Mango Pepper Salad- I love this for lunch! 1 red, yellow & green pepper 3 mangos 1 bunc cilantro 1 jalepeno pepper 1 can black beans rinsed dressing: 4 tbsp olive oil, 3 limes freshly squeezed, 3 garlic cloves, salt & pepper.
Artichoke SoupIngredients
The hearts from 5 large artichokes, 7 Tbsp butter, 1 medium size leek, white-and-light green part, sliced and rinsed, 6 garlic cloves, chopped, 1/2 cup chopped shallots (or yellow onion, if shallots aren't available)8 oz of Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced, 12 cups of vegetable or
chicken stock1/2 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme, 4 sprigs of parsley, 1/4 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns, 1/2 cup of cream, Salt to taste
Method
1 Prepare the artichoke hearts. Cut the artichokes lengthwise into quarters. With a small knife, remove the thistley choke part and discard. Cut away the leaves from the artichoke heart and reserve for steaming and eating later if desired (why waste perfectly good artichoke leaves?). Cut or peel away the tough outside skin of the stems and discard. When I made this dish I left an inch to two inches of stem with each of the hearts with no problem. Slice the hearts or chop to a quarter inch thickness.
2 In a large pot, melt half of the butter and cook the artichoke hearts, leek, garlic, and shallots on medium heat until tender but not brown. Add the potatoes and stock. Tie up the bay leaf, thyme, parsley, and peppercorns in cheesecloth and add to the pot. Increase heat to bring to a simmer, then lower heat and continue to simmer uncovered, 1 hour.
3 Remove and discard the herbs. Purée the soup and pass it through a fine strainer. When ready to serve, heat the soup and whisk in the remaining butter and the cream. Season with salt (I found none was needed) and serve.
Serves 8.
Sesame and Cilantro Vermicelli SaladIngredients
Honey Soy Dressing
1/4 cup grapeseed oil or corn oil, 3 Tbsp dark sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper or chili powder, 3 Tbsp honey, 2 Tbsp soy sauce (less if using tamari which is more concentrated than soy sauce)
Salad
8 ounces of vermicelli, thin spaghetti, or angel hair pasta,Salt,1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro, 1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts, 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions,1/4 cup sliced and chopped red bell pepper, 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Method
1 Cook the pasta in a large saucepan in salted boiling water, according to directions on pasta package. Drain but do not rinse.
2 While the pasta is cooking, prepare the dressing. In a microwave-safe dish, heat the vegetable oil, sesame oil, and red pepper, in the microwave on high heat for 2 minutes. Add the honey and soy sauce and mix well.
3 Combine the drained pasta with the dressing in a large bowl until the pasta is well coated. Cover and chill for several hours.
4 When ready to serve, mix in the cilantro, peanuts, green onions and bell pepper. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Serves 4 to 8, depending on serving size.
Tabouleh- this is a favorite at our house. Even Lowen loves Tabouleh
1/2 cup medium grain bulgur, 1 1/4 cups water, 4 cups loosely packed, roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley, about 3 bunches, 1 1/2 cups peeled and diced tomatoes, about 3 to 5 Roma tomatoes, 1/4 cup green onions chopped, white and some of the green, about 2 green onions, 1/4 to 1/2 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped mint leaves
For the dressing: 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic, Pinch kosher salt, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil,
Bring water to a boil, pour in bulgur, stir, cover, and turn off heat. Let stand 20 to 25 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed and bulgur is fluffy and tender. Pour off any remaining liquid. To prepare dressing, in a small non-reactive bowl, whisk together lemon juice, garlic, salt and oil. Taste and adjust seasonings. In a large salad bowl, toss together parsley, tomatoes, green onions and mint. Add bulgur. Pour dressing over salad, toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Amy-Jill Parenteau's Thai Noodle Salad4 tbsp soy sauce,2 tbsp chili paste,1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil,2 tbsp rice vinegar,1 tbsp canola or peanut oil,3 cups spinach, chopped1 red pepper, chopped200 g stir fry egg noodles,3 chicken breasts, cubed,
Cook chicken - set aside to cool,Cook noodles and cool under cold water.Combine first first 5 ingredients for sauce.Combine noodles, chicken, spinach, red pepper and sauce.
