Muir Glen Signature Recipes - Salsa Guacamole

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Muir Glen tomatoes make any recipe a creation to savor. That's why Muir Glen is America's #1 selling organic tomato brand.

Salsa Guacamole

Prep Time:20 min
Start to Finish:20 min
Makes:12 servings (1/4 cup each)

Ingredients

Salsa

1 can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen organic fire roasted or Muir Glen plain diced tomatoes, well drained
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon coarse (kosher or sea) salt
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 small fresh jalapeño chile, seeded, finely chopped

Homemade Vegan Candy Corn Cake

Homemade Vegan Candy Corn Cake
October is right around the corner & thoughts have already turned to Halloween! While most are getting creative with costumes, many vegans are figuring out what candies they can eat! Packaged candy corn at your local store typically is packed with animal products like gelatin, egg whites, & beeswax, so members of the PPK were lamenting the lack of the sugary little confection in their lives. Well, lament no more!

The Epicurious Editor's Blog had a recipe for Homemade Candy Corn & I jumped at the chance to try a vegan version. With some easy substitutions, it worked! This recipe is not for the faint at heart, while the dough is easy to make, the production process is time consuming & tedious! I recommend having a candy corn party with friends, so you can all assemble & enjoy these goodies together! I suppose you could also eat them uncolored, but how unfestive is that?! hehe.

Candy Corn
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup (preferably organic, avoid high fructose corn syrup!)
5 tablespoons Earth Balance (or other vegan margarine)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup powdered soy milk
a pinch of sea salt
Red & yellow food coloring


Instructions:
In a large saucepan, bring the sugar, corn syrup, Earth Balance, & vanilla to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium & boil the mixture for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 5 minutes, remove from heat.

Sift the powdered sugar, powdered soy milk, & salt into medium bowl.

Add the powdered sugar mixture to pan & stir to combine.

Let the mixture stand until slightly warm to touch, about 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces.

Consider putting on rubber gloves, so you don't stain your hands. Add several drops of yellow food coloring to one piece of dough & knead food coloring into the dough until smooth and color is even. Repeat using red & yellow food coloring (for orange) with the second piece & leave the last piece white, but knead it until smooth. This isn't an easy task & could take up to 15 minutes!

Roll each piece into ropes of equal length (don't roll too thin or the dough will break) and push the three ropes together to form a long rectangle.

Using sharp knife, cut the ropes into triangles. Some will be white tipped & some will be yellow tipped.

Shape the candy corn as desired! You can even make Mellowcreme Pumpkins!
This yielded 110 candy corn, all larger than the store bought ones you're used to! You could easily half this recipe & have a ton to share with others. I made mine somewhat large, as they're easier to work with, but you could make smaller ones & have a TON!

My Notes:
They taste great, although slightly less sugary than the pre-packaged versions. I find that's the case with most artisan versions of standard junk food, but you'll still enjoy these very much & they'll quell your candy corn craving! I wouldn't add more sugar, as the dough will get too firm to work with. In fact, the dough is pretty firm in the first place & you may find your fingers hurting from kneading. When adding the food coloring, I found it best to keep folding the dough in to itself, then flattening it with my palm. Also, I didn't have gloves, so I kept a layer of plastic wrap over my dough as I was kneading it, which worked fine with minimal staining. The ropes of dough are VERY long, they took up the length of my dining table, so you can consider working in sections. I also used a rolling pin to slightly flatten the tops of the 3 connected ropes, it makes cutting easier & slightly pushes the ropes together. Finally, please be conscious of the corn syrup you use! The widely available Karo is packed with nasty High Fructose Corn Syrup, something you DON'T need in your system. I bought an organic corn syrup, which was pricey, but I found it to be worthwhile.
[Recipe From: http://theurbanhousewife.blogspot.com]

Fiddle Faddle and Screaming Yellow Zonkers

Fiddle Faddle and Screaming Yellow Zonkers

I know the most popular candy corn out there is Cracker Jack, but my favorite has always been Screaming Yellow Zonkers and Fiddle Fiddle from Lincoln Snacks Company. Fiddle Faddle is butter toffee-coated popcorn with almonds thrown in. Screaming Yellow Zonkers (you gotta love the name) is similar, but without the almonds. The secret to the yellow coloring of the Zonkers: buttered popcorn.

Fiddle Faddle (butter toffee with almonds)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 bags plain or natural-flavored microwave popcorn
1/2 cup roasted almonds

Zonkers
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 bags butter-flavored microwave popcorn

1. For either recipe, combine sugar, butter, corn syrup, water and salt in a large saucepan over medium heat. You're going to bring the candy to 265-275 degrees, or what is known as the hard ball stage. For this it's best to use a candy thermometer. If you don't have one, don't worry. Drip the candy into a small glass of cold water. If the candy forms a very hard, yet slightly pliable ball, bingo, you're there. Watch your mixture closely so that it doesn't boil over.

