Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Last Year's Post: Mini Shrimp Tacos
Two Years Ago:  Grilled Lobster Cobb Salad


I really like the idea of cooking buffalo chicken sliders in a slow cooker, because you can make a double batch for a party with very little work (and without heating up your house if it's summer).  For some reason buffalo chicken sliders seem like party food to me, how about you?  They would be perfect for a summer party outdoors with some cold beer, for example.  You could serve them along side some little burger sliders for the beef eaters and everyone would be happy.

Several of the recipes I found called for ranch dressing and blue cheese crumbles, which I thought was interesting enough that I included it here.  The result has a slightly lighter taste overall (which I liked) than if you use straight blue cheese dressing, but it's totally up to you either way.

The recipe is incredibly easy - just season some boneless skinless chicken thighs and throw them in the slow cooker with some hot sauce.  When they're done, they are so tender that you can just shred them right in the pot.

Assemble the sliders and offer pickle and jalapeno slices on the side for those who are so inclined.  Be sure to have plenty of napkins on hand - these little babies are messy unless you shove the entire slider in your mouth all at once, which would be interesting to watch.

One last note:  the exact number of sliders you can make depends on the size of your rolls and how high you pile them.  My rolls were about 3" across and I didn't go too wild piling on the chicken, which is how I arrived at the calculation of 12 sliders.

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Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Makes approximately 12 sliders depending on the size of the buns

1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1 ¼ cups hot sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot

12 small slider rolls

Ranch dressing and blue cheese crumbles (or blue cheese dressing)

Tomato slices (from 3-4 small tomatoes)

Green leaf lettuce

Pickle slices, optional

Jalapeno slices, optional

Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne and place in a slow cooker.  Pour in the hot sauce.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Shred the chicken with two forks right in the slow cooker.

Brush the cut side of the buns with olive oil and place under a broiler for a few seconds until browned, watching closely so they don’t burn.

To assemble the sandwiches, place a piece of lettuce on the bottom half of each bun, followed by a tomato slice and some shredded chicken.  Top with ranch dressing and blue cheese crumbles.  Serve with pickles and jalapeno slices on the side for those who want to add them.

Turkey Farro Salad with Candied Chickpeas

Last Year's Post: Couscous with Turkey or Chicken
Two Years Ago:   Turkey & Pomegranate Salad

I happen to think that turkey is highly under-rated as an every day meat as opposed to a special occasion meat.  It's cheap, healthy, readily available, and kids and adults like it equally.  Maybe one problem is the sheer volume of leftovers when you cook an entire turkey, but these days you can buy a split turkey breast or even turkey tenderloins.  These two turkey tenderloins weighed .60 lb, cost $3.29, and will feed four people as part of this recipe.  Not bad.

Of course, this is also a great recipe if you have leftover turkey and is a total change from a big heavy holiday dinner.  The salad is light but complex with fresh greens, chewy farro, fresh and dried fruits, creamy blue cheese, and candied chickpeas in addition to the turkey.  I really liked the candied chickpeas because they have a hint of sweetness and a hint of spice from the pepper.  But if you don't want to go to the bother of roasting them, substitute sweet/spicy nuts of any type that are coarsely chopped, or even plain roasted pecans or walnuts.  The chickpeas are interesting but nuts will have more crunch.

Speaking of substitutions, if you don't happen to have farro any other chewy grain will work - bulgur, quinoa, wheatberries, or even wild rice.  You can also substitute fresh clementines that are peeled and cut up instead of mandarin oranges, but I just happen to like mandarin oranges.  And you could add some kale to the lettuce, or substitute it entirely.

Cook the turkey in advance and place the tenderloins and pan juices in a zip-lock bag in the refrigerator for an hour or so.  The juices get reabsorbed and the turkey will cut perfectly.  If you also make the farro and candied chickpeas in advance, this becomes a really fast meal to pull together any day of the week.

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Turkey Farro Salad with Candied Chickpeas

Serves 4

1/2 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1/8 cup packed brown sugar

¼  cup olive oil plus 1 ½ tablespoons, divided

Salt and ground black pepper

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

2 turkey tenderloins (1 pound total) or leftover cooked turkey

½ cup uncooked farro

1 ½ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 large Gala, Braeburn, or Honeycrisp apple, cored and thinly sliced

2 romaine hearts, chopped (8 cups)

1 can mandarin oranges (drained), or 2 fresh clementines, peeled and cut up

2 tablespoons dried cranberries

1 ounce high-quality blue cheese, crumbled (1/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Drain and rinse beans, then spread on a kitchen towel to dry thoroughly. Line a shallow baking pan with parchment paper and spread beans in a single layer in pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar, ½ tablespoon of oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper; stir to coat beans evenly. Roast for 50 minutes or until amber colored, stirring twice for even browning. Remove and cool in pan.

