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+ Caprese Panini Sandwich
4 large servings
1 large ciabatta, sliced lengthwise, like a roll.
1 pound of fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly
1 large ripe tomato
10 basil leaves
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium red onion sliced thinly
2 tablespoons butter, softened
Sprinkle olive oil, and vinegar (balsamic is nice, also white wine vinegar) Salt and pepper If you don’t have a Panini maker, have large pan ready, and a weight, such as a large can of tomatoes, or a brick wrapped in foil. In a heated skillet, add the oil, then the onion slices. Cook until limp, and slightly caramelized. Open the ciabatta, spread the butter on both side of the bread thinly. Lay the cheese slices on the bottom, then the tomato slices, then the basil. On top of the basil layer the cooked onions. Sprinkle vinegar, oil, salt and pepper over all and close the sandwich. Put the sandwich into the large, medium-high heated skillet (you can use the same one you cooked the onions in. Just wipe out the pan.), or Panini maker. Press down on the top of the sandwich, and add the weight. Cover all with foil. Wait for about 7-8 minutes, then check to see if the cheese is melted. Turn the sandwich and do cook the other side for about 5 minutes. When the cheese is completely melted, slice and serve. You can added cooked bacon, chicken, or ham slices if you like.
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+ Asian-Style Spinach Salad
3-4 servings
1 large bunch of fresh spinach, cleaned and cut or broken into bite-sized pieces. You can also use mixed baby lettuce.
10-12 strawberries, sliced (about a cup) or raspberries or blueberries, or a combination of berries. I also like orange slices, or mandarin orange slices, dried cranberries, or raisins.
½ cup of sliced almonds
½ small sweet onion or 1 shallot, sliced thinly
Dressing
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
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+ Southern Style Greens
3-4 servings
2-3 pounds of cleaned, mixed greens, such as spinach, mustard, chard, etc.
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 medium onion sliced
3-4 slices of bacon, diced
Fry the diced bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Add the onion slices, and when limp, add the garlic (about 5 minutes). Add the greens and stir until limp. Some mild vinegar sprinkled over the greens would be good when serving.
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+ Asian Stir Fried Greens (adapted from Joe’s Garden cookbook)
3-4 servings
2-3 pounds of cleaned, mixed greens, such as spinach, mustard, chard, etc.
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped
½ -1 teaspoon cracked red pepper flakes(or to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil Sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
Stir the ingredients for the sauce together in a small bowl. Set aside. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok, over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the cracked red pepper flakes, for about 10 seconds, then the ginger, and then the garlic. Heat for about 30 seconds. Don’t let the garlic burn. Add the greens and stir-fry until limp. Pour the sauce over the greens and serve.
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+ Summertime Salad
4-5 servings
3-4 cups arugula or mixed greens. torn
½ cup fresh basil, torn
1 cup assorted cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2-3 tablespoons feta or shaved parmesan cheese
Optional: fresh corn cut from the cob.
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar or Asian flavored vinegar
Salt and pepper
In a large bowl, tear arugula or mixed greens and basil. Toss in tomatoes, and fresh corn if using. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over the greens and tomatoes. Toss gently. Crumble feta cheese over the greens or if using parmesan, shave thin slides.
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+ Berry Salad
4-5 servings
3-4 cups of assorted berries
1 ½ teaspoons white wine vinegar or raspberry flavored vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1-2 tablespoons fresh mint
In a large bowl, whisk the honey, mint and vinegar together, add berries and gently toss together.
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+ Lamb Kabobs
Serves 6
Thread the lamb and veggies on to wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for 30 minutes, or 12-inch metal skewers.
