CHOCOLATE CHERRY ENERGY BITES

~ The Complete Cookbook for Teen Chefs, written by America's Test Kitchen

3/4 c. old-fashioned oats
1/3 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 c. pecans, chopped
1/3 c. dried cherries, chopped 
1/3 c. creamy peanut, almond, or sunflower butter
2 T. honey
1/8 t. salt

Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Use wet hands to roll into 16 balls. Place on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until firm. 

Notes: I've only made them with chopped almonds instead of pecans, but you can experiment with different nuts or dried fruit. I had a hard time getting mine to stick together in a ball shape long enough to get them in the fridge, but they taste good. 

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ORANGE OAT COOKIES

~ Sunsweet

1 c. butter, softened

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

1 t. vanilla

1 t. maple extract

2 eggs 

zest of 2 oranges

3 c. rolled oats

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 t. salt

1 c. diced prunes

1 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheet or line with parchment paper. 

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Mix in vanilla and maple extract, eggs, and zest. 

In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, and salt. Add to butter mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Mix in prunes and pecans. 

Drop by spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set in the center.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Notes: I sub chopped pecans with chopped walnuts because they're less expensive and use silicone baking mats instead of greasing or using parchment paper. I get four dozen cookies using Pampered Chef's Medium Scoop, but they have to bake longer than 12 minutes before the centers set. 

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SALAD

~ Minimalist Baker

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
3 1/2 T. olive oil, divided
1 t. sea salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 c. pecans
2 T. brown sugar
2 c. baby spinach or arugula, chopped
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1 T. balsamic vinegar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and position rack in center of oven. Toss cubed butternut with 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast 15-20 minutes or until just tender.

While the butternut is roasting, heat a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add pecans and stir until toasted and fragrant. Remove from skillet.

To the same skillet, add brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Stir to combine, then add pecans pack in with a pinch of salt and toss until fully coated and fragrant. Transfer to a plate to cool, spreading out to prevent sticking.

Add greens and cranberries to serving bowl. Once butternut is done roasting, add it and pecans to serving bowl. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Serve immediately.

Notes: We use walnuts instead of pecans because we always have them on hand, but they're super greasy when we candy them. We'll skip the oil and brown sugar from here on out and just toast them. 

MAPLE PECAN GRANOLA

~ The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dairy-Free Eating, written by Scott H. Sicherer and Liz Scott

2 1/2 c. rolled oats
3 T. sesame seeds
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. brown sugar
pinch salt
1/2 c. roughly chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, mix oats and sesame seeds.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine oil, syrup, brown sugar, and salt. Stir often for 2-3 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Pour over oat mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.

Transfer mixture to rimmed baking sheet and spread out evenly. Bake 20-25 minutes or until crisp and golden, stirring occasionally.

Remove from oven and stir in pecans. Cool completely.

Notes: Walnuts are less expensive than pecans and I always have them on hand, so that's what I use.

NUTTY GRANOLA

~ All You magazine - 12/17/10

4 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. honey
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mist a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Mix oats, nuts, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, honey, and oil, bringing to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Pour hot liquid over oat mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Spread on baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Cool completely before serving.

Notes: I sometimes mix and match the seeds and nuts, using whatever's on hand as long as I have a total of two cups.

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH PECANS AND GORGONZOLA

~ Kalyn's Kitchen

1 lb. brussels sprouts
1/4 c. chopped pecans
2-3 T olive oil, plus more for greasing pan
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2-3 T. crumbled gorgonzola

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brush roasting pan with a tiny bit of oil.  Trim the ends of brussels sprouts, if needed, then cut lengthwise into quarters.   Place sprouts and pecans in a bowl, then toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Spread sprouts in a single layer on roasting pan and roast for 30-35 minutes or until they are tender and starting to brown on edges, stirring once or twice.  Remove from oven and toss with gorgonzola before serving.

Notes: The original recipe says you can skip the gorgonzola and toss with 2 teaspoons of butter instead.  I'm sure it's good that way, but I haven't tried it.  We have, however, used feta instead of gorgonzola sometimes. We always have chopped almonds in the house, so I use them instead of pecans.

TORTELLINI SALAD WITH PECANS, CRANBERRIES, AND FETA

~ picky cook

SALAD

lettuce and/or spinach

tortellini, cooked and cooled

toasted pecans

dried cranberries

crumbled feta

DRESSING

3 T. balsamic vinegar

2 T. white balsamic vinegar

2 T. brown sugar 

1 T. lemon juice

1 clove garlic, finely chopped or made into paste with a microplane

salt and pepper, to taste

6-7 T. olive oil

Using whatever quantities sound good to you, assemble the greens, pasta, pecans, and cranberries in a bowl; set aside.

