Middle Eastern Rice and Lentils

1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
1 cup brown rice
1 T tomato paste
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 cup lentils
1 t salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, or pine nuts

In a large saucepan, sautee the onion in the oil until soft. Add the rice and cook and stir for a few minutes until it is toasted. Add the water, tomato paste, cinnamon, and lentils. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir the salt, raisins, and nuts into the rice. It should still be a little watery, add 1/4 cup water if it's dry. Place in a greased 9x13 pan, cover with foil, and bake for another 20-30 minutes. Serve with a salad.

Tortilla Soup

1 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 t chili powder
2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
3-4 cups cooked black beans
1 can chicken broth
1 package frozen corn
1 cup crushed tortilla chips
1 T fresh lime juice
sour cream

Heat oil, cook garlic and chili powder until fragrant, about one minute. Add tomatoes, beans, broth, corn, 1 cup water, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add tortilla chips and cook about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice. Serve with more chips, extra lime juice, and a dollop of sour cream.

Split Pea Soup

2 cups split peas
2 cups ham
3 medium carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 t sugar
1/4 cup parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
6 cups hot water
salt and pepper to taste

Add ingredients in order given to crock pot. Do not stir. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or on high 4-5 hours. Serve with corn bread.

Pizza dough

1 1/2 cup warm water
2 T olive oil
4 1/4 cup flour (I use whole wheat)
2 t salt
2 t sugar
2 t yeast

Mix all ingredients on dough cycle in bread machine. Makes two pizza crusts.

Sweet Potato Souffle

4 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed about 3.5 sweet potatoes)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. To cook the sweet potatoes, boil with the skins on about 45-50 minutes until easily pierced with a fork. Let cool, and the skins easily slip off. With electric mixer whip all ingredients except nutmeg until light. Put into a buttered casserole. Spread evenly, and sprinkle nutmeg on top. Bake 45 minutes until golden. Double the recipe for baking in one 9x13 pan. (Yes, that means you would use an entire stick of butter and two packages of cream cheese. Hey, it's good.)

Honey Banana Poppyseed Bread

2/3 cup warm water
1 1/2 T butter or vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
1/2 t vanilla
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 banana, sliced
2 t poppy seeds
1 t salt
2 t yeast

Put all ingredients in a bread machine, wet ingrdients first. Use the dough setting on the bread machine to knead and rise the dough. When it's done, break the dough in two pieces and turn it out into two loaf pans. Let it rise again, then bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.

Baked Ziti

8 oz. UNCOOKED ziti
1.5 cups water
26 oz. spaghetti sauce
15 oz. ricotta
.5 c mozzarella

Combine all ingredients in casserole dish, cover, and cook at 375 for an hour. Put a little more mozzarella on top and return to oven until it melts.

Asian Chicken Slaw

1 (16-ounce) bag coleslaw mix
1 pound cooked chicken, shredded
Assorted vegetables (broccoli, carrots, red peppers, peas)
1 cup sliced scallions
1/2 cup chopped cashews (optional)

Dressing:

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil

In a large bowl, toss together the vegetables.

In a medium bowl, stir the soy sauce, vinegar, peanut butter, sugar, minced garlic, and grated ginger until well blended. Slowly whisk in the canola oil and sesame oil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.

Beef stew

1-2 lbs stew beef
1 28-oz canned tomatoes
1 bag frozen peas and/or green beans
6 carrots
3-5 potatoes, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
3 T minute tapioca
1 T sugar
1 T salt
pinch of thyme, marjoram, and rosemary
2 oz red wine

Mix all ingredients in deep casserole, cover, and cook for five hours at 225. Or, put in crock pot and cook all day on low.

Brownies

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 t vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 baking powder
3 oz chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 deg and grease a 13x9 pan.
Melt the butter.
Beat eggs with sugar.
Add vanilla, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and butter.
Add chopped nuts.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes and cool.

Cocunut Fish Curry

4-5 fish fillets, cubed (I usually use tilapia)
1 onion, finely sliced
8-10 cherry tomatoes
2-3 cloves pressed garlic
1 can coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 cup cilantro
olive oil
salt, to taste

SAUTE onions in oil until soft. Add garlic and saute a minute longer, then add curry powder, chili powder, coriander powder, and turmeric and fry for a few seconds.

ADD coconut milk and a half can of water and stir until spices blend well. Allow it to come to a boil, and then add fish pieces, tomatoes, and salt. Cook covered for 8-10 minutes till fish is done. Stir in cilantro and remove from heat.

SERVE warm over a bed of rice.