Green Salad with Pomegranate Seeds, Avocado, Cranberries and Nuts

This is a recipe my daughter sent me, along with the beautiful picture after she made it the first time.  She thought it was one of the best combinations of flavors she's put together.  My mouth waters just looking at it!

Ingredients:


Lettuce
Pomegranate Seeds
Slivered Almonds
Dried Cranberries
Diced Avocado
Crumbled Cheese (Something salty, like feta)


For a dressing, a light balsamic vinaigrette is perfect.  1/4 olive oil to 3/4 balsamic vinegar, a little salt and pepper and a drop of freshly crushed garlic if you're a fan.

Lime Cilantro Sweet Potatoes

It's great to find a recipe that you make and know you will make again without changing a thing (well, only one thing.)  This is one of those.  I found it on Epicurious.com, it appeared in Gourmet Magazine, May 2004.  So, the only thing I change is at the end of the preparation.  Instead of combining the spices in one bowl and the wet saucy items in another, I just mix it all up in one bowl.  Why clean an extra bowl when you don't need to?

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 40 min

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lime zest

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:

Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.  Toss sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a shallow baking pan. Arrange potatoes in 1 layer and roast, stirring halfway through roasting, until tender, about 25 minutes total. Stir together cayenne, zest, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Whisk together lime juice and remaining tablespoon oil in a medium bowl, then add potatoes. Sprinkle with cayenne mixture and cilantro, stirring gently to combine.

Sauteed Portabella and Cremini Mushrooms

Here's a delicious recipe I modified from one that I found on Epicurious.com.  It appeared in Gourmet Magazine, June 1998.  I often make this to serve over polenta, but it can be its own side dish.  Any combination or single type of mushrooms works fine, so long as you stick with 3 pounds total.

Yield: Serves 8

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds portabella mushrooms
1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms
3 large shallots or 1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter or olive oil
4 scallions (green parts only), diagonally cut into thin slices
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
5 tablespoons tamari sauce
2 tablespoons sugar

Preparation:

Halve portabellas and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut cremini into 1/4-inch-thick slices. In a 12-inch heavy skillet cook  the shallots/onions in the butter/oil over moderate heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add portabella and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add cremini and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated, about 10 minutes. In a bowl whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar and add to mushrooms. Boil mixture 3 minutes, or until liquid is reduced slightly, and stir in scallions.

Roasted Vegetables

Roasted Veggies are always a great dish that can even be made the day before and reheated prior to serving.  You can mix and match vegetables, but be sure to use ones with similar cooking times or else put the longer-cooking veggies (potatoes, butternut squash, onion) in the oven first and add slower-cooking ones (summer squash) later.

12 Servings.

Ingredients:

Some ideas to mix and match, use about 8-10 cups total:

butternut and/or other winter squash, cubed

red bell pepper, seeded and cut into bite-sized pieces

baking potato and/or sweet potato, peeled and cubed

carrot and/or parsnip, peeled and cut into wide slices

red, brown or sweet onion, quartered and separated

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or lemon juice

salt and freshly ground black pepper


Preparation:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine the veggies. Add the thyme, rosemary, garlic, olive oil, vinegar/lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Toss until vegetables are coated. Spread evenly on a large roasting pan.  Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until vegetables are cooked through and browned.

Refried Black Beans

This recipe was in Gourmet Magazine in September 2000.  When our family was living abroad and didn't have access to a can of refried beans this recipe became invaluable to us.  We really can't go without our taco/burrito/nacho fix for more than a week or so.  Kidney beans work fine also.

Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped onion (I double this!)

½ tablespoon olive oil

1 can black beans, including liquid
½ cup water
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:

Cook garlic and onion in a skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until softened.  Add beans with their liquid and mash with a potato masher or the back of a large spoon to make a coarse purée.  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot. Stir in enough of water to thin to a creamy consistency. Add pepper to taste.  Serve warm, sprinkled with cilantro.

