Apple Pie Turnovers-week 1

Dough
2 cups flour (measure carefully, do not pack!)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (4 oz)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp ice water
Wrap dough and let rest for 1 hour

4 apples, peeled and diced into pieces no larger than 1/2″
(tart apple like Gala, Fuji, or Granny Smith).
2/3 cup light brown sugar tightly packed
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg + 1 teaspoon water for egg wash
2 Tablespoons coarse sugar for sprinkling, optional
Vanilla Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar (125g)
2-4 teaspoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400F (205C). Break your chilled pie dough into two pieces that are roughly the same size. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and roll one piece into a rectangle about 1/8″ thick.
Using a pizza cutter (or a knife and a straight-edge, such as a clean ruler), neatly cut dough into 4.5″ squares and transfer to a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet (you will need to gather the scraps and re-roll them out to make all 10 turnovers). Place squares on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and return to the refrigerator.

Prepare your apple filling by combining your apples, brown sugar, and butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir frequently until butter is melted, then add cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt. Increase heat to medium and bring to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool (at least 15-20 minutes) before proceeding.
Prepare egg wash by combining egg and teaspoon of water in a small dish and stir/scramble well.
Lightly brush the insides of your pastry squares with egg wash.
Portion about 2-3 Tablespoons of apple pie filling into the center of each square. Gently fold over one corner to the other to envelope the apple filling. Use the tines of a fork to press and seal the turnovers.
Brush the outside lightly with egg wash, cut small slits across to vent, and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
Bake on 400F (205C) oven for 25 minutes, until pastry is beginning to turn golden brown.
Allow to cool before drizzling with glaze.
Vanilla Glaze
Whisk together powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons of milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. If mixture is too stiff to drizzle, add more milk, another teaspoon at a time, until a fluid consistency is reached.
Drizzle over slightly cooled turnovers. Enjoy while still warm or allow glaze to harden before enjoying.

Veggie Soup Bowl-Week 2

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 yellow onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
5 cups tomato juice
1 1/2 pounds small white potatoes, halved
1 cup dry white wine
4 sprigs thyme
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small bulb fennel, cored and chopped
16 ounces canned whole tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped, juice reserved
1 (4-ounce) Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
1 small head escarole, very thinly sliced
1/4 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat olive oil in a large heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and celery. Cook until light brown, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
2. Add tomato juice, 5 cups water, potatoes, and wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook 5 minutes. Add thyme, celeriac, carrots, fennel, chopped tomatoes, reserved juice, and Parmigiano-Reggiano rind; stir well to combine. Cook until vegetables are fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Stir in escarole and parsley. Cook until escarole wilts. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bread Bowl
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
3 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt6-1/2 to 7-1/2 cups bread flour

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. In a large bowl, combine sugar, salt, yeast mixture and 3 cups flour; beat on medium speed 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500°. Punch dough down. Divide and shape into 12 small balls. Place 3 in. apart on two greased baking sheets. Cover with a kitchen towel; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 15 minutes. Using a sharp knife, score surface with shallow cuts in an X pattern. Bake 2 minutes. Reduce oven setting to 425°. Bake 16-18 minutes longer or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.
Cut a thin slice off the top of bread. Hollow out bottom half, leaving a 1/4-in. shell (discard removed bread or save for another use).

Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Oats Loaf-week 3

1 Nonstick cooking spray
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar (see Tip)
2 tablespoons chopped oatmeal
2 teaspoons chilled butter
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup canned pumpkin
⅓ cup maple syrup
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. In a small saucepan cook and stir chocolate and the water over low until melted and smooth; cool.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together brown sugar and oats. Using a fork, cut in butter until crumbly.
In a large bowl stir together flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. In a medium bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened.
Spread half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Drizzle with half of the melted chocolate; swirl chocolate into batter with a narrow metal spatula. Repeat with the remaining batter and chocolate. Sprinkle with pecan mixture.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool bread in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove; cool completely on wire rack.

Creamy Chicken and Butternut Squash w/Pasta-Week 4

2 cups uncooked penne pasta
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 pcs of grilled chicken strips shredded
1 large butternut squash dice (or you can purchase already cut up)
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 shallots diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon fresh sage chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1sprig of rosemary
48 oz of vegetable broth
3 stems of Kale torn into bite size pieces
2/3 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Additional shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Cook pasta according to manufacturer directions and drain but leave some pasta water in pot and set aside. Season chicken with salt and pepper and grill chicken strips part way leaving it slightly uncooked as this will finish cooking when put back in pan.

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized pot steam butternut squash until almost tender, about 8 minutes. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, once hot add the garlic and shallots and saute until fragrant and tender, 2 minutes. Add Butternut squash, chicken strips, herbs and vegetable broth. Cook until squash is soft and chicken is cooked thur about 10 mins. Add milk, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper to the pan. Mix until creamy. Into the pan, combine cooked pasta, and pasta water mix to combine Serve pasta topped with more Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Mini Blueberry Tarts/Pie-week 5

Dough
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks), cut into small pieces
5 to 7 tablespoons ice water
Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter and toss until coated. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it’s reduced to pea-size pieces, about 5 minutes or put into a food processor and pulse but no more than 20 seconds.
Drizzle in 5 tablespoons of the ice water and mix just until the dough comes together, being careful not to overwork it. (Add an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of ice water if necessary.) Turn the dough out onto a work surface, shape it into a flat 6-inch disk (you may have to knead the dough once or twice to get all of the pieces incorporated, but don’t overwork it or it’ll become tough), and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Filling
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1/2 medium lemon)
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
1 pound fresh blueberries (do not use frozen)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Water
2 teaspoons coarse-grained sugar, such as Demerara or turbinado (optional)
Heat the oven to 400°F and place a rack in the middle. Place a baking sheet on the rack while the oven is heating. Fill a small bowl with water and set it aside. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Cut dough into 12 pcs. Roll out and place into a mini tart/pie pan, making sure to fill the entire pan with the dough, refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
When the dough is ready, place the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the blueberries and lemon juice and gently fold to coat the berries. Pile the blueberries into the pans.
Brush the pastry edge lightly with water and sprinkle it with the coarse sugar, if using. Bake until the pastry is golden and the blueberry juices are bubbling, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let the tart cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Cool, about 20 minutes.

 Vegetarian Mexican Stuffed Peppers-Week 6

1 tablespoon salt
4 large green bell peppers – tops, seeds, and membranes removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic minced
4 plum tomato diced
1 red pepper
1 zucchini diced
2 cups cooked rice
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
½ C Jicama diced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 shredded Mexican cheese blend

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bring a large pot of water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil; cook green bell peppers in the boiling water until slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion, garlic, red pepper and zucchini until softened, 10 minutes.

Mix rice, black beans, tomatoes, jicama and cooked vegetable mixture in a large bowl. Add chili powder, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt; stir until evenly mixed. Fold 1 1/2 cups Mexican cheese blend into rice mixture. Spoon rice mixture into each bell pepper; arrange peppers in 9×9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle peppers with remaining Mexican cheese blend.

Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 30 minutes.