Sprinkle poultry seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon salt over turkey. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and add turkey. Cook for 20-30 minutes or until done (165 degrees F), turning occasionally to brown evenly.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan bring farro and broth to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer according to package directions until tender but chewy. Drain off any liquid; cool.

In a small bowl or jar, add the lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil, mustard and ¼ teaspoon salt.  Whisk (or shake the jar) until blended.

When ready to serve, thinly slice the turkey.  Add apples and romaine to a large bowl and add enough dressing to coat, then toss gently. Transfer salad to a platter or plates. Arrange turkey, farro, and chickpeas over greens. Top with oranges, cranberries, and blue cheese.

Spinach, Squash and Apple Salad

Last Year's Post: Sesame Seed Chicken Salad
Two Years Ago:  Linguini alla Puttanesca

I firmly believe in eating main dish salads all year long.  They're good for you and they actually work particularly well in colder months to balance out the heavy foods we tend to eat at that time of the year.  So if you're planning lasagna or beef stew one night, balance it out by having an entree salad with plenty of veggies or fruits the next night.  We try to plan at least one salad meal per week, but the key is to plan for lots of variety or you'll very quickly get bored if you pick up the same old salad bar version every week.  (That's why you'll see so many salads posted on this blog.)

So that's the first tip - eat a wide variety of salads.  The second tip is to use at least one or two seasonal ingredients when possible, for freshness and because it helps add variety as you move through the seasons.  The third tip is to consider adding substantial meatless salads to your collection (like this one).  You won't miss the meat if you add enough other interesting fibers and proteins.  And finally, use the very best and freshest ingredients possible, like these beautiful greens that I found - a mix of spinach, arugula, mizzuna, and leaf lettuce.  Then I added a head of lacy, curly frisee to make it even prettier.  Doesn't that make you want to dive in?

This salad has a fall/winter feel due to the roasted squash, apples, pecans and maple dressing.  The tangy and slightly sweet dressing works best if you have some bitterness in the greens, so be sure to throw in some arugula.  If you can't find arugula, a little radicchio would also work.  As with most salads, the interplay of textures and flavors works best if there are contrasts - crunchy and creamy, bitter and sweet.

If you're really pressed for time the day you plan to serve it, you can prepare the squash and salad dressing in advance so all you have to do that night is chop and assemble.

Oh, one more tip - make the salad look as beautiful as you can by arranging the ingredients.  Someone once said we eat with our eyes first, which is kind of annoying but true.  Look at the picture up top, then at this picture after it was tossed.  It still looks really good, but not quite as spectacular.  And it only take a minute or two to arrange each salad on individual plates.

printable recipe

Spinach, Squash and Apple Salad

Serves 4

½ medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1” cubes

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 Fuji apple

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

6-oz bag baby spinach, arugula, or combination of greens

¼ medium red onion, very thinly sliced

½ cup blue cheese, crumbled

 ½ cup dried cherries or cranberries

½ cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 400d.

In a medium bowl, toss the squash cubes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss again.  Spread in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes until the cubes are starting to turn golden and lightly browned, flipping once.  Remove and cool.

For the salad dressing, combine ¼ cup olive oil, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a small bowl; whisk to combine.  Core the apple, cut into thin slices, and toss with the lemon juice to prevent browning.

To assemble the salad, toss the greens with half the dressing and divide among plates.  Decoratively top with the squash, apple, onion, cherries and pecans.  Drizzle the remaining dressing on the top and serve.

Kale and Pancetta Salad

Last Year's Post: Sausage and Cheddar Breakfast Strata
Two Years Ago:  Greek Phyllo Wraps with Taztziki

Kale is a superfood and a great addition to your fall and winter food rotation to balance out the heavier foods we tend to eat at this time of the year.  It's sturdy so it holds up well in a salad, and its slight bitterness is offset in this recipe by the sweetness of the fruit and maple syrup, plus the creaminess of the blue cheese.  The pecans add a nice crunch and toastiness.  I especially like to have spiced pecans on hand for salads or rice dishes, because they add a little kick.  If you don't feel like making spiced pecans, you can buy some at Trader Joe's or can use plain toasted pecans (or walnuts) instead.

