Salads and Dressings and Other Green Stuff

VIJAY'S CHICKPEAS

INGREDIENTS

~4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp black mustard seed
1 tsp cumin seed
1.5 tsp minced fresh ginger
0.25 - 1 tsp minced hot green chili (Thai or Indian) (optional)
0.25 - 0.5 tsp foenugreek seed (optional)
1 medium-large yellow or red onion, chopped to ~1.5 cm squares
1 tsp turmeric
1.25 tsp coriander powder
0.25 - 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper (to taste)
1 tsp salt
2 cans of chick peas (~16 oz each), drained and washed once
2 cans whole peeled tomatoes (~14 oz each), crushed thoroughly by hand
0.5 cup chopped fresh cilantro (with stems)

PROCESS

Note: do not allow any ingredient to burn or get stuck to the pan.

Put large pan or pot to high heat.
Add olive oil, and allow to become hot.
Add mustard seeds, cover pan. Seeds should pop. Once they start
popping, remove pan from heat and wait until popping stops.
Add cumin seeds, re-cover. Put pan on low heat.
Add green chili, ginger and foenugreek; allow ginger to brown slightly.
Add onion, bring heat to medium.
After about 2-3 minutes, add half the turmeric, half the coriander powder.
Allow onions to caramelize, mixing frequently.
Mix in chickpeas, and some liquid from the tomato can and a little
water, bring heat up slightly.
Allow chick peas to cook for ~5-10 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally.
Mix in tomatoes, add salt.
Add remaining turmeric, coriander powder; add cayenne pepper.
Allow to cook for ~5 minutes covered, stirring occasionally.
Uncover, and allow to cook ~5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally - boil
off excess water.
Allow to cool ~5 minutes, stirring occasionally, add salt and cayenne
pepper to taste.
Immediately before serving, mix in cilantro.

Et, voila. This is best served with a little yogurt or bread (or both

BROWNDOG'S CORNBREAD

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Coat 9-inch baking pan or iron skillet with margarine or cooking spray. Place pan in oven and pre-heat it for at least 10 minutes.

Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and cayenne in large mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon. Add buttermilk and egg, stir well to blend.

Pour batter into the preheated pan. Bake 25 minutes. Should be light golden brown.

BROWNDOG'S CORNBREAD STUFFING WITH SAUSAGE

I prefer Andouille, but you might want to do what all the other Rhode Island people do and use Linguica. But the Portagee stuff has a lot more fat than Andouille so you'll need to drain some of it off. Also, be prepared to serve orange-colored stuffing.

2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pan cornbread
3 slices white bread, torn into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 eggs, beaten
1 to 2 cups chicken broth, as needed

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish with butter.

Cook the sausage in a large sausage until brown and fat renders (5 minutes).

Add onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from stove, empty into large bowl to cool.

Crumble corn bread into the bowl. Then add white bread pieces, green onions, parsley, and thyme. Mix well.

Add salt, pepper, cayenne, and eggs. Mix well.

Add enough broth, 1/4 cup at a time, to moisten the stuffing. Stir well. Be careful not to add too much or it will get soggy.

Transfer to greased baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake 25 minutes, remove foil, and bake another 15 minutes until browned.

If dietary restrictions prevent you from using pork, you could use turkey sausage. You could also eliminate the sausage altogether, but you'll lose all that awesome flavor. You'll also have to come up with a way to replace the fat in the recipe. I'd suggest a half-stick of butter.

Makes about 8 servings, so adjust accordingly.

Now for the traditional stuff. Only the charlatans and heretics hate fruit in stuffing, so here goes...

BROWNDOG'S APPLE AND HERB STUFFING

16 cups hearty white or whole wheat bread in 1-inch cubes or pieces
4 Tbsp butter (1/2 stick)
2 cups chopped yellow onion
2 cups chopped celery
2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp fresh sage, minced
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup chicken stock

Preheat oven to 300 F. Put bread cubes on a cookie sheet, bake for 6-7 minutes.

Melt butter in a large saute pan. Add onion, celery, apples, parsley, rosemary, sage, salt, and pepper. Saute for 10 minutes, until mixture is soft.

Combine the bread cubes and saute mixture in a large bowl. Add chicken stock 1/4-cup at a time. Stir well. Be careful not to add too much or it will get soggy.

