Category Archives: entertaining

So I feel bad that dessert got lost from my dinner party recap. I mean, I guess I was saving the best for last… really last With Halloween coming up this weekend, I thought that now was as good a time as any to share a healthy dessert that is naturally gluten free and easy to prepare!

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then wash, dry, and core your apples. Have fun with your apples if you want

Arrange your apples in a tray that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. This will help your apples not stick to the bottom of the tray.

Top your apples with cinnamon, raisins, agave nectar, maple syrup, and raisins. I don’t have any measurements for what was used but you’ll be fine eye-balling it. I know I didn’t use too much syrup or nectar though.

Bake at 325 for 1 hr 20 minutes or until apples are soft and the skin is wrinkled. Tip: place these in the oven just as you are placing your meal out for your guests. They’ll be done by the time you’re ready for dessert!

Enjoy!

Did you check out what was served as an appetizer?

So when contemplating what to serve for our main course, Staci and I went back and forth. We knew we wanted stuffed peppers but beyond that the options were endless and I couldn’t stop my brain from creating new options! We finally settled on Italian inspired peppers that were stuffed with a lentil and rice mixture.

I prepared the lentils and brown rice the night before as to reduce the amount of prep and cooking work that would need to be done before serving. This proved to be a very wise decision!

The ingredients for the peppers, serves 9:

• 9 red and green bell peppers (or whatever is available)
• 3 cups lentils, cooked
• 4 cups cooked brown rice
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3 large celery stalks, diced
• 1.5 – 2 c shredded carrots, chopped
• Italian seasoning mix (I probably used 2T)
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• Parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. In a large pot sprayed with olive oil non-stick spray, lightly saute garlic and onion over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until onion begins to turn translucent. Add in celery and carrots, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing burns. When carrots begin to soften add in rice, lentils, seasoning, and diced tomatoes. Stir mixture and allow to heat through.

While your stuffing is heating on the stove, wash and dry your peppers. Cut the tops off peppers, remove the seeds and pith, and organize in a non-stick sprayed baking pan. Stuff your peppers with the lentil and rice mixture, top with cheese, and bake for about 45 minutes or until cheese is melted and peppers are softened and have some color to them on the outside.

Alongside the peppers we served roasted green beens.The prep for these was pretty easy but give yourself 10 minutes to chop the ends off the beans.

Rinse your green beans and cut the ends off of them. Arrange on an olive oil non-stick sprayed baking sheet, spray with more cooking spray, and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.

Roast for about 20 minutes, transfer to a serving dish and enjoy!

Stay tuned for dessert – it was a hit!

So the first part of the meal contained 2 easy appetizers: hummus with dippers and a fruit-filled salad!

For the former, we picked up roasted garlic hummus that was served with Tostito’s blue corn chips and chopped celery. Easy and it required very little set up which is important when trying to get a meal on the table on time after work!

We were inspired to combine a lingering taste of summer with some flavors of fall into our salad. It contained:

• spinach and spring mix greens
• strawberries
• pear
• pecan pieces
• feta cheese
• homemade dressing with balsamic vinegar, grapeseed oil, basil, agave nectar, salt, pepper, garlic(I eyeballed amounts and adjusted to taste)

I was excited that everyone enjoyed the salad and especially the dressing. A few friends asked for the recipe which is a great compliment to the chef, always!

Stay tuned for the main course and dessert!

What are your favorite salad mix-ins?