2 pounds trimmed leg of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced rosemary
1 large onion
3/8-inch slices
1 pound small zucchini
12 mushrooms
In a large bowl, whisk the garlic, salt, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, rosemary, and olive oil. Add the lamb cubes, and stir until evenly coated. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate for up to 3 hours. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan, thread the lamb, zucchini, mushrooms, and onions onto the skewers. For rare meat, thread the meat and veggies close together on the skewers. For more well-done meat, space the meat and veggies about ½-inch apart. Lightly salt and pepper the skewers, and then brush with more oil. Grill the kebabs over moderately high heat, turning, until the lamb is browned outside, about 6 minutes, for medium rare.
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+ Red Potato Salad
6 servings
2 pounds small red potatoes
½ diced red onion or any sweet onion
3 tablespoon olive oil
3 teaspoons white wine vinegar or Asian flavored vinegar
1 large tomato diced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
Optional: diced, pitted kalamata olives
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut up potatoes so that they are about the same size. Bring to a boil in salted water for about 7 minutes. Check to make sure the potatoes are just cooked; not too crunchy, not falling apart. Drain, and cool. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Add the dressing, tomatoes, and onions to the cooled potatoes. Stir together, and serve.
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+ Beef Fajitas
Serves 4
Adapted from the “San Juan Classics Cookbook”
I used the marinade from the “San Juan Classics Cookbook”, and the Pico de Gallo recipe from a New Mexican recipe. Once the veggies and meat are cut up, it only takes a few minutes to grill the fajitas. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, tortillas, and Pico de Gallo, and then enjoy.
Marinade
1 cup olive oil
½ cup lime juice
½ cup beer
1 T. minced garlic
1 T. chili powder
½ teaspoon red chili flakes
2 pounds sirloin, flank steak, or skirt steak
1 red bell pepper, cut into 3/8-inch slices
1 green pepper, or pasilla pepper, cut into 3/8-inch slices
1 large onion cut, into 3/8-inch slices
In a medium saucepan, mix together all marinade ingredients; simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat to cool slightly; set aside. Cut steak into ½-inch thick strips. Place in marinade and toss to coat; allow to marinate for 15 minutes. Grill strips over very hot grill or coals for 1 to 2 minutes on each side brush with marinade during cooking. Grill strips of red and green pepper and onion at the same time. Serve with Pico de Gallo, recipe below. Pico de Gallo: 2 tomatoes, diced ½ cup onion, diced 6 radishes, diced ½ bunch cilantro 3 serrano or jalapeno chiles, diced and seeded 1 T. lime juice Mix all ingredients. Serve chilled. Makes 2 cups.
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+ Green Beans with Peanuts and Chilies
Adapted from Rodale’s Garden Fresh Cooking
Serves 4
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut on the diagonal in 2” pieces
1 tablespoon non-aromatic olive oil
2 (2-inch) dried hot chilies
2 tablespoons raw blanched peanuts (the Coop has them)
1 large clove garlic, smashed and finely chopped
- Steam or boil the string beans until just tender but still crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. SQL_INJECTION_ATTEMPT into cold water to stop cooking. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a skillet on medium-high. Add the chiles and peanuts and cook until the nuts are golden. Stir in the garlic and fry, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the beans and stir fry until heated through. Serve immediately.
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+ Beet Salad with Blue Cheese and Almonds
Serves 6
6 medium beets (2 cups when cooked and cut in bite size pieces)
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups chopped beet greens
½ cup roughly chopped sweet onions
½ cup Golden Glen feta cheese (½ cup crumbled)
¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
Dressing
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
- Wash the beets and boil 30 to 45 minutes or until soft. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium high and sauté the greens 3 or 4 minutes or until tender. Set aside.
- Cool the beets in cold water and peel. You should have about 2 cups. Cut into bite size pieces. Combine the beets, greens, blue cheese and almonds in a large bowl.
- Whisk the oil, vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper together and pour over the beets. Toss until well mixed and serve at room temperature.
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+ Thai Peanut Sauce for Spinach
Adapted from Delightful Thai Cooking by Eng Tie Ang
Makes 3 cups
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup water
2 fresh hot red chilies, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon shrimp paste or 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
1 cup peanut butter
1 can coconut milk
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan and fry the garlic until it just starts to turn color.
