Warm Pecan Vinaigrette

Serve this warm vinaigrette over baby spinach for a great fall salad. Toasted pecans, apple cider vinegar, honey, and Dijon mustard give it its wonderful flavor.

Ingredients:

• 2 finely chopped shallots
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Direction:

1. Sauté chopped shallots in hot olive oil over medium heat 3 minutes. Stir in pecans, vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring constantly, until warm.

Southern Living
NOVEMBER 2009

Pecan-Honey Butter

Slather this sweet Pecan-Honey Butter on a slice of bread bread for a tasty little treat.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
• 2 tablespoons honey

Direction:

1. Stir together butter, pecans, and honey. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week, or freeze up to 1 month.
2. Note: Be sure to cool pecans completely after toasting.

Southern Living
NOVEMBER 2009

Brussels Sprouts With Pecans And Ginger Honey Sauce

Brussels sprouts paired with a spicy and sweet ginger-honey sauce and sprinkled with toasted pecans may just be the first thing to disappear from the holiday table.

Ingredients:

   2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Ginger, Ground

2 containers (10 ounces each) Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup pecan, halves or pieces, toasted 

Directions:

1. Mix honey, orange juice, soy sauce and ginger in small bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Set aside.
2. Place Brussels sprouts in large skillet. Add 1 inch of water; bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 3 to 4 minutes or until tender-crisp. Drain.
3. Melt butter in same skillet on medium heat. Add Brussels sprouts, salt and honey mixture; toss gently. Cook until heated through. Sprinkle with pecans before serving.

Cooking Tips: To toast pecans: Place pecans in single layer on baking sheet. Bake in 350ºF oven 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted.

Spicy Honey Chicken

Ingredients:

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2 lbs (you could use breasts as well but thighs stay more moist)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Rub:

2 teaspoons granulated garlic (you can sub 1 teaspoon garlic powder here)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

Glaze:

1/2 cup Honey
1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar

Directions:

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.

Use kitchen shears to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. 

Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it's not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of the honey glaze for later after the chicken has cooked to pour on right before serving. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

I'm gonna warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It's sugar, and it's gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It's totally worth it once you taste this stuff.

If you don't have a bbq, try it on an indoor grill pan or use your broiler. Just be sure to open a window in case you burn your glaze!

Honey Lime Shrimp

Ingredients:

1/2  pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4  cup olive oil
2 T  honey
1     juice of one small lime, or half a large lime (2-3 T)
1     zest of one small lime, or half a large lime
2     cloves garlic, smashed
1/2  tsp kosher salt
1/4  tsp black pepper
1/4  tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:

In a large ziplock bag, combine all of the marinate ingredients. When everything is combined well, add the shrimp, aqueeze as much air as possible out of the bag, and close it up, and put it into the refrigerator.

Let the shrimp marinate for  30 - 60 minutes, flipping the bag once or twice during that time, so that all of the shrimp are marinated.
 
When you’re ready to cook, take the shrimp out of the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; there is no need to add any oil or butter to the pan, as the marinade has enough oil in it to keep the shrimp from sticking to the pan. (If you would prefer to use the grill for these, you can thread them onto skewers and toss them on the grill at this point.) 4.) Add your shrimp to the pan in a single layer, making sure they are not too crowded; you can always cook them in more than one batch. Let them cook on one side for about a minute, until they curl up and start to turn pink. Flip them over, and cook for another 30 seconds or so, until the shrimp are opaque. Remove from the pan, and serve immediately!

Strawberry Honey Butter

Ingredients:

1 pint strawberries, hulled
3 tablespoons honey

Directions:

Mix together and serve

Honey And Pecan Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

4 c. cubed, cooked chicken
1 1/2 c. green seedless grapes
1 c. pecan pieces
1/2 c. mayonnaise or creamy salad dressing
1/4 c. sour cream
2 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. poppy seeds
White or black pepper, to taste
Lettuce leaves

Directions:

Combine chicken, grapes and pecans in large bowl; set aside. Stir mayonnaise, sour cream, honey, poppy seeds and pepper in small bowl to blend well; add to chicken mixture. Toss well to coat. If desired serve salad on lettuce leaves.