Each serving about 125 calories and 3 grams fat
Nutritional analysis provided by Gourmet

Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Brown Sugar and Pecans

This appeared in the Bon Appétit R.S.V.P. section in November 1998, it's a recipe from The Olde Union House in Red Bank NJ.  I don't think I've made a recipe from the R.S.V.P. section that I didn't enjoy, but this one really stands out.  The recipe calls to drain the sweet potatoes in a colander after cooking, but I usually just drain the water from the pot (carefully - with mitts and the lid) and let them cool there. Then I mash them right in the pot and use that as my mixing bowl - it saves myself from extra cleanup!

Serves 12 to 14

Ingredients:

1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

5 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

4 large eggs
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F, and butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish.  

 Mix sugar, pecans and butter in small bowl. Cover and chill until ready to use. (Can be made up to 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Cook sweet potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until very tender, about 12 minutes.  Drain. Let stand in colander 15 minutes.  Purée sweet potatoes in processor or by hand.  Add eggs, syrup, vanilla, lemon juice and salt.  Transfer mixture to prepared dish. Sprinkle pecan topping evenly over mixture.

Bake until sweet potato mixture is set and topping bubbles, about 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes and serve.

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

From Allrecipes.com, this recipe is delicious.  It takes only about 10 minutes to prepare (while the oven heats) and another 15-20 to cook, so is great for a quick but fabulous side.  I put some foil on the baking sheet so there's basically no clean-up also!

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

4 Portobello mushrooms, cleaned with stems removed

½ cup red bell pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ cup olive oil

¼ teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Place mushrooms on baking sheet.  Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl.  Spread over the mushrooms evenly.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Gammy’s Carrots

This is my mom's recipe, it's easy to make and delicious.  We always look forward to it at holiday meals.

Serves 6
 

Ingredients:

6 carrots, peeled

6 green onions

2 Tbsp margarine

2 Tbsp Sherry

Preparation:

Slice carrots and green onions, separating white and green parts of onion.  Boil carrots and white parts of onion until barely tender, then drain and pour cold water on top.  Sauté green parts of onion in margarine until just starting to brown.  Add Sherry and carrots, mix, serve hot.

Curried Chickpeas

This recipe ran in the LA Times on Oct 21, 2009.  I made it that week and continue to make it regularly.

Serves 4, makes just over 3 cups salad

Ingredients:

1/2 cup diced onions
4 teaspoons best-quality olive oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste
Salt

Preparation:

In a large sauté pan heated over medium-high heat, sauté the onion in the olive oil until deep golden and crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until aromatic and lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.  Add the chickpeas, cilantro and lemon juice and continue to stir to develop the flavors, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and season with one-fourth teaspoon salt, or to taste.

Cool the salad, then transfer it to a container, cover and refrigerate until chilled before serving, at least 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning and lemon juice as desired.

Each of 4 servings: 238 calories; 9 grams protein; 37 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams fiber; 6 grams fat; 1 grams saturated fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 2 grams sugar; 276 mg. sodium.

Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Casserole

This recipe appeared in Gourmet Magazine in September 1995.  I found it on Epicurious and enjoy the combination of flavors.  It can easily be made vegan by omitting the Parmesan cheese.

Serves 12-14

 

Ingredients:

3 1/2 pounds butternut squash
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces,) optional

Preparation:

With a sharp knife cut squash crosswise into 2-inch-thick slices. Working with 1 slice at a time, cut side down, cut away peel and seeds and cut squash into 1-inch cubes (about 9 cups).  (There are good videos on the internet for how to cut squash. The easier alternative is to purchase it peeled and cubed already.)
In a large bowl stir together squash, bell pepper, oil, garlic, herbs, black pepper, and salt to taste. Transfer mixture to a 2- to 2 1/2-quart gratin dish or other shallow baking dish and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.
Bake casserole in middle of oven until squash is tender and top is golden, about 1 hour.

Black Bean Hummus

What could be better than black beans and garbanzo beans in the same dish?  This has a nice subtle flavor, a perfect dip for fresh veggies.

Ingredients:

1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon crushed garlic (can run cloves in food processor or blender before throwing the beans in!)
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon salt, to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, to taste


Preparation:

Puree beans, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice in food processor or blender until smooth.  Add a little water if it seems too thick or grainy and continue processing.  Add spices and continue blending, adding additional spices to suit your taste.