Nicoise Salad

Today I made a version of this Nicoise salad with stuff we had on hand from the farmers market:

-- no tuna
-- no green beans
-- added in cooked beets and cucumbers
-- arugula as the salad greens
-- also added a plop of cooked dandelion greens our 80 year old Greek neighbor Harriet gave to us. I love having Harriet as our neighbor, she has lived in the house next to us for 50 years or more and sometimes comes out to chat when we are working in the yard. She is always full of conversation and advice on plants and food and often shares some of her bountiful and beautiful garden with us. I will put her dandelion greens recipe up one of these days, it is good and not too bitter.  

It was just the best day ever today. I feel very thankful. After a long wet spring and a longer wetter winter, summertime is finally here, we have such good neighbors and are lucky to enjoy good health and a salad full of farmer's market and Harriet's yard's goodness. The dressing was terrific and Mahesh poured the leftovers on some indian potato curry he had made: so good!

Disappearing Buffalo Chicken Dip

The title says it all. And they aren't lyin.


Disappearing Buffalo Chicken Dip
from Best Foods & Bobby Flay

Makes 3 cups
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

2 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken -- I use the chicken off of about 6 chicken thighs, or you can get 2 cans of canned cooked chicken meant
1/4 cup cayenne pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot Sauce--the best!)
1 cup Mayonnaise -- use a fairly bland mayonnaise here, I used fancy mayo and it is a bit too strong
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Toss chicken with cayenne pepper sauce. Stir in remaining ingredients except blue cheese. Turn into 1 1/2-quart shallow casserole, then sprinkle with the blue cheese.

*Cover and refrigerate here if making ahead*

Bake uncovered 20 minutes or until bubbling. Serve, if desired, with celery and/or your favorite dippers.


TO COOK CHICKEN:

Put chicken in pot along with 2 onions, 3 carrots, 3 stalks celery chunked up, salt and pepper and one bay leaf. Add in water so it covers stuff plus one inch. Boil for 20-30 minutes, or until chicken thighs are cooked all the way through. Make sure to strain and save your homemade chicken broth!

Zucchinni Bacon

Only bacon lovers who live with a vegetarian husband will understand this, but it is good

http://veganepicurean.blogspot.com/2009/08/zucchini-bacon.html

Brocolli rabe fennell pasta

I am always making up weeknight pastas with whatever we have on hand, this one is a combo of several different recipes I found on the internet and the veggies we needed to use up in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS

-- 1 T. olive oil
-- 1 bunch brocolli rabe, chopped
-- 1/2 large onion or 1 small onion, chopped
-- 3 small cloves garlic, minced
-- 1/2 head fennel, with greens, chopped small
-- 1/2 lb whole wheat penne pasta
-- 1 regular-size can tomato sauce
-- 1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
-- 1 teaspoon fennell seed
-- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or spice to taste
-- 1 teaspoon other herbs (I used rosemary and basil)
-- one large pinch sugar (optional)
-- shredded parmesan cheese

METHOD

-- Get water boiling for the pasta.  When the water is boiling, put pasta in and cook according to package directions.
-- Meanwhile, heat up some olive oil in a large frying pan. Fry fennel and onion for a few minutes until starting to become translucent. Add in garlic and fry until onion is translucent. Add in brocolli rabe and fry until partially wilted. Add in tomato sauce, garbanzo beans, herbs and spices, salt and pepper to taste, and boil until sauce is tasting good. I found this needed a big pinch of sugar to balance the flavors. 
-- When sauce is done, add in cooked pasta and a little of the pasta water, boil together for a few minutes. I find this allows the sauce to be partially absorbed by the pasta. Add a good grating of fresh parmesan cheese over the top.
-- Enjoy! I really loved this hearty vegetarian pasta with sausage-y flavors, I hope you do too!

carrot soup

We like this soup a lot and I want to remember the recipe

CARROT SOUP

• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno, chopped
• 2 pounds carrots, cut into medium dice
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger (I use fresh)
• 1/2 head fennel and fronds, chopped OR 1/2 tsp fennell seed (better with real fennel though)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute onion, garlic, celery, jalapeno, and fennel in the bottom of a soup pot
2. Add in carrots, ginger, and vegetable broth, boil until carrots are tender
3. Puree soup, add in salt and pepper to taste, sometimes I also add in a tiny bit of cinnamon

meme

It's time for the blogger ABC game... 

A. Age: 33
B. Bed size: Queen
C. Chore you hate: Cleaning the bathroom. I have successfully avoided doing this for most of my adult life, sometimes responsibly, sometimes not. 
D. Dogs: eh. 
E. Essential start to your day:  breakfast, including coffee.
F. Favorite color: red
G. Gold or silver: both
H. Height: 5’10"
I. Instruments you play: I own a guitar but haven't played in over a year. I used to play piano and trumpet.
J. Job title: Writer/Story Editor, but I do lots of things
K. Kids: maybe
L. Live: Canada
M. Mom’s name: Jacinthe
N. Nicknames: Mona, Mo, pork
O. Overnight hospital stays: no
P. Pet peeve: Many, but today it's Facebook friends who block me from seeing their wall. Like, isn't that the point?
Q. Quote from a movie: I don't watch movies enough to quote them. How about a quote from a tv show? I guess the only one that comes to mind is "Don't tell me what I can't do" from Lost.
R. Right or left handed: Right.
S. Siblings: Older. My twin sister Becky is technically older but I consider us tied for oldest.
T. Time you wake up: lately around 7:00 AM but I am still jet lagged a bit, usually later.
U. Underwear: yes
V. Vegetables you dislike: OKRA! Also overcooked asparagus.
W. What makes you run late: Losing track of time, which I do very often. I'll look up and it will be 15 minutes later than I had realized. Teh internets are out to get me.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Not many. They regularly X-ray my teeth at the dentist which I think is a bit of a scam. I think they did an X-ray on my lungs to check for tuberculosis?
Y. Yummy food you make: LOTS! My latest favorites have been lasagne, roasted squash, and a delicious yogurt tahini sauce that is good on anything.
Z. zoo- favorite animal: elephant

Our go-to lasagna recipe

I have tried just about every version of vegetarian lasagna on the planet, and this is the one that we keep coming back to time and time again, I keep tweaking and re-tweaking the recipe, but here is the latest, after a few failed attempts I have figured out how to not pre-cook the lasagne noodles and have it still come out good:

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1/2 of a (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium chopped red bell pepper
• 1 medium chopped onion
• 1/2 large bulb fennel, chopped
• 1 small zucchinni, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, minced (or some spicy sauce)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1(26 ounce) jar pasta sauce, or 1 big can tomatotes
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 (15 ounce) container 2% cottage cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a large frying pan, melt a little butter or oil. Fry mushrooms in oil in a single layer in the pan without moving them until they start to brown, then stir and cook until brown on all sides as much as possible. Set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, cook and stir fennel, green peppers, onion, garlic, and zucchinni in oil. Stir in pasta sauce or canned tomatoes, cooked mushrooms, and basil; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until it tastes good. Taste for salt and pepper. 
3. Mix together cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and eggs.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread 1 cup tomato sauce into the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer 1/3 each, uncooked lasagna noodles, ricotta mix, sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Make sure noodles are covered with sauce, if it doesn't cover add a little water to the sauce. Repeat layering, and top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
5. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover lasagna, then bake for an additional 20 minutes or until brown on top. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.