agave, and smoked salt in a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Pour vinaigrette over the pasta and toss until coated.  Season with smoked salt and pepper to taste.  Top with Parmesan.  

Pumpkin Bread

PUMPKIN BREAD (shared by Michelle)

Book club this time around was filled with pumpkin desserts. This pumpkin bread from eatingwell.com turned out great.  Check out the link below for the recipe.  As recommended in one of the reviews, I added the pumpkin pie spice to the recipe.

Pumpkin Bread from eatingwell.com

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/pumpkin_bread.html

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (shared by Lauren)

Yum!  These cookies were delicious.  Check out the link below for the recipe:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies from tasteofhome.com

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies

Decadent Double Chip Brownies

Decadent Double Chip Brownies (shared by Zoe)

Perfect for chocolate lovers!

Ingredients:

¾ cup Hershey’s Cocoa powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

½ cup boiling water

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup Milk Chocolate chips

1 cup Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips (I leave these out, but peanut butter lovers will no doubt enjoy including these)

1. Heat over to 350 degrees F.  Grease 13x9x2 inch baking pan.
2. Stir together cocoa and baking soda in a large bowl; stir in 1/3 cup melted butter.
3. Add boiling water; stir until mixture thickens. 
4. Stir in sugar, eggs and remaining 1/3 cup melted butter, stir until smooth. 
5. Add flour, vanilla and salt; blend thoroughly
6. Stir in chocolate chips (and peanut butter chips if using.) 
7. Spread mixture in prepared pan.  Bake 35 minutes maximum or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Cool and cut into squares.  (I’ve found that 35 min is the ideal bake time, no more. The brownies come out crispy on top but deliciously gooey in the middle.)

Baked Spinach & Artichoke Dip

Baked  Spinach & Artichoke Dip (shared by Zoe)

Makes about 2 ½ cups.  I usually double the recipe for parties or groups.

Preheat the over to 400 degrees F. Combine in a large bowl:

1 cup Mayo (I use light or low fat)

1 cup grated Parmesan (4 oz)

½ cup finely chopped onions

Pulse in a food processor until finely chopped:

One 13 ¾ oz can artichoke hearts, drained

Stir the artichokes into the mayo-cheese mixture, along with:

1 tablespoon lemon juice or dry white wine

½ teaspoon black pepper

Fresh spinach (as much or as little as you want! I usually put about ¾ of a spinach salad bag)

Scrape everything into a baking dish and sprinkle over the top:

3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs

1 - 2 teaspoons olive oil

Bake until browned, about 20 min.  Serve with crackers or pita chips. 

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup (shared by Zoe)

Makes about 8 cups

Heat in a soup pot over medium-low heat:

3 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil

Add and cook, stirring, until the leeks are tender but not browned, 5 to 10 minutes:

2 large leeks, white part only, chopped

4 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

Stir in Three (3) 10-12 oz packages of cooked squash (fresh or frozen, chunks or puree) along with 4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock or broth

Bring to a simmer.  Cook for 20 minutes, stirring and breaking up the squash. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Return to the pot and stir in:

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or broth

1 ½ teaspoon salt

Heat through.  Serve garnished with:

Chopped cilantro (key!)

Croutons (if you wish)