Raw Seaweed Salad

3/4 ounce dried wakame seaweed (whole or cut)

3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Asian toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 small Granny Smith apple

2 scallions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Soak seaweed in warm water, covered for 5 minutes. Drain, then squeeze out excess water. If wakame is uncut, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips.

Stir together vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, garlic in a bowl until sugar is dissolved. Cut apple into 1/4-inch dice and add to dressing with seaweed, scallions, and cilantro, tossing to combine well. Sprinkle salad with sesame seeds.

To make this a bowl add some imitation crab, or other seafood, or even some teriyaki chicken

Submitted by Cathy Burleson, Spirit of Peace, from The Good Food Store, Missoula, MT 

Spaghetti with Creamy Artichoke Heart Sauce

1 7-ounce jar Napoleon Grilled Artichoke Hearts

9 pickled Napoleon Garlic Cloves, each clove sliced into 3 or 4 pieces

1/2 cup chopped mild Italian Mix Giardiniera pickled vegetables

3 tablespoons capers

1/2 cup drained liquid from the artichoke hearts

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 thinly sliced scallions

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

8 ounces of spaghetti

1/4 cup minced Italian parsley leaves

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Some extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle over the finished dish.

Place a medium-sized strainer or colander over a bowl large enough to contain the drained liquid from the artichokes. Drain the artichokes and also place the garlic, pickled vegetables, and capers in the strainer. Save 1/2 cup of the strained liquid.

In a 10-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the scallions and cook for about one minute, stirring often. Add the vegetables in the strainer and cook for about a minute longer. Add the 1/2 cup of strained liquid and ricotta cheese and cook for about 1 minute longer.

Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions, until it is al dente. Drain pasta in a colander and transfer to individual bowls. Top each bowl with 1/4 of the sauce and garnish with parsley, feta cheese, and olive oil. Serves 4

Submitted by Cathy Burleson, Blessed Trinity Catholic Community, adapted from Anne Casale's The Long Life Cookbook

Chicken Osaka Bowl

Stir-Fried Chicken:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast meat, cut into thin slices crosswise

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2-3 slices fresh ginger root, cut crosswise

3 thin slices of fresh lemon, remove seeds

1 cup uncooked rice, cooked

Osaka Sauce:

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup lemon juice, approx. 2 lemons

2 teaspoons Coleman's mustard

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Mix together all the ingredients for Osaka sauce.

To stir-fry the chicken, heat oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chicken, ginger root, and lemon slices. Fry until the chicken is done and no longer pink in the middle. Remove and discard the ginger root and lemon slices.

To assemble in individual bowls, first add some cooked rice, and top with stir-fried chicken, followed by some Osaka sauce. Enjoy

Submitted by Cathy Burleson, Blessed Trinity Catholic Community, inspired by a dish served at the Mustard Seed Restaurant and adapted from a recipe in The Taste of Home by Advanced Imaging

Red Tomato Rice and Black Beans

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

½ medium onion, diced

½ green bell pepper, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup of long-grain white rice, like basmati

1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes

3/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock or water, approximately

1 (15-ounce) can of black beans, drained and rinsed.

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon sugar

Some diced ham (optional)

¼ of a bunch of cilantro, chopped 

Open the can of stewed tomatoes and chop the tomatoes with a pair of scissors. Drain the tomato liquid from the tomatoes into a quart measuring cup and add enough stock or water to make 1 and 3/4 cups of liquid.

Heat oil over medium-low heat in a Dutch oven. When the oil is hot, add the onion and bell pepper, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the stock and tomato liquid in the microwave for 3 minutes.

To the onions, add garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, and stir until garlic is fragrant. Add rice and stir well to coat the rice with the oil. Add the heated stock, and bring to a boil, reduce heat to warm, cover with a lid, and heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, check to see if the rice needs a little more liquid, add 2 tablespoons at a time until the desired doneness. Remove from heat and let steam for 5 minutes more.

While the rice is cooking in a separate medium saucepan, heat over low, the stewed tomatoes, black beans, and ham, if using. Remove the lid from the rice and fluff the rice with a fork and stir in the tomato paste and sugar. Next, stir the bean mixture and the cilantro into the rice. Serve as a side, into individual bowls as a main dish, or into tortillas for burritos. Makes 3 to 4 servings.

Submitted by Cathy Burleson, Blessed Trinity Catholic Community, inspired by a dish my Costa Rican roommate made while in grad school.

After a little research on the internet, the Costa Rican version is called Gallo Pinto. I tried it and the flavors here are similar.

