Cilantro Corn Feta . . .and Tomato Salad

Freezer corn thawed
Lots of Cilantro (did you know you can use the whole thing not just leaves? Thanks to you ladies for teaching me that) Could also use basil, instead.
Tomato diced
Onion (unless they are banned in your house like mine)
Black pepper, Sea salt, a little olive oil, a little balsamic vinegar
FETA CHEESE!

I add all ingredients together and just top each serving with feta so it doesn't get all soggy in the fridge. Also, FYI - I added a little pasta to mine because I thought it would be better and more like a salad. It was good, but I decided next time I will leave the pasta out.

garlic pizza dough

let soften for about 10minutes:
1 C warm water
1.5 tsp active dry yeast
some honey

mix in:
2 Tb olive oil
3C bread flour
3/4 tsp salt
1tsp + fresh minced garlic
dried basil if you wish

if using your handy-dandy kitchenaid mixer, mix with the dough hook for a good 5-10minutes. add in more olive oil as needed to form a nice soft but not sticky ball. feel free to add more garlic & dried herbs as you desire! let rise in a greased bowl, lightly covered for an hour or so until doubled. punch down & form into 2 medium sized pizzas. top with your favorite stuff! bake at 450 until cheese is melted.

Creamy Quinoa Mac & Cheese

My kids LOVE macaroni & cheese. and even though I buy the more natural/organic boxes, I still feel guilty making something that is so processed all the time. so I keep trying new homemade mac & cheese recipes. I've been buying the Quinoa pasta lately because it's supposed to be good for you - it actually tastes quite delicious! I can't really taste the difference compared to regular semolina pasta. It just cooks faster than the regular stuff, but even tricked the hubs who is naturally resistant to all my "trying to be healthier" food changes.

  

Here's what we are eating tonight at my house. It's in the oven now!

...uh, a bit of 'processed cheese food' is better for you than full-on mac from a box, right? 

Preheat oven to 400˚ F.

• 2 cups dry quinoa macaroni elbows

• 3 TB butter
• 2 TB flour
• 2 C milk (I used "so delicious" coconut milk beverage - plain)
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• fresh cracked black pepper
• a few dashes turmeric (gives it a nice yellow color)
• 6 oz shredded cheddar cheese (or any combo of shredded cheeses)
• 2 oz neufatchel cheese
• 4 oz smoked gouda (cut up nice & small)

Cook the macaroni for 6-9mins, drain.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. melt butter, whisk in flour until smooth. slowly add in milk while wisking to avoid LUMPS. cook over medium heat for a couple minutes, add mustard powder, black pepper & cheeses; stir while the cheeses melt into deliciousness.
Drain pasta & pour into baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni & mix until coated. Bake in 1.5qt-2qt dish for 20mins.

(adapted from this recipe at allrecipes)

Avocado Mango Salsa

Avocado Mango Salsa

• 1 avocado, diced
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 mango, large diced
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 c. onion, diced
• Juice of one lime (or lemon juice if that's what you have)
• Several dashes Frank's Red Hot sauce (all the rage around here)
• salt and garlic salt to taste

Serve with Coconut Rice, Black Beans, and Tortilla Chips for a meatless wonder.

Coconut Rice

• 1 1/2 cups rice (Jasmine is best)
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 1 can Coconut Milk
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• more chopped cilantro leaves

Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

coconut tofu curry with spinach & tomato

I needed a tofu recipe & was in the mood for curry, coconut milk & using up fresh veggies from the CSA farm. I adapted the recipe from this one. no picture of the actual dish, sorry. but it sure was pretty. and tasty.

• 14 oz. coconut milk
• 1TB red curry paste
• 1 TB curry powder
  
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• small scoop minced garlic (1 tsp? I don't measure garlic)
  
• 14 ounces extra firm tofu
• olive oil
  
• 1/4lb fresh spinach, washed (duh) & chopped
  
• 1 tomato, diced
  
• 1/2 onion, minced (I used vidalia)

1. Drain tofu, cut into little cubes & pat dry with papertowel. In large skillet (I used this one), heat oil over medium heat. Cook tofu in a single layer without stirring about 5 minutes or until slightly browned on bottom. Stir gently. Then continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thouroughly cooked, about 5-7 minutes.
2. While tofu is cooking, be your own little soux chef & mix curry paste, curry powder, soy sauce, and garlic.
3. Add onion & cook for a few minutes until onions are translucent.
4. Add coconut milk, tomato & spinach & and mix from #2 above. cook, stirring, until veggies are warmed & spinach is barely wilted, about 1-2 minutes.
5. serve over rice & with warm naan. add salt & pepper to taste!

