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Oven Preheat to Broil Yields 1 cup |
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1 cup sesame seeds |
Place the sesame seeds on a baking tray and lightly toast under the broiler. Stir often with a wooden spatula. |
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¼ cup olive oil 1 Tbsp sesame oil |
Blend the seeds and oils together with a blender (my immersion blender works best). Blend to a smooth paste. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to one month, or freeze in 2 Tbsp portions. |
Tahini paste is the key ingredient in Greek salad dressing and hummus.
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Yields ~2 cups |
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1 (500g) carton fat free plain Greek style yogurt ½ pkg dry ranch dressing mix (1 ½ T) 1 T dillweed 2 T dill pickle juice or lemon or lime juice 1/4 cup skim milk (for dressing)
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Mix together. Omit the milk if you are using this as a dip. |
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Place in a glass jar and store in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
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I prefer Fage brand Total 0% yogurt, because it is low in sugar. This fat free salad dressing goes great on cucumbers, salads, tacos and burritos, fresh veggies, sandwiches and even baked potatoes!
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Serves 2 |
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Water 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt 8 oz pasta, thin linguine or spaghetti |
Fill a large, heavy sauce pan or Dutch Oven 2/3 with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add oil and salt. Add pasta and stir to soften. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the vegetables. |
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1 cup frozen spinach |
Place the spinach in a glass bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Set aside. |
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4 oz goat cheese ¼ cup olives 2 Tbsp capers 2 Tbsp milk 1 tsp Italian seasoning Salt & pepper |
Chop the soft goat cheese into ½ inch bits, Place in a small bowl and mix in the rest. Set aside. |
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16 grape or cherry tomatoes |
Slice the tiny tomatoes in half and set aside. |
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2 Tbsp butter 1 clove garlic, finely diced |
Cook the pasta until tender. Drain into a sieve or colander in the sink. Quickly place the pan back on the hob over medium heat and add the butter and garlic. Stir continuously and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the pasta back into the pan. Once you have added the pasta back into the pan, add the spinach and stir. Add the goat cheese mixture and stir a few minutes until smooth and hot. Add the tomatoes last, and quickly serve onto the plates. |
This is my favorite “bachelorette” meal. The idea is to see what you have in the pantry or freezer and whip up a fabulous pan of pasta! If you have marinated olives in the fridge, use them and throw in a whole garlic clove from the jar. Substitute any cooked green vegetable for the spinach. The key ingredient is the goat cheese- don’t skimp on that!
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Serves 2 |
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3 Tbsp olive oil 1 large sweet onion 3 cloves garlic |
Pour the olive oil into a deep skillet or wok. Chop the onion into ½” pieces. Crush the garlic cloves, peel and chop. Add to the pan and sauté over medium-high for 5 minutes. |
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I large bok choy cabbage |
Wash and chop into 1” pieces. Add to the skillet and stir well. |
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1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper 1 tsp sugar |
Add, stir well. Cook uncovered over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until tender. |
This goes well with roast turkey, chicken or fish.
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Serves 4 |
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½ cup dry barley ½ tsp salt Water |
Place in a saucepan, rinse with water to wash away any ‘floaters’ or debris. Cover with 2” of water. Add salt. Bring to a boil. Tilt the lid and simmer gently over medium heat for 45-60 minutes. Add water if needed. |
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2 cups dry lentils 8 cups water ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper |
Place in a medium pot, rinse with water to wash away any ‘floaters’ or debris. Add water, salt & pepper. Bring to a gentle boil. Tilt the lid and simmer gently over low heat for 20-30 minutes. |
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2 medium potatoes 3 large sweet potatoes (I prefer the light yellow sweet potatoes, but the orange are fine.) 1 tsp salt Bowl of water |
While the barley & lentils cook, peel and chop the potatoes into 1” pieces. Place them immediately into a bowl of cold water with the salt. This keeps them from turning brown. Set aside. |
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3 Tbsp olive oil 1 large sweet onion 6 stalks celery 3 cloves garlic 1 Tbsp Provence herbs 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper |
Pour the olive oil into a large soup pot. Chop the onion and celery into ½” pieces. Crush the garlic cloves, peel and chop. Add to pot with spices. Sauté over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. |
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½ gram Spanish saffron (or more to taste) 3-4 cups chicken or vegetable broth |
Drain the sweet potatoes and add to the stew along with the saffron and 3 cups broth. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Remove about 2 cups of the vegetables and mash or process with a mixer to form a paste. Return the paste to the pot to thicken the stew. |
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When the barley is tender, drain and add to the stew. Add more broth if desired. |
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12 stalks asparagus |
Chop the asparagus into 1” pieces and steam for 10 minutes or so until crisp tender. If you are not serving immediately, rinse in cold water to cool, and reheat later. |
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Serve the stew in a shallow bowl along side the lentils. Top with asparagus. |
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Optional: |
Prepare the shrimp (click for recipe) and serve in the same bowl as the stew. |
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I suggest serving the stew with warm pita bread, hummus and olive tapanade. |
I was craving saffron-infused paella and did not have all of the ingredients, so I invented this dish. I am sure it is not authentic Moroccan, but it is what I imagine Moroccan to be!
