Double Orange Scones

Recipe from Pillsbury

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

For a special treat, make a batch of these tender scones and serve them with a spot of tea to your best friends. 

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

2½ teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons freshly grated orange peel

1/3 cup unsalted butter

½ cup chopped mandarin orange segments, drained

¼ cup milk

1 large egg, beaten

1 Tablespoon sugar (sparkly sugar is nice)

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Lightly grease a cookie sheet or use a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.)  Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off.  In a large bowl, combine flour, 3 Tablespoons sugar, baking powder and orange peel.  With a fork or pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add the orange segments, milk and egg.  With a fork, stir jus until mixture leaves the sides of the bowl and a soft dough forms.  Turn dough out onto a floured surface.  Knead lightly 10 times.  Place the dough on the cookie sheet and roll or pat the dough into a 6-inch circle.  Sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon sugar.  (The sparkly kind of sugar is especially nice for this.)  Cut into 8 wedges; separate slightly.  Bake at 400 F for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. 

Nutritional Information (one scone):

340 calories; 5 g protein; 36 g carbohydrates; 20 g fat; 70 mg cholesterol; 310 g sodium; 80 mg potassium

Quinoa Lentil Mandarin Almond Salad

Recipe from Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood by Patricia Green

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Serves 4-6

This is a nice deli type salad that is perfect for the lunchbox or a picnic.  My husband really liked this salad.  (He is a mandarin orange fan.) I think fresh naval orange sections and juice would make a nice substitution.  The almonds provide a good crunch.  This salad is loaded with protein and fiber.  Perfect for a Meatless Monday lunch.  All of the ingredients can be found at Lost River Market & Deli, our community-owned grocery store.

1¼ cups water

½ cup brown (I used French lentils.)

½ cup quinoa (I used red quinoa for color and for a bit of crunch.)

¼ cup olive oil or canola oil

4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

3 Tablespoons canned mandarin orange juice (from the canned mandarin oranges)

¼ teaspoon Kosher salt

½ cup slivered or sliced almonds

½ cup dried cranberries

3 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley

One (10 oz.) can mandarin orange segments, drained (juice reserved)

Place the water in a large saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil.  Rinse the lentils in cold water and add them to the boiling water.  Cover and then lover to a simmer and cook for 18 minutes.  (I cooked them for 10 minutes because I didn’t want them to become mushy.)

Rinse the quinoa really, really well.  Add the quinoa to the lentils and return to a boil, cover, then reduce the temperature to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Check for doneness.  Turn off the heat and let the covered saucepan sit on the burner for 4 minutes.  Drain any remaining water. Fluff with a fork.  Set aside to cool.

Whisk together the oil, vinegar, lime juice, mandarin juice and salt to make the dressing.  Combine the dressing with the lentil and quinoa mixture.  Stir in the almonds, cranberries and parsley.  Add the mandarin orange segments and toss gently.  Serve.

Green Salad with Carrot-Ginger Vinaigrette & Candied Almonds

Recipe from The Best Light Recipe

Adapted and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Serves 6 to 8

Our family, including our 17-month old granddaughter, Sandrita, was invited to Bob and Debbie’s for a salmon dinner and I was asked to bring a salad.  Poor Bob is allergic to garlic, so I needed to find a delicious salad dressing that didn’t have garlic.  Then, I used the veggies I happened to have in my fridge for the salad.  I added mandarin oranges and candied almonds to the mix because my hubby loves those ingredients and because the dressing has an Asian flavor.  I made this salad in the time it took Granddaddy to read some board books to Sandrita.  As you can see by the photo, the salad turned out quite pretty. 

Carrot-Ginger Vinaigrette:

6 Tablespoons water

¼ cup peanut oil

3 Tablespoons rice vinegar

2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 ½ teaspoons minced shallot or red onion

1 ½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger (do not substitute powdered ginger)

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

½ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Shake all of the ingredients together in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.  The dressing can be refrigerated for up to 7 days; bring to room temperature, then shake vigorously to recombine before using.

Candied Almonds:

3 Tablespoons sugar

½ cup slivered almonds

Place sugar in a heavy skillet.  Melt over medium-low heat.  Add almonds and stir until golden brown and coated with the melted sugar.  Immediately pour onto a piece of foil to cool.  When cool, break apart into bite size pieces.  The candied almonds can be made in advance and stored in an air tight container.

Salad:

1 bunch green leaf lettuce

1 bunch baby spinach

8 mushrooms, sliced

1 can mandarin orange slices, drained

4 baby turnips, sliced (optional)

1 zucchini, sliced

Toss the salad ingredients together in a large bowl with the vinaigrette.  Sprinkle with the candied almonds.  Serve immediately.