Broccoli-Pomegranate Salad

This was one of those  recipes that is brought to you today by serendipity.  I was signed up to bring a salad to a party at Christmas time and decided on broccoli salad.  I had combined a couple of standard broccoli salad recipes I found online and right when I was about to throw in the Craisins, I caught sight of the pomegranate sitting on my counter and thought, "Why not try those instead?"   It turned out to be a delicious substitution!  The pomegranate seeds gave the salad a jolt of sweet juiciness that made the whole thing more festive and more memorable.  I got compliments on it all night long and had the huge double batch I brought gobbled up before the night was even half over--    even the kids were fans! 

Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by Lara


The ingredients:

SALAD


5 cups fresh broccoli, finely chopped
1/2  cup red onion, finely diced
the seeds of 1/2 pomegranate
3/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled

DRESSING


1 cup real mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbs. vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions:
Combine broccoli, onion, pomegranate seeds, and dressing.

 Just before serving, stir in sunflower seeds, cheddar cheese, and bacon. 

Enjoy!

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Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

To go along with the Chicken Gyro recipe, this sauce is the perfect accompaniment to any Mediterranean food or as a dip for your veggies.  I recommend using the small side of your grater for the cucumbers. 

Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by Lara.

( Makes 3-4 cups of sauce)

The ingredients:
2 regular cucumbers, peeled
1 (32 oz.) container plain Greek yogurt
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp. red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1 tsp.  fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. dried dill
salt and a little pepper
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Shred or grate the cucumbers, place them in a clean kitchen towel, and then squeeze to get rid of as much excess moisture as possible.  (NOTE:  the smaller you grate the cucumber, the better the texture of the sauce)

Mix together the Greek yogurt, shredded cucumbers, garlic, vinegar and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste. It’s best to refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving, so flavors can blend.
Drizzle a little olive oil over the top before serving.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Tide and Thyme

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Whole Grain Apple Cheese Bread

Oops!  I published this recipe this morning without noticing that Jen had published another recipe a few minutes before me.  Normally I would have chosen to publish it another day, but alas it's really hard to make a post go away once you hit publish so you all just get double recipe goodness today!


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Bread  = Good.

Bread + Apples = Very good.

Bread + Apples + Cheese = Excellent!

 Bread + Apples + Cheese + Apple Butter = Yum-o-licious!

Click here for printable recipe. 

Posted by Lara.

The ingredients:

1 Tbs. active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
3 cups all purpose flour, divided ( I used 1-1/2 cups white whole wheat flour + 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour)

1-1/2 cups finely chopped apples
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt


Directions:
BREAD:  In a large bowl, combine yeast and water; stirring to dissolve yeast.  Allow to rest for about 5 minutes.  To the yeast mixture, add the all-purpose flour (1-1/2 cups), the chopped apples, shredded cheese, eggs, sugar, shortening, and salt. 

Beat for about 2 minutes. 

Gently stir in remaining flour (1-1/2 cups of white whole wheat flour). 

Cover batter and allow to rise for 50-60 minutes. 

Beat the dough one last time before shaping and placing it into a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.

Cover and allow to rise about 40 minutes or until nearly doubled.

Bake for 45-55 minutes in a 375-degree oven or until loaf sounds hollow when gently tapped. 

Remove from pan and cool on wire rack at least 15 minutes before serving with some apple butter!

Enjoy!

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"Bloody" Raspberry-Grape Punch (for Halloween)

With two kids' birthdays in October, I'm always on the hunt for fun new Halloweeny foods to throw into our repertoire!  Although we usually go for the cute, rather than the spooky, this drink caught our eye, because of the delicious looking combination of ingredients it called for!

We found the recipe for this "bloody" punch in a recent issue of Everyday Food and decided to taste test it the same day we saw the recipe, to see if we wanted to serve it at my daughter's upcoming twelfth birthday party.  (Click here to see some other fun Halloween recipes)
    
It's just a few ingredients...

Pour it all into a pitcher...

Put a scoop of raspberry sorbet into each glass...

and the rest into the pitcher.  Pour into glasses and serve immediately.  I don't really have the photography skills to make it look spooky and "bloody" and frankly my kids were so enamored with how good it tasted, that they couldn't have cared less about what it looked like.  But I suppose it was the right color for blood and could easily be made to look spooky with the right lighting.  :)

Enjoy!

Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by Lara.

The ingredients:
4 cups grape juice
1 bottle (750 ml) sparkling apple cider (the bottles are actually labeled in milliliters)
1/2 cup lime juice (about 4 limes)
1 pint raspberry sorbet

Directions:
Pour the grape juice, sparkling apple cider, and lime juice into a large pitcher.  Add a scoop of sorbet to each of the glasses.  Add any remaining sorbet to the pitcher and pour into the glasses.   
Serve immediately.   Makes 8 servings.

Enjoy! 

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Apple and Pear Green Salad with Honey Poppy Seed Dressing

Last week, we kicked off autumn here at Recipe Shoebox by posting a new apple recipe a day.   WE made sweet and savory dishes....some duds (that we didn't post) and some new family favorites.  This salad recipe is most likely the last of our apple series and was another delicious addition to the collection.  My family loved the sweet and salty combination in this hearty salad and with how easy it was to throw together I envision this one being one that we make on a regular basis. 

Recipe from Southern Living.

Click here for printable recipe. 

