Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients
1/2 medium cauliflower (about 1/2 pound), leaves removed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Cut the cauliflower through the core into 6 wedges.

Lay cauliflower wedges on a baking sheet. Lightly brush both sides of the wedges with oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast until the sides that touch the pan and the edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve 3 wedges per person.

Fontina and Herb Charlotte

Ingredients

18 slice(s) white bread, trimmed and sliced in half
6 tablespoon(s) butter, melted
1 cup(s) chopped onion
3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
2 clove(s) garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup(s) chopped artichoke hearts
1 cup(s) shredded Fontina cheese
8 eggs
3/4 cup(s) half-and-half
1/2 cup(s) chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup(s) chopped parsley
5 tablespoon(s) ricotta cheese
1/8 teaspoon(s) ground black pepper
1/4 cup(s) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

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Directions

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Brush a 9-inch springform pan and bread slices with butter. Line the pan bottom and sides with the bread. Slightly overlap each slice. Press firmly into the corners of the pan, and pinch seams together.
Heat the remaining butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until light golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in the artichoke hearts and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Toss in Fontina and place in the prepared pan.
Whisk eggs, half-and-half, herbs, ricotta, remaining salt, and pepper together. Pour over the artichoke mixture. Top with any remaining bread. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 1 hour.
Remove the foil and bake until the top is golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Run a small knife around the rim to loosen from the pan. Let cool slightly before unmolding

Pesto-Ricotta Pie

Ingredients

6 tablespoon(s) butter
1 large leek, trimmed, washed, and thinly sliced
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup(s) cream
1 cup(s) ricotta
1/2 cup(s) grated parmesan
3 tablespoon(s) chunky chopped pesto (see recipe below)
2 tablespoon(s) finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1/4 teaspoon(s) ground black pepper

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Directions

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly butter 9-inch pie plate and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring often, until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool.
Whisk the eggs, egg whites, and cream together in a medium bowl, add to the leeks with the ricotta, Parmesan, pesto, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and set aside. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter.
Lay one sheet of phyllo in the prepared pie plate. Brush the phyllo with melted butter, leaving the outer 1 1/2-inch rim unbrushed. Repeat with seven more sheets of phyllo.
Trim the edges to conform with the shape of the pie plate using kitchen shears and pour in the filling. Brush the top of the phyllo rim with butter, and bake until the edges are golden brown and the filling is set, about 40 minutes. Cool before serving.

Fried Cabbage Texas Style

Ingredients

1 small head cabbage, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon white sugar
6 slices bacon
5 tablespoons corn bread mix
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and julienned
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place the shredded cabbage into a large bowl, and sprinkle the sugar over it. This will remove the excess water from the cabbage. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside, reserving grease in skillet.
In a small bowl, mix together the cornbread mix and cayenne pepper. Stir into the cabbage until well blended. In the skillet the bacon was cooked in, saute onion and jalapeno in the hot bacon grease until tender. Stir in cabbage, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the cabbage wilts, about 15 minutes. Stir in crumbled bacon, and serve immediately.

Fried Dandelions

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons seasoned salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
4 eggs
80 unopened dandelion blossoms, stems removed
1/2 cup butter

Directions

Combine the flour, seasoned salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl until evenly combined; set aside. Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl, then stir in the dandelion blossoms until completely coated.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove half of the dandelions from the egg, and allow the excess egg to drip away. Toss in the flour until completely coated, then remove from the flour, tossing between your hands to allow excess flour to fall away. Cook the dandelions in the melted butter until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining dandelions.

Southern Style Fried Okra

Ingredients

20 pods okra, sliced in 1/4 inch pieces
6 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large sweet onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 (8.5 ounce) package corn bread/muffin mix (such as Jiffy®)
1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Directions

Place vegetables in a colander, rinse with cold water, and transfer to a large mixing bowl. In this next step, use your best judgement. Add enough corn meal to coat all of the vegetables in the bowl. Toss lightly till vegetables are coated with corn meal, adding more corn meal if necessary.
In a large frying pan, pour in oil to cover bottom of the pan; place pan over medium to medium-high heat. Heat oil until hot but not smoking. To test if oil is ready, wet your fingers with some water and flick water into oil. If the oil sizzles immediately, it is ready to cook.
Spoon out vegetables into frying pan in a single layer. When vegetables turn golden brown on bottom, flip them over, and continue cooking until browned on the other side. Transfer to a bowl lined with paper towels to drain oil. Repeat process till all vegetables are cooked.

