Ingredients:

1 lb. cheese tortellini
3 T butter
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tomato, diced
1 T basil
2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat remaining ingredients in a medium skillet. Cook for several minutes, until the vinegar starts to reduce and the tomatoes break down a little.
3. Remove from heat and add the tortellini, tossing well until they are all coated. Serve with Parmesan cheese.
4. Makes about four servings.

1 pound dry yellow split peas or lentils
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 T olive oil
2 T curry powder
1 T ginger, powdered
1 T cumin, powdered
1 T turmeric
2 T mild green chilies
1 T lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
3 chicken bouillon cubes
2 quarts water

The easy method: combine all in crock pot, cook on low until done (8 hours or so?).

The better method: combine the celery, carrot, onion and garlic in a T of unsalted butter. Sauté a bit, until the onion is slightly translucent, then add to all the other ingredients and cook as above. This will give you a little added flavor through the sautéing of the vegetables, and sort of a nod to ghee with the unsalted butter. This recipe makes a mild dal, and can easily be “heated” considerably by using a hot curry powder or hotter peppers.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

* 2 cups water
* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
* 1 cup quinoa
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 2 medium ripe tomatoes
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 2 tablespoons fresh mint
* 1 1/2 cups parsley, coarsely chopped
* 1 cup scallion, chopped (or 1/2 lg. onion)
* salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Place quinoa in a colander and rinse several times rubbing the grains together to remove the bitter outer layer.
2. Place water and quinoa into a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until all water has been absorbed.
3. While the quinoa is cooking, finely chop the tomatoes, parsley, garlic, and scallions. Add lemon juice, olive oil and fresh mint to the tomato mixture.
4. Stir in cooked quinoa and salt. Mix well.
5. Let tabouli sit in the refrigerator for a day to blend flavors.
6. Tabouli is traditionally served at room temperature so remove from fridge 30 to 60 minutes before serving.

Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
* 1 (32 ounce) carton chicken broth
* 1 cup red lentils
* 1 large carrot, diced
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
* 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
* 1 pinch chili powder

Directions

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion has turned golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon of chili powder. Cook and stir 2 minutes more until the spices are fragrant.
2. Stir in the chicken broth, lentils, and carrot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.
3. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Do not puree all of the soup, leave it a little chunky.
4. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro, then season to taste with salt. Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of chili powder to serve.

This is a short article, but as a foodie (and garlic lover), I couldn’t resist sharing. A clip:

They’re serving it—French baguette style—at Ca Va, the new Todd English joint in the InterContinental Hotel on 44th Street, as well as at Lavo, the Southern Italian restaurant on 58th Street that sits above the nightclub of the same name.

A Lavo spokeswoman said that managers originally planned to nix the caloric carbohydrate out of concern that customers wouldn’t want to eat garlic bread before they ventured downstairs to party. (Presumably, it would make finding someone to go home with a little more difficult.) But at preview dinners, patrons praised the bread as a highlight of the menu.

Please consider clicking on one or more of the following sponsors to support this site. The complete article is located at the link below.

The Tasty Return of Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

• 100g unsalted cashew nuts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, grated
• ½ small leek, chopped
• 100g mushrooms, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• ¼ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 100g cooked brown rice (50g uncooked)
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 40g gruyere cheese, grated
• 50g fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 egg yolk
• flour, for dusting
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, for frying

Directions:

1. In a preheated 350 degree oven, roast the cashew nuts on a baking sheet for 8-10 minutes. Watch them closely, for they brown fast.

2. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and saute the onion, leek, mushroom, garlic and thyme until the vegetables are soft and the liquid has evaporated. Add the rice and cook for 1 minute.

3. Pulse the cashews in a food processor a few times until they are coarsely chopped. Add to the vegetable/rice mixture with the rest of the ingredients.

4. Form into patties and refrigerate for at least an hour.

5. Dredge the patties with a small amount of flour and saute in the sunflower oil in a non-stick pan, about 3 minutes to a side.

6. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 lbs squash or 1 3/4 lbs pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cubed
1 1/8 lbs tomatoes, quartered
2 garlic cloves, quartered
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 red chili peppers, desseded and chopped
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
7 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, hot
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1) Place the pumpkin, tomatoes and garlic in a roasting tin. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper, and roast for about 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven. If the pumpkin isn't tender, cook for a few more minutes.

2) Add the chili peppers, ginger, sugar and broth, and cook for another 20 minutes.

3) Puree or mash up with a potato masher (depending on what consistency you're looking for).

4) Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2-1 cup beef TVP, reconstituted
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup green chilis, chopped
3/4 cup rice
1 1/2 cup water
2 chicken bullion cubes
1 small tomato, chopped
herbs/spices: cumin, chili powder, paprika, pepper, bay leaf, oregano, hot sauce

Instructions:

Saute the TVP, onion, garlic and green chilis in a little olive oil until the onions start to turn translucent. Add the
rice and stir so the rice soaks up some of the flavored oil. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, then turn
down to a simmer, cover, and let cook until all the liquid is absorbed, stirring once or twice as it cooks.

A note on the herbs/spices: Do these to taste. Recommended-ish: 1/2 T cumin, 1/2 T chili powder, 1/2 t paprika, dash of
pepper, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 t oregano, dash of hot sauce

“Prices started to surge around September,” said Zhao Fangling, the general manager of a garlic processing company in Shandong’s Jinxiang county.

“Garlic was so cheap in the previous two years that some of it was just dumped as trash. Farmers lost money and stopped planting it so supplies dropped by 30-40 per cent,” he said.

The bulbs have been given a boost partly due to renewed fears over swine flu, as traditional Chinese doctors have recommended garlic as protection from A(H1N1) influenza.

While it is commonly used in Chinese medicine, flu experts caution that there is no scientific proof that garlic is an effective way to ward off H1N1 flu. That said, pass the pesto — it sure couldn’t hurt.

Source: The West Australian