Broccoli cheddar soup

1/2 onion, diced
1/2 lb frozen broccoli
1 t garlic powder
1 qt chicken broth
1 cup+ shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onions until soft (not caramelized or crispy, so a very short period of time), add chicken broth, frozen broccoli and garlic powder. Cook until broccoli is very soft. Blend with blender or food processor. Add cheese and heat on low-medium heat until completely melted and mixed in. Salt and pepper to taste.

Shishito Pepper Salad

 ~15-20 shishito peppers
1 cup roasted corn
2 T diced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped roasted almonds
juice of 1 lime
3 T olive oil
1 diced jalapeno
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
1/2 cup+ of cojita or casero cheese

Wash, dry, and toss the peppers in a small amount of olive oil, just enough to coat them. Heat a cast iron pan and blister/char the peppers. Use as high of heat as possible and be careful not to leave them in the pan any longer than necessary or the flesh will overcook and they will get mushy. Let cool and chop, discarding the stems. If using frozen corn, mix with the corn to cool the peppers quickly and thaw the corn.

Mix all ingredients and adjust to taste. If using casero cheese, salt if needed. Cojita is quite salty.

Serve with tortilla chips, nachos, or quesadillas. Delicious as a burrito: cheese melted on a tortilla, big scoop of salad on top, roll, and eat. Potential toppings: sour cream and green onions.
Shishito peppers are generally mild but occasionally very spicy.

Cottage Cheese Tzatziki Salad

2 pickle-sized cucumbers, partially peeled if the skins are thick
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 T fresh dill, chopped
1 t lemon juice or fresh lemon
around 10 oz cottage cheese

Cube the cucumbers and mix all ingredients, adding more as needed to taste. Delicious on warm flatbread.

3 servings.

Greek Chicken Gyros

Flatbread
Grilled Greek Chicken
Tzatziki Sauce
Sliced tomatoes
Sliced red onions

Tzatziki sauce

• ~10 cocktail cucumbers
• ~6 c Greek yogurt
• 1/3 c lemon juice
• 1/3 c olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/4 t salt
• black pepper

Serves 20.

Grilled Greek Chicken Thighs

10 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs

Marinade:

• 15 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 T dried oregano
• 5 t salt
• black pepper

Mix the marinade and chicken together in ziploc bags 24-12 hours before grilling.

Serves 20.

Raspberry Jam Bars

 

• ½ cup pecans
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with a knife (this could also be part almond flour)
• ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• Heaping ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup raspberry jam

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with heavy-duty aluminum foil so that it overlaps the sides and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, place the pecans, flour, coconut, oats, salt, and baking powder. Blend until the mixture has a fine, sand-like texture. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and creamy, a few minutes. Add the egg and beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. The dough will be sticky. Place ⅔ of the dough on the bottom of the prepared baking dish, and spread it in an even layer. Spread the jam over the surface of the dough, leaving ¼-inch space between the jam and the sides of the baking dish so the bars won’t stick to the foil. Pinch off 1-inch clumps of the remaining dough and scatter evenly over top of the jam. The dough won’t cover the entire surface; that’s okay. Bake for about 35 minutes, until the topping is golden brown.
4. Let the jam bars cool in the baking dish on a rack for about 15 minutes. Using the foil overhang, lift the bars out of the pan and onto the countertop. Pull the foil away from the sides to prevent sticking, and then let sit until completely cool, a few hours. Cut into bars.

Portobello Mushroom dinner

• Portobello mushrooms (as many as you think you can eat, usually 1-1 ½ per person, keep in mind that they get smaller as they are cooking)
• 2-3 green onions
• 1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese or fresh sliced mozzarella
• 1 T of butter or vegetable oil

Wash and slice the mushrooms and chop the green onions. Heat a frying pan and spray with vegetable oil and add onions and mushrooms, stir frequently to cook evenly and to keep from sticking to the pan. Cook until mushrooms are tender and soft. To hasten cooking, cover the pan with a lid. When the mushrooms are cooked turn off the heat and add cheese. The cheese should cover all of the mushroom and onion mixture. Allow cheese to melt and serve hot. A yummy change of the recipe is to use fresh mozzarella sliced and lay it on top of the mushroom and onion mixture and serve when melted. Good on top of brown rice.