Hummus

4 cups chick peas (2 1/2 cans), drained
1/2 cup tahini
1/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup olive oil
2 lemon juice (start with 1 lemon and add additional to taste), or 3
4 or more garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin seed
pepper, to taste




1. Put in garlic in a bowl of food processor and process until chopped.


2. Combine chick-peas, tahini, warm water, olive oil and juice of 1 lemon in the bowl of the food processor. Process until smooth and creamy, pausing once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.


3. Add garlic, ground cumin seed, salt and pepper. Process to blend. Add more lemon juice to taste.



Source: Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins

Baked Shrimp with Spinach and Feta

1 1/2 pounds spinach, washed well (I use baby spinach)
1/2 cup shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons kalamata olives, chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup feta cheese (about 6 ounces), crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 pounds large shrimp






1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and lightly oil a 13 by 9 inch baking dish.



2. In a large saucepan cook spinach with water clinging to its leaves, covered, over moderate heat 1 minute, or until wilted, and drain well. Squeeze spinach to remove most of water and chop coarsely. In a skillet cook shallot in oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat and stir in spinach, olives, oregano, feta, and lemon juice, combining well. spread shrimp in prepared dish and top with spinach mixture. Shrimp and topping may be made up to this point, 2 hours ahead and chilled, covered. Bake shrimp in middle of oven 8 to 10 minutes, or until just cooked through.






Servings: 6 (no extra)
Preparation Time: 1 hour



Source: Gourmet Weekend

Spicy Cold Cucumber Soup with Yogurt

3 medium cucumbers, 1 1/2 pounds
2 jalapeno chile peppers, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped and crushed to a paste
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, whole, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups yogurt, 1 tablespoon reserved
1 cup cold water, to 1 1/2 cups
chopped chives


1. Peel the cucumbers, slice them lengthwise, and remove the seeds with a spoon. Chop the cucumbers by hand or in a food processor using the pulse mechanism. They should be finely chopped, but don't overdo it and puree them.

2. Combine the chopped cucumbers, chiles, onion, and garlic in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the cilantro leaves with the olive oil and chop them finely; you should end up with about 2 tablespoons. Add the chopped leaves to the soup along with the salt and yogurt. Stir the soup throughly. Thin the soup with the cold water until it has the desired consistency.

3. Chill the soup for at least an hour and serve it in cold bowls. Dollop the reserved yogurt on each serving. Sprinkle the yogurt with chives.

Note: I like to saute shrimp in some olive oil (1 to 2 tablespoons) and cumin (about 2 teaspoons) to add to the soup as a garnish. I usually do 3 or 4 shrimp for each serving.

Servings: 6

Source: Splendid Soups, James Peterson

Shrimp with Fennel

This is a recipe I started making a few years ago because it was quick and easy and great for one or two people. It's great during the warm weather - very light but satisfying.

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 1/2 cups fennel bulb (about 3/4 pound), thinly sliced
1/4 sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, thinly chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3/4 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons lime juice


1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.


2. Add sliced fennel, salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic, and bay leaf, cook 5 minutes or until fennel is crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.


3. Add red pepper and shrimp; cook 3 minutes (took longer on my stove in CT) or until shrimp are done, stirring occasionally.


4. Stir in lime juice. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.



Source: Cooking Light Magazine


According to Cooking Light:
Calories: 154 (30% from fat)

Mother's Day Feast

One of our favorite things to serve for a festive occasion is lobster, so if you’re trying to think of something special to cook for your mother this year try this slightly different approach to boiled lobster. We particularly like this recipe because you can serve the lobster with the spicy broth cutting out all those butter calories! It’s also a nice dinner for a mid-Spring evening – it reminds you summer will soon be here! As it happens, right now we can find lobster here for $5.99 a pound.

To round out the meal, I usually serve a Caesar Salad and roasted potatoes with this. Of course, if there is good, fresh corn available I'd serve that instead of potatoes.

Enjoy!

Spicy Boiled Lobster

2 tablespoons sea salt
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cayenne
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
20 black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
4 live Maine lobsters, about 1 1/2 pounds each

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (the recipe doesn't say how much water, we use enough so that the lobsters are fully submerged). Add the salt, coriander seeds, cayenne, red pepper flakes, peppercorns, and bay leaves.



2. Lower the lobsters carefully into the pot of boiling water. Return to a boil and cook for 6 minutes. Transfer the lobsters to a large bowl, and pour 6 cups of the cooking liquid over them. Or, put one lobster on each plate and serve a small bowl of broth to each person - this is the method we use. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
   
   

Source: Great Good Food, Julee Rosso

What to do with leftover Bananas

Dallas and I love bananas with our cereal, but it never seems we are able to eat them all before they start turning brown. So, we have a lot of banana bread in our home and friends often get loaves of banana bread when we visit! I've been making some version of this recipe since the mid-70s. Originally I started with the basic Fannie Farmer recipe which has evolved over the years. Hope you enjoy!

Banana Bread

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, well mashed
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan (I use Pam).
2. Mix the bananas and eggs together in a large bowl.
3. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Add the walnuts and mix.
4. Put the batter in the pan and bake for 1 hour.
5. Remove bread from pan let cool on a rack.

Note: I use 3 small loaf pans in which case they bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

What to Serve with Dinner

One of Dallas and my favorite vegetables is broccoli rabe and is the vegetable pictured with the flank steak. I probably make it at least once a week either as a standalone vegetable or incorporated into another dish.



Broccoli Rabe

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch broccoli rabe, coarsely chopped to about 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
12 kalamata olives, sliced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter , to finish
1/8 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese


1. Prepare the ingredients -- Wash and then chop the broccoli rabe into about 1 inch pieces and finely mince the garlic.

2. Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet - add the chopped broccoli rabe and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic and red hot pepper flakes. Continue to saute for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the broccoli rabe is tender. If the broccoli rabe gets too dry add additional chicken broth.

3. Add the kalamata olives and butter. As soon as the the butter is melted add the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and stir until it melts into the broccoli rabe.


Servings: 4
Notes: Tip: You can use pitted Kalamata Olives for the recipe.