Years ago my friend made a salad and brought it to a potluck.  This had to be over 10 years ago.  Since then I have seen many versions of this salad, and I myself had made many different versions.  But for Christmas I am always asked by my husband’s family to bring this salad.

-A bag or two of Spring Mix

-A pear or two (chopped into pieces)

-Walnuts (chopped)

-Blue Cheese

-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Mix all the ingredients together.  Using as many nuts and as much blue cheese as you would like to make a good balance. 

You might be able to tell in the photo of my salad, I did not use spring mix.  I used a bag of heart of romaine and some baby spinach.  I didn’t use walnuts, I used pecans.  I also didn’t take the picture with the dressing on because I didn’t want to toss it until we were ready to eat it even though we were going somewhere not far from San Jose. 

It is a great salad.  I sometimes use apples instead of pears.  Whatever you have on hand is good to use.  I like to use walnuts or pecans, I have tried another nut, but I am sure it would work out.

Hello, my name is Agi and I’m a dooce‘oholic. The last 72 hours I have spent on the couch, laptop resting under my chin, while browsing through the archives and flickr files uploaded by the Armstrongs for the world to see and get ADDICTED! I haven’t slept, eaten, brushed, or shaved. I may have cut some cheese here and there, but was too busy to acknowledge it. Here’s a proof of the madness found after I had finally scraped my rear end off of the above-mentioned piece of our household.

Seriously, I think I should quit dooce, you know, the most popular mommy blog on the face of the Earth. My maternal instincts have been howling for quite some time now. Hence, Cosmo. Hence, the girls and boys names’ lists. Hence, dooce… The problem with the latter is that every time I visit the website and watch some 30 second video of the Armstrongs’ older offspring, or a picture of their joyous 6-month old dumpling with those HUGE blue eyes, it’s as if I was tossing shots of grain alcohol into a fireplace while standing right in front of it.

It’s not the lack of practice that stops Jason and I from procreating, oh no. On the contrary, we have been practicing with such intensity and devotion that we discovered we possessed skills previously unbeknownst to us. I shall elaborate on that…NOT.

There are several reasons preventing us from making babies, however. The most immediate one is made of lubricated latex. Next, there are several existential circumstances, if you will, that are still amiss for us to start talking family. And if I am to point fingers, a steady income and health insurance, or rather a temporary lack there of must take the blame.

In order to expedite the process of getting our shit together and organizing our lives, I’ve been proactive securing our best odds. Not only have I been flipping coins into the local WISHING WELL, rubbing Buddha’s belly right before bed, offering an innocent lamb to Zeus and the rest of the Olympian gang on every full moon, but also I’ve been trying to start my own business and work as a Personal Chef. Considering how brand new the idea is, I’m proud to say the first clients arrived.

Let me share with you my joy of cooking for people who love the food I make for them. Cheers to the very simple GREEN SALAD WITH MAPLE ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES.

What you do is you go to a store and pick up a bunch of fresh, organic root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, red and golden beets, and maybe some butternut squash to finish the patchwork of colors. Peel ‘em and cut ‘em in even chunks. Preheat your oven to 400°. Spread the colorful joy of nature flat on a baking sheet, then season it all with kosher salt and black pepper, drizzle with olive oil and then maple syrup (Grade B, always). Roll your sleeves up and get your hands dirty mixing all veggies and spreading the love evenly. Shove the pan into the oven and let them ROAST for 25 to 40 minutes (depending on the size of your chunks, and I’m not talking dirty here).

While the root vegetables are getting their sins forgiven within the hell of your oven, fetch your greens (e.g. arugula, chopped collard greens, spinach) – wash ‘em, spin ‘em dry, and place  ‘em in a BIG bowl. Add a handful of chopped toasted pecans, drizzle with a simple BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE (you know: balsamic vinegar, good olive oil, salt, pepper, Magic Bullet or a whisk in a fast hand), and toss around. When your veggies are done, let them cool for a minute and then add to the bowl. Once again, shake ‘em up a little with your salad spoons. Last but not least, crumble just a touch of goat cheese all over the bowl for that extra creamy texture. It’s optional, however, as the salad will be just PHENOMENAL without the cheese as well.

