Food goodness

Did you know you can freeze cherry tomatoes? I just learned this helpful little fact. Just wash them, let them dry completely, pop them into zip-top bags or other containers and freeze. When you pull them out of the freezer (perhaps in the middle of winter when you can't get a decent-tasting tomato anywhere) they will break down fairly quickly, so they are good for making sauce or throwing into stews or casseroles. You won't be able to thaw them and then slice them or use them in any preparations where you want them to maintain their shape. One suggestion is to just slice the frozen tomatoes in half and toss into a pan to cook down into a sauce with some herbs, maybe a splash of balsamic, a little olive oil, etc. Great for topping pasta, chicken or fish.

Oh man. Know the best part of this dessert? Other than the flan goodness? The fact that the recipe is easy enough that you can make it before dinner, and be eating flan after you've consumed salsa and chips, tacos and margaritas. And that Ernie can make it for me, while I'm throwing the salsa together. from Food Network 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 1/4 cups sugar 1 (15.5-ounce) can coconut milk 1 cup evaporated milk 5 eggs, beaten 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together coconut flakes and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon on a sheet tray and toast coconut until edges are golden, stirring occasionally. In a small saucepan on medium heat, melt 1/2 cup of the sugar until it becomes a golden brown caramel. Working quickly and with purpose, before the caramel hardens, pour the syrup into a glass pie plate, tilting the plate to completely cover the bottom. In another small saucepan, bring the coco

Adapted from Martha Stewart . 1 can fire roasted tomatoes 1 can diced tomatoes 1 jalapeno chile (ribs and seeds removed, for less heat), minced (I used green chilies because I was out of jalapeno) 2 small onions, chopped 3 garlic cloves (2 whole, 1 minced) coarse salt and ground pepper 1 can (19 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal 1 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese 1 teaspoon ground cumin 4 large poblano chiles (or 3 med-large bell peppers), halved lengthwise (stems left intact), ribs and seeds removed Preheat oven to 425. In a food processor, combine tomatoes, jalapeno, half the onions, and 2 whole garlic cloves; puree. Season with salt. Pour sauce into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine beans, cornmeal, 1/2 cup cheese, remaining onions, minced garlic, cumin, and 3/4 cup water; season with salt and pepper. Dividing evenly, stuff poblano halves with bean mixture; place on top of sauce in baking dish. Sprinkle poblanos with remain

Last Friday Gaby spent the night at my grandmother's house, which meant I had the opportunity to make "grown-up" food...things I know she doesn't want to eat. I consulted Mario Batali's "Molto Italiano," which is where this recipe comes from. I have to say, it's a bit of work, but so, so worth it. It was good the night I made it, even better two days later. Also, I need to wax poetic about my yellow squash and basil, both of which went into this recipe. Love, love having a garden. 1/4 c. olive oil (I used more than this, probably closer to 1/2 c. by the time I was finished) 3 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices 3 medium yellow squash, trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices 6 medium garlic cloves, minced 2 tsp. red pepper flakes 1 c. fresh basil, cut into chiffonade 2 Tbsp. kosher salt 2 Tbsp. black pepper 1/4-1/2 c. red wine vinegar (I used closer to 1/2 c.) Heat olive oil in sauté pan until just smoking. Working

Geoff found this one on the New York Times' website. We made it last night for dinner, but it would make an excellent side dish as well. The color is really lovely. Time: 30 minutes 1/4 pound bacon, chopped 1 small red onion, chopped (we used about 1/3 of a large red onion) 4 to 6 ears corn, stripped of their kernels (2 to 3 cups) (we used 5 ears) Juice of 1 lime, or more to taste 2 cups cored and chopped tomatoes 1 medium ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped 2 fresh small chilies, like Thai, seeded and minced (we used 2/3 of a Poblano pepper) Salt and black pepper 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, more or less. 1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to render fat; add onion and cook until just softened, about 5 minutes, then add corn. Continue cooking, stirring or shaking pan occasionally, until corn begins to brown a bit, about 5 more minutes; remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Drain fat if you wish. (Note: it took about 10 minute

This year is salads ! This is a nice resource to have ideas all in one place for flavor combos. While there are summer veggies left to be had, let's try a few and report back. #31 is calling Alissa's name; #44 is calling mine.

