Mung Bean Dal

This is a nice dal recipe, very versatile. I used regular mung beans that I put in the pressure cooker for one minute, then turned the heat off and let sit for 10 or so minutes. Then I let the pressure off and cooked the beans as in the recipe.I used one whole LPO hot pepper (fresh).

1 1/2 C red or brown lentils, yellow or green spilt peas, or split, hulled mung beans
4 C water
2 dried chiles, whole
1/4 t turmeric
1/2 t salt

2 T ghee
1/2 t cumin seeds
1 C chopped onions
1 t grated peeled fresh ginger root
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/2-1 t garam masala
1 C chopped tomatoes

Cook the lentils, peas or beans, until tender with the water chiles, turmeric, and salt.
When the lentils/peas/beans are almost cooked, heat the ghee or oil in a small pan, add the cumin seeds, and cook for 10-15 seconds. Stir in the onions and ginger and cook until onions begin to brown, about 5-10 minutes.Then add the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
When the lentils/peas/beans are tender, remove and discard the hot peppers. Stir in the onion mixture, lemon juice, garam masala, and salt to taste. Serve, passing additional garam masala to sprinkle on top if desired.

**Not a great photo, but delicious dal.

Still looking for great eggplant dishes...Found this recipe on The Wednesday Chef site. I will double the recipe.

Smoked Aubergine Crush
Serves 4

1 1-lb eggplant
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 onion, chopped
1 3/4-inch piece ginger root, peeled and finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon chopped)
1 teaspoon finely chopped red chile (jalapeno or serrano, seeded), or more to taste
1 teaspoon finely chopped green chile (jalapeno or serrano, seeded), or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro for garnish (optional, in my opinion)
A few slivers red chile for garnish

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Pierce the eggplant on each side with the tines of a fork and bake for 50 minutes, or until very tender. Remove from the oven and cool. When cool enough to handle, halve it lengthwise, scoop out the flesh and blend or process it to a puree.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan. Add the mustard seeds and cover immediately to prevent the seeds from popping out of the pan. When the mustard seeds pop, add the onion and cook until translucent. Then add the ginger and chopped chiles and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Reduce the heat and add the turmeric, followed by the pureed eggplant. Cook, stirring, over low heat for 15 minutes. Add the coconut milk and stir 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and salt to taste. Serve hot, garnished with chile (and cilantro, if using).

**The picture doesn't do it justice. I thought it had a great flavor. I used 1 one of the LPO hot peppers and one LPO roasted green chiles. I used the red onions from the basket. The sweet bite of the onions against the spiciness of this dish was wonderful.

Tomato Cobbler- Savory

I was feeling a bit overrun by cherry tomatoes this week. I found this recipe on the Lottie + Doof blog. Seemed perfect since it calls for 2 1/2 pounds of cherry tomatoes! I will use spelt flour and milk as substitutions. I will also use garlic oil and cut back on the garlic cloves and I will use a fresh hot pepper instead of red-pepper flakes.


Tomato Cobbler (adapted from Martha Stewart Living, July 2011)
Filling:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2.5-3 pounds cherry tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Biscuit topping:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Coarse salt
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (2 1/4 ounces), plus 1 tablespoon, for sprinkling
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, plus more for brushing **I used milk

Make the filling: Heat oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let cool.
Toss onion mixture, tomatoes, flour, and red-pepper flakes with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and some pepper.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Make the biscuit topping: Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers until small clumps form. Stir in cheese, then add cream, stirring with a fork to combine until dough forms. (Dough will be sticky.)
Transfer tomato mixture to a 2-quart baking dish (2 inches deep). Spoon 7 clumps of biscuit dough (about 1/2 cup each) over top in a circle, leaving center open. Brush dough with cream, and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon cheese. Bake until tomatoes are bubbling in the center and biscuits are golden brown, about 50-60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for 20 minutes.

**My crust melted together and then the contents bubbled into the oven. Clearly my pan wasn't big enough! I also had to cook it longer because the dough underneath needed more time to cook. I thought it was delicious. My kids, however, weren't all that excited about it. Maybe it just takes age to love a good tomato pie.

