Ice: Lemon, Cappuccino, or Campari-Orange Frozen Dessert

2 C. strained fresh lemon juice
2 C.  water
2 C. sugar
or
3 C. strong coffee/ part espresso
1 C. soy creamer
1 C. sugar
or
3 C. strained fresh orange juice
1 C. Campari (Italian aperitif)
juice of 1 lemon
1 C. sugar

Combine selected ingredients in pan and bring to boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temperature and pour into a shallow cake pan and freeze.  This ice will be ready in 3 to 6 hours.  You can stir it 1/2 way through freezing, then continue to freeze until ready to serve.  Enjoy!

Imam Baildi

Imam Baildi is also known as stuffed eggplant.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 lbs Japanese eggplants

⅔ C. organic olive oil

2  C. sliced organic onions

3  cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2  C. peeled and chopped tomatoes

½ cup water

1/2 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. sugar

Sea salt and ground pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut ends off the eggplants. Using a sharp knife, slice the eggplant from the stem end down to the other end, making sure you don't slice through. Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil to frying pan and gently cook eggplant over medium heat.

Remove the eggplant from the skillet and place in an 8"x8" baking dish.  Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Add the remainder of the olive oil and sauté onions and garlic until slightly golden.  Add the fresh tomatoes and 1/2 cup of water to skillet. Add oregano, sugar, sea salt and pepper. Simmer covered, for 15 minutes.

Remove stuffing from heat. Generously fill the eggplants with this stuffing.  Bake for 4o minutes; basting them at least once with olive oil.

Hazelnut Strips

This recipe has been modified from a Fannie Farmer's recipe.
Beat until stiff
  1 egg white
Beat in gradually
  1 C Confectioner's sugar
  1 C organic hazelnuts, ground fine
Pat out on a lightly floured board into an oblong, about 1/2 inch thick.
Beat together and spread over first mixture.  Let stand 30 min. to dry.
  1 egg yolk
  6 Tbl confectioner's sugar
  1/2 tsp vanilla
Cut in strips with a knife dipped in hot water.  Place on a greased and floured cookie sheet.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Bake at 300 degrees until delicately brown--about 15 minutes.  Cool and lift from pan.  Makes about 18.

Herbed Beet and Carrot Salad

A pretty dish that's good for you and very tasty.

Ingredients:
8 organic carrots, grated
3 organic beets, grated
2 organic cloves garlic, minced
1/3 C chopped organic cilantro
1/3 C Rice Vinegar

Mix ingredients in a pretty crystal or glass bowl.  Add vinegar and toss.  Let refrigerate for 1 hour to mix flavors then serve with chicken or fish.

Honey Chicken

Ingredients:
2 Tbl. Honey
1 Tbl. Dijon Mustard
1 Tbl. Apricot Jam
3/4 Tsp. Gluten-Free Tamari

Mix and spread over 6 skinless organic chicken breasts.  This will be slightly soupy--if you want more of a crust, mix in 2 or 3 Tbl. rice bran.  Then as the chicken bakes at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes,  a golden crust will form on top.  If you leave it soupy, a delicious glaze will coat the chicken.  Serve with rice and salad.

Hummus

Ingredients:

1 16 oz can of organic garbanzo beans

1/4 cup liquid from can  

3-5 tablespoons lemon juice  

1 1/2 tablespoons tahini

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Drain garbanzo beans and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.

Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with parsley or paprika (optional).  Serve with Udi Gluten Free Sandwich Bread or with Rice Crackers. 

Ghee

Fall Drive, by Nancy Canyon

Take a pound of unsalted butter and slowly melt it over medium heat.  Cook until it begins to foam.  Scoop off the foam and throw away.  Continue to cook the butter until you hear a spitting sound.  It is now time to remove the ghee from the heat.  At this point there will be brownies of milk settled on the bottom of the pan.  All that is left of the butter is the butter fat.  Let it cool enough to safely handle and pour through a fine sieve into a glass jar with a tight fitting lid.

Ghee has a caramel taste.  It is delicious in baked goods.  Keeps well in the refrigerator.  And, since it's only butter fat without the milk solids, it is usually okay for dairy intolerant people to eat.  Another name for Ghee is clarified butter..  

Garden Marinara

If you have a good growing season in your area and are able to harvest lots of basil, oregano, garlic, zucchini, tomatoes, and green beans from your garden,  then try this easy dish--even my kids loved eating their vegetables as a spaghetti sauce.

Ingredients:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add chopped garlic and onions, and saute lightly.  Add chopped green beans, zucchini, and tomatoes and any other vegetables you wish.  Add a can of tomato sauce.  Season with basil, oregano, and sea salt.  Simmer until thick.  Serve this chunky sauce over rice spaghetti.

Option:  Hit the local farmer's market or have one of those vegetable baskets delivered to your door.                                                                                                      

Enjoy!

Photo by julesjulesjules m 

Green Beans with Dressing

In a steamer basket, cook 5 to 8 minutes, or until tender-crisp, 2 pounds green beans with strings removed and tips broken off.  Cool in water, drain and transfer to a beautiful serving bowl.