Mushroom Soup with Sauteed Chanterelles 1 lb crimini or button mushrooms About 1/2 oz of dried porcinis (I don't have a scale and it's pretty hard to eyeball dried mushroom weights) 2 C chicken stock 1 1/2 C water 3 Tbsp butter 2 Tbsp flour 1/2 small onion, minced 1 small clove of garlic Leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme, minced 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg 1/2 C heavy cream About 2 - 3 Tbsp of sherry or Maderia (I substituted 1/2 white wine and 1/2 Marsala) Salt and pepper to taste Optional Garnish Sauteed fresh mushroom 1 Tbsp butter 4 - 8 oz. fresh mushrooms (like shiitakes, portobella, chanterelle, morel, etc.) 1 small clove of garlic A little salt and pepper Fresh chives Bring 3/4 of a cup of water to a boil (I use the microwave). Pour this over the dried porcinis in a bowl or if the water is already in a bowl, just add the dried porcinis and poke them down into the water with a spoon. Cover the bowl with a lid, a small plate, or some plastic wrap, and let it sit to rehydrate the mushrooms. Clean the crimini mushrooms by brushing them with a soft brush or wipe them with a damp paper towel, trim off any discoloration or spots. Slice them thickly or quarter them, it's up to you. Mince half the onion, set aside. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprig and give them a rough chop, set aside. Press or mince the clove of garlic, set aside. (Note: why is this step so complicated? Because you wanted to save both the hot water that the porcinis have been soaking in and the water you use to wash them. Then you can combine the two liquids, and pass them through a filter to get rid of the dirt and debris. This liquid is crucial for the flavor of the soup.) By now the porcinis should have softened. Do not discard the soaking liquid!!! Doesn't it smell good? The recipe called for 1 1/2 C of water so in another bowl, add the remaining 3/4 C of water. It can be warm or cold, doesn't really matter. Use a fork/chopsticks/your impeccably clean fingers and fish out the porcini pieces from the soaking liquid and then give them another rinse in the second bowl of water. This will dislodge any remaining dirt or grit from the mushrooms. Give them a good rub if they're stubbornly dirty. After all the mushroom pieces have been washed, the liquid in the second bowl will be pretty brown too, and save that . You can combine the soaking liquid and the rinsing liquid. Then line a fine mesh sieve with 2 pieces of coffee filter or a layer of paper towel folded in half. Wet the filters or paper towel to prevent it from soaking up the precious porcini water. Then slowly pour the porcini water into the lined sieve into another bowl or measuring cup and set aside for later. The coffee filter or paper towel will prevent the dirt and grit from passing through. Give the porcinis a good chop. Heat two tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the onions. Add a little salt and cook until the onions have softened. When the onions have softened, add the minced garlic, freshly ground nutmeg, and thyme, and let it cook until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Then add the chopped criminis and porcinis, some salt and pepper. Cook until the liquid released by the mushrooms have evaporated. When the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are starting to brown, you can stop cooking them and set the pan aside. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk the roux until it smells toasty and nutty and looks blond, almost very light brown. Then slowly add in your chicken stock and whisk vigrously to get out any lumps. Then add the porcini water, sometimes there will be very fine dirt that managed to pass through the filter settled at bottom of the cup or bowl, so you can discard the very bottom of the liquid if that occurs. Use a good rubber/silicone spatula and scrape all of the sauteed criminis, porcinis, and any liquid in the skillet into the saucepan. Simmer the soup for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile you can prepare the optional sauteed mushroom topping. Slice your mushrooms and mince/press the garlic. Heat a tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, the garlic, some salt, and pepper. Saute until any liquid released from the mushrooms have evaporated and the mushrooms start to brown a little. Set aside for your garnish. After the soup has simmered for a bit, you can puree it with a immersion blender or in a normal blender (but be careful of the hot soup erupting Old-Faithful-style, only fill the blender jar halfway and hold the top with a towel). Or you can skip the blending part if you like chunky soup like me. Stir in the heavy cream and sherry/Maderia/white wine + Marsala blend and bring the soup back up to a simmer again and then serve. (Usually the soup is sufficiently hot that you can just add the cream and alcohol and serve without simmering again). Garnish each bowl with some sauteed mushrooms and chopped chives and enjoy. :)