Score another point for Heidi of 101 Cookbooks . This was delicious and only requires the barest amount of cooking heat on a summer night. 3 cups cooked couscous, according to package directions 1/2 a basket of cherry tomatoes, halved (I used regular tomatoes, chopped) 1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces 1 cup cooked chickpeas (we also added a bunch of chopped scallions and a block of tofu, cut into very small cubes, marinated for a few minutes with lemon juice, olive oil and black pepper, and then fried) 1 lemon, cut in half 1 lime, cut in half about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil fine grain sea salt freshly ground pepper 1/3 cup basil or cilantro, chopped 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled (do not use fat-free feta cheese. big mistake. sigh.) Combine the couscous, tomatoes, cucumber, and chickpeas in a large bowl. Lori - squeezes the lemon and lime juice directly into the bowl, so start by giving a good squeeze of lemon and lime juice into the bowl, add the oliv

Adapted from FatFreeVeganKitchen . Yes, another vegan recipe, but don't write it off just yet. I don't know about you, but I'm trying to watch what I eat and at the same time, I'm not willing to totally forego baked goods. These are a good compromise. Also, using your food processor to make these is a must but that also means pretty quick clean up since you can just throw it all in the dishwasher after you're done. I hope you all have dishwashers. Anyway, Susan used blueberries in her posting of the recipe but as much as I love blueberries, I was looking for something different. Also, these aren't truly vegan because I use honey in lieu of agave nectar but I say whatever to that anyway. To me, it's the same and all stores carry honey. Now, on to the recipe! 1 jar morello cherries from Trader Joe's, drained with liquid reserved (about 12 oz without liquid) Add enough cherries, fresh or frozen to make one lb. of total fruit (I made sure to run a k

From Simply Recipes . Elise makes a note that you can make this the night before, and we did -- we were having our downstairs neighbor over and we needed something we could serve quickly. I actually think it might be even better when it sits overnight -- the noodles and mango, and the chicken we added, really picked up the citrus and the rice vinegar. Elise thinks this makes six large main-dish servings, but four of us managed to polish off the majority of it. Ingredients 3/4 cup rice vinegar (we used a little more so we would have some extra marinade for the chicken) 1/4 cup sugar 3/4 teaspoon salt 3 large garlic cloves, minced 1 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and minced (skipped this but wish we hadn't) 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice Zest of one lime 1 tablespoon sesame oil 12 ounces soba noodles 1 large red bell pepper, chopped (we also added some chopped snow peas) 1 large ripe mango, peeled and chopped into cubes

© 2009 Recipezaar. All Rights Reserved. http://www.recipezaar.com Recipe #137143 Cookin-jo says: This dough turns out crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, just what my family likes. No one even noticed that it was made with half whole wheat flour. After trying numerous recipes, I was told this was the keeper. From The Bread Machine Cookbook by Donna Rathwell German. 2 days | 15 min prep 2 14 inch round pizzas * 1 1/3 cups water * 2 tablespoons olive oil * 3/4 teaspoon salt * 2 cups all-purpose flour * 2 cups whole wheat flour * 2 teaspoons yeast 1. Add ingredients in the order given into the bread machine pan. 2. Start dough cycle. (On my machine this takes 2 hours). 3. Once the dough is done remove it from the pan onto a floured work surface. 4. Roll dough to fit the shape of your pan. This recipe makes two 14 inch round pizzas. 5. Brush lightly with olive oil and add toppings. You can hold this dough, with just the olive oil, for a coup

