You make homemade Quick Sauerkraut!

I mean why not, you’ve got this!

Quick Sauerkraut is so easy to make.

It’s literally cabbage, white vinegar, salt & water cooked down until the cabbage is tender, about 30 minutes. I added apple to bring another layer of tart flavor.

This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart. She’s knows a thing or two about great recipes.

This dish makes a good bratwurst feel right at home! Hot off the grill with kraut and mustard sings of summer.

I grew up with sauerkraut and kielbasa. I think I remember my mom making it at least once a week. I wasn’t a huge fan then, but I sure love a good kraut now!

Little did I know at the time that sauerkraut is really good for you. It’s nutritious and loaded with probiotics and vitamin K2. It can also aid with digestion. Mom knows best!

Besides – having homemade sauerkraut on hand (stores in fridge for up to two weeks) gives you ample opportunity to make The Classic Reuben Sandwich or Hot Reuben Dip!

Two of my favorite recipes.

Next time impress your friends and family with a from scratch sauerkraut recipe. They’ll taste the difference!

I’d love for you to share a comment below or on our social media pages @LemonyThyme. xo Libby

Print

Quick Sauerkraut {with Apples}

In about 30 minutes you'll be serving your friends and family homemade Sauerkraut that will be the star of the show!

Course Side Dish

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• 1 small head green cabbage halved, cored and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 Tbl coarse salt
• 1 granny smith apple peeled, cored and julienned

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan, combine cabbage, vinegar, salt, and 1 1/4 cups water. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Add apple and cook an additional 15 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!

The post Quick Sauerkraut {with Apples} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I set a calendar reminder for this food holiday because I knew it would be an opportunity to spend some time in the kitchen with Ella, my fun-loving, bright, kind and witty bonus-daughter who can hold her own in the kitchen. She’s 11. She’s a natural. And she makes banana bread like nobody’s business!!

We love quick breads and muffins. They are the perfect grab-n-go snack that’s easy to pack full of healthy goodness. We chose Dutch Apple Pie Muffins because Apple Pie is a favorite dessert in our house and the crumb topping on a Dutch Apple Pie just screams of muffin tops!!

We took our new favorite Pumpkin Morning Glory Muffin recipe and adapted it to create Dutch Apple Pie Muffins. By using equal parts Gluten Free Baking Flour and Old Fashion Oats ground into oat flour these muffins are gluten free with the most delightful texture and they are loaded with fresh apples.

The crumb topping is bursting with Apple Pie Spice aromas; cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.

For the apples we used Honey Crisp because we wanted the natural sweetness since this recipe uses maple syrup or honey in place of cane sugar. You could certainly use your favorite variety.

We hope you’ll give these Dutch Apple Pie Muffins a try. They’ll be the perfect autumn-thyme treat smack during apple picking season. But we loved them equally as much today on National Muffin Day!

This morning we also agreed to recreate store-bought “Little Bites” to see if we could match their undeniable teenager attraction. Check back, we believe we have cracked the code.

Print

Dutch Apple Pie Muffins {Gluten Free}

Dutch Apple Pie Muffins bring a warm Apple Pie flavor with a crumb topping that just screams of muffin tops!!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

For the crumb topping

• 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
• 1/2 cup All-purpose Gluten Free Flour
• 1 teaspoon apple pie spice (recipe linked in post)
• 1/4 cup butter melted

For the muffins

• 3/4 cup Old Fashioned Oats ground into flour
• 1 cup All-Purpose Gluten Free measure for measure flour
• 2 teaspoons apple pie spice (recipe linked in post)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
• 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups apples peeled and chopped, about 2 apples

Instructions

For the crumb topping

• In a small bowl, combine all crumb topping ingredients. Reserve.

For the muffins

• Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease or line muffin tin (12 standard or 6 jumbo).
• In a large bowl whisk together dry ingredients through salt. In a small bowl, whisk applesauce, brown sugar, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and eggs. Stir wet mixture into dry just until combined. Fold in chopped apples.
• Divide batter evenly into muffin cups. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of crumb topping onto each muffin. Bake for 18-20 minutes (slightly less for standard size muffins) or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out mostly dry. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, continue cooling on wire rack.

The post Dutch Apple Pie Muffins {Gluten Free} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I discovered a couple things from this recipe.  Greek Yogurt makes a pretty darn good substitute for mayonnaise IF you are adding some punchy flavors to it….like cumin, coriander, and orange juice & zest.  That’s exactly what makes up the delicious dressing for this Apple Fennel Slaw.

