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Chickpeas with Lemon and Dill

This can be a great vegetarian lunch or dinner by omitting the chicken and substituting another element such as light red kidney beans or white hominy.

2 Tbsp better
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 carrot, finely diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 chicken breast, cooked and diced
½ tsp dill weed
juice of ½ lemon

Melt butter in the oil in a pan, and sauté the onion and carrot for about 10 minutes, until the veggies begin to soften and caramelize. Add the remaining ingredients and cook about another five minutes to heat through. Salt and pepper to taste.

Fish Tacos

6 Tilapia fillets
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp red pepper flakes

1 dozen corn, or taco-size flour tortillas
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
½ tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves garlic, minced

Toppings:
salsas (such as salsa verde)
sour cream
guacamole
1 lime, cut into eights

Mix the lime, cumin, oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a wide casserole. Flip the tilapia in the marinade several times. Cover and marinate for up to an hour.

Warm the tortillas in a 200F oven, between moist towels. Sauté the peppers, onions and cumin in a bit of canola oil, until just beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Set aside and keep warm. Meanwhile, heat a non-stick grill pan to high and grill the tilapia on one side until browned, about 3-5 minutes. Flip and continue cooking on other side until brown grill marks show up, loud and clear, about another 3-5 minutes. Set aside on a plate, covered with foil.

Wrap a generous serving of tilapia and veggies in a tortilla, fold over and top with toppings of choice. Serve with lime wedge.

Frijoles Coco Negro

These beans are packed with flavor and are made rich with a touch of cocoa. They are a great side dish to accompany a Mexican meal or can be served with a grain for a vegetarian meal. Julie and I served these with Fish Tacos and fajitas at New Year's. We used a ginormous bulk can of beans - enough to serve a holiday crowd. You could halve the recipe for a group of 8-10 as a side or 4-6 as a main dish.

2 very large yellow onions, diced
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
4 stalks celery, finely diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
1 108-oz black beans (about 6 16-oz cans), lightly drained
1-2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp dried herbes de Provence (or Italian herbs)
1 Tbsp pimenton, smoky paprika
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
Fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, sauté the onion, carrot and celery in a bit of canola oil over medium heat, until the veggies begin to brown and caramelize, at least 10-15 minutes. This step is important – be patient – as it will impart tons of flavor to the beans. Add the garlic and jalapeno and continue cooking another 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the beans, about a cup of broth, the cumin, herbs, paprika and cocoa. Bring the beans to a boil, stirring. Then lower the heat and simmer for at least an hour, covered, stirring often – a crock pot is good for this. Salt and pepper to taste, and add more broth as needed to maintain a creamy consistency. Serve topped with fresh cilantro.

Banana Plum Bread

Based on Babette's Best Ever Banana Bread, this is a variation on a her theme, and a great way for me to remember her warmly by. I use whatever leftover fruit we have hanging around, even maybe sometimes a bit too soft, that's OK. Or I add frozen fruit like berries, or diced mango which is really very good! Babette was always into nuts and whole foods - and we cooked a lot of whole grains together; I also sometimes add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and/or 1 Tbsp bran or ground flax seed when the urge hits me. This makes for great variety but consistently fantastic banana bread variations. Thanks Babette!

Wet ingredients:
½ cup cream
½ cup milk
1 Tbsp white vinegar
2 ripe bananas
1 cup diced ripe plums (about 2 plums)
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. butter, melted

Dry ingredients:
1½ cups sugar
2½ cups flour
1 Tbsp ground flax seeds
3 tsp. baking powder
1½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325F. Oil four 16-oz or two 32-ox loaf pans. Mix together cream and milk with vinegar; alternatively you can use 1 cup buttermilk. Mash bananas in a big bowl and fold in all remaining wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Fold into wet ingredients and distribute among loaf pans. Bake 45 minutes, or until crusty and brown on top.

Holiday Turkey Roasted with Lemon, Rosemary and Savory Vegetables

This is a fairly small turkey but easily serves 8-10 people.

