Pear Chutney
Last fall, Javis’s mom gave me a huge bag of green pears and I made a pear chutney out of some of them. I put the chutney in small canning jars and kept them in the freezer. Pear chutney is delicious with grilled meat or tofu, or try it with cauliflower curry.
Pear Chutney
makes about 1-1/2 cups
adapted from Moosewood Cookbook
1-1/2 pounds green pears
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup cider vinegar
cayenne to taste
1. Peel, core and coarsely chop the pears. Place them in a medium sized saucepan with remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer.
2. Simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes or until everything is very soft. Cool then transfer to a jar with a lid and chill. Alternately put the chutney in small canning jars, leaving about 1/2 inch space at the top and freeze for up to 6 months.
Greek Salad
Greek Salad…it’s crisp-y, crunch-y, salt-y, a bit tart and herb-y. I crave this salad all the time and make it often!
It holds up great – I’ve been known to make a huge bucket of it to bring on camping trips. The longer the veggies and cheese sit in the dressing, the more flavorful they get!
Greek Salad
6-8 servings
1 large green bell pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
4 plum tomatoes, diced
half of a large cucumber (that’s been peeled and seeded, if necessary), cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half
4-5 oz. feta cheese, crumbled or cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon minced onion (if you like more onion or larger pieces, please do add it! I’m not much of a fan of a lot of raw onion)
Dressing:
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2-1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons oregano
1. Place bell pepper, tomato, cucumber, Kalamata olives, feta cheese and onion in a large bowl and mix gently to combine.
2. Place dressing ingredients in a small bowl and emulsify with a small fork. Pour dressing over the veggie mixture and mix gently to combine.
Sundried Tomato Spread
This delicious savory spread is packed with smokey sundried tomato flavor. Spread it on bagels, crackers, baguette slices, sandwiches, etc.
sundried tomato spread
One of my favorite meals is to have a bunch of snacky appetizer items to choose from. This spread fits in nicely, along with various types of cold cuts or some smoked fish, cheese, crackers or baguette slices, maybe a dip with some veggies or a small salad, and some olives.
Sun-dried Tomato Spread
makes about 2.5 cups
2-8 ounce packages cream cheese
1-8 ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
Salt to taste
Equipment needed: food processor
1. Place cream cheese in the work bowl of a food processor with the blade attachment. Add sundried tomatoes, using a fork to fish them out of the jar and letting most of the oil drain into the jar. Having some of the oil in the spread adds to the flavor, but not too much. Add garlic salt, dried oregano and thyme.
2. Pulse the items in the food processor until a rough mixture combines. Scrape the sides down and pulse again until smooth, but flecks of tomato still appear.
3. Season the spread with salt to taste, pulse to combine and place in a serving bowl.
4. If you have time, refrigerate for 2-3 hours to let the flavors combine.
Impromptu Fried Rice
Fried rice is one of the most amazingly simple dishes to make.
Believe it or not, it’s better to make fried rice out of leftover rice than freshly cooked rice (but fresh cooked is fine too). In fact, fried rice is a great way to use leftovers. Last night I tossed rice with some leftover tofu, broccoli from the night before, a few more veggies and some eggs for a delicious, quick dinner.
Fried rice doesn’t need a lot of soy sauce. When I first started making fried rice, it didn’t quite taste right so I asked my Mom about it and she told me I was putting too much soy sauce in it. Less soy sauce = much better.
You can get very authentic and start with stir frying some garlic and ginger in oil first, but it’s not necessary if you’re in a hurry.
I usually make this with whatever protein (tofu, chicken, etc.) and veggies (any fresh or leftover, or frozen corn, peas, shelled edamame, etc.) I have on hand. The addition of toasted sesame oil adds a really nice flavor to the rice and I highly recommend adding it if you have it!
Fried Rice
4-6 servings
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the flat side of a knife (optional)
4 slices fresh ginger (optional)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (optional)
1 cup vegetables, can be any combination of fresh or leftover, diced
4 cups cold cooked rice
1 cup tofu or cooked leftover meat
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1-2 chopped green onion
Salt to taste
1. Combine and lightly beat eggs together in a bowl.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in wok or frying pan over medium high heat. Add eggs when hot and scramble in pan until done. Remove from pan and reserve.
3. Heat remaining oils in a wok or frying pan. If using, add garlic and ginger and stir fry for 4 minutes to infuse the oil with flavor. Remove garlic and ginger from the hot oil.
4. If using, add fresh vegetables to the oil and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
5. Add rice to the vegetables/oil and stir to break up chunks. Stir fry for a few minutes, then add the frozen vegetables if using.
6. Add the tofu or meat, and the soy sauce to the rice. Stir fry until heated through.
7. Add salt to taste, if using, and sprinkle with chopped green onion before serving.