creamy potato carrot soup

this is the soup I made for Briste's baby shower. that's it there in that bowl in the picture - though you can't see the soup...
this soup is easy & flexible: you can throw in whatever veggies you have, omit the carrots if you want, heck even the bacon is optional & I dont use it when I am being a good vegetarian. but I am a bad vegetarian & sorta on a bacon-in-soups kick right now & I think it makes soups taste especially good. and I know velveeta is spooky... what is it anyway?... but it makes potato soup yummy. you can also use sharp cheddar too/instead. you see? a very flexible soup!!!
here's is what I made... as best I can remember:

Creamy Potato & Carrot Soup - by kristen

2 slices uncured bacon (uncured=nitrite free! nitrites are bad for you)
1/2 white onion, chopped (1 cup)
6 large potatoes, peeled & chopped (I used russet)
3-4 handfuls baby carrots
veggie broth (just enough to cover veggies)
8 oz cream cheese (organic so christy doesn't die!)
velveeta to taste (I used 1/3 of a big pkg)
salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

cook bacon in a large heavy pot over med-high until crisp. remove bacon, crumble & set aside. sautee onion in bacon drippings for about 10 minutes, until nice & cooked. (VEGETARIAN VERSION: omit bacon & sautee onion in 1-2Tb olive oil.) add potatoes & carrots to pot, add just enough broth to cover. (the broth stays in the soup, so the more you add, the runnier your soup will be. I like it thick, so I just barely cover the veggies enough that they can cook.) bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer until the veggies are cooked (tip: the smaller you chop your carrots/potatoes the faster this will cook.).
for chunkier soup, mash by hand with a potato masher to desired consistency. for smoother soup (or if your carrots aren't quite soft enough) puree spoonfuls of potatoes/carrots in blender & replace in pot. add cream cheese & velveeta, stir in to melt. salt & pepper to taste (the more velveeta you use, the less salt you need). add bacon back in or crumble on individual bowls. enjoy!


(above: briste enjoying opening gifts after eating the soup)

Carrot Salad

Recipe For ~ Carrot Salad that was served at Rachel & Tyler's Hot Dog Roast
From the Kitchen of Grandma Omphalius

Salad

1 bag Grated Carrots (peeled)
1 cup Raisins
1 cup Crushed Pineapple (I like to put a lot in)
¼ tsp. Salt

Dressing

¾ cup Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
½ cup Vinegar
½ cup Sugar

Mix together and cool in the refrigerator.

Please note these measurements may vary you may want to add more or take out according to taste.

Grandma said you could add nuts if you desire I am not really a nut fan so I left them out.

Cranberry Couscous

last night for dinner we had a new and super yummy couscous with our easy (wegman's) honey-brined turkey. this was soo tasty, but if your palate tends to desire mild flavored foods, this however is not the couscous recipe for you. my alterations:

*used frozen not fresh oj
*did not soak the cranberries (not enough time)
*minced the garlic
*used orange bell pepper
*add a full tablespoon of curry powder
*omit water (not needed!)
*omit basil (out of it)
*double cilantro
*rind of 2 lemons
*chopped up 1 whole lemon

very good as a side dish. and for a vegeterian main dish, or to spice it up as a leftover toss in a can of rinsed and drained, garbanzo beans. DELICIOUS! by the way, i think this turkey recipe that it goes with seems also quite tasty!

Onion Bread Pudding

on monday i tried a new dish: onion bread pudding. my kids were not excited by the name. i believe various versions of "ewwh" were heard during the course of cooking. however, once we ate it, EVERYONE except for toran LOVED it! toran tolerated it though, and didn't vomit, so that was a good sign! glenn says it tastes like very delicious warm bread. it was really good. i made the bread crumbs using a cubed up loaf of tasty italian bread from the wegman's bakery, and then toasting the chunks in the oven at 200, for about 30 minutes. check and stir every 10 minutes.

Birthday Dinner

on sunday, we celebrated haven's birthday with some of her favorite foods. haven (and most of our family) love this butternut squash risotto. it's from cooking light, but i have altered it a bit. go from the recipe, and then follow these instructions:

*increase onion to a full 1 cup
*do not salt the squash, use plenty of pepper.
*after mixing in the squash and water, cover pan and simmer for about 15 minutes, until squash is very tender.
*omit the butter and the parsley.

this is sooo good, we eat it all the time during the chilly season. and it's pretty easy to prepare. risotto's are to be stirred constantly once adding the broth mixture, but i have periodically had to stop for moments to aid a small child or halt a disaster, and it is still delicious!


haven LOVES oranges! wegman's sells more than just your garden variety kind, and they are more spendy, but perfect for a dinnertime treat. the orange closest to the bottom is the cara cara. very sweet with hints of raspberry and a very pretty salmon color. the other orange, was nicknamed "sunset" by my ciela last year when we first tried them, but they are a type of italian orange, and the name has been different nearly each time i purchase them. currently at wegman's i believe the sticker says "italia vitta", but the sign said something to the effect of: italian orange. these are more tart, but incredibly striking served up.

