White Bean Dip with Dill, Lemon, and Garlic

from Peter Berley

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked white beans (from 1 cup dry)
3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. EVOO
2 Tbsp. chopped dill
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Coarse sea salt
Freshly milled black pepper
Paprika for garnish

1. Puree the beans in a food mill or mash by hand in a medium bowl. Add the lemon juice, 3 Tbsp. of the oil, dill, garlic, lemon zest, 1 1/4 tsp. salt, and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

2. Just before serving, season with additional salt to tast, dust with paprika, and drizzle with the remaining tsp. of oil.

Yields 6-8 servings.

Dinner Ideas:
-Serve with some kind of bread/cracker/toasted pita and crudites
-Salad on the side

Sandwiches for Dinner

Great Sandwich Ideas:

• Avocado, sprout, and cheddar cheese on multi-grain bread. Simple and classic, but so good. The secret is to have great cheddar cheese.
• Avocado, bacon, and tomato. Or a BLT, but everything's better with avocado.
• Vegetarian Rueban (avocado or cheese, sauerkraut, tempeh bacon-optional on rye or pumpernickel with mustard and thousand island dressing)
  
• Grilled cheese
  

Serve sandwiches with a simple side dish or veggies.

• Quinoa salad
• artichokes
• pickles and carrot sticks
  

Peter Berley's Quinoa Salad

This was so, so good. It took a while to pull all the ingredients together, but was practically a meal unto itself once it was done.

Have with:

• fish
• chicken

Ingredients (for shopping - this includes the salad and marinade):

• 1/3 cup hulled sesame seeds
• 1/3 cup hulled sunflower seeds
• 1/3 cup hulled pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup arame (I left it out and it was fine)
  
• 1/2 tsp. course sea salt
• 1 cup quinoa
• kernels from 2 ears of sweet corn (or 16 ounce bag of frozen)
• 1 red onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 bunch red radishes (8 to 10)
• 1 large carrot
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small bunch of cilantro
• 2 scallions
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1 garlic clove
• salt and pepper
  

For the salad:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Spread the 3 types of seeds (1/3 cup each) on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Then let them cool.
2. Combine 1/2 cup arame with 2 cups of warm water and set aside to swell for 10 minutes, until soft. Drain and set aside.
3. Cook the quinoa. Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil and salt with 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt. Add 1 cup of rinsed quinoa. Return to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. (I sometimes cover, but then it takes more than 20 minutes for the water to absorb.) When water has been absorbed, spread quinoa out on baking sheet to cool.
4. In a pot fitted with a steamer, combine the corn kernels and one diced red onion. Steam for 3 minutes, until crisp-tender. Remove to a colander and chill under cold running water. Drain thoroughly.
5. Dice red pepper, cut radishes into matchsticks. Grate the carrot.
6. Combine everything and pour marinade over it. Mix well and refrigerate for 20 minutes to marry the flavors.

Marinade:

1. Chop about 1 cup of cilantro. Leaves and tender stems.
2. Trim and slice 2 scallions, white and green parts.
3. Seed a jalapeno pepper and mince it.
4. Mince a garlic clove.
5. Combine all of the above with 1/2 cup of cider vinegar and 1/3 cup of EVOO. Add salt and pepper and wisk.
   

Rosemary-Mayo Chicken Burgers

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

Mayonnaise:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Burgers:

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 sandwich rolls or burger buns
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup arugula, divided

Directions

For the mayonnaise: In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, garlic, and rosemary; set aside.

For the burgers: Preheat a gas or charcoal grill or place a grill pan over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 of the mayonnaise mixture. Using clean hands, gently combine the ingredients and form the chicken mixture into 4 patties. Place the burgers on the grill and cook for about 7 minutes on each side. Transfer to paper towels and let rest for a few minutes.

Have with:

• salad
• roasted veggies

Curry Soup (from Marti)

Ingredients:

2 cups lentils
2 qts. vegetable broth
2 Tbsp. curry paste
1 med. yellow onion, chopped
Any combination of vegetables

Combine and cook for 20-25 min.

Sauteed Baby Artichokes

Sauteed Baby Artichokes Recipe

Ingredients:

2 pounds baby artichokes
Bowl of water with 3 cups of water and juice from 2 fresh lemons (about 3 Tbsp) or equivalent amount of vinegar

1 cup of water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 green onions (scallions), chopped, including the green ends
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
1 pinch of Herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 to 1/2 cup to taste)

Method:

1. Rinse the baby artichokes. Set out a bowl with 3 cups of ice-cold water; add the fresh squeezed juice from 2 lemons (about 3 Tbsp of lemon juice) or vinegar. Working on the artichokes one by one, cut off the stem to 1/4-inch from the base; peel back and remove the petals until only the top third of the cone tip is pale green green. Cut off the pale green tips. Trim off any remaining green from base of artichoke. Halve or quarter the artichokes, depending on their size and drop in the bowl of acidified water (to prevent discoloration).

2. Drain artichokes. In a large skillet, heat the artichokes and 1 cup of water to boiling. Cover and simmer 3-5 minutes, depending on the size of the artichokes. Drain well.

3. Using the same skillet, heat to medium high and add the olive oil. Add the artichokes, onions, garlic, and Herbs de Provence. Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle on 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar, salt and pepper. Put in serving bowl, sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Serves 4.

I tossed this with whole wheat angel hair pasta and added lots of grated Parmesan cheese. Yummy! We had boiled asparagus on the side.

Reference Links

Top 12 Fruits and Vegetables to buy organic