Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Cookies

These easy drop cookies are crisp on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside. Chocolate minichips disperse better in the batter, but you can use regular chips.

Yield

3 dozen (serving size: 1 cookie)

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 1/2 ounces)
• 1 cup regular oats
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate minichips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring with a whisk; set aside.

Place sugars and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg; beat until blended. Gradually add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Stir in pecans and minichips. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

81 (33% from fat)

Fat:

3g (sat 1.4g,mono 1g,poly 0.3g)

Protein:

1.1g

Carbohydrate:

12.9g

Fiber:

0.5g

Cholesterol:

10mg

Iron:

0.5mg

Sodium:

76mg

Calcium:

12mg

Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Swiss Chard and Percorino Cheese

From Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 2 bunches Swiss chard, trimmed and chopped (about 14 cups)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper
• 8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
• 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino cheese
• 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the chard and saute until it wilts, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, wine, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the tomatoes begin to break down and the chard is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Season the chard mixture, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the spaghetti. Add the spaghetti to the chard mixture and toss to combine.

Transfer the pasta to serving bowls. Sprinkle the olives, cheese, and pine nuts and serve.

Recommended Wine: 2001 Clerico Trevigne

Origin: Alba, Piedmont

Grape: Barbera

Wine Notes: This wine is from the north in the Piedmont region of Italy. I chose a Barbera because I needed a wine to to stand up to the bitterness of the swiss chard and the strong taste of the pecorino cheese. This wine's texture is smooth and the color is a dark ruby red. Its bouquet is scorched earth and blackberries with a kiss of oak. The pasta's flavors do not fight with the taste of the wine but is an explosion of flavor every time you take a bite of spaghetti or a sip of wine.

Wine Pouring Notes: Do not fill above the curve of the bowl, never more than 1/2 full, that way you can get a true sense of the wine's aroma and a better sense of its bouquet. To get the full experience of the wine, place your nose into the glass and take in the wine's beautiful aroma.

Savory Autumnal Strata

This is from New Seasons Market and is just what I needed to get me in the mood for fall... yes, it did begin today! This is a warm quiche-like dish and very rich. Just a small portion will do and served alongside a salad makes one feel less guilty about it! Please note: this must chill for 1 hour prior to baking!

1 loaf French bread or 2 baguettes, sliced

6 eggs

2 c. milk

1 c. cream

2 tbsp butter

1 1/4 cups apple butter or applesauce

1 lb. sharp or regular cheddar, grated

1 1/4 c. carmelized onions- directions below if needed

2 apples, diced, skins on if you like

1 c. chopped pecans

Whisk together eggs, milk and cream in a large bowl and set aside. Butter or spray a deep 9x13 inch baking dish (must be nearly 2" deep or will overflow). Cover bottom of dish with a layer of bread slices, then layer apple butter/sauce, diced apple, carmelized onions, and 3/4 of the cheddar. Cover with remaining bread, then sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Pour egg and cream mixture over entire strata, then sprinkle pecans on top. Refrigerate for at least one hour before baking. Bake, uncovered, until fluffy and golden, 45 min- 1 hour (mine only took 45 min.)

Enjoy!

Carmelized onions:

3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 pounds onions, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
1. In a large skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the sugar and cook, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan frequently, until the onions are golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Salsa Verde

The Lake Oswego Farmers Market had fresh amazing-looking tomatillos and I just had to make some salsa verde to eat while watching the football games. This recipe is so easy and as you can see below, this is the color that salsa verde should be... very fresh green!

1/2 lb small fresh tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1-2 large garlic cloves, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh serrano chile with seeds, or to taste
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons water
Coarsely chop tomatillos, then purée with remaining salsa ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender until smooth.
Cooks’ note: Salsa can be made 4 hours ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature, about 1 hour, before using. Leftover salsa keeps 2 days.

*** I doubled this and used 1 lb. of tomatillos and added 3 garlic cloves and used ALL serrano seeds. Absolutamente Perfecto...

More texe

Indian Feast

Courtesy of Orangette, finally found a good recipe for both Chana Masala or "chole" as
Meera calls it and also Sag Paneer from Tea and Cookies. I upped the cayenne and garam masala on this one a bit.

CHANA MASALA
This chana masala can be served in two different styles: with a half-cup of whole-milk yogurt to smooth and soften the flavors, or sans yogurt, served with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of fresh cilantro. Either way, this dish is even better the second—or third—day.

Good-quality olive oil

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 medium cloves garlic,

minced1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp garam masala

3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed

1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

1 Tbs cilantro leaves, roughly torn, plus more for garnish

A pinch of cayenne, or to taste

2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

6-8 Tbs plain whole-milk yogurt, optional

A few lemon wedges, optional

Film the bottom of a large saucepan or Dutch oven—preferably not nonstick—with olive oil, and place the pan over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until it is deeply caramelized and even charred in some spots. Be patient. The more color, the more full-flavored the final dish will be.Reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic, stirring, and add a bit more oil if the pan seems dry. Add the cumin seeds, coriander, ginger, garam masala, and cardamom pods, and fry them, stirring constantly, until fragrant and toasty, about 30 seconds. Add ¼ cup water, and stir to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the water has evaporated away completely. Pour in the juice from can of tomatoes, followed by the tomatoes themselves, using your hands to break them apart as you add them; alternatively, add them whole and crush them in the pot with a potato masher. Add the salt.Raise the heat to medium, and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the cilantro and cayenne, and simmer the sauce gently, stirring occasionally, until it reduces a bit and begins to thicken. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Add the chickpeas, stirring well, and cook over low heat for about five minutes. Add 2 Tbs water, and cook for another five minutes. Add another 2 Tbs water, and cook until the water is absorbed, a few minutes more. This process of adding and cooking off water helps to concentrate the sauce’s flavor and makes the chickpeas more tender and toothsome. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as necessary.Stir in the yogurt, if you like, or garnish with lemon wedges and cilantro. Serve.Yield: About four servings

SAAG PANEER

3 large bunches of fresh spinach, washed and destemmed (this part is important) (I used frozen- 2 packages and it tasted great)

1 large onion, chopped into a medium

dice1 medium tomato, chopped into a small

dice2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 cup heavy cream (can use half-and-half)

1 1/2 cup paneer cheese (fried in peanut oil, if you would like)

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

1 teaspoon fresh chopped or pressed garlic

1 1/2 tbs vegetable oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

3 green cardamom pods, smashed

1 stick cinnamon

3 cloves (I like to crush the soft, rounded head of the clove with a fingernail)

3 small bay leaves

2 tsp salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Can add dried red pepper or a fresh hot green pepper for spice, if you like

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Sauté the chopped onion in oil until soft and golden. Add cumin seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, garlic and ginger, and chopped tomato. Sauté mixture for about a minute. Begin to add spinach, turning to allow it to cook down. When all spinach has been added and the mixture has turned a dark green, begin to add the remaining dry spices, salt and pepper. Mix well and continue to cook about 3 minutes. [If you would like to fry the paneer, you can do it now, cooking in a small amount of peanut oil to get a brown crust.] Add the cream and tomato paste, continuing to simmer the mixture another 5 minutes. Add paneer and fresh cilantro at the very end. Serve with rice or naan bread.