Thicker Garlic Yogurt

I've made other garlic yogurt recipes before but I did a something different the other day that was a big hit with my friends.  I made it thicker and added Greek oregano.  Let me just jump right to it.

HERE'S ALL I DID WITH

• 1 (32 ounce) container of plain yogurt
• 1 to 2 garlic cloves crushed
• juice of half lemon, 2 to 3 teaspoons
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Greek Oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

First, I wet a small tea towel and squeezed it dry, then laid it in a wire mesh strainer.  Sat the strainer over a medium size bowl. Placed the yogurt in the cloth, covered and refrigerated for about 2 or 3 hours. (I lost track of time.)

At this point, the yogurt becomes VERY thick, almost like a soft goat cheese..mmm goat cheese.  Anyhoo.

Plop the thick yogurt into a container that has a lid.  If you like a little garlic flavor then, add one crushed garlic clove.  If you're looking for eatable mosquito repellent, then crush 2 garlic cloves.  I prefer eatable mosquito repellent.

Add the remaining ingredients, lemon juice, Greek oregano, salt & pepper, stir well, and cover with lid.

The yogurt and spices need time to get their mojo on, at least an hour.  The longer they have together, the stronger the flavors become.  The next day is completely different from the first hour.  And you can't tell anything in the first minutes after mixing, except that your salt is right.  So be patient, Grasshopper.

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Now you can use this as a dip with Homemade Pita Bread.

It's creamy garlic-ness is wonderful as a spread on the Olive Oil Bread from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

OR I just used it in place of the sour cream in my Creamy Biscuits recipe.  The garlic comes through the biscuit without leaving a heavy garlic taste in the mouth.  We ate them for breakfast, lunch and snack, all in one day.

Mango Salsa

Someone passed this recipe to me.  I haven't tried it yet, but I will soon.  If you've tried this recipe or have a similar one, let me know about it.

Mango Salsa
1-1/2 cups finely diced fresh mango
2 T. green onion, minced
1 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. fresh cilantro, minced
1 red serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded, finely chopped

Combine all the ingredients; wait 30 minutes or so for the flavors to get busy with each other, then chow down.

It's suppose to be wonderful with grilled chicken, fish tacos, fajita condiment, or always with tortilla chips.

Kim’s Coleslaw Salad

Instead of the traditional mayonnaise-based dressing, Kim's Coleslaw Salad uses oil & vinegar with a touch of sugar.  It's zesty, fresh, crunchy and hard to stop eating.  This particular recipe is a BIG HIT for potluck meals.  Kim has told me that even when she has doubled the recipe for parties, hoping to bring home leftovers, she ends up bringing home an empty bowl.

Beside using oil & vinegar, this recipe calls for the uncooked noodles from a package of Ramen Noodles. Don't be put off, the noodles are delicious!  They absorb the dressing and soften without becoming too soft.  And this extra layer of texture just makes it harder to stop eating.

HERE'S ALL YOU DO
This could make 10 to 15 servings, folks will come back for seconds.

• 1 small green cabbage, shredded
• 1/4 small purple cabbage, shredded
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 package Ramen Noodles, crumbled, discard season packet
• 3 to 4 ounces sunflower kernels

Toss all the vegetables, crumbled noodles and sunflower kernels in a large salad bowl.

Mix the dressing in a separate bowl

• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup neutral tasting oil
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Add the dressing to the tossed coleslaw salad when ready to serve.  Toss well and serve.  Leftovers are delicious the next day and the next day after that.

Tastes wonderful on the side of any meal.  See?

Simple Zucchini Bars

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 small zucchini, shredded and drained (1 cup)
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease square pan, 8x8x2 or 9x9x2 inches.  Mix brown sugar, butter , vanilla and egg in large bowl.  Stir in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves.  Stir in zucchini and nuts.

Spread batter in pan.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool completely.  Frost with Clove-Spiced Frosting.  Cut 6 row b;y 4 rows.  Yields 24 bars.

Clove-Spiced Frosting

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 to 4 teaspoon milk

Mix all ingredients until smooth and spreadable.

