Apple and Oat Scones with Cinnamon and Nutmeg

• PREP: 15 MINS
 
• TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 30 MINS
 
• YIELD: MAKES 12
• • SOURCE: MARTHA STEWART LIVING, FEBRUARY 2012
   

  INGREDIENTS

  • 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  • 1 1/3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, plus more for topping
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 1/2 cups diced Granny Smith apple (2 apples cut into generous 1/4-inch cubes)
  • 2/3 cup cold buttermilk, plus more for brushing
  • Raw turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

  • • DIRECTIONS

      1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingers. (The largest pieces should be the size of small peas.) With your fingertips, flatten butter pieces into small disks. Add apples and buttermilk, stirring until dough just comes together.
      2. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat dough into a 6-by-8-inch rectangle, and cut into twelve 2-by-2-inch squares with a floured knife. Place about 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush tops with buttermilk, and sprinkle with raw turbinado sugar and oats. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool on sheets for 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

      COOK'S NOTES

      Scones keep, wrapped in plastic wrap, for 1 day.

    
    

Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

 

And another great recipe from Skinnytaste. Operative word - EASY. Operative word - DELICIOUS. That's all you need to know. I think Mike ended up using two pans in order to be able to spread things out, but that's about as complicated as it gets.

Servings: 4 • Size: 2 thighs + vegetables • Points +: 10 • Smart Points: 8

Calories: 401 • Fat: 17 g • Saturated Fat: 3 g • Carb: 15 g • Fiber: 4 g • Protein: 48 g 

Sugar: 2 g • Sodium: 518 mg • Cholesterol: 214 mg

Ingredients:

• 8 (4 oz each) boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• fresh black pepper, to taste
• cooking spray
• 10 medium asparagus, ends trimmed, cut in half
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 red onions, chopped in large chunks
• 1/2 cup carrots, sliced in half long, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 5 oz sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• 1/2 tbsp dried oregano or thyme
• 2 leaves fresh sage, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Spray 2 large baking sheets with oil.

 

 Combine all the ingredients together in a large bowl using your hands to mix well then arrange everything onto the prepared baking sheets spread out in a single layer. The vegetables should not touch the chicken or it will steam instead of roast. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are roasted and tender.

Crock Pot Chicken a la Criolla

 

Here's another winner from Skinnytaste. You will not believe how delicious this is. And easy. Three steps - chop, put it in the crock pot, turn on the pot. We just used sliced Spanish olives from a jar. Don't leave those out. They add a great zing to the meal. The chicken just falls apart. Mmmm-mmmm good.

Servings: 5 • Size: 2 thighs + sauce • Points +: 5 pts*  • Smart Points: 5
Calories: 211 • Fat: 6.2 g • Protein: 28.8 g • Carb: 9.9 g • Fiber: 1.9 g • Sugar: 2.1 g
Sodium: 447 mg (without salt)  

Ingredients:

• 10 (2 lbs) skinless boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 bell pepper, chopped or sliced
• 4 plum tomatoes
• 2 tbsp alcaparrado or pitted spanish olives
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• salt to taste
• 1-2 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (plus 2 tbsp more for serving)

Directions:

Place chicken, onion, garlic, pepper and tomatoes in the crock pot. Season with salt, cumin and oregano. Mix well so everything is seasoned.

Add tomato sauce, alcaparrado (or olives) along with 1 tbsp of the brine, 1/2 cup water, bay leaf and cilantro. Mix well and set crock pot to HIGH 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours. When done, taste for salt and seasoning and adjust spices as needed. Add 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro and serve over rice.