Quinoa and Black Beans

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1 tsp. olive oil

1 small onion, diced (about 2/3 cup)

2-3 cloves garlic (about 1 1/2 tsp)

3/4 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

3/4 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

3/4 cup frozen or fresh corn

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until tender. Add quinoa to the saucepan and stir in broth. Add cumin and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Stir corn and black beans into quinoa. Cover and simmer for 5 additional minutes. Add cilantro and stir until incorporated.

Can be served warm or chilled. Goes great with fajitas.

Serves 4-6.

Pesto a la Carbonara

Ingredients

1 box spaghetti or penne
salt, to taste
3-4 strips bacon
1 yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
basil, to taste
2 eggs (whites only)
parmeggiano, coarsely grated


Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the noodles according to the directions, until al dente. Heat olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Saute onions until soft. In a frying pan, cook bacon, cut into small pieces.

2. When pasta is al dente, drain and return to pot and immediately. Mix egg whites into spaghetti, allowing the heat of the pasta to cook the egg as it coats the pasta.

3. Mix in bacon, onion and basil. Top with freshly grated cheese. {May also add small amount of thickened cream.}

Serves 4-6.

Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

1 large spaghetti squash
olive oil, to taste

salt and pepper, to taste (optional)

Directions

1. To bake the squash, cut in half, scoop out the seeds, and lay open side up on a baking sheet.

2. Drizzle with olive oil, optional salt and pepper, and place in the oven at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour.

3. When the squash is done, use a fork and strip out the insides. It should be string-like, not too crunchy, but not a soft noodle.

Goes great with Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs.

Serves 4.

Nick's Lasagna

Ingredients

Per il Ragu
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1-2 red/yellow bell peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 carrots, shredded (optional)
2 stalks celery, diced (optional)
1 lb. lean ground beef
36 oz. plain tomato sauce
dried or fresh basil, to taste
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

La Besciamela
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 Tbsp flour
2-3 cups of milk, enough to make a creamy sauce
salt, to taste
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1-2 packages Barilla no boil lasagna noodles
freshly grated Parmiagiano, Pecorino Romano, Mozzarella, and Asiago cheeses


Directions

1. To prepare il ragu, heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Sauté yellow onion and bell peppers (and optional carrots or celery). When soft, add ground beef and brown. Drain grease. Add tomato sauce and season with basil, salt, pepper, red crushed pepper. Let simmer, up to six hours. (Can also simmer in a crock pot.)

2. To prepare la besciamela, melt butter in large sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in flour until a thick paste forms. Turn heat down to low-medium and add milk to make a creamy sauce. Season with salt and nutmeg. Keep warm while making lasagna.

3. To assemble the lasagna, place a little ragu and olive oil on bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Put down a non-overlapping layer of pasta. Next a layer of ragu, then a sparse layer of besciamela, then a thin layer of cheese. Repeat as many times until reaching the top, alternating direction of pasta each layer. Be sure to get final sauce layer to cover all edges of pasta to avoid any crunchy edges. Be generous with top layer of cheese.

4. Bake around 375 for 40 min with foil lightly covering, 10-15 min with foil removed.
Buon appetito!


We often fill a 9 x 13 as well as a smaller baking dish. This also freezes well when frozen uncooked.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

from Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients

1 lb low fat ground beef
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
¼ cups parmesan cheese, grated
⅛ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
½ cup milk
1 bunch fresh italian parsley, roughly chopped
1 whole fresh mozzarella ball

Directions

1.In a medium bowl, mix the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, egg, milk, and parsley. Add the ground beef until just incorporated; do not over-mix.

2. Using a cookie scoop, scoop out meatballs. Take the meatball , place a small amount of mozzarella cheese in the middle and form the ball around so that all of the cheese is completely covered. You now have three cooking options—choose whichever works best with your time frame. *I've done option 3.

1. Cook the meatballs and sauce in a crock pot on low for 6-7 hours.

2. Brown the meatballs slightly, leaving a pink/red center, then place in the crock pot with sauce and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

3. Brown the meatballs until almost completely cooked, place the meatballs on a foil-covered baking pan, and bake for approximately 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

Note: this recipe is for the meatballs only. Serve with your favorite ragu, make sure it is low in salt or this will be too salty.

Goes great with spaghetti squash.

Makes approx 30 meatballs.

Homemade Gnocchi

Ingredients:
3-4 medium potatoes
10 oz. spinach (fresh or frozen, but fresh is better)
1 egg
1-2 cups flour
salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Wash, peel, and dice potatoes. In boiling water, cook them until soft, then mash them up any way you please. (Potato masher... or a pastry blender works great!)

