Caramel Apple Sangria

1 750ml bottle of pinot grigio

1 cup caramel flavored vodka

3 cups fresh apple cider

2 medium apples, chopped

1)  Stir the wine, vodka, and cider in a large pitcher.

2)  Add the chopped apples to the pitcher, or to individual glasses.

3)  Serve sangria over ice. 

Review:  I stumbled upon a great article about fall sangrias. Of course, I had to explore a few of the recipes. To enhance this particular recipe, I visited my favorite orchard to buy their fresh pressed cider and a couple of apples. One of my favorite parts of Fall is visiting there and having fancy apple flavored drinks!

Adapted from:

https://www.thewholesomedish.com/caramel-apple-sangria/

Sunflower Seed Spread Cookies

1 cup sunflower seed spread
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 Tbs baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract

1)  Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2)  In a medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients. Using a small cookie scoop, drop balls of dough on the baking sheets, evenly spaced. They can be smashed with a fork, a la peanut butter cookies, if desired.
3)  Bake for 11 minutes, but leave cookies on the baking sheet for an additional five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Review: These were SO GOOD. They had the very familiar sunflower seed flavor, but they almost tasted like they were roasted. They were a little crumbly, but I did not smash them with a fork. That might improve their stability.

Adapted from:
https://www.traderjoes.com/recipes/desserts/sunflower-seed-spread-cookies

Butternut Squash Hummus

1 15oz can butternut squash
1 Tbs tahini
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chipotle
2 Tbs lime juice
1/8 cup avocado oil
veggie chips

1)  In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients.
2)  Heat until warm and fragrant.
3)  Serve with veggie chips.

Review:  Last year, I bought a can of butternut squash at Trader Joe's. I thought it would be handy and would definitely get used. That was not the case. It actually took quite a bit of work to find something to use it in confidently. This seemed to be a great opportunity, as I again am hosting a game night and needed a fresh appetizer. It's been super fun trying out new recipes. This was surprisingly tasty. I say surprisingly as I couldn't imagine butternut squash and tahini, but it worked out to be a great fall dip. Savory, but a little sweet and the spices could easily be switched to more 'pumpkin spice' flavors.

Adapted from:
https://www.traderjoes.com/recipes/appetizers-sides/butternut-squash-hummus

Pink Bean Dip

1 15.5oz can small white beans, rinsed and drained
3 love beets, drained
4 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic
salt to taste

1)  Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until well blended.
2)  Refrigerate for at least four hours.
3)  Serve with quinoa chips, veggie chips, or raw vegetables for dipping.

Review:  I've had this recipe bookmarked for a long time. I wasn't sure what occasion would be the best fit for this recipe. Hosting some friends for a game night with just appetizers? Perfect. This was definitely a good fit. It made plenty of dip, which was savory yet sweet. It's filling, healthy (ish) and light enough to nosh on for awhile. It was a little watery, as I didn't drain the beets. Lesson learned, along with maybe adding oil as needed?

Adapted from:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/pink-bean-dip/14144/?utm_term=.c839d3d846b1

Lavender Earl Grey Cookies

1 cup vegan butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbs Earl Grey tea (from 8 bags)
1 Tbs lavender
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups gluten free flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

1)  Beat butter, sugar, tea, lavender, lemon zest and vanilla on medium speed until creamy, about 4 minutes.
2)  Beat in flour, xanthan gum, salt and baking powder.
3)  Shape into two logs and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm.
4)  Slice 1/4 inch thick and bake at 350F for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden.

Review:  Mike immediately asked, "why do you always make weird cookies?" Because I have a refined palette! Well, and because food is fun. These were a dry, shortbread type of cookie. The tea was not as crunchy as I would have thought, but i don't like the speckled appearance. I really recommend crushing the tea and lavender (coffee grinder? mortar & pestle?) for more even distribution. Overall, it was just a hint of flavor but still exotic.

Adapted from:
September 2018 issue of Real Simple

Lentil Pasta with Spicy Peanut Sauce

1 pkg yellow lentil & brown rice spaghetti
2 carrots, peeled and cut into medium chunks
2 yellow bell peppers, cut into large chunks
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 cloves garlic
1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbs lime juice
2 Tbs rice vinegar
1 Tbs honey
1 Tbs sesame oil
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt to taste

1)  Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and place in a large mixing bowl.
2)  In a food processor, add the carrots and bell peppers. Pulse until grated.
3)  Add all remaining ingredients (except the pasta!) and pulse until a smooth sauce texture is achieved.
4)  Toss sauce with pasta. Serve warm or cold.

Review:  I love finding new products at Trader Joe's. However, it often means I have food in my cabinets that I have no plans for, and no clue how to use it. Their yellow lentil and brown rice spaghetti was one of those purchases. I must not have been the only person in this predicament, because shortly after my purchase, Trader Joe's posted a recipe using their Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette. Ugh, that product has wheat in it! So, I turned to google to find a wheat free peanut vinaigrette recipe and couldn't decide between the two listed below. My version is basically a combo of the two, along with adding the vegetables from Trader Joe's recipe. I couldn't envision spaghetti with carrot and bell pepper chunks. Adding them thickened the sauce and made it so much more flavorful. This was incredibly delicious and super easy to make!!

Adapted from:
https://www.traderjoes.com/recipes/appetizers-sides/cool--spicy-noodle-salad
https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/thai-crunch-salad-with-peanut-dressing.html
https://healthynibblesandbits.com/rainbow-salad-peanut-vinaigrette/

Lemony Broccolini with Pecans

2 bunches broccolini, trimmed and chopped
olive oil spray
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs honey
salt and pepper to taste

1)  Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray. Spread the broccolini evenly and spray the tops with more olive oil spray. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender.
2)  In a large bowl, toss the broccolini, pecans, lemon juice, honey and salt/pepper. Serve warm.

Review:  This recipe has been sitting on my counter for several weeks, as I kept forgetting to buy broccolini! I didn't like the idea of using an actual lemon and using the food processor to make a sauce. I think my instincts were good, as this was way easier and quite tasty. The lemon is barely noticeable and I think it's there more to cut the bitterness of the broccolini and balance the sweetness of the honey. It works. This was pretty tasty and I ate a ridiculous amount of it.

Adapted from:
https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/crunchy-broccolini-with-lemon-pecans