Earthly Eating

Dinner solutions to the rescue. All you need is five simple ingredients:

• Fast Fajitas
Serves: 6

1. Bell pepper (1 14oz. frozen bell pepper strips)
2. Onions (1 12oz. frozen diced onions, thawed)
3. Taco Seasoning (1 tbs. low-sodium taco seasoning)
4. Baked Tofu ( 2 8oz. pkgs. baked seasoned tofu, cut into 1/4-inch strips)
5. Tortillas (6 8-inch flour tortillas)

Coat nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium high heat. Add peppers and onions and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until beginning to brown.

Stir in tofu and taco seasoning, and cook for 2 minutes more, or until heated through. Season with salt and pepper. And Serve with warmed tortilla shells.

• Salsa Stew
Serves: 8

1. Frozen Vegetables (1 1lb. bag frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, thawed)
2. Chickpeas (2 15oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained)
3. Vegetables Broth (2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth)
4. Salsa (1/4 cup mild salsa)
5. Curry Powder (1 tbs. curry powder)

Coat a saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Sauté vegetables, chickpeas and curry powder for 2 minutes.

Add the salsa, and simmer 5 minutes. Add broth and 2 cups of water and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

• Greek-Style Panini
Serves: 6

1. Spinach (2 10oz. pkgs. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry)
2. Hummus (3/4 cups hummus)
3. Feta Cheese (1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese)
4. Bread Rolls (6 French or Kaiser rolls, halved)
5. Roasted Red Peppers 2 jars roasted red peppers. each cut into 3 strips)

Combine spinach and feta cheese in a bowl. Spread 1/3 cup mixture over the bottom half of each rolls, and top each with red pepper strips. Spread hummus on top halves of rolls.

Heat skillet over medium-high heat, or preheat countertop grill. Spray sandwiches with cooking spray. Set 2 sandwiches in pan, and top with saucepan weighed down with 2 cans. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Or press 5 minutes total in countertop grill. Repeat with remaining sandwiches.

• Raspberry-Ginger Parfaits
Serves: 6

1. Honey (1/3 cup honey)
2. Granola bars (2 1.5 oz. granola bars, crushed)
3. Raspberries 4 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, divided)
4. Yogurt (3 cups plain nonfat Greek-style yogurt)
5. Crystallized Ginger (3 tbs. chopped crystallized ginger, divided)

Simmer 3 cups raspberries, 2 tbs, ginger, honey and 2 tbs. water over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until berries are soft. Strain out seeds.

Combine remaining 1 tbs. ginger and granola bars. Divide remaining raspberries among 6 bowls. Top with 1/2 cup yogurt. Spoon raspberry mixture over top and sprinkle with granola mixture.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Crab Cakes
Makes: 6 cakes

Remove all cartilage from the crabmeat, if any. Mix crabmeat with the breadcrumbs, eggs, mayonnaise and seasonings ion a bowl. If mixture seems to dry, add more mayonnaise. Shape into 6 cakes. Cook cakes in a frying pan, in just enough oil or butter to prevent them from sticking to the bottom until they are golden brown (about 5 minutes on each side). They can be broiled in the oven as well.

Happy Eating!

• Gruyere and Tarragon Skillet Soufflé
Serves: 4

3 tbs. fine dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk
8 large eggs, separated
2 tbs. chopped tarragon
2 tbs. hopped chives or green onions
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups shredded Gruyere cheese
2 tbs. unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large mixing bowl, stir breadcrumbs into milk and soak until mixture becomes pasty, 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk in egg yolks, herbs, salt and pepper. Stir in 3/4 cups of the cheese.

About 20 minutes before serving, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until they form very soft peaks. Scoop whites into the yolk mixture and quickly fold them in. Heat a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add butter and swirl until melted and sizzling. Pour batter into the pan and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Immediately put skillet on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until puffed and deeply browned. Serve soufflé immediately, using a large spo9on to scoop onto warm plates.