Sun-dried Tomato and Olive Pesto Pasta Salad1 lb of pasta like farfalle or rotini,1/4 C lightly packed sundried tomatoes, rinsed of excess oil,1/2 C kalamata olives, 1/2 C coarsely grated parmesan,1/4 C slivered almonds, toasted,a few sprigs of parsley,1/4 C olive oil,2 - 3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed,1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar,1 - 2 tsp lemon zest, from half or whole lemon,additional lemon juice to taste,salt and pepper to taste
Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Set aside to cool.Toast the almond slivers in a skillet over medium to medium high heat. Shake the pan frequently until the nuts are golden brown and set aside to cool.In a food processor, pulse everything except for the lemon juice until it is a fine to coarse chop. When the pasta has cooled a bit, mix in the pesto. Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Serve cold or at room temp.
French Onion Soup
Ingredients
6 large red onions, peeled and thinly sliced.Olive oil,1/4 teaspoon of sugar,2 cloves garlic, minced,8 cups of beef stock or
chicken stock,1/2 cup of dry white wine,1 bay leaf,1/4 teaspoon of dry thyme,Salt and pepper,8 slices of toasted French bread,1 1/2 cups of grated Swiss Gruyere with a little grated Parmesan cheese
Method
1 In a large saucepan, sauté the onions in the olive oil on medium high heat until well browned, but not burned, about 30 minutes. Add the sugar about 10 minutes into the process to help with the carmelization.
2 Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the stock, wine, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover partially and simmer until the flavors are well blended, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard the bay leaf.
3 To serve you can either use individual oven-proof soup bowls or one large casserole dish. Ladle the soup into the bowls or casserole dish. Cover with the toast and sprinkle with cheese. Put into the broiler for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until the cheese bubbles and is slightly browned. Serve immediately.
Serves 4-6.
Black Bean SaladIngredients
1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, thoroughly rinsed, and drained (or 1 1/2 cup of freshly cooked black beans) 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, defrosted (or fresh corn, parboiled, drained and cooled) 1/2 cup chopped green onions or shallots, 2 fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced, or 1 whole pickled jalapeño pepper, minced (not seeded) 3 fresh plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped 1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks, 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro, 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil, 2 Tbsp lime juice (about the amount of juice from one lime) 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar (to taste) Salt and pepper to taste
Make sure to rinse and drain the beans, if you are using canned beans. In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, onions, jalapeno chile peppers, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, basil, lime juice and olive oil. Add sugar and salt and pepper to taste. (The sugar will help balance the acidity from the tomatoes and lime juice.) Chill before serving. Serves 6 to 8.
Strawberry Spinach Salad This is one of my favorite summertime salads!!
10 ounces fresh spinach, 2 cups sliced strawberries, 1/2 cup minced red onion, 1/2 cup roasted almonds,
dressing: 1/2 cup olive oil ,1/4 apple cidar vinegar, 1/2 cup white sugar, 4 tblsp sesamee seeds, 2 tblsp poppy seeds, 1/4 tsp paprika,
Mix dressing, pour over salad
Brenda Fleischhacker's Cesear Salad Dressing- 1/2 cup olive oil ,1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1 tblsp lemon juice, 1 egg yolk, 3 cloves garlic, 1 fillet anchovies, 1 tblsp dijon mustard, dab worchester, dab hot sauce, salt & pepper Homemade croutons - dice up bread, toss in a bowl with 2 tbls oil, spike seasoning (or greek), bake until crispy.