To make the dressing, mix vinegars, sugar, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl or lidded jar. Slowly whisk in the oil. 

Dress and toss salad. Sprinkle with feta before serving.

Notes: I always adjust ingredients according to what's on hand, but this is delicious! I sometimes use chopped almonds instead of pecans, regular balsamic in place of white, and parmesan instead of feta. Rather than tossing the whole salad, I let people dress their own servings. 

SWEET & SPICY ROASTED PECANS

~ All You magazine - 11/18/11

2 c. shelled pecan halves

2 t. chili powder

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. cumin

1 t. salt

1/2 t. cayenne

1/2 t. ginger

3 T. unsalted butter, melted

2 T. packed light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread pecans on baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 10 minutes, shaking pan occasionally, until nuts are fragrant and light golden brown.

While nuts are roasting, mix chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, salt, cayenne, and ginger in a small bowl. Remove toasted nuts from oven and place in a bowl. While still hot, toss with melted butter, brown sugar, and spice mix until evenly coated. Cool before serving.

Notes: I mix my spices, then mix the brown sugar into the spices, which makes for a little more even distribution on the nuts. 

CINNAMON BANANA CAKE

~ THE idea ROOM

CAKE
1 c. butter  
1 c. sugar
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
dash of salt
3 c. flour
2 c. sour cream or vanilla yogurt

FILLING
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 T. cinnamon
1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 c. chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9x13 pan. 

Mix the butter, sugar, bananas, eggs, and vanilla together. Add remaining cake ingredients and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine filling ingredients. 

Layer the batter and filling twice in prepared pan. Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Notes: I've made this with both, one, and neither of the optional ingredients and it's good each way, but the topping ingredients don't mix evenly if you include the optional ones. I'd suggest mixing the brown sugar and cinnamon to sprinkle on the layers, then scattering the nuts and/or chocolate chips separately. I think it tastes better with vanilla yogurt than sour cream, but that's strictly a matter of preference.

BANANA WHEAT BREAD

~ allrecipes

1 1/2 c. mashed bananas
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. honey
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. wheat germ
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1/2 c. chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

In a small bowl, combine bananas, oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, wheat germ, salt, and baking soda. Make a well in dry ingredients, and add the banana mixture. Mix together until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in nuts.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake one hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Makes one loaf.

Notes: This is not a super sweet banana bread, but it's still moist and tasty. We skip the pecans.

YOGURT STREUSEL MUFFINS

~ All You magazine - 11/19/10

STREUSEL
2/3 c. pecans, almonds or walnuts, finely chopped
1/3 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 T. unsalted butter

MUFFINS
2 c. flour

1 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

4 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 c. plain low-fat yogurt

In a small bowl, combine first three streusel ingredients. Cut butter into dry ingredients. Place in fridge while preparing muffins.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper liners or coat with non-stick spray. 

To make muffins, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in small bowl. In a large bowl, whisk butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and yogurt. Stir flour mixture into yogurt mixture until just combined.

Divide batter among muffin cups. Scatter streusel topping over each muffin and press lightly on crumbs to help them stick to batter. Bake 17-20 minutes or until tops are golden. Remove from pan and cool on rack. 

Makes 12 muffins.

Notes: I use whatever plain yogurt I have on hand, whether full-fat, low-fat, regular, or Greek. My experience is that the streusel makes a huge, wasteful mess when made as directed. So I like to double the muffin portion and leave the streusel part as is for a less messy topping, as is the case in the picture. 

Linked up at: Eat at Home Ingredient Spotlight - yogurt & sour cream

CHICKEN SALAD WITH GRAPES & PECANS

~ All You - August 27, 2010

6 c. chopped, cooked chicken
2 t. Dijon mustard
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 c. chopped celery
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 c. red seedless grapes, sliced lengthwise
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 c. pecans

In a large bowl, combine chicken, Dijon mustard, sour cream, mayonnaise, fresh lemon juice, celery, poppy seeds and grapes. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Just before serving, fold in pecans.

Notes: This is a good, but very mildly flavored, salad. If you like things with more zip, then you could add your favorite seasonings. We've used brown mustard in place of Dijon, just because we already had it, and it tasted fine. We also use walnuts instead of pecans because they're less expensive.

