Tomato Goat Cheese Crostini

• toasted slices of bread
• goat cheese*
• spinach
• cherry tomatoes, quartered
• shallots, finely diced
• red wine vinegar

Toss the tomatoes and shallots with a splash or two of the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and let sit for 10 minutes or longer. Spread the goat cheese on the toast, top with spinach and the marinated tomatoes.

*Not a fan of goat cheese (Hi Sarah!)? Use some greek yogurt instead. Stir one or two spoonfuls in a small bowl with a sprinkling of sea salt and cumin or za’atar and set aside for about ten minutes. Use in place of the cheese.

Plum Crumble

adapted slightly from The Cilantropist

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups oats
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 egg
• 8 plums (or other stone fruit)

Preheat oven to 375°F and spray the inside of a 9×13 baking pan with non-stick spray.  

Prepare plums by slicing each in half, remove the pit, and slice each plum thinly in crescent shapes. Set aside.  

In a bowl, prepare the crumble mixture by whisking together the brown sugar, white sugar, baking powder, flour, oats, and spices.  Using your fingers, blend the cold butter into the flour mixture.  You want to evenly distribute it, but some clumps of butter will probably remain, and the mixture will be crumbly.  Then use a spoon or your hands to beat and mix the egg into the crumble dough. Make the bottom crust by firmly compressing about 3/4 of the mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan.  Next, layer the plums over the top of the crumb base. Finally, scatter the remaining 1/4 of the crumb mixture over the top of the plum slices, without pressing it down. 

Bake the bars in the preheated oven for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, and the plums around the edges are just a bit bubbly. Cool the bars completely in the pan before cutting them. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container if not serving right away.  

Tomato Jam

from Sassy Radish (makes 2 jars)

• 5 pounds tomatoes
• 2 small onions, diced
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 2 small tart apples, finely diced
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon cayenne*, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/3 cup cider or Champagne vinegar

Place all ingredients in a 6-quart heavy bottomed pot or a Dutch oven; stir to combine. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to a summer. Cook, uncovered, until thickened with jam-like consistency, about 4 hours, longer if tomatoes seem to liquid-y.

Transfer to sterilized glass jars**, and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or use a hot-water canning bath for 20 minutes for long-term storage.

*The cayenne will make this just a little spicy. If you don’t want any heat, do not add it. It is delicious with it though!

**To sterilize your jars, put the jars and lids in a pot of simmering water (this is easiest in a pasta pot with a built in strainer). Remove the jars and let them dry. Fill with jam leaving about 1/4 inch at the top. Place the top on the jar in place and screw on the ring. The jar should seal after awhile. Let it be for maybe an hour or so and push the top of the lid down. If it collapses and does not pop back up then you have successfully sealed your jar! If not, either eat the jam within the next few weeks, or try sterilizing the jars again.

My jars suctioned on their own within an hour I think. I don’t remember how long I left them to cool on the counter. I braced myself for failure but I was pleasantly surprised when I checked on them.

Lavender Scones

from Bon Appetit, May 2012 

• 3 cups flour (plus more for dusting a work surface)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp dried lavender buds
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/4″ cubes
• 1 cup, plus 2 tbsp buttermilk
• 2 tsp lemon zest, finely grated
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp granulated or sanding sugar

Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 425°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk 3 cups flour and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Add butter; rub in with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Whisk 1 cup buttermilk, zest, and vanilla in a small bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until shaggy dough forms.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface; knead until dough forms, about 5 turns. Pat into a 10×6″ rectangle. Halve dough lengthwise. Cut each half crosswise into 4 squares. Cut each square diagonally in half into 2 triangles. Divide between baking sheets. Brush with 2 Tbsp. buttermilk. Sprinkle with sanding or granulated sugar.

Bake until scones are golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 13–15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool.

Baked Quinoa Patties

from 101Cookbooks

• 2 1/2 cups quinoa, cooked and cooled to room temperature
• 5 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup chives, chopped
• 1/3 cup dill, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup kale, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup labne or greek yogurt
• 1 tsp za’atar
• pinch of sea salt
• grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• cucumbers, sliced

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the quinoa, eggs, and salt in a bowl. Stir in the chives, dill, kale, onion, garlic, and cumin. Add the baking powder and breadcrumbs, stir and let sit for the breadcrumbs to absorb some moisture. Stir in the feta gently.