Beef Barley Soup IngredientsA splash of olive oil, A pat of butter (optional), 1 large carrot, chopped, 1 large celery stalk, chopped, 1 medium onion, chopped ,Salt and pepper to taste, 2 to 3 cups of chopped, cooked beef, or similar amount of cooked ground beef, A splash of Worcestershire sauce (optional) Basil, oregano, garlic powder to taste, 8 cups beef stock or broth, 1 large can of diced tomatoes, including liquid, 3/4 to 1 cup dried pearl barley (more barley will make the broth thicker).
Preparation 1. Heat the olive oil and butter in soup pot on medium low heat. 2. Add carrot, onion and celery. Add a dash of salt. Cook until vegetables are soft. 3. Add beef, basil, oregano and garlic powder. Continue to cook for a few more minutes. 4. Add a splash of worcesterchire sauce. 5. Add remaining ingredients, bring soup to a boil. 6. Reduce heat and cover. Cook for at least an hour to allow the barley to expand and become soft.
Lindsay's Greek Salad Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tblsp red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic
2 tblsp mayo
2 tblsp lemon juice
1 tblsp oregano or greek seasoning
seasoning salt
pepper
Raigan McDougall's Spinach SaladI just put spinach, REAL bacon (very important - none of that fake shit), hard boiled egg and mozza cheese. As much or as little as youl like of everything.
dressing 1 cup oil,5 Tbs red wine vinegar,4 Tbs sour cream,1 1/2 tsp salt,1/2 tsp dry mustard,2 Tbs sugar,2 tsp dried parsley,2 garlic cloves, crushed,Cracked pepper
Mix all ingredients in shakeable jar (obviousy) Voila!
Broccoli Salad
head of brocolli, cut up
red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup craisins
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pine nuts
16 slices crisp bacon, chopped
dressing
1 cup mayo
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup cream
juice from 2 lemons
Brenda Fleischhacker's Creamy Tomato SoupAunty B brought me a pot of this soup as I was healing. It truely lifted my spirit. The garden tomatos made this soup.
6cup vegetable stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion diced
2 tsp salt
6 garlic cloves
4 bay leaves
1/4 tsp red chile flakes
1 cup fresh tarragon or basil or kale.
2 28 oz liquid cans whole tomato's drained or 8 cups ripe tomatos
1 cup cream
cracked pepper
Heat stock in seperate pot until warm. In soup pot add oi, saute onion with 1 tsp salt until soft. Stir in the garlic, leaves, chiles and half of the fresh herb. Saute for 5 minutes. Coarsley chop the tomatoes, add to the soup pot. add the remaining salt and cook for another 10 minutes. Fresh tomatos take a lot longer to stew down. (20 -30 min) . Add the warm stock to the soup pot, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Puree the soup until smooth. Whisk in cream and remaing herb.
Brenda Fleischhacker's Spiced Carrot & Avocado Salad
1 lb shredded carrot
1/4 cup cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup oil
1-2 lemons juiced
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1-2 firm avocados
Refrigerate 1 -24 hours prior to serving. ****Add Avocado's only 1 hour before serving.
Lindsay's Couscous Salad
boil 3 cups of water with 2 tbls olive oil. Add 1 cup couscous to boiling water, cover and remove from heat. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Fluff and set aside to cool.
1 carrot shredded
1/4 cucumber diced
1/2 red pepper diced
3 tomatos diced
1/2 red onion diced
1 bunch parsley chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
2 tsp oregano
3 cloves garlic
3 tsp tumeric (key ingredient)
4 tbsp apple cidar vinegar
2 tsp paprika
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 can chick peas drained
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
salt & pepper
Refrigerate for 3 hours prior to serving.
Corn Chowder
1/2 lb bacon
1 larger onion chopped
3 med sized potatos diced
1 cup grated carrots
2 1/2 cup water
1 tsp sat
1/4 tsp papper
1 can cream corn
1 can niblets corn
1 large can evap milk
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp paprika
In dutch oven cook bacon until crisp. Add onion. Add potatos, carrots, 2 cup water. salt & pepper. cover & simmer until potatos are soft. Remve ffrom heat. Stir in corn & evap milk. Blend flour with the remaining water. Stir into chowder. Cook over med heat until chowder thickens and bubbles for 1 minute.