You can substitute regular bacon for pancetta, and dried cranberries or apricots for the currants. You could even go vegetarian and leave out the pancetta. The recipe calls for fresh apples or Asian pears, so I used one of each.  If you're not familiar with Asian pears, they look like a golden apple and have the crispness of an apple with the flavor of a pear.  They've available in most grocery stores, and are delicious.  Try one for fun.

This salad is definitely substantial enough to be a main dish and it's a welcome change from big heavy dinners and sweets.

 printable recipe

Kale and Pancetta Salad

Serves 4

1/3 cup olive oil

4 ounces pancetta, diced

¼ cup white wine vinegar

¼ cup pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 small head radicchio, shredded

8 ounces kale, stems discarded, leaves shredded

2 Fuji or Honeycrisp apples, or 2 Asian pears (or combination)

¾ cup toasted pecans (or spiced pecans, see below)

1/3 cup dried currants

½ cup crumbled blue cheese

Combine the olive oil and pancetta in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Cook, stirring frequently, until pancetta is golden and crispy, 8-10 minutes.  Strain the pan drippings into a small bowl to cool and leave the pancetta off to the side to cool.  When the pan drippings are cool, add the vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon, salt and pepper to the pan drippings and whisk well.

Quarter and core the apples or pears, then cut into thin pieces.  Combine the radicchio, kale and apples or pears in a large bowl.  Add the dressing little by little, and toss to combine, until the salad is well dressed.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve topped with pecans, currants and blue cheese.

Spiced Pecans

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon paprika

½ cup sugar

1 large egg white

2 cups whole pecans

Preheat oven to 300d.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Whisk the egg white until foamy, then whisk in the salt, pepper, paprika and sugar.  Stir in pecans.  Spread pecans in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 250d and rotate the pan.  Bake 10 more minutes, then immediately spread in a single layer on clean parchment paper.  Let cool before serving or storing. 

Pecans will keep up to a week in an airtight container at room temperature, or may be frozen.

Sausage and Lentils

Last Year's Post: Italian Tuna Sandwich (No Mayo)
Two Years Ago:  Holiday Breakfast Strata

There's something about sausages and lentils that says "fall" to me.  Add in some roasted vegetables and you have a beautiful rustic dish that's both healthy and filling.  My inspiration for this dish was two-fold.  First, if you're a fan of Costco, you'll understand completely that we wandered by a tasting table and liked the roasted pepper sausage with manchego cheese they were tasting.  We now have four packages waiting in the freezer.  One of my games when that happens is to find new and interesting ways to use the Costco ingredient without repeating the same recipe over and over.

My second inspiration was seeing some gorgeous French baby carrots at the grocery store.

Because my carrots were so small I roasted them whole rather than cutting them up, and I roasted the very smallest ones separately so I could take them out faster.

After that it's just a matter of cooking the lentils and sauteing the sausages.

You have a couple of choices with this dish.  The first is the type of sausage you use.  Definitely buy precooked turkey or chicken sausages (Amy's or Aidells are two good brands), but the choice is whether you buy primarily savory (Italian, roasted pepper, etc.) or slightly sweet (chicken, apple and maple, for example).  If you buy savory sausages the recipe calls for manchego cheese; if you buy an apple or maple variety you add maple syrup to the dressing, substitute blue cheese for manchego cheese, and adding fresh apple pieces.  Your choice.

The other choice is whether to serve it hot or at room temperature.  If you decide to serve it hot I'd suggest adding the cheese at the last minute on top so it doesn't melt into the dish.

Either way, it's a great and unique fall and winter dish.

printable recipe

Sausage and Lentils

Serves 4

For the salad dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 small garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (if using sausage with apple or maple flavors, otherwise omit)

1 cup of small French green (or small black) lentils, uncooked

1 fennel bulb

1 small red onion

4 carrots (less if adding apple, below)

1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

3-4 precooked smoked sausages (your favorite flavor), cut into ½” pieces on an angle

½ cup cubed Manchego cheese (if using savory or spicy sausages) or crumbled blue cheese (if using apple or maple sausages)

½ cup fresh apple cubes (if using apple or maple sausage, otherwise omit)

Mix ingredients for dressing together in a jar with a lid. Shake well.

