Indian Green (Cilantro) chutney

Green chutney, usually known as cilantro chutney at my house, is a versatile Indian condiment that can be used in many different ways. It is best used as a condiment with grilled or fried food, but may be used a spread or dip or marinade too.

In its basic bare bone form, green chutney is a blend of coriander, garlic, chilies and lemon juice with different spices used in different homes and regions of the country.

Ingredients: (makes about 1.5 cups)

2.5 cups fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves
1/2 small onion, coarsely chopped – Optional
6 – 8 cloves garlic
1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped – Optional
3 hot green chili peppers, or to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2-3 tablespoon water or as needed to make the chutney of a pesto consistency
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
salt to taste


Preparation:

Remove the tough stalks of the cilantro. Blend/puree all ingredients above (or only the ones you are using, if you are not using the optional ingredients) to a smooth consistency.

Serve as condiment, dip or spread.

Stored in an air tight container, the chutney will stay good in the refrigerator for up to a week. The extra may also be frozen. The frozen chutney usually changes to a deeper green color, but there is no change of taste. Thaw and use the chutney.

Pesto with a twist

Most people when they think of Pesto they automatically think of Basil as the main ingredient but I don't always have Basil enough to make the quantity I need so I also add some spinach in my pesto.

Ingredients
1 cup packed fresh basil
1 cup packed fresh baby spinach
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup pine nuts (optional cashews or walnuts)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Kosher or sea salt to taste
3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, (optional - parmesan cheese)
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
Add all ingredients, except oil, to a food processor or blender, pulse until ingredients are finely chopped. Add oil and pulse until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

NOTE: To freeze pesto, do not add cheese until thawed and ready to serve. Freeze up to 2 months.

THAI SALAD WITH GARLIC DRESSING

I love about the Thai Salad:

no chicken or meat (sometimes I just get annoyed of cooking it, ya know? I think I’m one of those half-way vegetarians)
lots of veggies (kale or asian cabbage, carrots, peppers, cilantro, edmame, scallions, cashews...... yummm!)
lots of nutrition and filling food power
the most zingy Thai garlic dressing (peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, lime, garlic, sesame oil, sweet chilli sauce)

INGREDIENTS

For the dressing:
⅓ cup canola oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon peanut butter

For the salad:
16 ounces frozen shelled edamame
5-6 cups baby kale or Asian cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrots
2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 yellow)
1 cup cilantro leaves
3 green onions
¾ cup cashews (if you can find them, Trader Joe's Thai Lime and Chili Cashews are the bomb or from the Indian store has Indian spice cashews)

INSTRUCTIONS
Puree all the dressing ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Taste and adjust to fit your preferences. Transfer to a dressing jar and rinse the food processor out for use later.
Cook the edamame by boiling it for 3-5 minutes in a pot of boiling water. Drain and allow it to cool. Meanwhile, slice up the kale or cabbage, carrots, peppers, cilantro leaves, and green onions into thin strips or shreds.

Place the cooked edamame in the food processor and pulse 5 times to get a minced texture or keep whole (both ways taste yummy. Transfer to a bowl and repeat the same process for the cashews. Toss the kale or cabbage, carrots, peppers, cilantro, green onions, edamame, and cashews together until well combined. Drizzle with the dressing, toss gently a few times, and serve immediately.

NOTES
The salad will stay fresh longer if you store the dressing separately from the salad ingredients, tossing them together just before serving.

Agave nectar or sugar would work in place of the honey for vegans.

Those 3 cloves of garlic pack a spicy garlicky punch, so if you don't love garlic, use less.

Garlic Lemon and Parmesan Oven Roasted Zucchini

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs zucchini (about 4 - 5 small/medium zucchini)
2 Tbsp olive oil
Zest of 1 small lemon (1 tsp)
2 cloves garlic, crushed through a garlic crusher or finely minced
3/4 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

Cut zucchini into thick wedges or halves (cut each zucchini in half then that half in half, so you have 4 wedges from each zucchini. Next time I might try to do just halves so the Parmesan bakes more evenly, plus it would be easier to add the Parmesan).

In a small bowl, stir together olive oil, lemon zest and garlic. Align zucchini on prepared baking sheet spacing them evenly apart. Brush olive oil mixture over tops of zucchini (working to get some of the garlic/lemon zest on each piece and not just in one spot. It clumps together a little so just spread it out). Sprinkle tops with Parmesan cheese (try to get as much of it on the tops as possible, you can pick up what was sprinkled off to the sides of the zucchini and add it to the tops) and season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven 11 - 13 minutes then, adjust oven rack near top of oven and broil for several minutes until Parmesan is golden brown. Serve warm.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy 

Tortellini Summer Pasta

Let's face it: I have Memorial Day weekend brain. The problem? I still have 1.5 work days before the long weekend even begins! and I will be relaxing in the backyards grilling and relaxing. Can't wait to fire-up that grill and dust off the patio furniture and maybe even do some gardening. Oh no look out the garden department at Home Depot....here I come with my thousand and one questions attempting and pretending I have a green thumb.

All this talk about gardening reminded me that I already planted my beautiful 'BASIL' (the one thing I can grown without failure). I have this amazing twist to a summer pasta salad recipe.

