January's edition of the Mountain Echo has been out for a while and I'm thinking, Maybe I should post what I did! I've blogged about Barefoot Contessa's Pesto Pea Salad before, and decided I'd share it again, but with a few additions of my own. I'm the type of person that likes a hearty salad that could double as the main dish, so here it is; BC's Hearty Pesto Pea Salad. While I love it, Chris isn't a fan, and I'm really at a loss for why. Maybe it's because he doesn't particularly like peas. Maybe.

Hearty Pesto Pea Salad

adapted from Bare Contessa's Pesto Pea Salad servings: 4 prep time: 15 minutes 8 ounces chicken 2 cups of frozen peas 2 tablespoons pine-nuts 3 cups baby spinach leaves 1 cup grated carrots 3 tablespoons pesto 1 cup grated parmesan Cube chicken, cook in frying pan with a little olive oil until lightly browned. Toast pine-nuts in a dry sauté pan and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes, or until evenly browned, tossing frequently.To assemble salad, place the spinach leaves in a salad bowl. Sprinkle the peas, pine-nuts, parmesan and carrots over the spinach. Add the pesto and toss.

Apple + Orange Cake*

makes: one small bundt cake total time: 40 minutes Cake: 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1 egg 3/4 cup applesauce 1 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ginger 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teapoon soda Preheat oven to 350º and grease small bundt pan. Cream sugar and butter, add egg and beat well. Stir in applesauce, then slowly add dry ingredients. Pour into greased bundt pan and bake at 350º for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out smooth. Glaze: 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 4 teaspoons cornstarch 1/2 cup orange juice 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon orange grind, grated 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon light corn syrup 3/4 cup water Mix the sugars with the cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Gradually add the orange and lemon juices, stirring vigorously to avoid lumps. Stir in the orange rind, salt, butter, corn syrup, and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the sauce thickens, 5 to 8 minutes. Serve hot. *Glaze recipe taken from The Winter Vegetarian by Darra Goldstein.