2. While candy cooks, pop both bags of popcorn and spread about 2 quarts or 1 1/3 bags of popcorn (plus almonds for Fiddle Faddle) on one large or two small cookie sheets. Put the popcorn in your oven set on its lowest temperature. This will keep the popcorn hot so that the candy will coat better.

3. When your candy has reached the hard ball stage, add the vanilla.

4. Pull the popcorn from the oven and, working quickly, pour thecandy over the popcorn in thin streams. Mix the popcorn so that each kernel is coated with candy, put the popcorn back into the oven for five more minutes, then stir once again. This will help to coat each kernel. You can repeat this step once more if necessary to get all of the popcorn coated. Pour popcorn onto a large sheet of wax paper to cool. Spread the popcorn out, but be careful...it's hot.

5. When popcorn is cool, break it up and immediately put it into a tightly sealed container, such as Tupperware. This will ensure that it stays fresh. This stuff gets stale very quickly in moist climates if left out.
Makes about 4 quarts.

Roadhouse Grill Roadhouse Cheese Wraps

Roadhouse Grill Roadhouse Cheese Wraps

You'll find the original version of this delectable Roadhouse Grill signature item in the "starters" section of the menu. It's a variation on the popular fried cheese sticks appetizers with spicy jalapeno peppers in the middle, all wrapped in large spring roll wrappers before frying. The marinara sauce on the side is perfect for dipping this tasty cheesy tidbit. To save time -- and we all like that -- you can use any of your favorite marinara pasta sauces (such as Ragu) for dipping so you won't have to whip it up from scratch.

8 thin slices monterey jack cheese
8 thin slices cheddar cheese
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon minced fresh chives
4 large spring roll wrappers
1 beaten egg
6 to 10 cups vegetable oil

On the side
Marinara (pasta) sauce Slice the cheese real thin, add peppers and chives, roll it all up and give it a good squeeze before wrapping

1. Use a sharp knife to make 8 thin slices each from the end of standard-size hunks of cheddar and monterey jack cheeses.

2. Arrange 2 slices of cheddar and 2 slices of jack on your hand, then sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of diced jalapeno on top of the cheese. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of minced chives on next. Sandwich the peppers and chives between the cheese and roll it all up. Fold the cheese and squeeze it all together so that the peppers and chives are well sealed into the middle of the cheeses.

3. Lay a spring roll wrapper with one corner pointing away from you. Arrange the cheese lengthwise on the center of the wrapper.

4. Fold one of the side corners over the cheese filling. Brush a little beaten egg on the tip of the other side corner and fold it over the first corner so that it sticks. Brush some beaten egg on the corner pointing away from you. Fold the bottom corner up and over the filling. Roll the wrapper up, keeping it tight, until it rolls over the top corner with the egg on it. It should stick. Repeat with the remaining rolls, then cover them all and chill for at least 30 minutes. This will be long enough to heat up the oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees.

5. When the oil is hot, fry the rolls for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or until the outside is golden brown. Drain the rolls on a rack or paper towels for 2 minutes before serving with your favorite marinara sauce on the side for dipping. Serves 2.

Snack Well's Banana Snack Bars

Snack Well's Banana Snack Bars

INGREDIENTS:
2 egg whites,
1 cup plus 5 tablespoons sugar,
2 tablespoons brown sugar,
2 tablespoons molasses,
1 1/2 cups banana puree* ,
3 tablespoons shortening,
1/4 cup whole milk,
1/2 teaspoon vanilla butter nut extract,
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour,
1/2 teaspoon salt,
1/4 teaspoon baking soda.

Preparation Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until they become thick. Do not use a plastic bowl for this.

3. Add the sugar to the egg whites and continue to beat until the mixture forms soft peaks.

4. Add the brown sugar, molasses, banana puree, shortening, milk and vanilla butter nut flavoring to the mixture, beating after each addition.

5. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

6. While beating the wet mixture, slowly add the bowl of dry ingredients.

7. Lightly grease a 9x14-inch pan with a light coating of non-stick cooking spray. Be sure to coat the sides as well as the bottom of the pan. Dump about 3 tablespoons of sugar into the pan, then tilt and shake the pan so that a light layer of sugar coats the entire bottom of the pan, and about halfway up the sides. Pour out the excess sugar.

