Cranberry Orange French Toast

Woke up early on this USA fall-back-one-hour, change-your-clocks morning and lay in bed thinking about French Toast. Not just any French Toast. Rather, something fresh and lively and fruity.

Three pounds of raw cranberries waiting in the freezer and calling to me. Okay, so what could I do with cranberries? And what else did I have on hand?

I knew there was small amount of Organic Blue Agave Maple Flavored Syrup left over from other recipes. Not as sweet as other maple syrups--real or artificial--but it would be just sweet enough to complement the tartness of the cranberries.

I also thought about the Nutritional Yeast in the cupboard. Also left over from other recipes. Nutritional Yeast is a vegetarian support formula and would be an interesting ingredient to mix in with the cranberries and syrup. It also inspired me to add popcorn kernels to my shopping list.


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What does popcorn have to do with Nutritional Yeast? Place some kernels in a lunch-size paper bag and place it in the microwave for a couple of minutes, cooking until it stops popping.

1. Pour popcorn into a large bowl.
2. Add extra virgin olive oil and nutritional yeast. Mix well.
3. Taste and add more nutritional yeast if needed.
4. Optional. Add salt and/or freshly ground pepper.

The result is popcorn that is buttery-tasting, healthy and low-cal.


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Wait, this entry is supposed to be about breakfast. And it is, really. Here’s what I created after I got out of bed...


CRANBERRY ORANGE FRENCH TOAST
(one serving)

1/4 cup raw cranberries
1-1/2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Organic Blue Agave Maple Flavored Syrup (or substitute your favorite)
2-3 drops orange extract
1 pinch (dried) orange zest
2 slices Pepperidge Farm Stone Ground 100% Whole Wheat Bread (70 calories each)
1 egg
1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
1 tablespoon water

1. Place cranberries and 1-1/2 T. water in microwavable bowl and cover with paper towel. Cook 1 minute on high setting, or until you hear cranberries ‘pop’.
2. Cool slightly, then stir in Agave maple syrup, orange extract and orange peel.
3. Mix egg, nutritional yeast and 1 tablespoon water in bowl just big enough to hold bread. Cover each slice with mixture and let sit 2-3 minutes to soak in.
4. Meantime, lightly grease or butter pan and heat at medium setting.
5. Place French toast in prepared hot pan and cook till both sides are well browned.
6. Dish up and top with cranberry orange syrup mixture.


Did you notice that I decided to mix the nutritional yeast into the egg mixture instead of the cranberries?

Some people prefer majorly thick slices of bread for their French Toast. The egg/nutritional yeast/water mix above will coat (and soak into) only one extra-thick slice, so double these ingredients for two slices

Orange-Fennel Salmon

If you look back through Step by Step in the Kitchen, you realize that I have a love and appreciation for salmon.



First there was Sante Fe Salmon with Brussels sprouts, Philly Cooking Creme and tomatoes.

Next came Salmon with curry, lemon, sesame oil and Greek yogurt.

Finally, there was a Stir Fry Salad with mesclun (mixed greens), olives, spinach, zucchini slices, green beans, scallions, tomatoes and, of course, salmon.

Today’s salmon offering is an adaptation of a recipe from Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen ~ Miso Salmon with Orange and Fennel


If you’ve never eaten fennel, give it a try. If you can find it at a Farmers’ Market, that’s even better. Nothing from the supermarket will taste as good as produce from a Farmers’ Market.

Jaden’s recipe includes ingredients for four salmon fillets. I was just feeding myself, so I made slight changes in amounts and enjoyed an easy delicious dinner--protein, vegetables and fruit all in one dish. That means I placed one fish fillet in a zip top plastic bag and marinated it for (at least) one hour with 1/2 tablespoon miso paste*, 1 teaspoon honey, 2 teaspoons white cooking wine, and just a bit of freshly grated ginger root.

While the oven preheated to 375-degrees Fahrenheit, I washed one orange and one fennel bulb. Slicing them as thin as possible, I placed them on a foil-lined pan and topped them with the salmon. I baked this dish for about 15 minutes.

(I threw away the marinade which should not be saved or reused!).

You can place fennel fronds (“leaves) on the salmon when serving for a beautiful garnish. I, on the other hand, wanted them there during the cooking, hoping they would heighten the lovely combination of flavors.

I was really pleased with the Orange-Fennel Salmon which I served with a salad of mixed greens and cooked broccoli topped with Thousand Island Dressing.

(*I used Miso Master Organic Tradition Soy Paste)


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Frosted Orange Sugar Cookies AND a Gluten-free Pasta Entree

Remember the cookie mixes I recently put together? I pulled one sugar cookie mix packet out yesterday morning to make a treat for a meeting today.


FROSTED ORANGE SUGAR COOKIES

Following the instructions, I added one stick (1/2 cup) of softened butter and one egg to the dry ingredients. In place of the 1/2 tsp. vanilla, I substituted 1/2 tsp. orange extract and finely grated zest from one medium orange. The result was a light sugar cookie with a hint of orange.

I thawed leftover buttercream icing from the freezer and added just enough orange juice to reach a suitable spreading consistency. Oh, yes, I added one “drop” of no-taste red coloring and one “drop” of yellow searching for a common orange color but ending up with a rather pleasing “creamsicle” look.

After topping each cookie with white and orange decorative candies, I plated them. Normally, I’d leave them out on a counter, but it was hot and humid yesterday so I stored them in the refrigerator.






CORN PASTA WITH SQUASH STRIPS



One of the food blogs that I follow featured a pasta dish that included wide, colorful strips of zucchini and yellow summer squash.

I loved the look of the squashes and decided to create my own meal using what I had on hand.

* Gluten-free corn pasta (cooked according to directions on package)

* Olive oil in a large fry pan with chopped onion and a handful of fresh parsley from the garden. (The parsley is delicious when it crisps up.)

Look ~ another use for your supply of zucchini!
* After the onion cooked, I added strips of zucchini and yellow summer squash (used a vegetable peeler to make the strips), garlic powder, leftover Canadian bacon--diced, leftover chicken breast--diced, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

* Only took a few minutes for the squashes to cook and the meats to warm up.

* Drained the pasta and added it to the vegetable/meat mixture.

This was so tasty especially when served with fresh, young salad greens from my garden, topped with a new salad dressing I’m trying out: Maple Grove Farms of Vermont Fat Free Balsamic Dressing (no high fructose corn syrup and it’s gluten-free).




Really good! Especially when followed by a couple of Frosted Orange Sugar Cookies.


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Monday schedule...



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