Apple Cinnamon Cracker Recipe

Spices such as cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and star anise can take even the most pedestrian of treats and give them a holiday flair. If you're wondering what would please your family while waiting for the main dish to be served at your holiday dinner, my friends at California Lavash and I came up with the perfect crowd pleaser. Thinly cut slices of apples kissed with cinnamon-infused butter layered over crispy lavash crackers make for a healthy and addictive snack. That’s important, considering the number of guilt-inducing desserts I’ve gobbled down over the past couple of weeks.

Seriously, you won’t be able to eat just one. The California Lavash gals and I made over a dozen tasty dishes over the course of two days, but this is by far the most memorable. And you don’t have to shelve the recipe once the holidays are over. If you pack lunch for your kids, put a handful of these in their bag instead of cookies. It will help with New Year’s resolutions!

Radish and Goat Cheese Napoleon Recipe

This radish and goat cheese napoleon recipe was inspired by an elegant beet appetizer I had several years ago at Spago, Wolfgang Puck's restaurant. Colorful layers of sliced, pickled Cherry Belle radishes, candied walnuts, goat cheese spread and rounds of whole grain noor thin bread give the dish its visual appeal. The pungency from the radishes offsets the velvety smoothness from the goat cheese. Sprinkled with candied walnuts, arugula and a few sprouted radish shoots as garnish, a larger portion of this light salad could be served as a one-dish meal. I finished the salad with a flavor-matching vinaigrette, a scrumptious sesame and candied walnut salad dressing.

The bread used in this dish is a new product from my friends over at California Lavash. It’s made with whole grains and is studded with black and white sesame seeds. It’s a great choice if you want to make a healthy dish, but I obviously didn’t do that today! I’ll be posting a couple more recipes using the bread later this week, and if you’d like to try them out, you can enter this week’s giveaway. Good luck!