Cucumber Avocado Salad

INGREDIENTS
1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup fresh dill, chopped
1 clove garlic, quartered
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 ripe avocado - peeled, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
DIRECTIONS
Place the cucumber, onion, dill, garlic, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl, and toss. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Gently toss the avocado with the cucumber mixture. Refrigerate mixture 10 minutes more. Remove from the refrigerator, and drain. Remove and discard garlic. Toss the cucumber mixture again with the red wine vinegar.

Marinated Green Beans with Olives, Tomatoes, and Feta

NGREDIENTS
2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (8 ounce) package crumbled feta
1 bunch fresh oregano sprigs
DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat and drop in the green beans; cook until slightly tender, but still crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately drain the green beans and plunge into ice water to stop the beans from cooking further. Drain the beans and place them in a shallow serving dish.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic in the oil for about 30 seconds. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the olives, tomatoes, vinegar, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture over green beans. Toss together until beans are evenly coated. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top and garnish with oregano sprigs. Chill at least 3 hours before serving.

‘I Hate Cucumbers!’ Cucumber Salad

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 cup mayonnaise
5 cucumbers, scored and thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, chopped
salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
Stir together vinegar, sugar, pepper, and dill in a large bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the mayonnaise until smooth, then add cucumbers, celery, and red onion until evenly coated with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and stir once again before serving.

Grilled Tomato, Onion, and Bread Salad

INGREDIENTS
2 red onions, sliced 1/2 inch thick
8 plum (Roma) tomatoes, cored
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 cups cubed Italian bread
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat.
Brush the onion slices and tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and set aside. Drizzle another 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the cubed bread in a large bowl. Sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper; toss well. Skewer the bread cubes with metal skewers.
Grill bread on preheated grill until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Grill onions and tomatoes until soft, about 5 minutes.
Chop the roasted onions and tomatoes into large pieces, and place into a large bowl along with the toasted bread, cucumber, and basil. Whisk the vinegar together with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to make a dressing. Pour over the salad, and toss to coat.

Hearty Lentil Soup

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 leek, sliced
1 carrot, diced
1 parsnip, scrubbed and diced
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, sliced
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and mix in the onions, carrot, parsnip, celery, potato, and leek. Stir over a medium heat.
Place lentils, tomatoes, stock, bay leaves, a splash of the soy and Worcestershire sauces and wine in the saucepan. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked.
Remove the bay leaves from the soup. Stir in the cilantro and serve.
1 cup dry lentils, rinsed
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 cups vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1 dash soy sauce
2 teaspoons vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Vietnamese Beef Pho

PREP TIME 10 Min
COOK TIME 1 Hr 20 Min
READY IN 1 Hr 30 Min

INGREDIENTS
4 quarts beef broth
1 large onion, sliced into rings
6 slices fresh ginger root
1 lemon grass
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 pound sirloin tip, cut into thin slices
1/2 pound bean sprouts
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
3 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced into rings
2 limes, cut into wedges
2 (8 ounce) packages dried rice noodles
1/2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 dash hot pepper sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce

DIRECTIONS
In a large soup pot, combine broth, onion, ginger, lemon grass, cinnamon, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cover. Simmer for 1 hour.
Arrange bean sprouts, mint, basil, and cilantro on a platter with chilies and lime.
Soak the noodles in hot water to cover for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain. Place equal portions of noodles into 6 large soup bowls, and place raw beef on top. Ladle hot broth over noodles and beef. Pass platter with garnishes and sauces.

Peanut Butter Vegetable Chicken Soup

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 35 Min
READY IN 50 Min
SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups diced, cooked chicken meat
1 cup peeled and cubed potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced zucchini
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup canned whole tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large stock pot, combine the broth, chicken, potatoes, and carrots. Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 10 minutes, till vegetables are tender.
Add zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes, celery, onion, green pepper, and garlic. Simmer for about 8 minutes.
Add peanut butter, parsley, salt, and pepper; stir until peanut butter is fully blended. Simmer for 3 minutes longer.

Polish Chili

PREP TIME 45 Min
COOK TIME 1 Hr
READY IN 1 Hr 45 Min
SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds ground beef
1 pound fully cooked Polish sausage or kielbasa, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 Anaheim chilies, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
3 yellow wax peppers, seeded and chopped
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
4 tomatillos, husked and chopped
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 (4 ounce) jar chopped pimentos, drained
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

DIRECTIONS
Place the ground beef into a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring to crumble, until beef is no longer pink. Drain off excess grease, leaving just enough to coat the bottom of the pot. Add the polish sausage, onion and garlic to the pot; cook and stir until onion is tender. Mix in the Anaheim, yellow and jalapeno peppers, tomatoes and tomatillos. Simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes.

Pour in the vinegar, tomato sauce and pimentos and then mix in the pinto beans and kidney beans; cover and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes.

Chicken and Black Bean Chili

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons cooking oil
3 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch pieces
sea salt to taste
1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin, or to taste
1 dried chipotle chili pepper, ground into powder
ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 medium yellow bell pepper, diced
5 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, undrained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, undrained
1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 teaspoon green pepper sauce (e.g., Tabasco®)
1 (6 ounce) can roasted garlic tomato paste
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place chicken in the pot; brown on all sides. Season with sea salt, chili powder, cumin, ground chipotle, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Mix in onion, green bell pepper, and yellow bell pepper. Pour in about 3 cups water, and continue cooking 10 minutes, until about 1/2 the water has evaporated.

Mix the kidney beans, black beans, and corn into the pot. Season with green pepper sauce. Reduce heat to low, and mix in remaining 2 cups water and tomato paste. Simmer, stirring occasionally 30 minutes, or until thickened. Top with cilantro to serve.

Italian Wedding Soup

“Coming from Rhode Island, a very ethnic state, this soup was traditionally served at Italian weddings. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.”

PREP TIME 20 Min
COOK TIME 30 Min
READY IN 50 Min

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
5 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 cups thinly sliced escarole
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1/3 cup finely chopped carrot

DIRECTIONS
In medium bowl, combine meat, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, basil and onion powder; shape into 3/4 inch balls.

In large saucepan, heat broth to boiling; stir in escarole, orzo pasta, chopped carrot and meatballs. Return to boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook at slow boil for 10 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.