Ricotta tart

Ricotta cheese is so delicious and this tart is full of it! This is a wonderful dish to make in the spring because you will be able to find locally grown green onions and chives, maybe even dill! We ate this for dinner last night, although this dish would be wonderful for brunch too. This recipe was modified from Cook.ing Light June 2010

Ricotta tart

1 refrigerated pie crust (pillsbury works great)
2 cups thinly sliced green onions
1 (15oz) container part skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced chives
2 TBS minced fresh dill OR 1 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 - 1/2 cup grated white cheddar

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Unroll dough and press lightly into a 9 inch pie dish.
3. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add small amount olive oil and saute green onion for 3 -5 minutes.
4. Combine cooked green onions, ricotta cheese, chives, dill, salt, pepper and eggs in a bowl. Stir gently to combine.
5. Pour mixture into pie crust.
6. Top with cheddar cheese and bake 35 minutes until crust is golden brown and center is set.

Asparagus and smoked salmon frittata

I found this one in the new Cook.ing Light magazine and modified the dish ever so slightly. It called for smoked trout, but I chose the smoked salmon instead due cost and package size. The substitution was great! I also chose to saute the asparagus rather than steam it. This is a super easy dish to make, coming together in about 30 minutes or less.

8 oz thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1 TBS 2% reduced fat milk
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
4 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan (I used the Quattro Formagia blend from Trad.der Joes)
1 1/2 tsp fresh dill, chopped ( I used 1/2 tsp dried dill)
4 oz smoked salmon, skinned and flaked

1. Pre-heat oven to 450
2. Saute asparagus in non-stick skillet over med-high heat until crisp tender, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add green onions just before removing from heat.
3. Combine milk, salt, pepper and eggs in a bowl. Whisk.
4. Transfer asparagus mixture into an oven proof skillet coated with oil or cooking spray (cast iron worked well) and add eggs, stirring to combine. Sprinkle with cheese and cook over med-high heat for a few minutes until edges begin to set.
5. Place skillet in oven and cook 8 minutes.
6. Increase heat to broil and cook another 2 minutes until brown and bubbly.

I served this with a side of fresh local tomatoes, sliced and sprinkled with salt/ pepper and a crusty dinner bread. YUMMY!

Tuna and Arugula Pasta Salad

Here is a lovely dish that is super easy and extra yummy. It has arugula in it so already this dish is awesome! This recipe makes enough for dinner and left-overs for lunch the next day, which is always nice. This salad goes well with a nice dinner bread.

Found in May Cooking Lig.ht 2010

Tuna and Arugula Pasta Salad

1 large red bell pepper
8 -10 oz pasta (penne or fussille)
2 or more cups coarsely chopped arugula
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 TBS red wine vinegar
1 TBS capers, drained
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 (7.8 oz can tune) packed in OIL (I used regular sized cans) drained and flaked.
1/4 tsp salt
Pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat broiler
2. Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise. Discard seeds and membrane. Place pepper halves, skin side up, on a foil lined baking sheet. Flatten with hand and broil 15 minutes. Cover the peppers with the foil and let cool for about 10 minutes. Peel and chop.
3. Bring water to a boil in a large sauce pan. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water.
4. Combine bell pepper, pasta, arugula, capers and tuna.
5. Combine olive oil, shallots and vinegar. Whisk until combined. Pour over pasta and stir to coat.
6. Sprinkle with pepper and 1/4 tsp salt.

YUMMY!

Arugula, Orange and Feta Salad

This is one of my all time favorite salads! As you know I LOVE arugula, just can not get enough of this delicious peppery green. But don't worry, the sweet of the honey in the dressing and oranges take down the bite of the arugula. This salad is a hit every time!

6 cups arugula (one bag from Trader Jo.es)
3 navel oranges, peeled, sectioned
3 - 4 oz crumbled feta cheese
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp honey
1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl
2. Combine olive oil, lemon juice and honey. Stir with a whisk until blended.
3. Add sliced garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Strain out garlic prior to serving over salad.

Pour dressing on salad immediately before serving. If added too early, the greens will wilt a little from the lemon juice.

YUMMY!

A BIG ficken Sandwich

I made a wonderfully tasty and LARGE ficken sandwich for dinner last night. It took a little bit of creative eating, but we managed to fill our bellies with this delicious sandwich.

Mushroom Rosemary Rissoto

Here is a creamy, delicious risotto that will make your taste buds do a warm happy dance! Risotto offers a lesson in patience because the water is added 1/4 cup at a time while it is stirred....constantly. There is no walking away during the preparation of risotto, so devote your full attention to this dish. You can not rush risotto either, it takes it's time, slowly softening to the added broth. I enjoy the calm stirring and focused attention while preparing this dish as it makes me slow down and savor the moment.

Mushroom Rosemary Risotto
1 cup "no" chicken broth (found at Whole Foods)
2 3/4 cup veggie broth
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled (or 1 TBS fresh chopped)
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 TBS olive oil
2 cups sliced white mushrooms
2 TBS chopped shallots
1 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I skipped this and it was still yummy)
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a 2 quart saucepan, heat both the broths, rosemary, and thyme until simmering. Keep on low heat so the liquid stays warm throughout the cooking process.

2. While broth is heating, heat the oil in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and shallots, cook, stirring until mushrooms are softened. Add the rice, cook, stirring until rice is coated with oil.

3. Add the broth to the rice 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly, until the rice absorbs the liquid. (make the next addition of liquid when you can draw a clear path on the bottom of the pot as you scrape through the rice with a wooden spoon.) This will happen rather quickly at first and then take longer as you near the end of the cooking time.

4. Add parsley when you add the last portion of broth.

Homemade Granola

Years ago when we lived in Florida my sister in law passed along a fabulous recipe for granola. Just like us, she often found the store bought varieties to be too sweet. I had a bowl of her granola and fell in love with it's toasted flavor. This is a hearty granola, full of nuts and seeds as well as good for you oats. A BIG batch can be made in less than 30 minutes and saved in an air tight container for a couple of weeks. I usually half the recipe because it makes so much, but if you are big granola eater go ahead and make the full amount. This granola is good with yogurt or as a dry snack too. You can use which ever nuts and seeds you like, so do not feel as if you must stick to the ones that I chose. Have fun and happy granola making!

5 - 6 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or a little less if you want, but don't skimp too much)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Heat honey and oil for 15 - 30 seconds in the microwave to warm.
Add vanilla to the honey mix and stir.
Pour over oats in a large bowl and stir until combined.
Add nuts and seeds.
Spread mixture onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

Let cool then store in an air tight container.