Leftovers: Greek veggie pita

Greek veggie pita (makes 1 sandwich)

1 whole wheat pita

1 ounce feta cheese, crumbled

3/4 cup of Greek grilled vegetables (left over from grilled Greek vegetables over fava)

small handful of sprouts

1/4 cup (or more) of plain yogurt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

a bit of sliced red onion

salt and pepper, to taste

Warm up the vegetables if they are cold, and warm the pita, too. Put the sprouts in the middle of the pita, top with vegetables, feta, red onion, yogurt, and parsley. Add salt and pepper. Eat open-faced or rolled.

Grilled Greek vegetables with fava

Tonight I made something inspired by the new issue of Eating Well magazine -- no surprise to anyone who read this post.

The October 2008 edition has a recipe for Greek "fava," a puree of yellow split peas that serves as a polenta-type base that's the consistency of mashed potatoes. It can be topped with anything you want. I decided to grill vegetables seasoned with a Greek blend of herbs and spices.

This was my first attempt at making something Greek. I used to wait tables at The Trojan Horse, which boasts "Greek specialties and American favorites," and my favorite thing there was the moussaka, a casserole with beef, eggplant, and custard topping. It looked so very involved...but maybe I'll try that next time.

Anyway, the fava couldn't be easier to make, although mine turned out a little dry, so when I served it, I drizzled a little extra olive oil on top.



Greek fava, or yellow split pea puree (makes 2 dinner servings)

1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoon olive oil, divided

2 cups vegetable broth

3/4 cup yellow split peas, rinsed

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt



1.) Heat the tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan, and cook onion until soft. Add the split peas, stir, then add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer about 45 minutes, or until the peas are very soft.

2.) Transfer the peas to a food processor; add the lemon juice, remaining oil, and salt; and puree until smooth.



Grilled Greek vegetables (makes 4-6 servings)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dill

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small eggplant, cut into pieces about an inch thick and 2 inches long, and lightly salted

1 large tomato, cut into chunks

1 large zucchini, thickly sliced

1/2 large onion, chopped into fairly large pieces

1 green bell pepper, chopped

metal skewers (4 long or 8 short)



1.) Pre-heat grill to medium. Combine first nine ingredients, through the salt.

2.) Put the salted eggplant pieces in a colander and let them drain over the sink for a half hour. Pat dry with a paper towel.

3.) Put all veggies in a large bowl. Pour the olive oil over them and toss to coat evenly.

4.) Sprinkle the herb mixture on top of the veggies, and toss again to coat evenly.

5.) Thread veggies onto skewers and grill, covered, until browned and tender, about 7 minutes a side.



Patient: "Doctor, doctor! I keep thinking I'm a slice of bread."

Doctor: "You've got to stop loafing around." (from All the Jokes)

Blog ambition

Some things I hope to make and share:

Dad's pepper steak and rosemary potatoes (pictured above)

Mom's chocolate mousse (after I lose the last 5 baby pounds...)

Mom's liver and onions --yep, you read that right

Mom's herring in sour cream with new potatoes and apples

lamb roast -- possibly a leg!

grilled pineapple and/or peaches

garlic chicken tandoori, inspired by Maharaja Palace

beef carpaccio (Kate, remember that all-you-can-eat place in Paris?? Heavenly.)

tapioca pudding (I tried to make it once and it was inedible. Yuck.)

granola

vichyssoise

Persian food, something with meat and saffron rice (Did you know saffron is supposed to be a mood lifter?)

carrot-rosemary scones

seared tuna

homemade pasta

paella

Michelle's strawberry jam

cassoulet (when the weather is cold)

Japanese or Chinese hot pots

Kara's green chile pork

Things I'll be adding eventually because they are some of my favorites:

guacamole

tarragon chicken soup

stuffed mushrooms

hummus (my version is packed with carrots for a nutritional boost)

Michelle's gazpacho

Kara's Asian coleslaw

I also have lots of favorite recipes from my cookbooks that I will share.

Leftovers: It's salsa time

I often find myself wondering what on Earth I'm supposed to do with leftover canned tomatoes. I usually only think of two things -- chili and marinara -- and I'm not always in the mood for those. Plus, you need lots of canned tomatoes for those, more than I have at this moment. I have a half can from the poblano enchiladas recipe.

Well, summertime is also salsa time, so (perhaps in addition to fresh tomatoes) you can throw together a batch of salsa in no time with ingredients that are easy to find right now.

I also have a little poblano pepper, green onions, and a couple tomatillos. Great salsa additions. And, last but not least, I'm going to make chips out of some of the leftover tortillas.

The recipe below lends itself nicely to alternative ingredients, and I've made some suggestions for you.

