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My New Braun MQ537 Multiquick 5 Hand Blender

If there’s one thing I’ve learned after I embarked on my culinary journey a few years ago, it was that I needed some stuff. While we already had a kitchen full of various pieces of equipment, much of it wasn’t up to snuff. Take bowls for example. While we had tons of irregularly shaped, sized and colored bowls, we needed some serious glass ones to deal with all the rigors of cooking while still looking presentable on camera. I’ve purchased a knife set, a potato peeler, cutting board, dinnerware, a whole bunch of other things and now, a hand blender. When I compare this hand blender to the other items I’ve purchased, it ranks right up there with the knife set. That means it’s ultra important.

There is one primary task I undertake when it comes to this hand blender and that’s blending soups after they’ve finished being cooked in the pot. Everything is nicely softened and the recipe tells me to scoop the contents up, in batches, and place those scoops into a blender to puree. This is the point at which I am troubled. I’d have to say that 99% of the time, the soup I place in the blender is too thick and it doesn’t exactly blend all too easily. Then, towards the end of all this scooping and after most of the soup has been blended, the remainder is far too thin and it blends like it’s water. When I attempt to blend the starting batches, the thickness causes me to do silly things, such as mix everything up (while the blender is on) with a wooden spoon to make sure everything processes thoroughly. I did this just about a month ago and I touched the spoon to the blender blades. Needless to say, I now have half a wooden spoon. That was my favorite one too.

With this new hand blender, I don’t have to concern myself with adding batches of soup to the blender anymore. Now, I cook the soup any way I wish and when the time is right, I connect the proper attachment to the handle and simply blend the ingredients, right inside the pot. It only takes a minute or so and after I finish, I wonder how in the world I ever did without this piece of heaven.

We bought a hand blender years ago in Walmart, but it didn’t last long. It cost only around $15 and while it did its job for a while before flying apart, it was weak and untrustworthy. The primary blending attachment somehow came loose and the internals ended up in whatever it was we were blending. Because of this, I knew this time I needed something much more substantial. I needed quality, so I made that my primary focus.

I’m happy to report that after two limited uses, I can say that Braun makes quality. We’ll see how this blender fares over the long term, but so far, so good. I picked this hand blender up on Amazon for $79.95 and can definitely tell the difference between this one and our last one. This one is heavier. It’s got a rubberized handle grip and it runs very smoothly. It also comes with a few different attachments, such as a whisk that make whipping cream seriously a chore of the past. It’s got a small container with a blade inside of it to chop up nuts and whatever else you would like to put in there. It can mash potatoes and of course, it can puree soups. Really, this was the most important thing to me. Quality and blending up soups. I think I’m happy.

Below, I’d like to show you some photos of the hand blender. The official name is the Braun MQ537 Multiquick Hand Blender, so if you’re looking for one of these things, I can suggest this one. It’s really great.

This is the rubberized handle and where the motor resides. Everything connects to this piece.

Braun MQ537 Multiquick Hand Blender

This is a photo of the blender attachment connected to the motor.

Braun Hand Blender with Blend Attachment

Here’s a close up view of the blade of the blender attachment.

Blender Attachment Blade

This blender even has a whisk attachment.

Hand Blender Whisk Attachment

If you’re into mashed potatoes or anything like that, this is a photo of the masher accessory.

Braun Hand Blender Masher Accessory

And finally, here’s a view of the two cup chopper. As I mentioned above, this is great for chopping nuts, salsa, breaking down avocado, making hummus and so many more things.

Hand Blender Two Cup Chopper

If you’re interested, I took a photo of the front of the Braun Multiquick 5 box as well as the top of the box.

Braun Multiquick 5 Box Packaging

Braun Hand Blender Box Top

So there it is. My new hand blender that should help immensely with preparing dishes to share on this blog. If you have any questions about this piece of kitchen equipment, please leave a comment down below. Thanks for reading!


Bacon, Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms with Ranch Dressing Recipe

I put together a quick side dish last night that’s half my own invention. It’s a really good side that can be used during almost any occasion. Since it’s November and Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I felt that something like this would be appropriate.

