Carrot Raita

2/3 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 carrots, coarsely shredded
2 scallions, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro leaves (leave out if you don't like cilantro)
Salt
Cayenne pepper

Spoon the yogurt into a coffee filter set in a strainer and let stand until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Transfer the yogurt to a medium bowl.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small skillet. Add the garlic and cumin seeds and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the carrots and scallions and cook, stirring, until just heated through. Add the carrot mixture and the cilantro to the drained yogurt and season with salt and cayenne. Serve the raita warm, at room temperature or chilled.

From Food and Wine

Black Bean and Couscous Salad

1 cup uncooked couscous
1 1/4 cup broth (chicken or vegetable)
3 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP fresh lime juice
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp cumin
8 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or flat Italian parsley
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper to taste

Bring broth to boil in a 2 qt or larger sauce pan and stir in couscous. Cover pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, and cumin. Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and black beans. Toss to coat.

Fluff the couscous well, breaking up any chunks. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve. Keeps well in the frig for a couple of days.

Tzatziki Sauce

1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and shredded
1 tsp salt
1 cup yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
1 TBSP lemon juice
1/2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp dill
1/2 tsp greek seasoning
black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Barley "Risotto"

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup pearl barley
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

In a large heavy saucepan cook onion in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Add 2 cups broth, water, and barley and simmer, covered, until most of liquid is absorbed and barley is al dente, about 30 minutes. Gradually add remaining cup broth, about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until absorbed. Stir in remaining ingredients and remove pan from heat. Season "risotto" with salt and pepper.

Dolmades

From Charity

1 jar grape leaves
3 large onions, finely chopped
1 c. olive oil
2 1/2 tsp. mint
1 1/2 tsp. dill
8 scallions, chopped
1/4 c. parsley, finely chopped
1 c. rice
1/2 c. water
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt and pepper to taste
1 c. boiling water

Wash grape leaves thoroughly. Drain and cut off stems. Saute onions in 1/2 cup olive oil. Add rice and mix well. Add mint, dill, scallions, parsley, 1/2 cup water, joice of 1 lemon, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook mixture about 10 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and cool.

Take one grape leaf at a time, shiny side down, and put 1 teaspoon of filling in center. Fold base up, then sides over and roll to end tip. Place some grape leaves on bottom of saucepan and place rolled grape leaves on top. Place seam side down. Arrange dolmades in layers. Combine 1 cup boiling water, 1/2 cup olive oild and joice of 1 lemon. Pour over domades. Place a heavy plate over them so they will not unroll. Cover saucepan and simmer for about 45 minutes. Serve cold with wedges of lemon.

Forest Floor Salad

I call this Forest Floor Salad because the first time I brought it to a Thanksgiving meal, my relatives said it looked like I had gone out into the woods and scraped stuff off the ground into my bowl. However, after the meal was finished my mother and her sisters sat down with the bowl in between them and polished off the remaining salad while they talked and laughed. So, don't let the looks deceive you; this is a great salad!

1 lb wild rice

For vinaigrette:
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 TBSP orange zest
3 TBSP balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 cups cooked white rice

2 cups chopped pecans, toasted (or 1 cup pecans, 1 cup slivered almonds or pine nuts)
1 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
3/4 cup dried apricots, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion or green onion tops

Rinse wild rice in a sieve under cold water, then combine with cold water to cover by 2 inches in a 5-quart pot. Simmer, covered, until tender, 45 to 60 minutes.

Make vinaigrette while wild rice is simmering. Whisk together juice, vinegar, mustard and garlic. Gradually whisk in oil until emulsified and season with salt and pepper.

Assemble salad: Rinse cooked wild rice in sieve under cold water and drain. Stir together rices, vinaigrette, nuts, parsley, dried fruit, onion, and salt and pepper to taste.

Salad keeps, covered and chilled, for 3 days. Serves 12

Cracker Barrel Hash Browns

2 lbs frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup onion, chopped fine
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups grated Colby cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Combine soup, butter, salt, pepper, onions, and cheese. Gently mix in the potatoes and our into prepared pan. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Works well in crock pot too.

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

3 large sweet potatoes, cut in wedges
3 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp salt

Toss potato wedges with olive oil. Combine spices and toss with oiled potato wedges. Bake on large baking sheet coated with non-stick spray at 450 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, until brown on outside and soft on inside.

Vegetable Curry

1/2 medium-sized (4oz) eggplant cut into ¾in x 1/2 in sticks
2 small carrots (4oz), peeled and cut into ¾in x 1/2 in sticks
1 cup peas
1 cup French beans, cut into 2.5cm/1in pieces
1 medium-sized potato (4oz), peeled and cut into ¾in x 1/2 in sticks
1/2 cup freshly grated coconut (I used unsweetened, dry coconut)
4 fresh hot green chillies
2 tbsp white poppy seeds (I skipped these)
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 medium-sized tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tbsp natural plain yogurt
1 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp chopped, fresh green cilantro

How to make vegetarian curry:

* Place the eggplant, carrots, peas, French beans and potato in a medium-sized saucepan. Add 1 cup water. Bring to the boil. Cover, turn the heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.
* Meanwhile put the coconut, chillies, poppy seeds and salt in the container of an electric blender. Add 5fl oz water and grind to a fine paste. Set aside.
* When the vegetables are cooked, add the spice paste and another 5fl oz water. Stir and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Now add the tomatoes, the yogurt and the garam masala. Stir gently to mix well. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes. Turn into a serving dish and garnish the vegetable curry with the fresh cilantro.

Recipe from Indianfoodforever.com

Spicy Rice and Kale

From: Bon Appétit, February 1999

2 1/4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 1/2 teaspoons Creole or Cajun seasoning
1 cup converted white rice
4 ounces kale (about 1/2 large bunch), stems and ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped (2 cups
packed)

Bring broth and Creole seasoning to boil in heavy large saucepan. Stir in rice and kale and bring to
boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Serves 4.

Creamy Parmesan Salad Dressing

Carrabba's Italian Grill House Salad Dressing (Creamy Parmesan)

½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup buttermilk
1½ tspn minced garlic
½ tspn minced fresh parsley
½ tspn lemon juice

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl.

Makes 1 cup.

Collard Greens

1 bunch collard greens - rinsed, trimmed and chopped

2 smoked ham hocks (or smoked pork chops)

2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed

chicken broth

21 fluid ounces water

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Place the collard greens and ham hocks in a large pot. Mix in the chicken broth, water, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 hour.

Note: I made this with the tops of kohlrabi and it was great!

Original recipe posted by SOUTHERNGIRL3 on allrecipes.com

Cannellini Beans with Sauteed Kale

From The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen

2 TBSP olive oil
1 lg onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. kale, stems removed and coarsely chopped
2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp oregano
Pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Add kale, tossing and stirring until wilted and bright green, 2-4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add beans, sage, oregano, cayenne, salt & pepper. Cook, stirring often, until heated through.

I use less olive oil at the beginning and drizzle a little extra on at the end. Good with a splash of balsamic vinegar too.