Believe it or not, this very SALAD WITH MAPLE ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES makes for a delectable, healthy, balanced, and perfectly satiating dinner. If there is anything else to do that evening it’s to enjoy a glass of wine and shag your better half.

Well we’re sitting in a winter wonderland this morning in Maryland, Washington D.C. area. I just came from shoveling snow… and it’s all been covered up by new snow falling. It was fun non the less… I hadn’t shoveled snow since I was a kid. When kids lived to go out in the snow and get covered in the white stuff…..

Early this morning Mike started making his Minestrone Soup… and we’re going to have it for lunch. My Minestrone Soup turned out good.. but with too many noodles. I put the entire box of noodles into the soup and it was toooooo much. So we through that soup out today.

Speaking of food… last night I had my Green Salad with a piece of Wheat Bread. I indulged on my Minestrone Soup for lunch and then a bowl of Berries (Raspberry, Blueberry, Blackberry) with Flaxseed and Low Fat Whipped Topping!

Infact, I was feeling a littel blotted last night… so I cut down on my intake!!! This morning/afternoon, I’m hungry. Can’t wait to try his food.

Today's Vegetable Salad

I actually put together a green salad with some Red Bell Peppers, Olives, Red Onions, and an Oil based dressing. Then I picked up a Rice dish, Eggplant dish, and a Mushroom, Green Bean Salad. Yah know, Mike told me before we went in, I think you’re going to like this place. It has all the foods you eat.! Well he was right.

Then tonight, it was great… Mike and I unloaded the car of drying cleaning and some shopping items. And immediately took to the kitchen to make our respective meals for dinner. He made his Gormazabzi (Meat, Bean, Onion Dish) with Rice and I made this great looking Vegetable Salad. I chopped up Asparagus, Broccoli, Red and Orange Bell Peppers, Sweet Peas, Carrots. I put together an Olive Oil and Vinegar dressing with seasonings like Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Celery Salt, Thyme.

Vegetable Salad:
Asparagus
Carrot
Sweet Peas
Red & Orange Bell Peppers
Broccoli

Dressing:
Olive Oil
White Wine Vinegar
Pinch of:
Cayenne Pepper
Paprika
Celery Salt
Thyme

Last night Mike’s son and I made Fried Asparagus!.

I took out the Asparagus from the refrigerator thinking I would Roast it in the oven with some Olive Oil and seasoning… but Mike wanted it Fried.
A little perplexed, I said O.K. and his son chimed in, where’s the flour?. He said, we can use the flour to coat the Asparagus and put it in the oil to fry.

I went one step further and I added some Paprika, Garlic Powder, Onion Flakes to the Flour. Then I cracked a couple of Eggs, added milk and started dipping the Asparagus in the Egg mix and then roled it around in the Flour and placed it in the hot Oil. His son was in charge of frying the Asparagus and taking it out of the pan when it was ready.

Amazingly enough, it turned out great… and I ate about 5 or 6 of the Asparagus pieces.. Not the only bad thing I did yesterday.

I also went to the Starbucks again, and got my Pumpkin Spiced Iced Latte with Soy. I didn’t take my Barley Max, but I did drink two glassed of Carrot Juice from Bolthouse.

Then after I went to the local grocery store, to pick up missing vegetables and extras, I made a Green Salad.
I ate my Green Salad for both Lunch and then Dinner with the Fried Asparagus.

After popping all those Benadryl… I can finally breath on my own and am not sneezing and coughing and blowing my nose every five seconds.

We woke up to Potomac, Maryland sun shining through the skylights and warmer temperatures. Mikes son had a friend over, so we woke up and made some breakfast… I had a craving for French Toast(but didn’t eat). I instead I cut up some Oranges and ate those with a little Persian Bread and a small Cube of Fete Cheese. I know not good!!!!

We relaxed a little bit and got our bags unpacked and made piles for laundry… and decided to go out and explore some of the Washington D.C. area. Mike had been craving Shishkabobs for a long time, so we went to a local place called Moby Dicks for his food. There I had a Green Salad and some Roasted Onions, and Tomatoes. Mike ordered a dish which his mother made in California.. the Vegetable Stew(Ashareshde) and it was nothing like Mike’s moms dish. We had some flat bread and enjoyed the meal.

