Donut Army

I love this dish - and so does the rest of the house! Such an interesting combination of textures -- the soft pillows of ravioli with the nice crack of a walnut.  And, so simple to prepare -- make the dressing hours ahead of time and then, when ready to serve, boil the pasta. Simple-dimple! Ravioli with Tomato-Blue Cheese Sauce Vegetarian Pleasures 1/4 c olive oil 1 medium tomato, diced 3 scallions, thinly sliced 3 T walnuts, chopped 1/4 c parsley, chopped pepper salt 1 lb frozen cheese ravioli 1/2 c (2 oz) blue cheese, crumbed In a large bowl, combine the oil, tomato, scallions, walnuts, parsley, pepper, and salt. Let sit for 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours -- cover and chill if letting it set for more than an hour, and, bring to room temperature before the next step. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in the ravioli and cook until tender, yet still slightly firm -- about 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly. Toss pasta with tomato mixt

I love, love, love this sauce. Chunky. Filled with a variety of vegetables. And, with a slight kick. Really, really good! Arrabiata Sauce The Global Vegetarian 2 T olive oil 1 medium zucchini, diced 1 green bell pepper, diced 1 c eggplant, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 2-3 pepperocinis, seeded and minced 1 28-oz can stewed tomatoes (or, 28 oz homemade stewed tomatoes) 1 28-oz can tomato puree (or, homemade puree) 2 T parsley, dried 1 T basil, dried 1 T oregano, dried 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1/2 tsp salt Heat oil. Add zucchini, bell pepper, eggplant, and garlic and cook over medium heat 7-10 minutes, until vegetables are tender.  Stir in pepperocinis, stewed tomatoes, tomato puree and seasonings. Reduce heat to low and simmer 35-45 minutes.  

Crisp, cold, slightly spicy - what more could you want on a hot summer day? Sesame Cucumber Salad Penzey's One 2 cucumbers, sliced 3/4 c rice vinegar 1/4 c water 1 T sugar 1 T garlic, minced 1 T soy sauce 1 tsp sesame oil 2 T sesame seeds In a large bowl, combine the rice vinegar, water, sugar, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil. Add cucumbers and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Toss again. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

I love chile rellenos - in almost every shape and form vegetarian. This one could use a bit more viscosity so I might recommend pureeing longer, or, with a dash of liquid to thin it out some. The sweet corn pitas are amazing! Black Bean Chile Rellenos with Spicy Romesco Sauce Kiss My Balsamic food blog Stuffed Peppers: 6 poblano peppers 3 red bell peppers black beans, cooked (about 2 c) mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced gruyere cheese, thinly sliced Romesco Sauce: 1 cloves garlic 1 c almonds, whole 1/2 habanero 8 leaves sage, fresh (opt) juice from 1/2 lime 1 T olive oil 1 T agave nector salt and pepper Sweet Corn Pitas 1 1/8 lb cornmeal 1 1/8 lb flour 1 T active dry yeast 2-3 T olive oil 2 T sugar 2 T salt 1 T agave nectar 2 1/4 c warm water Grill peppers (the poblanos and the red bell peppers) over an open flame until charred. Set aside and, when cool enough to handle, rub off the charred skin. Take the poblanos and

This was a pretty easy dish . . . up until the point where you manipulate fire in your home kitchen. For me, the smoking part turned out to be more of an interesting experiment than a good addition to the dish. Were I to do it again:      a) I would smoke the eggplant out of doors, and,       b) I may just make the dish, sans smoking. Either way, it is very delicious! One way is just easier. And safer for your home, especially in this drought. Smoked Eggplant Curry Veggie Belly dot com 3 tomatoes 6 whole cashews 1 T ghee (or butter, or vegetable oil) 1/2 lb eggplant 1/2 tsp ginger paste 1/2 tsp garlic paste 1/4 tsp garam masala 1/4 tsp chili powder 1 tsp lemon juice For smoking the eggplant: 1 lump charcoal, about the size of a lemon (not treated with accelerant!) 1 tsp vegetable oil Boil a medium pot of water, and drop the tomatoes in whole. When the tomato skins start to blister, drain them and let them cool a bit. Then peel the tomato

This is a relatively simply recipe for homemade bread. Sometimes, when you add actual "stuff" to a bread, the dough can fail to rise. I have never had a problem with this issue, any of the times I have made this bread. Recipe comes from Terry Thompson-Anderson, who I was fortunate enough to have seated at my table during the Edible Texas Food Wine Match event. Rosemary and Garlic Country Loaves Texas Food & Wine Gourmet 1 1/4 c warm water 1 T sugar 1 1/2 T instant yeast 4 c bread flour 1/2 c pine nuts, toasted 1/3 c powdered milk 1 T rosemary, minced 10 cloves garlic, roasted 2 T sugar 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 T olive oil 1 egg To roast garlic cloves, place peeled cloves on a small sheet of aluminum foil. Pour a small amount of olive oil over them and add salt and pepper. Fold foil into a packet and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine water, 1 T sugar and yeast in a bowl. Stir in blend an