This tart is delicious and beautiful; it's from Stan. Be sure the filo is thawed before working with it. If you don't have parchment paper, butter or oil the cookie sheet well. Be sure and slice the tomatoes very thinly; they will dry out somewhat when cooked.
7 sheets of filo dough, thawed
5 tablespoons butter, melted
7 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup onion, thinly sliced
1 cup low moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
6-8 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 375. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper & spray paper with cooking oil. Lay 1 sheet filo on the paper & brush with a little butter. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Repeat layering 5 more times. Press each sheet firmly so it sticks to sheet below. Lay the last filo sheet on top, brush with remaing butter & sprinkle remaining parmesan.
Scatter onion across filo, top with mozzarella & arrange tomato slices in a single layer, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with thyme, salt & pepper to taste.
Bake until filo is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, then serve.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Eduardo's Taj Mahal Lentil Soup
This is a big soup using Indian-style spicing.
1 pound lentils, washed
9 cups water
1 potato, cubed
2 celery sticks, chopped
6 bay leaves
dash salt
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
3 carrots, chopped
1 tablespoon oil (a few drops of sesame oil is a nice addition)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 sliced lemon (rinds on)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon masala
1 teaspoon saffron
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 cardamom pod, crushed with a mortar and pestle
2 dried red chilis
cilantro for garnish
Bring the water to a boil in a large soup pot. Add lentils, potato, celery, bay leaves, and a dash of salt. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Saute all other ingredients (except cilantro) in a frying pan on high heat for about 10 minutes. Add saute to soup pot, and let simmer for 20-30 minutes, until vegetables and lentils are soft. Salt to taste. Remove bay leaves.
Garnish with chopped cilantro when serving.
1 pound lentils, washed
9 cups water
1 potato, cubed
2 celery sticks, chopped
6 bay leaves
dash salt
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
3 carrots, chopped
1 tablespoon oil (a few drops of sesame oil is a nice addition)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 sliced lemon (rinds on)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon masala
1 teaspoon saffron
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 cardamom pod, crushed with a mortar and pestle
2 dried red chilis
cilantro for garnish
Bring the water to a boil in a large soup pot. Add lentils, potato, celery, bay leaves, and a dash of salt. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Saute all other ingredients (except cilantro) in a frying pan on high heat for about 10 minutes. Add saute to soup pot, and let simmer for 20-30 minutes, until vegetables and lentils are soft. Salt to taste. Remove bay leaves.
Garnish with chopped cilantro when serving.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Vegetable Barley Soup
This is Eduardo's recipe, it makes a large pot of soup. This is also a good slow cooker recipe - instead of low heat on the stove top, use high setting on the slow cooker, and cook about the same amount of time.
12 cups soup stock
2 medium potatoes, cubed
5 carrots, sliced
5 celery sticks, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, whole
1/2 pound pearl barley, rinsed
2 onions, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound of white mushrooms, sliced
1 oz mixed dried mushrooms, diced
4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 sprigs fresh thyme
dash of red pepper flakes
± 1 tablespoon salt
Add the soup stock to a large pot, along with the potatoes, carrots, celery, garlic and barley. Bring to a boil, turn to low heat and cook for about 2 hours. Saute onions in olive oil, add to the soup. Add all remaining ingredients except salt, and cook on low heat for 3 hours. Add salt to taste, cook about 30 minutes more, and serve.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Swiss Chard With Garlic And Pine Nuts
Garlic and pine nuts are a nice addition to swiss chard.
4 cloves garlic, crushed or pressed
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 bunch swiss chard (about 8 leaves)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Wash the chard, cut the stems off and chop the stems into small pieces. Place the stem pieces into a small pot with 1-2 cups water, and bring to a boil. Let the stem pieces cook until soft, then drain.
Put the chard leaves into a large pot. If the leaves are still wet from washing, this should be enough water. If not, add a small amount of water to the pot. Set to medium heat and cover.
Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic, pine nuts, and chard stems. Cook on high heat, stirring frequently, until the pine nuts have started to brown.
When the chard leaves are cooked (about 10 minutes of steaming), put them into a serving bowl, add the contents of the frying pan, the chard stems, and toss. Salt to taste, and serve.
4 cloves garlic, crushed or pressed
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 bunch swiss chard (about 8 leaves)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Wash the chard, cut the stems off and chop the stems into small pieces. Place the stem pieces into a small pot with 1-2 cups water, and bring to a boil. Let the stem pieces cook until soft, then drain.
Put the chard leaves into a large pot. If the leaves are still wet from washing, this should be enough water. If not, add a small amount of water to the pot. Set to medium heat and cover.
Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic, pine nuts, and chard stems. Cook on high heat, stirring frequently, until the pine nuts have started to brown.
When the chard leaves are cooked (about 10 minutes of steaming), put them into a serving bowl, add the contents of the frying pan, the chard stems, and toss. Salt to taste, and serve.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
White Bean Salad
One of our favorite Italian restaurants serves this salad. It works with Italian food, but we've also served it at picnics and barbecues. Garbanzo beans can be substituted for the white beans. This recipe will serve about 6 people.