8.Pour the batter into the pan, and spread it evenly around the inside of the pan. Sprinkle a light coating of sugar -- about two tablespoons -- over the entire top surface of the batter. Gently shake the pan from side-to-side to evenly distribute the sugar over the batter. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

9. Remove the cake from the oven and turn it out onto a cooling rack. When cake has cooled, place it onto a sheet of wax paper on a cutting board and slice across the cake 6 times, creating 7 even slices. Next cut the cake lengthwise twice, into thirds, creating a total of 21 snack bars. When the bars have completely cooled, store them in a resealable plastic bag or an airtight container.

*Puree whole bananas (approximately 3) in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.

Yogurt Parfait

Yogurt Parfait
This one's super easy to make, plus it's low fat and delicious. The yogurt in the original is very sweet and creamy, like Yoplait. So that's the brand that you should use, although any brand ofvanilla yogurt will work fine. If you use Yoplait, you'll need two 6-ounce containers of the stuff per serving. For the granola, just look for one that contains mostly oats. It should be crunchy and sweet (such as "maple" flavor) and can also include puffed rice bits. You can even make these a day or two ahead of time. Keep them covered in the fridge, and hold off on the granola topping until you serve 'em up or it'll get mighty soggy.

4 cups vanilla-flavored low-fat yogurt (or 8 6-ounce containers
of Yoplait)
2 10-ounce boxes sliced strawberries with sugar added, thawed
1/3 cup frozen blueberries, thawed
1/2 cup crunchy, sweet granola

1. Pour 1/2 cup of yogurt into a parfait cup or tall glass.
2. Add 1/2 cup of strawberries into the glass on top of the yogurt.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of blueberries to the glass.
4. Pour 1/2 cup of yogurt over the fruit.
5. Sprinkle granola over the top and serve. Repeat for remaining
3 servings.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Shrimp

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Shrimp

It's shrimp, it's bacon, it's cheese; what's not to like?It's one of the latest tasty appetizers on the Red Lobster menu, and now you can dupe it at home. Find some large shrimp, a wooden skewer, and cook the bacon about halfway to done before you begin.

Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
dash ground black pepper
dash cayenne pepper
dash allspice

Dipping Sauce
1/3 cup ranch dressing
1/4 teaspoon dried cilantro
(or 1/2 teaspoon fresh minced cilantro)

5 pieces bacon
5 large shrimp
3 slices fresh jalapeno
1 ounce pepper jack cheese
Open the shrimp, put a jalapeno slice in there, a chunk of
cheese on top, and wrap it all up with bacon.

When skewering, be sure to face all the shrimp the right direction -- like a tight little Rockettes kick line.

1. Preheat oven to broil.

2. Make the seasoning blend by combining the ingredients in a small
bowl. Set this aside.

3. Make the dipping sauce by combining the ranch dressing with
cilantro in a medium bowl.

4. Cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium/high heat, but don't cook it all the way to crispy. You want undercooked bacon that, when cool, will easily wrap around the shrimp. Cook the bacon about 3 minutes per side, and don't let it brown. When the bacon is done lay it on paper towels to drain and cool.

5. Shell the shrimp, leaving the last segment of the shell and the tail. Remove the dark vein from the back of the shrimp, and then cut down into the back of the shrimp, without cutting all the way through, so that the shrimp is nearly butterflied open. This will make a pocket for the pepper and cheese.

6. Pour 1 cup of water into a small bowl. Add the shrimp and jalapeno peppers and microwave for 60 to 90 seconds. Shrimp should be starting to firm up and change color. Immediately pour the water out of the bowl, remove the jalapeno slices and pour cold water over the shrimp. Place the the shrimp and jalapeno pepper slices onto paper towels to drain off excess water.

7. Build the appetizer by cutting the jalapeno slices in half and removing the seeds. You should now have 6 jalapeno slices -- you'll need 5 of these. Place one slice into the slit on the back of a shrimp. Cut an inch-long chunk of cheese (about 1/4-inch thick), and place it on the jalapeno slice. Wrap a piece of bacon around the shrimp, starting where the cheese is. Start wrapping with the thinnest end of the bacon. Go 1 1/2 times around the shrimp and then cut of the excess bacon and slide a skewer through the shrimp, starting with the end where the cheese is and piercing the cut end of the bacon on the other side. Repeat with the remaining shrimp and slide them onto the skewer with the tails facing the same direction.

8. Put the skewer onto a baking sheet or broiler pan and sprinkle a very light coating of the seasoning blend over the shrimp, then broil for 3 to 4 minutes or until the bacon begins to brown and the cheese begins to ooze. Serve over a bed of rice if desired. Feed the left over bacon pieces to the dog while you scarf out on the shrimp. Serves 2 as an appetizer.