March 25, 2012

Sunday
Hummus
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hummus-iii/
Ingredients
2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pinch paprika
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
Pita bread
3 sliced tomatoes
1 cup kalamata olives

Directions
1. Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.
2. Drizzle olive oil over the garbanzo bean mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley. Serve with pita bread, sliced tomatoes and kalamata olives

Chicken kabob
(http://allrecipes.com/recipe/yummy-honey-chicken-kabobs/ )
Ingredients
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic
5 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
Skewers

Directions
1. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better).
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

Monday
Pizza rolls
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/02/homemade-pizza-rolls-totinos-recipe.html
Ingredients yield: makes about 4 dozen, active time 1 hour 30 minutes, total time 2 hours 30 minutes
For the dough:
9 ounces (about 1 2/3 cups) bread flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water

For the filling:
1/2 pound Italian sausage, cooked, cooled, and finely diced
1/4 pound low-moisture mozzarella, finely diced
1/2 cup prepared pizza sauce
For frying:
1 quart peanut or canola oil

Procedures
1 Put bread flour and salt in bowl of food processor fitted with dough blade. Turn processor on and add egg. Then add water slowly,watching for dough to form ball (you might not need all the water). Continue processing until the dough is smooth and supple, about 15 seconds. Remove dough from food processor, form into flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside to rest for one hour
2. While dough is resting, prepare filling. Combine sausage and cheese, and add enough tomato sauce to bind it well, but not so much that meat and cheese are swimming in sauce.
3. When you're ready to work the dough, set your pasta roller to thickest setting. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Send first piece through pasta roller at the thickest setting, fold in half, and send it through again. Continue folding and rolling until the dough is smooth and elastic. Then, set the pasta roller one notch smaller and roll the dough again. Roll again at setting 3 and finish at setting 4. Repeat with remaining three pieces of dough.
4. Lay pasta sheet on lightly floured surface and place 1 teaspoon of filling at 1 1/2 to 2 inch intervals along enter of dough.
5. Very lightly brush uncovered dough with water. Fold dough over filling, then press around the filling to seal rolls, taking care to press out as much air as possible from around the filling. With pastry cutter, pizza cutter, or knife, trim dough around rolls, staying close to filling, but leaving sufficient dough so there's a good seal all around. Individual rolls should be about 1 1/4 inches square. Save dough scraps. When you're done with all the sheets of pasta, you can re-roll all the scraps and continue making pizza rolls.
6. Before you fry, check the rolls to make sure all the edges are sealed tightly.
7. Pour oil into Dutch oven or wok and heat to 375°F. Place the rolls in oil in batches, being careful not to crowd pan, and fry until golden brown, flipping over to cook second side when bottom is browned, 2 to 3 minutes total. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to absorb extra oil. Serve immediately or chill and reheat in oven when you're ready to serve (8 minutes at 350°).

Watermelon salad
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/watermelon-salad-with-mint-leaves-recipe/index.html
Ingredients
1 (5-pound) watermelon
1 Vidalia or other sweet onion
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
6 whole mint sprigs

Directions
Cut the flesh from the melon and cut into bite size pieces, removing and discarding the seeds, and set aside. Peel and slice the onion into rings. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, pepper, and whisk until salt is dissolved. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, a few drops at a time. Add in the chopped mint, taste, and adjust seasonings. In a large bowl, combine the melon, onion, and feta. Pour the dressing over the melon mixture and toss gently until everything is coated and evenly mixed. Garnish with mint sprigs. To serve, divide salad among individual plates and garnish with mint leaves.

Tuesday
Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
http://busycooks.about.com/od/coldsandwichrecipes/r/hamcheesesandwi.htm
Ingredients:
1 lb. loaf sourdough bread, unsliced
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup honey dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
8 thin slices cooked ham
8 thin slices cooked chicken
16 thin slices Swiss cheese
1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 yellow summer squash, thinly sliced

Preparation:
Slice loaf into 16 equal slices, cutting to but not through bottom of loaf. In a small bowl, combine butter, mustard and horseradish. Spread every other slice of the bread with this mixture, beginning with first slice, so the coated slices are facing each other. Imagine cutting the loaf to make sandwiches, and that will help you figure out which sides of the bread slices to coat. Fill the coated slices with one slice of ham, one slice of chicken, one slice of cheese and some of the green pepper and squash slices. Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill. To serve, cut between unfilled slices to form sandwiches. Serves with chips.

Another Cantaloupe Pickle
http://www.justfruitrecipes.com/fru-cant0004.html
4 lg Cantaloupes, peeled, seeded, quartered
Vinegar to cover
9 lb Brown sugar
Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to taste


Cover cantaloupe pieces in vinegar. Let stand 24 hr. Measure the vinegar - keep all but 1 quart of it. Boil vinegar, with 3 lb sugar per quart of vinegar, and spices to taste. When it has boiled to a syrup, drop fruit in it and cook 30 - 40 min over low heat.

