Baba Ghanoush

Ingredients

1 eggplant, cubed and roasted and cooled

1/4 C tahini

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp flatleaf parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 C plain yogurt

s&p to taste

Instructions

give a whirr in the food processor, serve with pappadam

Banana Nut Bread

Ingredients

1 1/4 C mashed ripe bananas
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 C granulated sugar
1/4 C milk
3 Eggs
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 2/3 C Bisquick
1 C chopped walnuts


Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Mix ingredients except the bisquick and walnuts. Fold in the remaining ingredients with a spoon and mix; pour into a greased loaf pan and cook for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire cooling rack. Keeps for about a week when covered in plastic wrap.

Mango-Pear Pecan Bread

Ingredients

1 1/4 C mashed ripe mango and pear (drain away some of the moisture the mango makes)
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 C granulated sugar
1/4 C milk
3 Eggs
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 2/3 C Bisquick
1 C chopped pecans


Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Mix ingredients except the bisquick and pecans, using an immersion blender if necessary (depending on the consistency of the fruit). Fold in the remaining ingredients with a spoon and mix; pour into a greased loaf pan and cook for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire cooling rack. Keeps for about a week when covered in plastic wrap.

Cajun-Jamaican Chex Mix

Ingredients

4 C assorted chex
1 C pretzels
1 C cheez-its
1 C kashi whole grain crackers
1 C nuts
2 dashes pickapeppa sauce (or veg. worchestire)
Tony Sacherie's (palmful or to taste)
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp dried rosemary, crushed
6 tbps butter


Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Melt the butter and add the spices, pour over the mix in a deep baking dish and gently stir. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring at 15-minute intervals. Spread on paper towels and leave out for at least an hour; store in airtight containers.


Adapted from Aunt Jac's famous Caughey "Texas Trash" recipe. I'm thinking of tossing just a bit of pineapple juice in the butter mix next time....

Baby Arugula Walnut Pesto

Ingredients

2 C baby arugula leaves, stemmed and tightly packed
2 cloves garlic
1/2 C canola oil
1/4 C chopped and toasted walnuts
s&p to taste

Instructions

Blend the arugula, garlic, and oil until smooth. Scrape down the sides and add the walnuts; process until well-combined (but don't make gummy nut butter), season to taste.

Roasted Plum Sandwich with Baby Arugula Pesto

Ingredients

3 plums, ripe but firm
3 tbsp balsamic or sherry vinegar
1/2 medium yellow onion
1/2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
oil for frying
4 slices rustic bread, about 1/2 inch thick (i used a rosmary round from whole foods)
Arugula Walnut Pesto (see recipe)
6 oz. soft cheese (I have to go back to Whole Foods to get the name of the one I used)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the plums in half, remove the pits. Slice into 1/2 inch wedges, and toss with the vinegar to coat. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet; spread the plums on it without crowding them and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes and set aside to cool.

While the plums are roasting, cut the onion into crescents as thin as possible. Put them in a bowl of cold water and stir to separate the pieces. In another bowl mix the flour and salt. Drain the crescents, and toss with the flour-salt mixture until completely coated. Heat oven in a deep pan to at least twi inches (I use canola oil). Heat to 360-360 degrees. Gently drop one-third of the onion pieces into the hot oil. Fry until light brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on a single layer of paper towels. Fry up the rest and set aside.

Toast the bread: Lay the bread slices directly on the oven rack and bake until lightly toasted, a couple of minutes or so.

Build the sandwiches: spread 1 to 2 tbsp of pesto on the bread right to the edges. Arrange the plum wedges on top in a single layer, and top with sliced cheese. Cover a baking sheet with foil and pop back in the oven until the cheese is melted. Top with springs of fried onion and serve.

Spiced Walnuts

Ingredients

1 C walnut halves
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp each ground cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a baking sheet. Put the walnuts in a mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil, tossing to thoroughly coat the nuts. Mix the nuts with the spices, tossing to coat fully. Toss again with the powdered sugar.

Spread the mix on the baking sheet and bake for 10, 12, stirring halfway through (be careful not to burn them)!

Warm Pear Rainbow Swiss Chard Salad with Sour Orange Vinaigrette, Goat Cheese and Spiced Walnuts

Ingredients

2 Ripe Anjou or Bartlett pears, at room temp, ripe but unpeeled
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp grated orange zest
2 tbsp sour orange juice, freshly squeezed
1 tbsp orange juice, freshly squeezed
2 tbsp balsalmic vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch rainbow swiss chard, rinsed and torn into pieces
1 c spicy walnuts (recipe follows)
crumbled goat cheese (freeze for 30 minutes to crumble easier)

Instructions

Slice the pears into 1/4 inch thick slices, set aside. Combine the garlic, zest, orange guices, vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Warm the dressing in a sauce pan over med heat and add the pear slices, gently turning until coated and warm (about 2 minutes). Pour the pears and vinaigrette over the salad greens and toss gently. Serve topped with the cheese and spiced nuts.