From Raw to Roasted Shelled Pumpkin Seeds

Have you ever picked something new at the grocery store that was too interesting to pass up, then after you got home, you thought, "Now how do I cook it?"

Last week, I couldn't resist buying a scoop of raw pumpkin seeds from the nearest foodie mart dry bulk bin section. (I always save money in that section.)  It wasn't until I was ready to mix them into a batch of Fresh N Fruity Oatmeal Bread that I realized the seeds had to be toasted first.  Uh, and at what temperature and for how long?  I had to go blind on this one and just take a good guess.  After 7 minutes in the oven, SUCCESS was MINE, ALL MINE!  Bwa-Hahaha!

HERE'S ALL THERE'S TO IT
Heat the oven to 375ºF.  Spread the raw pumpkin seeds flat on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until lightly golden.  If the seeds start popping like popcorn, turn down the oven temperature by 25 degrees.

Their toasty taste doesn't ask for any seasonings, not even salt.  I couldn't help eat a few handfuls before adding them into my bread dough.  I thought they tasted better than sunflower seeds.  And I wouldn't hesitate to buy them again just to have around for snacking.  Give them a try and see what you think.

Simple Roasted Zucchini Quesadillas

You can't go wrong with this fresh and simple recipe.  Roasted vegetables make an excellent filling for quesadillas whenever you need to throw together an appetizer for guests, a light lunch for yourself, or a quick recipe for a large, hungry crowd of Main Street Farmers' Market Fans.  The kids down at market wanted to gobble them up.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED

• 20 homemade flour tortillas or store bought
• 2 (8 ounce) blocks Smoked Colby Cheese, grated
• 2 Cubenelle Peppers
• 2 Golden Zucchini
• 2 jalapenos
• 1 large green zucchini
• 1 large yellow onion
• olive oil
• salt & freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 425ºF.

Chop the golden and green zucchini, cubenelle pepper and onion into all the same size one-half inch pieces.  Remove the seeds from the jalapenos and mince.  Place all the vegetables on a large sheet pan, drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  Flatten out vegetables on pan so they cook evenly.   BAKE 25 to 35 minutes, until zucchini are tender but not mushy.  Transfer to a bowl for your quesadilla assembly line.

While the vegetables are roasting, grate the cheese with a hand grater or a food processor. Set aside.

Time for assembling.  Heat a griddle pan over medium high heat.  Start with the flour tortilla, on one half of the tortilla add about 2 tablespoons of grated cheese, 3 to 4 tablespoons roasted vegetables, another tablespoon of cheese.  Fold tortilla in half and cook one minute on each side, until tortillas is crispy and golden.  Remove from pan and allow cheese to cool for a minute before cutting into servings.

YOU'RE READY TO EAT!

Roasted Shrimp and Tabouleh Salad

Fresh, bright and super easy to bring together. This salad is delicious at room temperature and cold.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 box Far East Tabouleh Wheat Salad
• 2 to 3 green onions
• 1 small cucumber
• 1 large tomato
• juice of 1 medium lemon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (4 ounce) package crumbled Feta cheese

• 15 to 20 raw shrimp, shelled & deveined
• olive oil
• salt & fresh ground pepper

Prepare the tabouleh as directed on the package. This first step requires that the tabouleh sit in the frig for one hour, so account for that.  I started the tabouleh in the morning before my day got started. Anyhoo.

By dinner time: Heat the oven to 400ºF

Chop the green onions, cucumber and tomato into the same size small chunks and place in large bowl.  Set aside.

Place the shrimp on a cookie sheet, drizzle a little olive oil on top, season with salt and pepper.  Toss with clean hands until shrimp is well coated.  Distribute shrimp evenly on cookie sheet.  Roast for 6 to 8 minutes until shrimp is pink and opaque.  Allow to cool a few minutes before adding to salad mix.

In the large bowl with the onions, cucumber and tomato, stir in the shrimp, lemon juice, and oil THEN toss in tabouleh and feta.  Serve at room temperature or refrigerate it for later.