- Stir in the water, chilies, lime juice, salt, brown sugar, shrimp paste, peanut butter and coconut milk. Simmer 10 minutes.
- Serve over sautéed spinach, chicken, or beef or pork satays. You can lay grilled meat on a bed of sautéed spinach and top with the peanut sauce for a delicious entrée.
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+ Whole Wheat Grilled Pizza
This is a snap to put together if you mix the dough together the night before, and let it hang out in the refrigerator overnight.
1 tablespoon active dry yeast (about 1 packet)
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup warm (about 100 degrees) water
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
Olive oil
1. Combine yeast, honey, and 1/3 cup warm water in a small bowl; stir briefly with a fork. Mixture should foam a bit after 10 minutes (if it doesn't, your yeast is no good). After it foams, transfer to a mixer bowl. Add flours and salt. Use 1 cup warm water to rinse all yeast mixture from the small bowl; add water-yeast mix to flour mixture. Mix on medium speed for 10 minutes. Dough should be a little sticky and elastic. Remove from mixer and knead briefly on counter.
2. Form dough into a ball and plop into a large, deep bowl. Rub dough with a little olive oil; cover bowl with a clean towel. Allow dough to rise in a warm spot for 1 hour. (A gas oven with just the pilot on is perfect. If your oven is electric, turn it on low for 10 minutes; then turn it off and put the dough in.)
3. Punch down dough. (If necessary, wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate overnight before proceeding.) Roll into disks about ¼-inch thick. It is important that the dough relaxes after it is rolled. You can put flour or semolina on a waxed-paper-lined baking sheet and keep rolled dough circles covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Bring dough to room temperature before grilling.
Top with fresh goat cheese, parmesan, toasted pine nuts, roasted garlic cloves.
Make a quick salad of mixed green, with toss with vinaigrette (combine 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, salt and pepper shaken in a pint jar), and serve over the pizza crust after the cheese is melted.
Grilled asparagus is also good.
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+ Vanilla Rhubarb Sauce
Makes about 2 cups
This recipe is so simple, but it tastes like you spent all day cooking!
3 pounds of cleaned, fresh rhubarb, cut into 3 inch pieces
¾ cup 1 cup sugar (depending on your taste)
¾ cup white wine (I used Gewurtztraminer, but you can use Reisling, or any good fruity wine)
Combine ingredients into a large pot. On the stove, cook together on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is a sauce consistency. This takes about 30 minutes.
Cool and serve over cake or ice cream, or just eat it by itself.
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+ Poached Apricots with Goat Cheese Medallions
(You can use plums, rhubarb, cherries, and other ripe fruit)
1 quart ripe apricots, pitted and peeled
1 cup red wine (we used Zinfandel)
1/3 cup organic honey (more to taste)
1 vanilla bean (Pod split and seeds scraped. Both go into the pot)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Mix all the ingredients together in a large pot. Over medium heat, poach until the apricots form a sauce.
Slice goat cheese into small medallions and server the sauce over the cheese. You can also use this recipe over cake or ice cream.
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+ Fresh Bing Cherries with Jalapeno Salsa
(adapted from Greg Atkinson's cookbook Northwest Essentials Cookbook)
2 pounds pitted, clean bing cherries
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon chili vinegar (can also use rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar)
Salt
Mix all the ingredients together. Add salt to taste. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before using or you can cover and refrigerate for up to a day before using.
Serve with salmon, pork chops or tenderloin, or grilled chicken.
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+ Grilled Poblano Chiles with Cheddar
3 poblano chiles, sliced in half, membranes and seeds removed
Sharp, aged cheddar, sliced
Over medium hot grill, or in a cast iron pan on the stovetop, place the chiles with the sliced cheese placed inside the cavity. Cover and roast until the cheese melts and the chiles are soft, and a little charred. Enjoy immediately!
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