no-egg vegetarian caesar dressing

Is it spelled caesar, ceasar, or cesar? According to Rachel Ray, the above spelling is correct, but I saw it all different ways on the internet. I was looking for a ceasar salad dressing I had tried a few years ago: no anchovy, no egg, dead easy and delicious! I tried this dressing, which was close, but quite a bit too lemony. The version below is what I want to try next time:

No-Egg Caesar dressing
(slightly adapted from Rachael Ray)

• 1 clove garlic
• Juice of 1/2 lemon (should measure this next time, maybe 2 tsp?)
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (Tabasco)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, can use shredded or I just cut a good-size block
• salt
• coarse black pepper

1. Place all ingredients except oil, salt, and pepper in blender (I use the mini food processor attachment for my precious and often used hand blender).
2. Blend until everything is super chopped up.
3. Add in oil, a little at a time especially at first, and keep blending. Over time it should start to emulsify and get creamy.
4. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

makes 1/2 cup dressing -- enough for 4 large salads

Harriet's Dolmades

Yesterday I helped my 88-year-old neighbor pick grape leaves for some dolmades she was making. I expressed some interest in learning how to make them, and pretty soon she gave me the grape leaves to prepare and said she would come over today to show me how to make them. SO after an afternoon of cooking, this is the recipe we made.  She usually puts meat in hers, but since Mahesh is vegetarian I wanted to learn how to make them vegetarian and she obliged.

HARRIET'S DOLMADES
makes 2 9x13 pans full

-- about 60 tender grape leaves, stemmed, washed, and blanched
-- about 12 big non-tender grape leaves for the top and bottom of the dish

filling:
-- 2 cups uncooked rice
-- 1/4 c. olive oil
-- 2 cups onions and/or leeks, minced (can use food processor for veggies)
-- 1/4 c. minced fresh anise (Harried wandered down the street and picked this wild from our neighbor's yards) (could probably use mint instead)
-- 1/2 c. minced parsley
-- 1/4 c. tomato sauce, can add more tomatoes if not serving with lemon sauce
-- lemon juice would be good in there too, if you are making a more sour one (less tomato)
-- salt and pepper to taste

For pouring:
-- 2 cups vegetable or chicken bullion or stock

Instructions:

-- Mix all the filling ingredients together, maybe with a little water.
-- Then, line two 9/13 baking dishes with half the uncooked big grape leaves.
-- To roll dolamdes, take blanched grape leaf, vein side up, and add about 1 scant tablespoon filling at the base of the leaf. fold in the two bottom bumps loosely, folds the sides in, and then roll up very loosely, keep in mind the rice will double in size as it cooks and it needs room. Place in baking dish.
-- Roll all dolmades and put them in the baking dish. Do not place them too tightly as they need room to expand. Then, cover with a layer of olive oil, place remaining grape leaves over the top, and add bullion/stock and water to just barely cover the dolmades.
-- Cover the pans with a lid or aluminum foil.
-- Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes or until the rice is cooked through. Check on them from time to time and add boiling water if necessary to make sure the pan doesn't dry out.

-- I tried one plain and decided it needed more salt than I had put in the mix, also a squeeze of lemon made it better. Overall, quite a success! I am thinking of planting a grape vine so I can make more dolmades next year!

Green soup

We make this soup when we have extra greens to use up, very common with our Glenn Valley CSA box this time of year (tomorrow we are getting 5 bunches of greens!!). Tastes great, with a fresh, minty, soury kick that I love and extremely healthy to boot. Based on this recipe, but I have changed it quite a bit here:

INGREDIENTS

-- a generous splash of olive oil or (1T.) knob of butter
-- 3 large shallots, chopped (or 1 small onion)
-- a couple pinches of fine-grain sea salt
-- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
-- 3-inch sprig of mint
-- 1 1/2 pounds yellow or green summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices/chunks
-- 1 bunch greens (swiss chard, spinach, kale, etc), washed and roughly chopped
-- 3/4 pound potatoes, un-peeled, cut into 1/4-inch thick pieces (optional)
-- 3 medium cloves garlic, chopped
-- 3 cups lightly flavored vegetable stock or water
-- 2 t. lemon juice
-- 2/3 cup buttermilk or yogurt
-- can garnish with: fresh herbs, toasted almonds, a generous drizzle of olive oil/ melted butter, and/or some crumbled feta (I am not much of a garnisher though)

METHOD:

1) Heat olive oil/butter in large thick-bottomed pan over medium heat. Stir in the shallots or onion, salt, red pepper flakes. Saute until shallots are tender - a couple minutes.

2) Stir in the greens, and allow greens to wilt down, a few minutes.

3) Add in squash and potatoes, and cook until the squash starts to get a bit tender - a few minutes.

4) Stir in the garlic, and then add the stock (or water) to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

5) Add mint and puree with a hand blender. If you like a silkier soup feel free to pour the soup through a strainer.

6) Slowly whisk in the lemon juice and buttermilk or yogurt, taste, and adjust the seasoning - adding more salt and/or lemon juice if needed.

As you might guess, this recipe is infinitely variable and easy to adjust based on whatever you have on hand.What makes it is the fresh green taste of the greens and zucchinni mixed with the fresh mint, lemon, and yogurt flavors.

southern-style cole slaw

This one is made to go with bbq chicken or pork or tofu sandwiches, very different than our new england version but very delicious! Similar to KFC cole slaw.

• 1 cabbage, finely shredded or a 16-ounce package of shredded coleslaw mix
• 1 medium red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• Dressing:
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Combine shredded cabbage with sliced onion. Combine dressing ingredients and bring to boil. Pour over cabbage and toss. Cool, then refrigerate. A wonderful topping for bbq sandwiches. 

UPDATE: I edited the recipe to halve the sugar, we make it like this and like it better. 

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