Rhubarb Salsa and Tortilla Chips

Rhubarb Salsa
Original recipe at allrecipes.com.  I modified to accomodate ingredients I had on hand.

1 cup rhubarb, diced fairly fine
1 cup dice onion
1 1/2 green pepper, diced
1 cup diced tomatoes
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 tsp freeze dried cilantro
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
dash of garlic powder

Mix all together and serve with tortilla chips.   I served it with some homemade sun-dried tomato tortilla chips,

Tortilla chips

1 burrito size sun-dried tomato tortilla, cut into strips or triangles.
Spray baking sheet liberally with cooking spray.  Arrange tortilla strips in a single layer on the cooking sheet.  Spray lightly with cooking spray.  Sprinkle lightly with salt (I take a pinch of salt between my fingers and rub them in the air above the chips - don't want a lot of salt.)
Place under broiler until starting to brown.  Remove and turn the chips over and return to the oven.  Watch closely as they burn easily.  Serve immediately.

Dee's Bars

This recipe comes from a friend of my sister's - thanks Dee and Jane for passing it along.

 

 

Crust -

2 cups flour

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup margarine, melted

 

Mix togther and press into bottom of  a greased 9 x 13 cake pan.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Allow to cool.

 

Topping-

4 cups rhubarb, chopped

4 eggs, beaten (I used eggbeaters)

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup flour

 

Mix all together and pour over the cooled crust.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. 



Crack broccoli

I saw this recipe on Pinterest.  It really is good and I think I could eat the whole recipe. I did not measure any if it. Just experiment and find what works for you

Crack broccoli

Head of broccoli

Olive oil

Minced garlic 

Salt

Sugar 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees 

Cut off the broccoli stem. Peel the broccoli stem like a potato. Cut into strips between 1/4 and 1/2 inch wide and about 1 inches long. Make sure each piece has a flat side. 

Cut the remained if the broccoli into similar sizes pieces again making sure each has a flat side. Place all in a large mixing bowl. 

Drizzle with olive oil - enough to coat lightly. Add some minced garlic.  Add salt and a little bit of sugar. Toss to coat the broccoli. 

Place on basking sheet in a single layer making sure a flat side of each piece is against the baking sheet.  Bake at 400 until carmelized (browned and almost black in some places ) 

Zucchini Pasta Salad

Zucchini pasta salad

12 oz zucchini in thin slices 

1/4 cup diced onion

1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half

1 cup black olives cut in half

4 oz raw mushrooms sliced

2 cups bowtie pasta, uncooked

Juice of one lemon

3 tbsp olive oil

Fresh ground pepper

Salt

Garlic herb goat cheese 

Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain thoroughly

Slice the zucchini and place in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Rinse and drain well.

Place drained zucchini, drained pasta, onion, mushrooms, tomatoes and olives in a large bowl. Crumble the goat cheese on top. 

Whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste 

Pour over salad and toss well. Refrigerate for an hour or so

Zucchini Mini Quiches

Zucchini Mini Quiches (I forgot to take a photo after baked- this is a photo of the mixture in the mini muffin tin waiting to go into the oven)

1 cup zucchini, grated
1 egg, slightly beaten (I used Eggbeaters - 1/4 cup)
1 bunch scallions or green onions, diced
1/4 cup grated cheese (I used Asiago)
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400.  Spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.  The original recipe says this makes 12.  I doubled and got 24 but they were very thin.  I think the single batch would be good for 9.
Grate the zucchini into a large bowl and place it all in a dish towel to squeeze out the water. You may need to do that several times to get it dry.  Once dry, place in a large mixing bowl and add other ingredients.
Spoon into the muffin tins.  Bake 15-18 minutes or until browned and set.

Mine stuck a little to the tins so next time I think I will use muffin liners. 

Pepper Jack Scones

Pepper Jack Scones
(Original recipes was sharp cheddar and chive but the only cheese I had to use was some pepper jack.  It was a good substitute)

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
4 Tbsp cold margarine or butter
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
3/4 cup milk (plus 2 Tbsp if needed)

Preheat oven to 425.  Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Using a pastry blender, add the margarine and blend to a cornmeal consistency - although some of the margarine may still be in larger lumps.If you don't have a pastry blender you can use a fork.  Stir in the cheese.
Add the 3/4 cup milk and stir to make a dough.  The dough should form a ball and not be sticky.  If it is too dry and there is still flour in the bottom of the bowl, add the 2 additional Tbsp of milk.
Divide dough into 2 balls.  Place each ball on the baking sheet and flatten with a rolling pin or your hands to a 6 inch circle.  Cut each into 6 triangular sections.
Bake 22 to 24 minutes until golden brown.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

You can freeze the cut but unbaked scones on the baking sheet and move to a freezer bag once frozen.  Bakes frozen ones at 425 for 30-35 minutes.

Cabbage Soup

Cabbage Soup

4 slices bacon, cut up into pieces about 1/2 inch wide
2 leeks or 1 medium onion
5 or 6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup chicken broth
4 tbsp chicken flavored soup base
4 cups (or more) water
1 can diced tomatoes - do not drain
1 lb bag of cole slaw mix (or a meduim head of cabbage, shredded)

Cook the bacon in the bottom of a large pot until crisp.  Meanwhile, cut the leeks into 1/2 inch slices and separate into rings.  Use the white bulb and some of the green stems.  Rinse well to remove dirt.  Drain.
Put leeks in the pan with the bacon and stir to deglaze the pan.  Add the potatoes and 1 cup of chicken broth.   Add tomatoes and a can full of water.  Cook until potatoes are very soft, adding water as needed.  Add soup bases andm stir well. 
Stir in cole slaw mix and cook just long enough to soften the cabbage.