Form the quinoa into patties. The mixture should be a little wet and that can make forming the patties a little difficult. You can add more breadcrumbs to make it easier, though this may make the patties a little dry after baking.

Space the patties out on an oiled baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, flip and bake for another 5 minutes. While the patties are in the oven, mix the labne, za’atar, and salt and set aside to come to room temperature.

Assemble the pitas with your choice of fixings of pita, labne, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

A Very Green Salad

• avocado, halved and sliced
• cucumber, sliced
• asparagus
• spinach
• scallions, sliced
• walnuts, broken into pieces
• olive oil
• white wine vinegar

Break off the woody ends of the asparagus. Shave 1 layer from the bottoms of the asparagus with a vegetable peeler and chop them into two or three pieces, depending on the size of the asparagus. In a large bowl, pour boiling water over the asparagus and add a dash of salt. Let stand for 3-5 minutes. Drain and transfer the asparagus to an ice bath for 2 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.

In a large salad bowl combine the spinach, asparagus, avocado, cucumbers, scallions, and walnuts. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Add 3 parts oil, 1 part vinegar for the dressing and toss. If you’ve got some, add a few shaves of Parmesan to the top. Enjoy!

Pancake Breakfast

just slightly adapted from In Jennie’s Kitchen

• 1 c. all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 c. milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted, plus more for the pan
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk. Be sure there are no large clumps of unmixed the dry in the batter.

Over medium heat, melt a tab of butter in a large saute pan. Pour circles of the batter into the pan. The cakes are ready to flip when the top and sides are bubbling. Flip the pancakes and cook for another minute or two on the other side. Keep warm on a plate in a slightly heated oven or covered with a towel. Serve with warm syrup.

Spinach Empanadas

Adapted from Food & Wine, May 2011

Dough

• 1 1⁄2 cups water
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tspn paprika
• 3 3⁄4 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

 Filling

• 10 oz. spinach
• 1/2 c. corn, blanched
• 1/4 lb. green beans
• 1 c. peas, blanched
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp mint, chopped

In a small saucepan, combine the water, salt, butter and paprika and bring to a boil. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and let cool to room temperature. Stir in the 3 3/4 cups of flour until the dough comes together. On a lightly floured work surface, gently knead the dough until smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

In a saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the spinach for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the spinach to a colander. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook until tender, 4 minutes. Drain and finely chop the green beans. Squeeze the excess water from the spinach, then coarsely chop it.

In a large skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach, green beans, peas, and corn, stirring, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the mint and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly oil 2 large baking sheets. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick. Using a 3 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out 32 rounds from the dough. Moisten the edge of 1 dough round with water. Mound 1 tablespoon of the vegetable filling on half of the round and fold the other side over. Press to seal the dough and pinch at intervals to make pleats. Repeat with the remaining dough rounds and filling.

Arrange the empanadas on the prepared baking sheets and bake in the upper and lower thirds of the oven for about 30 minutes, until browned. Serve the empanadas warm or at room temperature.

Make ahead: Dough and filling can be made one day ahead. Store separately in the refrigerator; assemble the empanadas the following day.

Loaded Egg Salad

• 1 cup bulgur
• 2 cups chicken/vegetable stock or water
• 1 1/2 cups lima beans, blanched
• 7-8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 3 scallions, white and light green parts chopped
• a handfull or two of alfalfa sprouts
• 3 tbsp dijon or stoneground mustard
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil (optional)

In a small sauce pan combine the bulgur and the stock or water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Set aside to cool.

Roughly chop the hard-boiled eggs. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, scallions, sprouts, and lima beans. When the bulgur is cooled to about room temperature, fluff with a fork and add to the bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper and add the mustard. Toss until coated. If you want a wetter salad add some olive oil. Alternatively you could add more mustard or a little bit of mayonnaise.  Serve chilled.