2. Steam spinach and chop finely- there will be lots of water when chopping, drain as needed.

3. In large bowl, combine spinach and potatoes. Add egg and mix well. Add 1 cup of flour and knead in. Continue to add a little flour at a time, kneading until the dough is soft yet firm (it will still be a bit sticky).

NOTE: If you are not planning to top your gnocchi with a saltier cheese, you will want to add some salt during this step.

4. Cover hands with flour to roll dough into teaspoon size balls (or size of choice). Press gently with tines of fork to semi-flatten.

5. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place gnocchi a few at a time in boiling water. It is cooked when it floats to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon.

6. Serve with a sauce of your choice: pesto, white, red, or a cheesy cream sauce like Gogonzola. Top with freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Serves 4-6.

Pomegranate Poppy Seed Salad

1-2 heads romaine lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces OR spring mix & baby spinach
pomegranate seeds
1/3 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup sliced almonds/walnuts/pecans
Brianna's Poppy Seed Salad Dressing



    Combine lettuce, pomegranate seeds, feta, and almonds. Add a bit of dressing and toss gently. This dressing goes far, so start with a little and add more as needed.

Cranberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

10 oz baby spinach, stems trimmed
1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 large tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together and toss. Dress with your favorite vinaigrette, like Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette.

Serves 6-8.

Veggie Dip

from Nancy Hatch

Ingredients:

3/4 cup low fat mayo
3/4 cup low fat sour cream
1-2 Tbsp. minced onion, dried
1 Tbsp. dried parsley (could try with fresh, but adjust amount)
1 tsp. dillweed
1 tsp. Beau Monde seasoning

Directions:

1. Mix ingredients well. Adjust seasoning as desired. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.

Serve with favorite fresh veggies. Keeps up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

Poppy Seed Layer Salad

This is great for a side salad, or a light dinner- serve it with great fresh bread.

Ingredients:

10 oz baby spinach (can use 1/2 romaine)
1/2 lb grated Swiss cheese
4-6 bacon strips, cooked, then crumbled
1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced or diced
baby bella mushrooms, sliced (optional)
small carton of lowfat cottage cheese

Directions:

1. On a large platter or on individual plates, assemble salad by creating a base of greens, layer of Swiss, bacon crumbles, red onion, optional mushrooms, and a small amount of cottage cheese. The cottage cheese does not need to be distributed all over.

Serve with poppy seed dressing-homemade- or Brianna's.

Serves 4.

Cheese Fondue

adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 cup dry white wine
OR...
{3/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup water or chicken broth
splash of milk}
1/2 lb shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 lb shredded Gruyere cheese
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. In medium saucepan, simmer wine. Add Swiss cheese and Gruyere cheese, alternating 1/4 lb at a time. Stir after each addition of cheese until melted. Stir in flour. When all the cheese has melted, add salt and nutmeg.

2. Transfer to heated fondue pot. Adjust temperature as needed to keep smooth consistency.

Serve with cut-up French bread, pears, green apples, whole wheat crackers, green peppers, etc.

(This recipe could easily be halved!)

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:

1-2 large heads broccoli, washed and cut into florets
1/4 - 1/2 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or golden raisins)
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts (or pecans)
1/4 - 1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
1/2 cup lowfat mayo
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. sugar

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine broccoli, red onion, cranberries, nuts, and bacon.

2. In a medium bowl, mix mayo, vinegar, and sugar until combined well.

option 1: for immediate serving (broccoli will be very crunchy) pour dressing over salad and serve.
option 2: refrigerate salad overnight (leave out bacon if you want it to stay crispy), a few hours before serving- toss with 3/4 of dressing and return to the refrigerator. Add on remaining dressing and bacon just prior to serving. This will give enough flavor and still leaves some good crunch to the broccoli.
option 3: Pour dressing over salad and refrigerate dressed salad overnight. The broccoli will be softened the most with this option.
(I prefer option 2)

Toss well before serving.

Serves 6-10, depending on amount of broccoli.

Mediterranean Chicken

from Real Simple: Meals made Easy

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (2 oz.) crumbled feta
4 Tbsp. black-olive tapenade or paste
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup fresh salsa (store bought works great), drained
5 oz. baby spinach
4 Tbsp. capers (optional)
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, combine feta and tapenade.

2. Rise chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. With a sharp knife, make a 2-inch slit in the thickest part of each chicken breast to form a pocket. Using a spoon, stuff some of the feta mixture into each pocket. Season the chicken with pepper.