Greek Lemon Soup
6 cup chicken broth
1/2 - 3/4 cup long grain rice
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup lemon juice
salt & pepper
Bring broth to a broil, add rice, cover and reduce heat, allowing rice to simmer until tender (approx 20 min). Whisk egg yolks & lemon juice together. When rice is done remove from heat and laddle 1 cup of hot broth into egg & lemon mixture. Whisk this back into soup. Return soup to medium heat, stirring constantl. Do not let soup boil or it will curdle. Add Salt & pepper.
Japanese Cabbage Salad1 small head acbbage
1 3oz pkg noodles (ichiban)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 cups chopped onions
2 tbsp sesame seeds
dressing
2-3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
2 tbsp vinegar
add 1 ichiban soup mix
you can roast seeds & almonds for a few minutes on a cookie sheet with oil. cool before adding to salad.
Hamburger Soup
1 lb lean ground beef
1 stalk celery chopped
1 large carrot
1 onion chopped
1 garlic clove
1 tsp olive oil
1 28oz can tomatoes, diced with juice
1 can red kidney beans
1 10z can tomato condensed soup
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tsp worcestershire
pinch cayenne
1 zuchinni chopped
salt & pepper
fresh parsley
fresh grated parm cheese
In a skillet over med heat, brown ground beef, set aside in soup pot. Saute celery, carrot, onion and garlic. Add to soup pot. Add tomatos, beans, tomato soup, 1 can water, mushrooms, worcestershire, cayenne, salt & pepper. Increase heat to med-high and bring to a boil. REduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 30 mins. Add zuchinni and pars;ey, simmer for 15 mins. Add parm before serving.
Coleslaw Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1 tsp honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cilantro
Warm Coleslaw with Honey Dressing
6 teaspoons olive oil1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped1 teaspoon dry mustard1 large carrot, peeled and cut into julienne1/2 head napa cabbage, cored and thinly sliced crosswise (about 5 cups)3 tablespoons cider vinegar1 tablespoon dark honey1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1/2 teaspoon caraway seed1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
Directions
In a large nonstick saute pan, heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onion and mustard and saute until the onion is soft and lightly golden, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
Reduce the heat to medium and add 2 more teaspoons of the olive oil to the pan. Add the carrot and toss and stir constantly until the carrot is tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the onion.
Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan over medium heat. Add the cabbage and toss and stir constantly until the cabbage just begins to wilt, about 3 minutes. Quickly transfer the cabbage to the bowl with the other vegetables.
Quickly add the vinegar and honey to the pan over medium heat, stirring until combined and bubbly and the honey is dissolved. Pour over the slaw. Add the salt and pepper and toss well. Garnish with the caraway seed and parsley and serve warm.
Joanne Shultz's Potato Dill Soup1/2 large yellow onion
6 large potatoes peeled
3 tbls dill
1/2 cup butter
2 tbls flour
1/2 cup cream or milk
Saute onion in butter and dill. Boil potatos and mash up in the water. You might need to discard of some of the water depending on how thick you want the soup. Add the onions to the potatoe water. In a sauce pan melt more butter and add 2 tbls flour to make a roo. Add milk to the flour paste and mix thoroughly until a thick cream sauce. Add the sauce to the potato water slowly. add salt & pepper to taste.
Ingredients:
Fennel Salad with Citrus Zests and Toasted Pine Nuts
1 x large fennel bulb
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
olive oil, to taste
Fleur de sel (coarse salt) and freshly ground pepper to season
Cut the shoots from the fennel and discard, reserving a good handful of green fronds. Chop these and toss them into a bowl. Peel the fennel bulbs, halve, core, and slice paper-thin, using a mandolin if you have one. Add to the bowl. Grate over the zests. Squeeze lemon juice over, to taste. Add the pine nuts. Drizzle over oil, to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Toss, taste and adjust the seasonings, and serve immediately.
