Tropical Hibiscus Cooler

3 hibiscus tea bags
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups pineapple juice
6oz white rum, optional
1/2 cup, plus 1 Tbs light coconut milk
6 fresh pineapple slices, for garnish
fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

1) Steep tea bags in 1 1/2 cups boiling water for 15 minutes. Strain and discard tea bags; transfer liquid to saucepan. Stir in sugar, and return liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and boil for 15 minutes, or until liquid is reduced by half. Transfer to a bowl, and place in freezer for 10 minutes, or until mixture is syrupy.
2) Fill glassess with ice. Pour 2/3 cup pineapple juice and 1oz rum (if using) into each glass. Add 1 1/2 Tbs coconut milk, and drizzle 2 Tbs hibiscus syrup over coconut milk. Garnish with pineapple slice and mint sprig.

Review: I was lucky to find hibiscus tea on sale at Whole Foods tonight. The recipe suggested Red Zinger, but I've recently heard news about the brand and pesticide use. So, I decided to leave out the rum, as I'm making it for a mixed-age party. That way, everyone can enjoy it. I also dumped it all into a pitcher, since I'm serving it as a punch and not a pretty mixed drink. Somehow, the red tea, white milk and yellow juice combined to make a purple punch. Weird.

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/tropical-hibiscus-cooler/

Chunky Artichoke & Chickpea Salad

1 12oz bag of frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, or 1 16oz can artichoke hearts, drained
1 12oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped cornichons (French baby pickles)
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp capers
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay (or Penzey's Fox Point Seasoning)
1 tsp Dijon mustard

1) Pulse all ingredients in food processor until chunky.
2) Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
3) Chill at least 30 minutes, or overnight.

Review: As a vegetarian, I've lacked an alternative to chicken or tuna salad sandwiches. I've had this particular recipe for a few years, but have frequently chickened out of making it. I finally got brave and made it tonight, spreading it on sandwich thins. I had left my frozen artichoke hearts in the fridge all day to defrost, but they were still pretty frosty. This allowed my salad to be cold right out of the food processor, so I didn't have to wait for dinner! I had two sandwiches and admonished myself for not having made it sooner. It was very filling and had a consistency similar to what I remember from the meat-based salads (though it's been well over 20 years since I've had those!!). The capers, cornichons and Dijon mustard gave the salad a 'kick' - which left me very glad to leave the 1/2 onion out that was recommended. I have plenty of salad left in the fridge and will be feasting for the next few days. I will be making this every summer!!

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/chunky-artichoke-and-chickpea-salad/

Basil & Corn Farro Salad

1 (8.5oz) package precooked farro
1 1/2 Tbs sherry vinegar
2 Tbs olive oil, divided
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup chopped basil

1) Heat farro according to package directions.
2) Combine vinegar, 1 Tbs olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and garlic in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk.
3) Heat 1 Tbs olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn to the pan; saute 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
4) In a large bowl, add cooked farro, corn and basil. Add the vinaigrette and toss to coat.

Review: This recipe originated in the Cooking Light magazine. I don't subscribe to that, so I think this was one of the recipes that get forwarded to me by my in-laws (thanks!). It was my first introduction to farro. The recipe states precooked farro is made by Archer Farms, which is the Target store brand. Always nice to snag a bargain, but I didn't find this at my local Target. Instead I got a great deal on some farro at Trader Joe's, but I had to cook it. It's really fairly easy to cook and takes about 10-12 minutes. It reminds me a lot of puffed wheat cereal. It was a great grain to use in a salad. This particular salad was on the spicy side. I subbed red wine vinegar for the sherry vinegar (I didn't have that variety), which added to the tang. Primarily, the 'heat' came from the mustard, basil and garlic. It had a great flavor and made a lot of food. It's also tasty served cold, making it a nice summer salad for cookouts!

Adapted from:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/basil-corn-farro-salad

Southwestern Quinoa With Black Beans & Toasted Pecans

1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbs plus 1 tsp olive oil, divided
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced (1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs), divided
1 1/2 cups red quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 avocado, sliced
2 Tbs, plus 1 tsp orange juice, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15.5oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans

1) Combine salt, cumin, coriander and cinnamon in small bowl.
2) Heat 2 Tbs oil in saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 1/2 cup green onions, cover and cook 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in cumin mixture, then quinoa. Add 2 cups water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 18 to 20 minutes, or until spiral-like germ is visible. Remove from heat, and fluff. Place folded paper towel over quinoa, cover pot with lid and let stand 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl.
3) Place avocado slices on plate, and drizzle with 1 tsp orange juice and 1 tsp oil. Season with salt, if desired.
4) Heat remaining 1 Tbs oil in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds. Stir in remaining 2 Tbs orange juice, then black beans. Cover and cook 2 minutes, or until warmed through. Stir bean mixture into quinoa. Stir in pecans. Serve garnished with avocado, remaining 2 Tbs green onions and pecans.