I also discovered that no matter how many ways I prepare it, B is not going to eat fruit.  So Apple Fennel Slaw with Orange Cumin Dressing made a lovely side dish with our Oven Fried Chicken.  And I had plenty leftover for my lunch the next day.

Recipe note:  I would not recommend preparing more than four hours ahead of serving.  The dressing flavor became a little over powering by the next day.  If you must prepare ahead, wait to toss the fennel mixture in the dressing until just before serving.

Print

Apple Fennel Slaw {with Orange Cumin Dressing}

Servings 4

Calories 86kcal

Author Weight Watchers

Ingredients

• 1 fennel bulb halved lengthwise and very thinly sliced
• 2 apples I used 1 Granny Smith and 1 Red Delicious, halved, cored and thinly sliced
• 8 radishes matchstick cut
• 3 Tbl. fresh mint leaves
• 1/3 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt
• 2 tsp. orange zest
• 3 Tbl. orange juice
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

Instructions

• Toss fennel, apples, radish, and mint leaves in a bowl.
• Mix remaining ingredients, then spoon over fennel mixture and toss. Serve or refrigerate up to 4 hours.

Notes

Per Serving (1 cup of slaw) = 2 WW Pts+

The post Apple Fennel Slaw {with Orange Cumin Dressing} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I made this Autumn Thyme Wedge Salad a couple weeks ago and have been dying to share it with you.  It has so many wonderful seasonal flavors that it sings of Autumn Thyme.  The star of the salad were the Warm Goat Cheese Fritters.  They were so good they deserved their own recipe post (and so delayed the introduction of our newest wedge salad recipe).

These lovelies were pictured this morning just as the sun peaked out from behind a week’s worth of rain clouds.  Our Warm Goat Cheese Fritters are perfectly crispy on the outside and smooth and creamy on the inside.  They were a wonderful addition to our newest wedge salad.

I started dreaming of the layers of flavor I would add to our Autumn Thyme Wedge Salad days in advance.  Thyme roasted diced butternut squash, apple and onion make me think of Fall and stuffing, two of my favorites.

Warm soft boiled eggs, thick cut applewood smoked bacon, cumin toasted pumpkin seeds, homemade croutons, crispy sage leaves….  I threw all my favorite flavors at this salad.

All this salad needed was the perfect dressing to tie all these flavors together.  I decided to make an apple cider sage brown butter vinaigrette.  I’m very fond of infatuated with sage brown butter and the addition of apple cider vinegar sounded wonderful.  And it was.  It just wasn’t the right dressing for a wedge salad.

This Autumn Thyme Wedge Salad need a nice thick & creamy dressing.  Something like Homemade Buttermilk Ranch or a Creamy Gorgonzola dressing like this one from Food Network.

Next thyme.

Print

Autumn Thyme Wedge Salad {with Warm Goat Cheese Fritters}

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 4 iceberg lettuce wedges
• 1 apple I used Gala, cored and diced
• 1 small butternut squash peeled and diced
• 1 medium onion diced
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 Tbl. olive oil divided
• salt & pepper
• 4 slices applewood smoked bacon cooked crispy
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds I used pepitas
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 4 soft boiled eggs
• 1 1/2 cups cubed day old crusty bread
• 2 Tbl. butter melted
• 8 Warm Goat Cheese Fritters see recipe link in post
• Favorite thick & creamy dressing

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Toss diced apple, butternut squash, and onion with 2 Tbl. olive oil, salt & pepper. Spread in a single layer on a cooking spray coated baking sheet. Roast for 25-35 minutes until veggies are tender.
• Meanwhile, toss bread cubes in melted butter. Spread onto one side of shallow baking sheet. Combine pumpkin seeds with remaining tablespoon olive oil and cumin. Spread onto other side of baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until croutons begin to brown.
• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add eggs and simmer for 5 minutes (for soft boiled). Remove from heat drain and run under cool water for a minute. Peel.
• Prepare Warm Goat Cheese Fritters, according to recipe link in post.

To serve…

• Plate one iceberg wedge on each plate. Top with a generous spoonful of thyme roasted veggies, a sprinkle of cumin roasted pumpkin seeds, croutons, and crumbled crispy bacon. Add two warm goat cheese fritters and a sliced soft boiled egg. Top with favorite thick & creamy dressing.