3. Heat 2 Tbsp. of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the thicken and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking dish and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

4. While chicken is baking, heat the remaining oil (1 Tbsp.) and add the salsa to the skillet, cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cooking, tossing frequently, until barely wilted, about 1 minute.

5. Place spinach and salsa on individual plates, top with chicken, and sprinkle capers (if using). Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Serves 4.

Lime and Cilantro Chicken

adapted from Quick Food

This recipe can easily be adapted to serve however many people. I plan on 1/2 a chicken breast for each serving (maybe 1 per person depending on size.) Adjust the rice and veggies accordingly

Ingredients:

3 tsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 1/2 tsp. grated lime zest
1/3 cup lime juice (divided)
2-4 chicken breasts
2 cups jasmine rice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1-2 zucchini, cut into wedges
4 large, flat mushrooms, stems trimmed (optional)
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine ginger, cilantro, lime zest and 2 Tbsp. of lime juice. Spread 2 tsp. of the herb mixture over each chicken breast and season well. Marinate for 1 hour. Combine the remaining herb mixture with the remaining lime juice in a container with a lid and set aside.

2. Cook rice in rice cooker or in large sauce pan.

3. While rice is cooking, heat grill pan (I grill on an outdoor grill) to medium and lightly brush with oil. Brush zucchini and mushrooms with remaining oil, season lightly with salt and pepper if desired. Place chicken on grill and cook an each side 5-6 minutes or until cooked through. During the last few minutes, add the vegetables, turning frequently until browned on the outside and just barely softened. Cover with foil until ready to serve. (Vegetables can also be grilled in a grill basket or a little bed of foil.)

4. Serve rice into bowls. Cut chicken breasts into long, thick strips and arrange on top of rice. Add vegetables. Shake dressing well and drizzle over the chicken.

Serves 4-6.

Thai Green Curry with Cilantro Rice

from Quick Food

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups jasmine rice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1-2 Tbsp. Thai green curry paste
4 kaffir lime leaves (I have made without as well)
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 tsp. brown sugar
14-oz. can coconut cream
1 1/2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strops
4 Tbsp. roughly chopped cilantro leaves
2 Tbsp. whole cilantro leaves (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Cook rice in rice cooker or in large saucepan.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil over high heat in a saucepan or wok. Add curry paste and lime leaves and fry over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes or until nice and fragrant. Add fish sauce and sugar, mix well. Pour in coconut cream, bring to a boil, add chicken strips. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 12-15 minutes, until the sauce is reduced and the chicken is fully cooked.

3. Before serving, strip chopped cilantro through hot rice. Serve curry over the cilantro rice and garnish with whole cilantro leaves.

Serves 4.

Farfalle with Bacon and Spinach

adapted from Quick Food

Ingredients:

13 oz. farfalle
6-8 oz. bacon, chopped (might also be good with prosciutto)
1/4 - 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
8 oz. baby spinach leaves, stems trimmed
1-2 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce (optional)
1/4 cup crumbled feta

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente (about 10-11 min), then drain and return to sauce pan.

2.While boiling, in a frying pan cook bacon until golden. Add onion and cook for another 4 mintues or utnil softened. Toss the spinach leaves through the onion and bacon mixture for 3o seconds or until just wilted.

3. Add the bacon and spinach mixture to the drained pasta, then stir in optional sweet chili sauce. Season to taste with salt and cracked black pepper and toss well. Spoon into bowl and sprinkle with crumbled feta. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

from Confectiona's Realm and A Hint of Honey

Ingredients  
for oatmeal layer:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups (packed) brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 cups old-fashioned (rolled) oats
1 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

chocolate layer:
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp. unsalted butter
¼ tsp.salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
¾ cup coarsely chopped salted peanuts


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9 x 13" baking pan.

2. For the oatmeal layer, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat for 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for a minute after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Stir in the oats and peanuts on low or by hand. Set aside 2 cups of the mixture. Press the remaining into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

3. To make the chocolate layer, use a double boiler or set a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan filled with simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water). Combine the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, butter, and salt in the bowl, and stir occasionally until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and peanuts. Pour the warm chocolate mixture over the oatmeal crust. Scatter chunks of the remaining oatmeal mixture over the top, it will not be even.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the chocolate layer appears dull and is starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool for 2 hours on a baking rack. Run a dull knife around the sides of the pan to loosen and invert the pan onto a baking sheet or cutting board. Turn right side up and refrigerate 1 hour before slicing.
Makes approximately 32 bars (4 x 8)

Try at all different temperatures: chilled from the fridge, straight from the freezer (cut into smaller slivers), or room temperature. They will keep about 4 days at room temperature, a week in the refrigerator, or up to two months in the freezer.

