I hate to waste food. So after a recent party instead of just tossing the leftovers, I made an effort to to come up with a meal that utilized the crudites that were left.

I didn’t want another raw food meal or a stir fry rice thingy.

This reminds me a little of pot roast; vegetarian style , of course.

It kind of looks like that, don’t you think?

I just sauteed the vegetables as they were, added them to some linguine added feta cheese, balsamic vinegar and Ghee. You could also use butter.

This was a complete meal and quite different from the ingredients original incarnation.

My secret ingredient ? Live music in my kitchen!

Check out this video performance of “Summertime” by Dolinar Spahija!

Dried fruit, artisanal cheeses, fig compote and candied walnuts make up this cheese plate at The Truffle Pig.

I had a great view of the ski lift and the mountain where snow boarders and skiers came crashing into new snow!

There was a lovely selection of goat, sheep and cow cheeses.

The First Snow was a local sheep cheese; mild yet piquant and delicious with fruits.

All theese great cheeses and beautiful fruits yet the bread was less than mediocre.

A hardier nutty bread would have been nice.

An afternoon of wine and cheese? No problem!

Not only is my BFF Anna is a great cook but she is the hostess with the mostest!

We invade her lovely home for long weekends and she manages to entertain us like royalty!

One of her specialties is this casserole, of sorts, or breakfast scramble.

She par cooks potatoes in the microwave

Chops and sautes any vegetables on hand, usually: red peppers, asparagus, leeks, and mushrooms and sets those aside

Then dice the potatoes and combine in a large skillet the cooked veggies, potatoes, some cheese then crack a few eggs on top

Turn the heat down to low and cover to allow the eggs to cook.

You’re finished!

You can also do this in the oven in a lovely casserole dish for a more elegant presentation.

Or cook the eggs seperatly and serve on top.

Either way it’s delicious!

Eggs aren’t just for breakfast anymore and these are stuffed with spinach and mushrooms.

When dinner rolls around don’t hesitate to crack a few eggs and enjoy a healthy and hardy meal full of protein and veggies.

Add a salad and you’ve got a well rounded meal for the whole family to enjoy.

Use your favorite vegetables and cheeses to create a quick and easy, Meatless Monday!

This meal is more than just rice and beans.

For my daughters I will turn these into big fat burritos with cheese and serve the salsa on the side with chips.

I enjoyed the vegan version of just rice and beans with a dollop of the salsa on top.

What I like the most was the cold crunchy salsa on top of the creamy hot beans and rice.

The girls are going to love this tonight. It’s nutritious and festive.

Rice and Beans

I boiled 1 cup of brown jasmine rice in 2 cups of water

I used 2 cans of pinto beans and cooked them in a frying pan with 4 big cloves of garlic

That’s it for that part.

Salsa

This also works as a salad;

2 avocados

3 medium sized tomatoes

The juice of 2 limes

A nice handful of fresh cilantro

½ of a medium sized onion

½ a cup of yellow corn

I wished that I had some olives on hand but I didn’t. I thought that would really make this pop.

For the burritos I use whole wheat flour tortilla and shredded Monterey Jack, or Manchego cheese.

I roll the beans, rice and cheese together and bake in the oven for a bit then garnish with the salsa.

Of course, salt to taste

Enjoy!

Active teenagers with busy schedules are hard to feed in the best of times but with a 15 minute window it’s almost impossible.

Thank goodness for frozen pasta.

I added fresh baby spinach to the last minute of the boiling pasta to wilt it.

I had a jar of sundried tomatoes in oil in the fridge. I put about 1 cup in a sauce pan and let it begin to cook then added about 1-1/2 cups of half and half.

I put the mixture in the blender and pureed it completely. Then returned it to the sauce pan to warm a bit more.

I had this ready in about 10 minutes.

I always have a salad ready to go making this one quick meal.

It all started with cake and a snow storm and the gorgeous organic produce in my refrigerator.

Sometimes when I’m shopping I don’t have any particular recipe in mind. I simply pick up things that catch my eye, are in season, especially ripe, smell good or are just pretty.

So that is how I ended up with a coconut, that gorgeous ginger root and a million organic carrots!

What to do with carrots on a cold snowy day in the middle of winter? Soup, of course!

But to begin my day, baking a cake seemed to be the most natural thing in the world to do to get things rolling. Chocolate, raspberry and fresh whipped cream was beckoning.

Cake would be a nice treat at the end of a long day.

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs (1/3 to 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate (cool)

Method

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease and flour baking pan, 13x9x2 inches, or two 9-inch or three 8-inch round layer pans.

Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl. Blend 1/2 minute on low speed, scraping bowl constantly.

Beat 3 minutes high speed, scraping bowl occasionally.

Pour into pan(s). Bake oblong 40 to 45 minutes, layers 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool.

Coconut Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients

About 20-30 carrots
5-6 cloves of garlic
A nice sized piece of fresh ginger root 5-6 inches long
2 tsp ginger powder
1 can organic coconut milk
One whole coconut ( use the water and flesh)
2-3 cups vegetarian stock
2-3 Tbsp coconut oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro, for garnish
Avocado, for garnish

Method

Peel and chop the carrots then sauté with garlic and coconut oil.

Start grating the ginger and add to sautéing carrots.

Add the ginger powder.

Let things start to lightly caramelize then add the stock.

Allow to cool then transfer the mixture to the food processor and puree.

Add the coconut milk to the mixture and continue to puree.

Transfer to a soup pot and add the coconut water and flesh.

Add ginger powder if necessary.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm with fresh cilantro and avocado garnish.

Enjoy!

I added curry powder to the dough

Kale, yellow waxy potatoes, garlic, coconut oil, coconut milk, red curry paste, curry powder

Courtesy of Laylita’s Recipes

Making empanada dough is not as hard as it sounds, especially if you have a food processor, and even if you don’t it is still pretty easy because the dough should not be overworked and requires minimal kneading. Also, these days it is very easy to find the empanada discs already made (frozen) in Latin grocery store, and even though I was skeptical at first they are actually quite good, but it also always fun to have them homemade and you can also customize the dough by adding spices, herbs, etc that will complement or contrast with the fillings.

Ingredients for 15 medium size or 25 small empanada discs:

3 cups all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
6 oz unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), cold and cut into 12 pieces
1 egg
4-5 tbs water
Mix the flour and salt in a food processor.
Add the butter, egg and water until a clumpy dough forms.
Form a ball and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small plate).
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator or freezer to use later.

This one is too easy and incredibly delicious. You will feel good about it because this recipe uses leftovers yet you will feel quite fancy because it is French and can be served with great wine, beautiful music and your dearest friends. Talk about an impressive evening on the cheap. I mean all the left over cheeses, from cheddars to goat, brie and blue and don’t be afraid to throw in your childs Kraft junk; I’m serious!
With some fresh fruit, crusty bread and a nice bottle of wine, this recipe will quickly become one of your favorites. It’s almost too easy to be considered a recipe but feel free to put your stamp on it. You can’t help but vary the ingredients, however, I have seen this done with vegetable broth, leek reduction; you could use mushroom broth, etc.; you can definitely add your touch. Be creative and make this your own!

Adapted from Jacques Pepin

INGREDIENTS
1. 1/2 pound cheese pieces
2. 1 garlic clove
3. 1/4 cup dry white wine
4. Black pepper
5. Salt

Method

Put about 1/2 pound of cheese pieces in the bowl of a food processor, add 1 garlic clove, about 1/4 cup of dry white wine and a big grinding of black pepper. Salt is usually not needed, but taste the mixture and add some if it is. Process for 30 seconds or so, until the mixture is creamy, but not too soft.

This will keep in the freezer. You can use it right out of the food processor but do let it sit in the fridge for about 3-4 days minimum for maximum flavor.

Broiled on some beautiful bread is the ideal way to prepare and serve this treat.
Enjoy!

This pie crust recipe comes from, The Martha Stewart Cookbook; Collected Recipes for Every Day. It is called the Perfect Pie Crust because it is! The only thing that I do differently is use 15 tablespoons of butter instead of the 12 tbspn plus 3 tbspn shortening recommended; mostly because I never seem to have shortening but also because it works so well.
I, also, use crushed ice and water and let the chips fall where they may in the food processor. Yes, the food processor; secret of perfect pie crust. If you don’t have a food processor, treat yourself to one. It will revolutionize your baking range. I do not consider myself a baker and do so only when I can’t avoid it, however, with the help of the food processor, Julia Child and Martha Stewart, I have conquered some of my fears and ventured into pie crust, and even puff pastry!

Since I have been using this recipe, I have had friends who have scraped off the filling of pies and eaten only the crust! This was a first for me as I always seemed to be tossing leftover crust from holiday meals into the trash.

Perfect Pie Crust:
Adapted from Martha Stewart
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
15 tablespoons unsalted butter (or 12 tablespoons plus 3 tablespoons margarine or chilled vegetable shortening)
¼ cup ice water

Put the flour and salt into the bowl of the machine. Cut the butter (shortening) into the flour. Process a few seconds until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Drop by drop add water, process a bit more. The whole procedure should take 20-30 seconds. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

Lightly flour a work surface. Divide the pastry in half. Pat each half into a flat round. Lightly flour a rolling pin. Roll pastry in one direction only, to 1/8 inch thick, turning the pastry to prevent it from sticking to the surface. Using your pie plate, measure the rolled out pastry-it should be slightly larger than the plate. Fold it in half so that you can lift it easily. Unfold, gently fitting the pastry into the pie plate, allowing it to hang evenly over the edges. Don’t trim off the excess just yet. (wrap the other half in plastic wrap and save for another pie, it also freezes well)
Hint: I place parchment paper on the bottom of the dish for flawless serving at the table. I love this pretty pie plate!

This is where I make the edge. I fold over the excess and create a nice thick crust and form the best decorative finish that I can manage. (Again, I am not a baker) Then gently poke holes with a fork to prevent bubbling.

I bake this at 425 degrees fahrenheit for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Turn oven down to 350 degrees.

Now you are ready to add the filling.

Filling:
3-4 Vidalia onions
a pinch of Tarragon
Olive oil
Salt
2 Cups Gruyere cheese, shredded
1 egg
heavy cream
a pinch of Nutmeg
1-2 Heirloom Tomato (or what ever kind you have handy, Yellow tomatoes would also do nicely)

Slice the onions in rings and sauté in olive oil and Tarragon until they are caramelized; golden brown. Fill the cooked pie crust with the onions.

To the 2 cups of shredded Gruyere, add a slightly beaten egg with about ¼ cup of heavy cream and a pinch of nutmeg and gently fold the mixture together, then pour on top of the onions.

Slice the tomatoes in nice even 1/8 inch slices and arrange on top of the pie and bake for about 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees or until cheese is melted and tomatoes are starting to cook.

I served this Tart at a small dinner party and it was a hit. I would recommend this for autumn and winter meals as it is rich and filling. I would serve it with a salad of baby greens with a dressing of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Keep it very simple. A nice pinot noir or Malbec would accompany this very well.