Greek Orzo Salad

This salad is easy to make and delicious.

 

What You’ll Need:

Dressing:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 cup olive oil

Salad:

6 cups vegetable broth

1 pound orzo

2 cups red and yellow teardrop or grape tomatoes, halved

1 7-ounce package feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 cup chopped fresh basil

1 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

What You’ll Do:

Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

Bring broth to boil in large heavy saucepan. Stir in orzo, reduce heat to medium, cover partially, and boil until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Transfer to large wide bowl, tossing frequently until cool.

Mix tomatoes, feta, basil, and green onions into orzo. Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Add pine nuts; toss. Serve at room temperature.

Apricot Chutney

After a recent weekly trip to a new favourite restaurant in Sofia, a couple of friends decided that I needed to figure out how to make the Apricot Chutney to accompany my Chapatis when preparing Indian meals at home. So, here it is…

What You'll Need:

Dried Apricots - 450 grams (about 16 oz), finely diced
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Honey - 1 1/4 cups
Apple Cider Vinegar - 2 cups
Fresh Root Ginger - 1 tsp, grated
Salt - 1 tsp
Golden Raisins - 1/2 cup
Water - 2 cups

What You’ll Do:

Put the dried apricots and Garam Masala into a medium pot and add the honey, vinegar, ginger, salt, raisins and water. Mix thoroughly with a spoon.

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the chutney has thickened to a fairly stiff consistency, spoon it into 2-3 clean jars and leave it to cool.

Store it in the refrigerator.

Salad Rolls

Salad Rolls are a healthy alternative to spring rolls. They make a great appetizer, snack or the perfect lunch. I made these this weekend and they turned out just great. Quick and easy with so much flavor. What more could you ask for?

The great thing about salad rolls is really you can add any veggies (or even fruit) that you like. So what are you waiting for? Get moving and make some salad rolls!

What You’ll Need:

1 package of baked tofu (I liked the teriyaki one)
1 cucumber, remove the seeds and cut into thin strips
2-3 medium carrot, shredded
1 mango, cut into thin strips
Salad greens
Large round rice paper wrappers
Dipping Sauces of choice (I like the Sweet Chili sauce and Plum sauce) or better yet stay tuned for our peanut sauce

What You’ll Do:

Soften 1 rice paper wrapper by immersing in warm water until soft (about 10-20 sec), carefully remove and place flat on a large plate or cutting board. Be careful not to let the paper fold on itself when removing the wrapper from the water.

Place veggies in the middle of the wrapper, making sure not to add too much. Roll rice paper as you would a burritos, tucking in the sides, it should stick to itself easily. Repeat for the remaining wrappers.

Cut in half and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Yellow Split Pea Dahl...Not Really

So Jaime moved to Bulgaria and left me with a jar of yellow split peas. What was she thinking? I remember her making a dahl and having me trying it, but she didn’t leave me with the recipe. Now what’s a girl to do? Glad you asked. Here’s the answer: try out a few yellow split pea dahl recipes and combine them to make this simple delicious Indian cuisine. Perfect. I do love a good challenge.

What you’ll need:

1 cup yellow split peas, uncooked
2 cups water with one vegan bouillon cube or vegetable broth
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vegan butter or olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
¼ cup peas
1 1/2 tsp cumin, whole seeds or ground
2 whole cloves
dash pepper, to taste

In a large pot, place the peas and water or vegetable broth, and bring to a slow simmer. Add the turmeric, cayenne and salt, and cover. Allow to cook for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a large skillet or frying pan, heat the onion, cumin and clove in the margarine. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, until onion is soft. Add the onion and spices to the split peas, mix and simmer for at least 5 more minutes.

Add a dash of pepper and more salt, if desired, and serve hot with rice.

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Ever been to a potluck and noticed that many of the guests have brought identical items? Watermelon, pretzels, chips, oh and look, more watermelon, pretzels and chips. Hey, it's not that we don't like those snacks, we do. Especially the watermelon. We're just saying -that sometimes, potluck food can get a bit...redundant. Well not anymore J & J peeps. Here’s something you can bring that definitely won't be a duplicate on your next potluck table. It’s exactly what a summer salad should be: simple and delicious. So, if you’re a fellow tomato lover, and you're tired of bringing the 'same old' potluck dish, then we’re sure you’ll love this recipe.

Choose a variety of different colored heirlooms and you'll makes this dish even more vibrant and flavorful. Throw in some homemade croutons, and you’ve got yourself some perfect little sponges that will soak up all that extra yummy juice (‘cause you can’t really slurp it up at a potluck like you would at home – remember your etiquette people, come on!)

What you'll need:

Fresh Italian bread

½ cup + 2 tbs olive oil

2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, chopped in various sizes (be sure to include a variety of colors to make this dish more attractive)

1 Tbs Dijon mustard

1 Tbs fresh lemon juice

2 Tbs white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

1 bunch fresh basil, torn into small pieces

Croutons

Pre-heat oven to 400 C. Slice the bread into 8 large slices and them into large squares for your croutons. Toss in a bowl with ½ cup of olive oil, making sure to coat the bread evenly. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Once done set aside till ready to serve the salad.

Salad

Whisk mustard, lemon juice and white wine vinegar together. Slowly whisk in 2 Tbs of olive oil. Add the tomatoes and basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper. Just before you are ready to serve add croutons and toss the salad again to be sure the croutons are thoroughly coated with the dressing. Serve immediately so the croutons don’t get too soggy. Remember - only slurp at home!

Tabbouleh

Recently, we were visiting some friends of ours for dinner, and they served a light meal of hummus with veggies and pita. But then - there was something new. Something I had heard of before, but never tried. Of course, being a good role model for my kids(as well as a gracious guest), I took a small portion of this new and interesting dish. As we enjoyed our meal (and conversation) I realized that I went back for not only a second serving of this new dish, but also a third!