Crepes

 from Courty, scribbled on notebook paper in high school
 

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 cup unsifted all purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Beat eggs with fork. Pour into a blender. Add flour and salt, beating until smooth.  Add milk and water, blend.
2. Grease preheated crepe pan (Pam). Apply a small amount of batter to lightly coat the pan. When it begins to bubble, flip over. Repeat, spray crepe pan between every few crepes.

Goes great with fresh fruit, yogurt, Nutella, peanut butter, syrup, powdered sugar or just about anything else you can imagine.

(My favorite- Nutella, banana, peanut butter, and cream.)

Quinoa Taco Salad

from Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 cup Quinoa
red onion (to taste), chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cups red bell pepper, chopped
½ cups yellow bell pepper, chopped
½ cups green bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin, to taste
½ teaspoons oregano, to taste

1 teaspoon chili powder, to taste
1 dash cayenne Pepper, to taste
15 ounces, weight black beans, drained and rinsed
¾ cups diced tomatoes
2 whole limes, divided
8 ounces, weight baby spinach
1 cup cilantro
⅓ cups cheddar or feta cheese
1 whole Avocado, diced

Directions:

1.Cook the quinoa according to package instructions. Meanwhile, swirl a bit of olive oil in a saute pan. Heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, until translucent and tender. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne and peppers and saute for an additional 2 minutes.

2. Remove from heat. Stir in the black beans, tomatoes, and the juice of 1 lime. Stir in the quinoa. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill.

3. Roughly cut baby spinach into strips (stack several leaves at a time). Remove about 1 cup of cilantro leaves from the bunch, rinse and pat dry, and toss with the spinach. Divide spinach and cilantro mixture evenly among salad plates.

4. Top each plate with a scoop of the quinoa salad. Top each salad with your choice of cheese and diced avocado. Cut the remaining lime into slices to garnish the plates.

Serves 4 generously, or 6 comfortably.

Sweet Ginger Beef

adapted from Courtney Mangum

Ingredients:

1 big beef tri-tip or eye of round
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger root
2-3 cloves, or approx. 2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. sesame oil

options: pineapple juice

Directions:
1. Bake tri-tip on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees until well done. Remove from oven and let rest 10 to 15 minutes. Slice very thinly against the grain.

2. Combine sauce ingredients into a sauce pan. Bring to low-heat boil until it thickens. Add any additional flavor boosts (I do sesame oil and orange juice)

Serve over rice (Jasmine, Japanese, or brown. Goes great with steamed broccoli.)

Serves 4-6.

Courtney's Green Curry

We enjoyed having this for dinner one night- only to have many new things added the next night to thicken it up. Any of the veggies are to taste- choose what you like! This most recent time was the first time we'd tried it with carrots and broccoli, and they were great additions. One of the best parts of this dinner was that Siena ate every part...even the bamboo shoots. (Granted, we first had to tell her that pandas eat them.)

Ingredients

coconut oil
2 Tbsp. garlic
2 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
1 can lite coconut milk (I had 3/4 can reg. coconut milk)
1-2 Tbsp. green curry paste (I did 1.5)
1-2 chicken breasts cut into bit sized pieces
1 small can bamboo shoots, drained
1 cup chicken broth
1- 2 Tbsp. fish oil
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1-2 tsp. dried basil
2 large carrots, diced
1/2 cup-1 cup broccoli 
1 large or 2 small red bell peppers, sliced or diced
1/2 cup frozen peas

Directions

1. Over medium low heat simmer garlic and ginger in a little bit of coconut oil until fragrant.

2. Add coconut milk and curry paste and stir until combined fully, approx. 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients (except bell pepper and peas) and simmer 10 additional minutes or until chicken is cooked.

3. When chicken is nearly cooked, add diced carrots. When carrots have softened a bit, add bell pepper and broccoli and simmer 3 to 5 minutes. It will be somewhat soupy. Turn off heat and stir in frozen peas til heated through.

Serve over brown rice.

Serves 4-6.

adapted from Courtney Mangum

Asian Spinach Salad

Ingredients

Salad
10 ounces fresh spinach
8 ounces pasta (bow tie or curly)
4 Tbsp. sesame seeds
3 chicken breasts
lemon pepper to taste
1/4 red onion

Dressing
1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger


Directions

1. Season chicken with lemon pepper and grill.
2. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Allow to cool.
3. Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
4. Prepare dressing by shaking or whisking all ingredients together until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Add dressing just prior to serving (If anticipating left overs, only add dressing to individual plates).

