Potato/Corn/Tomato Soup

These amounts are approximate...adjust according to your tastes...

Saute in olive oil in a big pot:
-2 celery stalks, minced
-1 large onion, minced
-3 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. pepper

When all is soft but not browned, add:
-3 russet potatoes, scrubbed and chopped
-1 large can tomato sauce, or 1 large can chopped tomatoes, or 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
-about 1/2 bag frozen corn, thawed
-1 bay leaf
-1 tsp. dried oregano
-1 tsp. dried basil
-4-6 cups of liquid (depending on if you want this to be more like a stew or soup - I use half broth and half water.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least 45 minutes

Wild at Heart Salad

1.5 cups wild rice
1 can artichoke hearts
1 can of chopped black olives
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
1 cup chopped cheese curds, feta cheese, or farmers cheese

Dressing:
These amounts are approximate, just mix ingredients to taste
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp mustard
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt

Cook rice per instructions on package and let cool a bit. Add vegetables, walnuts and dressing, stir, then put in the fridge. Add cheese once the rice is cool.

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Makes 8 enchiladas

Sauce:
1 cup light vegetable broth
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 cup chopped roasted green chiles or fresh chopped chile peppers, like poblanos
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin or
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Filling:
1 15-oz can organic black beans, rinsed, drained
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh lime juice from 1 lime
2 heaping cups cooked sweet potatoes, mashed (I baked them in the oven for an hour, then scopped them out and mashed them)
1/2 cup chopped roasted green chiles
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

To Assemble:
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
8 corn tortillas
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Make your Green Chile Sauce by combining the broth, corn starch, green chiles, garlic and spices in a sauce pan and heating over medium-high heat. Bring to a high simmer. Simmer for about 20 minutes until thickened. Taste test. Set aside.

In the meantime, using a mixing bowl, combine the drained black beans with minced garlic and lime juice. Toss to coat the beans and set aside.

In a separate bowl combine the mashed sweet potatoes with the chopped green chiles; add the spices. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Pour about 1/4 cup of the Green Chile Sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.
Grab a skillet and heat a dash of oil. Lightly cook the corn tortillas to soften them - one at a time - as you stuff each one.

Spoon 1/8 of the sweet potato mixture down the center of the tortilla.
Top with 1/8 of the black beans. Roll it up and place in the baking dish.
Repeat for the remaining tortillas. Top with the rest of the sauce.
Top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, optional.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the enchiladas are hot and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.

Top with sour cream and chopped avacado, optional.

Lemon Risotto with Summer Squash

7 to 8 cups well seasoned vegetable stock, as needed (I use half water and half broth).

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup minced onion (I used a whole onion)

Salt to taste

1 pound summer squash (mixed varieties), diced

1 1/2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice

1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), green shoots removed, minced

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup dry white wine, like pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc

2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon zest

1 to 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (to taste)

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Put your stock or broth into a saucepan, and bring it to a simmer over low heat with a ladle nearby or in the pot. Make sure that the stock or broth is well seasoned.

2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the squash and a generous pinch of salt. Turn the heat up to medium high, and cook, stirring often, until the squash is translucent but not too soft, about five minutes. Stir in the rice and the garlic, and stir until the grains separate and begin to crackle. Add the wine, and stir until it has been absorbed. Turn the heat back down to medium, and begin adding the simmering stock a couple of ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. The stock should just cover the rice and should be bubbling, not too slowly but not too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until the rice is just about absorbed. Add another ladle full or two of the stock, and continue to cook in this fashion, stirring in more stock when the rice is almost dry. You do not have to stir constantly, but stir often.

When the rice is tender all the way through but still chewy, in about 25 minutes, it is done. Taste now and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste. Add another ladle full of stock to the rice. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley and Parmesan. Remove from the heat. The mixture should be creamy (add more stock if it isn’t). Serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading the risotto in a thin layer rather than a mound.

Yield: Serves six.

Pear Clafouti

A clafouti is a French oven-baked dessert pudding. The impressive end result belies the little effort it takes to produce.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• Unsalted butter to grease baking dish
• 3 ripe but firm pears, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Wash pears, peel, seed and chop. Place in bowl and toss with lemon juice.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Crack eggs into a medium bowl. Beat with electric mixer until foamy.
4. Add milk, vanilla, sifted flour, sugar, nutmeg and pinch of salt. Beat again until smooth.
5. Pour batter into buttered 9” ovenproof dish or pie plate. Scatter pear pieces over batter.
6. Place in oven and bake 40-45 minutes. Batter should rise and turn golden when done.

Remove clafouti from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, which is a fine powdery sugar also known as icing or powdered sugar. Makes 8 portions.

Pie Crust from "Rustic Fruit Desserts"

Makes four 9" pie shells:

- 5 cups all purpose flour
- 3 T granulated sugar
- 1 and a half tsp. fine sea salt
- 2 cups (1 lb.) cold butter
- 1 cup ice water, more as needed
-2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

Put the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and stir to combine, then put the bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Cut the butter into 1 inch cubes, then add it to the flour mixture and toss to evenly coat. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender, food processor, electric mixer, or your hands; just until the mix becomes coarse and crumbly and the butter is the size of peas.

Stir the water and lemon juice together, then drizzle over the dry ingredients, 1/3 cup at a time, toss with a fork to distribute the liquid. The pastry will be shaggy but should hold together when squeezed in the palm of your hand; if not, add an additional teaspoon or two of ice water.

Dump pastry onto a lightly floured work surface and press down on the dough, folding it over itself a few times. Don't handle too much. Divide pastry into 4 equal parts, and shape each into a disk 1" thick. Wrap each and chill for an hour.

Roll out the dough using the smallest amount of flour possible; begin in center of disk and roll outward, turning every few strokes to shape a circle and prevent dough from sticking. Flip it over and roll from the other side too. Roll dough out a little larger than the pan, then trim off any excess. Once dough is in the pan, chill to let it rest for 30-60 minutes.

Aloo Gobi

From Manjula's Kitchen - http://www.manjulaskitchen.com

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of cut cauliflower (cut into small florets)
• 2 medium potatoes (cubed into bite sized pieces)
• 1/2 inch shredded ginger
• 3 teaspoons coriander powder (dhania)
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper ( lal mirch)
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons oil
• Pinch of Asafetida (Hing)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• 2 green chilies, sliced in long pieces
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon mango powder (amchoor)
• 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro (green coriander)
• 1/4 cup water as needed

Method:

1. In a small bowl, mix the shredded ginger, coriander powder, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and 3 tablespoons of water to make a paste.
2. Heat the oil in a pan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if the seed cracks right away, the oil is ready.
3. Add asafetida and cumin seeds to the oil after seeds crack add the bay leaves and green chilies and stir for a few seconds.
4. Next, add the spice paste and stir for a minute.
5. Add cauliflower, potatoes, 2 tablespoons of water and salt. Mix well. Cover the pan and let it cook on medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Make sure to stir gently every 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Lastly, add the mango powder and fresh cilantro. Mix everything and cover for a minute. Adjust the salt to your taste.

Spencer's Variation: I ignored the asafetida and mango powder because I couldn't find anything. I also didn't put in cilantro because I forgot. And I only put in one green chile, minced.