Wild Rice and Wheat Berry Salad with Cranberries and Pine Nuts

Serves 10

Recipe from Raising the Salad Bar by Catherine Walthers and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

I took this salad to a small gathering of friends and the entire group including three husbands (and their wives) gave this a thumbs up. Edward said, "I LOVE it" and then helped himself to another helping. I had never cooked with wheat berries before, but after making this dish, I’m inspired to give other recipes calling for this whole wheat kernel a try. The combination of wild rice and wheat berries makes a hearty dish that’s filled out with dried cranberries, diced apple and buttery pine nuts. The citrus vinaigrette is really delicious and could probably be used for other salads too. This dish is perfect for a holiday or fall party because the salad can be made in advance and dressed just before serving. It would be especially yummy served along with roasted turkey, chicken or pork. This salad turned out to be quite eye appealing as well. (The photograph of this salad in my cookbook was the main reason I wanted to give this recipe a try.) The ingredients can all be found at Lost River Market & Deli. Look for the hard red wheat berries and dried cranberries in the bulk food section of the store. (Use the leftover lemon and orange peels in Simmering Home Fragrance (recipe on this blog) to make your house smell divine.)

Salad
• ¾ cup wheat berries, rinsed
• 1 cup wild rice
• 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup thinly sliced celery
• 1 crisp apple, peeled and diced (Add this just before serving, if making in advance or the apple will turn brown)
• ½ cup minced flat leaf parsley
• ¼ cup pine nuts (I toasted these in a dry skillet.)

Citrus Vinaigrette
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• grated zest of 1 orange
• ½ cup fresh orange juice (It took two small oranges for this)
• 2 Tablespoons raspberry vinegar (The recipe said you could also use Champagne, rice or balsamic vinegar, but, I haven’t “husband-tested” these yet)
• 1 Tablespoon finely minced shallot
• 2 teaspoons honey
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water and the wheat berries to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 35 minutes. Add the wild rice and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil again, lower the heat, then simmer and cook, partially covered, for an additional 50 to 55 minutes or until both grains are cooked. Many of the wild rice grains will have split somewhat, but they will still have a little bite. The wheat berries will be plump and slightly chewy. Drain well. Stir in the dried cranberries and let the mixture cool completely.

Meanwhile, put all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar with a lid and set aside until it’s time to serve the salad.

In a large serving bowl, combine the cooled grains and cranberries with the celery, apple and parsley.

Just before serving, shake the jar of vinaigrette well to combine. Pour over the salad, mix will and top with the pine nuts. Serve at room temperature.

Simmering Home Fragrance

If you just want your house to smell wonderful for guests, give this a try:

In an old small saucepan, place a lemon (I use the lemon halves that have already been squeezed of their juices after making a recipe using lemons), a small cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon whole cloves (you can even add to or substitute the cloves with whole cardomon pods or all spice berries) Cover the contents of the saucepan with water. Bring to a boil and then turn down the to a simmer. Allow to simmer on the stove, adding more water as it simmers away. Your house will smell divine. During the winter when we've got the wood stove going, I put the saucepan on the wood stove and allow it to simmer there.
***Caution: Be sure to keep an eye on your pot so that it doesn't boil dry.

Roasted Cauliflower with Kalamata Vinaigrette

Gourmet Magazine by Melissa Roberts/September 2009
Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen
4 Servings

This is a quick and easy dish to liven up your dinner. Cauliflower is very good for you, but can be a bit bland, BUT, by adding some garlic, lemon and Kalamata olives, cauliflower turns into a delectable side dish. My husband and I loved it and were fighting over who would take the last helping off the platter! I served it with roasted chicken breasts and Alice's Favorite A+ Salad (recipe on this blog) for a perfectly balanced dinner!
You can find Kalamata olives in a jar (and sometimes in the Grab and Go Deli) at Lost River Market & Deli.

1 (2 1/2-to 3-pounds) head cauliflower
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small garlic clove
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (to taste)
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lower third.

Cut cauliflower lengthwise into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Put in a large 4-sided sheet pan and toss with 2 tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Roast, turning once or twice, until golden and just tender, about 25 minutes.

While cauliflower roasts, mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt, then whisk together with lemon juice, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, olives, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Serve cauliflower drizzled with Kalamata vinaigrette.

Wonton Soup

Recipe from Robin Miller’s Quick Fix Meals
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Serves 4 to 6

Don’t you just love wonton soup? I tried this out on my hubby a couple of weeks ago. First, I made Balsamic Roasted Pork Tenderloin (recipe on this blog) and used some of the leftover pork for this soup. I made Rainbow Cole Slaw (recipe on this blog) and used some of the shredded cabbage for this soup too!) I found that the wonton wrappers that Lost River Market & Deli were a bit too large for this recipe, so I trimmed them to make the squares smaller. I used the trimmings to make Wonton Crackers (recipe on this blog.) If you are pressed for time, you can actually make this soup without making the little “purses” with the wontons. Just add the pork-cabbage mixture to the simmering broth and cut the wontons into strips. Then add the wonton strips to the simmering broth. When they are tender, serve the soup with your wonton “noodles.”