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Oven 350F Serves 6-8 |
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¼ cup olive oil 1 large sweet yellow onion 2 garlic cloves or 2 tsp chopped garlic 1 ½ Tbsp Provence herb mix or Italian mix
Optional: 1lb ground lean turkey or beef
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Pour the olive oil into a large heavy saucepan or skillet. If you are making a meat sauce, crumble in the ground meat; stir and cook until done.
Chop the onion into ¼” bits. Mince the garlic cloves very fine or press through a garlic press. Add to the pan. Sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. |
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1 can (29 oz) crushed tomatoes 1 can (29 oz) tomato sauce 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste 2 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper
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Add the rest. Stir and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. |
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¼ cup olive oil 1 tsp salt 1 cup pinenuts 1 tsp garlic, chopped Handful fresh basil leaves or 2 Tbsp dried basil
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Place in a blender. Mix and blend into a smooth pesto. |
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2 lb frozen spinach |
Place the spinach on two paper towels on a plate. Microwave on defrost 2 minutes or longer to completely defrost. Place another paper towel on top and press all of the water out of the spinach.
Add half of the spinach to the pesto and blend until smooth.
Save the other half for layering.
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3 eggs |
Add the eggs to the pesto and beat together.
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1 lb no-boil lasagna noodles 1 lb frozen spinach (half from above)
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Layer into a 9×13 pan or two loaf pans: – Sauce – Noodles – Pesto mixture (½” thick) – Noodles – Spinach – Sauce Repeat the layers 3-4 times. Cover with foil and bake at 350F for 45 minutes.
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I prefer the loaf pans because the no-boil lasagna sheets expand perfectly to fit. It also makes it easy to prepare one pan with meat sauce or add a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese- variety for the everyone in the family.
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Preheat Grill to High Serves 6 |
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2 small zucchini 2 small yellow squash 1 red bell pepper 1 yellow bell pepper 1 green bell pepper 2 stalks celery 1 large yellow sweet onion 1 dozen mushrooms |
Wash and chop the vegetables into bite-size pieces. Place in a plastic bag. |
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¼ cup olive oil 1 tsp chopped garlic 1 Tbsp Italian or ¼ tsp pepper |
Add to the plastic bag and turn to coat the vegetables. |
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Course sea salt |
Place the grill pan on the grill over high heat. Turn out the vegetables onto the pan. Turn the heat down to medium. Close the grill cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir the veggies and cook for another 5 minutes or so until tender. Remove to a platter or serving dish and sprinkle with course sea salt. |
You may also roast the veggies in your oven. Place in a 9×13 pan and cover loosely with foil to prevent spattering. Bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes.
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Serves 6 |
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12 tiny red potatoes |
Boil the whole potatoes 15-20 minutes just until tender, but not soft. Drain. |
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1 cup fresh green beans |
Trim the beans and cut into 1 “ lengths. Boil for about 10 minutes until crisp-tender. Drain. |
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3 stalks celery ½ sweet yellow onion 1 yellow pepper |
Chop into 1/2” pieces. |
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2 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp vinegar Fresh dill Fresh chives Salt and pepper |
Cut the potatoes in half or quarters if desired. Toss everything together with the warm potatoes and beans. |
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Serves 4-6 |
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1 (8 oz) package cream cheese 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded
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Combine in a glass bowl or large measuring cup. Microwave on high for one minute. Stir and microwave another minute. Stir until smooth. |
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¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce ½ tsp garlic powder ¼ – ½ tsp cayenne pepper
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Add spices and mix well. Start with ¼ tsp cayenne and add more if you like it spicy.
You may store this in a plastic container in the refrigerator for two weeks.
To make a cheese ball or log, remove from the refrigerator and turn out on to wax paper. Form into a ball or log shape and roll in chopped walnuts or pinenuts.
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French bread crust or crackers
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Serve cold or warm with warm bread crusts or crackers. |
This is the base of several of my recipes.
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Serves 4-6 |
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Before preparing the vegetables, start the rice cooking. It will be done just in time.
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2 Tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp cornstarch ¼ tsp ground pepper ¼ tsp cayenne pepper 2 Tbsp white wine
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Mix in a small dish or glass measuring cup. Set aside. |
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1 green bell pepper 1 red bell pepper 1 yellow bell pepper 4 stalks celery 1 sweet yellow onion
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Wash and chop the vegetables to ½” pieces. |
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Olive oil
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Assemble the vegetables and sauce near the stove. Set the wok on the stove with high heat, or use a sauté pan with med-high heat. Pour in olive oil to coat the sides of the wok to ¼” in the bottom of the pan. Use a splatter screen when stir frying to avoid burns.
Carefully add the vegetables to the hot oil, protecting yourself with the screen. Stir with a long wooden spoon or wooden spatula. Stir fry for 3-5 minutes until the onion is tender and translucent around the edges.
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2 cups shelled edamame, frozen 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed ¼ cup water
(Add more cayenne pepper if you like it spicy!) |
Add the edamame and stirfry for 2 minutes. Add the beans to the wok and stir.
Pour in the sauce and continue to stirfry. Add ¼ cup water to the sauce dish and pour into the pan. Stir and cook for a minute or two until the sauce thickens. Add more water if the sauce is too thick.
Serve with rice. |