Dinner Tonight (with Cooking Light!)

I love Cooking Light - did you know that?  I do.  It's fab!  I've never had a bad meal from their ridiculously extensive collection of recipes, and the ones I've chosen below are simply delicious!  I thought I'd share a three-course meal from the pages of Cooking Light that's delicious, easy to prepare and (most excitingly) healthy and low in calories and fat!

Fall Salad with Apples, Walnuts and Stilton 

OK, I know it's not fall anymore but this delish salad can do all year round with the appropriate adjustments!

INGREDIENTS FOR DRESSING
1 tbsp minced shallot
1 1/2 tbsp champagne or white wine vinegar (I used white balsamic)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 dried apricot, finely chopped (I didn't have this so i used about 1 tsp apricot preserves instead)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt (I almost always use Kosher)
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

SALAD INGREDIENTS
2 C torn green leaf lettuce leaves
2 cups thinly sliced Belgian endive (about 2 heads)
1/4 cup (or 1 ounce) Stilton cheese, thinly sliced (I've used Stilton but also used Gorgonzola or crumbly goats cheese and both are delish)
1/4 C walnuts (I don't like walnuts so roasted pecans were my choice)
1 (5 oz) package of baby arugula (or rocket, if you're on my side of the Atlantic)
1 oz very thinly sliced prosciutto, torn
1 granny smith apple, cored and thinly sliced (pear also works well with goats cheese, but doesn't have as much of a sour bite as the granny smith)

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the first 6 ingredients in the blender. When the blender is on, slowly add the oil.  When blended, stir in the salt and pepper. (note: I'd never done dressing in a blender before and it's amazing the difference - this is sooo delicious and definitely worth breaking out the blender for! I make a double batch and save some in the fridge for the next night, too)
2. Combine all the salad ingredients in a bowl and add the dressing.  Toss gently to coat.
3. Eat and fall in love! :)

Sausage, Tomato and Arugula (Rocket) Fettuccine

INGREDIENTS
1 (9oz) package of refrigerated fettuccine (or just cook it up as you normally would ahead of time)
1 tbsp olive oil
6 oz (uncooked) Italian turkey sausage (or if you live where I do and uncooked Italian sausage is hard to come by, follow this recipe to replicate it and use ground turkey instead of pork if you can get it.  Instead of cooking the ground meat in the skillet like that recipe suggests, I rolled the meat into tiny meatballs, which worked perfectly for this pasta dish.)
2 tsp minced garlic
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 cups baby arugula (rocket) leaves
2 oz pecorino Romano cheese, shaved

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook refrigerated pasta according to package directions, omitting any salt or fat that is called for.  Drain but RESERVE 2/3 cup of cooking liquid.
2. While pasta cooks, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Remove sausage from casing.  Break sausage into bit sized pieces and add to pan. Cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble a little.  
3. Add garlic (make sure there's enough liquid or fat in pan so that it doesn't burn), cook 30 seconds stirring constantly.  
4. Add tomatoes, salt & pepper, cover and cook 2 minutes.  Mash tomatoes with back of a wooden spoon to break them up.  Cover pan, reduce heat to low and cook 3 minutes.  
5. Remove pan from heat.  Add pasta, reserved 2/3 cup of cooking liquid and arugula (rocket) and toss well.  Sprinkle with Romano cheese.
6. Eat and fall in love again. :)
   

Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies

For the delicious taste of fall allllll year round - which is perfect in my book!

INGREDIENTS
6.75 oz all-purpose flour (that's about 1.5 C)
1.5 C old fashion rolled oats (porridge oats)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C granulated sugar
3/4 C packed brown sugar
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
3/4 C finely chopped dried apple slices
3/4 C chopped caramel bits or 15 small soft caramel candies (like the soft Werthers Originals)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C)
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife.  Combine four and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a bowl and stir well.
3. Place sugars and butter in a large bowl, beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and egg and beat well.  Gradually add flour mixture, beat at a low speed until just combined.  Fold in apple and caramel pieces.
4. Drop dough by 2 tsp-fulls, 2 in apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment (baking) paper.  Flatten balls slightly with your hand.  
5. Bake at 350F (175C) for 9 minutes. Cool on pans for 3 minutes, then remove the cookies from the pans onto a wire cooling rack and cool completely.
   *Makes about 4 dozen cookies that won't add terribly to your waistline...unless you eat them all in one sitting, which might be hard not to do.  Good luck with that one!!

Whatever you're making for dinner tonight, I hope it's good.  Do give this a try, and let me know what you think.   You'll love it, I promise.

Got any good recipes to share with me?