• Feta, Fennel and Mint Salad
Serves: 6

2 medium sized fennel bulbs thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
2 tbs. sherry vinegar or champagne vinegar
2 tbs. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chopped pitted black olives
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 navel oranges

In a large mixing bowl, combine fennel, mint, vinegar, oil and salt. Toss in olives and feta. To prepare oranges, slice off the top and bottom. Using a sharp knife, follow the curve of the fruit to slice off the peel and white pith. Cut oranges in quarters, then slice each quarter into wedges 1/4-inch thick. Toss oranges into the salad and turn out onto a platter or shallow bowl.

• Blue-Cheese-Rosemary Puffs
Makes 30 to 40 puffs

1 cup water
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup rye flour
5 large eggs
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

In a medium saucepan, combine water, salt, rosemary and olive oil and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add flours all at once and immediately whisk vigorously until you have a thick mass that pulls away from the pan. Transfer batter to an electric mixer (or if you prefer, leave it in the pan and use a whisk and muscle) and beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in blue cheese.

Line top baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mat, or lightly butter them. Drop batter in spoonfuls on the baking sheets, allowing plenty of space between each spoonful for puffing. If desired, refrigerate or freeze pans until 30 minutes before serving.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until puffed and browned (allow an extra 5 minutes if they came from the freezer). If you have just one oven, it’s best to bake each pan separately.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Apple, Sage and Cheddar Pancake
Serves: 4

Remove the pancake, spread the apples in the center, and top with the remaining cheese. Return it to the oven for 5 minutes to warm the apples and melt the cheese.

Happy Eating!

• Salsa Roll-ups: Makes 10 servings

1> Flour Tortillas

3> Mexican Style Cheese (shredded)

Mix 4 oz. (1/2 of 8 oz. pkg) of softened Neufchatel cheese, and 3 tbs. chunky salsa. Spread evenly onto 4 of the flour tortillas; top with the shredded cheese. Sprinkle lightly with a bit of chili powder. Roll up each tortilla tightly. Cut each crosswise into 5 slices. Arrange, cut-side down on a serving platter.

• Herb and Nut Cream Cheese Logs: Makes 12 servings

1> Cream Cheese (8 oz.)

3> Parsley

Mix 1 pkg. (8 oz.) softened cream cheese with 1/3 cup each Parmesan cheese and chopped pecans. Shape into 8-inch log. Roll in mixture of 1/4 cup each toasted pecans and chopped parsley; press gently into the log to secure them in place. Serve with crackers.

• Ultimate Queso Dip: Makes 3 cups

1> Round bread Loaf

3> 16 oz. Velveeta Pasteurized Cheese

Cut lengthwise slicing from tip of 1-lb. round bread loaf. Remove center of load, leaving 1-inch-thick shell. Cut 1-lb. (16 oz.) Velveeta Cheese Product into 1/2-inch cubes. Place in medium microwaveable bowl. Stir in 1 undrained can (10 oz.) Ro*Tel. Microwave on HUIGH 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 3 minutes. Pour into bread shell and serve with chips or crackers.

• Veggie and Dip: Makes 8 servings

1> Ranch Dressing

3> Carrots

Pour 2 tbs. Ranch dressing into each of 8 short glasses. Place 3/4 cup assorted fresh vegetables of your choose in each of the glasses on top of the dressing.

• Honey-Glazed Mixed Nuts: Makes 12 servings

1> 1 can of mixed nuts

3> Ground Red Cayenne Pepper

Combine 1 can (11.5 oz.) mixed nuts, 2 tbs. honey and 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne) in a skillet. Cook on medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes or until glaze starts to simmer and turns foamy. Spread onto greased baking sheet, separating slightly with fork; cool completely.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Chocolate Truffle-Style Pie
Serves: 10

Bake 35 minutes or until outer half of the pie is puffed out but center is slightly soft. Cool completely. Serve with a topping of whipped cream.

Happy Eating!