Cook the lentils according to package directions; drain.

 Preheat the oven to 450d.  While the lentils are cooking, roast the vegetables: slice the carrots in small chunks about the size of your thumb. Trim the leaves off the fennel bulb; core and cut into ½” wedges. Slice the onion into ½” wedges. Toss the carrots, fennel, onion and garlic with a tablespoon of oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and then place on a baking sheet. Bake on the center rack for 25-30 minutes, turning over after half the time, until the carrots are fork-tender.  (If your carrots are larger or smaller change the baking time accordingly.) 

While the lentils are cooking and vegetables are roasting, sauté the sausage pieces in 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until browned.

Toss the warm lentils with some of the dressing.  After the lentils have cooled somewhat, add the remaining dressing, roasted vegetables, browned sausage, cheese and apple (optional) and serve.  Garnish with additional thyme leaves if desired.

Balsamic Chicken Watermelon Salad

Last Year's Post: Ravioli with Peas, Bacon and Lemon Oil
Two Years Ago:  Char Siu Chicken with Chinese Long Beans

People who live in the Southwest (me being one) have gotten to the point right about now that northerners arrive at by late February - namely, enough already.  We're tired of this particular season, lets move along to the next one.  Now, I know that sounds somewhat sacrilegious if you live in the north and savor every day of the all-too-brief summer,  but we're pretty well done by this point.  If you live in a more northerly climate I hope you're sitting by a lake in a lawn chair with your face tipped toward the sun, enjoying every precious minute of the last days of summer.

Either way, this salad works (how's that for a segue?).  For those of you who are trying to be in denial about summer's end, a nice cool watermelon salad will make you feel like it's the middle of summer.  And for those of us who are still stuck in 105+ degree days, a cold and sweet no-cook salad sounds pretty darn appealing.

This salad is very simple - just spinach, watermelon, chicken, blue cheese, balsamic vinegar, and nuts. What makes it work is the variety of tastes and textures from the meaty chicken, creamy and pungent cheese, crunchy nuts, and of course sweet and juicy melon.  If you're in a mood to grill you could certainly grill up some boneless chicken breast or thighs instead of using purchased rotisserie chicken, and you could substitute any nuts you like for the pepitas.  All told it takes maybe 20 minutes to prepare if you boil down the balsamic vinegar in advance, or you could purchase a prepared balsamic glaze at the store to make it even easier - they're in with the vinegars.

 Buying cut-up watermelon is another easy time-saver and comes with additional bonus of being able to buy exactly how much you want.  I decided to use the cut glass creamer (of creamer and sugar fame) that I inherited from my grandmother for a little balsamic glaze pitcher.  It worked great.

After buying pre-washed baby spinach, rotisserie chicken, balsamic vinegar (or glaze), a good blue cheese, pre-cut watermelon and some nuts, really all you have to do is some simple assembly.  What could be easier?  It gives you more time for enjoying summer.

printable recipe

Balsamic Chicken Watermelon Salad

Serves 4

1 cup balsamic vinegar (or ½ cup purchased balsamic glaze)

1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (see note)

4 cups baby spinach

3 cups cubed watermelon

½ cup blue cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), or the toasted/chopped nuts of your choice

Coarse salt and pepper for finishing, optional

Pour the balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes until reduce by approximately half and starting to become syrupy.  Let cool.

Add the seasoning to the olive oil and stir, then toss with the shredded chicken. 

Layer the spinach with chicken, watermelon, blue cheese, and nuts.  Drizzle with the balsamic reduction to taste.  Sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper, optional.

 Note:  two small boneless skinless chicken breasts or four boneless chicken thighs may be substituted for rotisserie chicken.  Brush with the seasoned olive oil before grilling or pan sautéing until cooked through.  Set aside to cool, then shred or cut into slices.

Wild Rice Salad

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I started laughing the other day when I was flipping through my recipes and realized I have somewhere around 10 different wild rice salad recipes, not to mention recipes for wild rice side dishes, waffles, soup and other items.  Then and there I decided to crown myself the Wild Rice Queen.  Apparently it stuck somewhere in my subconscious because during a three hour bout of carb-and-sugar induced Thanksgiving night insomnia I mentally composed this entire post, complete with visuals.  It made me happy but did nothing for the insomnia.  I even toyed briefly with trying to create the entire post and publish it the next day, but I didn't think I could do it justice that quickly.  Wild rice is too important.  :)  So, my apologies to those of you who had too many leftover turkey sandwiches that really could have used this recipe instead.  Print it out now, so you'll have it ready for other holiday leftovers yet to come.