Ginger-Lemongrass Sorbet

Ingredients

1 C sugar
1 1/2 C water
4 stalks lemongrass, sliced into 1 inch cylinders
1/2 C fresh shavings of peeled ginger
1 C lemon juice (about three large lemons)

Instructions

Bring the sugar and water to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemongrass and ginger, turn off the heat, and allow to steep for ten minutes. Strain into a bowl and add the lemon juice. Stir, and pour into two ice trays, and freeze for ~2 hours until slushy. Combine into a bowl, mix and freeze for another hour before serving.

Red Pineapple Curry

Ingredients


Assorted vegetables*
1 1/2 C cubed pineapple
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Cans Coconut Milk
1 Jar Red Curry Paste (use to taste)
Garlic Chile Sauce to taste (use the kind with the rooster on the front)
Dash of Soy Sauce (instead of Fish sauce)
Salt
Jasmine Rice


Instructions

Combine the garlic and vegetables that need softening (such as bell peppers) with a little olive oil in a dutch oven or separate pan and cook for about five minutes. If using a pan, deglaze with a bit of coconut milk (be sure to shake the can before opening!!) and transfer to a deep pot and add additional ingredients, adusting seasonings to taste. If using a dutch oven, simply add the other ingredients. Lower the heat and simmer for fifteen minutes.

Serve with jasmine rice (simply follow the package instructions).


*Try variety of peppers, green beans, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, snap peas, etc.

Tangy Mushrooms in Garam Masala

Ingredients

~1 1/2 C baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 lime

garam masala

salt

pepper

red pepper flakes

Instructions

Saute the garlic in a bit of oil. Add the mushrooms, spices, and a splash of lime juice and water. Saute until mushrooms cooked through, adding lime juice periodically; adjust seasonings to taste. You want to end up with a good crusty coating of spice on mushrooms. Serve hot.

Red Pepper Mango Wrap

Ingredients

Red Pepper Tortillas
Red Pepper Hummus
Chopped Mango
Chopped Roasted Red (Bell) Pepper
Paprika

Instructions

Spread a thin layer of hummus on tortillas. Sprinkle with other ingredients; roll and slice into coins. Serve sprinkled with paprika.

Mexican Mole Sauce

Ingredients

1 large tomatillo
1/2 yellow onion
2 sm. tomatoes
1 tsp jalapeno
~2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp clove
generous pinch chile powder
cumin
cinnamon
salt & pepper
~2 oz. dark chocolate

Instructions

Chop and saute all veggies; give a whirl in the food processor. Add the spices and simmer; add the chocolate till melted.

Spinach Enchiladas with Mexican Mole Sauce

Ingredients

Cayenne Tortillas
Monterey Jack Cheese
Spinach
Jalapeno
Chopped Tomatoes (canned works best)
Mole Sauce

Instructions

Roll the spinach and slice into shreds; shred the cheese, chop the jalapeno, and place all into the tortillas and roll. Place seam-side down into a baking dish that has a shallow layer of chopped tomatoes with the accompanying juice.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 15 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Cover with Mole Sauce (recipe follows); drizzle Parrano Cheese Sauce along the top of each enchilada and garnish with dark chocolate shavings and a sprig of cilantro.

Chiles Rellenos

Ingredients

Poblano peppers
Monterey Jack cheese
Red Bell pepper
Jalapeno
Egg
Flour
Bread Crumbs
Panko (Japanese Bread Crumbs)
Salt
Pepper
Oil for frying


Instructions

Roast the peppers under a broiler or over a flame until the skins blacken. Remove from heat and place in a bowl; cover with saran wrap until cooled. Remove the skins. Slice the red bell into thin strips.

Put a slit in the poblanos; remove the seeds and insert a chunk of cheese, along with the chopped jalapeno and a couple of strips of roasted red peppers.

Dip the peppers in flour (careful! the stuffing comes out easily!), dredge in a bowl of beaten egg, and cover in a mix of the panko and bread crumbs.

Fry in the oil for about seven minutes, until the outside is crisp. Carefully remove and drain on paper towels.

Serve with Tomatillo-Lime Sauce with a sprinkling of cheese and freshly-ground black pepper.

Parrano Cheese Sauce

Ingredients

~2 oz. uniekaas parrano cheese, grated
~3 tbsp heavy cream

Instructions

Heat ingredients in a small saucepan until cheese is melted.

Tomatillo Lime Sauce

Ingredients

2 medium tomatillos
1 jalapeno
1 medium tomato
~1 c sour cream
salt
pepper

Instructions

Puree the first three ingredients; heat in a saucepan and add sour cream, salt and pepper to taste.

Shan Does Mexican Food... Healthy

(recipes to come)


Menu:

Mango Salsa (courtesy of Alma)
Spicy Tomato Soup (Miracle Drug)
Chile Rellenos with Tomatillo-Lime Sauce
Spinach Enchiladas with Mole Sauce

Alma's Mango Salsa

Ingredients

1 can black beans, rinsed
1 jalapeno, chopped (or more if you prefer more heat)
cilantro, chopped
2 mangos, chopped
lime juice
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 yellow onion, chopped
salt
pepper

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and toss. Flavors infuse over time (keeps in the fridge well).