Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad

from here

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa or other small-kernel grain or 1 cup raw
• 1 large or 2 medium (about 1 pound) sweet potatoes
• Salt
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
• 1/4 cup minced red onion or shallot
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic, sherry, or red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup minced fresh chives or parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Peel the sweet potato and dice it into 1/2-inch or smaller pieces. Cook it in boiling salted water to cover until tender, about 15 minutes; drain well.
2. Toss together the potato, quinoa, bell pepper, and onion; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Whisk the oil and vinegar together and toss the salad with about half of this mixture; add all or some of the rest to taste. Taste and adjust the seasoning, garnish with the chives and serve

Ham and Cheese in Puff Pastry

from here


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted (recommended: Pepperidge Farm)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 pound black forest ham, sliced
• 1/2 pound Swiss Gruyere cheese, sliced
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan.
2. Lay 1 sheet of puff pastry on a floured board and carefully roll it out to 10 by 12 inches. Place it on a sheet pan and brush the center with the mustard, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Place a layer first of ham and then cheese, also leaving a 1-inch border. Brush the border with the egg wash.
3. Place the second sheet of puff pastry on the floured board and roll it out to 10 by 12inches. Place the second sheet on top of the filled pastry, lining up the edges. Cut the edges straight with a small, sharp knife and press together lightly. Brush the top with egg wash and cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes and serve hot or warm. 

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette

from here

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (1 1/2-pound) butternut squash, peeled and 3/4-inch) diced
• Good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 4 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
• 1/2 cup walnuts halves, toasted
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place the butternut squash on a sheet pan. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss. Roast the squash for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender. Add the cranberries to the pan for the last 5 minutes.
3. While the squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cider is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Off the heat, whisk in the mustard, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.
4. Place the arugula in a large salad bowl and add the roasted squash mixture, the walnuts, and the grated Parmesan. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten and toss well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately. 

roasted tomato soup

from here

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 tomatoes, cored (if necessary) and quartered
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and quartered
• 3 medium yellow onions, peeled, quartered
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 plump cloves of garlic, unpeeled
• fine-grain sea salt
• 2 - 3 cups light vegetable stock or water
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and position 2 racks in the middle of the oven. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, alternately you can just rub them down with a thin glaze of olive oil.
2. Arrange the tomatoes, skin side down, on a baking sheet. Coat the bell pepper and onions with olive oil and put them on the other baking sheet along with the garlic, place the pepper skin side down as well. Give both sheets a light showering of salt, then bake until the tomatoes start to collapse and the onions start to brown and caramelize, about 45 minutes. Turn the onions if they start getting overly dark on the bottom .Check on the garlic as well, once the cloves are golden and oozy inside, pull them from the oven.
3. Peel the garlic, dump all of the roasted vegetables into a big, high-sided bowl, and puree with a hand blender. Alternately, use a conventional blender or food processor and work in batches. Blend in a cup of the stock, and keep adding the rest 1/2 cup at a time until the soup is the desired consistency. I like a little chunk and texture to this soup particularly if the weather has a bit of a chill, but smooth or chunky is your call. Add the paprika and a bit more salt if needed - adjusting to your taste.

Ode to a Food Processor

Food processor love:

• nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, tahini . . . process roasted, salted nuts for a few minutes, and voila!)
• hummus (garbanzos, olive oil, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, water from the beans if you like a more liquid consistency, and voila!)
• salsa, guacamole 
• pasta sauce
• soup
• pizza dough and most bread dough
• pie crust
• batter for baked goods
• freezer jam
• cheese shredding
• vegetable chopping
• meat grinding
• fruit/veggie pureeing
• slicing

Creamy Artichoke Sausage Soup

Made this up as I went along...and it came out great!

3 links polish sausage (though I'm other kinds, like italian, might work well too)
3 c chicken both
2 c water
1 c heavy cream
1 15 oz can artichoke hearts
3 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
one large onion, chopped
2 small sprigs thyme
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
2 pcs bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 large yellow squash, seeded quartered and chopped (other things, like potato or zucchini would work too)


1- in large pot, heat olive oil and add the garlic. Once it's fragrant add the onion and squash and cook until soft.

2- In a separate pan, cut up sausage links in medalions or squeeze out of casings into pan and cook (so it's in chunks)

3- In a blender, puree the heavy cream, artichoke, 1 of the seeded tomato, thyme and abt 1 cup of the cooked onion/squash.

4- Add pureed mixture to pot, along with the broth and water.

5- Once hot, add the rest of the tomato, cooked sausage and bacon and heat through.

Serve with bread. Yummy! Serves abt 6.

Masman Curry for 12

I recently made this recipe from a conglomerate of others, and it turned out really well! I apologize for the large volume recipe, that's just the amount I made.


-Heat oil on skillet

-Brown cubed chicken with garlic (4 cloves minced) about 4 c chopped chicken

-1/2 can of coconut milk and cook on medium high until thickened and fragrant, stirring constantly

-whisk together ½ cup masman curry paste (the maesri brand bc it has tamarind in it) , another can of coconut milk, 2 ½ inches of ginger minced, brown sugar (1/8 cup at least) & 32oz chicken broth

-add whisked mixture with cooked coconut milk and add chopped 1 large russet and 1 large sweet potato, bring to boil and simmer

-add ¼ cup fish sauce, 8 lime leaves, & 1 cup chopped cashews and let boil and simmer

-saute 1 onion and 1 pepper in separate pan

-combine all chicken, veges and sauce. Add approx 3-4 sprigs chopped basil leaves. Simmer until everything is cooked.