Bacon Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms with Ranch Dressing Recipe

The Recipe

Okay, I’m going to tell you right off the bat that I didn’t use bacon in this side dish. The original recipe called for it though, so I’ll include it here. I’ve put the necessary ingredients in the ingredient list below and I’ll also include the instructions below.

This is one of those extremely tasty and fun dipping side dishes. The ranch dressing assures that. The best part is, this recipe calls for pre-made ranch dressing. There’s no additional work on your end for this part of things. As far as the dish goes, it includes Brussels sprouts and mushrooms as the primary ingredients. The Brussels sprouts, as usual, add the distinct flavor and the mushrooms add a meaty texture. Combined, it’s a really fun dish.

This dish also takes advantage of a bit of garlic, some oregano, paprika and some grated Parmesan cheese. When everything is put together, the result is phenomenal. It really is an interesting and great tasting side dish for any holiday. Even those over the summer.

Ingredients

Serves: 4
1 Pound Brussels Sprouts, Trimmed and Halved
1 Pound Mushrooms, Quartered
3 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
3 Teaspoons Garlic, Minced
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
8 Slices Bacon, Fried
1/2 Cup Ranch Dressing for Drizzling or Dipping
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank Delish for this recipe. While I did alter the ingredients and change up the instructions, I was inspired by them.

Pre-Heat the Oven

Make sure one of the oven racks is in the center position and then pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Prep the Ingredients

To get things going, go ahead and trim and halve the Brussels sprouts. Then, clean and quarter the mushrooms.

Halved Fresh Brussels Sprouts

Quartered White Button Mushrooms

Season the Vegetables

Next, add both of the above ingredients to a large bowl. Then, add in the olive oil, garlic, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix everything together well.

Seasoned Vegetables

After that, spread the contents of the bowl out on a large baking sheet.

Seasoned Vegetables on Large Baking Sheet

Roast the Vegetables

Place the baking sheet into the hot oven for 30 minutes. When they have browned, remove them from the oven and turn off the heat.

Browned Roasted Vegetables

Plate & Serve

Divide the vegetables among bowls, crumble and divide the fried bacon among them as well. Also, Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over each one and either drizzle the ranch dressing over the vegetables or simply put it into bowls for dipping. Enjoy!

The Final Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms

I truly enjoyed this dish. It was flavorful and consisted of a good meaty texture. Between the Brussels sprouts and the mushrooms, this one is a win. If you give this side dish a try, please let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!

Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms Recipe


Vegetarian Cauliflower, Carrot & Mushroom Stuffing Recipe

I have been on a serious Thanksgiving Day side dish kick lately. It’s like all I can think about are side dishes. Next year, I think I’m going to write a post that contains ten of my favorites to share with all of you. I’ve got some really good ones on this website. To view my collection so far, check out my Side Dish category.

Cauliflower, Carrot & Mushroom Stuffing Recipe

The Recipe

I’m going to add this side to next year’s Thanksgiving post. It’s really good. Its texture is out of this world and the flavors are just perfect. I can imagine doubling or tripling up on this recipe and placing everything into a big serving bowl on the table. Everyone could reach in there and scoop out some deliciousness.

This is a vegetarian side dish. It utilizes cauliflower, carrots, celery, mushrooms, onion and some herbs and flavoring. The combination of all these vegetables really plays well together. I don’t know about you, but I am really loving cauliflower lately. It seems like it’s in everything. The sage, rosemary and parsley do the dish justice too. It all works really well together.

Ingredients

Serves: 6

4 Tablespoons Butter
1 Large Sweet Onion, Chopped
2 Large Carrots, Peeled and Chopped
2 Celery Stalks, Chopped
1 Head of Cauliflower, Chopped
1 Cup of Chopped Mushrooms
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Cup Parsley, Chopped
1 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary
1 Teaspoon Ground Sage
1/2 Cup Vegetable Broth

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank Delish for this recipe. I’ll have to add this one to the list I have of other greats that I’ve pulled from this site. Nice job Delish!

Prep the Ingredients

You definitely want to get everything prepped before doing any cooking. There are lots of veggies that need to be processed.

First, remove the stem and leaves from the cauliflower. Then, chop up the florets.

Chopped Cauliflower

Next, chop the onion, carrots and celery.

Chopped Onion

Chopped Carrots

Chopped Celery

Finally, chop up the mushrooms.

Chopped Mushrooms

Soften the Veggies

I began preparing this dish in a large skillet, but after realizing how much content I had because of my doubling up on the ingredients, I had to switch over to a Dutch oven. For a single recipe, you can use a large skillet. Anything more, use a pot.

Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter to it and let it melt. After that, add in the onion, carrots and celery. Stir and cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.

Mixed Vegetables in Cast Iron Skillet

Once that’s finished, add in the cauliflower, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for another 10 minutes. After this time, all the vegetables should be tender.

Adding Cauliflower and Mushrooms to Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Add Herbs & Broth

Next, add the vegetable broth, the sage, rosemary and parsley to the skillet or pot. Stir these ingredients together, cover the skillet and let cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Chopped Parsley

Cauliflower & Mushroom Stuffing in Dutch Oven

Plate & Serve

When you’re ready, divide the stuffing among bowls and serve. Enjoy!

The Final Cauliflower, Carrot, Mushroom & Celery Stuffing

We ate this stuffing last night with some cod. It was delicious. It’s great either as a base for something else or alone. If you decide to give this recipe a try, please let me know your thoughts down below in the comment section. Thanks for reading!

Cauliflower Stuffing Recipe


Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash & Mushroom Veggie Bowl Recipe

Fall veggie season is definitely in full swing. I love the fact that fall is here. The food is so different and more “homey” that it is in the summer. Now, I get to curl up with a nice bowl of soup or some apple pie in front of the fire in my wood stove. I couldn’t do that over the summer. Don’t get me wrong, the summer offers some really great dishes to choose from, but fall…I don’t know. I just think this time of year is nice for so many reasons.

Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash & Mushroom Veggie Bowl Recipe

The Recipe

This is a very good side dish to serve during Thanksgiving dinner. It’s got the staples in there. Brussels sprouts, butternut squash and mushrooms. Each of these ingredients is good in its own right. I really don’t eat Brussels sprouts all that often, which is strange. I truly enjoy them. There are quite a few ways to prepare them and they seem easy enough to handle. Also, the flavor can really shine through if cooked correctly. Butternut squash is probably the bulk of this dish. It’s the ingredient that’s going to fill you up. I like to compare the butternut squash to the sweet potato, but they’re actually rather different. They might look the same, but their flavors and textures are distinct from one another. They do both fill you up though, so that’s a plus.

Finally, we have the mighty mushroom. I can’t get enough of these things. In today’s recipe, all the veggies are roasted, but I’ve eaten mushrooms after they’ve been browned in a skillet and they are awesome. But today, they offer a good texture and some “meat” to the dish. They have a sort of consistency to them when they’re bitten into.

As for the remaining ingredients, including the hard red wheat, don’t dismiss them. The wheat adds a wonderful texture and flavor to the dish and everything else fills in all the gaps. All in all, if you made enough of what I’m about to share with you, you could certainly place it in a dish on your Thanksgiving Day table. For that, I’d triple up on the ingredients.

Ingredients

Serves: 4

1 1/2 Cups Hard Red Wheat
2 Cups Butternut Squash, Peeled and Cubed
2 Cups White Button Mushrooms, Quartered
2 Cups Brussels Sprouts, Quartered
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
1 1/2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Garlic, Minced
2 Tablespoons Tahini
1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank Delish for this recipe. Again, they’ve outdone themselves and as I said in an earlier post, I’ll be sharing a lot of these types of recipes. They are some of my favorites.

Cook the Hard Red Wheat

Since this takes the longest, I figured I would get going on it first. I filled a medium sized saucepan with three cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Then, I boiled the water over high heat. I added the hard red wheat, covered the pot, reduced the heat to low and let everything cook for 60 minutes. This is typical of wheats like this.

Hard Red Wheat

Pre-Heat the Oven

Make sure one of your oven racks is in the center position and then pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Prep the Vegetables

While the wheat is cooking and the oven is warming up, go ahead and prep the vegetables. I cubed the butternut squash, halved the Brussels sprouts and quartered the mushrooms.

Cubed Butternut Squash

Halved Brussels Sprouts

Cut Mushrooms

Roast the Vegetables

Combine the squash, Brussels sprouts and mushrooms in a large bowl. Add three tablespoons of olive oil to the bowl, along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper.