Posted by Lara.

The ingredients:

SALAD
1 package (16-oz) Romaine lettuce, thoroughly washed, dried, and chopped
1/2 lb. Swiss cheese, cut into strips
1 cup roasted, salted cashews
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries (Craisins)
1 large apple, thinly sliced
1 large pear, thinly sliced

HONEY POPPY SEED DRESSING


3 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. dry mustard powder
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. poppy seeds
salt and pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:
Makes 6-8 hearty servings. 

For salad, divide lettuce up among the serving plates.  Top with cheese, cashews, craisins, apple, and pear.  Drizzle with dressing.  Or if you prefer combine all ingredients in a large serving bowl, then drizzle with dressing. 

For dressing, combine all ingredients into a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well to combine. 

Enjoy! 

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Stuffed French Bread

Everyone at my house LOVES French Bread.  The best store bought bread we have found is at Walmart and we get some just about every time we are there.  It is always warm and so soft!  I usually make it into garlic bread, and maybe add a little cheese in, and when I saw this idea I had to try it!  If you like mustard and cheese and French bread, you will love this.  The concept is great too.  We served it with Grilled Bruschetta Chicken and I was thinking that the tomato/cheese topping on that would be yummy stuffed in this bread.  So many possibilities and so delicious!

Recipe Source: Monster Mama

Click here for the printable recipe.

Posted by Katie.

The Ingredients:

1 loaf  unsliced French Bread

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. minced onion or onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used Colby Jack)
1 1/2 Tbsp. mustard
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (or parsley flakes)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.  Cut "X" slices in your bread, not cutting all the way through, to make little squares you can stuff stuff around.  Wrap bottom of bread in foil and set aside.

In a small bowl, melt butter.  Mix in lemon juice, onion, garlic powder, and mustard.  Whisk well until combined.

Using a pastry brush, or spoon, spread butter mixture evenly throughout all the little crevices in your bread.

Stuff cheese around in the same way.

Place in oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is well melted and a little bubbly.

Enjoy!

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Sweet Potato Crescent Rolls

For a split second I was a little unsure  about the sweet potatoes in these, but then I remembered that I've made cinnamon rolls with potato flakes in them and loved the uber soft texture that they have.   So then I figured if potatoes are good, then sweet potatoes would be even better since they have...more flavor...more sweetness...more vitamins.   I made these using about 2/3 white whole wheat flour and oh-la-la, these were some of the best rolls I've had in a long time!   Their soft texture and hint of sweetness made them rolls we won't soon forget! 

Recipe Source:   Taste of Home

 Tis the season for soft, homemade dinner rolls!   These will be the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving menu!

Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:



2 Tbs. active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110-115 F)
1 can (15-ounces) cut sweet potatoes / yams, drained and mashed (about 1-1/4 cups mashed)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening (I used butter flavored Crisco)
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp. salt
5 – 5-1/2 cups flour  (I used about 3 cups of white whole wheat flour in place of part of the all purpose flour)
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:  In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water; let stand for 5 minutes. Beat in the mashed sweet potatoes/yams, sugar, shortening, egg, salt and 3 cups flour. 

Add enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough.  Turn onto floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.  (If using mixer with dough hook, let knead for 4-5 minutes)  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down; divide into fourths. Roll each portion into a 10 inch circle;

cut each into 8 wedges.  Brush with butter.  Roll up from the wide end and place pointed end down, 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.

Cover and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from the pans to wire racks.  Makes 32 rolls. 

Enjoy!


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Cheese Straws

On Saturday I ran a half-marathon.  Today I am tired, sore,.....and craving carbs!     Luckily these cheese straws were just the ticket to satisfy that craving!  Without yeast or rising times to worry about, these were easy to make, looked great, and were deliciously flaky.     

Now that you've added the mere two ingredients to your shopping list (assuming, of course, that you have salt and pepper already), you should go click over to visit  the blog where I found this recipe.  My friend, Heather (a fellow Minnesotan living in DC and fellow mom to 5 kids), and her sisters started this blog a few months ago and have been faithfully posting their families' favorite recipes there ever since.  

Recipe Source:  Minnesota Bread

Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:  


1/2 box (1 sheet) frozen puff pastry, thawed on the counter for 10 minutes
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions: 
Thaw the puff pastry on the counter as you preheat the oven and grate the cheese.
Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 425 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (or Silpats) and set them aside.

 Lay the puff pastry on a sheet of parchment on the counter and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the cheese and 1/8 tsp. each of salt and pepper.  Place a sheet of parchment over the cheese and, using a rolling pin, press the cheese into the dough by gently rolling the pin back and forth. 
Without removing the parchment, carefully flip the dough over, cheese-side down.  Remove the top layer of parchment and sprinkle with the remaining cheese, salt and pepper.  Recover the pastry with the parchment and roll again, pressing the cheese into the pastry dough.  Continue to roll it out until it is about 10-1/2 inches square.
Remove the top sheet of parchment and, using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into fourteen 3/4-inch wide strips.  Gently twist each strip of dough and transfer it to a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing the strips about 1-inch apart.

Bake immediately until fully puffed and golden brown, about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets once during baking.    Remove the cheese straws from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.  The cheese straws, completely cooled, can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.    Serve them as an appetizer or with pasta or soup.  Makes 14 cheese straws.

Enjoy!


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