Wild rice likes to grow in a cold environment, so the primary producers are Minnesota (domestically) and Canada (internationally). If you didn't grow up in the Great White North you might not be familiar with it. I think of it as the northern answer to grits.  Having always been somewhat skeptical about the virtue of grits (aka "white dirt"), I was assured by my new southern friend Charline that I would love her recipe for Tomato Cheese Grits.  OK Charline, back at ya.  You try mine and I'll try yours!

Wild rice is actually not a rice, but the seed of a grass that grows in shallow lakes.  High in protein, lysine and fiber, low in fat and gluten-free, wild rice is the Cadillac of rices, which is one reason why you won't find it very often on restaurant menus.  Even when you do find a dish listed as wild rice, it will often be a mixture of white and brown rice with some wild rice added in.  One of the reasons that wild rice is more expensive than white or brown rice is because it's more difficult to grow and harvest.  Traditional Native American harvesting is done from a canoe using a long stick to bend the grasses down and shake the seeds into the canoe.  Not exactly high volume.  The wild rice produced in Canada tends to be harvested commercially and therefore is less expensive, but I can't tell any difference in taste or texture so that's the version I buy (it's really not that expensive).  If you happen across small boxes labeled "instant" wild rice, I wouldn't recommend buying them.  It might seem less expensive but that's only because the box contains a small amount.  And the pre-cooking and drying that are required to make it instant means the grains are softer and mushier when re-cooked.  Wild rice is definitely not supposed to be soft and mushy.

To enjoy a 100% wild rice dish is a unique taste experience - earthy, nutty, very flavorful and chewy.  Wild rice makes a great winter salad for those reasons compared to the light and delicate lettuce salads of summer.  The rice makes a great palate for virtually any kind of leftover meat - smoked or roasted turkey, pork, chicken, beef, or even duck and pheasant. Of course, you don't need to wait for leftover meat - you could always buy a rotisserie chicken or a thick piece of smoked turkey at the deli. We recently purchased a smoked pheasant from a local grower and I'm already dreaming of a smoked pheasant, wild rice and fresh cherry salad.  Yum!  Besides a wide variety of meats, wild rice goes very well with a wide variety of fruits, nuts, and vegetables.  Looking over my recipes I noticed certain similarities so for the first time in my blogger life I'm going to give you what I call a master recipe with variations.  (See what insomnia can do to you?)

But first we need to talk about cooking wild rice, which is slightly different than cooking white or brown rice.  Wild rice recipes will invariably give you a set time to cook, which is misleading.  In my experience that hardness of wild rice can vary from producer to producer or from year to year.  My advice is to cook for a shorter amount of time than recommended and then start checking.  I saw a visual a few years ago that led me to conclude I had probably been over-cooking my wild rice, so I thought I'd re-create it here.  First you need to rinse your rice (remember it hasn't been as processed as white or brown rice).

Here's what uncooked rice looks like.

Here's what properly cooked rice looks like - the grains are swollen and most have started to split.

Here's what overcooked rice looks like - most of the grains are split wide open and starting to curl.

My source recipe called for cooking the rice for 60 minutes.  I started checking after 45 minutes and concluded the rice was properly cooked at 55 minutes.  The visual of overcooked rice was taken at 70 minutes.  Most of the time it will take 55-60 minutes for properly cooked rice, but I've had it take as long as 70 minutes and as little as 50 minutes.

Most recipes will call for cooking wild rice in water, but I usually use low-sodium chicken broth for added flavor.  Don't expect that all the liquid will be absorbed, you'll just strain it after cooking instead.  Note that the wild rice can be prepared in advance and refrigerated, so this would be a quick salad to toss together after work.

Ok, so now that you have the rice cooked, here are two concepts for a master recipe.

            Elements Common to Both:
            wild rice
            meat - turkey, pork, chicken, beef, duck, pheasant
            chopped spinach or arugula
            toasted nuts - walnuts, pecans or almonds

                              - plus -

             V1:  Fruity                                                     
             fruity vinaigrette                                            
             fresh fruit - grapes, cherries, oranges, blueberries, etc.
             crumbled fresh cheese - blue, goat, etc.         

