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Roasted Asparagus & Cranberry Salad

Roasted Asparagus & Cranberry Salad

I was invited to participate in a blogger recipe challenge by Cape Cod Select Premium Cranberries. The challenge was to create an original recipe (drink, appetizer, side, salsa or salad) using cranberries as a featured ingredient. Cape Code Select graciously provided two large bags of their premium frozen cranberries for the recipes, but all of the opinions in this post are my own.

For many Americans, cranberries evoke nostalgia for Thanksgiving. But I enjoy the tart flavor of cranberry nearly every day in my low-calorie cran-raspberry drink. I find most standard juices too sweet to drink, so I appreciate the balance of sweet and tart that cranberry can offer. The same is true in almost any dish when cranberries are used to provide a tart, sweet balance to the other ingredients.

I decided to create a warm salad recipe that you could serve any night of the week: Roasted Asparagus & Cranberry Salad. What I really like about this recipe is there are only a few ingredients and it takes less than 5 minutes to prep the food before you pop it into the oven. Don’t the colors sing!?! The green of the firm asparagus stalks. The bright red of the cranberries. And this is before you cook the dish!

Depending on your heat source, I recommend turning the asparagus and cranberries a midway through the cooking time to ensure even cooking. You could also adapt this recipe for the grill by using a grill-safe pan or aluminum foil to hold the ingredients.

When the dish is out of the oven, you can drizzle it with the reserved garlic oil and lemon juice. Then zest a lemon on top and sprinkle with shaved Parmesan and chopped pistachios. And voila! You’ve got a vibrant side dish that everyone will love.

Even up close, the dish invites you in to explore all the layers of texture. The crunch of the pistachio and cranberry. The smoothness of the Parmesan.

Here’s the glamour shot. Are you ready to sink your teeth into a sizzling salad?

With the remaining cranberries, I’m going to try next a Cranberry-Apple Crisp. Apple and cranberry balance each other so well. I have to say I was very impressed with the product quality of the Cape Cod Select Premium Cranberries, which are non-GMO verified. And I was extremely pleased to discover that Cape Cod Select is a women-owned business run by the Rhodes family. The Rhodes family has been growing cranberries on their 800-acre farm in Massachusetts for more than 75 years with a focus on sustainability.

Here’s a locator to find where to buy Cape Code Select frozen cranberries near you. Or you can order frozen cranberries from Cape Cod Select online. For more cranberry recipe ideas that you can use now and throughout the fall, follow Cape Code Select on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.

Roasted Asparagus & Cranberry Salad

Rating: 51

20 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Roasted Asparagus & Cranberry Salad

Ingredients

3 T extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup cranberries
3/4 lb medium asparagus, trimmed
1 large lemon for zest and juice
2 T toasted pistachios, chopped
1 T shaved Parmesan cheese
fresh ground black pepper for seasoning

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and garlic. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the mixture for later use.

Toss the asparagus and cranberries in the garlic oil mixture to coat. Place asparagus and cranberries on a roasting pan. Season lightly with black pepper.

Roast for 10 - 15 minutes, turning occasionally. When done, transfer to a platter. Drizzle with the reserve garlic oil and lemon juice.

Top with lemon zest, Parmesan and pistachios. Serve immediately.

http://bakedchicago.com/roasted-asparagus-cranberry-salad/

Entrees

Arrabbiata Sauce with Rotini Pasta and Turkey Meatballs

arrabbiata sauce I must admit for most of my adult life I’ve never made spaghetti sauce from scratch. With so many good pre-made sauces on the market, I usually stock up when there’s a sale and (occasionally) doctor it up with some fresh herbs or tomatoes. Can I get an “amen?” Browsing through one of my favorite slow cooker cookbooks – Better Homes and Gardens Year-Round Slow Cooker Recipes – I found a recipe for arrabbiata sauce. I was intrigued because I’d never heard of arrabbiata sauce. After a little research, I discovered that “arrabbiata” is Italian for “angry.” The sauce gets its name from the burn of the crushed red peppers. Most everything about this recipe sounded great, but of course I had to add my own twists to make it more of something I’d want to eat. So I exchanged pancetta for bacon and I added a cup of Cabernet Sauvignon wine to the recipe. I thought if the sauce was going to be “angry,” then being a little “boozy” couldn’t hurt!

