Lentil Tacos

This is one of our favorite 'go-to' meals. It's simple, doesn't take much time to prepare, and is super inexpensive.

One Ingredient Ice Cream

This recipe was popular a few months back, making the social network circuit. It's simple, easy to make, and good (if you like bananas). And, of course, the only ingredient is bananas.

Preparation:
Peel and slice however many bananas you like.  Place the slices on a tray and put into the freezer for 1-2 hours.

Remove from the freezer and place banana slices in a blender or food processor.  Blend until ice cream begins to form, scraping down the sides as you go.  There's just enough fat in bananas to give them the creamy smooth texture of ice cream.

Serve cold or freeze.

You can experiment with this recipe by adding in different ingredients (Honey, Peanut butter, cocoa, etc).

Lentils with Brown Rice

Ingredients:

3 cups Vegetable or Chicken broth
3/4 cups lentils
1/2 cup brown rice
1 small onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning (or a mix of oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil, and marjoram)
1/4 tsp. cumin (optional)
1/8 tsp. cayenne powder (optional)

Shredded cheddar, crumbled feta cheese, or sour cream to top (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a small skillet, saute onions and garlic, until onions are translucent. 

In a medium to large casserole dish, mix all ingredients, including the onions and garlic. Cover the dish. If you don't have a lid, cover with aluminum foil. Place in preheated oven and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed by the rice and lentils.

Remove from oven, serve in individual bowls. Top with your choice of cheese or sour cream.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Simple Homemade Mayonnaise

2 large egg yolks (freeze the egg whites if not using right away)
3 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup vegetable oil (canola or light olive oil are good)

Preparation:

With a whisk or a beater, mix egg yolks, lemon juice, and salt in a medium sized bowl.

While whisking, drizzle oil in a little at a time, making sure to incorporate completely before adding the next bit of oil.  As you're whisking, your mayonnaise will begin to emulsify.

Because it is made with egg yolks, the mayonnaise will have a yellow color (this is normal).

Once all of the oil has been incorporated, you can add extra ingredients (such as a 1/4 tsp. dijon mustard and 1 tsp. white wine vinegar, or additional lemon juice,  or herbs like tarragon).

Put any mayonnaise not immediately used into a clean glass jar or lidded container and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups of mayonnaise.

Plain Scones

2 cups flour
1 TBS butter
1 cup milk
1 TBS sugar
1/3 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk (to brush on the tops of the scones)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside.

If you have a sifter or a fine mesh sieve, sift dry ingredients into a bowl.  Add butter, and with fingers, crumble and mix into dry ingredients. Make a little well in the flour mixture and pour in the milk.

With a fork, stir the flour mixture and milk together until dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Press the dough into a round or square shape with your fingers, flattening it until it is 1 to 2 inches thick.

Cut the dough into round, square, or triangular shapes. If there's leftover dough, fold it over on itself and press it with your fingers again, flattening to no less than 1 inch thick. Cut the dough into desired shape.

Place on a grease baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with a little extra milk. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 425ºF.

Serve warm with butter or jam.  If there are leftovers, store in the freezer - they should stay good for up to two months.

Popovers

4 eggs (room temperature)
2 cups milk (room temperature)
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Grease popover or muffin pan.

Break eggs into a bowl. Beat well. Add flour, milk, and salt. Mix until blended.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full with batter.

Bake 30 minutes without opening the oven door.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan.

Serve warm with butter. Good with soups or stews or served with marmalade or jam for breakfast.

Pasta with Lemon and Garbanzo

2 cups dried garbanzo beans, cooked (or 1 can of garbanzo beans)
1 TBS butter or Olive Oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Zest of one lemon, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 lb. angel hair pasta
Feta or parmesan to top (optional)
salt and pepper

Preparation:
If using dried beans, follow quick boil instructions (takes about 1 hour).

In a large pot, boil water and cook pasta. Angel hair cooks quickly.  When it is cooked to al dente, drain and rinse the pasta. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat butter or oil over medium to medium-high heat until butter is melted. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add garlic and lemon zest. Saute for 2 minutes, making sure garlic doesn't burn. Add lemon juice and garbanzos to skillet, making sure to coat the garbanzo beans.

Pour lemon and garbanzo mixture over pasta and toss.

Serve warm, top with feta or parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.

Lemon Rice

Lemon rice is a simple Indian dish, usually made with additional ingredients (such as peanuts, dal, and spicy peppers), but this recipe is the rice at its simplest.


Ingredients:

4 Tbs (1/2 stick) butter or extra-virgin olive oil
3 to 4 cups cooked rice
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
Zest of 1 lemon, chopped
Juice of 2 lemons, plus more if needed
Salt and pepper


Preparation:

Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter or oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick skillet until butter foams or oil is hot. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add lemon zest, saute for an additional minute. Add cooked rice, tossing and stirring until hot through and through.

Add lemon juice and toss. Stir in the remaining butter or oil and cook for 1 minute.

Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 servings.

Crystalized Ginger Recipe

1 cup peeled, thinly sliced or chopped ginger
3 cups water
1 cup sugar
Additional sugar to coat (optional)

Preparation:
In a covered saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the ginger pieces and sugar. Stir and cover. Reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for five minutes.

Remove from heat and allow it to sit for 20 minutes. Strain the ginger pieces from the syrup (saving the syrup to make easy homemade ginger ale).

Heat the oven to 200 degrees F. Place the ginger slices in a glass pan. Place the pan in the oven until the slices are almost dry but still chewy. Allow it to cool.

Toss the cooled ginger in sugar to lightly coat it, if desired.

Store the crystallized ginger in an airtight container for up to two months.

Candied ginger is used in many cultures to relieve nausea.

Lemon Ginger Scones

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

1/2 cup crystallized ginger, chopped into small pieces

Zest of 1 large lemon

2/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place rack in middle of oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.  Stir in the chopped crystallized ginger and lemon zest. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. If you don't have buttermilk, use 2/3 cup milk with a Tablespoon vinegar. Do not over mix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 11/2 inches thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 4 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with a little cream. 

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 8 scones.

Lemon Curd

Ingredients

3 large eggs

3/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons) (do not use the bottled lemon juice)

4 TBS unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 TBS lemon zest, chopped

Instructions:

Simmer water in a double boiler. If you don't have a double boiler, simmer water in a sauce pan and place a metal or glass bowl on top of it. 

Whisk together the sugar and lemon juice until blended. 

Whisk in one egg at a time. 

Cook, stirring slowly and constantly for 10 minutes to prevent curdling. Mixture will become thick like pudding. 

Remove from heat and whisk butter into the mixture until the butter has melted. 

Add the lemon zest and let cool. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Cover immediately and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Serve with scones, biscuits, or on pancakes.

Makes 1 1/2 cups.

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