Streuseled Sweet Potato Recipe

This recipe is SUPER yummy! I made it instead of the usual marshmallow sweet potato standby that we always have every single year, for Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

14 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato (about 5 pounds)

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Cooking spray

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.Place potato in a Dutch oven, and cover with water. Bring to a boil.Reduce heat; simmer 12 minutes or until tender. Drain.
Combine the half-and-half and next 4 ingredients (half-and-half through egg) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add potato to egg mixture; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Spoon potato mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Combine flour and sugar in a food processor; pulse to combine. Add chilled butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans; sprinkle over potato mixture.
Cover and bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional25 minutes or until the topping is browned and the potatoes are thoroughly heated.

Yield18 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup)

Nutritional Information CALORIES 250(23% from fat); FAT 6.3g (sat 2.4g,mono 2.5g,poly 1g);PROTEIN 3.3g; CHOLESTEROL 22mg; CALCIUM 49mg; SODIUM 149mg; FIBER2.7g; IRON 1.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.1g

Cornucopia Salad

Ingredients:
1/2 c. slivered almonds
2 T sugar

1 head green leaf lettuce, torn into pieces
1 head Romaine lettuce, torn into pieces
1 c. chopped celery
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained
2 avocados, cut into chunks
2 apples, diced
1/2 c. dried cranberries or pomegranite seeds

Dressing:1/2 c. sugar
1 t. grated onion
1/2 t. salt
1 c. oil
1/3 c. vinegar
1 t. dry mustard
3/4 t. poppy seeds

Directions:Combine dressing ingredients and refrigerated until ready to use. Carmelize slivered almonds by mixing with sugar in a small skillet and stirring constantly over low heat until lightly browned. Cool. Toss salad ingredients, almonds and dressing just prior to serving.

Zucchini Cheese Soup

2 medium zucchini chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cups water
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp lemon juice
1 15 oz can diced tomatos
1 can evaporated milk
1 can corn
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

saute zucchini, onion, parsley, and basil in butter until tender. stir in flour, salt and petter. gradually stir in water . add bouillon and lemon juice and mix well. bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes. add tomatos, milk and corn; bring to a boil. reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. stir in cheese just before serving. continue stirring until cheese is melted.

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

This is a slightly different poppy seed dressing from the one that Briste posted a while ago.

1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons minced onion
1 cup salad oil (vegetable oil)
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Mix all the ingredients together except for the poppy seeds. Beat until creamy and then add the poppy seeds. Mix well.

Enjoy with your favorite greens!

Black Bean & Chocolate Chili

we met last night for our october book club meeting. we read TWILIGHT & decided to go with a fallish-halloweenish-vampireish food theme... I got this out of sarah a's moosewood restaurant celebrates cookbook & served it with fritos scoops.

2 TB vegetable oil (I used olive)
1.5 C chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 small fresh chile, minced (I just used 1tsp cholula sauce)
1 TB ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 C chopped bell pepper (I used one large green pepper)
3 C cooked black beans (2 - 15.5oz cans, rinsed/drained)
2 C undrained crushed canned tomatoes (14.5 oz can)
1 TB lemon juice
1 TB soy sauce
1.5 oz semi-sweet chocolate, broken into small pieces (I used about 1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips that I ground up in my food processor so it would melt faster)

in a saucepan, warm oil on med heat. add onion & garlic; sauté until onions become translucent, about 10min. add celery & chile (or cholula); cover & cook about 5 min.

reduce heat & stir in spices (cumin-salt) & bell peppers. cover & cook 5 min, until bell pepper begins to soften. stir occasionally to keep the spices from burning. if needed, add a little juice from the canned tomatoes.

add beans, tomatoes, lemon juice & soy sauce. bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 5-10min. stir in the chocolate. when it has melted, adjust salt/pepper/lemon juice to taste.

garnish with chopped scallions (green onions).

Morrocan Chickpea Chili

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup pre-chopped onion

3/4 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste

2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in cumin and next 7 ingredients (through red pepper); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add 1 1/2 cups water, tomato paste, chickpeas, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in cilantro and juice.Yield4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 215(23% from fat); FAT 5.5g (sat 0.4g,mono 2.9g,poly 1.9g); PROTEIN 7.7g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 102mg; SODIUM 534mg; FIBER 9.8g; IRON 3.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 36.3g

This is a very yummy vegetarian dish for fall. Don't be deterred by all of the ingredients..this is really easy to make! You can also substitute ingredients and change around some of the flavoring. I added a little light sour cream and cheddar cheese over the top and served with warmed pita bread.