Arrabbiata Sauce with Turkey Meatballs

arrabbiata sauce_4 The arrabbiata sauce is extremely easy to make. Your slow cooker does most of the heavy lifting. To start the recipe, I browned the onion, bacon and garlic in a skillet – then transferred the contents to my slow cooker. You add all the rest of the ingredients (except for the pasta and meatballs – those come later!) into your slow cooker and give it a good stir. Set it on HIGH and put on the lid. Walk away for 4 to 5 hours and the sauce will be “perfetto!” arrabbiata sauce_2 About 45 minutes before your arrabbiata sauce is done, you’ll want to start making the turkey meatballs. I used pre-seasoned panko breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning spices, but you can use standard panko breadcrumbs and add in the Italian seasoning by hand. The mixture of the panko, butter and egg help bind the ingredients, and make for a great carmelized “crust” on the outside of the meatballs. I tend to like larger meatballs, so that requires even cooking. The trick is not to rush the browning process, so never go higher than medium-high heat. I don’t make homemade meatballs that often. Usually, I’ll just brown ground turkey into my sauce and make whatever sauce I’m using a meat sauce. But these turkey meatballs were to die for! Well worth the effort. You may want to make a double batch; they freeze well. arrabbiata sauce_6 Cook your pasta according to package directions. I used rotini pasta, but you can easily substitute your favorite pasta or what you have in your pantry. If you’re only having pasta for a meal, I like to use a bowl. It makes it easier to cover the pasta with sauce, without wasting a lot covering the entire length of a plate. Then pile on the meatballs and pour a healthy serving of arrabbiata sauce over it all. Top it with shredded Parmesan cheese and you’ve got a great weekday dinner or weekend lunch that’s good enough for company. arrabbiata sauce_3 I ended up adding Cabernet Sauvignon to this arrabbiata sauce recipe to make it “less angry.” What’s your favorite ingredient to add to spaghetti sauce?

Arrabbiata Sauce with Turkey Meatballs

Rating: 51

Cook Time: 4 hours

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

For Sauce:
1 large onion, chopped
5 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
56 ounces diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
15 ounces tomato sauce
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon, or any dry red wine
8 servings cooked rotini pasta
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
For Meatballs:
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
20 ounces ground turkey, 93% lean
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 medium onions, minced
2 eggs
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

For Sauce:

In a skillet, cook the onion, bacon and garlic over medium heat until onion is tender and bacon is browned.

Transfer mixture to a 5-quart slow cooker. Set skillet aside to use when cooking meatballs later.

Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, oregano, basil, salt, and crushed red pepper. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours (or on LOW for 8 to 10 hours).

Serve over pasta and turkey meatballs. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

For Meatballs:

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, dried parsley, mined onions, eggs, butter, salt and pepper.

By hand, form golf ball-sized meatballs and place in cooled skillet (used when browning onion and bacon mixture earlier). Makes about 16 meatballs, or 2 per serving. Feel free to make your meatballs smaller or larger, based on your preference. But make all meatballs uniform in size so they cook evenly.

Place skillet with meatballs on burner at medium-high heat. Every 5 minutes or so, turn meatballs so that all sides will eventually brown and meatballs will be evenly cooked. Watch carefully and remove meatballs from skillet when done. Set aside to serve with arrabbiata sauce and pasta.

Notes

Sauce portion of this recipe lightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens "Year-Round Slow Cooker Recipes"

http://bakedchicago.com/arrabbiata-sauce-recipe/

Entrees

Why is Arrabbiata Sauce angry?

arrabbiata sauce_1 I must admit for most of my adult life I’ve never made spaghetti sauce from scratch. With so many good pre-made sauces on the market, I usually stock up when there’s a sale and (occasionally) doctor it up with some fresh herbs or tomatoes. Can I get an “amen?” Browsing through one of my favorite slow cooker cookbooks – Better Homes and Gardens Year-Round Slow Cooker Recipes – I found a recipe for arrabbiata sauce. I was intrigued because I’d never heard of arrabbiata sauce. After a little research, I discovered that “arrabbiata” is Italian for “angry.” The sauce gets its name from the burn of the crushed red peppers. Most everything about this recipe sounded great, but of course I had to add my own twists to make it more of something I’d want to eat. So I exchanged pancetta for bacon and I added a cup of Cabernet Sauvignon wine to the recipe. I thought if the sauce was going to be “angry,” then being a little “boozy” couldn’t hurt!