1 pound great northern beans, or other white beans
1/2 medium sized red onion, chopped
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Wash the beans, then soak them for at least 4 hours (can be soaked overnight). Drain, wash, and add them to a large pot of water. Boil until done, usually 20-30 minutes. Drain the beans, and put them in a large bowl. Let them cool to room temperature.
Add the salt, pepper, oil, and most of the basil and onion to the beans. Mix well. Add the remaining basil and onions as garnish, and serve.
1 pound great northern beans, or other white beans
1/2 medium sized red onion, chopped
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Wash the beans, then soak them for at least 4 hours (can be soaked overnight). Drain, wash, and add them to a large pot of water. Boil until done, usually 20-30 minutes. Drain the beans, and put them in a large bowl. Let them cool to room temperature.
Add the salt, pepper, oil, and most of the basil and onion to the beans. Mix well. Add the remaining basil and onions as garnish, and serve.
Low Sodium Cooking
When my doctor recommended that I watch my sodium intake, I was surprised at how much sodium I was consuming. It's really not that hard to maintain a low sodium diet if you pay attention to what you eat and how you cook. Once you get used to less salty foods, you won't miss the salt.
There are many health benefits to a low sodium diet - don't wait to have high blood pressure or heart problems to start reducing your sodium intake.
Prepare your own meals as much as possible; you can't control the amount of sodium in food you don't prepare. When you shop, read food nutrition labels to see how much sodium foods contain. Anything under 140mg of sodium per serving is considered a low sodium food (be sure and check the serving size on the label too). Fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains are always the best ingredients to use. Avoid cooking with processed foods as much as possible.
Your total sodium intake target per day should be discussed with your doctor. Your body does need some sodium, somewhere around 500mg per day; the American Heart Association recommends no more than 2400mg per day. The average American consumes more than 4000mg per day.
When I shop, I try to purchase only foods with less than 140mg per serving, and as close to 0 sodium as possible. I sometimes purchase a few items with more than 140mg sodium, and then try to be careful about how much I consume. Remember, its the total sodium intake per day that counts.
When cooking, leave the salt shaker in the cabinet. Just stop using it completely. Also, don't use potassium chloride based salt substitutes - these can cause health problems too. Deal with not using salt by spicing food in other ways, and by getting used to the taste of foods that contain less salt. Vinegar can add a salty flavor to soups, salads, and other foods. Lemon juice or powdered lemon peel can be used as a substitute. Experiment with spice mixes, use more black pepper or cayenne pepper, and garlic or onion powder can add flavor without sodium.
Processed foods can contain a huge amount of sodium. In many cases low sodium choices are available. You'll figure it all out by reading food labels. Some of the foods to be careful of are:
The recipes posted here are not necessarily low sodium recipes, but can always be made without salt. The recipes are usually a little vague about the amount of salt as a reminder that you can decide.
There are many health benefits to a low sodium diet - don't wait to have high blood pressure or heart problems to start reducing your sodium intake.
Prepare your own meals as much as possible; you can't control the amount of sodium in food you don't prepare. When you shop, read food nutrition labels to see how much sodium foods contain. Anything under 140mg of sodium per serving is considered a low sodium food (be sure and check the serving size on the label too). Fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains are always the best ingredients to use. Avoid cooking with processed foods as much as possible.
Your total sodium intake target per day should be discussed with your doctor. Your body does need some sodium, somewhere around 500mg per day; the American Heart Association recommends no more than 2400mg per day. The average American consumes more than 4000mg per day.
When I shop, I try to purchase only foods with less than 140mg per serving, and as close to 0 sodium as possible. I sometimes purchase a few items with more than 140mg sodium, and then try to be careful about how much I consume. Remember, its the total sodium intake per day that counts.
When cooking, leave the salt shaker in the cabinet. Just stop using it completely. Also, don't use potassium chloride based salt substitutes - these can cause health problems too. Deal with not using salt by spicing food in other ways, and by getting used to the taste of foods that contain less salt. Vinegar can add a salty flavor to soups, salads, and other foods. Lemon juice or powdered lemon peel can be used as a substitute. Experiment with spice mixes, use more black pepper or cayenne pepper, and garlic or onion powder can add flavor without sodium.
Processed foods can contain a huge amount of sodium. In many cases low sodium choices are available. You'll figure it all out by reading food labels. Some of the foods to be careful of are:
- Soy Sauce (can be higher in sodium than salt - even 'low sodium' soy sauce is very high in sodium)
- Canned soups
- Soup stocks
- Bouillon cubes
- Cottage cheese
- Barbecue sauce, ketchup, pickles and other condiments
- Canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, paste (most stores carry no salt tomato products)
- Canned vegetables
- Bread
- Some breakfast cereals (shredded wheats usually have very low sodium content)
The recipes posted here are not necessarily low sodium recipes, but can always be made without salt. The recipes are usually a little vague about the amount of salt as a reminder that you can decide.
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