Peppers and Black Bean Soup

When you barely have time to prepare something good to eat, make a batch of peppers and black bean soup.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 2 (14 ounce) cans black beans
• 2 tablespoons butter or oil
• 1 large jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed or minced
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon New Mexico Chile Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon Hot Spanish Paprika (optional)
• salt & pepper to taste
• smoked cheddar for topping

In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, warm the black beans with their liquid.

In a saute pan oven medium heat, heat butter or oil, add all the vegetables and spices.  Stir fry the vegetables until they become tender.  Add the cooked vegetables to the hot black beans, stir and allow to cook up to 10 minutes.  You're Ready to Eat!

Oven Fried Crispy Chicken Bites

My friend, Patsy from Family, Friends and Food had me drooling over her simple Crispy Chicken Recipe using Panko Bread Crumbs.  Inspired by Patsy's cooking process, I ventured to make my own version.  But only because I had to work with what I had on hand in the pantry.

I liked this recipe because I could BAKE the chicken in the oven in a relatively short time.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES
to feed 2 adults, 2 small kiddos

• 1 fresh large egg
• 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
• 3 to 5 dashes of Tabasco pepper sauce (optional)

• 1 1/2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons oil or fresh roasted garlic oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch thick cuts

Heat oven to 400ºF.

Beat the egg, milk and Tabasco sauce together in a small bowl and set aside.  In a pie plate, mix bread crumbs, salt and pepper.  Stir in oil.

Dip the cuts of chicken into the egg/milk liquid then move to pie plate with seasoned bread crumbs.  Press the crumbs into the chicken until well coated, lightly shake excess crumbs.  Place on cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick spray.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cut the thickest piece to make sure no pink exists, if you're not sure that 30 minutes is long enough.  If the chicken pieces are different sizes, then you may want to remove the smallest pieces from the oven to keep from drying out.

Roasted Garlic Paste and Oil

Inspired by Michael Chiarello's book Flavored Oils: 50 Recipes for Cooking with Infused Oils.

I have, rolling around my head, the idea to make a loaf of garlic bread.  Not the bread with garlic spread on it's slices.  Garlic stirred into the dough itself.  Is your mouth watering just thinkin' about it?  But first, I need to roast a few heads of garlic. And while I'm at it, I may as well make garlic olive oil, too. Right?

HERE'S WHAT I DID

• 4 or 5 whole garlic heads
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• a pinch or two Italian seasoning (optional)

Heat the oven to 375ºF.

Peel away the garlic skins and toss the clean cloves into a shallow baking pan.  Get your kids to help, they love to pick things. Sprinkle on the salt, pepper and optional seasonings, then pour the oil over the top.  Cover the pan, loosely, with aluminum foil, allowing for steam to escape.  Bake for 3o to 45 minutes.  (30 minutes produces a fork tender clove, 45 minutes produces a softer spreadable clove.)

Drain off the oil in a tightly covered, sterilized glass jar or bottle and USE WITHIN 1 WEEK.  Makes about 3/4 cup roasted garlic oil.

To make the paste, mash the cloves with a fork or give them a quick spin in a 1 cup food processor.  Makes about 1/2 cup garlic paste.

Last night, I put a dollop of roasted garlic paste on my pasta plate like a condiment; that was good.  I spread it over a fresh slice of Bran-Enriched Bread; that was good.  I stirred it into my homemade tomato sauce; lip smacking smooth.

The roasted garlic oil is said to be wonderful added to vinaigrettes, for sauteing vegetables, or in any recipe calling for roasted garlic oil.

COOK'S NOTES

If you have concerns or questions about storing garlic oil, or have only heard about botulism in homemade garlic oil.

PLEASE visit these links:

GARLIC,Safe Methods to Store, Preserve and Enjoy, Calaveras County Agriculture Extension

Cook's Illustrated Forum: Garlic oil & botulism

Zucchini and Red Bell Pepper Pasta

Fast, healthy and filling!  It will take longer for the pasta to cook than the vegetables.  Don't let the simplicity of the dish trick you, it's loaded with flavor.  Using the freshest vegetables and a GOOD wedge of young Parmesan makes this dish a hit with everyone.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• linguine cooked according to the package directions

• 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large zucchini, quartered then cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• salt & fresh ground pepper
  
• 1 small wedge Parmesan, freshly shredded

Go ahead and chop the vegetables while you're waiting for the pasta water to boil.  I recommend start sauting the vegetables after the dried pasta has been added to the boiling pasta water.