Arrabbiata Sauce with Turkey Meatballs

arrabbiata sauce_4 The arrabbiata sauce is extremely easy to make. Your slow cooker does most of the heavy lifting. To start the recipe, I browned the onion, bacon and garlic in a skillet – then transferred the contents to my slow cooker. You add all the rest of the ingredients (except for the pasta and meatballs – those come later!) into your slow cooker and give it a good stir. Set it on HIGH and put on the lid. Walk away for 4 to 5 hours and the sauce will be “perfetto!” arrabbiata sauce_2 About 45 minutes before your arrabbiata sauce is done, you’ll want to start making the turkey meatballs. I used pre-seasoned panko breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning spices, but you can use standard panko breadcrumbs and add in the Italian seasoning by hand. The mixture of the panko, butter and egg help bind the ingredients, and make for a great carmelized “crust” on the outside of the meatballs. I tend to like larger meatballs, so that requires even cooking. The trick is not to rush the browning process, so never go higher than medium-high heat. I don’t make homemade meatballs that often. Usually, I’ll just brown ground turkey into my sauce and make whatever sauce I’m using a meat sauce. But these turkey meatballs were to die for! Well worth the effort. You may want to make a double batch; they freeze well. arrabbiata sauce_6 Cook your pasta according to package directions. I used rotini pasta, but you can easily substitute your favorite pasta or what you have in your pantry. If you’re only having pasta for a meal, I like to use a bowl. It makes it easier to cover the pasta with sauce, without wasting a lot covering the entire length of a plate. Then pile on the meatballs and pour a healthy serving of arrabbiata sauce over it all. Top it with shredded Parmesan cheese and you’ve got a great weekday dinner or weekend lunch that’s good enough for company. arrabbiata sauce_3 I ended up adding Cabernet Sauvignon to this arrabbiata sauce recipe to make it “less angry.” What’s your favorite ingredient to add to spaghetti sauce?

Arrabbiata Sauce with Turkey Meatballs

Rating: 51

Cook Time: 4 hours

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

For Sauce:
1 large onion, chopped
5 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
56 ounces diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
15 ounces tomato sauce
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon, or any dry red wine
8 servings cooked rotini pasta
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
For Meatballs:
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
20 ounces ground turkey, 93% lean
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 medium onions, minced
2 eggs
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

For Sauce:

In a skillet, cook the onion, bacon and garlic over medium heat until onion is tender and bacon is browned.

Transfer mixture to a 5-quart slow cooker. Set skillet aside to use when cooking meatballs later.

Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, oregano, basil, salt, and crushed red pepper. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours (or on LOW for 8 to 10 hours).

Serve over pasta and turkey meatballs. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

For Meatballs:

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, dried parsley, mined onions, eggs, butter, salt and pepper.

By hand, form golf ball-sized meatballs and place in cooled skillet (used when browning onion and bacon mixture earlier). Makes about 16 meatballs, or 2 per serving. Feel free to make your meatballs smaller or larger, based on your preference. But make all meatballs uniform in size so they cook evenly.

Place skillet with meatballs on burner at medium-high heat. Every 5 minutes or so, turn meatballs so that all sides will eventually brown and meatballs will be evenly cooked. Watch carefully and remove meatballs from skillet when done. Set aside to serve with arrabbiata sauce and pasta.

Notes

Sauce portion of this recipe lightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens "Year-Round Slow Cooker Recipes"

http://bakedchicago.com/arrabbiata-sauce/

Entrees

Lasagna Primavera

lasagna primavera

Italian food is so comforting, but it can sometimes be heavy. This lasagna primavera has many of the classic Italian flavors yet it is chock full of fresh vegetables.

Lasagna is a dish that I love, but rarely make at home. The preparation can sometimes be a bit much when cooking for one. But once it’s all assembled, everything after popping it in the oven is easy-peasy. So when I do make lasagna, I make a MEGA-batch so I can freeze portions to enjoy later. Cook once, eat thrice!

This lasagna primavera showcases baby spinach, baby carrots and sugar snap peas, along side rich cheeses. There’s no meat, and you won’t miss it. On a snowy weekend [like 70% of the country is experiencing this weekend] it’s a great dinner option your entire family can enjoy – especially when paired with hot garlic bread. Yes!

And while this recipe uses fresh vegetables, you can easily substitute baby spinach for frozen spinach and sugar snap peas for frozen peas. Whatever vegetables you have will work here so it can also be a great way to clean up odds-and-ends from the fridge and freezer.