The post Autumn Thyme Wedge Salad {with Warm Goat Cheese Fritters} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Our Butternut Squash, Apple & Sage Stuffed Turkey Tenderloin smiles of Autumn Thyme.  Fresh ingredients that play so nicely together.  I made this dish for the sole purpose of portioning out lunches for the week.  However I’m certain it will become another favorite weeknight meal.

I’ve shared several Turkey Tenderloin recipes and each time I’ve used Jennie-O All-Natural Turkey Tenderloins.  They are always delicious, juicy, and naturally low in calories and fat.

Butternut Squash, Apple & Sage Stuffed Turkey Tenderloins are the perfect balance of savory and sweet.  Mostly savory, with a nice apple sweet tartness.  I made this dish on Sunday, shared it with my Healthy Choices buddy on Monday and Wednesday for lunch.  It was just as moist and flavorful then as it was straight from the oven.

The post Butternut Squash, Apple & Sage Stuffed Turkey Tenderloins appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

One by one I’m recreating classic salad recipes to share on Lemony Thyme.  It’s been quite fun bringing life to favorites like the Lunch Counter Chef Salad, the Classic Cobb Salad and now this delicious Waldorf Salad {with Honey-Cardamom Dressing}.

The Waldorf Salad is lovely served for luncheons, showers, and other special celebrations; such as a retirement party at the office for one very special lady.  Yes, you could serve this salad for just such an occasion.

I stayed fairly true to the original Waldorf Salad recipe that dates back to the late 1800’s when it was first served at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City.  I did however give the mayonnaise based dressing a little flavor love by adding honey and cardamom.  There’s a reason some salads achieve ‘classic’ status and this is one of them.

Print

Waldorf Salad {with Honey-Cardamom Dressing}

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8 -10

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 red apple cored and diced
• 1 granny smith apple cored and diced
• 1 cup red seedless grapes halved
• 1 cup celery diced
• 1 cup walnuts

For the dressing…

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbl. honey
• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
• salt & pepper
• lettuce to serve

Instructions

• Combine mayonnaise, honey and cardamom. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Toss with diced apples, grapes, celery and walnuts.
• Classically served in lettuce cups.

The post Waldorf Salad {with Honey-Cardamom Dressing} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Apple, Smoked Bacon & White Cheddar Quesadillas.

What you see is what you get and oh my my, it’s plenty.  Four ingredients that play so nicely together.  The tart yet sweet apple is wonderful with the sharp cheddar.  And thick cut applewood smoked bacon adds a bit of salty to the mix.  We enjoyed this for breakfast, but I could be very happy pairing our Apple, Smoked Bacon & White Cheddar Quesadilla with a side salad and calling it lunch.

I remember that my mom always served apple pie with a slice of cheddar cheese.  As a young girl I did not get that…at all.  Vanilla ice cream.  Yes.  Cheese.  Why?

Apparently our taste buds do mature because apples and cheddar cheese are meant to be together.  These Apple, Smoked Bacon & White Cheddar Quesadillas certainly prove that.  Enjoy.

Print

Apple, Smoked Bacon & White Cheddar Quesadillas

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 6 slices thick cut smoked bacon cooked crispy
• 2 large flour tortillas
• 1 apple cored and thinly sliced
• 4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions

• Cook bacon in a large skillet. Once crispy brown, drain on paper towels. Pour off all but a small amount of the bacon drippings.
• Heat skillet over medium heat. Add one flour tortilla, then layer 3 slices of bacon, half of the apple slices and half of the shredded cheddar to one side of the tortilla. Fold the tortilla making a sandwich. Cook until golden brown. Turn over gently and cook the other side until golden. Cut into wedges. Repeat with second tortilla and fillings.

The post Apple, Smoked Bacon & White Cheddar Quesadillas appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Caramel Apple Cake.

Autumn is upon us with morning and evening air so crisp and clear.  Air that invites you to breathe in deeply and exhale slowly.  And while you do, listen to the sounds of autumn.  The rustling of newly fallen leaves are a back drop to the percussion sounds of twigs snapping under foot while acorns fall from the trees.

This year I feel as if I’m rediscovering autumn.  Every day when I take our puppy outside she shares her joy and excitement for this new season.  Her ears perk up and twitch with each new sound, she chases leaves as the wind keeps them just out of her reach, and if she could climb trees that squirrel that has been taunting her would be in big trouble.  Say hello to Scrappy Thyme.  She’ll be turning one on Halloween day.