Dal

we had our first BOOK CLUB meeting last night! we met to discuss THE KITE RUNNER & eat lots of yummy afghan food. here's what I made: DAL. this is actually an indian dish - a lentil puree - but it had similar ingredients to most of the afghan dishes I found online. I doubled this recipe.

rinse & place in large saucepan:

• 1 C red lentils (or yellow split peas)

add:

• 2 C water
• 1 small sliced onion
• 3/4 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 3/4 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp turmeric

simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, 20-25min. puree in food processor & return to saucepan. stir in:

• 1 C water
• 3/4 tsp salt

simmer, partly covered, until the dal is thickened to the consistency of split pea soup, about 20 mins. stir in:

• 2 fresh jalepeño peppers (sedded, cut into 1/3rds)
• 1.5 plum tomatoes, diced
• 3 Tb chopped fresh cilantro

serve over:

• kashann's afghan rice!

from the joy of cooking

Mushroom Risotto

for sunday dinner we had sarah, erica/ella & stephanie/crew over.
we had pork tenderloin, mushroom risotto, fruit salad with honey-yogurt sauce, rolls, broccoli (sarah), cucumber/tomato salad (steph), peach kuchen (sarah) & cookies (erica). thanks for the company & the great food, girls (though I think aaron missed the guys)! why does the food always taste better when there are more people to enjoy it?

MUSHROOM RISOTTO (from this website...) ...this is how I made it tonight:
4 Tbsp smart balance butter
1 8oz package sliced baby bella mushrooms
1/3 cup cooking sherry
3/4 cup heavy cream
7 cups chicken broth (I cheat & use bullion)
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 large shallots, peeled and finely minced
1 3/4 cups arborio rice
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

*Note on the cleaning of mushrooms. If you are using any type of choice mushroom, try not to rinse them if you can avoid it. Brush off any remaining dirt lightly. Many mushrooms (including chanterelles) absorb water like sponges and washing them will make it much more difficult to cook properly.

1 Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté about 5 minutes. Add sherry, bring to a boil, and reduce liquid by half, about 3-4 minutes. Lower heat to medium, add cream, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.

2 Bring broth to a simmer in a saucepan.

3 In a a deep, heavy, medium sized saucepan (I used my "pasta pot"), heat oil and remaining butter. Add shallots or onions and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat with butter and oil. Add simmering stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring enough to keep the rice from sticking to the edges of the pan. Wait until the stock is almost completely absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup. This process will take about 20+ minutes. The rice should be just cooked and slightly chewy.

4 Stir in the mushroom mixture, parsley & Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.

Serves 4-6.

crystal beach olive salsa

Here's the olive salsa I served tonight at our gathering at crystal beach. We had it with tostitos SCOOPS tortilla chips. Recipe credit goes to Melissa Davis on this one.

3 cans large black olives, drained
2 cans diced green chiles
1 (28oz) can peeled whole tomatoes (undrained)
1 bunch green onions
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tb. lime juice (or juice from 2 small limes)
2 Tb. white vinegar
1/3 C. olive oil

to taste:
sugar (large pinch)
chili powder
season salt
ground cumin
fresh cracked pepper
cholula hot sauce - I would have added some but I was out of it...

coarsely chop onions, tomatoes, cilantro, olives. add oil, vinegar, lime juice. stir together. chop about 1/2 of mixture in food processor (or blender), taking care not to over-chop. mix together & add remaining ingredients to taste. chill. this makes a lot of salsa!!

Rigatoni Mediterranean

This is from the July 2007 issue of Cooking Light magazine.

Ingredients:
1 pound uncooked rigatoni
1/4 cup olive oil
5 1/2 cups diced eggplant peeled
6 garlic cloves minced
2 cups sweet onions
1 large zuchinni thinly sliced
3/4 cup green onions (may be omitted)
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
1 t Italian seasoning
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 cups shredded mozarella
cooking spray
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta, drain and set aside. Heat 2 T of olive oil in a large pan. Add eggplant and saute 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Heat remaining 2 T of olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for 30 sec. Add the onion, zucchini and green onions and cook for 6 min. Add the spices, basil and tomatoes. Boil and than simmer for 15 minutes.

Combine pasta, eggplant and tomato mixture in a large bowl. Add the mozzarella and mix. Transer to a 13 x 9 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evening with parmesan cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Let sit for 10-20 minute sto allowing flavors to meld.

Yeld 10 servings