Kale Salad

I ate this salad at a friend's place and then asked for the recipe. Here is how he said to make it:

Remove the stalks (discard) and chop the leaves  very thin, make a dressing (I usually use lemon, salt pepper and olive oil, but you can use vinegar instead of lemon). Toss the dressing with the salad. I usually make it several hours before eating it so that the kale tenderizes. Toast some pine nuts and make some bacon bits and toss them with the kale at the end before you eat it. Be as creative as you want to be.

1 bunch of curly kale, stems removed, chopped fine
2 T lemon juice
1 T olive oil
3 slices bacon, fried crisp, then crumbled

Mix together and let sit a bit.

**This salad is bright green. My dressing is very tangy, which suited me fine. I think the addition of the pine nuts make it better, although I ate the whole container for lunch.

Crock pot BBQ pinto beans

I often make pinto beans overnight in the crockpot using a pinto bean seasoning. However, I thought I'd try this recipe. I'll be adding green chiles and left over smoked brisket at the end. I added some sambal oelek (chile paste)- I've shown the recipe as I made it. I bought the beans from the farmer's market during last season.

1 lb dried pinto beans
3 C water
1 onion, chopped
18 oz bottle bbq sauce
1/4 C molasses
1 t sambal oelek (chile paste)

Sort beans, rinse, and drain. Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Cover and cook on low 8-9 hours or until beans are tender.

**Well, I finally gave up. The beans never got soft, however the sauce was good. I think I'll make this again but I'll soak the beans overnight first.

Chile Corn Chowder

This recipe caught my eye because of the corn, since I have a few ears left after my visit to the Nob Hill farmer's market. I also decided to change out the chiles and use our newly roasted green chiles. It is from Harry's Roadhouse Cookbook. This cookbook is fantastic- I'd recommend it for anyone's shelves. And if you find yourself in Santa Fe, please visit the restaurant! I have adapted the recipe a bit to match up my ingredients.

3 tomatoes
1 onion, diced
2 green chiles diced
3 T butter
5 cups corn, divided
2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 qt milk
little grated cheese

In a dry cast-iron skillet, roast tomatoes until charred on the outside and soft inside. Add tomatoes, 3 cups of corn, salt, pepper, and milk. Bring to scalding point (when bubbles form around the edge of the pot and the milk starts to foam). Do not boil. Remove from heat and let cool a bit. Puree in a blender. Return to heat and add remaining corn. Bring to a simmer and taste for salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with chile strips (optional) and sprinkle with cheese.

**I'm not much of a soup eater- but I have to say this was fantastic and so easy to make! It was a big hit.

Smoked turkey, potato, and andouille hash

This is a recipe from the Harry's Roadhouse Cookbook, a recent birthday gift (!). Harry's was one of our favorite restaurants when we lived in Santa Fe. I have adapted the recipe and what I cooked is below.

1 lb diced smoked turkey (I got it from Rudy's)
3 C diced potatoes
1/2 C diced yellow onion
2 roasted green chiles (hot), diced
5 oz Andouille sausage, diced or into small balls
1 1/2 T butter
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/8 t oregano
2 T chicken stock
2 T heavy cream
poached eggs

Chop turkey, potatoes, onion, chiles and sausage into 1/4 " dice. Parboil potatoes in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 minutes or so. They want to be parboiled- not cooked through (or they'll end up mushy in the dish). Drain and cool.
In a cast iron skillet, saute the onion and chiles until they start to soften. Add the sausage and cook for about 5 minutes, until it starts to brown; then add the turkey and seasonings. Cook another 5 minutes, then add the potatoes, stock, and cream. Stir and scrape the bottom of the skillet. When the liquids are absorbed, the hash is ready. Spoon into bowls and top with poached eggs.

**Here it is before the eggs. This dish was delicious! I served it with a mixture of watermelon and honeydew. The melon's sweetness was a nice balance to the spicy of the hash.

Peach cobbler

I couldn't resist the peaches at the Nob Hill Farmer's Market this week. I found this peach cobbler recipe on a site called Delicious Days. I served it with homemade vanilla ice cream- a recipe from my Grandmother.