1 12-lb turkey, rinsed and patted dry
4 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 very large onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 lemon, quartered
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
1 cup white wine or water

Heat oven to 400F. Toss the vegetables in a large roasting pan and place turkey on top. Spray turkey with canola oil. Sprinkle turkey with coarse salt, freshly ground pepper, and rosemary. Carefully insert a digital thermometer into the meaty part of the thigh – not touching the bone (I think the little poppers overcook turkey and chicken, but don’t remove them because juices will be lost in the hole they produce). Bake 20 minutes, baste turkey, and reduce heat to 350F. Bake another 20 minutes. Baste again and cover lightly with aluminum foil. Bake another 30-45 minutes or until thermometer reads 175-180.

Turn off oven. Remove the turkey from the oven, and drain it carefully (VERY HOT!) into the roasting pan. Place turkey on a carving board, covered. Remove veggies to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon, cover and replace in oven. Heat juices in pan and add wine (or water). Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Strain into a grease separator and pour off the de-greased jus into a gravy boat. Slice turkey and place on platter. Add any accumulated juices to the jus in the gravy boat. Serve with the roasted veggies.

Chicken Breast with Sherried Mushroom Creme

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, slightly pounded
4 Tbsp butter
1 package mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup sherry
1 Tbsp capers, drained
1/2 cup cream

In a large skillet, sauté the mushrooms dry, until they give off their moisture. Continu cooking until a good bit of the water cooks off. Add half the butter and cook another 3-5 minutes to brown the mushrooms a bit. Add the sherry and cook until most of the liquid has cooked off. Set the mushrooms aside. In the same skillet, melt the remaining butter and sauté the chicken breasts for about 5-6 minutes per side, until the chicken is just cooked through. Set the chicken aside. Add the cream to the skillet and cook it down to about half the volume, stirring often. Return the chicken and mushrooms to the cream sauce and add the capers. Salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce all over the chicken breasts to coat. Plate the chicken with mushrooms and sauce.

Baked Spiced Cauliflower with Ricotta

1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup good real mayonnaise
1 tsp tarragon, dried
1 tsp smokey Pimenton paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
Dash red flakes
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium cauliflower, broken into small pieces, about 6 cups
1 carrot, peeled and shredded

Preheat oven to 375F. Whisk together the first nine ingredients. In a large bowl, toss in the cauliflower and the carrot. Mix well. Turn into a 2 quart oiled casserole. Bake for 20 minutes covered, and 20 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven and allow to sit for five minutes to reabsorb moisture.

Cooks note: you may want to add a teaspoon Garam Masala if you like more flavorful dishes - and we have made this dish using Greek Yoghurt when out of Ricotta - works well also!

Creamy Cheesey Spinach with Toasted Tofu

2 bags spinach
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tub extra firm tofu, cubed
garlic powder

Bechamel Cheese cream sauce:
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp canola oil
¼ cup flour
2 cups milk
½ lb. cheddar (or other favorite) cheese, grated
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup white wine

Preheat oven to 350F. If necessary, stem the spinach (I almost never find it necessary). Heat a large pot with about ¼ cup water to boil. Add spinach and a bit of salt. Steam, turning every few minutes, until spinach leaves wilt and are cook through. Strain in a colander. Press to remove as much water as possible. Chop coarsely.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a non-stick skillet. Sauté tofu over fairly high heat until tofu is well toasted on all sides. Sprinkle a generous amount of garlic powder to each side to taste. Do not stir too often, so that each side browns well. Set aside in a bowl.

Meanwhile, prepare a Bechamel sauce by melting the butter with the oil in a saucepan until the butter froths. Add the flour and whisk for about 3-5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until thickened and smooth.

In a large bowl, fold together the spinach, tofu and sauce. Tip into a medium casserole and bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.

Bulgur Rice Pilaf with Celery and Zante Currant

If you don't have Adobo spice substitute 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp garlic powder. The turmeric is not only recognized to be very good for health, it imparts a subtle flavor and a nice golden color to the pilaf. Another classic way to color a Spanish rice is to toss a few annatto seeds into the oil you fry the rice in for a few minutes. After the oil is very colored, remove the seeds (they are not edible) and voila, your rice will be typical Spanish rice yellow. But annatto really has no flavor – just color. Of course you could use saffron; that would impart not only color but a wonderful, different flavor than turmeric.

1 cup white rice
1/2 cup bulgur
4 stalks celery, diced
3 cups water
2 tsp Adobo spice
1 tsp Old Bay Spice
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp Zante currants

Sauté then celery and rice in a good glug of olive oil in a pot, stirring very often. Cook until rice begins to turn white from translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, stir and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes until all water is absorbed.