You may remember that about two weeks ago we had the second in our series of educational events, the title of which was "There's an App for That!" (which, we swear, we totally made up before Apple did.) Picky from the great restaurant and food blog Messy and Picky
gave the event a great write-up and, proving his cred as a really good blogger, posted it
the next day! (We'll get to that level some day. We promise.) Mary Rizzo from our Legal/Finance committee also attended and
provided a nice review (with pictures, no less).
Both of those write-ups gave a little tease about the kinds of foods we shared. But now for the main course... the recipes! Without further ado here they are:
Spicy Thai Cabbage Salad (brought by "Picky")
Mix in a bowl:
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp maple sugar/brown sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
Chop and add to mixture:
- 1/3 to 1/2 head of cabbage
- 1 carrot julienne fine
- handful of radishes matchsticked
- other radish of your liking
Sit for at least 30 minutes then add:
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- handful of shelled peanuts
- handful of lettuce/salad mix
Garlicky Eggplant Spread from Bon Appetit (provided by Karen)
8 servings
- 2 large eggplants (about 2 1/2 pounds)
- 2 large garlic cloves, slivered
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or 2 tsp dried crumbledd
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- Red leaf lettuce
- 4 tomatoes, sliced
- Pita bread
- chopped fresh oregano
Preheat over to 450 degrees F. Cut slits in eggplants with tip of knife and insert garlic sliver into each slit. Place eggplants in baking pan and bake until very tender, about 1 hour. Cut each eggplant in half and cool slightly.
Scrape eggplant pulp from skin into colander and let drain. Transfer eggplant to processor. Add oil, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons oregano and cumin. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Cool completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Line platter with lettuce. Halve tomato slices and arrange around edge of platter. Cut pita into wedges and arrange around platter. Mound eggplant mixture in center. Sprinkle with oregano.
Tofu and Lime Dip from The Passionate Vegetarian (brought by Karen - yes, two Karens in attendance)
- tofu
- cilantro
- scallions
- garlic
- oil
- horseradish
- lime
- salt and pepper
For dipping - artichokes.
Garnish - olives and artichokes
Oven-Fried Rice Balls with Gruyère from Dana Treat (provided by
Alison Fritz)
Brussel Sprout Salad (provided by Mary)
Baked Gigantes in Tomato Sauce (provided by Lori)
And Cassie (from our Steering and Legal/Finance Committees and the person who has been organizing these great events) brought:
Olive Tapenade
From: a combination of recipes (Alton Brown, Emeril, about.com)
- 3/4 pound pitted black olives, such as Kalamata
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon cognac or brandy
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
If you have a food processor or blender, you can simply process all ingredients for a few seconds, being careful not to process too finely, since tapenade should not be smooth.
If you don't have afood processor, finely mince the olives and garlic, then combine with all the other ingredients, mixing well.
Hummus
From:
allrecipes.com
- 2 cups canned chick peas, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup tahini
- ½ lemon, squeezed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic, halved
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pinch paprika
- Fried chick peas
Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.
Drizzle olive oil over the garbanzo bean mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and fried chick peas.
Fried Chick Peas
Some canned chick peas, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- Olive oil for frying
Heat about ½ inch oil in a pan, enough so the chick peas can float. Mix dry ingredients. Dredge chick peas in flour mixture. Test the heat of the oil by placing one chick pea in the pan. When it cracks, the oil is ready. In small batches, fry the chick peas until crisp (you’ll hear them pop and crack). Remove chick peas and place on paper towel to cool. Be careful during the frying process because when the oil is just hot enough, the chick peas will pop and splatter hot oil on you. It’s a good idea to have a mesh cover handy.
Clearly, everyone who attended ate quite well. See what you missed! Coming up next: favorite cookbooks and food-related magazines, movies, memoirs, websites, blogs and, of course, smart phone apps!