Mama Rita's Peach Cobbler
Recipe source: Rita Salazar Dickerson
Prep. time ~20 min & baking ~ 20 min.
.
Ingredients (serves 4-6):
*Peach filling:
*1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
*1/4 tsp cinnamon
*1/3 cup/ ~70g brown sugar
*1/2 cup/125ml water
*5-6 cups sliced, peeled peaches (~5-6 medium
peaches)
*1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
*1 tbsp/10-15g butter
.
*Biscuit topping:
*1 cup/130g flour
*2 tbsp/ ~25g sugar
*1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
*1/4 tsp salt
*1/4 cup/50g butter
*1/4 cup/50ml milk
*1 egg, slightly beaten
*small handful (~30g) of thinly sliced almonds
(reserve to top before baking)
*.
*to serve: preferably hot from the oven with vanilla
ice cream

Sift together dry ingredients, excluding almonds. Cut in butter until you have coarse crumbs. Combine milk and egg and then add to dry mixture, stirring just until moistened.

Combine cornstarch, cinnamon, brown sugar and water in saucepan and cook until thickened. Add the sliced peaches, lemon juice, and butter. Cook about five to ten minutes, until peaches are hot and juice is bubbling. Pour into an 8-inch (approximately) round or square baking dish. Spoon biscuit topping over the peaches in about 6 biscuits/mounds (don’t panic- they will not cover the peach mixture, but will grow in the oven). Scatter topping with sliced almonds. Bake at 400F (205C) for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden. Serve hot out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

**I liked the almonds on top. It was a bit sweet for me. However, it was easy to make and the kids gobbled up several helpings. I served it with home made vanilla ice cream. Yum.

Quinoa with olives and roasted tomatoes

I found this recipe on the smittenkitchen site. I changed out the couscous for quinoa and followed the rest of the recipe. Quinoa is super easy to make- remember it is 2 to 1 (liquid to quinoa).


Pearl Couscous with Olives and Roasted Tomatoes
Gourmet, September 2002
Makes 6 servings
For roasted tomatoes and dressing
2 pt red grape or cherry tomatoes (1 1/2 lb)
3 large garlic cloves, left unpeeled
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For couscous
2 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 1/4 cups pearl (Israeli) couscous
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Roast tomatoes and make dressing: 
Preheat oven to 250°F.
Halve tomatoes through stem ends and arrange, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a large shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pan. Add garlic to pan and roast in middle of oven until tomatoes are slightly shriveled around edges, about 1 hour. Cool in pan on a rack 30 minutes.
Peel garlic and puree with oil, water, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup roasted tomatoes in a blender until dressing is very smooth.
Make couscous: Bring broth to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and stir in couscous, then simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes.
Spread couscous in 1 layer on a baking sheet and cool 15 minutes. Transfer couscous to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients, dressing, roasted tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.
Do ahead: Roasted tomatoes, dressing, and couscous can be made 1 day ahead and kept separately, covered and chilled. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

**Nice salad. The dressing made the quinoa turn a bit orange. It was OK, quite mellow.

Rhubarb Berry Jam

Two things prompted this event- rhubarb in the garden and a canning class coming up. I had never made jam before I tried this and I am now a believer! I found this recipe online at another blogger's site: David Lebovitz.
You can get his original recipe there- I have modified this one already.

Rhubarb-Berry Jam

9 one cup (250ml) jars

Berries like raspberries, black and red currants, blueberries, blackberries, and diced strawberries and frozen berries work.

Because rhubarb doesn’t have much pectin, and I don’t use commercial pectin, I added apple juice to help the jam to set nicely.

3 pounds (1.25kg) rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into 1/2-inch (2cm) pieces
2 cups (250g) packed mixed berries, fresh or frozen
1 cup (250ml) apple juice
5 1/2 cups (1kg, plus 100g) sugar
juice of one lemon
pinch of salt
optional: 1 tablespoon kirsch

1. In a large pot, mix the rhubarb, berries, and the apple juice. Cook, covered, stirring frequently over moderate heat, until the rhubarb is cooked through and thoroughly tender. It should take about 15 minutes.

Put a small plate in the freezer.

2. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and salt, and cook, uncovered, skimming off and discarding any foam that rises to the surface, until the jam is thick and passes the wrinkle test.

To do so, place a small spoonful of the jam on the frozen plate. Return it to the freezer and check it a few minutes later; if the jam wrinkles when nudged, it’s done. You can also use a candy thermometer; jam jells at approximately 220F (104C). 

3. Stir in the kirsch, if using, then ladle the jam into clean jars, cover, and store in the refrigerator OR water bath can them.

Rhubarb and berries cooking (I used half blueberries and half raspberries)

Jam trying to reach 104. Barely reached 100 when I gave up and decided I could settle for runny jam.

