Refreshing Apple-Veggie Salad

This refreshing sweet and savory apple-veggie salad is a tasty side dish year-round, and gives you options as to which vegetables you wish to add. Here's how I adapted a classic Broccoli Apple Salad to my liking.

Ingredients

1/4 cup Red Onion

1 large crisp Red Apple

1/2 cup fresh Pineapple Chunks

1/2 cup Craisins

4 stalks Celery, chopped

1/2 cup Walnuts (or Pecans), chopped

Other suggested options or additions: Broccoli, Carrots (sliced or slivered), Spinach, 

Pickled Beets, Strawberries, Mandarin Oranges or Orange segments (chopped),

Garbanzo Beans, Jicama... experiment with whatever you have on hand

Dressing Ingredients

1/2 cup Mayonaise 1/2 cup

1/2 cup Yogurt, plain or honey flavored for extra sweetness

2 Tablespoons, fresh squeezed Lemon

1 Tablespoon Sugar, more or less

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1 pinch Cayenne (or 1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper)

Directions

1. Prepare, slice or chop first set of ingredients into a medium bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl, mix the salad dressing ingredients together.
3. Pour the salad dressing over the salad ingredients, mix and chill.
4. Serve in small bowls or on a plate on a bed of lettuce or spinach.

Sweet & Savory Rice

This sweet and savory rice dish is perfect for serving as a side dish at Thanksgiving, even if you are serving stuffing. It's a delicious gluten free, vegetarian alternative. Serves 8-10

 Ingredients

2 Cups Brown Rice, long grain
3 Tablespoons, Vegetarian "Better Than Bouillon"
4-1/2 cups Water to cook rice
1 cup Onion, chopped
1/2 cup Green Onion, chopped
1 cup Butter, or substitute
1/2-1 cup White Wine
1 cup Dark Raisins
1 cup Golden Raisins
6 tablespoons, Slivered Almonds or Pine Nuts, toasted
1 teaspoon Salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon  Cayenne Pepper

Directions

Let the raisins soak in the wine, while you are preparing the rice and other ingredients for cooking.

Steam the brown rice in the vegetable bouillon until done. I use a rice steamer, but stove-top method is fine too.

 

In a deep skillet, saute both onions in the butter until soft. Stir in the wine-soaked raisins with all the liquid, toasted almonds, salt, cayenne pepper and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the parsley.

 When the rice and raisin mixture is ready, combine and serve warm, or cool to room temperature, refrigerate and reheat to serve as desired. This is a moist rice, so if you want it dryer, use less water to cook the rice of add less wine to the mixture.

Enjoy! And Happy Thanksgiving!