Spinach & Tuna Salad with Roasted Tomatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 6 whole Roma tomatoes, halved 
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil 
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper 
• 1 bag of spinach (organic - baby) 
• 1 bunch of fresh asparagus 
• 9 ounce can of tuna, packed in water (Tonnino Brand)

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice 
• 1/4 cup of basil leaves, shredded 
• 1 teaspoon of brown sugar 

Preparation

1. Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet, cut side up and sprinkle with olive oil and pepper.  Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes till they are soft.  Cool. 
2. Blanch the asparagus by putting 1/2 inch of water in a shallow pan.  Add the asparagus and cook on high for about 5 minutes - turning the spears till they are bright green and still crisp.  Cool. 
3. Arrange the spinach and asparagus on serving plates.  Top with the tomatoes. (3 per person). 
4. Drain the tuna and add a small scoop to each salad. 
5. To make the dressing, combine the oil, lemon juice, basil and sugar in a small jar and shake well.  Drizzle over the salad. 

Tips

• To prepare asparagus, snap the ends off - about 1-2" on each stock.  They will break off naturally.  Buy the thickest asparagus you can find as it is tastier and more tender than the thin spears. 
• If you prefer fresh tuna, grill the tuna first and let it cool.  Slice it and serve with the salad.  You can substitute cooked chicken for the tuna. 
• Try Chunk White - Tongol brand tuna available at Whole Foods. 
• Always add the salad dressing just before serving.  When the dressing sits too long on the salad, the leaves will become soggy.  Serve the dressing separately on a buffet table where food is available for a long period of time. 

Carrot Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Icing

Makes 1 – 9” Single layer cake 

Ingredients:

1 cup sifted flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup corn or canola oil
1 cup white sugar (or a bit less)
2 eggs
1 ½ cups grated raw carrots
½ cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
  (reserve 2 Tbs chopped nuts to sprinkle on top) 

Directions: 

Pre-heat oven to 325F.  Oil and line with parchment paper,  a 9” round cake pan.  Sift flour, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon.  Set aside. 

Measure oil into a large bowl.  Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition at high speed. 

Beat eggs until light and fluffy.  Gradually beat a little at a time into the oil/sugar mixture and beat till smooth. 

Stir in the sifted ingredients a little at a time.  Add the carrots and nuts and mix. 

Pour into the pan and bake at 325F for 45-55 minutes.  Check.  Cool in pan before removing. 

Icing:

Beat one 8oz package of cream cheese (softened) with ¼ cup honey and 1 tablespoon of grated orange rind for 1-2 minutes.  Then add ¼ cup of heavy cream (whipping cream – can probably use milk) and beat another 1-2 minutes.  Spread over cooled cake and sprinkle with nuts. 

Edamame, Corn & Black Bean Salad

Serves 4 - 6 people (6 cups)

Ingredients: 

2 Cups Edamame fresh or frozen (shelled)

2 Cups fresh corn (2 cobs), cut the corn off the cob

1 cup cooked black beans (canned)

1 small diced red onion, or 1 small shallot chopped fine

1/2 cup diced red pepper

1/2 cup diced green pepper

2 TBS chopped fresh parsley

2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (meyer lemons are great)

1 TBS honey

1/2 cup Canola oil

1 tsp sea salt (or less)

3/4 tsp black pepper

2 dashes tabasco or some paprika

Directions:

Put lemon juice honey, oil, salt, pepper, tabasco in a mixing bowl
and whisk well to combine. Add more honey if you like it a bit sweeter. 

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Marinate for one hour in
the fridge.

This is a great side salad to serve with chicken, pork, or fish.

You can use chickpeas or lima beans too.

Fresh Corn and Red Peppers with Parsley

Serves 6

Ingredients:

6 fresh cobs of corn, cut off the cob
1 red pepper, chopped
2 TBS chopped parsley
1 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil
Salt & pepper

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and oil.

Add the corn & peppers. Stir occasionally on Medium.
Cook for 5-8 minutes till warmed though. The corn should still be crisp and firm.
Add salt & pepper and chopped parsley.

