Weekend Round-Up with Midwest Flavors

Fall in Love with These Early Autumn Dishes 

Wild Rice Salad with Apples, Celery, and Cranberries 

Cook's notes: This salad comes from the General Store Cafe of Minnetonka, MN. It's a gluten-free recipe featured in Eat and Explore Minnesota Cookbook and Travel Guide.  Use only enough dressing to moisten the salad. Any extra dressing can be used the next day on any leftover salad.  The recipe serves four.
Cooking tip: 1-1/4 cups of uncooked wild rice = about 4 cups cooked wild rice  

Dressing Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar or Cranberry Pear Balsamic
• 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lemon Olive Oil or Blood Orange Olive Oil
• 2 small garlic cloves, finely minced
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons grated orange or lemon peel
• Salt and pepper to taste

Salad Ingredients:

• 4 cups cooked wild rice or a brown and wild rice blend  e.g. Lundberg
• 1-1/2 cups of celery, diced
• 1 cup red apple, diced (with skin on)
• 1 cup green apple, diced (with skin on)
• 3 tablespoons sunflower seeds or 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries or cran-raisins
• Optional adding in red or green grapes

Dressing Directions:

• Add all ingredients to a blender and mix well. 

Salad Directions:

• Pour 1 cup of boiling water over dried cranberries and sit for 10 minutes, drain water.
• Mix cooked rice with celery, apples, nuts, and cranberries.
• Add enough dressing to moisten the salad. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours covered. Just before serving add more dressing if needed.

Apple Walnut Cake with Warm Caramel Sauce
Cake Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons of Saigon cinnamon or 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon of each allspice and nutmeg
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tart apples (about 2 cups) peeled and chopped
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 large egg beaten

Caramel Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Cake Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a 9-inch square pan with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl mix flour, brown sugar, spices, and baking soda.
• With a pastry cutter cut in butter and pulse the flour mixture a few times in a food processor with the butter.
• Stir in egg and chopped apples. Mix well.
• Spoon batter into pan (it will be thick). Use a sheet of wax paper to press the batter down and spread it evenly in the pan.
• Bake for 45 minutes or until the apples are cooked.
• Cool cake for one hour and serve with warm sauce.

Caramel Sauce Directions:

• In a small saucepan add cream, sugars, and butter. Whisk to blend and cook on medium-low heat until sugars are dissolved about 6 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add in vanilla. Whisk to blend. Drizzle sauce over each cake slice.

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