SHAKSHUKA

Shakshuka [Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce]
Adapted from Saveur
Serves 4 to 6
1/4 cup olive oil
5 Anaheim chiles or 3 jalape&#241os, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (I was nervous and only used 2 Anaheims; I would go for 3 or 4 next time for a more moderate but still gentle kick)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
Kosher salt, to taste
6 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Warm pitas, for serving
Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add chiles and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.
Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.
Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pitas, for dipping.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/04/shakshuka/

Avocado Pesto Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 30 cherry tomatoes (about 1-1/4 pints)
• 1/2 medium avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut up
• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons homemade or purchased basil pesto
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Snipped fresh basil (optional)

Directions

1. Cut a thin slice from the top of each tomato. (If desired, cut a thin slice from bottoms of tomatoes so they stand upright.) With a small spoon or small lemon baller carefully hollow out the tomatoes. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Invert tomatoes on the towels. Let stand 30 minutes to drain.
2. Meanwhile, for filling, in a food processor bowl combine avocado, cream cheese, pesto, and lemon juice. Cover; process until smooth. Spoon filling into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round or open star tip.
3. Place tomatoes, open sides up, on a serving platter. Pipe filling into the tomato cups. Serve immediately or cover loosely and refrigerate up to 4 hours before serving. Sprinkle with snipped basil before serving. Makes 30 appetizers.

http://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/appetizers-snacks/avocado-pesto-stuffed-tomatoes

Homemade Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream

Homemade Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 1 ³/₄ cup – coconut milk, full fat
• 2 medium – Orange
• 4 tbsp – Sweetener
• 1 tsp – Vanilla extract

Directions

1. Peel and section oranges.  Lay flat on a tray and freeze until hardened.
2. In a blender, add coconut milk and half of the frozen orange sections.
3. Blend until smooth.  Add the remaining oranges and continue blending.
4. Add the sweetener of your choice (honey, powdered sugar, maple syrup) and vanilla extract.
5. Blend.
6. Pour into a freezer safe container and freeze until solid.
7. When ready to serve, let it sit out for a few minutes to make it easier to scoop. Enjoy

http://www.superhealthykids.com/homemade-orange-creamsicle-ice-cream/

SPRING PEA SOUP

There's still a little chill in the air when the first peas are ready for picking. This soup is perfect in the spring when young lettuces are around.

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 leeks, thinly sliced and well washed
• 6 cups tender green lettuce leaves, well washed and dried
• 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
• 2 cups shelled fresh green peas (see Tidbit)
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until tender.

Add the lettuce and mint and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lettuce is very tender.

Stir in the peas, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the peas are tender and the flavors have blended.

Working in 2 batches, transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Add the cream and lemon juice and blend. Serve hot.

Tidbit: To get 2 cups of shelled peas, you'll need to start with about 2 pounds of peas in the pod, so feel free to use frozen peas here (we'll never tell).

http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/spring-pea-soup

Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Sausage

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12913-shrimp-gumbo-with-andouille-sausage

COOKING INFOGRAPHICS

http://imgur.com/a/G1XZ2

Scrumptious Melt-In-Your-Mouth Low Fat Yogurt Pancakes

Yoghurt Pancakes

Ingredients.

• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (slightly more if you like thicker pancakes)
• 1 1/2 T sugar
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• 1 c yogurt (vanilla or plain)
• 1 t vanilla (leave out if using vanilla yogurt)
• 1 c fresh or frozen fruit (optional)

Steps.

1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking soda). Make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients.

2. Add wet ingredients into the hole and whisk together wet ingredients, until just barely mixed together, leaving it lumpy.

3. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until mixed. Leave it lumpy.

4. Let mixture sit for at least 5 minutes, more if you can. It will almost double in size and bubbles will form from the baking soda reacting with the yogurt (see photo below).

5. Pre-warm a pan on medium-low heat.

6. If you want to add fresh or frozen fruit, let the mixture rise first (step #4), then place the fruit on top of the mixture and carefully fold in the fruit with a spatula. Let it rise a bit longer.

7. Coat the pan with a thin layer of butter.

8. Use a 1/3 c measuring cup to pour pancakes onto pan.

9. Wait to turn pancakes until they are golden in color on the pan side, and on the upper side they form bubbles (see photo below).

10. Turn over the pancakes once the bubbles begin to become solidified. The second side will take less than half the cooking time as the first.

11. Serve with a bit of warmed syrup, jam, compote, or something else that strikes your fancy!

Makes 8 medium-sized pancakes.

http://1greengeneration.elementsintime.com/?p=377