Lasagna Primavera

Cook Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups milk
20 ounces baby spinach, chopped
10 ounces sugar snap peas, chopped
8 ounces zucchini, cut into ¼-inch slices
1/2 pound baby carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 cups (about 15 ounces) ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 package no-boil lasagna noodles (12 to 16 noodles)
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
sea salt and ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium setting. Add flour and garlic; stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. Don't let the flour darken. Whisk in milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened while whisking occasionally for 3 to 5 minutes. Add spinach, peas and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.

In the bottom of the prepared baking dish, spread a thin layer of vegetable sauce. Layer four of the lasagna noodles over the sauce. Then layer about half of the remaining vegetable sauce on top of noodles. Add half of the remaining noodles in a layer over the vegetable sauce. Then half of the ricotta mixture, half of the mozzarella and half of the Parmesan. Repeat by layering the remaining lasagna noodles, followed by remaining vegetable sauce, and the remaining ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan.

Cover with aluminum foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 20 minutes (or until bubbling and browned). Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes

Adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe for Freeze-Ahead Lasagna Primavera.

http://bakedchicago.com/lasagna-primavera/

Award-Winning Recipes/ Entrees

Zesty Italian Slow Cooker Lasagna

slow cooker lasagna close up

This slow cooker lasagna recipe is perfect for large family gatherings or Super Bowl viewing parties. Recently I killed my Cuisinart slow cooker when I mistakenly turned on the HIGH setting with no food in it. Just as I was prepared to cook, I heard a big crack and the removable ceramic container split in half. I researched replacement containers but realized that my slow cooker (purchased in 1999 or 2000) was so old that you couldn’t get parts any more. So I upgraded to a digital Cuisinart slow cooker with built-in steamer and brown/saute functions.

ripened_2013I rarely make lasagna because it seems like a huge amount of work for one person – and then I have it for leftovers for weeks and get bored. But this slow cooker lasagna recipe intrigued me because it appeared to really simplify the cooking process. Overall, I was pleased with how it turned out – though I still had tons of leftovers. But this time, I put most of them in labeled freezer containers and stored in the deep freeze for the next time I get a craving.

Update December 2013: This recipe was recognized as runner up in the 2013 Dei Fratelli Ripened Recipe Contest.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

Lightly coat the inside of a 4-quart (or larger) slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. [I am also a fan of the new slow cooker liners, because they really save on clean up time.]

Italian sausage in bulk

In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until brown. Break up the meat as it cooks. Stir in the marinara sauce and diced tomatoes. Remove from heat.

Place about 1/2 cup of the meat / marinara mixture in the bottom of the slow cooker (this will allow the bottom layer of noodles to properly cook). Layer 4 of the noodles on top of the meat mixture. Top with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese, then 1/3 of the remaining meat / marinara mixture, and about 1/3 of the shredded cheese. That’s NOODLES – RICOTTA – MEAT/MARINARA – SHREDDED CHEESE. Repeat the layers two more times starting with the noodles.

Cover and cook on high-heat setting for up to 3 hours. Let stand, uncovered, for about 15 minutes before serving.

slow cooker lasagna garnished with Italian cheese

Serve individual portions sprinkled with fresh Parmesan or shredded Italian cheese bend. Freeze any slow cooker lasagna leftovers for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

Zesty Italian Slow Cooker Lasagna

Cook Time: 3 hours

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
8 ounces shredded Italian cheese blend
additional shredded Italian or Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions

Lightly coat the inside of a 4-quart (or larger) slow cooker with

non-stick cooking spray.

In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until brown. Break up the meat as it cooks. Stir in the marinara sauce and chopped Italian tomatoes. Remove from heat.

Place about 1/2 cup of the meat / marinara mixture in the bottom of the slow cooker (this will allow the bottom layer of noodles to properly cook).

Layer 4 of the noodles on top of the meat mixture. Top with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese, then 1/3 of the remaining meat / marinara mixture, and about 1/3 of the shredded cheese. That's noodles, ricotta, meat/marinara/shredded cheese.

Repeat the layers two more times starting with the noodles.

Cover and cook on high-heat setting for up to 3 hours.

Let stand, uncovered, for about 15 minutes before serving.

Serve individual portions sprinkled with fresh Parmesan or shredded Italian cheese blend. Freeze any slow cooker lasagna leftovers for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

http://bakedchicago.com/slow-cooker-lasagna/