Mediterranean Stuffed Pita

Ingredients

falafel mix
pita bread
hummus
fresh spinach
slices of tomato
thinly sliced strips of red and green bell pepper
italian dressing
grated pepper jack cheese
black pepper

Instructions

cook falafel mix according to package instructions. sprinkle a small amount of cheese in each pita pocket and toast in a warm oven until the cheese melts. set the ingredients out buffet-style. start by lining the pita pocket's inside with hummus and fill with desired ingredients.


*Athenos spicy three pepper hummus and Tribe of Two Sheiks roasted garlic hummus are my two favorites. Fantastic World Foods has an exceptional falafal mix.

Vegetarian Dolmas

Ingredients

grape leaves
diced tomato
1 small finely chopped zucchini
1/2 small finely chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
3 cups cooked brown rice
lemon juice
black pepper
cayenne pepper
water


Instructions

saute the onion, zucchini, tomato and garlic and mix with the rice. add black pepper and cayenne to taste.

cover a deep pan with a layer of grape leaves. wrap ~1 tablespoon of the rice mix in each leaf, saving 4-5 to cover the dolmas as they cook. fan the wrapped along the bottom of the pan in a circular fashion and stack accordingly. fill the pan with a mixture of 1 part lemon juice 3 parts water, layer the remaining leaves along the top, cover and simmer on low for about a half hour.

remove. can be served hot or cold with wedges of lemon.

Rosemary Foccacia

Ingredients

1 tbsp. dry yeast
1 tbsp. sugar
1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)
2 1/2 cup white flour, divided use
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary, divided use
1 tbsp. canola oil, peanut oil or olive oil
nonstick cooking spray
2 tbsp. butter, melted

Instructions

Place yeast, sugar, and warm water in large bowl or food processor and allow mixture to become bubbly.

Mix in 2 cups of flour and the salt. Add one tablespoon of the fresh chopped rosemary and the garlic powder. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or in food processor about 30 seconds until smooth and elastic. Add more flour if necessary. Oil a bowl, put dough in it and cover with a towel. Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled.

Punch down dough and divide in half. Let dough rest about 5-10 minutes.

Spray baking pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray. Shape the dough into 2 small rounded oval loaves.

Melt margarine or butter. Brush over the top of the loaves. Sprinkle remaining 1 Tabelspoon of rosemary over the loaves and press lightly into the surface. Let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Lightly sprinkle course salt over the loaves, along with desired amount of garlic powder. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned.

Freezes well: defrost and put in 350 degree F oven for 5 minutes or serve warm


adapted from recipe link

Tortellini Rosa

This is a specialty straight from the kitchen of my friend Ken. It's easy as pie and is delicious.

Ingredients

2 packages tortellini
1 small can tomato sauce
1 jar alfredo sauce
1/4 cup thinly-sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup thinly-sliced red bell pepper
black pepper

Instructions

lightly saute the bell pepper. put in a saucepan with the tomato sauce, alfredo and mushrooms. simmer on low and stir occasionally. add pepper to taste.

cook the tortellini according to package instructions. drain and serve covered with sauce (this should be good for 4 with a salad and some bread). a sprinkling of fresh parmesan and cracked black pepper is good for appearance and the taste buds.

Eggplant Parmesan (Updated!)

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

1 eggplant
1-2 eggs
breadcrumbs
~3 cups hothouse spaghetti sauce
grated mozzarella cheese
thinly-sliced deli-style pepper jack (5-10 slices)
parmesan cheese (fresh-grated from the block is best)
pepper


Instructions

Cook or defrost spaghetti sauce (see link above), set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Wash the eggplant and cut into ten equally-sized coins (about 1/2 inch thick).

Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk. Sprinkle breadcrumbs with a dash of pepper and grated parmesan into a bowl. Dip the eggplant slices in the whipped eggs and coat in the breadcrumbs.

Line a lightly-oiled baking sheet with the breaded eggplant slices and bake for ~20 minutes.

Warm up the sauce (not too hot!) and put a thin layer on the bottom of a small square glass baking dish. Layer with the five largest eggplant segments. Top each with a slice of pepper jack and a sprinkle of mozzerella cheese, followed by a generous amount of sauce and a smaller piece of eggplant. Add a slice of pepper jack to the second tier, cover generously with sauce and sprinkle with parmesan.

Bake at 350 uncovered for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with parmesan and black pepper and serve.


*notes*
-serve with a small dish of freshly-grated parmesan
-go easy on the mozzarella for a healthier dish
-always use freshly-grated parmesan. the hunks of cheese keep well in the fridge
-goes well with a side of pasta w/ sauce (use remaining spaghetti sauce or try primavera alfredo over linguini) and a salad
-recipe is easily doubled
-this recipe replaces the one that suggested frying the eggplant (both difficult and less-healthy), and, after an recent taste-test, was cited as a significant improvement by the official scaughey recipe advisory board

Not-So-Healthy Corn and Pasta Salad

• 8 oz. Fettuccine
• 1/2 C. Light Mayo (NOT Miracle Whip)
• 1/2 C. Frozen Corn
• 1/4 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp. Fresh Cracked Pepper
• Salt to taste

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Mix pasta and corn in a bowl. Mix together the mayo, cheese, garlic powder, and pepper. Combine the pasta, and sauce, and mix well. Salt to taste. This is best if refrigerated for a couple of hours before serving.