Review: Oh, I got lazy with this one. I found a stray box of quinoa in the cabinet. I reviewed my collected recipes and settled on this, even though I had ordinary quinoa and not the red stuff. I also didn't have scallions. And, I didn't realize my pecans were supposed to be toasted (seriously, it's in the title, but I'm used to the first step of a recipe saying "toast the nuts"). Despite my issues, this was an incredibly delicious recipe! It had a slightly fragrant taste due to the cinnamon and coriander, but in a perfectly balanced way. It was still savory and VERY filling. It was also pretty easy to make, with lots of protein!

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/southwestern-quinoa-with-black-beans-and-toasted-pecans/

Fresh Berry Tart With Toasted Nut Crust

Crust
1/4 cup each almonds, pecans and hazelnuts
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbs chilled unsalted butter, diced
1 large egg yolk

Filling
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbs light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp grated orange zest
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
1 Tbs orange juice

1) To make crust: Preheat oven to 350F. Coat 9-inch tart pan with cooking spray. Spread nuts on baking sheet, and toast in oven 12 to 15 minutes, or until browned.
2) Pulse nuts, flour, sugar and salt in food processor until nuts are ground to powder. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolk, and pulse until moist clumps form. Press dough into bottom and sides of prepared pan, about 1/4-inch thick, and pierce with fork. Freeze 30 minutes.
3) Adjust oven temperature to 400F. Bake crust 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden. Cool.
4) To make filling: Whisk together sour cream, yogurt, brown sugar, vanilla and orange zest in a small bowl. Toss berries with orange juice in separate bowl.
5) Spread filling mixture into the crust with a spatula. Spoon berries over top, a little at a time, until sour cream mixture is evenly covered. Refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes before serving.

Review: I made this the day before Memorial Day, to ensure it had enough time in the refrigerator to set. It looked very patriotic! Unfortunately, I only had dark brown sugar and used that. It still tasted great. The tart was a huge hit, in which nearly everyone asked for the recipe! I've been told to make it again next year. The filling had a taste similar to the white dip that comes with fruit trays. This version is probably a healthier version of that dip, but super easy to make. 

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/fresh-berry-tart-with-toasted-nut-crust/

Swiss Chard Skillet With Egg, Onion & Tomato

1 1/4 cups quartered cherry tomatoes
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
2 large bunches Swiss chard
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 large eggs

1) In a small bowl, toss cherry tomatoes with vinegar. Set aside.
2) Remove chard leaves from stems. Chop leaves, place in a large bowl of cool water, and swirl to rinse. Transfer to a colander, allowing a bit of water to remain on leaves. Rinse, dry and thinly slice stems.
3) In a large skillet, over medium heat, saute chard stems and onion in olive oil until softened, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add chard leaves, salt and pepper. Turn heat to high and toss with tongs until leaves wilt.
4) Using the back of a spoon, make four indents, or "nests," in chard. Crack 1 egg into each nest. Cover the skillet, reduce heat slightly and cook until yolks are medium-set, about 4 minutes.
5) Add cherry tomatoes and vinegar to skillet, then serve.

Review: Once again, I attempted a recipe designed to meet Mike's diet standards. However, I forgot he isn't eating tomatoes. So, my serving had LOTS of tomatoes!! This was supposed to be a breakfast recipe, but I thought it sounded more savory and better as dinner (though it'd likely be a great brunch dish). Swiss chard is by far my favorite leafy green. It's taste is quite different from the others, but when the stems are added it's even more flavorful. The onion added a little sweetness and more savoriness. The eggs added some "oomph" and the sweet/tangy tomatoes completely balanced the dish. There were no leftovers! I could also make this again without the tomatoes, just adding a bit of red wine vinegar to the final serving, like hot sauce.

Adapted from:
http://recipes.womenshealthmag.com/Recipe/chard-breakfast-skillet-with-egg-onion-and-tomato.aspx

Cauliflower au Gratin

1 head cauliflower, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
salt and pepper
8oz cream cheese
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar
2 Tbs coconut flour
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
8 Tbs butter, melted

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Mist a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place cauliflower in baking dish and toss with bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper.
2) In a blender, blend cream cheese, vegetable broth, onion, garlic and 1/4 cup Parmesan until smooth and creamy. Pour over cauliflower mixture. In a large bowl, stir together Cheddar, coconut flour, parsley and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Spread evenly atop cauliflower mixture. Drizzle with butter.
3) Bake until gratin is brown and bubbling, and cauliflower is tender (50-60 minutes). Let stand ten minutes before serving.

Review: Mike has been working hard on reducing carbs, which means I haven't been able to cook for him. He's tried making cauliflower gratin and it didn't turn out well. I stumbled on this recipe and thought I'd make it for him. The only catch was that it called for 1 1/2 cups of seasoned bread crumbs to make a crumbly top. He suggested using a bit of coconut flour, but not much since a little goes a long way. It didn't do much for making a crumbly top and it smelled a bit like coconut when done. Maybe we'll try almond flour next time. It was a bit soupy, so I would also recommend reducing the broth to only 1/2 cup. It had a great flavor, though and was very savory!!

Adapted from:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cauliflower-au-gratin