Perfectly Crunchy Slaw

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
* 1/4 small red cabbage, shredded, about 2 cups
* 1/3 napa cabbage, shredded, about 2 cups
* 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
* 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
* 1 Belgian endive spear, thinly sliced
* 1/2 cup dried cranberries
* 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts or pistachio nuts
* 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
* 2 tablespoons sour cream
* 3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/3 cup chopped chives

Directions
In a large bowl, mix together the cabbages, carrots, fennel, endive, cranberries and pine nuts. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, sour cream, maple syrup, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss well until coated.

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Garnish with chopped chives before serving.

Thyme Pasta Frittata

I made this last night and it was so yummy. Plus, the best thing was that Olive and Eden made it with me. Thanks Giada De Laurentiis.

Ingredients
* 6 eggs
* 3 tablespoons whipping cream
* 1 cup grated Parmesan
* 3 cups cooked and cooled penne pasta
* 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
* 1 lemon, zested
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream. Stir in the cheese, pasta, 2 tablespoons of the thyme, parsley, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.

In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook for 7 to 8 minutes until the edges begin to brown. Remove the pan from the heat. Using a spatula, slide the frittata onto a dinner plate. Carefully invert the frittata back into the skillet and continue to cook until firm, 5 to 6 minutes

Garnish with the remaining thyme. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Found this recipe on epicurious.com and made it with butter, no shortening. They are amazing and really even better a day after you make them.

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 3.4-ounce package vanilla instant pudding mix
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (about 6 ounces)
preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter heavy large cookie sheets. Beat vegetable shortening and unsalted butter in large bowl until light. Gradually add white and brown sugars and beat mixture until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla pudding mix, vanilla extract, baking soda, water, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and salt and mix until well blended. Mix in oats, then flour. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Drop cookie dough by large rounded spoonfuls (about 3 tablespoons each) onto prepared cookie sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies appear dry and tops are lightly cracked and soft when pressed, about 12 minutes (do not overbake). Cool cookies 5 minutes on cookie sheets. Transfer cookies to racks and cool. (Store cookies in airtight container.)

Swiss Chard with Pine Nuts and Raisins

Lynn Barber made this at my Mom's Thanksgiving potluck. It was surprisingly tart and sweet. Very yummy.

1 pound trimmer Swiss Chard
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 Tbs pine nuts, toasted

Slice chard leaves crossways into thin strips; place in a large bowl. Combine lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle mixture over chard; toss to coat. Add raisins and pine nuts. Let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Fresh Apple Salsa

Fresh Apple Salsa from the NYTimes, adapted from Karen Bates at the Philo Apple Farm. I made this for a party and it was a hit. Tart and sweet.

1/4 cup lime juice (from about 2 limes)
2 tart apples, peeled and cored
1 small onion, finely diced
A handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
1 red chili or jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced, seeds reserved
1 poblano pepper, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 tablespoon sugar or apple-cider syrup (see note)
Salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted.

Pour the lime juice into a medium bowl. Finely dice the apples and toss with the onion in the juice. Add the cilantro, peppers, ginger and sugar and toss until well combined. Season with salt to taste. For more heat, add some of the reserved jalapeño seeds. Just before serving, add the walnuts.

Makes about 3 cups.

Note: Apple-cider syrup is available to order at philoapplefarm.com.

White Wine Sangria

My friend Carolyn brought this sangria to an event last week and I really enjoyed it. The recipe is from Daisy Martinez's cookbook "Latin Flavors That Will Rock Your World". Enjoy!

One 1.5 liter bottle dry white wine
1 1/2 cups French or your favorite brandy
1 cup superfine sugar
1 liter or quart bottle seltzer or sparkling mineral water
2 lemons
4 limes
4 juice oranges


Stir the wine, brandy, and superfine sugar together in a punch bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the seltzer. Cut the citrus fruits in quarters. Squeeze each piece into the punch bowl and drop in the squeezed pieces. Leave at room temperature for an hour or two. Just before you serve, add a tray or two of ice and serve with additional ice if you like.

Lynn's Asian Coleslaw

1 head of red cabbage cored and thinly sliced
1 green pepper thinly sliced
1 red pepper thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions chopped
3 carrots grated
1/2 C gold raisens

1/2 C toasted sesame seeds

3/4 C tossed sesame oil
1/4 C rice vinegar
2 t sugar
1 t soy sauce
1 t molasses
1 t grated fresh ginger
1 t finely chopped garlic

Do salad. (I usually leave out peppers because some people don't like them but they add color). I don't like gold raisens so I usually don't include them. Save in bowl in refrig.

Do dressing. Whisk all together and dress just before serving else cabbage wilts. Add sesame seeds.

Lemon Pound Cake with Cherry Compote

From "Cooking Light"

Cake:
Cooking spray
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (about 13 2/3 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon grated fresh lemon rind
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Compote:
4 cups pitted sweet cherries (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare the cake, coat a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray; dust with 2 tablespoons flour.

Lightly spoon remaining 3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Combine 2 cups granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating at low speed, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Add rind, juice, and mint; beat just until blended.

Spoon batter into prepared pan; sharply tap the pan once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Sift powdered sugar over top of cake. Cut cake into 16 slices.

To prepare compote, combine cherries, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons water, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in extract. Cool. Serve with cake.

Zucchini Strand Spaghetti

I cannot wait to try this Zucchini Strand Spaghetti from Smitten Kitchen.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound whole-wheat dried spaghettini
3/4 pound zucchini
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus a small piece

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.

While the water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks, cut the zucchini with the fine French-fry cutter on a mandoline. If you do not have one, cut by hand into the longest, finest julienne you can manage. Season with salt and pepper. If your zucchini is very finely cut, it does not need to be cooked. Otherwise, place in a colander, suspend over the pasta pot, cover the pot, and steam the zucchini until still slightly crunchy, about 2 minutes.

Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and saute briefly until light brown. Turn on the exhaust fan and add the red pepper flakes. Quickly mix in the basil and remove from the heat. When the pasta is al dente, drain through a colander, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Pour the pasta into a warm serving bowl; add the zucchini, basil oil (optional, recipe below), the garlic mixture, and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Toss well, adding cooking water as needed to make a smooth sauce. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as needed. Grate about 2 tablespoons Parmesan over the top and serve at once.

Basil Oil (or any other herb-flavored olive oil)
For soft herbs, such as basil, parsley, cilantro or tarragon: Use 4 cups packed leaves to 2 cups pure olive oil. In a blender, puree the herbs and oil until completely smooth. Put the mixture in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over moderate heat. Simmer for 45 seconds, then pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Don’t press on the mixture, tap the strainer against your hand to get the oil to drip through faster.

Mediterranean Pepper Salad

I saw this on a blog I follow and had to try it. I love the blog Smitten Kitchen as well.

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 a red onion, cut into a 1/2-inch dice (use less if your onion is huge)
3 bell peppers, your choice of colors (I used one red, orange and yellow)
1 kirby cucumber
1 cup of grape tomatoes
1/4-pound firm feta cheese
1/4 to 1/2 cup pitted kalmata olives
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Swish together the red wine vinegar, water, kosher salt and sugar in a small bowl until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Add the red onion and set it aside.

Meanwhile, time to practice your knife skills. Core and seed your bell peppers and chop them into 1/2-inch pieces. Chop the cucumber and feta into similarly-sized chunks. Put your peppers, cucumber, feta and olives in a large bowl.

By now, your onions will have lightly pickled, both sweetening and softening their blow. Drain them and add them to the other vegetables in the large bowl, but reserve the vinegar mixture. Pour a quarter cup of the vinegar mixture over the salad, then drizzle with olive oil. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, or to taste. Toss evenly and serve at once, or let the flavors muddle together in the fridge for a few hours.

Gazpacho

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2007

1 1/2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
Tomato juice
1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lime, juiced
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon toasted, ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Fill a 6-quart pot halfway full of water, set over high heat and bring to a boil.

Make an X with a paring knife on the bottom of the tomatoes. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for 15 seconds, remove and transfer to an ice bath and allow to cool until able to handle, approximately 1 minute. Remove and pat dry. Peel, core and seed the tomatoes. When seeding the tomatoes, place the seeds and pulp into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl in order to catch the juice. Press as much of the juice through as possible and then add enough bottled tomato juice to bring the total to 1 cup.

Place the tomatoes and juice into a large mixing bowl. Add the cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno, garlic clove, olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire, cumin, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the mixture to a blender and puree for 15 to 20 seconds on high speed. Return the pureed mixture to the bowl and stir to combine. Cover and chill for 2 hours and up to overnight. Serve with chiffonade of basil.