Comfort & Joy

This time of year, all I want to do is curl up under about a hundred blankets and eat lots of warm starchy food!

1.

Here's something hearty AND healthy! Bulgur wheat has a great chewy, nutty texture and is an awesome stand-in for oatmeal or breakfast quinoa. And the poached berries would also be delicious on ice cream or pound cake or whatever else you can think of!

Bulgur with Berries (adapted from Giada's Feel Good Food by Giada De Laurentiis) - DF, V

Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
2 cups unsweetened almond milk or water
1 cup quick-cooking bulgur wheat
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. salt
10 oz. bag frozen mixed berries
2 T. apple cider
1 T. agave
DIRECTIONS
In a medium saucepan, combine almond milk (or water), bulgur, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, covered, for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine remaining ingredients over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Serve berries over bulgur.

2.

Here's another great recipe from my friend, Jess! And no matter how many times I make this, mine never turns out quite as good as hers...

Baked Ziti (adapted from my friend Jess)

Serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. ziti or rigatoni 

1 lb. ground turkey

1 1/2 T. onion powder

2 24 oz. jars Prego Traditional Spaghetti Sauce

Cooking spray

1 1/2 cups light sour cream

6 oz. shredded mozzarella

6 slices provolone

2 T. grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet brown turkey over medium heat. Add onion powder and spaghetti sauce. Spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with cooking spray. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the pasta, provolone, sour cream, 1/2 of the sauce, remaining pasta, mozzarella, remaining sauce, and top with Parmesan. Bake 30 minutes or until cheeses are melted.

3.

Super quick and one of my favs! The boys prefer sausage to shrimp so I tend to go heavier on the sausage and lighter on the shrimp. 😉

Shrimp & Grits (adapted from Martha Stewart) - GF*

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 cup grits

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

Salt & pepper

2 T. olive oil

10 oz. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen

1 t. paprika (or prepared Creole seasoning if you have it!)

6 oz. fully cooked kielbasa* or andouille sausage*

3 garlic cloves

3 scallions, chopped with white and green parts separated

1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 t. dried thyme

1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth

2 T. butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare grits according to package instructions. Stir in mascarpone and season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp in a single layer and sprinkle with paprika or Creole seasoning and season with salt and pepper. Cook 3 minutes or until shrimp start to brown and then remove them from the skillet and set aside.

3. Add sausage, garlic, scallion whites, red bell pepper and thyme to empty skillet. Cook 3 minutes until sausage starts to brown and vegetables soften. Add chicken broth and butter and cook about 3 minutes more until sauce starts to thicken.

3. Return shrimp to skillet. Serve over grits with scallion greens sprinkled on top.

4.

Nobody makes their own pie crust anymore and it makes me so sad! I don't even make great pie crust, but I still prefer it, hands down, to anything you buy in the store. Some day I'm going to take a class and learn how to make amazing pie crust, but in the meantime I will continue to make this yummy recipe and I encourage you to do the same! Granny Smith apples are a must - as is letting the pie cool so the filling has time to set (which is so very, very, hard to do!)

Apple Pie (adapted from Martha Stewart) - V

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

Pie crust:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 t. salt

1 t. sugar

2 sticks cold butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup cold water

Filling:

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 lbs. Granny Smith apples (4-5 apples)

2 lbs. Gala or Golden Delicious apples (4-5 apples)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

2 T. butter, cut into small pieces

DIRECTIONS

1. In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter and pulse a few times. Sprinkle water over the dough and pulse a few more times. Transfer half of crumbly dough to a gallon size resealable plastic bag and form into a disk. Repeat with other half of dough and refrigerate both bags.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Squeeze lemon juice into a large bowl. Peel and core apples. Cut into 1/4 inch slices and halve crosswise. Toss in bowl with lemon juice as you work to prevent browning. Add sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt and toss to combine.

3. Remove one pie dough bag from the refrigerator. Open the bag, and center the dough inside. Roll the pie dough, still in the bag, into a 12 inch circle. Seal the bag and return it to the refrigerator. Repeat with second bag of dough and then use kitchen shears to open the bag and carefully remove the dough circle. Without stretching the dough, place it into a pie plate so it hugs the bottom and sides. 

3. Fill the pie plate with apple mixture, gently packing apples and mounding slightly in the center. Dot with butter. Lightly brush rim of pie dough with water.

4. Use kitchen shears to open the first bag of pie dough and carefully remove the dough circle. Lay over apples, pressing along rim to seal. Fold edge of dough under itself to form a thick rim. Press your thumb all along the rim of dough into the pie plate. Cut 6 slits in the top of the pie radiating from the center.

5. Place pie plate on rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Carefully cover pie with foil and bake for 1 hour until crust is golden and juices are bubbling. Cool at least 6 hours before serving.