Mixed Vegetables

Mix these vegetables up until they are all coated with the oil.

Next, spread the contents of the bowl out on a large baking sheet.

Vegetables on Large Baking Sheet

Place the baking sheet into the oven for about 45 minutes. The veggies should begin to brown when they are finished. When that happens, remove the tray from the oven and turn off the heat. Remove the vegetables from the baking sheet and place them in a large bowl.

Mixed Fall Vegetables

Prepare the Dressing

Add the lemon juice, three tablespoons of olive oil, the parsley, garlic and tahini to a bowl. Also add a few pinches of salt and pepper to the bowl. You can add more later to taste.

Unmixed Parsley Dressing

Next, use a small hand blender to combine these ingredients.

Tahini Parsley Lemon Dressing

Plate & Serve

Divide the vegetables between bowls. Then, scoop some hard red wheat on top of the vegetables. You may need to drain the wheat if there’s water left over. Also, you can serve the dressing on the side or drizzle it over the vegetables. Enjoy!

The Final Squash, Brussels Sprouts & Mushroom Vegetable Bowl

I’d say this recipe was fairly straightforward. There were no curve balls, although, there was a bit of time necessary to cook up the wheat and the vegetables. I’d say this dish is a win. I’d make it again. I really enjoyed it. Great flavors, texture and presentation. If you decide to give this side dish a try, please let me know what you think by leaving a comment down below. Thanks for reading!

Veggie Bowl Side Dish Recipe


Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Cranberries & Feta Cheese Recipe

I love salads that are really easy to whip up and that taste great. I’m going to share one of these types of salads with you today. This one is not very difficult to prepare, it’s rather filling and easy on the palate. It’s also got some nice ingredients in it that combine to form a wonderful part of an entire meal.

Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Cranberries & Feta Cheese Recipe

The Recipe

There are only a few ingredients in this salad, but each one plays a fairly large role. Obviously, one of the more substantial ingredients is the sweet potato. This is the bulk of the salad and it’s what’s going to fill you up. After that is the quinoa, an interesting ingredient in its own right as well as the kale, which adds a tender and unique texture. The dried cranberries and feta won’t fill you up, but they’ll sure add a decent amount of flavor to the dish. These were some of my favorite things while eating last night. I will always love feta and the cranberries are a nice touch. Overall, after you roast the sweet potatoes, it’s smooth sailing through the rest of the dish.

Ingredients

Serves: 4

3 Sweet Potatoes, Trimmed and Cut into 1-Inch Pieces
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
1 Cup Dried Quinoa
1/2 Bunch Kale, Stemmed and Cut into 2-Inch Pieces
1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
1 Tablespoon White Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Cup Feta Cheese, Crumbled

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank Delish for this recipe. This website has a ton of awesome recipes that I’ll be pulling from this Thanksgiving season and I’m very thankful for all the effort they put into each one of them.

Pre-Heat Oven

Adjust one of your oven racks so it’s in the center position. Then, warm the oven to 425 degrees.

Prep & Roast the Potatoes

To start off, trim both ends from each potato. Then, cut the potatoes into the one inch pieces. After that, put the pieces into a large bowl and add two tablespoons of olive oil to the bowl as well. Also, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Mix everything up until the potatoes are coated well with the oil.

Sweet Potato Cubes

Spread these potato cubes out on a large baking sheet. When the oven is to temperature, place the sheet inside and roast the potatoes for 30 minutes. When that’s finished, remove the potatoes and let them cool. Turn off the oven heat.

Cook the Quinoa

Bring two cups of water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a boil over high heat in a medium sized saucepan. When the water boils, add one cup of quinoa to it.

Dried Quinoa

Reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan and let the quinoa cook for 15 minutes. Once that happens, remove the cover and turn off the heat. Let everything cool for five minutes.

Next, spread the quinoa out on a large baking sheet. The purpose of this step is to cool the grain down so it’ll blend in nicely with the rest of the salad. Let things sit like this for about ten minutes. It should be cool by then.

Quinoa Cooling on Baking Sheet

Prepare Vinaigrette

In a medium sized bowl, add the one tablespoon white balsamic vinegar and three tablespoons olive oil. Whisk these two ingredients together well.

Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar Vinaigrette

Combine Ingredients

In a large bowl, combine the kale, quinoa, potatoes, dried cranberries and vinaigrette. Toss all these ingredients until everything is coated with the vinaigrette.

Dried Cranberries

Fresh Kale

Kale Salad

Plate & Serve

Divide the salad between plates and sprinkle some feta cheese over each salad. Serve and enjoy!

The Final Kale & Sweet Potato Salad

Once again, after the potatoes are roasted, this is a really easy dish to put together. It really shouldn’t take long at all. It’s simple and very good tasting. If you do decide to give this one a try, please let me know your thoughts in the comment section down below. Thanks for reading!

Sweet Potato, Kale and Quinoa Salad Recipe


Grandma’s Famous Cast Iron Skillet Apple Pie Recipe

I made an apple pie yesterday. It was probably the biggest and best apple pie I ever made. My intention was to simply use up some apples, but when it came time to choose a recipe, I went for the gold. I really did. This apple pie is like none other I’ve ever made and I’m going to share my experience with you below.

Grandma's Famous Cast Iron Skillet Apple Pie Recipe

The Recipe

I’m going to start off by telling you that you’ll need a large cast iron skillet for this recipe. This apple pie is constructed in layers and it doesn’t have an edge. I used my Lodge 12 inch cast iron skillet for this one. It worked out perfectly.

The best part about this entire recipe is the bottom layer of butter and brown sugar. As the pie cooks in the oven, these ingredients caramelize and harden to create a crunch directly underneath the bottom crust. That, combined with three layers of crust, 10 apples and a sugar and cinnamon combination makes the result out of this world. It’s an extremely tasty dessert and it’s remarkably simple to put together. This is one recipe to try.

Ingredients

Makes: 1 Apple Pie

1/2 Cup + 1 Tablespoon Butter, Divided
1 Cup Brown Sugar
10 Large Apples, Peeled, Cored and Quartered
3 Pre-Made 9-Inch Crusts, Thawed
1 1/4 Cups White Sugar
2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank AllRecipes for this recipe. Even though I changed things up a bit to make them flow better, this is one of the best apple pie recipes out there.

Prep the Apples & Sugar

This is the most difficult part of the entire recipe. Go ahead and peel all the apples, core them and cut them up in pieces.

Cut Up Apple Pieces

Then, measure out the brown sugar and put it in a bowl.

Brown Sugar

Finally, combine the white sugar and the cinnamon in another bowl.

White Sugar and Cinnamon Mixture

Pre-Heat Oven

Arrange one of your oven racks so it sits in the center position. Then, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the Butter & Cook Sugar

Warm the skillet over medium heat on your stove top. Then, add the 1/2 stick of butter and let it melt.

Melting Butter in Cast Iron Skillet

Once the butter is melted, add the brown sugar to the skillet and swirl it around a bit. Do this for about three minutes until it begins to dissolve.

Cooking Brown Sugar in Skillet

Assemble the Pie

Next, place one pre-made pie crust over the brown sugar, as the bottom layer of the pie.

Pie Crust

Add half of the apples as the next layer. On top of them, sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cinnamon and sugar mixture.

First Layer of Apples

Then, place the next crust on top of these apples as an additional layer. And on top of that, spread the remaining apples out. After that, sprinkle another 1/2 cup of sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Top Layer of Apples in Apple Pie

Finally, place the last crust on top of the last apple layer and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar over it. You’ll need to make four slices in the crust to allow for the release of steam. I made these slices while the crust was on my counter top, which made things easier. Then, dice the tablespoon of butter and spread those dices over the crust and sugar. Your pie should look like the photo below.

Completed Raw Apple Pie

Bake the Pie

Place the skillet on the center rack in your oven and bake for 45 minutes. The sugar on top should melt somewhat and the crust should begin to brown. Once that’s finished, remove the skillet from the oven and let it cool.

Slice & Serve

I’ll admit, the first piece of this pie is a little tough to get out of the pan. After that though, with a good metal spatula, you’ll have no issues with peeling each additional piece up. And with that, you’ll enjoy the nice crunchy bottom layer of caramelized brown sugar. There’s really no other way to make this pie.