from Elise at Simply Recipes Dipping Sauce * 3/4 cup rice vinegar * 1/2 cup sugar * 1 1/2 teaspoons red chili pepper flakes * 1 1/2 teaspoons salt * 1 large clove garlic, minced Fritters * 1 cup flour * 1/4 teaspoon baking powder * 1/2 teaspoon salt * 1 teaspoon ground coriander * 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin * 1 egg, lightly beaten * 1 teaspoon lemon juice * 1/2 cup water * 2 cups of corn kernels, (see steps for cutting corn from a cob) cut from 3 large cobs (or frozen corn, defrost and drain first) * 4 large scallions or green onions, finely sliced (about half a cup) * 1/4 cup chopped cilantro * Grapeseed, canola, or peanut oil (a high smoke point oil) for frying Method spicy-corn-fritters-1.jpg 1 Make the dipping sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients into a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium high, let boil for 5-10 minutes or s

from Elise of Simply Recipes Use high-quality, soft, fresh Mozzarella (the kind packed in water in the refrigerated section of the grocery store). [ or make it your dang self! ] Ingredients Terrine ingredients: * 3 large red bell peppers (about 1 1/2 lbs) * 2 large, firm eggplants (about 2 1/2 lbs) * 2 Tbsp grapeseed or peanut oil (high smoke-point oil) * 1 1/2 cups loosely-packed flat-leaf parsley leaves * 3/4 teaspoon salt * 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper * 8 oz of fresh Mozzarella, cut into 1/8-in slices, about 14 slices Raw tomato sauce: * 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped * 2 to 3 ripe tomatoes (1 1/4 lbs), each cut into 6 to 8 pieces * 1/4 cup virgin olive oil * 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar * 1/2 teaspoon salt * 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper * 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce Method 1 Prepare the red peppers. Arrange the red peppers on a broiling pan and place them under a hot broiler so that their uppe

You guys? I made cheese. On the first try. I'm really pleased. You too should make cheese. I ordered rennet and citric acid here...: http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/p/108-Tablet-Vegetable-Rennet-10-Tablets.html http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/p/123-Citric-Acid.html ...and followed this recipe (which you have to be careful to follow both the photo steps AND the written steps because they both give different and sometimes differing info. Also, it took me 1 hr 15 minutes the first time, so I'm hoping to get closer to 30 minutes next time: http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/pg/21.html We tried it and liked it and then served it to guests and I tried not to be too icky about how excited I was to have made the cheese my-dang-self!

[I love making bread in my oven, but I have been using a bread machine this summer that I bought on Craigslist. The little square loaves are not the most beautiful, but they taste just fine] (Makes one loaf, about 1.5 pounds, recipe created by Kalyn.) Dry ingredients - Mix in bowl: 2 cups White Whole Wheat Flour 1 cup ground rolled oats (oatmeal ground in a food processor, or use 1 cup whole oatmeal) 1/3 cup wheat bran 2 T flaxseed meal 2 T vital wheat gluten 1 T dough enhancer 1 tsp. salt Wet Ingredients and sweeteners - Mix in measuring cup: 1 1/3 cup lukewarm water 1 T olive oil 1 T agave nectar 2 tsp. brown sugar 2 tsp. yeast (I used Red Star Active Dry Yeast, not a special yeast for bread machines.) Follow directions for your bread machine. In my Oster Bread Machine I put the liquid in first, followed by the dry ingredients I mixed in the bowl. Then I make a small well in the flour and put the yeast