Serve hot as a side dish, or cold on a salad.

Baked Egg Casserole

This recipe was given to me by my friend Laura. It's great dish to make ahead as it is refrigerated overnight and then baked in the morning.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

6-8 slices firm white bread (like Pepperidge Farm)
butter
8 oz (2C) shredded sharp cheddar
8 eggs, well beaten
2 cups of half and half cream 

1 tablespoon of chopped chives - or green onions

Additions: 

(any of these ingredients - or whatever you like)

1 cup of fresh asparagus. Steamed (5 minutes) - cooled and cut into 1/2 inch slices.

1 roasted red pepper - chopped. You can make your own or purchase about 1/4 cup at a deli.

1 cup of chopped ham or 1 lb of sausage, or 1/2 cup cooked pancetta chopped, or 1/2 cup cooked bacon, chopped

1/4 cup of chopped fried onions

1 cup cooked chopped mushrooms

Directions:

Cut the crusts off the bread slices and lightly butter the bottom of a casserole dish (8 1/2 x 11). 

Place the bread slices, cutting to fit, in the bottom of the dish. If you are using the sausage, cook it until it's crumbly, drain, and spoon it evenly over the bread. If using ham/bacon/pancetta, spread over bread. Evenly distributed the vegetables. Sprinkle cheese evenly. 

Mix together the eggs and half and half. Pour carefully over bread/meat/cheese layers. Cover and refrigerate overnight. 

In the morning, take the casserole out of the fridge and preheat the oven to 350F. Sprinke the chives/onion on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes or till set in the middle and lightly browned.

This is great served with baked tomatoes and fried mushrooms. If you decide to make the egg dish vegetarian, serve with ham or sausages on the side, or smoked salmon.

Roasted Mini Sweet Peppers

These little peppers are available prepackaged at the store. They are really thin-skinned and great for dipping in hummus.

Allow 3 per person.

Ingredients: 

1 - 8 oz package of mini peppers
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp fresh thyme (or Italian seasoning)
salt & pepper

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Using scissors, trim the tips of the stems, but leave the stems on for presentation.

Brush the parchment paper lightly with olive oil.  Lay the peppers on the baking sheet with space between them and brush the peppers with more oil.

Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprig and sprinkle over the peppers.

Bake 12-15 minutes till peppers puff out a bit, but are still firm and crisp. They should be lightly brown, but not overdone as they will be too soft in texture.

Remove from the oven.  They can be served hot as a side dish, or cool them for a salad.

The brand at Publix is Pero Family Farms (Delray Beach, Florida). They have a great website with fabulous plant-based recipes using their products:  www.perorecipes.com

Cilantro Dipping Sauce

We used to be able to buy this sauce in Naples at Swan River Seafood, but unfortunately they no longer carry it as the manufacturer no longer makes it. 
I looked for a recipe that has similar ingredients in it, and this one is very close. The difference is the  Zhoug Spicy Cilantro Pesto had jalapeño pepper in it. So feel free to add some heat. They also used white vinegar, where this recipe calls for red-wine vinegar. And there is lime juice in the sauce, which probably keeps it fresh and bright green. I've added that to this recipe. There is no parsley in the store-bought version, so you could use all cilantro if you like.

Makes 1 Cup

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 ml) packed fresh cilantro
1/2 cup (125 ml) packed fresh parsley
2-3 fresh garlic cloves
3/4 cup (175 ml) vegetable or canola oil
2 TBS (30 ml) red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBS fresh lime juice
pinch of chili spice (optional)

Directions:

Add the cilantro and parsley to a food processor. With the motor running, drop in the garlic cloves. Slowly pour in the oil in a slow steady stream.  Add the vinegar and lime juice. Season with salt.
Add chili spice or a bit of jalapeño pepper (optional).  Taste and adjust flavors.
Put in a jar and store in the fridge. It will keep for at least 2 weeks.

It is excellent on any fish, chicken and with crackers.
You can use it as a dip with fresh vegetables or on pasta.

This recipe was adapted from Food & Drink Magazine.