Tomato-Basil Bruschetta

Ingredients:

• 2 very ripe tomatoes, seeded & finely diced
• 1 tablespoon slivered basil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• Pinch kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• One 8oz loaf French or Italian bread, cut into 8 slices
• 1 garlic clove, halved

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the bread on a baking sheet in a single layer; toast until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes on each side.

3. Rub the toast slices on one side with the garlic clove and top with a generous tablespoon of the tomato mixture. Arrange on a serving tray and garnish with the basil leaves (if using). Let stand, covered, at room temperature until the mixture's juices have soaked into the bread, at least 30 minutes (but no longer than 6 hours before serving).

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Vegetable Broth
• 3 carrots diced
• 1 cup green split peas
• 2 onions diced
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 teaspoon minced rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

In a large saucepan, combine the broth, carrots, peas, onions, minced garlic, rosemary and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring as needed, until the peas have disintegrated, around 1 hour.

Serve with garlic croutons (home made or store bought) and freshly chopped flat leaf parsley.

Orzo Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Feta

I've made this salad frequently because, strangely enough, I have boxes and boxes of orzo in my pantry. One time, I made the mistake of complaining to my mother that I couldn't find orzo at my local grocery store. Ever since then, every care package from home contains at least one box of orzo, even though I told my mom that my grocery store actually carries orzo now. No matter- it is her mission to make sure her daughter is well-prepared in case of an emergency orzo shortage.

I didn't really use a recipe for this Fourth of July salad- every time I make it I add a little more of something I like and a little less of something else. The below is just some rough estimates, so adjust however you'd like!

Ingredients:

1 Box of orzo
1/3 Jar of Sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
Half of a large red onion
1 Clove of garlic
Juice from 1 lemon
Handful of shredded carrots or handful of frozen peas and carrots
At least 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese
Half a bunch of green onions
Salt and pepper


I started out by caramelizing the red onion with chopped garlic, using some of the olive oil from the packed tomatoes. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, for about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the orzo according to the directions on the box. Chop the tomatoes into bite sized pieces, and add them, and the onions with garlic to the orzo. Dress with a few more tablespoons of olive oil from the packed tomatoes. Add the peas and carrots and lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Once the salad is cool, add the cheese and snip the green onions on top to garnish.

And that's it! I've also made it with roasted vegetables- chopped, roasted asparagus is a great addition, and so are oven-roasted bell peppers. It serves about 6-8 people as a side.

Vanilla Lime Pineapple Skewers

(From Good Eats)

Ingredients

• 1 vanilla bean
• 8 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1 cup firmly packed
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1 whole pineapple
• 8 (12-inch) metal skewers

Directions

Split open the vanilla pod and scrape out the pulp, and add the pod and the pulp to a small saucepan along with the brown sugar, lime juice, and salt. Whisk together and place the mixture over medium high heat and bring to a boil, stirring just until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 2 hours before using. Remove the vanilla pod. Once cool, place the syrup in a squeeze bottle or other sealable container. Store in the refrigerator.
Preheat grill on high.
Peel and remove the core from the pineapple. Cut the pineapple into eighths, lengthwise, and remove any prickly brown eyes.
Thread the pieces of pineapple onto the skewers lengthwise. Coat the skewered pineapple on all sides with the syrup. Grill on all sides until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes per side, 12 minutes total, or until the pineapple is tender. Serve with any remaining sauce.

Vegetarian Frittata

Ingredients (serving 6):

• 6-7 medium uncooked red potatoes, skin on, chopped
• Half of 1 large yellow or orange pepper, chopped
• Half of 1 large red pepper, chopped
• 3/4 package Gimme Lean vegetarian sausage, chopped/crumbled
• 12 eggs (I usually do half real eggs and half egg substitute), beaten
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• Seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, whatever your heart desires)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease/PAM a large lasagna-style glass/corningware baking dish.
• Layer potatoes, peppers, and sausage in order, seasoning as desired.
• Pour beaten eggs over the whole dish (should not completely cover everything, but fairly close).
• Bake for 45 minutes or until center appears relatively firm when you jiggle the dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until melted/browned.
• Enjoy!

Variations:

• You can make this with chicken (pre-cooked), real sausage, or tempeh.
• I've also made this in a taller casserole-style dish on the stove top instead of baking--basically cooking until the eggs are firm, then broiling for 10 minutes with the cheese on top.

Pavlova

Meringue Ingredients:

3 egg whites
3/4-1 c sugar
1t corn starch
1/4 t vanilla
1t lemon juice

Topping Ingredients:

1/2 pt whipping cream
4 oz strawberries or raspberries
4 oz stoned cherries
4 apricots or greengages, halved
2 ripe peaches

Decorate With:
red currants
1 egg white
2T sugar

Cook 300degrees 1 1/4-1 1/2 h (can be lower).
Draw an 18 cm circle on a nonstick parchment and place on baking sheet.
Whisk whites until stiff. Add in other ingredients gradually.
Spread meringue on the circle and build into a bowl-shaped shell. Bake until firm--sounds hollow when tapped. Allow to cool before removing from paper. Whip cream and cut fruit-don't put onto meringue until just before serving

Low Country Boil

Ingredients:

12 Cups Water
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 lb new red potatoes
1lb hot smoked sausage links, cut into 2 inch pieces (I used beef smoked sausage)
6 ears corn, husked, cleaned and quartered
2 lbs. large fresh shrimp unpeeled

Directions:

Bring water and Old Bay to a boil in a large stockpot.
Add potatoes and cook for 15 mins.
Add sausage and cook for 5 more minutes.
Add corn and cook for 5 more minutes.
Add shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 minutes.
Drain immediately and serve.