Meyer lemon

Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette, Meyer Lemon Spicy Pecans and Massaged Kale Salad

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I rarely have unexpected spare time on my hands.  It’s always fun to see what activities I turn to when I do.  More often than not, I end up in the kitchen.  This day, my youngest took a nap, which never happens.  She never really napped which pretty much reduced my spare time in the past few years to little to none.  I had some amazing Meyer lemons and pecans that my brother and sister-in-law brought with them from Texas when they visited in January.  A huge perk of them visiting in the dead of winter!!  Fresh Meyer lemons from her parents trees…in their yard.  They are so good!  And the pecans…don’t even get me started.  They are the best pecans I’ve ever had.  So I went to work on some recipes to incorporate both.  I made the Meyer lemon spicy pecans and Meyer lemon vinaigrette to top a yummy kale salad.

MEYER LEMON SPICY PECANS

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Ingredients:

2.5 cups whole pecans

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp honey

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp curry powder

zest of 1/2 Meyer lemon

2 tbsp Meyer lemon juice

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground red pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all of the ingredients (except the pecans) in a microwave safe bowl or saucepan. Heat the ingredients until melted and stir to incorporate.  Add the pecans and stir until they are coated.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet (with sides) and spread out in a single layer.  Bake in the oven for 10 min, stir and bake another 10 minutes.  Let cool completely.

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MEYER LEMON VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon

zest of 1/2 Meyer lemon

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 small shallot, minced

pinch of salt

Place all of the ingredients in a glass jar and shake!

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Next a make a massaged kale salad.  Rip the desired amount of kale into bite sized pieces.  Drizzle with olive oil and massage and knead with your hands until it’s bright green and soft in texture.  For your salad, use pumpkin seeds, dried cherries, the spicy pecans and the vinaigrette.  You can also use orange slices, blueberries or avacado and add feta or goat cheese if desired!!  The variations are endless!

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Cranberry and Orange Relish with Meyer Lemon

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I spotted these lovely cranberries and Meyer lemons at the market this week. And my mother-in-law brought some citrus for us, and I instantly thought of cranberry relish. Meyer lemons are one of my favorite foods- a cross between a lemon and an orange and smells heavenly!  I don’t make many jams and jellies, but I do really like cranberry relish.  I wanted to make something simple and found this recipe on the Ocean Spray website that was simply cranberries, a whole orange and sugar. No cooking involved. That is my kind of recipe!  I added the Meyer lemon and that’s it.  I didn’t know how much sugar to add because I only had one cup of cranberries.  I added a full 1/2 cup and it’s a tad too sweet for my taste, so I would reccomend adding less sugar and then add to your taste or use more cranberries. If I had time to “test” recipes, I would have tweaked this a little, but I had one cup of cranberries and one shot at it! I’ve been eating this relish with plain yogurt and walnuts! Very yummy and festive! And I’ll be adding this to baked brie for a simple New Years Eve appetizer!

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Ingredients:

1-2 cups of whole cranberries

1 orange, whole and quartered

1 Meyer lemon

1/4-1/2 cup of raw sugar

Add the cranberries, 1 whole orange (peel on) quartered and zest and juice of one Meyer lemon to a food processor and pulse until desired consistency.  Stir in the sugar to desired sweetness. Store in the refrigerator.  Eat by itself, use as a garnish on a turkey sandwich, add to baked brie or eat with plain yogurt and walnuts as a snack. I love all of the ways this relish can be used! Enjoy!

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