Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Another great fall recipe. I made these last night and they were delicious. The dough was a little flakey. I added some extra butter, but I still had to really smush this into balls. In the end, they turned out just fine. Better than fine. Yum.

(from Cooking Light March 2010 , this was a finalist in the 2009 Ultimate Reader Contest)

Ingredients:
6.75 oz all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
3/4 cup finely chopped dried apple slices (I used the food processor)
3/4 cup caramel bits or 16 small soft caramel candies, chopped

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl; stir well.
3. Place sugars and butter in a large bowl; beat with mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture; beat at low speed until just combined. Fold in apple and caramel bits.
4. Drop dough by 2 teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Flatten balls slightly with hand. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes. Cool on pans 3 minutes. Remove cookies from pan; cool completely on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen.

My Notes:
I baked these cookies for 9 minutes, took them out and used a spoon to flatten them a little more. Then I baked for 5 more minutes. After I took them out of the oven I pulled the entire parchment paper with cookies on it over to the cooking rack. If you take the cookies off the hot caramel just drips all over and makes a big mess. Best to leave cookies on the paper until they are totally cooled down.

BBQ Turkey Burgers

(from Cooking Light, March 2001)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup BBQ sauce, divided
2 Tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 pound turkey
cooking spray
4 large leaf lettuce leaves (optional)
4 slices tomato (optional)
4 hamburger buns

Instructions:
1. Combine onion, 2 T. BBQ sauce, breadcrumbs, and the next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Divide turkey into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1 1/2 inch-thick patty.
2. Heat a grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium high heat. Place patties in pan and cool 7 minutes on each side or until done.
3. Place one lettuce leaf, 1 tomato slice and 1 patty on the bottom half of each bun. Spread each patty with 1 1/2 teaspoons BBQ sauce. Cover with buns.

Crunchy Buttermilk-Coconut Chicken Fingers

(from Cooking Light Magazine)

These crispy chicken fingers appeal to kids, so serve them with ketchup for dipping. Grown-ups will enjoy them atop a salad.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 5 chicken fingers)

Ingredients:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups fat-free buttermilk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
3/4 cup crushed cornflakes
3/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
Cooking spray

Preparation:
1. Cut chicken into 20 (1/4-inch-thick) strips. Combine chicken and buttermilk in a shallow dish; cover and chill 1 hour. Drain chicken, discarding liquid. Combine chicken and flour in a medium bowl, tossing to coat.
2. Preheat oven to 475°. Place baking sheet in oven.
3. Combine egg and egg white in a small bowl. Combine crushed cornflakes and next 5 ingredients (through ground red pepper) in a shallow dish.
4. Working with 1 chicken strip at a time, dip into egg mixture; dredge in cornflake mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, egg mixture, and cornflake mixture. Arrange chicken in a single layer on preheated baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 475° for 6 minutes or until done. Serve immediately.

Works well with Apricot Dipping Sauce.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

(from Cooking Light Magazine)

Preheat Oven to 350.
You will need:
13x9 baking dish
canola oil cooking spray
8 tortillas
1/2 cup finely shredded reduced fat sharp chedder cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Combine the below 9 ingredients in large bowl and set aside 1 cup of mixture.

2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups (8 oz) preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese
1 2/3 cups plain low-fat yogurt
1/3 cup butter (melted)---I accidentally left this out, oops
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 t. minced garlic
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chiles, drained

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, brush oil over both sides of the tortilla. add tortilla to pan; cook 5 seconds on each side or until toasted and soft. Remove from pan; arrange 1/2 cup chicken mixture down center of tortilla. Roll jelly roll style; place filled tortilla, seam side down, in a 13x19 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Spread the last 1 cup chicken mixture you set aside evenly over top of enchiladas. Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with chedder cheese and green onions; bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

I added a little dab of sour cream and salsa on the top when I went to eat it. I don't think Cooking Light would have liked that addition, but it sure was good! Enjoy!

Turkey Meatballs

(From Cooking Light Magazine)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 lb turkey meat


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375
Combine 1 lb ground turkey breast with all ingredients in a bowl then shape into about 18 meatballs ( I think I usually get 24) This works great in my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer!!
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add meatballs and brown on all sides.
Remove meatballs from skillet and transfer to a broiler pan (I use a regular cookie sheet with a rim) coated with cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes or until done.


To Freeze:
Follow cooking directions, then allow meatballs to cool to room temperature. Place on a baking sheet, making sure they don't touch one another, and place in freezer for one hour. Next, transfer meatballs to an airtight container, and store in freezer. Thaw meatballs in fridge, then bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until heated.