Wednesday
Taco soup
http://www.healthdiscovery.net/forums/showthread.php?55086-Taco-Soup-Variations
1lb Very Lean Ground Beef
1 lg Onion, chopped
1 pkg Ranch Dressing Mix
1 pkg Taco Seasoning Mix
1 cup Water
1 can Black Beans, rinsed
1 can Red Kidney Beans, rinsed
1 can Cannellini Beans, rinsed
1 can Whole Kernal Corn, drained
2 cans Mexican Stewed Tomatoes, keep liquid

Brown meat and onions, drain and rinse well. Mix water, ranch and taco seasonings into meat. Add all other ingredients. Simmer for 45 minutes. I like to serve this over rice or with tortilla chips.

Thursday
Easy ravioli bake
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/easy-ravioli-bake/
Ingredients
1 jar (26 to 28 ounces) tomato pasta sauce (any variety)
1 package (25 to 27 1/2 ounces) frozen cheese-filled ravioli
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of rectangular baking dish 13x9x2-inches, with cooking spray.
2. Spread 3/4 cup of the pasta sauce in baking dish. Arrange half of the frozen ravioli in single layer over sauce; top with half of the remaining pasta sauce and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once, starting with ravioli. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
3. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 40 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered 15 to 20 minutes longer or until bubbly and hot in center. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Steamed Broccoli Recipe
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/steamed_broccoli/
Ingredients
1 bunch of broccoli
Many options here
Olive oil, butter, flax seed oil, or mayonnaise
Lemon zest or juice, balsamic vinegar
Toasted almonds, toasted sesame seeds

Method
1. Rinse out well your broccoli, and break into large, bite-sized florets. Cut off the stem and peel off the thick skin around the stem. Quarter or halve the stem lengthwise.
2. Bring 3/4 to 1 inch of water to a boil in a saucepan with a steamer. (Note that is you don't have a steamer, you can simply put the broccoli directly into an inch of boiling water.) Add the broccoli to the steamer and cover; reduce heat to medium and let cook for 5-6 minutes. The broccoli is done when you can pierce it with a fork. But be careful not to overcook the broccoli. As soon as it is pierce-able, remove from heat, place in serving dish.

Friday
Spicy Baked Green Bean Fries (with Meyer Lemon Aioli)
http://acozykitchen.com/spicy-baked-green-bean-fries/
Ingredients
Fries:
2 cups bread crumbs (or Pepperidge Farm Baked Natural crackers crushed)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 pound French green beans, cleaned and trimmed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten

Aioli:
1 meyer lemon, juiced and zested
1/2 shallot, minced
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup canola oil

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375F. On a plate, mix bread crumbs with red pepper flakes and kosher salt. Dip green beans in flour, egg and then transfer to bread crumb mixture and coat evenly.
2. Place coated green beans on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until green beans are lightly golden brown.
3. Meanwhile, add lemon juice and zest, shallot, egg yolk and salt to a blender. As blender is running, slowly drizzle canola oil into the mixture. It will thicken as it emulsifies. Salt to taste and transfer to a ramekin.

Sloppy Joes
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/super-sloppy-joes-recipe/
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon steak seasoning blend, such as McCormick brand Montreal Seasoning
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 crusty rolls, split, toasted, and lightly buttered

Directions
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and meat to the pan. Spread the meat around the pan and begin to break it up. Combine brown sugar and steak seasoning. Add sugar and spice mixture to the skillet and combine. When the meat has browned, add onion and red peppers to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and cook onions, peppers, red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce with meat for 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste to pan. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to simmer and cook Sloppy Joe mixture 5 minutes longer. Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, pile sloppy meat onto toasted, buttered bun bottoms and cover with bun tops.

Saturday
Baingan bharta
http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/baingan-bharta.aspx
Ingredients
Eggplant 2lbs
Oil 3 tablespoons
Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
Onions, chopped 3 medium
Ginger 2 inch piece
Green chillies, chopped 2 (jalapenos or serranos)
Red pepper powder 2 teaspoons
Salt to taste
Tomatoes, chopped 4 large
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped 1 1/2 tablespoons
Cooked white rice

Method
Wash, pat dry and prick eggplants. Roast them over open flame or in a tandoor/preheated oven until the skin scorches and starts peeling off and eggplants start to shrink. Let them cool. You can cool them by dipping them in water. Remove skin and mash the pulp completely. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. Cook for half a minute and add onions and sauté until translucent. Add ginger and green chillies and cook for a minute. Add red pepper powder and mashed roasted eggplants. Cook for seven to eight minutes over medium heat, stirring continuously. Add salt to taste. Add tomatoes and cook on medium heat for seven to eight minutes or till oil separates. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice.