It’s amazing how sweet and delicious carmelized onions can be…..all it takes is olive oil and time. To make 4 open-faced sandwiches, slice 4 onions (red onions are marvelous, but any will be delicious) into 1/2 inch thick slices and saute in a pan with a couple Tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat.  Stir the onions often over the next 20-30 minutes or so, adding salt & pepper.  Once the onions are at your preferred brownness, place on thick toasted bread, cover with grated gruyere cheese, then broil in the oven until the cheese is bubbling and crispy in areas.  Enjoy!

I paired the sandwich with a crispy green salad with lemon and olive oil and sauteed beet greens with olive oil and garlic.

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high.  Add 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined and cook, stirring frequently, until shrimp are opaque throughout about 4 minutes.  Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.  Stir in 1 teaspoon smoked paprika and 2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar; transfer to a serving dish.  Top with 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.  Serves 6 people with other sides, such as steamed artichokes with lemony garlic butter and steamed yellow beans with lemon.

*This recipe is from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food*

A quick and easy lunch or dinner in under twenty minutes.

Ingredients:

Coarse salt
1 large bunch asparagus (1 lb.), trimmed
1 lb. frozen large shrimp (peeled and deveined), thawed
3/4 lb. soba noodles
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. toasted sesame oil
1 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 Tbs. sugar
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh basil leaves

Directions:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook asparagus until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. With a slotted spoon or mesh strainer, transfer asparagus to a colander and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking. Transfer asparagus to a medium bowl, return water to boil; add shrimp and cook until pink and opaque throughout, about 2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to bowl with asparagus. Return water to boil; add noodles and cook according to package instructions. Drain noodles and rinse under cool water.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, oil, vinegar, and sugar, divide noodles among four bowls and drizzle with dressing. Top with asparagus and shrimp and sprinkle with scallions and basil.

*This recipe is from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food*

The lovely thing with pasta is that you can add just a few ingredients to it and create  a nice light summer dinner.  This arugula, tomato, and feta pasta dish is just that—-light and delicious!

Ingredients:

1 pound linguine (fresh is ideal)

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cups baby arugula

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1/2 cup crumbled feta

coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook linguine according to package instructions.  Drain pasta.  In pot, heat oil over medium then add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened..about 3 minutes.  Return pasta to pot with the tomatoes, and cook until heated through.  Add arugula and feta;  toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve the pasta and sprinkle with parsley.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/7976/chana-saag-chickpea-spinach-curry.html/print

This recipe was delicious!  The only thing I would change would be to cut the cardamon  to only 1 teaspoon, instead of 2 teaspoons, but this is preference. 

Ingredients:

1 cup diced onions
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups lightly packed chopped collard greens

1 Tablespoon water, or as needed

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, rinse and drained

3 Tablespoons orange juice

4 flour tortillas

Directions:

In a nonreactive soup pot or skillet, saute the onions and garlic in the oil for about 10 minutes, until translucent, stirring often.  Add the thyme, allspice, salt, collard greens, and water.  Cover and cook on medium heat, adding more water if necessary to prevent sticking, until the greens are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.  The amount of time it will take depends upon how fresh and young the collards are.

Push the greens to the sides of the pot, add the beans to the center, and mash them well with a potato masher.  Add the orange juice, stir everything together, and remove from the heat. 

Warm the tortillas.  Place a generous 1/2 cup of filling on the bottom half of each tortilla, roll it up, and serve immediately.

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons Olive Oil

1 large white onion cut into 1/2 wedges

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch strips

2 cups button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

4 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar

1 package extra firm tofu

cayenne pepper

Mayonnaise

Baguette, halved lengthwise

Romaine Lettuce Leaves

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat.  Add onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and oregano.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring frequently, until onion and bell pepper are tender, about 12 minutes.  Transfer mixture to a medium bowl and stir in vinegar; tent with foil to keep warm.

Add 2 teaspoons oil to skillet.  Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch strips and press the water out using a paper towel.  Season each side of the tofu with salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne.  Cook until golden brown on one side, about 3-5 minutes.  Flip and cook until the tofu is browned on both sides. 

Spread mayonnaise on inside of bread.  Assemble sandwich with vegetables, tofu, and lettuce.  Serve with a light frisee apple salad. 

Ingredients:

Coarse salt and ground pepper

3/4 pound orecchiette or other small pasta shapes

1 bunch broccoli rabe (about a pound), trimmed, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

1 Tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, for serving

2 to 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice, for serving

Directions:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions, adding broccoli rabe 4 minutes before end of cooking.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat oil, garlic, and red-pepper flakes over medium until garlic begins to sizzle, 2 minutes.  Drain pasta and broccoli rabe and return to pot.  Add oil mixture and toss to coat, season to taste with salt and pepper.  To serve, sprinkle oregano over pasta and drizzle with lemon juice.

*This recipe is from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food*

I used Mark Bittman’s broiled white-fish taco recipe to really maximize my fish tacos.  I chose Tilapia as my fish, and warmed corn tortillas in the oven right before we were ready to eat.   With fish tacos, it is all about the toppings, which I served: fresh guacamole, cilantro, pickled jalapenos, chopped tomatoes, thinly sliced radishes, sour cream, chopped red onions, and a dollop from the Mexican corn sauce to really make it over the top.

I served this with Mexican Corn and Cuban Black Bean and Potato Soup

Recently, New York Times listed some of the best vegie burgers in the city….looking forward to trying them out.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/dining/23meatside.html?_r=1&src=recg