Now back to this amazing delicious super moist Caramel Apple Cake.  As I’m entering my second autumn season with Lemony Thyme it’s becoming very evident that I’m lacking in the apple and pumpkin recipe department.  I promise to play a little catch up over the next couple weeks.  I found this recipe in a folder of recipes my mom had torn out of magazines or jotted down from friends.  She had crossed through the ‘cake’ ingredients and wrote in “boxed yellow cake mix works great.”  If it worked for mom, it works for me, but feel free to make from scratch if you prefer.

Did I mention how super moist this cake is?  No doubt we have the pudding mix, 4 eggs, and 3 apples to thank for this.  Oh and the warm caramel drizzle may play a role as well.

When this cake comes out of the oven, you’re going to have a hard time holding the family back while it cools.  Promise them it will be worth the wait and then guard it with your life ;)

Once fully cooled, liberally drizzle the melted caramel over the top, allowing it to make it’s way down the sides.  Sprinkle with toffee bits and prepare to be very popular with those around you.

And don’t forget to save a piece of Caramel Apple Cake for yourself before you {Share the Love}.

Print

Caramel Apple Cake

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 16

Ingredients

• 1 boxed yellow cake mix
• 1 box 4-serving size dry vanilla instant pudding & pie filling
• 1 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
• 20 caramels the individually wrapped kind
• 3 Tbl. milk
• 1/4 cup toffee bits
• whipped cream optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 12 cup fluted Bundt pan.
• Beat cake mix, dry pudding, water, eggs and oil in a large bowl until well blended 2-3 minutes. Stir in chopped apple and pour into prepared pan.
• Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.
• Microwave caramels and milk for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Cool about 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Drizzle over cake. Sprinkle with toffee bits. Serve with dollop of whipped cream.

The post Caramel Apple Cake {Share the Love} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Recipe inspiration…hmmm toss up between one of those amazing Artisan Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (which almost implies healthy…hehe) and an unused hunk of Brie in the cheese drawer.  Doesn’t really matter which because it was the Apple Butter that stole the show.  Smoked Turkey & Brie Grilled Cheese with Apples & Spinach {and Apple Butter}.

This was lunch yesterday.  On a whim.  So great.  Wow.

Nice grainy bread, thinly sliced hickory smoked turkey breast, brie cheese, apple slices, fresh spinach leaves, and apple butter schmeared on both pieces of bread…pan grilled in butter.  So great.  Wow.

I was given a gift of homemade Apple Butter.  It has been sitting on my pantry shelf waiting for it’s time to shine.  And that it did.  It’s sweet but not too sweet, with a hint of cinnamon & spice. Let me share the recipe for this Apple Butter made in a crock pot and canned with love by Cindy.  Cindy, who is going to teach me how to can this coming summer.  I’m so excited.

The post Smoked Turkey & Brie Grilled Cheese with Apples & Spinach {and Apple Butter} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Scrolling through my Lemony Thyme News Feed yesterday I discovered this recipe posted by Feastie (on behalf of Two Peas and Their Pod).  My first thought was YES, I do have apples and cranberries in my fridge, purchased with good intentions, yet still patiently waiting for their time to shine.  My second thought was THIS is exactly the recipe that my brand new adorable mini covered baking dishes are longing for.  My third (and final thought) was….oh my, forget the first two thoughts…this Apple Cranberry Crisp sounds awe-mazing and I’m making it.

Apples, cranberries, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice tossed together in a bowl to get happy.  Brown sugar, old fashioned oats, flour, cinnamon, all spice, honey and butter hand blended in a separate bowl to create a crumble topping.

Baked in buttered dishes until the cranberries burst with happiness and the buttery crumble topping sends an aromatic wave through the kitchen.  Ice cream served on top of warm Apple Cranberry Crisp is most definitely a happy place.

Note:  we are embarking on another eat out of the fridge/pantry adventure.  Do not fear the holiday leftovers.  At the time of this post, we’ve already enjoyed three (including this Apple Cranberry Crisp) delicious dishes made from leftovers or left over ingredients.  Stay tuned for Beef Stroganoff and Ham Bone Soup coming your way.

The post Apple Cranberry Crisp appeared first on Lemony Thyme.