The Final Apple Pie

Here’s what it looked like when I pulled it from the oven. It looked great and smelled great too. I had a piece last night and I have to say, it was awesome. This is the recipe for me, from now on. If you give this recipe a try, please leave a comment below letting me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading!

Cast Iron Apple Pie Recipe


Apple, Pecan, Feta Cheese & Cider Vinaigrette Salad Recipe

In our house, we’re big salad eaters. We eat them alongside our dinner every single night. I can’t remember the last time we didn’t eat a salad during the evening. Personally, I think this is great. Salads are a lot of fun and they’re quite versatile. You can pretty much do whatever you want to them. The problem is, eating something like this so frequently has its drawbacks. They become mundane and boring. We forget what the possibilities are and we end up eating duplicates of what we ate the night before and the night before that. Luckily, the internet is full of pretty awesome salad recipes and it sometimes takes being bored to make a change. That’s what I did last night.

Apple, Pecans, Feta Cheese & Baby Greens Salad Recipe

The Recipe

This isn’t one of those crazy challenging salad recipes. This one is easy. The best part is, there’s very little to cook or heat up. Almost all the ingredients are cold and delicious. The salad is very tasty too. My favorites are the apples, dried cranberries and feta cheese. Add to that some toasted pecans or walnuts and you almost have the completed salad right there. Of course, you have to add in the apple cider vinaigrette, which is incredible in it’s own right. Everything combined gives you a fairly unique, very simple and outstanding salad.

Ingredients

Serves: 4-6

For the Salad

6 Cups Baby Greens, Packed
2 Large Apples, Sliced
1 Cup Walnuts or Pecans, Chopped and Toasted
1/2 Cup Feta Cheese, Crumbled
1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries

For the Dressing

1 Cup Apple Cider
4 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Honey
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1/4 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank Creme de la Crumb for this recipe. As I mentioned above, this is a really good recipe and even though I changed a few things up, this original recipe was my inspiration.

Prepare the Dressing

In a medium sized bowl, add the apple cider, cider vinegar, honey, salt, pepper and olive oil. Whisk these ingredients together well and set aside for later use.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Toast the Pecans or Walnuts

Warm a small skillet over medium heat. When the pan is to temperature, add the nuts to it. You may also add a drizzle of olive oil to hasten this process. Flip the nuts and allow them to toast for a few minutes. When you begin to smell them toasting, remove the pan from the heat. They are finished.

Toasted Nuts

Prep the Salad Ingredients

Core and slice the apples. Then, measure out the feta cheese and the dried cranberries.

Sliced Apples

Crumbled Feta

Dried Cranberries

You can also rinse and measure out the baby greens if you wish.

Washing Baby Greens in Colander

Combine Ingredients

In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients (not the vinaigrette). Toss to combine.

Tossed Salad

Plate & Serve

Divide the salad up between plates or bowls. Drizzle some vinaigrette over them and serve. Enjoy!

The Final Cranberry & Feta Salad

See? I told you this one was easy. The dressing is out of this world. You really have to taste it. It’s full of apple flavor. So good. Anyway, if you do try this recipe, please let me know your thoughts on it down in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!

Apple and Pecan Garden Salad Recipe


Fried Shrimp, Toasted Cashews & Cauliflower Recipe

This is one of the most unique recipes I’ve ever prepared. What I found interesting about it was how the original authors of the recipe substituted rice for chopped up cauliflower. They called the recipe Shrimp & Cashew Fried “Rice.” Really, as I just mentioned, there is no rice. It’s all cauliflower, so if you’re a cauliflower lover, you’re definitely going to love this one.

Fried Shrimp, Toasted Cashews & Cauliflower Recipe

The Recipe

As I was preparing this last night, I kept saying how I could add so much more to it and still keep it in line with what it’s supposed to be. The cauliflower is the base. That’s for sure. There’s also shrimp which always makes my life better. Beyond that, there are cashew nuts, garlic, ginger, bell pepper, onion and a few other ingredients. The area where this recipe becomes flexible is where any type of additional ingredient would almost certainly be welcome. Also, you can flavor this dish any way you’d like. It doesn’t need to be with soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. It could be and Asian style sauce, or anything else for that matter.

