Fennel Salad with Cumin Citrus Dressing

Every few weeks or so, I'll randomly pick something, usually produce, that I've either never cooked with, or haven't used in a long time. This week, it was fennel. I've used it before in my marinated olives recipe, but that's the extent of my fennel knowledge. I do love the fresh flavor of it, and wanted to use it in its raw state.

I wanted to do a salad and contrast some interesting flavors, and this salad was born. The cumin citrus dressing is lovely with the fennel, but would be great on just about any salad. The arugula and watercress add a nice bitter flavor, and contrast well with the sweetness of the dressing.



Fennel Salad with Cumin Citrus Dressing
Grated zest of one orange
3 tbsp freshly-squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp freshly-squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp cumin
Freshly ground pepper
1 large bulb fennel, white part only, sliced thinly
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced or diced
6 radishes, thinly sliced
Watercress
Arugula

Combine juices, zest, oil, cumin, and pepper, and whisk well. Set aside. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl, toss with dressing, and serve.

Sesame Nut Cookies

For those faithful readers of 28 Cooks, you know that I'm not a huge dessert person. I'm not a big fan of pies, cakes, or pastries. If I were to be tempted by something, it would definitely be freshly baked cookies. My 2 favorite cookies are Snickerdoodles and Oatmeal Raisin, and I think I just found my third.

This recipe is based on one that came from Dr. Weil's email newsletters. It's a perfect cookie, with enough flavor and sweetness where you feel like you're eating dessert, yet is still loaded with plenty of healthy things, like heart-healthy olive oil, some silken tofu, flax seed meal, and raw nuts. (And for those tofu-phobes, I promise you can't eve taste it and will forget it's even there) I also love this recipe because it doesn't make 47 dozen cookies, and will literally take 10 minutes to make the dough, and 10 minutes to bake.

These would be the perfect cookie for an afternoon tea party, or when you get that sweet craving about 2:00pm at work. Either way, enjoy these!



Sesame Nut Cookies
Yield - 2 dozen cookies

3/4 c unbleached white flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c flax seed meal
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 c toasted sesame seeds
3/4 c raw cashews, diced (or any nut)
4 oz silken tofu
1/2 c olive oil
3/4 c light brown sugar
2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all dry ingredients, from flour to cashews, in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mash tofu with remaining ingredients. With a spatula, add the wet ingredients into dry, and combine well. Roll dough into 1" balls, and flatten with hands. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. (Cookies do not spread much during baking, so feel free to place fairly close together) Place into preheated oven, and bake 10 minutes, until edges and bottom start to brown. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire cooling rack.

Cumin Pastries

Since I'm such a huge fan of dips and spreads, I often need something other than crackers and pita chips to dip into them. Like my polenta crackers, these are super quick to make, and have a different flavor than the normal crispies you are used to.

Since the recipe is so basic, it's open to literally any translation you can come up with. You can substitute poppy seeds or flax seeds for the cumin seeds or add in some fresh garlic or other seasonings. No matter how you make them, you can have these on the table in under 20 minutes.



Cumin Pastries
1 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp cumin seed, toasted
1/3 c water (or more if needed)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add water, and combine to form an elastic dough. Be careful not to overmix!
Roll out dough to 1/4" thick, and cut into 1" diamonds or squares. Place on ungreased baking sheet or preheated baking stone. Place in oven, and bake 15 minutes, until slightly brown. If desired, brush with melted butter upon removing from the oven.
Allow to cool slightly and serve.

Indian Spinach Dip

This recipe is based on the Indian Spinach Dip recipe that was featured in this month's edition of Vegetarian Times. When I read the recipe, I knew right away I wanted to try it, since it features a few of my favorite things. I absolutely adore avocados and fresh spinach, and of course anything with curry and ginger intrigues me. It's a lovely full flavored dip for fresh veggies, or serve it as a dressing over a fresh salad. It's also tasty with pita chips or tortilla chips.



Indian Spinach Dip
4 cups fresh spinach (about 6 oz)
1 large avocado
1/2 c plain yogurt
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp fresh ginger, minced
dash chili powder
dash cayenne pepper
dash cumin

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Chill for an hour, and then serve.

Spinach Salad with Cinnamon Dressing

Nothing says "spring is here" like a tasty summer salad topped with fresh fruit. One of my favorites has always been the traditional spinach salad, which typically comes with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing, red onion, and mandarin oranges.

When I was gifted with some lovely strawberries earlier in the week by my mother, I knew I wanted to use them on a salad. Here's my take on the traditional spinach salad, except accented with fresh strawberries, shaved parmesan, and a lovely cinnamon vinaigrette.



Spinach Salad with Cinnamon Vinaigrette
1 bag fresh spinach leaves
1 (11oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 pint strawberries, washed, stemmed, and sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Parmesan cheese

Vinaigrette
1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Combine all dressing ingredients and whisk well. Drizzle over salad, and toss to coat. Shave fresh parmesan over salad. Serve and enjoy!

Cheese Bites

While I normally prefer to cook items that take some work in the kitchen, building complex flavors with multiple ingredients, I'm also a fan of something I can whip together and throw out on the table in a few minutes. But even more than that, I love recipes that can be changed 1,000 different ways, depending on what I have on hand, or what I want it to accompany.

This is one of those recipes. It literally takes 15 minutes from start to finish, tastes amazingly delicious, and can be changed to suit your needs. I've made these with a Mexican slant, in honor of Cinco De Mayo, but that's just the beginning. Throw in scallions, ginger, and soy for an Asian flair, throw in some fresh asiago or fontina cheese with some herbes de provence for a Parisian snack, or just add garlic, cracked black pepper, and aged cheddar. No matter how you make them, you'll be delighted.



Cheese Bites
1 cup flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 cups shredded cheese
1 egg, beaten (or egg substitute)
1/2 c soymilk (or cow milk)
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, cheese, and chilies in a bowl. In a small bowl, beat egg and milk together. Add to bowl with dry ingredients, and combine well. Drop by teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheet. Place in preheated oven, and bake 10-15 minutes, until done.
Allow to cool on a cooling rack for a few minutes before serving.

3 Bean Dip

I was just talking to a coworker this week about how much I adore beans. I could eat them any time of day for days on end. I especially love cold bean dishes, and am always trying new variations of bean dips.

Thankfully, AJ, who is a contributor to one of the vegetarian lists I belong to, shared her delicious recipe for her Hot and Spicy 3-Bean Dip. I switched it up just a tad based on what I had on hand, and ended up with the most delicious bean dip I've ever had.

With summer coming, you'll want to have plenty of quick recipes just like this to take to cookouts and get-togethers. This would be fantastic with chips, crackers, or even rolled up in tortillas or large lettuce leaves.



3-Bean Dip
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves garlic
1/2 c minced onion
1/2 c minced green or red bell pepper
1/4 c fresh cilantro, minced
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
3 tbsp lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

You can either place all ingredients in a food processor, and blend until smooth. I personally like more texture, so I simply mashed the beans with a potato masher, and then added the rest of the ingredients.
Allow to chill in the refrigerator for an hour or so for flavors to make friends.