Adapted from: Pioneer Woman, who credits Pastor Ryan Pioneer Woman's entry about this recipe provides some gorgeous photos to illustrate each step. I adapted the recipe somewhat to reduce the amount of fat and sodium, and also to accommodate what I had on hand in the kitchen. 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts salt ground coriander ground cumin 1/2 C. plain yogurt (I used Greek) 2 Tbsp butter for sauteeing onions, plus 2 Tbsp butter for rice 1 1/2 C. heavy cream, evaporated milk, or regular milk (PW used heavy cream, I used 1% milk b/c that's what I had on hand.) 28 oz diced or crushed tomatoes 1 large onion, diced 4 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced fresh ginger, 1x2 inch piece, peeled and grated 3 Tbsp garam masala 1 Tbsp sugar 2 C basmati rice (I used Jasmine) Optional: some kind of pepper (serano, jalepeno, etc), cilantro, turmeric, frozen peas Season the chicken breasts with kosher salt, on both sides. Next, sprinkle both sides with some ground coriander and ground

From: The Kitchn I used to get tofu squares from the salad bar at Whole Foods, and I could never figure out how to make them the same way at home. I tried marinating them, coating them in cornstarch, etc, before sauteing them. Well, I finally found a close approximation of those delicious tofu squares. Bake them! I made my own marinade for these, and it was really, really good. I just mixed up a bit of sesame oil, seasoned rice vinegar, honey, teriyaki sauce, granulated garlic, powdered ginger, and a bit of sriracha for heat. 1 (16-ounce) block extra firm tofu 1/2 cup soy sauce or other marinade Drain the block of tofu. Set it on a clean dish towel (or paper towels) on a rimmed dinner plate. Place another plate on top and weight it down with something heavy, like a handy can of tomatoes or a heavy skillet, to press out some of the excess liquid. Let sit 15 - 30 minutes. Cut the tofu into pieces. You can do cubes for croutons, sticks for dipping, flat squares to layer on sandwiches,

I know, more muffins. But these are good for you, use very little sweetening, are vegan (but don't have to be) and a good way to use up some carrots or zucchini languishing about the fridge. These are adapted from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen . 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour (I used 1 C WW flour and 3/4 C AP but next time will try it with all WW pastry flour) 1 tablespoon ground flax seed (I did not use) 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon ginger (this is a lot of ginger so cut back a bit if you like) 1/8 teaspoon cloves 1/2 teaspoon salt Wet ingredients: 1/3 cup agave nectar or honey (okay, no longer vegan if you do this, but whatever) 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce 2/3 C soy milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 cup shredded carrots (about 3) 1/4 cup raisins Optional topping: Vanilla sugar (I skipped since I was mailing them to my in-laws) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a muffin pan with non-stick spray or use muffin liners. You can use

From: Mark Bittman , obviously! :) This is still cooking on my stovetop, but I've tasted it off the spoon and it is GOOD! Bittman suggests serving it on bread or toast, or as a condiment with chicken or fish. I'm already expecting that I'll have to make another batch very shortly. I don't think this is going to last long. Tip: For an easy way to seed and core the jalapeno, cut the stem off. Invert the pepper to put the cut "top" on the cutting board. Use a knife to slice the pepper away from the core. This way you never have to touch the core or seeds! 1 1/2 pounds good ripe tomatoes (Roma are best), cored and coarsely chopped 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice 1 tablespoon fresh grated or minced ginger 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (I omitted, out of cloves!) 1 teaspoon salt 1 jalapeño or other peppers, stemmed, seeded and minced, or red pepper flakes or cayenne to taste. 1. Combine al

Get ready for the tons of zucchini recipes -- the yellow squash in my garden is doing terribly this year, but the zucchini is coming in like gangbusters. Busting gangs of squash bugs and snails. This recipe has both banana and zucchini variations, and the zucchini one was so good that I'll include both. Banana Bread 1 1/4 cups sugar 1/2 cup butter or margarine , softened 2 eggs 3 bananas 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt Zucchini Bread 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup zucchini , shredded 1/4 teaspoon lemon peel Banana bread: Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl. For zucchini bread, omit vanilla and bananas. Add above ingredients and bake as directed. Pour into greased bundt pan. (I doubled the recipe and used two loaf pans, and it made two big loaves and eight overflow muf