Tabbouleh is the classic bulgur salad of the Mediterranean, and man is it good. The combination of fresh herbs and spices in this dish was so refreshingly satisfying. I couldn’t wait to make this at home!!

Enjoy it with some warm pita slices or flat bread. Delicious!

What you will need:
1 cup of dry bulgur wheat
1½ cups of boiling water
1 tsp salt
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, crushed
Black pepper, to taste
4 scallions, minced (whites and greens)
1 cup of packed parsley, minced
15 fresh mint leaves, minced (if using dried mint it’s about 2 Tbs – but use fresh…it makes the dish!)
2 medium tomatoes, diced

Combine bulgur and boiling water in a medium bowl. Cover and let stand for about 25 – 30 minutes, until the bulgur is tender.

Add salt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and black pepper and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate until about 30 minutes before serving. Then stir in remaining ingredients. Enjoy with warm pita slices or flat bread.

Mmmmm.....Polenta, minus the hard work ;) You're Welcome

Ok, let's play a game. I say Polenta, you say," ....too much work."

Totally agree, unless of course you are using our Baked Polenta recipe. Then, it's a whole 'nother story.

So sit back and relax while your Polenta magically cooks itself in your oven. NO, you don't need to wiggle your nose silly. Seriously!

What you'll need:

1 cup stone or steel ground polenta - we purchase this in bulk.

1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground Pepper

4 cups water

2 Tbs vegan butter (we prefer Earth Balance)

Combine polenta, salt and pepper. Put water in baking dish 9x13. Add polenta to baking dish with water and vegan butter mix well. Bake on 350 for 40 minutes. Stir about halfway through to make sure all ingredients are well combined.

Let cool, then cut into squares. This is the perfect match for Penne with Pesto and a huge mixed green salad with our basil vinaigrette. Delicious!

Variations:

Pesto Polenta – after baking, top with our Portabello Mushroom Pesto sauce and grilled Portobello mushrooms. Yummy!

Grilled Veggies and Polenta – grilled veggies go great with anything and this is no exception.

Sundried Tomato Polenta – adding our sundried tomato pesto and some baked or steamed asparagus give this dish a new Mediterranean twist.

Polenta Pizza - after 4o minutes of baking, remove the polenta and top with your favourite sauce, cheese and toppings. Bake for another 10 minutes or so.

Top with sauce and fresh thinly sliced eggplant. Bake for about 10 minutes extra.

For left over baked polenta, you can cut into small cubes and add to pasta with some mixed sauteed veggies and your favourite sauce.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Cooking With J & J was recently asked to share a recipe for a healthy version of Macaroni and Cheese. To be honest we're not so sure a healthy recipe is possible. Yummy? Definitely! Better for you than processed box Mac n Cheese? Yep. But healthy....we're not quite sure about that.

We both agreed that Mac n Cheese isn't the most healthy meal.... hey now, no crying, we have some good news. You didn't think we'd leave you hanging like that, now did you? We have some fat trimming 'healthy' recommendations for you.

Drum roll please..............

Instead of making Mac and Cheese your main dish, why not consider it a side?

"What? What's so good about that?" you ask.

Good question. Keep reading, we'll tell you.

One thing we've learned over the years is that if you add more of the 'healthy' stuff (salads and veggies) to your plate, and make it a rule to eat those foods first, then you will naturally decrease your portions of the 'not so healthy' stuff. Well? Whadya think? Not bad huh?

With this strategy you will be doing two excellent things for your health: A) minimizing the amount of fat you ingest from the dairy products included in your recipes - which consequently, is what most of us are concerned with, and B) increasing the amount of nutrient rich foods in your diet. Ok, there is a third thing too. You get to eat things you like and not feel so bad. That's really a win-win situation, don't you think?

Now that we got the 'health' talk out of the way, let's get to the recipe. Be sure to notice that we do use soy milk and Earth Balance to replace cow's milk and butter. This alone will help to cut down some of the fat. This Mac n Cheese sure is delicious!

This homemade recipe is a combination of several different recipes we have used over the years, and it yields this amazing version:

Ingredients:
12 oz Penne pasta
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
Cheese sauce recipe follows

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Oil or butter using Earth Balance a 9x13 baking dish.

Cook Penne 2 minutes less than directions on the package, it will finish cooking in the oven. Rinse pasta with cold water and set aside.

Combine cooked pasta with cheese sauce (recipe to follow) in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Cheese Sauce Ingredients:

1/4 cup Earth Balance or non-dairy butter substitute
1/3 cup flour
3 cups of soy milk
3 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup jack cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 cloves of garlic, pressed

Melt Earth Balance or butter replacement in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Continue whisking for 2 minutes. Slowly add soy milk, whisking constantly. Cook until sauce thickens, be patient this may take a while, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cheese, salt and garlic. Stir until cheese is melted and all the ingredients are mixed well, about 2-3 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

**For an added crunch, add whole grain flakes to the top of the macaroni before baking.

Sweet Potato and Tomato Salad

A nice accompaniment to Sloppy Joe's, or the perfect dish to bring to a potluck! Grab a big helping, cause this one won't last long!

Dressing:

1/2 cup red win vinegar

3 Tbs olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Combine ingredients and whisk.
Set aside

Salad

1 large sweet potato, cut into 2 inch thick slices

2 Roma tomatoes, cut into 1/2 cubes

1 green onion, chopped

Chopped walnuts for garnish

Preparation:
Cook Sweet Potatoes for 15 minutes in boiling water ( until tender but not falling apart).
Drain and rinse with cold water.
Add Potatoes and remaining ingredients to the bowl with dressing and toss gently.
Garnish with Walnuts, cover and store in refrigerator until ready to eat.