It was nearing nearing sundown, so Mike brought out the candles and after lighting one at a time, we read the story of Chanukah. It’s an amazing story of miracles!!!!!

We pushed through all day Friday… and into the when. When we finally got into Potomac, MD at 1am. It was rough!!! I was sneezing and coughing and blowing my nose every five seconds. And to top it off, I was driving.

We left Albuquerque, NM Thursday morning with temperatures in the teens… Yikes! It had been way too long since I was in temps that cold. But Mike was driving and we made it into Amarillo as the sun started to peak out of the clouds and warm things up.

We stopped off at Wendy’s for a Baked Potato and Green Salad. I immediately ate the Baked Potato and held off on the Green Salad until later…. we ended up sleeping in Little Rock, Arkansas.

From which we left early in the A.M. Friday morning… there was a Starbucks right next door to the Hotel, and I couldn’t resist the temptation of a Pumpkin Spiced Latte with Soy Milk…. From there we pushed into Tennessee where we stopped for lunch. I wanted so much to eat fast food, but we actually found a Panera Bread place. That’s where I warmed right up with a Vegetable Soup and Green Salad with an Apple on the side. That was a very refreshing lunch, from which I got up to take my empty plates to the trash, when I hit the dividing wall and dropped the soup bowl on the floor. It made the loudes crash… for which I was completely imbarressed.

Moving on,… for the rest of the journey to drove in the dark and only stopped for gas and to switch drivers. I ate my Apple from lunch and had some Almonds and drank alot of water. Finally, we made it!!!

The recipe will follow shortly, just posting the pictures of our latest experiment! We tried a Vegetable Salad with a delicious dressing complemented with Garlic bread and Mashed Potatoes… Have a look at the stages here:

Left LA with a snuffed up nose, headache and overall not feeling well.! Luckily, Mike drove out and we had pretty good weather,until Arizona. Before we even got out of California, we hit McDonald’s and I had a Southwestern Salad with out the Chicken and the Creamy Dressing. It was so windy and cold… a sign of temperatures and conditions to come.

As we continued West on I-40 in Arizona the temperatures got down into the single digits. Just outside of Kingman, Arizona we hit traffic. For at least 3 hours we sat in stop and go traffic. As if the dipping temperatures weren’t enough, the whole time we sat and inched my urge to go the bathroom built. Until we got to the Seligman exit where we stopped to gas up, use the bathroom, and figure out our course of action.

We decided to go back to Kingman, because as far as the eye could see, there were red lights lined up on eastbound interstate 40. Waiting in that was not going to be how we wanted to spend the night. So we got into Kingman and found the Walmart, where I got another Green Salad to munch on and we were off to the hotel room… until tomorrow!

Woke up with a stuffed up nose and fealing lathargic…. spent the whole day in house taking vitamin c and sleeping.
It wasn’t such a bad thing though, the weather in California was overcast.
After some lunch of Homemade Noodle Soup I felt better… but dinner is another story.

I made a Green Salad with Romaine Lettuce, Small Cucumbers, Tomatoes and some Orange Bell Peppers Mike got from the .99 cent store. I also ate some left over Vegetable Stew.. and I’m not feeling too good. I hope the Peppers weren’t bad!!!!

Tomorrow we push off for our journey back to the east coast… so I hope my tummy gets better!!!!

Bright and early Tuesday morning, we got up to California time and living. It’s been six months since we were here and it felt good to be here in Santa Monica. Mike and I got up somewhat early and started doing our laundry, hit the dry cleaners and ran around Santa Monica doing errands.

We came home to have Mike’s sister waiting to visit with us. It was nice to catch up, the last time we saw her was the summer and her youngest daughter was getting married. We caught up over a traditional dinner of Soup, Green Salad and White Rice. Afterwards, I was so full, still from the night before that I needed to get out and walk. So Mike’s sister agreed and we walk down to 3rd street and back. It was very energizing and got the juices flowing, so to speak.

Wednesday, I continued the momentum with a brisk run along Ocean Avenue. It was great!!! I followed my almost 1 mile run with another 1mile plus walk around the neighborhood and managed to clear my head from all the negativity others have been talking to me about my new way of eating.. For dinner we went to Mike’s cousins house in Tarzana and we ate Green Salad, Veggie Stir Fry with Tofu, and a Persian dish Gormazabsi with Beef but I picked out the meat. No Wine, I just drank Green Tea. Which wasn’t good, because of the caffeine. But at least at his cousins house, my raw food eating plan was met with excitement and positive encouragment. Simply, because she’s cutting down on her meat intake as well. Boy it’s funny how many people I’m running into who are changing there eating habits, from eating meat to not eating meat anymore!!!!

Sushi w/Kristie & Dewey

Then I had breakfast the next morning with Mike and I indulged on French Toast and hashbrowns. When I was ordering, I honestly thought it was a good choice for breakfast. Then I realized I’m eating eggs on the French Toast and who knows how the Hashbrowns were made.

Saturday night, I my Bombay Sapphire and Tonic with Nachos, and a Green Salad. Both Unfortunately, had Cheese on them and I forgot to ask for no Cheese on the Salad.

Each day, I managed to forget taking my Barley Max one or more times, drinking my juice and keeping strong to my Eating Raw Foods decision. When you’re with family and friends, your eating plan comes in second place, or at least, that’s what happened with me on this trip.

Then Sunday when we pushed off toward Las Vegas, I had a Caramel Frappucino and a Whole Wheat Bagel scooped out with nothing else. I already took my Barley Max, drank my Carrot Juice, and had a Greek Salad on the trip. I was bound and determined to make the best of the time left of this trip and begin eating Raw again.

Looking Down On Golden

After a quick stroll down memory lane, we headed to Steve’s for Thanksgiving Dinner which was schedualed for 1pm. I still had to make my Sweet Potatoe Delight and Cucumber Delight and a Green Salad meal additions. My sister in law was very encouraging about me making my raw food additions to the meal. She understands the decision to go raw, because her sister is a vegan and her sister in law is also a vegan.

Sweet Potatoe Delight:
4Sweet Potatoes
1Green Apple
2Tbls Unsweetened Honey
1/4CupsOrganic Raisins
1/4CupsOrganic Cranberrys
1CupFresh Orange Juice

Chop Sweet Potatoes, Apple and sprinkle Raisins, Cranberrys, Honey over dish and pour Orange Juice over the entire thing and place in oven at 350 degrees for an hour or until Potatoes are tender.

Cucumber Delight:
6Cucumbers
1CupCarrots
1CupCelery
4Green Onions
1/4Tspn Dill Weed
1/2Cup Olive Oil
Celtic Salt

Peel Cucumbers, Cut Cucmbers in half, then cut in half again and scoop out the insides. Place the insides of Cucumber in bowl with chopped up Celery, Green Onions, Carrots, Dill Weed and Oil. Mix and spoon into the Cucumber tubs and refrigerate before serving.

Green Salad:
Mixed Greens
Spinach
Red & Orange Bell Peppers
Green Onions
Avocados
Dried Cranberrys
So once I finished my new additions to the Thanksgiving Day Meal, we sat down to eat, because I was running tight on time, and so, I didn’t have a chance to take my Barley Max, or Drink my Carrot Juice.
I had to try a slice of Turkey, scoop of Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing along with my delights. Unfortunately, my Sweet Potatoe Delight wasn’t ready in time, so we snacked on that later.! And of course for dessert, we had a slice of Pumpkin Pie and Cherry Pie with Homemade Whipped Cream. So sinful, I forced myself to go for a walk on the mesa, behind there house. I invited the kids and my sister in law for a walk and when we got back, nothing more was put into my mouth.. until the next day.

click below for recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups diced cooked “LEFTOVER” Turkey

1 package (16 ounces) iceberg lettuce salad mix (10 cups)

1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced

1 medium green bell pepper, sliced into rings

1 cup grape or cherry tomato halves

5 radishes, sliced

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions with tops

3/4 cup ranch salad dressing

Meanwhile, toss greens with vegetables; place in large Serving Bowl. Cut chicken crosswise into slices; arrange over salad. Serve immediately with dressing.

4 servings

Remembering the OKC Bombing

Brad Pitts Homes in 9th Ward

Sites of Bourbon Street

Our first stop in the journey, New Orleans, Louisiana. I’d never been there, nor Mike and we decided to explore the minute we got there. First, we got to our hotel room and freshened up a little. It was only 7:30pm when we got in town so we grabbed a bite to eat at Mr. B’s Bistro. It’s on the corner of Conti & Royal. Since we were in the bayou, I thought I’d have a cup of Seafood Gumbo and a Green Salad. We were really good Saturday night, and only had one cocktail each, I had the Bombay Sapphire & Tonic and then followed that bad with a Fruit Crisp with Sorbet for desert that Mike & I shared… then we hit Bourbon Street.

The next morning…. we walked around the French Quarter some more and went to Cafe Du Monde for some Coffee & Beignets. So sinful!!!!! After visiting the 9th Ward, we left for Dallas. But in Baton Rough we stopped off at the Macaroni Grill where I had their Mediterranean Olives and a Green Salad. We drove through dinner, so I had my left over Roasted Potatoes and Roasted Zucchini & Squash (food I made Friday night.)

We got into Dallas a bit late… so I just cozied into bed and relaxed. Monday, we started early and headed toward Dealey Plaza and drove up Main Street to check out the original Neiman Marcus Store!!! While we were driving around downtown Dallas I ate Mike’s Margarita Pizza leftovers. Three small pieces of pizza for breakfast…NOT GOOD!!! Then we stopped into McDonald’s and I tried the Hot Cafe Mocha.

Around 9:30AM we hit I-35 North to Oklahoma City, OK to visit the Memorial and eat lunch at Brick town. After Mike walked through and experienced the site of the April 19, 1995 bombing site, we picked Crabtown to eat lunch at. Mike wanted a Steakhouse (I couldn’t find one) so we compromised and I had a Green Salad with Fried Onions on top and a cup of Red Beans and Rice.Yum!!!!

We reached Wichita, Kansas by the time we got some sprinkles on the windshield. So I asked Mike to turn the station to the weather forecast… for an update as we drive west on 1-70. Forecasters were predicting more rain, high winds and snow closer to Goodland, Kansas. So, we decided to stop in Hayes, Kansas for the night. I didn’t complain because I knew I was going to finish my Macaroni Grill leftovers and watch Dancing With The Stars-Semi Finals. BONUS!!!

So today I did a 24 hour cleanse.  It consisted of me drinking 32 oz of pomegranate juice, eating 2 bowls of brown rice, a HUGE green salad for lunch, and some raw almonds.

I feel a little woozy now–and like I might puke if I see another pomegranate before I die–but I think it’s a good start for these next 30 days.

Oh, and I turned down pie.  No one likes to turn down pie.  But I’m going to have to get good at that over the next month, so go me!

Monday: Maltagliati with Quick Tomato Sauce, with Green Salad

Tuesday: Pork Kebabs, Rice and Tomato-Onion Salad

Wednesday: Salmon Tikka with Cucumber Yogurt and Naan Bread

Thursday: Cauliflower Mac and Cheese 

Friday: Oh-Omelettes with Simple Salad

Saturday: Roast Chicken with Veg, Gravy and Yorkshire puddings

Sunday: Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

Once again, circumstances and commitments dictated our preparation and menu. Giada’s Broiled Salmon recipe boasted ten minute prep and cooking time combined, so we chose it for Thursday, August 13. We were headed to Asheville for a daytrip with our mom and sisters, and didn’t plan to be home until around 4:30pm. Just enough time to relax for a little, recover from the drive, and then get in the kitchen and start cooking up a storm.

Of course, things didn’t go exactly according to plan. We lingered in Asheville, enjoying our visit with friends, and didn’t leave until 3:00, which got us home at 5:30. (!) Christine and I had to start the dinner immediately, with no down time. Fortunately, this salmon recipe is one of the easiest I’ve seen. Giada was right. Christine mixed together the mustard glaze, while I prepared the salmon on the baking sheet. Ultra-simple. As it happened, I think our glaze was slightly thicker than it was supposed to be…should have added more white wine. But be that as it may, it was still delicious. Mustard and salmon pair well together.

On the side, we planned to have a simple green salad and Tyler’s Oven Fries. His recipe includes the gourmet touches of kosher salt, olive oil, Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, and fresh flat-leaf parsley. Are you drooling yet? Yeah, me too. Anyway, due to the time constraints, we opted for Ore Ida’s pre-packaged french fries. <groan> We’re failures! Just kidding. We’ll save Tyler’s Oven Fries for another night.

On a scale from 1 to 10: 9.

I would have liked a thinner glaze, and I felt our menu left something to be desired (perhaps because I don’t eat french fries). But the salmon was cooked perfectly, and that’s a huge plus!

What a mouthful. And as you may expect, there were a few tweaks, so the name isn’t quite accurate. But the picture was so alluring, we kept everything the same, with the exception of the blue cheese, which we switched out for feta. Not huge blue cheese fans, here…

So this particular Tuesday, August 11, Christine and I were going with a group of friends and siblings to Carowinds (amusement park here in Charlotte). Obviously, going to an amusement park is time-consuming and all that, and we planned to be home around 5:00pm. This doesn’t give much time for dinner preparation, especially since dinner had to be on the earlier side, at 5:30pm. As a result, she and I spent the morning cooking and prepping all our food, so we could just throw things together when we walked in the door right before dinner.

The plan worked like a charm, if I do say so myself. This cold pasta salad is a perfect, light, summer meal. Very easy to make ahead, even easier to toss together when you’re ready to eat. We cooked the pasta, put it in a Ziplock bag with a little olive oil, and stuck it in the refrigerator until that evening. The chicken and plums, we roasted, cooled, and refrigerated. Then, when we got back from Carowinds, we mixed up the vinaigrette in the serving dish – similar to some recipes you might see for a Caesar salad – and dumped in the noodles, chicken, and feta. The plums were neatly arranged around it, and the meal was ready to serve. It was beautiful. And presentation is just about everything, as I think I’ve said before.

On the side, we served Giada’s Roasted Beet & Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese & Avocado. <chuckle> Sort of. It turned into Plum & Spinach Salad with Feta & Avocado. We wanted to tie our two salads together with a common ingredient or two. So we nixed the beets and went with plums, for more of a summer feel, and completed the bond with matching cheese. By cutting out the beets, we also saved a lot of time, since we didn’t have to roast them, as the recipe calls for. Guess we could have roasted our plums, but I think that would have made our salads too matchy-matchy. Everything else was the same, and I have to tell you: the dressing she puts on this salad is to die for. This was one of the most amazing salads EVER. Definitely a keeper. We can’t wait to make it again! Plus, using pre-washed, pre-packaged spinach (I know – we’re delinquents), it came together in almost no time. Which is good, because as it turned out, our timing estimates were slightly off, and we didn’t get home until 5:30pm. We threw ourselves into the kitchen and started busily slicing plums and whisking up vinaigrettes. We had dinner on the table in about 15 minutes, which isn’t too bad.

Oh. Did I mention we had company, too? Yes, two guests for dinner. Talk about pressure. (!)

On a scale from 1 to 10: 10.

These recipes were positively fabulous. This menu worked perfectly, especially paired with a nice muffin/roll on the side for filler.

This might be the best of the Zombea pasta salads. This is also my 100th post for alla Poppy!

1 bunch asparagus
1 cup slivered almonds
12 oz whole wheat gemelli
1 can black beans
2-3 shallots
3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
salt
pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp spicy mustard

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Trim, wash, and cut asparagus into bite-size pieces. Thinly slice shallots into slivers. Toss the asparagus, shallots, and slivered almonds on a cookie sheet with just a tiny bit of olive oil and salt. Roast until asparagus is spotted golden brown, stirring around after five minutes and about ten minutes total. (This depends on the thickness of the asparagus, if you’re using thicker asparagus it will take longer & you might want to add the almonds halfway through roasting to keep them from burning.)

Bring water to a boil for the pasta, dump in the pasta & cook until al dente, about five minutes or according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, rinse and drain the black beans. Drain the pasta right over the black beans in the colander, and let it all cool.

Measure the rice wine vinegar into a large bowl and season generously with salt and pepper, then whisk in olive oil, then mustard. Stir everything together and serve.

Good on its own, or on a green salad.

Per 1/6 recipe, probably around 350 calories. Per 1/8 recipe on green salad, probably around 300 calories.

1 bunch broccoli
1 jar pine nuts
12 oz whole wheat gemelli
1 can cannellini beans
1/2 red onion or 2-3 shallots
3 Tbsp orange juice
salt
pepper
thyme
1/4 cup olive oil

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Trim, wash, and cut broccoli into bite-size florets. Thinly slice onions or shallots. Toss the broccoli, onion or shallots, and pine nuts on a cookie sheet with just a tiny bit of olive oil and salt. Roast until broccoli is spotted golden brown, stirring around after ten minutes and about twenty minutes total. (To keep the pine nuts from burning, protect them under the broccoli or add them halfway through roasting.)

Bring water to a boil for the pasta, dump in the pasta & cook until al dente, about five minutes or according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, rinse and drain the cannellini beans. Drain the pasta right over the chickpeas in the colander, and let it all cool.

Measure the orange juice into a large bowl and season generously with salt, pepper, and thyme, then whisk in the olive oil. Stir in everything else.

Good on its own, or on a green salad.

Per 1/6 recipe, probably around 350 calories. Per 1/8 recipe on green salad, probably around 300 calories.

1 head cauliflower
1 cup pecan pieces
12 oz whole wheat gemelli
1 can chickpeas
1/2 red onion
1 red bell pepper
3 Tbsp lemon juice
salt
pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Trim, wash, and cut cauliflower into bite-size florets. Toss the cauliflower and pecans on a cookie sheet with just a tiny bit of olive oil and salt. Roast until cauliflower is spotted golden brown, stirring around after ten minutes and about twenty minutes total.

Bring water to a boil for the pasta, dump in the pasta & cook until al dente, about five minutes or according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, rinse and drain the chickpeas. Just drain the pasta right over the chickpeas in the colander, and let it all cool; you can also drain the pasta over the the diced red onions, below, to make them less sharp.

Finely dice the red onion and pepper. Measure the lemon juice into a large bowl and season generously with salt & pepper, then whisk in the olive oil. Stir in the red onion and pepper, then the pasta, chickpeas, and pecans.

Good on its own, or on a green salad.

Per 1/8 recipe (this makes a lot), 346 calories. Per 1/10 recipe on green salad, 317 calories.

Menu 4 (13/07/2009 – 17/07/2009)

Tian of Exotic Vegetable Ratatouille with Red Wine Reduction

Clam & corn chowder

Green Salad

Bread Sticks

Lemon Cheese Cake

Tian of Exotic Vegetable Ratatouille with Red Wine Reduction No. Of Por.: 4

Ingredients: Quantity:

Puff Pastry squares 200g

Leeks 30g

Asparagus 50g

Broccoli 50g

Zuccini 50g

Yellow Squash 50g

Mushrooms 50g

Onions 50g

Tomatoes 100g

Garlic 15g

Salt to taste

Olive oil 30ml

Mixed herbs 1 tbsp

Balsamic vinegar a little

Pre-preparation

1. Cut Puff Pastry into squares 2 ½ “x 2 ½ “. Bake.

2. Prepare the vegetables and cut into fairly small and even pieces.

3. Blanch the vegetables and refresh.

4. Blanch and concasse the tomatoes.

5. Peel and finely slice/ chop the garlic.

6. Reduce the Red wine.

Method

1. Heat the oil. Add in the garlic. Add the onions and sauté lightly.

2. Add the concasse tomatoes and simmer to prepare a thick sauce.

3. Add the prepared vegetables and remove from the fire.

4. Reheat the sauce and check the seasoning and the herbs.

5. Adjust the consistency.

Presentation

Arrange squares of Pastry & vegetables in layers to form a tower (Tian). Drizzle red wine reduction on the plate and serve.

Standard

Neatly cut vegetables with a tasty & tangy tomato sauce with fairly thick consistency, vegetables must retain their colour. Pastry should be evenly browned with crisp texture.

Clam & corn chowder No. of por: 4

Ingredients: Quantity:

Béchamel sauce 30 ml

Cheese 60 gm

American corn 20 gm

Corn (cream style) 60 gm

Carrot 60 gm

Capsicum 20 gm

Clams 100 gm

White wine 20 ml

Salt to taste

Pre-preparation

1. Grate cheese, dice carrots and capsicum.

2. Scrub the clam and steam open with wine.

Method

1. Bring creamed corn to a boil.

2. Add béchamel sauce and cheese.

3. Simmer and then add carrots and capsicum. Remove clam meat from the shell. Add to the soup along with cooking liquor (steaming).

