By incorporating versatile ingredients into your holiday cooking, you can make a vast array of tasty seasonal goodies.
For example, California grapes are abundant throughout the holiday season and add taste and visual appeal to dishes of all kinds, including in the recipes provided below for Seared Salmon with Spinach and Grapes, Grape Caprese Salad Hors d’ Oeuvres, Grapes in Rosé Wine Sauce and Wild Rice Stuffing with Grapes and Hazelnuts. Plus, they’re an easy, fresh, healthy snack to keep on hand for hungry guests waiting for the meal. With their natural beauty, grapes can also be used to create tablescapes and centerpieces for festive holiday settings.
In small bowl, combine salt, mustard, thyme and pepper. Drizzle salmon fillets with honey and sprinkle with seasoning. Reserve any remaining seasoning.
In nonstick skillet or sauté pan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil. Brown both sides of salmon fillets over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes per side.
In baking dish, toss spinach and garlic with remaining olive oil. Place browned salmon on bed of spinach, cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake 8-10 minutes, or until salmon is just cooked through.
In skillet used to brown salmon, over medium-high heat sauté grapes 1 minute. Add wine, bring to boil and reduce quantity by half. Season sauce to taste with remaining herb mixture.
Serve salmon on wilted spinach topped with grape and wine sauce.
Nutritional information per serving: 449 calories; 36 g protein; 20 g carbohydrates; 23 g fat; 45% calories from fat; 4.3 g saturated fat; 9% calories from saturated fat; 100 mg cholesterol; 730 mg sodium; 1,120 mg potassium; 1.6 g fiber.
Grape Caprese Salad Hors d’ Oeuvres
Servings: 24
Ingredients:
Extra-virgin olive oil
High-quality, aged balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
24 decorative bamboo skewers
24 red seedless California grapes
24 fresh basil leaves
24 small, fresh mozzarella balls
Sea salt
Instructions:
On serving plate or platter, drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar, as desired. Sprinkle with pepper.
To assemble skewers: On each skewer, add one red grape, one small basil leaf and one ball fresh mozzarella.
Lay skewers on serving platter and sprinkle with dash of sea salt.
Nutritional information per serving: 44 calories; 2.5 g protein; 1 g carbohydrates; 3 g fat; 64% calories from fat; 11 mg cholesterol; 20 mg sodium; .07 g fiber.
Grapes in Rosé Wine Sauce
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups rosé wine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split
1 pinch salt
3 cups halved red, green or black California grapes
Instructions:
In large skillet, bring wine, sugar, vanilla bean and salt to boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Stir in grapes and let cool.
Serving suggestion: Pour warm grapes over creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream.
Nutritional information per serving: 250 calories; 0 g protein; 49 g carbohydrates; 0 g fat (0% calories from fat); 0 g saturated fat (0% calories from saturated fat); 0 mg cholesterol; 55 mg sodium; 1 g fiber.
2 cups California seedless grapes, picked from stem and rinsed
Instructions:
In heavy saucepan, bring chicken broth to boil. Add wild rice and stir. Cover pan and reduce heat to low. Let simmer 1 hour until rice is tender and has popped open.
In frying pan over medium heat, cook bacon until almost crisp, about 8-10 minutes.
Add butter to bacon pan then add onions, celery, mushrooms, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat 5-7 minutes until onions are translucent. Remove from heat and fold in parsley, hazelnuts and grapes.
Add rice with any remaining liquid to frying pan and toss well to combine.
Nutritional information per serving: 166 calories; 5.4 g protein; 21 g carbohydrates; 8 g fat; 40% calories from fat; 1.4 g saturated fat; 8% calories from saturated fat; 5 mg cholesterol; 126 mg sodium; 2.6 g fiber.
