Avocado, Shrimp and Tomato Salad

(2 servings)

We still have not really hit the triple digit temperatures, although it feels like it to me. It's just hot and I have no desire to leave the house unless it's absolutely necessary.

I made this delicious cool salad, and momentarily forgot about the heat.

1 medium avocado, sliced
1 medium tomato, sliced
1 1/2 - 2 cups cold cooked shrimp
1/4 cup Green Goddess Salad Dressing
*tsp of fresh lemon juice, optional

Divide the avocado, tomato and shrimp between two plates. Drizzle with the salad dressing and serve.

*If you are not serving this salad right away, sprinkle the lemon juice evenly over the avocado slices - this will keep them from changing colour.

Spaghetti with Garlic, Basil and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

(serves 3)

I bought a jar of sun-dried tomatoes on a lark. They were packed in olive oil and looked interesting. I was planning on saving them for when the supply of fresh juicy tomatoes began to dwindle, but I couldn't help myself and opened the jar.

Those sun-dried tomatoes were delicious; sweet and slightly chewy. I just had to make some pasta!

1/2 lb whole wheat spaghetti
3 tbsp olive oil, or the oil the sun-dried tomatoes were packed in
8-9 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp anchovy paste (if not using, then add salt to taste instead)
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
3 tbsp fresh basil, sliced into strips
freshly ground black pepper

freshly grated or shredded parmesan cheese

Cook the spaghetti according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat and saute the garlic until it's golden brown; about 5 minutes. Add the anchovy paste if using and the sun-dried tomatoes and stir well. Then add the basil and stir to combine. Season with the pepper and/or salt if you aren't using the anchovy paste.

Drain the spaghetti and add that to the skillet and toss until it's evenly coated. Divide evenly among three plates and pass around the parmesan cheese.

Green Goddess Salad Dressing

(1 cup)

This salad dressing is very quick and easy to make. I love it over sliced tomatoes.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4-6 anchovy fillets
small handful of fresh parsley
1 green onion, cut up
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp capers
freshly ground black pepper

Place everything into the bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth.

Spoon over salad or cut up vegetables.

Guacamole

(about 1 1/2 cups)

We haven't really had the brutal sort of heat I've become accustomed to this time of year. It's rained quite a bit which is really nice, but that messes with the humidity and raises those levels. Regardless, it's never entirely comfortable outside for me, so I'm tucked away inside where it's air conditioned.

The heat and humidity usually slow me down to the point where I'm not really in the mood to cook much. Today is no exception. I tossed together this guacamole instead, which came together very quickly.

2 avocados, peeled, seeded and cubed
1/4 - 1/2 clove garlic, minced (optional)
juice from 1 - 2 small key limes
a few drops of hot sauce
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small plum tomato, chopped
1/2 green onion, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

corn chips

Place the avocado, garlic, lime juice, hot sauce and jalapeno pepper into a bowl. Mash together with a fork. Stir in the tomato, green onion, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with corn chips.

Yummy Salad of Mozzarella & Tomato

(serves 2)

It seems there are heirloom tomatoes everywhere at the moment and they are hard to resist. They taste great and some of them are quite beautiful. This is a simple salad to make and it's delicious when served at room temperature.

1 medium tomato, sliced
6 small slices mozzarella cheese
6 olives
2 anchovy fillets
1 tbsp fresh basil, sliced
1 tsp capers
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Divide the tomato slices and cheese and arrange on two plates. Garnish with the olives and anchovies. Sprinkle the basil and capers over the tomatoes and cheese.

Drizzle the oil and vinegar over the salad and then finish off with some freshly ground black pepper.

Sun-Dried FetaTomato Spread

(about 1 cup)

The jar of sun-dried tomatoes is almost finished. They were so good! I combined the last of them with feta cheese and yogurt for this delicious spread.

I can hardly walk past the refrigerator without stopping, pulling out this spread and having some of it with a multi-grain cracker or two.

1/2 lb feta cheese
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil and drained
1/4 cup greek style plain yogurt, (or sour cream if you prefer it less tart)
1 small clove garlic, chopped
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 green onion, sliced


Place the feta, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, yogurt and black pepper into the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.

Add the green onion and pulse until just mixed.

Serve with bread or crackers.

Olive Hummus

(about 3 cups)

Hummus has got to be one of the easiest things to make at home, and in my opinion it tastes much better than the ready made stuff. I usually intend to make a simple one with just a bit of garlic and lemon juice, but invariably I end up coming across something in my refrigerator or pantry and add that to the mix.

This time it was olives, and the hummus turned out great.

1 25 oz can chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained
1/2 cup tahini paste
1/2 cup olives, I used a combination of kalamata and spanish
1/4 cup water
3-5 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
freshly ground black pepper
salt, if needed

Place everything, except the salt, into the bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth. Check for seasoning. Add the salt if needed.

Serve with pita bread or crackers. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil if you wish.

Watermelon and Feta Salad

(serves 2)

Texas seems to forget there's a season called Spring. It's darn hot already, well at least by my standards, (and we haven't even hit the triple digits yet). This dish is pure heaven on a very hot day. :)

The flavours in this light and refreshing salad are amazing; sweet, salty, sour and a bit of mint.

salad
4 cups cold seedless watermelon, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup feta, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
2 tbsp salted pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 tsp fresh mint, finely chopped

freshly ground black pepper


Divide and arrange the ingredients between 2 plates. Grind a bit of fresh pepper over the salads.

dressing
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp orange juice

Combine the vinegar and orange juice. Sprinkle evenly over the salads and serve.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

(about 2 cups)

Last night by the time I got home with the groceries, I didn't feel much like cooking. So, I made some hummus which is always quick and easy.