Fried Okra

Ingredients

10 pods okra, sliced in 1/4 inch pieces
1 egg, beaten
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions

In a small bowl, soak okra in egg for 5 to 10 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge okra in the flour mixture, coating evenly. Carefully place okra in hot oil; stir continuously. Reduce heat to medium when okra first starts to brown, and cook until golden. Drain on paper towels.

Minted French Green Beans

8 ounces haricots vert or other small, thin green beans (2 cups)
1 tablespoon minced shallot
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons snipped fresh mint
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Directions
Rinse beans. Trim tips off beans, if desired. Drain. Place a steamer basket in a large skillet. Add water to just below the bottom of basket.

Bring to boiling. Add beans. Cover. Steam for 2 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water. (Or, plunge into ice water.) Drain well.

In a mixing bowl toss beans with shallot, oil, and mint. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Serve as a salad or side dish. Makes 4 servings.

Tomato Mozzarella Skewers

1-1/2 pounds fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3 pounds grape tomatoes (about 100)
100 small to medium fresh basil leaves (4 cups)
50 6-inch wooden skewers
1 16-ounce bottle balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
Directions
Halve each cheese slice. Alternately thread 2 tomatoes, 2 cheese slices, and 2 basil leaves onto each wooden skewer. Arrange in two 3-quart rectangular baking dishes.

Drizzle dressing over the skewers. Cover and chill for 2 to 4 hours. To serve, arrange on a platter. Makes 50 servings.

Basil, Tomato, and Pasta Salad

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup slivered fresh basil
8 ounces dried pasta (such as rotini, bow ties, shells, cavatelli, or penne)
2 9-ounce packages frozen cut green beans
6 medium tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
1 cup sliced pitted kalamata olives or ripe olives
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup (3 oz.) finely shredded Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
Directions
For dressing, in a small bowl whisk together vinegar, mustard, pepper, and garlic. Gradually whisk in oil. Stir in the slivered basil. Set dressing aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan cook frozen beans according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again.

Toss one-third of the dressing with the cooked pasta; place pasta in the bottom of a very large salad bowl. Layer ingredients on top of the pasta in the following order: cooked green beans, tomatoes, and olives. Top with remaining dressing. Sprinkle with the basil leaves, the Parmesan cheese, and parsley. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours. To serve, toss lightly to combine. Makes 16 servings.

Stuffed Zucchini

2 medium zucchini (about 12 ounces total)
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking oil
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed, or 1 beaten egg
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Place, cut side down, in a microwave-safe 2-quart square baking dish. Micro-cook, covered, on 100 percent power (high) for 1-1/2 to 3 minutes or until nearly tender. (Or, cook in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes.) Scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell. Set shells aside. Finely chop the zucchini pulp; set aside.

In a medium saucepan cook onion in hot oil until tender but not brown. Add chopped zucchini; cook 1 minute more. Stir in flour, basil, and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Gradually add zucchini mixture to the egg product or egg. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Spoon mixture into zucchini shells; place in a 2-quart baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F. oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until filling is lightly browned. Makes 4 side-dish servings.

Grilled Tomato Melts

3 large tomatoes (about 8 oz. each) or a variety of smaller tomatoes (about 1-1/2 lb. total)
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1-1/2 cups)
1 small green, yellow, purple, or red sweet pepper, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Cut each tomato into 4 slices, about 1/2 inch thick. If using smaller tomatoes, halve each one. For each of 4 servings, arrange 3 tomato slices, overlapping slightly, in a foil-lined, 15x10x1-inch baking pan. (Or, if using smaller tomatoes, arrange in a single layer in a foil-lined,15x10x1-inch baking pan.) Sprinkle with shredded cheese, finely chopped pepper, and toasted almonds. Bake about 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Carefully lift with large metal spatula to individual plates, allowing excess juices to drain off.

To prepare on a grill, arrange ingredients as above in a shallow disposable foil pan. In a grill with a cover arrange medium-hot coals around the edge of the grill; test for medium heat above the center of the grill. Place the pan with the tomatoes in the center of the grill rack. Grill, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Makes 4 appetizer servings.

Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks

Canola oil cooking spray
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), cut into 1/2-by-3-inch sticks
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
Directions
Preheat oven to 475°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine flours, cornmeal, salt and pepper in a large sealable plastic bag. Dip zucchini in egg white, shake in the bag to coat, and arrange, not touching, on the baking sheet. Coat all exposed sides with cooking spray. Bake on the center rack for 7 minutes. Turn the zucchini and coat any floury spots with cooking spray. Continue to bake until golden and just tender, about 5 minutes more. Serve hot.