summer chopped salad with ranch dressing

this is so fresh and good. it's from the food network test kitchen cookbook.

salad:
8 oz small red-skinned potatoes, halved
kosher salt
1 cup fresh corn kernels (from 2 ears of corn)
1 cup chopped fresh green or wax beans
1 cup small broccoli florets
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Kirby cucumber with peel, chopped
freshly ground pepper
4 cups torn mixed greens, such as arugula, romaine, and watercress
1 cup sprouts, such as alfalfa, broccoli, radish, or pea (optional)

dressing:
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 Tbs minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 Tbs minced fresh chives
1 scallion (white and green parts), thinly sliced
1 tsp white wine vinegar
freshly ground black pepper

1. put potatoes in a small saucepan with enough cold water to cover and season with salt. bring to a boil and then simmer, uncovered, until just tender, about 5 min. drain and put in a large bowl.

2. bring a med. pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. fill a med. bowl with ice water and salt it as well. add corn, beans, and broccoli to the boiling water and cool until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. scoop out the vegetables and plunge them immediately into the ice water. drain and pat vegetables dry. add to bowl of potatoes along with tomatoes and cucumber.

3. toss salad with 1/2 cup of dressing.

4. when ready to serve, toss salad with greens and sprouts.

dressing directions:

1. smash the garlic clove, sprinkle with salt, and with the side of a large knife, mash and smear the mixture to a coarse paste. scrape the paste into a small bowl, add remaining ingredients, and whisk well to make a creamy dressing. use immediately or refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.

strawberry cake

this is from marthastewart.com we really liked it. it was a great way to use up some of those strawberries ella and i picked the other day.

Makes one 10-inch cake
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pie plate
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.
Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.
Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.
Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on a wire rack. Cut into wedges.

Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days.

black bean and citrus shrimp tacos

i found this the other day on the ksl website. they have a daily recipe on their noon-hour news show. this is from jill mckenzie. we thought it was pretty delicious. also, i cut this in half for our family and we had some left over.

2 tsp seasoned salt
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp basil
2 lb peeled and deveined uncooked shrimp

*mix together and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes but no longer than 24 hours

4 ripe avocadoes-diced
2 small oranges - diced
2 small jalapenos - finely chopped
1/2 cup red onion - finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro - roughly chopped

*toss together and set aside

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp cumin
2 Tbs fresh lime juice

*bring to a boil and then simmer 10 minutes

2 boxes corn taco shells (we used soft flour and corn tortillas)

*heat oven to 350. put shells on baking sheet, sprinkle with cheese (we used cheddar) and bake until cheese is melted.

*heat grill pan or skillet over med high heat. add shrimp, cook 3-5 minutes on each side, or until pink on each side.

serve shrimp, beans, avocado salsa and shells assembled or set out buffet style. you can garnish with sour cream and lettuce, etc.


a side note: to dice an orange...cut off top and bottom of orange, then set on one end. cut as close to the skin as possible, trying not to get too much of the orange, from top to bottom. repeat until the entire orange is free of pith (or whatever that whit-ish part is called). then you can cut into thick slices and then into pieces.

strawberry-almond tart

i have had this recipe for years and have never made it, until last night. it is easy, lower in fat than other things, and so good. it's great for a warm weather dessert.

preheat oven to 350

2 cups sliced almonds, toasted
3 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
*whirl these together in your food processor until finely chopped, but not ground.

1 egg white
*drop this into almond mixture and give it a whirl til mixed together.

spray tart pan with nonstick cooking spray
*press into bottom and sides of a tart pan (round or square works)
bake for 10 minutes and let cool

2 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 Tbs whipping cream
*melt on high in microwave for 1 minute, then stir together and spread over cooled crust

1 pkg (80z) reduced fat cream cheese
2 Tbs strawberry-flavored syrup (i used strawberry preserves)
*mix these together and spread over top of chocolate layer

3/4 cup strawberry preserves
*spread over cream cheese layer

2 cups fresh strawberries, tops cut off
*place cut side down, (so pointy end is sticking up) starting in the middle and work your way out til entire tart is covered in strawberries.

chill in refrigerator til serving time.

black-bean and tomato chili

okay, this is so delicious. we could not get enough of this stuff! besides it's goooooood for you!
this is from one of martha stewart's cookbooks. try it, you'll be glad you did.

