Bruschetta Cream Cheese Bites

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
4 plum tomatoes chopped finely and seeded
6 black olives
1/2 cup Bermuda onions chopped finely
2 tablespoons of mince basil
1 8 ounces spreadable chive and onion cream cheese
24 slices (1/4 in cuts) french bread
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven 425

In a small bowl mix together olive oil,lemon juice, pepper and garlic.  Blend well. Stir in tomatoes, onions, black olives and 2 tablespoons of basil.

Spread the cream cheese over french bread slices and place on greased baking sheet, now top bread with tomatoes mix.

Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese  Bake 10 minutes or until mozzarella cheese is melted.

You can add anything to this mix.  I have also added prosciutto thinly sliced to these.

Bean mix summer salad

1/4 cup of rice vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon  granulated sugar
2 medium minced garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon  dried basil
1 15 ounce can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 15 ounce can pinto beans or black eyed peas (rinsed and drained)
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper chopped finely
1 2 ounce can diced green chiles with liquid
1 small Bermuda onion finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Whisk together vinegar, oil and sugar, garlic and oregano, and basil in a large bowl. Stir in beans, corn, bell pepper, onions, and chiles and cilantro,

Season with salt and pepper.  Chill 1 hour before packing.

Serve with Melba rounds or toasted Italian bread

Chili Dogs

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion chopped
2 medium garlic cloves (minced)
8 ounces soy crumbles
1 cup hunts tomato sauce
2 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander


4 meatless hotdogs
4 hot dog buns

Heat oil and add onion and garlic and saute 8 minutes or until tender. Add soy crumbles and cook about 8 minutes or more.  Slowly stir in tomato sauce, chili powder, mustard, sugar, and coriander.  Simmer until thick about 7-10 minutes.

Cook hotdogs as directed, place cooked dogs in buns and top with warm chili hotdog mixture.

Red Beet Salad

4 medium beets
2 medium oranges
3 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil


Preheat oven to 400

Trim and scrub beets, but do not peel
wrap each in foil, and place beets on baking sheet, and roast for 50 minutes or until tender to piece with fork. Cool until able to handle.

Grate 1/2 teaspoon of zest from one orange, set zest aside.

Trim ends of both oranges, and peel and cut with knife.  Hold fruit over bowl catching the juice, and cut into segments.  Cut each segment in half and and place in another bowl.

Whisk together 2 tablespoons, orange juice reserved from bowl. sherry vinegar, orange zest, lemon juice and salt, slowly add in oil.

Peel beets, rub off the skin under cold water, cut beets into 1 inch pieces and add to bowl with orange segments.  Top with orange lemon vinaigrette, and toss like any salad.

Chill several hours and refrigerate for 2 days.

Tomatoes Stuffed with Ricotta

8 large beefsteak tomatoes
2 large eggs
1cup ricotta  (regular or low fat)
1 medium size finely chopped red Bermuda onion
1/4 chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons of grated parmesan
1 garlic minced (1 teaspoon)
1 cup corn kernels
1 cup diced zucchini
24 thin sliced zucchini


Preheat oven to 350

slice tops off of tomatoes and scoop pulp out of centers in order to stuff them. Set to one side. Throw away half of pulp.

Whisk together eggs, and ricotta in medium bowl until smooth, add red onion, basil, and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, garlic, corn,diced zucchini and chopped tomato pulp, stir well until combined.  Fill each tomato just to top with 1/2 cup ricotta mixture.  Then sprinkle with 1/2 Parmesan, then 3 zucchini slices and tomato top.  Place in large baking dish.

Bake 45 minutes or until filling is puffed up and tops are browned.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

These can be frozen.  

Sicilian Stuffed Eggplant

3 medium eggplants (about 3 pounds each)
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, diced (makes about 3 cups)
1 1/2 pt grape tomatoes (halved, 3 cups)
2 teaspoons of oregano
1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Wash and halve eggplants lengthwise and scoop out flesh and seeds leaving 1/2  inch thick edges in eggplant shells.  Cut scooped out flesh of eggplant in 1/2 inch pieces, lightly salt and set in a colander.

Sprinkle the inside of eggplant shells with salt, and set to one side for about 20 minutes.  Rinse shells and pieces in cold water


                                  (Salting the eggplant will cut out  eggplant bitterness.

Bring a large pot water to a boil and drop in shells for about 10 minutes, making sure not to make too tender.  Drain in colander and cool and dry.  Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in large skillet on medium heat.  Saute the onions for about 3 minutes, add eggplant pieces, tomato halves and oregano and a 1/4 cup of water, season with salt and pepper.  Cook 10 minutes or until soften and brown, stirring occasionally.

Preheat broiler.

Toss breadcrumbs with 4 tablespoons of oil in bowl.  Brush each eggplant shell with 1/2 teaspoons oil and place cut side up one baking sheet.

Broil for 5 minutes or until tender and starting to brown.  Set oven to 375 f.

Divide filling among eggplant shells, sprinkle each stuffed eggplant with breadcrumb mixture and top with feta cheese.  Bake 35 minutes, or until heated through and browned on top.

Serve stuffed eggplant.




 

Italian Mango Salsa

2 mango, peeled and pitted and diced  (Make to cups)
1 large yellow bell pepper chopped fine (make 1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped Bermuda onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice or lemon
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika


Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl.  Season with salt and more paprika as desired.


Serve with corn chips, Melba rounds, over grilled deli hamburgers, or Quesadillas.

Summer Italian Potato Salad

Pesto

3/4 cup baby spinach
3/4 cup fresh basil
1 1/2 cups of baby arugula
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Puree 1 cup of baby arugula, 1/2 of baby spinach, basil, garlic, and toasted walnut pieces in processor until smooth, pour in lemon and oil and blend until well mixed.  Season with Salt and pepper.

Potato Salad

1 1/2 pounds of red potatoes (halved)
3/4 pounds fresh green beans (washed cut and trimmed)
2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 fennel bulb sliced thinly (2 cups)
1 large shallot sliced thinly (1/3 cup)
3 tablespoons of sun-dried tomatoes
1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
3/4 cup of cherry tomatoes quartered
1 cup flavored croutons (optional)

Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water.  Cook for 10 minutes, add green beans and cook another 5 minutes, drain and transfer to a large deep bowl.  Put to the side covered and kept warm.

Heat oil in skillet on medium heat, saute fennel and shallot in oil until golden brown, add sun-dried tomatoes and red pepper flakes, and saute for another 5 minutes.  Once cooked combine together pesto and fennel mixture.  Incorporate into  the potatoes and green beans.  Add the quartered tomatoes.