So simple that even my husband can do (if he actually tried)!

Let's see I like to use Bertolli cheese tortellini but any cheese tortellini will do. Then dice up fresh mozzarella, half cherry tomatoes, a handful of fresh basil ribbons, salt/pepper to taste, 1 tsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of balsamic glaze (my preference is Gia Russa). Remember balsamic glaze does contain sugar. I like to use the glaze because it will stick to all the ingredients better.

Lemon Bars with Blueberries

This simple, two-ingredient lemon bar is a amazing recipe for me. My husband and I tried this recipe for the first time a year ago for a dinner party we were hosting.  We put a spin on the classic two-ingredient lemon bar recipe we added blueberries (his only contribution to this recipe and hence why I had to give him credit for helping). While I don't expect, you to get all nostalgic putting together this easy recipe, it is one of the easiest bar recipes I have ever found. All you need it a one-step angel food cake mix and a 15 oz. can of lemon pie filling.

Follow the instructions from the angel food cake mix then add in the lemon pie filling. Rinse and light pat dry your blueberries. Mix them together by hand until moist. Be sure not to over stir. Bake in a 9 x 13 cake pan at 350 degrees until golden brown on the top (about 20 minutes). Cool completely before eating. As they are cooling, you can sprinkle with powder sugar if you wish (Which I guess technically makes this a 4-ingredient recipe) but if you’re watching the waist-line then skip the powered sugar on top still equally delicious. They have more of an angel food cake texture than a traditional lemon bar texture but we love them. 

Taco Turkey

This is one of my all time favorite quick and easy recipes that was inherited from my sister. My sister is the true chef in our family. I am just an amateur compare to her. She can whip up anything in no time. I love this twist on a traditional lettuce wrap.

Our Taco Turkey lettuce wraps!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 yellow or sweet onion
1/2 red bell pepper
2-3 garlic cloves
1-2 serrano pepper (or jalapeno pepper) (to taste)
1/4 cup of cilantro
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (also called jeeru)
1/2 teaspoon ajmo (also called ajwain or carmon seeds)
1 tablespoon salt (to taste)
1 tablespoon black pepper (to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 iceberg lettuce

Directions:
Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add cumin seeds and ajmo seeds to oil.

Once seeds start to sizzle, add onion, garlic, Serrano pepper, and red bell pepper.

Once onion and peppers start to caramelize, then add ground turkey. Break ground turkey until meat has cooked thoroughly.
Note: At this point, I like to taste for some salt and pepper. You can squeeze some lemon juice it want some citrus.

Cut the lettuce head in half. Peal off the first soft lettuce leaves (Discard this leaf, it's usually really soft). I like to get a nice big lettuce leaf then start layering.
- Ground turkey
- Diced tomatoes
- Guacamole
- Sour cream
- Garnish with salsa and cilantro.

Basic Guacamole

Growing up we had to eat traditional food at least 4-5 nights out of the week. But over the weekend, she use let us pick whatever we wanted to eat. I always responded with I want "American food" night. "American Food" meant non-traditional cuisine. Obviously, my sister and I took turns, but when it was my turn to pick a cuisine, I always picked for "Mexican Food".

As we got older, she felt that we should at least know how to make our favorite foods. This was one of my first and favorite recipes that she taught me. Over the years, I have perfected it to the "T". I can make it in my sleep.

Ingredients:
1 medium avocado
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 roma tomato, diced
1-2 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 jalapeno, diced
1/4 cup of cilantro, diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon cumin (to taste)

Directions:

Cut the avocado in half. Use a spoon to scoop out the avocado into a bowl.
Note: Keep the seed. It helps the guacamole from browning until you're ready to serve.

Combine diced red onion, tomato, garlic, jalapeno, lemon juice, salt, pepper, cumin powder, and cilantro.

Arugula Salad

I started getting bored with salad's sometime last year. Started exploring a lot of Food Network salad recipes and keep coming across salads that contain 'Arugula'. Arugula has a pepper yet sweet flavor. Arugula is great this time of year. I believe I read somewhere that it's an early-spring and fall crop.

Ingredients:
2 cups Arugula, rinse and wash (pat dry to remove excess water)
1/2 Red Onion, sliced
2 Mini colorful peppers, sliced
Goat cheese, crumbled (bring to room temp.)
1/2 cup Walnut or Pecan, lightly toasted on dry skillet
A pinch of Salt (to taste)
A pinch of Pepper (to taste)
1/2 Mango, sliced
1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped


Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a salad bowl.
Once ready to eat then drizzle garlic vinaigrette dressing.

Garlic Vinaigrette Dressing

Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar
1-2 tablespoons dijon mustard
3 Garlic cloves, minced (to taste)
Generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh herbs or 2 teaspoons dried (basil, oregano, chives, and thyme are all nice)
1 1/2 cups EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Directions: 
Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a jar. Stir well with a fork.

Add olive oil, cover tightly, and shake well until combined. You can also use a blender and drizzle the oil in slowly while it is running.

Note: When I am in a hurry then I just opt into using a store bought dressing. I like using the Aldi Grandessa Garlic Vinaigrette Dressing or any Garlic Vinaigrette Dressing.