1 3/4 cups dried black beans (i used canned)
3 or 4 small dried guajillo chiles, toasted (i canned green chiles)
1 Tbs olive oil
2 med onions, finely chopped
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs plus 1 tsp ground cumin
1 3/4 cup vegetable stock (i used chicken stock)
2 lbs assorted tomatoes, seeded, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar

1. pick over dried beans, discarding any stones or broken beans, and rinse. place in a large saucepan, cover with cold water by 2 inches, and bring to a strong boil over high heat. cover and remove from the heat, and let stand 1 hour. drain the beans, and set aside.
2. place the chiles in a small bowl, and cover with very hot water. let stand until the chiles are soft, about 20 minutes. cut the chiles in half, and remove the seeds and stems. transfer the chile flesh, along with the soaking liquid, to the bowl of a food processor. process until a puree forms.
3. heat the oil in a medium saucepan over med heat. add the onions, three-quarters of the minced garlic, and the cumin. cover, and cook until softened and slightly browned, about 15 min. add the chile puree and cook 2 minutes more. add the vegetable stock and the black beans. cover, and cook until the beans are soft, about 1 1/2 hours. if the beans seem dry, add another 1/2 cup hot water.
4. in a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes, remaining garlic, basil, salt, pepper, and vinegar. let sit 5 minutes. stir half of the tomato mixture into the beans, cover and simmer 1 min more.
5. divide the chili among six soup bowls. top with the remaining tomato mixture, and serve hot.

chocolate marble pound cake

this is from the food & wine year of recipes 2004 cookbook. it is easy and so yummy. i served this with sliced strawberries and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

2 cups all-purpose flour (i used half whole wheat)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus 3 Tbs melted
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream or milk
confectioner's sugar, for dusting

1. preheat oven to 350. spray an 8 by 4 inch loaf pan with vegetable oil cooking spray and line it with parchment paper, spray the paper.
2. in a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. in another bowl, combine the melted butter and cocoa until smooth.
3. in a food processor, combine the soft butter and granulated sugar. add the eggs and vanilla and process til smooth. add dry ingredients and pulse just until combined. add the cream and process til smooth. transfer 1 cup of batter to the bowl with cocoa and stir til smooth.
4. spoon half of the remaining batter into the pan and smooth the surface. spread the chocolate batter in the pan, then cover with the remaining plain batter. using a table knife, cut 5 swirls in the batter.
5. bake the pound cake for 25 minutes. reduce to 325 and bake for 25 min more. cover loosely with foil and bake for 15-20 min or until the cake is lightly browned and the center is done.
6. let the pound cake cook in the pan for 10 minutes, then unmold and let cool completely on a wire rack. dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

sonoran shrimp scampi

we thought this was pretty good. it's from self magazine. i used only one poblano chile and it was way too spicy for the girls. i guess the idea is that it's so spicy, you'll only be able to eat one bite and that's how you'll lose weight. (remember it's from self magazine)

3 poblano chiles
1 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 Tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
2 Tbs chopped (or thinly sliced) sun-dried tomatoes
1 Tbs lime zest
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup white wine (i use chicken broth)
4 cups farfalle, preferably whole wheat, cooked
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Place chiles directly over the burners of a gas stove. Roast over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until skin is charred and chiles soften, 10-15 minutes. (To roast in oven, cover a large cookie sheet with foil. Places chiles on sheet and broil, turning occasionally, until skin is charred and chiles soften, 12-17 minutes.) Remove from heat and cool. Remove peel and seeds. Slice thinly; set aside. Sprinkle shrimp with half the salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large pan over high heat. Cook shrimp, stirring occasionally, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in chiles, red peppers, tomatoes, zest and lime juice. Cook until liquid reduces by half and shrimp are no longer translucent, 1-2 minutes. Add wine and reduce until slightly syrupy. Stir in pasta. Reduce heat to low and cover 1 minute. Top with cilantro and serve.