Some of My Mediterranean Favorites!

Tabouli/Tabouleh

1/2 C bulgar wheat

1/2 C boiling water

1 tomato squeezed, and diced

1 sm. Onion diced

1 sm cucumber, seeded and diced

1 bunch parsely, finely chopped (for this I prefer curly)

1/6 C olive oil

1/4 C lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

dash of cayenne pepper (I usualy use 1/8-1/4 tsp)

pita bread, cut into wedges and baked (375-425 watch until toasted) with olive oil and crazy jane's salt or kosher salt.

Pour boiling water over wheat and let stand 1/2 to 1 hours.  Combine tomato, cucumber, onion, and parsley in a salad bowl. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, oregano, and cayenne pepper.  Combine the dressing and the bulgar wheat.  Mix wheat mixture into vegetables.  Serve with toasted pita wedges (toast by spraying olive oil on triangles and sprinkle with Sea Salt) or you can purchase pita chips now like, Stacy's Pita Chips. Or serve as a salad.

TZATZIKI

(Greek Yogurt & Cucumber Sauce)

4 C. plain yogurt

1 medium cucumber, peeled and coarsely grated

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. olive oil

1/2 t. dried dillweed

Salt & pepper to taste

additional olive oil for garnish

1.  Please a piece of cheesecloth in a colander and pour in yogurt.  Cover and refrigerate overnight or for several hours to drain off all water.  Discard water.

2.  Mix all ingredients together except the additional olive oil and chill.  When ready to serve, drizzle olive oil on the top. Serve with pita chips and vegetables.

This is also the sauce for the following Kabobs!

Cucumber-Dill Marinade with Grilled Lamb Kebabs

Yield:

3 to 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

•                1 pound deboned leg of lamb, large dice

•                2 medium zucchini, large dice (green and yellow)

•                1 medium red onion, large dice

•                Metal or wooden skewers (soaked in water for 30 minutes)

Marinade:

•                2 cups plain whole milk yogurt

•                2 tablespoons minced fresh dill

•                1 teaspoon ground coriander

•                3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

•                1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar or juice of 1/2 of a lemon

•                1 teaspoon kosher salt

•                Freshly ground black pepper

You'll need two large glass bowls. Place lamb in one bowl and veggies in the other. Divide marinade between the two bowls and gently toss to coat. Let marinate 30 minutes at room temperature. (Can be stored in refrigerator up to 24 hrs in advance.) 

When ready to cook, heat a lightly-oiled grill pan over medium heat or use an outdoor grill. Remove lamb and vegetables from marinade, let excess drip off, and thread on skewers. Place skewers in pan and cook, turning to cook all sides, until lamb is medium-rare and vegetables are cooked through, about 6 minutes total. (You may have to do this in batches.) 

Serve immediately over rice or with flatbread. Or roasted redskin potatoes (see recipe in this blog).

Marinade: In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt, dill, coriander, red pepper flakes, vinegar, and salt until evenly combined. Season well with freshly ground black pepper, taste, and adjust seasoning, as needed. Serve with an assortment of vegetables for dipping. 

Yield: 2 1/2 cups

Roasted Red Potatoes

3 lbs of redskin potatoes, depending on size, either cut in half or into quarters.

Place in a glass roasting dish and toss with EEVO (extra virgin olive oil), kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, garlic powder, and dried basil.

Roast at 425 degrees for about 25-35 minutes, until tender and browned.

Top with grated parmesan, and toss. Serve warm.

Sundried Tomato Dip with Cheese Tortellini

1 small jar or 1/2 cup of sundried tomatoes in oil (drain the oil)

1 cup mayo

1/3 C sour cream

4 tablespoons parmesan cheese

2 cloves of garlic

2 green onions

Mix ingredients the food processor, add salt and pepper to taste.

1 package of cheese tortellini from the refrigerator section of the market, cooked per package directions, then rinse with cold water drain and toss with EVOO so they don't stick.

Like a Mac N Cheese.....but healthier, and no one will know!

Love my Organic Green Grocer Bag!!! I am so glad we have kept going all winter. This weeks bag provided me with a lovely head of cauliflower that I wanted my kids to eat! So the following was gobbled up and liked....great recipe for adults and kids. The sauce is creamy and delicious, the ham is an ingredient my kids love....and so easy to toss in, but you could leave it out and add in roasted butternut squash to keep the dish vegetarian—and it would be so pretty!

As a quick side note, I've also been trying to read up on GMOs (genetically modified organism or genetically engineered organism). From what I have been finding online I'm trying to avoid these, and foods labeled organic are not modified. That is the only way to avoid them currently as the US has no specific requirement to label other produce, prepared foods or packaged foods. The Meijer brand Naturals say on the label "No GMOs" so I've been opting for that brand over others. I suggest you look into these and make a decision for your family based on what you find.

Baked Pasta with Broccoli, Ham, and 

Cheesy-Cauliflower Sauce

A few TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small head of cauliflower
1 small onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 TBSP flour
4 C low-fat milk (or skim)
1 tsp grated nutmeg
2 C grated parmesan or romano cheese
1 lb of medium shells dried pasta (whole grain is good)
1/4 lb of smoked ham, chopped
5 C of broccoli florets
1/2 C toasted panko (Japanese Bread Crumbs), to top before serving...optional

In a large skillet saute cauliflower, onion, garlic and 1/2 tsp kosher salt in olive oil until softened. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp of flower over the mixture and cook for a couple of minutes, add 4 C of milk and bring to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes until cauliflower is soft. Turn off heat and let cool slightly.



Meanwhile, cook the past for 5-6 minutes only and drain (it will finish cooking in the oven).

In a large baking dish, add pasta, broccoli and ham, toss to combing.

Add cauliflower mixture to a blender after it has cooled for 5-10 minutes. Add 1 C of grated cheese and nutmeg, then puree until smooth. Pour over pasta mixture and combine. Top with 1 C of grated cheese.










Bake at 400 degrees F for approximately 25 minutes.

 Let cool 5 minutes, then serve.

Top with the toasted breadcrumbs if desired.

All I have left to say is, YUM! And, I betting the leftovers get better!

Mother Ruthann's Cookies

Ruthann Bennet and Vicki Stainer at a tree planting in Memory of Jerry Bennett at Freeman Road Park.

This is special post today, because it is about my neighbor Ruthann Bennett. But she is more than a neighbor...she is family, she the rock of our street's quirky community and she a force to be reckoned with! I've known her for over 16 years.  She was so welcoming when Alan and I moved to Char Mar, and so wonderful when our children arrived.  She loved them and helped me when I was scrambling and needed a baby sitter within an hour or so (job hazard of being self-employed). She is a retired educator and continues to educate and share knowledge.  Our lives wouldn't be the same without her.  She shared her famous cookie recipe with me this week, one we've been enjoying for years. It really is Ruthann...it is sweet, but has ingredients integrity, that are good for you, and are natural. This just seems to sum up the Ruthann I love....the one that loves people, nature and knowledge. Her late husband Jerry, was the same. So giving......and I'm including some photos of the beautiful plants he endowed us with and that we keep growing so in the years to come, Ruthann and Jerry will always be a part of our family.

Mother Ruthann's Cookie Recipe

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup honey

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix well

Then Add:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teas. salt

1/2 teas. baking powder

1 teas. baking soda

Mix well with mixer.

Then add:

2 cups Wheaties, 2 cups quick oats, 1 cup coconut, 1 cups ground nuts, and 12. oz. of chips — chocolate chipc OR  peanut butter chips OR butterscotch chips

Mix with spoon until well blended.  Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.




This is a very special Lilly.  It is a Eucharist Lilly and we take these inside for the winter, but back out in the summer, it is a favorite of ours and they are so beautiful just like Ruthann and Jerry.

Eucharist Lilly

Lissyanthus

Lissyanthus

Moon Flower

The ground cover, ferns and hostas in our front yard are all from Jerry.

Projects that are inspired by Jerry and the deer population he struggled with but never resented.

Our fish pond that was inspired by Jerry, although is pales in comparison to the two fish ponds that inspired this! Jerry helped up with the planning and specs so we can winter over our fish. We love to check their progress year after year, and the kids love feeding them and watching them. 

A project the neighborhood boys worked on all summer long in 2011 and one that I know Jerry would have loved. The teepee frame was constructed all from fallen trees and branches! The kids love to play in it! And so far it is standing tall even against some crazy winds we've had all fall and winter! Ruthann and Jerry are the original re-use and recycle couple. They understand and share the meaning of waste-not, want-not.

Thanks to the Bennett's the deer here in the Char Mar area are well fed with feed corn. A very loving way to keep them out of your gardens! We just love watching them and although it means we can't grow tulips....we have plenty of other deer friendly plantings (mostly from the Bennett's)!

Quick Pizza Dinner with Leftover Mexican Ground Beef!

Ok, I had quite a bit of the ground beef mixture left from my Mexican Beef Burritos last night...and it was a long day....so here is what I've come up with for dinner tonight!

Using the following beef mixture (although I'm using leftover) here it is for reference.

Beef Mixture:

• 2 lb of extra lean ground sirloin/beef (I try to find 95% lean)

• 4 tsp chili powder

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1 can of black beans or pinto beans (or both), drained and rinsed

• 1/4 - 1/2 C green onions, or red onion, chopped

Cook ground beef in 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat.  If liquid remains when beef is cooked, drain and place back into skillet.  Add seasonings, and stir well over medium low heat.  Turn off heat and add beans and onions. 

What I've used in the Pizza:

• One recipe of the following pizza dough, or use frozen pizza dough (a good thing to keep in the freezer for quick dinners)

• 1 Jar of Newman's Own Marinara Sauce

• 1lb of Kraft's part-skim shredded mozzarella with philly for better melting

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

I rolled my dough out about 2 inches larger than my pizza stone so I could place some of the shredded cheese in the crust and roll the dough around the cheese and press down to secure and form a thick border.  Place the dough with the stuffed crust on a pizza stone and into a preheated 425 degree oven for approx 5 minutes. 

Remove from the oven.  I used one jar of Newman's Own Marinara Sauce, then topped with the beef mixture and the rest of the shredded mozzarella. Brush the crust with extra virgin olive oil (or garlic olive oil if you have some), place back into the oven for 16-20 minutes.  Remove from oven and brush crust with olive oil to keep it soft. Let stant 5-10 minutes before slicing!

Amy's Favorite Pizza Dough

(makes 2 approx 12 inch pizzas--OR 1 thicker crust or stuffed crust)

1 1/4 C warm water

2 T Olive Oil

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp salt

1/4 C cornmeal

3 T whole wheat flour

3 C unbleached white flour

1 T yeast

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water (about 105 to 110 degrees F), add the rest of the ingredients and beat using the dough hook of a stand mixer until a nice dough ball is formed. If it is still sticky place flour on the counter and turn out the dough and knead until smooth.  Be careful not to knead in too much flour and make the dough too heavy. Let rise for 60-90 minutes, until doubled in size. Punch down and turn out and divide into two dough balls to roll out for pizzas.

• Option—Do you have a bread machine? Place the ingredients into your bread machine in the order the machine suggests, set for the dough cycle, when complete, turn out and divide into two balls which you will roll out for the pizzas.

--If you don't have one, you should look at investing in a Zojirushi bread machine...it is my second machine and I just love this machine. I make most of our bread and it is so nice to place ingredients in, go to work and come home to dough ready to go, or even a baked loaf!  www.zojirushi.com  They also make great rice cookers....this is a necessity in my kitchen too!

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Place pizza stones in the oven if you have them. If not place your pizza pans into the oven.  When hot, roll out the dough into your circle to fit your pan (doesn't have to be perfect). Take stone/pan from the oven and place dough on stone/pan.  Place back into the oven for approx. 4 minutes, then take it out of the oven, it's time to top it!

Beef Burritos with Jicama Salsa

Looking to lower the fat and keep dinner fresh and healthy. Tonight we went in a Mexican direction with Ground Beef Burritos with Jicama Salsa.  You can also use these ingredients to make a lower fat version of the popular Mexican Salads. I skipped the cheese in mine but added lots of cheese to my kids, trying to keep mine lower fat, but have more calories for them.

Beef Burritos with Jicama Salsa—

OR Mexican Salad see option

Beef Mixture:

• 2 lb of extra lean ground sirloin/beef (I try to find 95% lean)

• 4 tsp chili powder

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1 can of black beans or pinto beans (or both), drained and rinsed

• 1/4 - 1/2 C green onions, or red onion, chopped

• 10 inch flour tortillas

• Shredded Mexican Cheese (colby-jack or one with jalapeno if desired)

Salsa:

• 2-4 tomatoes, squeezed to remove seeds and juice, then diced

• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

• 1 small jicama, peeled and diced

• 2 green onions or about 1/4 C red onion diced.

• 1/4 to 1/2 of a jalapeno, finely diced

• Zest and juice of 1 lime

• kosher salt & black pepper to taste (or use a pinch of cayenne)

Sour Cream topping or salad dressing:

• 1 C of light sour cream

• zest and juice of 2 limes

• pinch of kosher salt

Optional Salad: Romaine Hearts, shredded

Cook ground beef in 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat.  If liquid remains when beef is cooked, drain and place back into skillet.  Add seasonings, and stir well over medium low heat.  Turn off heat and add beans and onions. 

Combine salsa ingredients and toss to combine, season to taste.

Combine sour cream with lime and salt. 

Place tortilla on a microwave safe plate and add beef mixture and cheese, microwave for 1 minute. Remove and add salsa, roll up burrito style, then top with sour cream and more salsa.

Salad Option: Place shredded romain on a plate, top with beef mixture (optional to add cheese or I prefer chopped avocado added), top with salsa veggies and lime sour cream (use more lime juice to make this mixture thinner if you'd like).

Ratatouille Lasagna

My kids like lasagna, and I want them to eat more vegetables. I have a meatloaf I put plenty of vegetables in that they love, so saw an idea for making lasagna with eggplant "noodles." I thought this might be pushing too far for my kids so I've gone with a hybrid of sorts.  My husband and I loved it.  The kids ate it better than I thought they would on the first try, so I've deemed it a success! The kids came up with the name and I think it is very fitting.

Ratatouille Lasagna

Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a pump sprayer, or canned cooking spray.
1 medium or 2 small eggplant, sliced lengthwise in 1/4 inch slices
2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise in 1/4 inch slices
1 large egg, beaten
15 oz low-fat (part skim) ricotta
1/2 C grated Parmesan, divided
2 jars of Marinara (I like Newman's Own)
1 lb of part skim shredded mozzarella (I like the Kraft with philly in it to melt, keeps my boys from complaining about "rough" cheese...some of the low fat cheese just don't melt well)
Barilla No Boil Lasagna Noodles
optional: 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped, and/or fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place eggplant and zucchini on two baking sheets sprayed with oil. Spray the vegetables and place in the oven for 10 minutes, turn and cook another 6-10 minutes, zucchini will need to be removed closer to 6-8 and the eggplant closer to 10 (but don't over roast, it is going back in the oven in the lasagna).

While roasting the vegetables, combine egg, ricota, and 1/4 C parmesan (optional, add fresh garlic, and/or fresh basil to this mixture), set aside.

In a large baking dish, 9X13, place some marinara, then a layer of noodles, top with dollops of ricotta-half of mixture, then mozzarella. Add the eggplant layer, then sauce and mozzarelle, then zucchini layer, dollop the rest of the ricotta mixture, then sauce and mozzarella, another layer of noodles, the remaining sauce (should cover the noodles) mozzarella and remaining 1/4 C of parmesan.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes.

Let sit for appox 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy.

Chorizo, Squash, Black Beans Over Spelt Berries— A Mexican inspired dinner! With a side of Apple Jicama Slaw!

My CSA bag has been wonderful lately, such great variety.......leeks, butternut and acorn squashes, sweet potatoes, apples, apple cider (apples & cider from Hircshs fruit farm near Chillicothe for my hometown friends!), onions, beets! YUM! So this past week we received spelt berries! Which, my kids really like! We had these earlier in the season and it was the first time I had cooked them and surprisingly, they were a big hit! You should really find these and give them a try if you have never had them...and here is a wonderful recipe that was inspired by my dear friend Janet Menges (who lives in Circleville), she posted on my last blog link with the basics.  So here is my version and the amounts that I used.

Chorizo, Squash, Black Beans Over Spelt Berries

For the Spelt Berries (if you can't find spelt, brown rice, bulgar wheat, or quinoa would be a good substitute):
2 Cups of spelt berries
4 C of chicken broth, heated
1/2 C of white wine
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Olive Oil

For the Main Dish:
1 lb Chorizo Sausage (bulk or links, but remove the casings...this is easy, just make a slit long ways on the sausage and peal off the casing)
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 poblano pepper, sliced in thin strips
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained well
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp cinnamon
Olive Oil
Optional: Cilantro or Sour Cream to Garnish

First, in a saucepan add a few Tbsp of olive oil and add garlic, saute until fragrant, just about a minute, add the spelt berries and toast for a few minutes, then add the white wine and saute until mostly absorbed, add the chicken broth bring to a rolling boil, lower but keep a boil and cover. Cook for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour, to your preference of softness, stirring occasionally. We prefer it al dente–with some bite left in it.

While the spelt is cooking, place the diced sweet potatoes in a glass dish with about 1/2 C of water and cook in the microwave until fork tender.  Remove from the microwave, add the maple syrup and cinnamon, cover and set aside while the spelt is cooking.

In a large saute pan, cook the sausage, then drain on paper towels. Add another Tbsp of olive oil if needed to saute the poblano peppers until softened, remove to a large bowl, add the drained beans, the sausage and sweet potatoes and toss gently to combine.

Place about 1/2 to 1 C of the spelt on a plate and top with sausage and sweet potato mixture. Garnish if desired.

With the apples we received I was craving a dish I used to make often, and it was the perfect match for the spelt dish! Cool and crunchy and the vinegar was just right to cut the richness of the sausage and sweet potatoes! 

Apple Jicama Slaw

Dressing: 

4 Tbsp honey

3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Salad:

2 C of savoy or Napa cabbage shredded (green cabbage)

2 C of grated or thinly sliced jicama

3 apples grated (leave the skins on) or finely chopped
4 green onions (white and green tops) finely chopped

1 C dried cranberries

1 C toasted walnuts, chopped

Optional: Blue cheese to garnish

In a small bowl whisk the dressing ingredients together and set aside. Prep the salad ingredients and toss to combine. Add dressing and toss until combined. 

I certainly hope you try this and enjoy it!