6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup shredded cabbage (When I shredded cabbage for cole slaw, I saved enough for this recipe.)
1/2 cup shredded or diced cooked pork (I used the food processor to do this.)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
16 wonton wrappers
1/4 cup chopped scallions

Place broth and cabbage in a large saucepan and set pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine pork, soy sauce and sesame oil. Pulse 3 or 4 times until the pork is finely minced but not a paste.
Arrange 16 wonton wrappers on a flat surface. Spoon filling onto the center of each wrapper, to within 1/4-inch of the edges (about 1 teaspoon per wrapper). Wet your fingers with water and pull up corners of the wontons to create individual "purses". Pinch the edges together (with wet fingers) to seal.
Place stuffed wontons in simmering broth. Cook 5 minutes, until wontons are tender and translucent. Remove from heat and stir in scallions.

Balsamic Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Recipe from Robin Miller’s Quick Fix Meals
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Serves 4 to 6

Here’s a quick, easy and delicious way to make pork tenderloin that can be used for up to three meals! First, make the following recipe. Serve part of the pork tenderloin for dinner along with some great side dishes (Spicy Sweet Potatoes and Salad with Beets, Goat-Cheese and Orange Shallot Dressing would be perfect and the recipes are on this blog!) After the rest of the pork has cooled, cut half of it up into small bits and use it to make a pork stir fry or pork and mayo sandwiches for lunch and then place the rest of the pork in a food processor to mince it up to use in Wonton Soup, recipe on this blog. Use the extra wonton pieces to make Wonton Crackers, recipe on this blog.) You can buy local pork at Lost River Market & Deli.

Cooking Spray
2 two-pound pork tenderloins, trimmed of silver skin if necessary
Kosher salt and black pepper, freshly ground
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped or 2 teaspoons dried thyme

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Coat a shallow roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the pork in the prepared pan and season the top and sides with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, and thyme. Spoon the mixture all over the pork, then roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads at least 160 degrees (pork may still be pink in the center and that's OK, so long as the temperature is right), about 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes if possible.
Let the pork stand for 10 minutes before slicing one-third of it crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices. Serve the sliced pork for this meal and refrigerate the leftovers up to 3 days, or freeze up to 3 months.

Wonton Crackers

From Everyday Food and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Makes 32

Last week I tried making Wonton Soup (Recipe on this blog) for the first time. It was pretty good, but I found that the wontons that I bought at Lost River Market & Deli were a bit larger than the soup recipe had called for. So, I trimmed the wontons and used the trimmings to make these tasty crackers. They tasted good all on their own, but would be yummy with your favorite dip. As I prepared these, I thought they would be fun for kids to make.

8 rectangular wonton wrappers
1 ¼ teaspoons olive oil or olive oil spray
1 teaspoon sesame or poppy seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350° F. Arrange the wrappers on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spray or brush both sides with olive oil. Arrange the wrappers in two rows with the sides touching. Sprinkle with the sesame and fennel seeds. Season with salt and pepper. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the wrappers and press down to make seeds adhere; gently remove the paper. Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife cut lengthwise and crosswise, dividing each wrapper into 4 equal pieces. Bake until crisp and golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from baking sheet onto a cooling rack. Cool before storing in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Nutritional Information for per cracker: 7 calories; 0.2 grams fat; 0.2 grams protein; 1.1 grams carb; 0.1 grams fiber.

Spicy Paprika Rubbed Chicken Breasts with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Serves 4, however, the rub portion of this recipe makes 9 teaspoons, enough for eight chicken breast halves (bone in/skin on.)
Recipe from Everyday Foods
Adapted and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen.

This rub can be used on other foods including salmon, skirt steak, pork loin, and chicken. My husband, Jim, said that this meal that I paired with Roasted Cauliflower with Paprika (recipe on this blog) made his tummy purr. I used half of the rub and stored the other half in an airtight container for another meal. Locally grown fingerling potatoes can be found in the produce section at Lost River Market & Deli. The spices can be found in the bulk spice section of the store.

• 4 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 4 chicken breast halves (bone in and skin on)
• 12 or so fingerling potatoes, cut lengthwise in half
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• olive oil

In a small bowl, mix all rub ingredients. Divide in half. Use one half for this recipe and store the other half in an air tight container for another meal.

For the chicken, loosen the skin on the chicken breasts. Place the chicken breasts in a large bowl and then spread the rub on the meat under the skin and then over the skin. Drizzle the chicken breasts with just a bit of olive oil. Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet.

Put the fingerling potatoes (any good small potatoes will do nicely) into the same bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes and then sprinkle them with Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper and drag them through what is left of the rub mixture in the bowl. Place the potatoes around the chicken breasts on the same baking sheet. Pop the baking sheet in a hot oven at 450°F and set the timer for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the Roasted Cauliflower with Paprika (recipe on this blog) and use a different baking sheet. When finished prepping the cauliflower (about 10 minutes) put the cauliflower in the same oven on a different rack at the same temperature. When the timer beeped, the entire meal should be done. (Check the chicken with a meat thermometer. It should read 160°F.) The potatoes and cauliflower should be fork tender.