FRUIT & NUT ENERGY BARS

~ Family Fun - May 2010

1/3 c. pecans
1/3 c. pitted dates
1/3 c. dried apples
dash of cinnamon

Grind pecans in food processor, then set aside in separate bowl. Process dates and apples together. Add the nuts and cinnamon to fruit and process until the mixture holds together when squeezed. Divide into six portions, mold each into a bar, and wrap in plastic wrap. Store in airtight container in fridge for up to one week. Makes six bars.

Notes: Making these into six bars, considering there's only one cup of ingredients, is pretty much ridiculous. If you really want a bar type of snack, then just roll them into bite-sized balls, leave them unwrapped, and place in an airtight container in the fridge. What I always do is use the processed mixture as a topping for yogurt or hot cereal, rather than shaping it into balls or bars. I save some money by using walnuts instead of pecans.

SWEET POTATO WAFFLES

~ Taste of Home magazine - December/January 2009

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. ground cardamom
1/2 t. salt
3 eggs, separated
1 c. sour cream
1 c. cold mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. butter, melted
3/4 c. chopped pecans
maple syrup, optional

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom and salt.

In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sour cream, sweet potatoes, milk and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in pecans.

In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Bake in a preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions until golden brown. Serve with syrup.

Makes four waffles, using one cup of batter each.

Notes: If you aren't a big fan of nuts in baked goods, then you can leave them out of this recipe. Another option is to chop them down to a powder-like consistency, which allows you to get the flavor without getting chunks.

Linked up at: Eat at Home Ingredient Spotlight - yogurt & sour cream

CREAM CHEESE BANANA NUT BREAD

~ Ingrid Williams

3/4 c. butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
3 c. flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. mashed bananas (about 5 medium)
1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8x4-inch loaf pans.

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with electric mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until just blended.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until just blended. Stir in bananas, vanilla, and pecans. Pour into greased and floured pans.

Bake for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan. Shield with foil the last fifteen minutes to prevent browning, if necessary. Cool in pans for ten minutes. Remove from pans and cool 30 minutes on wire rack before slicing.

Makes two loaves.

Notes: We don't like nuts in bread, so we skip the pecans.

BAKED OATMEAL

~ Michaela Johnson

1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla
milk, about 1c.
2 c. old fashioned oats
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 coarsely chopped, tart apple with skin (Rome, Granny Smith, Gala, or Empire)
1/2 c. dried fruit (raisins, cherries, cranberries)
1/2 c. coarsely chopped, unsalted nuts (pecans, walnuts, or almonds, but not peanuts)

In a 2-cup measuring cup, mix oil, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Whip until well blended, then fill measuring cup to the 2-cup mark with milk and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix oats, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir with fork, then add apple, dried fruit, and nuts. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir, then pour entire mixture into greased baking dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 2 hours.

In the morning, bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. May be doubled and baked for 40 minutes.

Notes: We always double the recipe and use a 9x13 pan.

MORNING GLORY MUFFINS

~ Janet/Jayelgee 

2 c. flour
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
3 eggs
1 – 1 1/2 c. oil
2 t. vanilla
2 c. grated carrot
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. coconut
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 apple, peeled and grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients. Mix egg, oil and vanilla together. Combine with dry ingredients. Fold in remaining ingredients. Bake 15-20 minutes.

Makes 2 dozen.

Notes: I sub extra grated apple for the oil, never peel the apples, and use walnuts or almonds in place of pecans. 

MANDARIN SALAD

~ Linda DeVilliers 

SALAD
romaine or red leaf lettuce
2 11 oz. cans mandarins, drained
red onion, separated into rings
1/2 c. toasted nuts

DRESSING
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1/3 c. sugar

Prepare dressing. Toss with salad ingredients and serve.

Notes: I only use half an onion, then cut it into thin, bite-sized pieces because it's easier to eat that way.

COHEN'S CHICKEN SALAD

~ Marie McDermott

1 large can Costco chicken breasts
1 c. mayonnaise, more if desired
1 c. celery, finely chopped
½ c. walnuts or pecans, finely chopped
¼ c. radishes, finely chopped
1 c. or more grapes, sliced in half

Mix together and season with your favorite spices.

Notes: The woman who gave me this recipe is the queen of winging it in the kitchen, so all amounts are estimates. Use it as a starting point and tweak to your liking.