I was going to make a simple one with lemon juice and garlic when I noticed a jar of roasted red peppers I had picked up on sale a couple of weeks ago.

1 16 oz can chick peas, drained (garbanzo beans)
1/2 cup roasted red pepper  (I used some from a jar although this would probably be better if you roasted a couple of fresh ones).
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/4 cup water
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp hot paprika
pinch of cumin
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.

Serve with pita bread or crackers

Feta Cheese Spread

(4-6 servings)

Whenever I don't feel like cooking, I resort to cheese and crackers. This spread is much nicer than plain slices of cheese, and it's quick and easy to make.

1/2 lb feta cheese
1 small clove garlic
1 tsp Hungarian sweet paprika
1 tsp Hungarian hot paprika
1 tsp dried mint
2 tbsp olive oil

Place all the ingredients into the bowl of a food proceesor and process until smooth.

Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and serve with bread or crackers.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

(about 24 cookies)

My mother found out she had celiac disease a year or two ago and complained about how awful some of the gluten free products were. Initially I tried out various store bought cakes, cookies and breads. In the process, I came across a wonderful bakery outside of Seattle, Wow Baking Company which makes some of the best cookies I've tasted. I can tolerate gluten just fine, but sometimes I can't resist picking up a tub of their Ginger Molasses Cookies. They are simply amazing.

I've also started to experiment in the kitchen a bit. This peanut butter cookie recipe appears to be quite popular on the internet. What bothered me about it though was the amount of sugar used. One cup of sugar to one cup of peanut butter. Too sweet for my taste. I cut the sugar by half, added a tablespoon of cornstarch and the cookie turned out great.

1 cup chunky peanut butter, unsweetened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1 large egg

1 - 1 1/2  3.5 oz bars of semi-sweet chocolate, broken into pieces (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine the peanut butter, sugar, cornstarch and baking soda in a bowl. When it's well mixed, add the egg and continue to mix until the egg is well incorporated. The dough will also lose it's sticky, gooey consistancy.

Shape small walnut sized pieces into balls, place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart, and flatten with a fork or the bottom of a glass. Place a piece of chocolate onto the centre of each cookie, if using.

Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned; the centre should still be soft. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool on the cookie sheet.

Spaghetti Carbonara

(serves 2)

This is a nice quick dinner. You can easily double or triple this recipe to feed more.

1/2 lb whole wheat spaghetti
4 slices of lean thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 large clove of garlic, chopped 
1 large egg, beaten (at room temperature)
1 tbsp milk or cream
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of nutmeg 
1/2 cup freshly grated romano cheese 

Bring a few quarts of salted water to boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente; about 10 minutes or according to the package directions.

While the spaghetti is cooking, place the cut up bacon into a skillet and turn on the heat to medium. Add the garlic when the bacon begins to crisp. The garlic should flavour the bacon and not be allowed to burn. Stir a minute or two until the bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon and place on a paper towel to drain.

Combine the eggs, milk or cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg (in a mixing bowl large enough to hold the spaghetti) well. Set aside.

Drain the spaghetti, and add to the egg mixture immediately and toss, coating the pasta evenly. The spaghetti  should be hot enough to cook the eggs. Add the bacon and the cheese and toss until well combined.

Serve with salad

Körözött, Hungarian Cheese Spread

(serves 4)

This is an adaptation of a spread my father used to make. He added almost as much butter as cheese to his, which I consider way too rich. I not only omit the butter, but I replace the cream cheese with neufchatel for a lower fat version. I'm also inclined to add a bit more lemon juice, capers and anchovies as I prefer it fairly robust.

This piquant spread just isn't the same without the anchovies, and I strongly urge you to use them. I have served it to people who think they hate them and to be honest, I don't believe they even realised there were anchovies in it.

8 oz neufchatel cheese
4-8 anchovy fillets, drained
1 tbsp Hungarian paprika
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp caraway seeds

1 tbsp capers
2 tbsp green onion, chopped or chives

Place the neufchatel, anchovy fillets, paprika, lemon juice and caraway seeds into the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.
 
Scrape down the sides and add the capers and green onions and pulse once or twice until just mixed.
 
Serve with bread or crackers.

Fish Stew

(4 servings)

I'm very fortunate to live near a Whole Foods with a bulk food section. This allows me to purchase my spices in small amounts as I use them.

2 tsp olive or canola oil
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika
1 tsp Hungarian hot paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 
1 red bell pepper, chopped (seeds removed)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup couscous 
1 1/2 lbs tilapia fillets, cut into chunks or any moderately firm white fish
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 lemon or lime, quartered

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute for a minute or two. Stir in the paprikas, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Stir another minute or until the aroma intensifies.

Add the bell pepper, diced tomatoes, wine, water and couscous. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the peppers have softened. You may need to stir it once or twice, as the mixture will thicken a bit.

Uncover and add the fish. Simmer for about 3-5 minutes or until the fish is done and flakes. Stir in the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

Divide between 4 large soup bowls,  garnish with a lemon or lime wedge.