Filling the jars.

Getting ready for their 10 minute water bath.

Finished product. I ended up water bath canning 8 jars. I had half a jar left that I put in the fridge. It was perfectly jelled and absolutely delicious!

Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold butter cut into small pieces
1/4 cup buttermilk


           Mix dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Cut the butter until the mix is crumbly. Add just enough buttermilk to bring the mix together as a dough. It should not be too wet. Do not over mix or the dough will be tough.

           Roll out dough on a floured board and cut out biscuits. Place on a greased or nonstick sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Make 6 large or 12 small.

Tomato Corn Biscuit Pie

The beautiful tomatoes we received this week, along with the fresh corn from Corrales at the farmer's market made me want to try this recipe from a favorite Santa Fe restaurant, Harry's Roadhouse. Harry put out a cook book in 2006: Harry's Roadhouse Cookbook.


2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cornstarch
21/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 batch biscuit dough (recipe on another entry)
4 tomatoes, cut in thick slices
11/2 cups grated good-quality sharp cheddar cheese
11/2 cups fresh corn
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons butter, melted


In a small bowl, mix together lemon juice mayonnaise, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Divide biscuit dough in half. Roll out half and fit it into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Lay half of the tomato slices in the bottom of pie shell. Top with half of the cheese, corn, and herbs. Then top with the remaining tomatoes, cheese, corn, and herbs. Spread mayonnaise mixture over the top.

Roll out the remaining biscuit dough and cover the top of the pie. Roll the top and bottom edges of the dough together. Cut off any excess and pinch the sides closed with a fork. Cut six silts in the top of the pie. Brush with melted butter and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. The crust should be golden brown. Let cool for ten minutes before cutting.

**Delicious. The tangy of the sauce with the sweet of the vegies and buttery biscuits...mmmm. Next time I'll add less salt and cut the tomatoes into chunks. Oh- and I didn't have tarragon so I didn't add it.

Grilled eggplant topped with caprese

While I was looking through local food IQ, I ran across this recipe. It is from Dave DeWitt's column, Playing with Fire.

Grilled Eggplants Topped with Caprese 
Eggplants come in a variety of shapes and sizes and this year I planted the long and slender Japanese eggplants, so I’m going to have to slice them in half lengthwise to grill them. Caprese is usually a salad with mozzarella cheese, but here it’s going to be a dressing for the grilled eggplant slices.

For the caprese:
1 Large ripe tomato, seeded and minced
5 oz. Mozzarella cheese, cut into a 1/4-inch dice
8 Fresh basil leaves, minced
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
2 Tbsp. Fresh lemon or lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
For the eggplants:
4 Small Japanese eggplants, sliced lengthwise (peeling optional)
2 Tbsp. Coarse sea salt
3 Tbsp. Olive oil
3 tsp. Fresh oregano, minced
1 tsp. Coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp. Hot red chile flakes
3 cloves Garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. Italian parsley, minced

To make the caprese, combine the tomato, mozzarella, basil, olive oil and salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside in the refrigerator until needed. After the eggplant is grilled, add the lemon or lime juice and gently mix everything together.

To prepare the eggplants, sprinkle the salt over the eggplant slices and let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse the slices and dry with paper towels. In a bowl, combine the oregano, black pepper, chile flakes, garlic and parsley. Brush olive oil over both sides of the slices and sprinkle them with the mixed spices.

Grill the eggplant slices over medium heat for five to eight minutes per side, depending on their thickness, then remove from the grill and transfer to a serving plate. Allow the slices to cool to room temperature, top with the caprese dressing and serve.

Yield: 4 servings • Heat scale: Medium

**This was delicious!

Pickled Beets-Canned

Here is the recipe I decided to use. I used my own pickling spice (already posted on this blog) although you can buy it locally or online.


To prepare the beets for this recipe you will want to leave the root and 2 inches of the stem on the beet. Beets have a tendency to bleed if you remove these areas too soon.

Scrub the beets thoroughly to remove excess dirt and other particles.

Put the beets in a large sauce pan and add water until the beets are covered. Bring the beets to a boil and cook until tender. This can be 20-40 minutes depending on the size and quantity of beets you are processing. OR you can choose to pressure cook them from 10-30 minutes depending on their size.

