Thanksgiving Cranberry Apple Crisp

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is almost here?

I'm in Des Moines to celebrate this glorious holiday. The weather is actually beautiful and not too cold. Looking forward to a week filled with family—and what else?—food!

As my holiday gift to you, here's one of my favorite recipes for Cranberry Apple Crisp. I love this recipe. It's lovely with the rubicund cranberries studding the dish. It's also delicious. The perfect addition to any holiday meal. Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Cranberry Apple Crisp

Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Serves 10 people
Baking time: about one hour
Vegetarian (and easy to veganize)

Ingredients

4 to 5 pounds apples (about 10 to 12 apples), peeled, cored, and sliced
zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups plus 2 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Butter the inside of a 10 x 15 x 2 1/2 inch baking dish.

3. In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples, the cranberries, the lemon zest, the lemon juice, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and about 2 tablespoons flour. Toss well. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. If there is a lot of liquid, add 1 more tablespoon of flour. Pour the apple cranberry mixture into the baking dish and gently smooth the top.

4. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, salt, oatmeal, and the cold, diced butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is pea sized and the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly on top of the apples and cranberries.

5. Bake for 1 hour, until the top is browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator and reheat in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until warm.

My Chickpea Quinoa Burgers Featured by Meatless Monday

Divas, I have exciting news!

My recipe for Chickpea Quinoa Burgers is being featured by Meatless Monday this week (and my photograph graces their homepage). I also received great news that Meatless Monday is including it in a Meatless Burger e-cookbook that they're putting out. I will share more information on soon.

This is a great veggie burger recipe—free of soy and animal products. Also, it's super delicious. I make them all the time. The ingredients include great fall flavors like yams and pumpkin seeds. I first developed my own recipe recipe when I couldn't find a commercially produced veggie burger that I liked.  I love these burgers both with and without buns. They're great leftover too.

So enjoy—and remember one day a week cut out meat.

Here's the link to my recipe on Meatless Monday

Slow-Cooker Curried Chicken & Cauliflower

Happy Monday & Happy November!

This is a big week with so much in flux. The East Coast still grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. A huge election tomorrow. The holiday season approaching.

When the weather turns colder and everything gets hectic (though it seems to be ninety degrees in LA), I turn to my slow-cooker to provide healthy, homemade comfort food. I love throwing my ingredients in there first thing in the morning and smelling them cooking all day long. I also love feeling like somebody else cooked me dinner, even though I did the work.

This is an easy, healthy slow-cooker dish I threw together last week. The main ingredients are chicken thighs and cauliflower, but I also threw in curry spices, green peas, and red bell pepper. I served the dish over brown rice for a warm, tender meal.

Slow-Cooker Curried Chicken & Cauliflower

Serves 6-8 people
Prep time: 20 minutes; Cooking time: 4-6 hours on high (6-8 hours on low)
Dairy-free; gluten-free

Ingredients

1 pound organic chicken thighs
1 head of cauliflower, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons curry powder (any curry blend will work)
salt and freshly ground pepper
chopped cilantro for garnishing (optional)
brown rice for serving (optional)

Directions

1. Whisk the tomato paste and curry powder into the chicken broth. Place all of the ingredients into the slow-cooker, stirring to combine.

2. Cook for 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low, until the chicken is cooked through and very tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. To serve, ladle the Chicken & Cauliflower Curried Stew over brown rice and garnish with a little chopped cilantro. Enjoy!