As an option, try adding 1/2 cup of toasted almonds. It's awesome.



TURKISH SALAD by Meems (Kosher)


1 diced onion
1 bunch chopped scallions
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained (save the liquid for something else)
1 can tomato paste
1 diced yellow pepper
1 diced orange pepper
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper, if desired

olive oil

Heat the olive oil and add the onion, scallions, and garlic until fragrant. Lower heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Add the peppers and simmer another 5 minutes.

Take the tomatoes out of the cans, and break up with your hands. Add the paste and the simmer uncovered for about 20-30 minutes, until thick. Add salt and pepper.

Cool and add cayenne as desired. Don’t add the cayenne while it’s hot, or you won’t get a correct taste of the heat.

Serve on a plate with hummous, tabouleh, and black olives.

Stazz' Bean Salad

1/2 C. barley
1/2 C. long-grain brown rice
1 C. canned black beans, drained
1 C. canned kidney beans, drained
1 C. corn kernels, cooked
1/2 C. chopped green onions
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 C. chopped fresh cilantro

Dressing:1/4 C. red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 C. olive oil

In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
Stir in barleyand reduce heat to medium-low.
Cover and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes,or until tender.
Cool.In another saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil; add the rice.
Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, or untiltender.
Cool.
In a large bowl, combine barley, rice, beans, corn, onions, red bellpepper and cilantro.
Mix well.
Make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, garlic, chilipowder, salt, black pepper and pepper flakes.
Whisk in oil.
Pour over salad and toss well.
Serve.
Serves 6.

- stazz


Caesar Salad

2 or 3 heads of romaine lettuce roughly torn into pieces
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
6-8 anchovy filets, drained and minced
1 ½ tsp dry mustard
2 Tb lemon juice
1 egg
½ cup fresh grated Parmesan
fresh ground pepper to taste

Croutons
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
French bread, crust removed and cut into pieces
2 cloves(or more) garlic, crushed

For croutons.
In large sauté pan heat 2 Tb of olive oil over low heat. Add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Don’t let the garlic turn brown. Remove garlic and turn heat to medium. Add bread and coat with oil. Brown bread while shaking pan. Drain over paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.


Dressing
In a glass bowl combine garlic, anchovies, mustard, lemon juice, egg and pepper and 2 tb of Parmesan.
Slowly drizzle in oil while whisking until emulsified.
Add 2 Tb of Parmesan.
Toss romaine with dressing.
Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and croutons.


Lemon Pepper Dressing


3 Tb lemon juice
1 egg, beaten
2 Tb chopped parsley
1 Tb pepper
1 Tb Dijon
½ tsp salt
3/4/cup olive oil

In food processor mix together all ingredients except for oil. With processor running, slowly drizzle in oil until an emulsion forms. Serve over mixed greens.


Pepper Cream Dressing


2 cups mayo
¼ cup water
1 tsp fresh grated Parmesan
1 ½ tsp dry mustard
1 ½ Tb Worcestershire
1 ½ Tb A-1
1 Tb pepper
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt

Whisk together and serve over Romaine.

Randy’s Dressing


1 clove garlic
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp Dijon
1 egg, beaten
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
2 Tb red wine vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Mash garlic and sat together on a paper bag to make a paste. In a bowl mix together all ingredients except for ¼ cup oil. While whisking, slowly drizzle in ¼ cup of oil until dressing emulsifies. Serve immediately.


Bleu Cheese Dressing

1 ½ cups mayonnaise
1/3 cup buttermilk
¼ cup sour cream
2 Tb lemon juice
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp Tabasco
5 oz Bleu Cheese, crumbled

In bowl stir in all ingredients, except cheese until smooth. Stir in Bleu Cheese and salt and pepper to taste.


Creamy Roasted Garlic Dressing

1 head of roasted garlic
2 tsp mild olive oil
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 Tb white wine vinegar
¾ tsp fresh ground pepper
½ tsp salt

In medium bowl stir together sour cream and mayonnaise. Add roasted garlic. Mash well with spatula. Stir in other ingredients. Will keep for 1 week.

Roasted Red Pepper Dressing


2 cups mayo
1 cup sour cream
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 Tb chopped fresh parsley
pepper
2 cups roasted red peppers
2 Tb Parmesan
1 Tb Dijon

Mix together in processor. Serve over Romaine.