Gallo Pinto (Costa Rican Black Beans and Rice)

From Food.com

Read more here

Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 20 mins

3 cups cooked white rice
3 cups cooked black beans
3/4 cup bean stock or 3/4 cup chicken stock, if bean not available
3/4 onion, chopped
1 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 T. ground cumin
3 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
sour cream for topping if desired

1. Fry onion and bell pepper in the vegetable oil until tender.
2. Add the garlic and sauté a bit more. Stir in the cumin.
3. Pour in the beans and the stock, bring to a simmer.
4. Avoid the mixture drying up.
5. Add in the rice and stir thoroughly, gently. Don't mash the beans!
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Right before serving, stir in the coriander, and top with sour cream if desired.

South Indian Cabbage With Yogurt

Adapted from: New York Times (nytimes.com)

This is a great dish to make with left over cabbage from cole slaw or other dishes that leave you wondering what to do with a partial cabbage.

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons black mustard seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 medium onion, cut in half root to stem, then thinly sliced across the grain

1 small cabbage (or 1/2 large), cored and shredded

Salt to taste

3 to 4 tablespoons grated coconut (to taste... really, this is optional)

1 cup plain Greek style yogurt (may need more depending on how you like it)

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a 14-inch wok or 12-inch skillet, and add the mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the cumin, cayenne, coriander and turmeric. Stir together, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about three minutes.
2. Add the cabbage. Cook, stirring, for one minute until it begins to wilt. Salt generously, stir together, cover and turn the heat to low. Cook for about eight minutes until the cabbage is just tender. Stir in the coconut, taste and adjust seasoning. Keep warm.
3. Fold the yogurt into the cabbage mixture away from heat. Serve warm with rice.

Yield: Serves six.

Nutritional information per serving: 118 calories; 6 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 2 grams cholesterol; 13 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 53 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during preparation); 4 grams protein

Leek, Fennel, and Goat Cheese Frittata

This came from: http://nosh-nosh.blogspot.com/search/label/eggs

This is just a copy of the original post from the link above.

Note: Jeanne writes, "Here's a frittata that's fit for a special occasion. The creamy pockets of goat cheese along with this triumphant blending of flavors make this egg dish ideal for a no-fuss, yet memorable meal."

Ingredients:
2 T unsalted butter
3 c thinly sliced fennel (about 1 large bulb)
2 leeks, halved lengthwise, washed thoroughly, and thinly sliced
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
8 large eggs (used half the yolks)
1/2 t salt
generous seasoning freshly ground black pepper
4 oz soft mild goat cheese, crumbled

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a 10-inch non-stick skillet, and roll it around so the butter coats the sides. Add the fennel and saute until tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the leek and tomato and cook, stirring often, until the leek is soft, about 10 minutes. At first the vegetables will crowd the pan, but they will shrink once cooked. You can prepare the vegetables in advance to this point, then reheat before beginning the next step.

Meanwhile beat the eggs thoroughly. Add the salt, pepper, and crumbled goat cheese and stir very gently to keep the goat cheese in separate pieces rather than completely blended into the egg mixture.

**Note: Here the recipe splits. There is the traditional way of cooking frittatas, over low or medium-low heat, using a non-stick skillet greased with butter or oil, and then finishing with the broiler. However, Jeanne also described an alternative method of baking the frittata, which sounded much more appealing to me. So here's how to bake a frittata:

Frittatas can be successfully baked rather than cooked on the stove top. This method can be a lifesaver if you are preparing a brunch, for example, where a number of dishes will be cooked on the burners. To bake this frittata, butter a 9-inch pie dish and pour in the egg mixture. Bake it in a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for 20-30 minutes, or until it is no longer runny on top. (The temperature of the added vegetable mixture affects the cooking time. If the vegetables are quite warm rather than at room temperature, the frittata won't take as long to cook.) Keep an eye on it to prevent overcooking. You don't need to broil the top of the frittata when you use the baking method.

Cut the frittata into wedges and serve immediately. Serves 4. Note: You can reheat the frittata with 1-2 minutes in the microwave, letting it rest every 30 seconds.


Recipe modified from Jeanne Lemlin (2000), Simple Vegetarian Pleasures.

Chickpeas with raisins and greens

1 14-oz can chickpeas, rinsed
2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 c. chopped onion

1/4 c. golden raisins
6 c. chopped greens (I used beet greens, but it could work with spinach or swiss chard just as well)
2-3 roma tomatos, quartered
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large skillet, cook onion in a little oil until translucent.
2. Add garlic and greens, and cook until greens are tender.
3. Add tomatos to the greens and cover for about 5 min until tomatos are soft.
4. Add raisins, chickpeas and lemon juice. Simmer until chickpeas are heated through.

Serve on a bed of rice or whatever else suits your fancy (couscous might be good too).

Shrimp paella

This is adapted from a recipe on myrecipes.com.

Ingredients

Broth:

3 cups water

1 teaspoon saffron threads

2 cups vegetable stock

Herb Blend:

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

2 large garlic cloves, minced

Paella:

16 unpeeled jumbo shrimp (about 1 pound)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups finely chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1 cup canned diced tomatoes, undrained

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups uncooked Arborio rice or other short-grain rice

1 cup frozen green peas

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation

To prepare broth, combine the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.

To prepare herb blend, combine parsley and next 4 ingredients (parsley through 2 garlic cloves); set aside.

To prepare paella, peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large paella pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp; saute 1 minute (the shrimp will not be cooked through but it should be turning white and pink and curling up).

Remove shrimp from pan, and keep warm. Add onion and bell pepper to pan, and saute 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, paprika, crushed red pepper, and 3 garlic cloves; cook 5 minutes. Add rice, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth, herb blend, and peas. Bring to a low boil, and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. If the liquid runs out before the rice is soft, just slowly add more vegetable stock.

Stir in the shrimp and cook 5 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Remove from heat; cover with a towel and let stand 10 minutes.

Potato Latkes (Potato pancakes)

1 lb potatoes (about 4 small ones... but not tiny ones)
2 T. minced onion

1 egg
3/4 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
pinch of nutmeg

1. Grate the potatoes and immediately immerse them in a bowl of cold water (otherwise they'll turn brown). Rinse the potatoes a few times to get all the oxidized juice out of them (aka brown liquid), and combine immediately with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Heat a skillet with enough oil to cover the bottom just until it bubbles when a drop of water hits it. You don't want the oil to be splattering everywhere, so don't get it much hotter than this point.
3. Shape pancakes in your hand. Place them in the pan and press them down to 1/4 inch thickness. Cook until the top starts to look a little dry, then flip. This will take a while (3-5 min for the first side) if you want it to cook the potato throughout.

This is a good quick meal. I eat them with ketchup and a side of applesauce. Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie

From: Foodnetwork.com

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

1 cup half-and-half

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional

1 piece pre-made pie dough

Whipped cream, for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.

For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.