For the vegetables
In a medium saute pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil then add the chopped onions.  Cook until they begin to soften.  Add the minced garlic, cook 1 to 2 minutes then finally add the zucchini and red bell pepper.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Quickly toss and coat the vegetables, cooking 3 to 5 minutes.  Sprinkle the vegetables with shredded Parmesan, as much as you care to taste.  Add 1/2 cup of pasta water to the sauted vegetables to prevent cheese from sticking.  Cover pan and turn off heat.  Leave in pan until pasta is drained and ready to eat.

After draining the pasta, drizzle it with a little olive oil, top with cooked vegetables then add a little more Parmesan for garnish.  You're Ready to Eat!

Roasted Red Pepper and White Bean Soup

"This is a SIMPLE SOUP, completely dependent on the quality of the broth." That's what the cookbook says and I couldn't agree more.  I followed the recipe, but then again, I didn't follow it.  The original recipe called for canned ingredients.  I had to take the home cooked approach.  For you, I'll write the original recipe, THEN I'll tell you what I did.  You pick the one that fits your needs best. Okay?  Okay. Let's COOK!

Recipe from 366 Delicious Ways to Cook Rice, Beans, and Grains
Serves 4 to 6 servings

• 6 cups high-quality chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 store-bought or homemade roasted red bell peppers, julienned
• 1 1/2 cups cooked or canned cannellini or other white beans
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 basil leaves, cut in shreds

Heat the broth to simmering.  Add the bell pepper strips and cooked white beans.  Heat through.  Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.  Pour into soup bowls.  Sprinkle the basil leaves on top.  Serve hot.

Here's the Home Cooked Method

• 2 cups dried Northern White Beans
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 to 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• water

Put all the ingredients in a pressure cooker and cover with 2 inches of water.  By cover I mean from the top of the beans to the water surface, should measure 2 inches.  Do NOT measure from the bottom of the pressure cooker; that will not be enough water.  Moving on.

Secure lid and lock, put the pressure regulator on top, set heat to medium high.  When pressure regulator begins to chatter, turn heat down to medium-low and set cooking timer for 40 minutes.

Heat oven to 450ºF.

• 1 red bell pepper, seeded & roughly chopped
• 1 orange bell pepper, seeded & roughly chopped
• olive oil
• salt & fresh ground pepper

Place the chopped pepper on cookie sheet, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.  Toss with hands to evenly coat the peppers.  Season with a pinch of salt & pepper.  Roast in oven for 20 minutes.

(I had Spinach Bread dough in the frig; so I quickly shaped up a loaf for dinner and let it rise while the peppers roasted.  I already had the pizza stone in the oven so it would be hot too when the peppers finished.)

Finally, I had

• 4 cups of homemade chicken broth in the freezer
• fresh basil from the garden

I defrosted the frozen broth in the microwave, then went out to pick the basil.

When the peppers were finish roasting, I slid the bread onto the pizza stone, set the timer for 30 minutes, then removed the peppers from the cookie sheet and set them aside in a medium saucepan.

When the bean timer went off, I removed the pressure cooker from the heat.  And allowed it to cool down on it's own accord.

I poured the cold chicken broth into the saucepan with the peppers and heated it up over medium heat.  When the pressure dropped on the pressure cooker, about 10 minutes later, I carefully removed the lid and scooped out 2 cups of cooked beans.  I was careful to avoid the bay leaf. Added the cooked beans to the hot broth.  Tasted for salt and pepper.  Poured into soup bowls and topped with shredded basil.

The bread timer went off at that same time!  We had a steaming hot loaf of spinach bread on the side. It was very good to dip into this brothy soup.  Any bread would have worked, really.

There.  That was our dinner last night.  All fresh, made at home in about an hour.

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