Red Pepper sauce for Cauliflower

Almonds 1/2 cup roasted

Crusty Bread 2 slices with 4 garlic cloves roasted

IN a blender:

roasted nuts

roasted garlic 

3/4 of the toasted bread

2 tablespoons of red vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

salt and peper 

Chop the remaining nuts and bread to top on the sauce when covering the veggie

 Cranberry Jalapeño Cream Cheese Dip

12 ounces fresh cranberries

4 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 jalapeño peppers seeded and finely diced

1 cup sugar, I use less

1/2 tea cumin ground

2 TBS lemon juice

1/4 salt

2- 8OZ cream cheese softened

Crackers

Pulse the cranberries in food processor or blender until coarsely chopped. Add green onions, cilantro, jalapeño, sugar, cumin, lemon juice and salt and pulse until the ingredients are well combined and finely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a covered container and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight so the flavors have time to meld and develop.

When ready to serve, spread the cream cheese in an even layer on a serving plate or 9 in pie dish. Top with the cranberry jalapeño mixture 

Serve with crackers-

 

TWO-CHEESE ORZO WITH CAULIFLOWER

• 2

  TABLESPOONS  EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

• 1

  MEDIUM SHALLOT, MINCED

• 2

  MEDIUM GARLIC CLOVES, THINLY SLICED

• KOSHER SALT AND GROUND BLACK PEPPER

• 1

  2-POUND HEAD CAULIFLOWER, TRIMMED AND CUT INTO ½-INCH PIECES

• 8

  OUNCES (1¼ CUPS) ORZO

• 3¾

  CUPS LOW-SODIUM VEGETABLE BROTH, DIVIDED, PLUS MORE IF NEEDED

• 2

  OUNCES SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE, SHREDDED (1 CUP)

• 2

  TEASPOONS GRATED LEMON ZEST, PLUS 2 TABLESPOONS LEMON JUICE

• 1

  OUNCE PARMESAN CHEESE, FINELY GRATED (½ CUP), PLUS MORE TO SERVE

• ½

  CUP LIGHTLY PACKED FRESH FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY, ROUGHLY CHOPPED

DIRECTIONS

1. 01

   In a large Dutch oven over medium, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the shallot, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, until starting to brown, about 1 minute. Add the cauliflower and cook, stirring, until lightly browned in spots, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the orzo and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in 2 cups of the broth and ½ teaspoon pepper; bring to a simmer over medium-high. Cook, uncovered and stirring, until the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add 1½ cups of the remaining broth and simmer, stirring, until the liquid is again absorbed, the orzo is al dente and the cauliflower is tender-crisp, about 5 minutes.
2. 02

   Stir in the remaining ¼ cup broth. Add the cheddar; stir until melted. Remove the pot from the heat. If the “orzotto” is dry and thick, stir in additional broth a few tablespoons at a time to reach the desired consistency. Stir in the lemon zest and juice, Parmesan and half of the parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with the remaining parsley and additional Parmesan.

  Curry Udon

Ingredients

• ▢ 400 g udon noodleshomemade or bought
• ▢ 3 cups dashi stock(750ml / 25.36floz), sub chicken stock 
• ▢ 200 g beef mince
• ▢ 1 Japanese curry roux (approx 100g / 3.5oz), homemade or store bought
• ▢ 1 onion chopped
• ▢ 1-2 spring onion chopped
• ▢ 1 tbsp vegetable oil for cooking

Instructions

• Place a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add the vegetable oil, then toss in the onion and fry for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add beef minceand continue to fry for 3-5 minutes until browned.
  1 onion, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 200 g beef mince
• Pour in the dashi stock and bring to the boil. Add in the udon noodles and boil for a couple of minutes to cook and soften (frozen udon will take a couple more minutes). Use a chopstick to jiggle and gently loosen as they cook.
  3 cups dashi stock, 400 g udon noodles
• Break up the curry roux, adding in a few pieces at a time until you're happy with the thickness. Stir through gently to melt and thicken.
  1 Japanese curry roux
• Serve immediately while nice and hot! Garnish withspring onion.
  1-2 spring onion

 Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound of sliced fresh button mushrooms, reserve 1 cup for garnish 
4 tablespoons of butter without salt
2 cups of diced onions
2 teaspoons of dried dill
1 tablespoon of sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 cup of whole milk
1/2 cup of sour cream
2 cups of vegetable broth
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1/5 cup of chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, melt the unsalted butter over medium heat.

2. Add diced onions and sauté until they become translucent.

3. Stir in sliced mushrooms (excluding the reserved 1 cup) and cook until they release moisture and start to brown.

4. Sprinkle dried dill weed, Hungarian sweet paprika, and soy sauce over the mushroom mixture. Stir to combine.

5. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.

6. In a separate bowl, whisk together cornstarch and a small amount of cold water to create a smooth paste. Add this mixture to the pot, stirring continuously until the soup thickens.

7. Pour in the whole milk and let the soup simmer for a few more minutes.

8. Reduce the heat to low and add sour cream and lemon juice, stirring until well blended.

9. Season the soup with salt and ground black pepper, adjusting to taste.

10. In a separate pan, sauté the reserved 1 cup of sliced mushrooms until they are golden and set them aside for garnish.

11. Ladle the soup into serving bowls, and garnish each bowl with the sautéed mushrooms and chopped parsley.

12. Serve the Hungarian mushroom soup warm and enjoy!

Baked Caramelized Onion Dip with Gruyere Cheese

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups caramelized onions (RECIPE BELOW) ~3 large onions
• ▢ ½ cup Mayo
• ▢ ½ cup Sour Cream
• ▢ 1 ½ cups shredded Gruyere cheese divided
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
• ▢ A few grinds of Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Combine caramelized onions, mayo, sour cream, 1 cup of shredded cheese, garlic powder and pepper in an oven safe dish and stir to combine.
• Top with ½ cup of shredded cheese.
• Bake in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. The cheese should brown slightly.
• Let cool for five minutes then serve with tortilla chips, or crusty bread.
  
  
  CARMALIZED ONIONS

  Ingredients

  • ▢ 3 large onions
  • ▢ 2 tablespoon butter or oil
  • ▢ ¼ cup water wine, or balsamic vinegar

  Instructions

  • Cut off ends of onion, cut in half from root to tip, and proceed to slice from root to tip in ¼" cuts.
  • Melt butter and/or oil in saute pan on medium heat.
  • Add onion and toss to coat completely in butter.
  • Let saute for thirty minutes, stirring occasionally. Don't stir too often or the onions won't brown quickly. Stir when they are starting to brown, but not burning. Be sure to scrap fond off the bottom of the pan as well when stirring to incorporate it into the onions.
  • Once onions begin to turn brown you may need to drop the heat to low to prevent burning and ensure even caramelization.
  • When the onions are caramelized to your liking, deglaze the fond with water (or wine or balsamic vinegar for more flavor) and stir into the onions.
  • Let liquid evaporate and remove the caramelized onions from the pan.
    Notes
    Using only butter works, but can cause the onions to burn more easily. I typically add half butter and half oil.