Sunday, March 5, 2006

Spring Equinox Delights – March 2006


Diva: Mariah

Drinks: Ashley
Lawn Boy

6 shots Vodka
3 cubes Ice
1 dash Sugar
1 handful Mint
Limeade

Put the ice in a blender, pour the vodka over it, toss in the mint, and fill with limeade. Blend until smooth, adding sugar little by little until it's just right. More vodka may be added during blending as well. Serve Lawn Boy in a Pitcher

Appetizer: Sara
Sesame Snap Peas

4.5 lbs snap peas and green beans
1 bunch spring garlic (garlic scapes or garlic onion)
2 red bell peppers cut into strips
2 red onions cut into ¼ moons
2 c cashews
3 T minced garlic
1 block tofu, cubed
¼ c nutritional yeast
1 c sesame oil
1 T salt
½ c safflower oil
½ tsp red pepper flakes
½ c tamari
¼ c brown rice vinegar
2 tsp sugar

Heat safflower oil in wok with ½ tsp salt. Add tofu – fry until golden brown, toss hot tofu and nutritional yeast in a large bowl. In wok heat sesame oil, ½ tsp salt, red pepper flakes, cashews. Cook for 5 minutes, stir frequently. Add all veggies and garlic, fry 10 minutes longer. Add Tamari, vinegar, sugar. Mix in a large bowl with tofu. Chill ½ hour.

Salad: Lovina

Spring Salad

3 c washed baby spinach leaves
3 c washed and torn salad greens
1 c sliced strawberries
2 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
¼ c sliced almonds
¼ c sliced mushrooms
¼ c snow pea pods
¼ c mandarin orange slices.
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

Dressing:

¼ cup orange juice
2 T honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp poppy seeds
Salt
Pepper
2 T olive oil

Toss together the spinach leaves, salad greens and other salad ingredients in a large bowl. for dressing, combine the orange juice, honey, mustard, poppy seeds and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl until well mixed. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly until the dressing is mixed. Toss the dressing with the salad or serve on the side.

Yield: 6 Servings

Soup: Stacey
Chicken Artichoke Soup

3 lg. boneless chicken breasts
1 onion, diced
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans cream of celery soup
2 jars marinated artichoke hearts
2-3 cans chicken broth
½ lb. pepper jack cheese, grated
½ lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ c half and half
fresh thyme

Simmer chicken and onion until chicken is cooked through. Drain, shred and set aside. Combine soups and broth in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add cheese. Stir until melted. Add chicken, onions, half and half and spices. Heat through. Enjoy!!

Side Dish: Nicole

Broccoli with Garlic Butter and Cashews

1 ½ pounds fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1/3 c butter
1 T brown sugar
3 T soy sauce
2 tsp white vinegar
¼ tsp ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c chopped salted cashews

Place the broccoli into a large pot with about 1 inch of water in the bottom. Bring to a boil, and cook for 7 minutes, or until tender but still crisp. Drain, and arrange broccoli on a serving platter.
While the broccoli is cooking, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Mix in the brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper and garlic. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Mix in the cashews, and pour the sauce over the broccoli. Serve immediately.

Entree: Tiffany
Spring Risotto with Lemon, Asparagus, and Peas
Serves 4

1 T olive oil
3 small shallots, about 1/2 cup
1 ½ c Arborio rice
6 c vegetable stock
1 pound asparagus
1 c frozen spring peas
2 tsp lemon zest
2 T lemon juice
¾ c grated parmigiano reggiano

In a medium saucepan, bring your stock up to a simmer. Meanwhile, dice the shallots, and snap off the woody ends of the asparagus. If the asparagus is quite thick, you may want to also peel them. Then chop on the diagonal into 1/2 inch pieces.

In a broad-bottomed sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until soft. Then add the rice and stir to coat.

One ladle-full at a time, add the stock to the rice and stir constantly until completely absorbed before adding more stock. After about ten minutes, add the asparagus, and continue adding stock until the rice is soft and risotto creamy, about 20 or 25 minutes, adding the peas in the last minute.

Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in zest, juice, and cheese. The risotto will continue to thicken, so you should hurry your dinner guests to the table and serve them as soon as you can.

Dessert: Erin
Kuchen

1/3 c butter/marg softened
1 package yellow cake mix
2 ½ c sliced baking apples/peaches/plums/pears
½ c sugar
1 T cinnamon
1 c sour cream
2 egg yolks or 1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butter into cake mix (dry mix) until crumbly. Pat mixture lightly into an ungreased oblong pan (13 x 9 x 2), building up the sides slightly.

Bake for 10 minutes. Arrange fruit on warm crust. Mix sugar & cinnamon. Sprinkle on fruit. Blend sour cream and egg/yolks. Drizzle over fruit.

Topping will not completely cover fruit. Bake for 25 minutes more or until edges are light brown. Do not overbake. Serve warm.

WildCard: Tamara
“Springy” Garden Herb Bread

1 ½ c water
2 T butter
4 c bread flour
2 T dried milk (I omitted this)
2 T sugar
2 tsp salt
1 T chives
1 T Marjoram
1 T Thyme
1 tsp basil
1 ½ tsp fast rise or 2 tsp active dry yeast

If using fresh herbs, double amounts.
I replaced the chives and basil with fresh chopped rosemary.

Use white, rapid or delay bake cycles on your bread machine. Or use dough cycle and bake in the oven at 375 for about 20 minutes.

Lottery: Michelle