Salsa (this also makes a great fat-free marinade for chicken, fish, or tofu)

1-2 garlic cloves

1 green onion

1/2 poblano pepper

2 Anaheim peppers

1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (more if you want it extra spicy)

1/2 yellow or red bell pepper (left over from the garden-fresh rice pilaf)

half of a 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes

1/2 red onion

salt, to taste

1 teaspoon ground cumin (I love cumin and use freshly ground seeds; you can use less)

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

2 tomatillos (or more, if you have them)

optional: cilantro (which I highly recommend using; I'm out at the moment), pineapple or mango chunks for a little sweetness, a half a serrano pepper, fresh yellow or red tomatoes

for the chips: 3 large tortillas, brushed lightly with olive oil on both sides, then cut into 6-8 chips each

1.) Chop all ingredients -- except tortillas, obviously -- into large chunks and combine them in a food processor. Process until almost smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours at least, so the flavors blend well.

2.) Pre-heat oven to 350. Spread the tortilla pieces on a cookie sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, turning once or twice, until lightly browned and crispy. Remove from the oven, salt them, and let them cool.

Leftovers: Garden-fresh pilaf

I have exciting news to share. There's butternut squash growing in our yard! We found it where our compost pile once sat. It's a great addition to the rice pilaf I am making to use up the leftover rice from the poblano enchiladas in green sauce.

This "garden-fresh pilaf" also has a generous amount of parsley and sage, and if you want, you can throw in other fresh herbs of your choosing, such as chives, cilantro, or mint. I think it tastes great on its own, but you can use it to stuff tomatoes (then bake at 350 degrees until heated through) or as a side dish.

A note about butternut squash: It's a sweet squash that tastes great as a dessert with a little brown sugar and butter, and it's great in soups and baked goods. It's also fairly low in calories, with just 82 calories per cup of cubed pieces.

Garden-fresh rice pilaf (makes 2 large main servings or 4-6 sides)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2-3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted (you can substitute pecan or walnut pieces)

1 medium butternut squash

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped

2 cups cooked wild rice blend

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/3 cup golden raisins

salt and pepper, to taste

1.) Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until tender.

2.) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion, and red pepper, and cook for about three minutes, stirring frequently. Turn heat down to medium-low.

3.) Scoop out chunks of the squash when it's cool enough to handle. Add the chunks of squash, rice, parsley, sage, raisins and almonds to the skillet, and heat through.

4.) Salt and pepper to your liking.

Poblano enchiladas in green sauce

When I first started making this Mexican-style dinner, I lamented the fact that I still have baby weight to lose and so must watch my caloric intake closely. Cheese really seems like such a necessity on warm tortillas and refried beans.

But it doesn't have to be used in globs and globs to add a nice cheesy touch. So I decided to compromise and use a little cheese just to top the dish, instead of using it in the sauce or as part of the filling.

I made poblano enchiladas because I wanted to keep this meatless and give it a bit of a kick, and I left the cream out of the green sauce (those calories again) but reduced it and made sure it was packed with flavor.

Poblano enchiladas in green sauce (serves 4)

juice of 1 lime

a handful of fresh cilantro

a handful of fresh parsley

6 tomatillos, husked and quartered

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon vegetable (or chicken-flavored) powdered broth

2 poblano peppers, seeded and cut into strips

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

flour for dredging

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups cooked rice (I used a wild rice blend)

4 large tortillas, any kind

half of a 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1.) Combine the lime, cilantro, parsley, tomatillos, onion, jalapeno, green onions, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper in a food processor, and process until smooth.

2.) Transfer the green sauce to a saucepan and add 1/2 cup water and broth and cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes, or until it's reduced by one-third.

3.) Meanwhile, dip the poblano strips into the beaten egg white, then dredge in flour. Heat the olive oil over medium heat, then fry the strips for a few minutes until they brown a little on both sides.

4.) Place the poblano strips and inside the tortillas, with a couple tablespoons of rice in each. Roll them up and put them in a non-stick baking pan.

6.) Sprinkle the tomatoes from the can on top of the enchiladas, then coat with the green sauce.

7.) Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake 10 minutes more.

8.) Serve with refried beans.

Coming a little later this week: Greek grilled vegetables over a puree of yellow split peas.

Bundles of basil: Tomato salad

Here's another basil recipe for you, one that also will help you make use of those fresh, plump tomatoes that are so plentiful this time of year.

Tomato salad

1 large yellow tomato, cut into sections

3 Roma tomatoes, sliced

a handful of grape or cherry tomatoes

25 medium basil leaves, chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

drizzle of olive oil

drizzle of white balsamic vinegar

salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Arrange the tomatoes on a platter. Top with basil, salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil and vinegar.

Coming up next week: My friend Courtney suggested I make something Mexican -- a great idea, I think, considering that's one kind of food I really know nothing about cooking. I love to eat it, though. Jonathan has requested more vegetarian and vegan recipes, so I will make something very veg, too.

I won't have any recipes on Saturday or Sunday because I'll be out of town. Check back on Monday!

Q: Why don't vegetarians eat clowns?

A: Because they taste funny.