Liquid Smoked Portabella Mushroom Sandwich

2 large portabella mushrooms, chopped

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/2 red bell pepper diced

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon liquid hickory or mesquite flavored smoke

gorgonzola cheese or other blue cheese, crumbled

Add oil to a nonstick skillet and heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and red pepper, and cook until the onions are transparent. Add the mushrooms and stir until the mushrooms begin to shrink in size and sweat. Add the Worcestershire sauce and stir until the mushrooms absorb the liquid, then add the hickory smoke and stir until the liquid is absorbed.

There are a number of ways to serve this. Either open-faced on a slice of focaccia bread, or inside a hamburger bun or as a bowl on top of some cooked grits. How ever you decide to serve it, top it with crumbled gorgonzola cheese and enjoy. Makes two to three servings.

Submitted by Cathy Burleson, Blessed Trinity Catholic Community

Green Rice

1 onion, halved and unpeeled

6 to 8 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 poblano pepper

1 jalapeno pepper

1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice

1/3 cup vegetable oil

salt and pepper

Heat an ungreased cast iron skillet and cook the onion, garlic, and peppers until lightly charred on all sides, including the cut sides of the onions. Cover and let cool.

When cool enough to handle, remove the skins and seeds from the peppers and chop the flesh. Remove the skins from the onion and garlic and chop finely.

Place the vegetables in a food processor with the cilantro leaves and stock and process until a smooth, thin puree forms.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven. Fry the rice until it is glistening and lightly browned in places, stirring to prevent it from burning. Add the puree, cover, and cook over a medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until the rice is just tender.

Fluff up the rice with a fork, then cover and let stand for about 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve. Can add seasoned cooked hamburger for a main dish.

Submitted by Cathy Burleson, Blessed Trinity Catholic Community, adapted from Cookshelf Mexican by Marlena Spieler

Bay Scallop and Prosciutto Ramen Bowl

4 ounces bay scallops, thawed

4 thin slices prosciutto

4 cups water

2 3-ounce packages of chicken-flavored ramen

1 chicken-flavored spice packet

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place prosciutto on cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until crispy, being careful not to burn. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Turn oven temperature to warm.

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the noodles to the water and cook for about 3 minutes until noodles are soft. Drain all the water from the pan, add the contents of the spice packet, and mix well. Evenly distribute the noodles into 2 individual serving bowls, crumble two slices of prosciutto over the noodles in each bowl, and put in the oven to keep warm while cooking the scallops.

In the same saucepan that the noodles cooked in, melt the butter over low heat, add the scallops, and cook for about 2 or 3 minutes until done. Add a few turns of fresh cracked black pepper. Remove the bowls from the oven and divide the scallops and butter sauce evenly between the two bowls; serve immediately.

Serves two.

Submitted by Cathy Burleson, Blessed Trinity Catholic Community

Coconut Curry Collard Greens, Butternut Squash and Tofu Bowl

2 bunches collard greens, stemmed, cut into 1-inch strips, and rinsed clean with water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces.

1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 

2 teaspoons ground turmeric or yellow curry powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 cups vegetable broth

1 14-ounce block of extra firm tofu diced into bite-sized pieces

juice of 1 lemon

warm cooked rice

3 scallions, thinly sliced for serving

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add the collard greens, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer partially covered, until very soft and tender, about 1 hour. Drain well and set aside. 

In a large pot heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until fragrant and soft, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until fragrant. Add the butternut squash, coconut milk, salt, pepper, turmeric or yellow curry powder if using, and cayenne. Stir until evenly mixed, add broth, and bring to a simmer reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes or until squash can be easily pierced with a fork. Add cooked collard greens, tofu, and lemon juice. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

To create the bowl, place about a cup of cooked rice in an individual serving bowl, top with the squash stew, and top with some scallions, and cilantro, and serve. Tip: extra coconut milk can be stored in ice trays. One cube is approximately one tablespoon.

Submitted by Cathy Burleson, Blessed Trinity Catholic Community, adapted from Pierre Thiam, Simply West African

 

Red Kidney Bean, Kale, and Creamy Grits Bowl

1 recipe of Creamy Grits

1 recipe of Steamed Kale

1 recipe of Caribbean Red Kidney Beans

Makes 4 servings. To a bowl add some creamy grits, then some steamed kale, and finally some beans.

Submitted by Cathy Burleson, Blessed Trinity Catholic Community

Stuffed Sweet Potato with Turkey Chili Bowl

2 medium sweet potatoes

a batch of your favorite chili, or our turkey chili recipe 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Poke holes all around each sweet potato with a fork. Place on a cookie sheet and roast for 50 to 60 minutes until soft to touch. 

While the sweet potatoes roast make the turkey chili or reheat leftovers of your favorite batch of chili.

After the sweet potatoes have cooled for 5 minutes, cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and place one half in a serving-sized bowl topped with chili. Repeat with the remaining potatoes and chili. Makes 4 servings.

Submitted by Cathy Burleson, Blessed Trinity Catholic Community, inspired by the internet.