Remove cooked beets from sauce pan and run cool water over them. OR you can put them into a bowl of icy water and leave them till you are ready to keep working on them.

You should now be able to easily remove the skin, root and stem of each beet.

Now that you have the beets prepared we can continue with the canning process. This recipe makes about six pint jars. 

---

Ingredients for Canning Pickled Beets
3 tbsp - pickling spice

2 1/2 cups - white vinegar
1 cup - water
1 cup - granulated sugar
10 cups - prepared beets

---

Directions for Canning Pickled Beets
1. Prepare canner, jars and lids.

2. Put the pickling spice in cheesecloth, creating a spice bag.
3. Combine the following into a large stainless steel sauce pan:
- vinegar - water - sugar - spice bag
4. Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Reduce the heat and boil for 15 minutes more.
6. Remove the spice bag.
7. Add the beets to the mixture and return to a boil.
8. Remove beets from mixture with a slotted spoon put into hot jars. Leave 1/2 inch of room at top of jar.
9. Ladle the hot pickling liquid into each jar, making sure the beets are covered. Remove air bubbles and add more liquid if required. Again, you want to make sure you leave at 1/2 each of head space at top of each jar.
10. Wipe the rim of each jar and place a lid and band on each.
11. Put the jars in the canner and place lid on top
12. Make sure the jars are completely covered with water.
13. Bring to a boil and process for 30 minutes.
14. Remove canner lid and let cool for 5 minutes.
15. Remove the jars and let cool before storing.

**I doubled the liquid. Even though I only had enough beets for 4 pints, I only had maybe one more pint of liquid left. So this would not have made enough for 6 (as it states). Although this was easy to do, it took a lot of time because of all the cooking. The finished product looks beautiful! And the spices smelt amazing. Can't wait to try them when it gets to be winter!

Pickling Spice

I haven't pickled beets although I think they taste great. It took a lot of searching to discover my own pickling spice recipe. I have to say I was surprised at the ingredients. It will be quite a treat to taste these beets. I will can them in a water bath canner so they can be shelved in my pantry.

Pickling Spice:

2 tablespoons mustard seeds2 tablespoons whole allspice2 teaspoons coriander seeds2 teaspoons whole cloves1 teaspoon ground ginger1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes1 bay leaves, crumbled1 cinnamon sticks ( 2 inches)  I couldn't find whole allspice berries so I used 1 t ground. I mixed all this up (and cut up the cinnamon into chunks).         

Pizza with cherry tomatoes, salami, mushrooms and caramalized onions

This was my own concoction.


1 Large portabella mushroom, cut into large chunks
1/4 salami, cut into slices and then quartered
Several handfuls of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 sliced onion, caramelized
mozzarella cheese
Pizza dough (recipe on blog)

Stretch out the dough. Brush a little olive oil on the top. Put all the ingredients on and finish it off with the cheese. Bake at 400 till bubbly and brown.

**Very delicious!

Eggplant, Green Olive and Provolone Pizza

I saw this on another blogger's site called The Noshery.

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/4 pound eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch-thick rounds
• 1 pound store-bought pizza dough at room temperature
• 5 ounces sliced provolone, cut into short thin matchsticks (1 1/4 cups)
• 18 pitted green olives, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Stir together garlic and oil. Brush some of garlic oil on both sides of eggplant and season with salt and pepper. Broil, turning once, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes total. Cut into roughly 1-inch pieces.

Stretch dough into about a 12- by 10-inch rectangle on a large baking sheet and lightly brush with garlic oil. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, until underside begins to get golden-brown. Brush top with more garlic oil, scatter cheese , eggplant and olives over crust. Slide pizza from sheet onto oven rack and bake  for 15 minutes, until done and cheese has melted.

Here the eggplant has been brushed with olive oil into which I put a teaspoon of garlic oil. I bought the garlic oil at the Santa Fe Farmer's market.

The finished pizza. Delicious! We forgot to add the parsley. We used a jar of Spanish green olives that I bought from Cost Plus World Market. I made the pizza dough with spelt flour.

Pizza Dough

I use this recipe consistently. It is from Moosewood's Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant.

1 pkg dry yeast (1 T)
1 C warm water
1 t salt
2 T olive oil
2 C flour (can go half and half with whole meal)
additional 1-1 1/2 C flour

Mix the yeast and water in a large bowl and set aside for about 5 minutes until dissolved (and proven). Mix in the salt and olive oil. Sitir in 2 C of flour and beat well. Gradually add enough of the additional 1 1/2 C of flour to form a soft dough. When the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, turn it onto a lightly floured board. Knead it for about 10 inutes, until smooth and elastic.