For variety, try sun flower seeds, bean spouts, fried won ton wrappers.

Serves 6-8.

Coconut Curried Chicken

This recipe has been up since last summer. I made this again last week and decided to add more veggies. Besides salads, I'm really not very adventurous with side dishes- which is why I like to add vegetables to the main dish to bulk it up a bit. This time I added 3 bell peppers and went with diced tomatoes instead of stewed tomatoes. I prefer eating it with brown rice, but really any rice will do. Enjoy every last bit with naan on the side. Coconut Curried Chicken adapted from allrecipes.com Ingredients 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks 1 tsp. salt and pepper, or to taste 1 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil 2 Tbsp. curry powder 1/2 onion, thinly sliced or diced 3 bell peppers, diced (I used 1 green and 2 red) 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 (14 ounce) can lite coconut milk 1 (14.5 ounce) can  diced tomatoes 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 2-3 Tbsp. sugar 1-2 Tbsp. cornstarch (if needed to thicken) 1-2 Tbsp. cold water Directions

	1. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
	2. Heat oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium-high heat for five minutes. Stir in onions, half of diced bell peppers, and garlic, and cook until onion is translucent-- up to 10 minutes. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.
	3. Add remaining bell peppers. Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 40 minutes. If it is taking a long time, or if you are in a hurry in a small bowl add one tablespoon of cornstarch with about 2 T cold water. Mix together and add to curry to thicken. Serve over brown rice. Serves 6-8

Asian Spare Ribs

  
This was Nick's request for Father's Day. This is usually a 'special occasion' dish due to the cost of the meat as well as the nature of the sauce. I don't think I'll ever make it in the oven again, the crock pot method is so easy (and much cooler!).

Hatch family recipe

Ingredients

5-6 lbs country style pork ribs (boneless)
3/4 c. apricot or peach preserves
3/4 c. favorite BBQ sauce (find one with no high fructose corn syrup)
1/4 c. soy sauce
3 tsp. minced garlic (or a bit more)
1-2 Tbsp. fresh ginger root, grated

2 Tbsp. green onion, sliced thinly
sesame seeds for garnish

Directions

1. Place pork ribs in 9" x 13" dish, cover with foil and back for 1 hour at 350.
2. While ribs are cooking, mix ingredients for sauce.
3. Remove foil, drain water, move to a new baking dish. Cover pork with 3/4 of glaze. Return to oven and make for 30 minutes at 350.
4. Cover with remaining glaze, bake for an additional 15 minutes.
5. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds

OR

1. Put meat in crock pot with 1/2 of glaze on low (approx 6 hours).* I've cooked at a higher temp for a shorter time with great success.
2. Before serving, cover with remaining glaze.
3. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds

Goes great on a bed of sticky or brown rice.

Serves 4-6.

Peanut Butter Pasta

recipe from Allison Holden

Ingredients

1 cup vegetable (or chicken) broth
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 tsp fresh grated ginger
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. rice or white wine vinegar
1/2 - 3/4 cup peanut butter
pasta noodles of choice- spaghetti is great
vegetables of choice (carrots, red/yellow/orange bell pepper, snow peas, broccoli)

Directions

1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat, stir until well blended. Reduce heat slightly and simmer 7-10 minutes until sauce thickens a bit.

2. While sauce is simmering, cook pasta al dente, approx. 10 minutes.

3. Prepare the vegetables: steam carrots and broccoli (could be done over the cooking pasta); stir fry the bell peppers and snow peas.

4. Drain pasta. Put in serving bowl. Add sauce and vegetables, stir until combined.

Serves 4-6 (depending on the amount of pasta prepared)

Chicken Tikka Masala

from Hint of Honey & Mrs. Harding Cooks

Ingredients

Marinade
1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (up to 2 tsp. for more heat)
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garam masala
3 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces

Sauce
2 Tbsp. butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced (leave seeds in for more heat, choose a rounded one for less)
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. garam masala (can find at Whole Foods or World Market)
1 (16-oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
1 (14-oz.) can diced or crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine marinade ingredients: yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, garam masala, ginger, and salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for at least several hours or overnight.

2. Grill chicken (can be done on skewers if cut into pieces). If grilling is not available, cook chicken in a frying pan.

3. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with cumin, paprika, and garam masala. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve with brown rice and naan.

Serves 4-6.