In a jar, shake together 2 Tbl. extra-virgin olive oil, 1 Tbl. white-wine vinegar, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, and 1/4 tsp ground pepper.  Pour over beans and toss to coat.  Serve with a main dish and garlic mashed potatoes.

Ginger Chicken

This dish is easy and tasty.  Good for picnics served with potato salad.  Or serve with rice pilaf and a side of roasted broccoli.  Yummy!

Mix together:

1/2 C. plain coconut milk yogurt

1 to 2 Tsp. ginger

2 Tsp. minced garlic.

Dip into this mix, one at a time, 12 organic drumsticks (Trader Joe's).  Arrange on a baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until crispy brown.

  

French Toast

I love French Toast.  Once I thought it wouldn't be something I'd ever get to eat again, until I found Udi's Gluten Free Bread.  Now, a plate of French Toast is possible,  a delicious Sunday breakfast.

Ingredients:

2 eggs, whipped with 1 Tbl. Water
4 slices bread.

Dip bread in egg long enough to soak up mixture.

Heat pan, melting 1 Tbl. butter or ghee.  Once pan is hot, drop in slices of battered bread.  Allow to cook until golden brown before turning.

Serve with fruit and real maple syrup.
Yummy!

Fried Oysters

Yes, oysters.  One of my favorite foods.  When I was a teen I used to eat raw oysters, oyster sliders, with my dad.  Lots of people say yuck to this, but I've always been experimental with food.  Why not? Raw oysters aren't something I generally order when I eat at a good seafood restaurant, but fried oysters, yes.  And living where I can buy them fresh in the Pacific Northwest, what a joy.

Recipe:  One jar of baby oysters.  The smaller ones are more tender and more palatable visually.  Drain the oysters and dust with rice flour.  Now the most important part, melt butter or ghee in a large fry pan.  Fry your oysters for a short amount of time, turning so each side is browned golden. Salt and pepper and serve with salad and a starch--such as rice or potatoes.

Yummy!

Frijoles Charros

1 to 2 onions, minced
2 Tbl Olive oil
3 C cooked pinto beans
4 to 6 slices bacon, minced
½ cup chorizo or Italian sausage
1 16 oz. can tomatoes, drained and chopped
6 serrano chilies, minced, or to taste
1 Tbl. cumin
salt to taste

Saute onions in olive oil until tender.  Add beans and cook over medium heat 5 minutes,
stirring occasionally.  In another pan, fry bacon and chorizo. Drain off fat and add beans 

and tomatoes, chilies and spices. Heat thoroughly.

Eggs with Goat Cheese and Greens

I like to buy the big bin of greens from Costco.  Because I'm mostly cooking for one, I have to go through them quickly.  So I eat them as salads, put them in my rice tortilla wraps, and load my omelette with them.

Beat 4 eggs until smooth.  Add a sprinkling of sea salt.
Pour into med-hot olive oiled pan.  Let the eggs cook a bit, tipping up an edge to allow the uncooked egg to run under the pancake and cook.  When most of the egg is cooked, load up with greens (app. 1 cup).  Also (if you can eat goat or sheep cheese) add a tablespoon or two of cheese.  Fold the omelette in half and cover with a lid.  This lets the cheese melt a bit.  I was always taught to not let the eggs brown, but they always seem to.  Perhaps I keep the heat too high. This omelette will most likely feed two. Enjoy

English Muffins (Gluten-free)

I haven't tried these muffins yet (just found them on the web today.) They're supposedly delicious and I'd be interested in hearing just how good they are.  If you've tried them, let me know.  I sample different Gluten-Free breads and rolls and find that some have dairy added, which doesn't work for me. Also, some folks find potato flour problematic, so perhaps something to look for if you have food allergies.

Dolmas

I usually buy these from the deli, but here's a recipe from www.bigoven.com

Ingredients

	8 ouncesgrape leaves; in brine (about 40-45 leaves)
	1/2 cups olive oil; divided
	2 cups cooked organic long grain rice
	4 finely chopped green onions
	1 finely chopped small onion
	1/4 cup chopped mint
	1 Tbl lemon zest
	Salt; to taste
	1/2 cup pine nuts; finely chopped
	Juice of one lemon

  

Preparation:

Drain grape leaves and place them in a large heat-proof bowl. Pour just enough boiling water over the leaves to cover and let them soak for about 20 minutes. Drain again and rinse under cold running water.

In the meantime, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the rice, mint, lemon zest, salt to taste and pine nuts. Mix thoroughly; making sure the rice is well-coated with oil.

Assembling: Fill grape leaf vein side up and stem end toward you. Place 2 teaspoons rice mixture in center, fold stem end over the filling, bring in sides and roll tightly. Repeat.

Place dolmas close together in a single layer, seam side down, in a large pan. Drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil and add boiling water to cover tightly.  Simmer 1 hour, cool in liquid, then transfer to a serving platter . Serve at room temperature.

Makes about 40 to 45 appetizers.