Presentation

Adjust consistency and seasoning Reheat the soup and serve hot.

Standard

Thick consistency and white in colour, good flavour and corn cheesy taste and adequately seasoned. Serve hot.

Green Salad No. of por: 4

Ingredients: Quantity:

Lettuce (Iceberg) few leaves

Cos lettuce few leaves

Frezie lettuce few leaves

Croutons 20 gm

Cherry tomatoes 8-10 nos.

Spring onion 1 or 2

Vinaigrette 50 ml

Method

1. Break lettuce leaves into medium size pieces and keep in ice cold water.

2. Cut spring onions into even pieces.

Presentation

Remove leaves from water and shake dry in a clean duster. Add croutons, spring onions and cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Standard

Crisp and fresh pieces of lettuce. Lightly seasoned with well flavoured vinaigrette.

Bread Sticks

Ingredients

Refined flour-250 g

Milk powder- 15g

Grain Sugar- 10g

Salt- 8g

Thyme- 3g

Yeast- 7g

Method-

1. Sieve the flour and add milk.

2. Make a well, add yeast, sugar, thyme and make a smooth but stiff dough. Rest for 30mins.

3. Divide into 30 portions, roll 6” long and place on baking tray.

4. Ferment for 15-20 mins.

5. Bake at 220C for 10mins and to 150C till hard.

Lemon Cheese Cake

Ingredients:

Biscuit 100g

Butter 50g

Powdered Sugar 25g

Filling:

Egg Yolk 1 no.

Grain Sugar 30 g

Milk 150ml

Gelatin 12g

Paneer 100g

Whipped cream 150ml

Lemon juice 1 no.

Lemon rind little

Vanilla Essence 2 drops

Mint Sprig few

Preparation

1) Powder the biscuits. Mix the powdered sugar and butter. Line the mould with the mixture. Bake for 5-6min.

2) Prepare a basic custard using egg yolks, milk and sugar till it coats the back of the wooden spoon. Add vanilla essence and the dissolved gelatin.

3) Add cottage cheese (grated) and lemon juice and make a smooth mixture by putting it in the vessel. Strain and add lemon rind.

4) Add whipped cream. When the mixture thickens a little, mix lightly and portion out into the moulds. Refrigerate and garnish with mint.

Presentation:

Demould cheese cake onto a clean plate with biscuit at the base. Garnish with suitable fruit. Cut neatly.

The bright grapefruit vinaigrette heightens the flavors of this main-dish salad.

Ingredients:

Chicken
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp Citrus & Basil Rub
1 tsp olive oil

Dressing and Salad
1 large ruby red grapefruit
1 tbsp orange marmalade
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
4-6 radishes
1 firm, ripe avocado
1 bag (6 oz) fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup sliced red onion (optional)
Sweet Caramel Cashews (optional)

Directions:
1. For chicken, combine ingredients in Classic Batter Bowl. Heat Grill Pan over medium heat 5 minutes. Cook chicken 4 minutes or until grill marks appear. Turn chicken over; grill 4-6 minutes or until Pocket Thermometer registers 170°F. Remove chicken to Cutting Board; let stand 10 minutes.

2. For dressing, zest grapefruit with Microplane(R) Adustable Grater to measure 1 tsp zest. Cut grapefruit in half; remove sections to Prep Bowl using Grapefruit Knife. Juice grapefruit halves using Juicer to measure 1/4 cup juice. Combine zest, juice, marmalade, oil, salt and black pepper in Small Batter Bowl; mix well using Stainless Mini Whisk.

3. For salad, slice radishes using Ultimate Mandoline fitted with thin slicing blade. Peel and dice avocado using Avocado Peeler. Slice chicken crosswise into thin strips using Utility Knife. Place spinach into Simple Additions(R) Dots Large Round Bowl. Top with sliced chicken, grapefruit, radishes, avocado and onion, if desired. Pour dressing over salad; toss gently. Garnish with Sweet Caramel Cashews, if desired. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings