MY WEAKNESS tabbouleh has become a staple for us this summer. tangy, minty, refreshing. i cannot get enough of this wondrous medley. below is a recipe from cook’s illustrated. i’ve been tweaking it for a few weeks now. a bit of cucumber is a nice addition. the recipe is delicious, but it’s not quite THE ONE…i’m still on the hunt. my favorite tabbouleh comes from la mediterranee on fillmore street in san francisco. how do you make your tabbouleh?

1/2 cup bulgur, fine-grain, rinsed under running water and drained
1/3 cup lemon juice from 2 lemons
1/3 cup olive oil
kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon middle eastern red pepper or cayenne pepper {optional}
2 cups minced fresh parsley leaves
2 medium tomatoes, halved, seeded, and cut into very small dice
4 medium scallions , green and white parts, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint leaves or 1 rounded teaspoon dried mint
1/2 cup cucumber, seeds removed, small dice {optional, my addition}

mix the bulgur wheat with 1/4 cup of the lemon juice in medium bowl; set aside until grains are tender and fluffy, 20 to 40 minutes, depending on age and type of bulgur. mix the remaining lemon juice, the olive oil, salt to taste, and red pepper {if using} together in a small bowl. in a large bowl, combine the bulgur, parsley, tomatoes, scallions, mint, and cucumber {if using}; add the dressing and toss to combine. cover and refrigerate to let the flavors blend, 1 to 2 hours. enjoy!

THERE’S NOTHING LIKE FRESH, HOMEMADE GRANOLA with warm milk on a chilly day. last year my sister-in-law shared this recipe with me, and i have been addicted ever since. hot out of the oven. nothing compares…not even those insane chocolate caramels topped with sea salt from trader joe’s. and if you’re in search of a last minute gift to give, look no further, it makes the most charming christmas gift. buy a simple glass jar at target, wrap some red/white baker’s twine around the lid, add a cute tag – perfection!

- 1/4 cup coconut oil
– 1/4 cup raw honey
– 4 cups rolled oats
– 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut flakes {optional. too sweet for me, but others enjoy it}
– 1 cup mixed raw nuts, almonds sliced or slivers, crushed walnuts, and crushed pecans
– 1/4 tsp salt, to taste
– 1/2 cup dried fruit such as apples, cranberries, cherries or blueberries

set oven to 350 degrees*. warm honey and coconut oil on stove. in a large bowl add rolled oats, shredded coconut, and raw nuts. pour warmed honey and coconut oil over dry ingredients in the bowl. mix. add salt to taste.

spread onto a large oven-safe baking dish. bake for 10-15 minutes until top layer is toasted golden. mix the granola and place back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes until top is toasted. repeat until the mix is fully toasted – keep an eye out because at this point it will toast quickly and can burn within a matter of minutes. it can take anywhere from 40-60 minutes depending on the size of the baking dish. once the mix is toasted, remove from oven. add dried fruit. cool before storing in an airtight container.

enjoy!

*if you are concerned about baking the coconut oil beyond its smoke point, you can bake the mix at 280 degrees. i do this and it turns out great, but does take more time. check on the mix every 15 minutes for about an hour to an hour and a half.

ONCE A WEEK I MAKE A NICE MEAL which generally means a recipe is followed, more than five ingredients are used, wine is poured and maybe even a side of french/sourdough/baguette. the rest of the week we eat light, simple foods to stay within our budget. this is one of the easiest meals that we eat regularly – whole grain pasta with peas and parmesan, sometimes with chicken, and served with a salad. this recipe usually makes enough for two additional lunches.

- 1/2 package of whole wheat linguine
– 1/2 bag of frozen peas
– 1/2 cup parmesan cheese {pecorino works well too}
– salt + pepper to taste
– olive oil or butter
– chicken {optional}
– italian parsley {optional}

boil pasta according to package directions. during the remaining four minutes of cooking pasta, pour in half a bag of frozen peas. after pasta and peas are cooked, reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain pasta and peas. add pasta and peas to a medium sized bowl, add a bit of reserved pasta water, and a few tablespoons of butter or olive oil to coat pasta and peas lightly. add salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese {add more if you like it especially cheesy, i sure do!}. if you have leftover chicken or italian parsley, add that. i also find that an extra sprinkling of pepper at the end makes it nice and spicy. enjoy!

iced strawberry green tea

- 1 cup fresh strawberries
- 2 cups water
- 4 green tea bags
- 4 tablespoons honey

blend strawberries with 2 tablespoons of honey (more or less depending on sweetness of berries). i prefer strawberry mixture to be a little chunky, but chunks small enough to fit through straw.

meanwhile bring 2 cups of water just to a boil. pour hot water over tea bags with 2 tablespoons of honey. steep for 3-4 minutes. stir to make sure honey is completely dissolved. green tea will be very strong, adjust to your own taste by adding more honey or water. chill tea for about an hour in fridge.

combine chilled green tea and strawberry mixture in a glass filled with ice. peaches or lychees can also be used instead of strawberries.

enjoy!

boy, do we love our fresh spinach. sauteed with garlic and lemon or just plain raw, we’ll take it any way we can get it. the recent loss of fresh spinach in this part of the world is really bringing our household down…even furbomb is agitated and anxious for the leafy-green goodness to return to store shelves. until then, broccolini will be our stand-in.

tommy’s inconsiderate cholesterol prevents him from eating a lot of fun stuff… unless of course i’m making it! these cookies have no cholesterol and much less fat in comparison to the traditional recipe. i’m not a nutritionist BUT i have done my research and these cookies are ok to eat in moderation…so no need to ramble off hoo-haaas and hiss-hooos about me not knowing diddlysquat. i know full well that I KNOW DIDDLYSQUAT and as far as i’m concerned, these cookies are fluffy-peanut-buttery-delicious and a lot friendlier to your body.

if you make the recipe and have input on modifying any of the ingredients, let me know!

source: williams-sonoma cookies. please note, this is not the exact recipe from the book. reference the book for the original recipe.

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key ingredients:

1.) organic earth balance whipped buttery spread. don’t mess with the selection, this is the best cholesterol-free spread on the market.

2.) egg whites: take an egg, gently crack it in half, slowly open the two halves while cradling the yoke back and forth between each shell half, allowing the egg whites to drain out below into a bowl. if you’re a visual person and this isn’t making much sense, let me know and i’ll make a quick video demo.

– 1/2 cup unsalted butter (earth balance whipped buttery spread), melted
– 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
– 1/2 cup granulated sugar
– 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
– egg whites from two large eggs
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
– 1 1/3 cups all-purpose plain flour
– 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
– 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
– 1/2 teaspoon salt

in a large bowl, mix the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, peanut butter, egg whites and vanilla with an electric mixer on low/medium speed until well blended.

sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl. add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until it is combined. cover and refrigerate for about an hour or until firm.

preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. line a baking sheet with parchment paper. using either your hands (dampened with water) or a cookie scoop, shape the dough into 1-inch balls. place the dough about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet – give it some breathing room! using a fork, gently press down on the dough to slightly flatten and to make the classic peanut butter cookie indentations. if the edges of the cookie split, just smooth it back together.

bake for about 13 minutes, longer if you want a harder cookie. the bottom should be a light golden brown color. transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.

source: cooking light, sept. 05

cooking light says, “served over couscous, this vegetable-bean combination makes a complete one-dish meal with rich flavors of the middle east.”

i say, “it’s just as good served over brown rice. mmm! pick up a rotisserie chicken and you will have enough food for about three-to-four meals for two people. i make quesadillas with the leftovers. also, it says to use a ‘grill rack’ (whatever that is), i use a stove-top grill.”

– 1 large zucchini (about 8 ounces)
– 1 large yellow squash (about 6 ounces)
– 1 small green bell pepper, quartered
– 1 small red bell pepper, quartered
– 1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1/2 cup)
– cooking spray
– 1 cup water
– 3/4 cup uncooked couscous
– 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (i use red pepper flakes instead)
– 1/4 teaspoon salt
– 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
– 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
– dash of ground cinnamon
– 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
– 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
– 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
– 1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
– 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained (i always rinse and dry too)
– 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese

prepare grill

cut zucchini and squash lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. place zucchini, squash, bell peppers, and onion on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until well browned. remove vegetables to a cutting board; cool. chop vegetables into bite-sized pieces; place in a large bowl.

bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in couscous and the next 5 ingredients (through cinnamon). cover, remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. fluff with a fork.

mix tomatoes, vegetable mixture and remaining ingredients except couscous and cheese; toss well. serve mixture over a bed of couscous. sprinkle each serving with cheese.

we celebrated our third anniversary friday night at town hall – the only place i’m comfortable consuming a 1500 calorie bowl of cream at one sitting. although, tommy and i did share, so i guess it was only 750 calories.

i need help. last night i did a test run of a blueberry cake that i’m making for a christmas party tonight and for some reason the middle collapsed. why would it do that? any ideas?

update #1: the second cake came out perfectly. the trick – smack the cockles out of the cake mixture once it is poured into the pan, causing all the bubbles to rise up to the surface. i don’t know much about baking, but it seemed to work. next task for today…biscotti…

update #2: per yum’s request, the recipe is below. it comes from rocco’s italian-american (a cookbook infested with typos).

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– 1/2 cup canola oil
– 1 1/2 cups sugar
– 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
– 1 tablespoon almond extract
– 4 eggs
– 2 cups flour
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 2 tablespoons baking powder
– 1 1/2 cups blueberries
– confectioners’ sugar
* 2 tablespoons of slivered almonds (my addition to this recipe)

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. lightly grease a 9-inch cake pan.

with an electric mixer beat the canola oil and sugar together until you have a light, grainy paste. add the vanilla and almond extract and mix to combine. then add the eggs one at a time, allowing each to be fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next. turn off the mixer as soon as the last egg has been mixed in.

in a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder together. turn the electric mixer on a low setting and add the dry ingredient mix gradually to the batter. stop mixing as soon as the dry ingredients are fully incorporated and you have smooth, thick golden batter. pour the batter into your cake pan and shake to even the top. drop the pan with the batter onto the counter a few times to allow the bubbles to rise to the top. really, i’m serious. pound it a few times on the counter. smack it up really well otherwise your cake will collapse in the middle (see picture above). place the berries on the surface of the batter, close together, pushing them in very slightly, covering the entire surface. sprinkle the slivered almonds on top as well.

bake for 45 minutes and test by inserting a cake tester or sharp knife into the center. it will come out clean when the cake is done. the top of the cake should be golden brown. it may take up to an hour. if after 45 minutes the top is brown but the inside is still uncooked, lower the heat to 325 degrees and test every ten minutes. remove the cake and let it cool for about ten minutes. sprinkle generously with confectioners’ sugar and serve hot or at room temperature.