Wash out bowl and oil it with 1 T oilive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turn it over to ciat with oil and cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours or overnight in the fridge.

Punch it down and stretch the dough to cover your pan. Put your toppings on it.

Preheat the oven to 400. Cook 30-40 minutes.

Pesto Zucchini Tomato Gratin

Perfect dish to try since I made pesto last week with the basil we got in the box. I found this recipe on another blogger's site- Gluten-Free Goddess.

For the topping:

2 cups Crunchy Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs or Cornbread Crumbs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Fresh or dried Italian Herbs or basil/oregano/marjoram, to taste

For the veggies:

3 medium zucchini, sliced in long pieces, 1/4 inch thick
5 cloves garlic, chopped
A handful of halved artichoke hearts
4 tablespoons prepared Favorite Basil Pesto
2-3 vine ripe tomatoes, sliced thick
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 pinch sea salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (garlic marinated mozzarella rocks)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a gratin dish or large pie plate.

Place the toasted crumbs in a bowl and using a fork, toss with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to coat; season with Italian Seasoning or dried basil/oregano/marjoram.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the zucchini, garlic and artichokes, and sauté briskly just until the zucchini is a bit golden and still tender-crisp. Remove from heat and pour the veggies into a bowl to cool slightly.

When cooled, gently toss the zucchini mixture with the prepared basil pesto, to coat. Layer the pesto veggies in the gratin dish or pie plate.

Spread a scant third of the crumbs on the squash mixture. Layer with slices of mozzarella. Top with sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle the tomatoes lightly with balsamic vinegar. Season with sea salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the tomatoes.

Bake the gratin until it is bubbly and hot, about 20-25 minutes.

Serve as a side dish or on top of a bed of hot brown rice penne tossed with basil pesto.

 **We ate this without the pasta as suggested.  I only used 3 garlic cloves which was plenty since the pesto was garlicy. It was delicious.

Sandia Agua Fresca

My little watermelon looked like it had gotten too cold in storage, so I immediately turned mine into agua fresca. Mint Tulip, a vegan restaurant on Central, makes the most lovely sandia agua fresca. The owner told me that she uses just a little agave nectar, so that is what I used. Here is a recipe to get you started from another blog called Daisy Cooks.

1/2 Watermelon
Sugar to taste
Water

Slice Watermelon in half. Place the open side down (flat) and slice in half again. Now slice that half in half so you have a fourth. I like to slice that in half again and then cut the watermelon right along the curved line of seeds so that I can easily remove them. Place the large chunks of watermelon in the blender. Blend with sugar and water to taste.

**I used the whole watermelon. Since it is organic, I didn't worry about seeding it. I just let the seed bits fall to the bottom of the blender and didn't pour them out. I used a little squirt of agave nectar and not much water.

Pico de Gallo

A basic recipe for the Southwest! This one I got from Whole Foods.

Pico de Gallo
4 large ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped (optional)
2 to 3 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

For the Pico de Gallo, combine all tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, jalapeño peppers, lime juice, olive oil and salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Use any fresh, juicy tomatoes and adjust proportions to your own taste. Makes about 2 cups.

Sour Cherry Cobbler

This is one of my favorite recipes! I got about 3 cups of cherries in my box, so I amended the recipe a bit.

4 cups sour cherries, picked over, rinsed, and drained well

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

Working over a bowl pit the cherries, discarding the pits and reserving the cherries and any juices in the bowl, and into the cherries stir the cornstarch, 2/3 cups of the sugar, the lemon juice, and almond extract. In a small bowl stir together the flour, the baking powder, the salt, the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and the butter, blend the mixture until it resembles coarse meal, and stir in 1/4 cup boiling water, stirring until the batter is just combined. In an 8-inch cast-iron skillet or flameproof baking dish bring the cherry mixture to a boil, drop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto it, and bake the cobbler in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top is golden. Serve the cobbler with the ice cream. 

**It is a shame that I didn't get a photo before it got devoured. I didn't use the almond extract- but I imagine it would add a depth to the dough that would be nice. We topped ours with vanilla ice cream. Delicious!