                              - or -

              V2: Vegetable-y
              mustard and garlic vinaigrette
              fresh vegetables - sugar snap peas, red pepper, etc.
              avocado chunks or crumbled cheese


I'll go into more detailed instructions and measurements in the recipe(s) below.  Yikes!  This is a long post.  I told The Lawyer I had to get it out of my head so I could get some sleep.  There was way too much content on my mental clipboard.  :-)

* * click here for a printable recipe version * *

Wild Rice Salad

Serves 4-5

Master Recipe Ingredients:

2 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup uncooked wild rice
3 cups cooked turkey, chicken, pork, beef, duck or pheasant, cut into bite-sized cubes
2 cups chopped spinach or arugula
½ cup toasted pecans or walnuts (coarsely chopped) or toasted slivered almonds

 - plus -

Fruity Version:

¼ cup champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons fresh orange rind
¼ teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
¼ cup dried cranberries
1 cup fresh fruit (halved grapes, blueberries, halved pitted cherries, etc.)
1/2 cup crumbled blue or goat cheese

- or –

Vegetable-y Version:

2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 green onions, sliced
½ red pepper, diced
2 oz sugar snap peas, cut into 1” pieces
1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into chunks (or ½ cup crumbled blue cheese)

Rinse and drain the wild rice.  Bring water or broth to boil in a medium saucepan.  Add the wild rice; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes.  Check to determine if grains are swollen and most are split.  If not, check again every ten minutes until done (typically 55-60 minutes total).  Remove from heat, drain, and set aside to cool. (May be prepared up to two days in advance.  Keep covered and refrigerated.)

To prepare the vinaigrette, combine the first 8 ingredients from the fruit version or the first 7 ingredients from the vegetable version in a food processor or shake in a jar.

Combine the cooled wild rice, meat, spinach or arugula and (version1) fruits or (version 2) vegetables (not the crumbled cheese, avocado or toasted nuts) in a large bowl.  Add the vinaigrette and toss well.  Serve topped with toasted nuts and avocado or crumbled cheese.

Scones and Art

This blog is about interesting food, right?  Scones are a fairly interesting food in their own right - probably not something you have every day for breakfast - but how about a scone with blue cheese, green onions and spinach?  Now that's interesting.  Scones are surprisingly easy to make and freeze beautifully.  The next time you want a special breakfast make a batch of these the day before, then simply reheat the next morning while your coffee brews.

Before going on to the recipe, I want to point out the coffee cup in the picture above.  My friend Robin is an award-winning artist who works in several media.  I was fortunate to nab her series of iris coffee cups many years ago and treasure them still.  They are a most lovely creamy white color and each portrays an iris in a different stage of blossoming.  We also have several of her fabulous paintings.  I am so jealous of talented artists!  She recently mentioned a photograph of a white peony that I'm dying to see.

Anyway, on to scones.  There are many scone recipes out there with orange, cranberries, etc. etc. but I think these savory scones taste great.  Two different recipes were given to various family and friends - this one and a version with cheddar, green onions and bacon - and this recipe was the winner.  Any time a recipe wins against bacon, that's impressive!  If you don't happen to like blue cheese, feel free to substitute.

** clik here for a printable recipe **

Savory Breakfast Scones

Makes 12  scones

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter

4 oz crumbled blue cheese

6 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced

3 oz fresh spinach, chopped

1-1/2 cups buttermilk, divided

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Put the stick of butter in the freezer for 15 minutes to make it easier to cut.  While the butter is in the freezer, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Take the butter out and cut into small cubes.  Add the butter to the dry mixture and cut it in with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles small peas.  Alternately, pulse all ingredients in a food processor.  Stir in the blue cheese, green onions, and spinach by hand.

Add 1 cup of buttermilk to the mix and stir by hand just until all ingredients come together.  If the dough is too dry to hold together, add additional buttermilk by small amounts until the dough can be formed into a ball.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured board.  Cut the dough into two pieces and pat each into a disk 5” in diameter.  The disks will be 1-1/2 to 2” tall.  Cut each disk into 6 wedges (like a pie) with a large knife. 

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place all 12 scones on the baking sheet.  Bake for 20-22 minutes until light brown.  Remove to a cooling rack to cool.

To serve, reheat in a microwave or toaster oven and serve with butter.