2 baby eggplant or 1 Japanese eggplant
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow summer squash
1 Portobello mushroom cap, cut in wedges
1 small red onion, cut in wedges
1/2 small red pepper, cut in 1/2-inch strips
1/2 small yellow pepper, cut in 1/2-inch strips
1/4 cup infused oil (such as basil oil)
1 Teaspoon fresh basil, chopped
1 Teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
4 Muffins, split, toasted
1 cup (8 ounces) hummus
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Basil or thyme for garnish
1/2 cup seeded Roma tomato, finely chopped
Infused oil
Trim ends of eggplant, zucchini and summer squash; sliced diagonally into 1/4-inch slices. Combine with mushroom, onion and peppers in bottom of broiler pan or 15-inch x 10-inch jelly roll pan. In a Pyrex measuring cup, combine 1/4 cup oil and chopped fresh herbs. heat in microwave on High 1 to 2 minutes. Drizzle over vegetables, tossing lightly to coat evely. Roast in preheated 500° F oven 15 to 20 minutes, turning vegetables over twice to roast evenly. Remove from oven; cool to room temperature.
Spread each toasted muffin half with 2 tablespoons hummus. Arrange overlapping vegetable slices and strips over wedges of mushroom to give a peaked effect. Sprinkle with pine nuts and garnish with a sprig of basil or thyme. Arrange 2 muffin halves on each plate. Sprinkle plate with chopped tomato and drizzle with oil.
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
1 clove garlic, crushed
600g/21oz sweet potato (kumara) peeled, cut into 1.5cm cubes
2 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves (firmly packed)
1 cup milk
6 eggs (*see note below)
250g/9oz feta cheese, crumbled
nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons pinenuts
Method:
Grease a large flan dish.
Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft, about 2 minutes. Add sweet potato and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until golden brown, this should take about 10 minutes.
Add spinach and cook, stirring 1 minute until spinach is wilted. Cool. Add feta cheese, stir to combine and place into prepared flan dish.
Beat eggs in a large jug with milk, nutmeg and pepper and pour over vegetables in flan dish.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and pinenuts and bake in a moderate oven 180 C/360 F 30-35 minutes until puffed and golden.
NOTE: I'd try using 1 cup eggbeaters and 2 eggs in place of the 6 eggs called for.
3 cups of sliced yellow neck squash ____ that big (bout 4-5)
2 eggs
2 c shredded 2% sharp chedder
1 med sweet onion chopped as fine or as coarse as you like
2 tbs milk
1 c cream of celery soup (use chicken if you don't like celery)
in a glass bowl...beat together the eggs, soup (no water), milk,
cheese & onion...add the squash and with your hands...toss to coat...put into your favorite pan...it you want it thin...put it into
a 9x13....if you want it thicker put it into the next size down.
I use my caphalon chef pan..perfect...pat it down making sure that it covers the bottom really well..no particular reason, just sounded good
Bake uncovered for 45 min to 1 hr...or until squash is tender and the cheese is brown...
(you can cook the squash first if you want to, but it will make too much water)
Balsamic Vinegar Marinade
Note from Cheri:
I came up with this recipe to use in my Grilled Vegetable Salad with Goat Cheese, but it also works great as a meat or chicken marinade. If you plan on using this marinade on beef or lamb, substitute red for white wine.
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 tsp. fresh rosemary
1 tsp. fresh oregano
2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1 cup dry red or white (depending on what your using the marinade for) wine
Mix all ingredients together. Marinade meat for several hous or overnight and grill. Use also to marinate vegetables, as in our Grilled Vegetable Salad with Goat Cheese.
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Grilled Vegetable Salad with Goat Cheese
I love this great grilled salad served either hot of the grill or cooled to room temperature. It even works chilled, but I prefer it warm. While I usually use my balsamic vinegar marinade, but most any marinade will work.
Adding the goat cheese on top of the hot vegetables makes it melt, making a creamy "dressing."
Use any mixture of grilled vegetables you like. My grilled vegetable salads usually include some combination of the following: red and yellow cherry tomatoes, zucchini, yellow or other summer squash, Vidalia onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, Belgian endive, parboiled potatoes, asparagus, artichoke hearts, eggplant. Use whatever vegetables you like.
4 cups mixed vegetables, cut for grilling
1 recipe balsamic vinegar marinade (follow link for recipe)
4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
Serves 4
Marinate vegetables in balsamic vinegar marinade (or marinade of your choice) for at least an hour. Grill vegetables over hot coals until somewhat charred on the outside and tender on the inside (about 10-20 minutes, depending on the vegetable). Remove from grill and place hot vegetables on plates and top with crumbled goat cheese. Serve.
Note
Cut the vegetables into small chunks. If vegetable pieces are too thick, the inside won't cook while the outside will burn. For grilling, you can either thread chunks of vegetables onto skewers or use a grill basket. This handy gadget is available wherever barbecue supplies are sold and prevents cut vegetables from falling through the grate.