Ingredients

Serves: 4

1 2-Pound Head of Cauliflower, Processed
1 Pound Frozen Shrimp, Peeled and Cleaned
Regular Olive Oil
3 Teaspoons Garlic, Minced
1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
4 Scallions, Trimmed and Sliced Thin (Keep the greens and white parts separate)
1 Red Bell Pepper, Chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
1 Red Onion, Chopped
1/2 Cup Non-Salted Cashews, Toasted
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
2 Teaspoons Toasted Sesame Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 Large Egg, Beaten
1/4 Cup Parsley, Chopped
Hot Sauce for Serving

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank Hannaford for their wonderful monthly resource called Fresh. We found this recipe in it and it’s pretty awesome. All Hannaford’s recipes usually are.

Prep the Ingredients

To break down the cauliflower, you’ll need a food processor. Cut the cauliflower into florets. The smaller, the better. Then, add just about two handfuls to the processor and pulse a few times until the florets have reduced to small pieces. They should be the size of individual rice grains. Keep doing this until all the cauliflower has been processed.

Processed Cauliflower

Prepping the rest of the ingredients is very straightforward. First, I chopped up the green and red bell pepper.

Chopped Green Bell Pepper

Chopped Red Bell Pepper

Then, I chopped the red onion.

Chopped Red Onion

After that, I measured out the cashew nuts.

Cashew Nuts

And finally, I put the frozen shrimp into a bowl to thaw out.

Frozen Shrimp

Thaw & Dry the Shrimp

To hasten the thawing of the shrimp, you can add some warm water to the bowl. Once the shrimp are totally thawed, drain the water and pat the shrimp dry with some paper towels. When you fry shrimp, they let a lot of water out, so getting rid of as much as you can now can help later on.

Toast the Cashews

Warm a small skillet over medium heat. When the pan is to temperature, add the nuts to it. Flip a few times as you cook. When you see the nuts start to turn dark, remove them from the heat. They’re toasted.

Toasted Cashew Nuts

To hurry things along, I usually add about a teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil to the pan. This is optional.

Cook the Shrimp

Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add one tablespoon olive oil to it and then add the shrimp. Cook for a few minutes until the shrimp have colored all the way through. This should only take about five minutes. When they’re finished, transfer them to a plate and turn off the heat.

Fried Shrimp in Skillet

Soften the Onion

Warm another large skillet over medium-high heat. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to it and then add the ginger and garlic. Cook for 30 seconds. After that, add the onion and cook, while stirring a few times, for about five minutes or until the onion has somewhat softened.

Sauteing Red Onion in Cast Iron Skillet

Soften the Bell Pepper

Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Then, add both the red and green bell pepper to it. Again, stir while cooking. This time, just sautee for about three minutes.

Sauteing Red and Green Bell Pepper in Skillet

Add in the Cauliflower & More

At this point, you can go ahead and add the cauliflower to the skillet and stir it into everything else. You can also add the scallion whites and cashews. Cook for another five minutes, while stirring occasionally.

Cauliflower Mix in Skillet

Add the Flavoring

If you tasted this mix, you’d realize that it was fairly bland. To make this dish come alive, you have to add all the flavoring to it. Go ahead and add the soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Mix everything together and give it a taste. Season to your liking.

Cook the Egg

After scrambling the egg in a small bowl, push everything in the skillet to one side. Over the same heat, add the egg to the empty side of the skillet and let it cook for a few minutes. Move it around with a spatula as if you were cooking scrambled eggs for breakfast. Then, once it’s cooked, mix it in with everything else in the pan.

Scrambled Egg in Bowl

Add Shrimp & Serve

Add the shrimp to the skillet and mix them into the other ingredients to warm them back up. Then, divide the contents of the skillet among the bowls. Sprinkle the green parts of the scallions over everything and sprinkle some parsley as well. Serve with the optional hot sauce and enjoy.

The Final Fried Shrimp & Cauliflower Dish

Do you see what I’m talking about when I say you can add so much more to this dish? Next time, I’m going to add in some celery. I’m also going to brown the onions and peppers more so I get a range of different flavors. I enjoyed the cauliflower as a base and as a rice substitute. This recipe would be perfect for two different types of people; those who love cauliflower and those who don’t eat rice. Anyway, let me know if you try this out. Leave a note in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!

Shrimp, Cashews and Cauliflower Dinner Recipe