Edamame Dip

Ingredients

12 to 16 ounces shelled edamame, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup, packed, roughly chopped fresh cilantro, including stems

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, roughly chopped

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup lime or lemon juice

1-2 teaspoons salt

5 shakes of Tabasco (less or more to taste)

3 drops of dark sesame oil (more to taste)

Steps:

Bring 2 quarts of well salted water (2 Tbsp salt) to a boil. Add the shelled edamame. Return to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, or until cooked through and tender. Drain with cold water.

Place drained cooked edamame in a food processor. Pulse several times. Add the chopped cilantro. Pulse again. Add the remaining ingredients, and pulse until well puréed. Add more water if you want a smoother consistency. Adjust seasonings (salt, Tabasco, lime, sesame oil). Serve with pita, chips, crostini, Makes about 2 cups.

www.simplyrecipes.com

Roasted Garlic

Steps
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

3. Place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

4. Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

Eat as is (I love straight roasted garlic) or mash with a fork and use for cooking. Can be spread over warm French bread, mixed with sour cream for a topping for baked potatoes, or mixed in with Parmesan and pasta.

www.simplyrecipes.com

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients
15 large button mushrooms, wiped clean
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 sweet yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3-4 tbsp Parmesan cheese, shredded (divided)
1 tbsp mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 block of low fat cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp Italian style bread crumbs

Steps
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a tin foil lined baking sheet with cooking spray. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp towel then carefully remove stems. Add the mushroom stems, bell pepper, onion and garlic to a food processor and mix until chopped finely. Combine mushroom mixture in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, mozzarella, basil, cream cheese, salt and pepper. Taste and re-season if needed. Scoop filling into mushroom caps. Sprinkle bread crumbs and remaining Parmesan on top of each mushroom and place on baking sheet. Bake uncovered in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

For The Love Of Cooking

7-Layer Bean Dip

Ingredients
2 cups of refried beans (15-ounce can or homemade)
1 teaspoon of chipotle powder, Tabasco chipotle sauce, or adobo sauce, more to taste (or plain chili powder to taste)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup chopped green Anaheim chiles (canned) OR a Tbsp of chopped pickled jalapenos
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
1 hot house tomato, cut in half horizontally, seeds and juice gently squeezed out and discarded, chopped
1/3 cup of sour cream, or if you can get it Crema Mexicana (Mexican sour cream)
1/2 small can of sliced ripe black olives

Steps
1. Heat the refried beans in a medium sauté pan or cast iron skillet. Stir in enough water to get a creamy, easily dip-able consistency, about 1/4 of a cup. The taste of refried beans is greatly enhanced by bacon fat; we'll add a teaspoon to canned beans or a tablespoon or more to taste if we are making the beans from scratch. If you don't have bacon fat, you can cook up a strip of bacon, chop it up fine and add that to the beans. If you are trying to avoid pork, note that most canned refried beans are made with added lard, so check the ingredients. You can use olive oil instead, to help the consistency of the beans.

2. Mix in the chipotle chili powder (or Tabasco, or adobo, or regular chili powder) and cumin to taste. Note that the avocados and the sour cream will cool down the spiciness of the beans considerably, so you can afford to be a bit more spicy than you might think. Stir in salt to taste, depending on how salted your refried beans are to begin with, and depending on how salty the tortilla chips are that you are serving with the dip.

3. Once the beans are hot and bubbly, spread them over the bottom of a warmed serving dish. Immediately add the shredded cheese so that the heat from the beans helps melt the cheese. (The cheese doesn't need to be completely melted, but even if it is just a little, it will help the dip stay on the chip.)

4. Layer on the chopped green chilies, chopped avocado, chopped tomato. Spoon on the sour cream (or crema Mexicana, crema fresca, or even cream fraiche). Top with sliced green onions and olives. Serve immediately with tortilla chips. Serves 8.

www.simplyrecipes.com

Poke

Ingredients
1 to 1-1/2 pounds ahi, cubed
1 cup slivered Maui onions
1/2 cup slivered green onions
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon Thai chile garlic sauce
1/2 teaspoon chile flakes
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Steps
Combine ahi, onions and tomatoes in a bowl.
Combine remaining ingredients; mix well.
Pour over ahi and mix gently. Serves one.

RU

Deviled Eggs

Ingredients
1 dozen eggs
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp minced onion or shallot
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
Salt and pepper
Paprika

Steps
1. First hard boil the eggs. Fill up a large saucepan half-way with water and gently add the eggs. Cover the eggs with at least an inch of water. Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water (this will help contain egg whites from leaking out if any of the shells crack while cooking). Bring the water to a boil. Cover, and remove from heat. Let sit covered for 15-17 minutes. Drain hot water from pan and run cold water over the eggs. (At this point if you crack the egg shells while the eggs are cooling, it will make it easier to peel the shells.) Let sit in the cool water a few minutes, changing the water if necessary to keep it cool.

2. Peel the eggs. Using a sharp knife, slice each egg in half, lengthwise. Gently remove the yolk halves and place in a small mixing bowl. Arrange the egg white halves on a serving platter.

3. Using a fork, mash up the yolks and add mustard, mayonnaise, onion, Tabasco, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Spoon egg yolk mixture into the egg white halves. Sprinkle with paprika.

www.simplyrecipes.com

Hummus

Ingredients
4 garlic cloves, minced and then mashed
2 15-oz cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
2/3 cup of tahini (roasted, not raw)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Pine nuts (toasted) and parsley (chopped) for garnish

Steps
In a food processor, combine the mashed garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, 1/2 cup water, and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add salt, starting at a half a teaspoon, to taste.

Spoon into serving dish and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley.

Serve with crackers, raw dip vegetables such as carrots or celery, or with pita bread. You can cut the pita bread into thin triangles, brush with olive oil and toast for 10 minutes in a 400°F oven to make pita chips with which to serve the hummus. Makes about 3 cups.

www.simplyrecipes.com

Chatham Crab Dip

Ingredients
4 oz cream cheese
2T Mayonnaise
1 ½ t Salad herbs (Spice Islands) or Fine Herbs, or Italian Herbs or dill, chives, & Thyme
3T diced onion
1 can crab drained (6oz can)
½ t salt
½ t pepper
1T lemon juice
2T Parmesan cheese

Steps
Mix all ingredients and bake at 350 F for 25 minutes to melt cheese. Stir.
Let cool
Serve either cool or warm

RU

Guacamole

Ingredients
2 ripe avocados
½ red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1-2 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed, minced
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh lime or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
A dash of freshly grated black pepper
1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped

Steps
1. Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avacado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl. (See How to Cut and Peel an Avocado.)

2. Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime or lemon, salt and pepper and mash some more. Chili peppers vary individually in their hotness. So, start with a half of one chili pepper and add to the guacamole to your desired degree of hotness. Be careful handling the peppers; wash your hands thoroughly after handling and do not touch your eyes or the area near your eyes with your hands for several hours.

Keep the tomatoes separate until ready to serve.

Remember that much of this is done to taste because of the variability in the fresh ingredients. Start with this recipe and adjust to your taste.

3. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it. Refrigerate until ready.

4. Just before serving, add the chopped tomato to the guacamole and mix.

Serves 2-4.

www.simplyrecipes.com

Eggplant Dip

Ingredients
2 globe eggplants (about 2 lbs)
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp roasted tahini (sesame paste)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of one lemon - about 2 1/2 tablespoons
3/4 teaspoon salt
Cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet, cut side down, and roast until very tender, about 35 minutes. Place the eggplant in a colander to drain and cool for 15 minutes, then scoop the flesh out of the skin.

2. Combine the eggplant, remaining olive oil (about 2 Tbsp), tahini, garlic, cumin, 2 Tbsp of the lemon juice, the salt, and a pinch of cayenne in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the eggplant is somewhat smooth but retains some of its texture.

3. Allow the baba ghanouj to sit for an hour at room temperature, then season to taste with additional lemon juice, salt, and cayenne. Toss in cilantro and serve.

Serves four. Served traditionally with pita bread, and can also be served with crackers, toast, sliced baguette or celery.

Adapted from the Field of Greens vegetarian cookbook.
www.simplyrecipes.com