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Homemade Prepared Horseradish
Note from Cheri:
Instead of buying prepared horseradish, here's an easy way to make your own at home -- cheaper and no preservatives!
11/2 cups peeled horseradish root, cut into small pieces
1 cup vinegar (I like cider vinegar)
3 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
Makes About 2 Cups
Put all ingredients in a blender and puree. Cover and store in refrigerator. Be careful when handling the hoseradish root, as it is strong!
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Horseradish Cream Dipping Sauce
3 T prepared horseradish with beets
1 C light sour cream
salt to taste
Combine ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and mix well. Season to taste with salt.
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Steak and Burger Marinade
This isn't really a marinade, but rather a sauce that you brush on the meat while it's cooking. You can also use it for veggie burgers or portabella mushrooms and for food being cooked on the stove top or barbeque. The sauce will keep in your refrigerator for several weeks.
The recipe is inspired by a sauce made by Jonnie Parkinson, a former owner of Biloxi, Mississippi's Project Lounge. The Lounge is a local hangout that's known for having the best burgers or steak sandwiches anywhere. This sauce is the reason.
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup Worchestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke
6 minced garlic cloves
1/4 tsp. black pepper
hot sauce to taste
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Combine all ingredients. Generously brush both sides of steak or burger with sauce. Place on grill or pan and use a pastry or sauce brush to brush on additional sauce while meat cooks.
1 onion chopped
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. groun cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup red lentils
3 cups beef or vegetable stock
1/2 lb. spinach
1 tsp. salt or to taste
In a large stewing pot, sauté chopped onion in olive oil with cumin and coriander. Add garlic at the last moment and brown. Add lentils and stock. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer 45 minutes until lentils are tender; cook 10 minutes longer if necessary. Add spinach 15 minutes before serving and salt to taste.
1 1/2 cup shredded yellow cheese of your choice (can also use white cheese, but watch those carbs!)
8 oz chopped spinach
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt
pepper (or cajun seasoning) to taste
Grease glass Corel dish, bake at 350 until knife comes out clean (somewhere around 45 mins).
Makes 4 servings, carb count about 3g per serving
Cool Squash Soup
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6- 8 small sliced yellow summer squash
3 cups chicken stock (made from 4 chicken bouillon cubes in 3 cups of water) (I'd probably use real broth since I make and freeze mine--K)
1 cup half & half and cream
dash of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil leaves for garnish
I begin by crushing the cloves of garlic and chopping the onion then I sauté them in unsalted butter. Now I use the real stuff. Once the onions begin to turn a golden color, I add the sliced yellow summer squash. I use the small ones because they are more tender.
To this I add the chicken stock made from little chicken bullion cubes that are packed with flavor. I dissolve four cubes in three cups of water for a little added taste. I let this cook for 20 minutes on medium heat until the squash is tender. Then I let it cool before I puree it all together.
Now I add the half of half-and-half, a dash of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. After all of this is blended together I store it in the refrigerator until it is chilled. And when I serve it, I use yet another symbol of summer, fresh basil. I just chop it, and sprinkle a little on top.
I like this recipe because you can prepare it well in advance. It will serve six to eight people and it is a delicious and cool way to bring summer to close.
Dana's Note: I ran this through my handy-dandy nutrition analysis program, and using 8 squash, and given 8 servings, this comes to 9 grams of carb per serving, with three grams of fiber, for a usable carb count of 6 grams. 3 grams of protein per serving. If you'd like to cut that, the easiest way is to reduce the amount of onion a bit. I figure a "large" onion comes to a cup, chopped. I ran the analysis with 3/4 cup of chopped onion, and the carb count per serving dropped by a gram. Ran it again with 6 squash instead of 8, and it dropped by another gram. Thus do we carve a few grams out of our daily intake...
I copied these from: DANA CARPENTERS HOLD THE TOAST NEWSLETTER
For the party I went to I made this quanity, but I often make it it in smaller amounts.
1 Small-medium head green cabbage
3 Large green peppers
1 Pound package of carrots
Clean peppers, peel carrots, trim cabbage and core. Cut all into largish pieces.
Fill blender about 3/4s with water, add some of the vegetables and using grate or chop button, pulse short bursts til veggies swirl, don't let it go too long or you will have liquid! Pour into strainer and repeat until all are grated.
Put into a large bowl. Add a cup of cider vinegar or white vinegar, whichever you prefer. I use either one. Add about 2 c. water, a couple dashes of salt, pepper, granulated garlic (optional) and 1/4 c. or so of sweetner. I used Splenda but have used Equal.
Mix together. I can only say adjust to taste. Too vinegary add more water, too sweet add more Splenda, etc. You get the idea. There are no definite measurements. You can use more or less of everything.
The party guests thought it was great! A little different from the usual mayo dressing.
I have also made it until recently without carrots, but like the flavor they give.
