Pear Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette

2 bags mixed baby greens (or Spring Mix)

2 pears: peeled,  thinly sliced

1 cup sunflower, shelled and roasted or toasted pine nuts
1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or Feta cheese
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
8 ounces shaved fresh Parmesan cheese

Toss greens on a serving plater, sunflower seeds, Gorgonzola, oranges, and red onions gently.  Carefully arrange the pear slices over the top of greens.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Serve with vinaigrette on the side.

Blueberry Vinaigrette
1/2 cup blueberry vinegar* or white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup oil

Put in the blender and then add poppy seeds.  Serve with salad.

*To make blueberry vinegar:
1 cup blueberries
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 small bay leaf

Place blueberries in a small saucepan and mash with a potato masher. Add white wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, and bay leaf to pan, and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 4 hours.  Strain mixture through fine sieve, and discard solids.  Cover and chill.

Sweet Potato Soup

Jamica

HW 2012

4 T. olive oil

½ cup butter

4 medium yellow onions (6 c.)

8 celery ribs (2 c.)

6 garlic cloves

4 jalapeno peppers, roasted or 4 tsp. chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

2 tsp. dried basil

2 tsp. ground cumin

4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. black pepper

5-6 med. Sweet potatoes (8c.)

16 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or water and chicken bouillon will work too)

6 bay leaves

1 bunch fresh cilantro

6-7 limes

(I think this recipe is doubled)

Stuffed French Toast

Jamica

HW 2012

French bread 2-3 loafs

Cream cheese 2 blocks

Honey (about 1 cup)

Eggs

Sesame Green Beans

By Jamica

HW 2012

2-3 lbs Fresh Green Beans

1 stick butter

½ cup soy sauce

3 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Perfect Salad

Perfect Salad
Jamica, HW 2012

Romaine Lettuce  16 cups total (2-3 heads, depending on how big they are)

Purple onion x1

Cucumbers x2

Kalamata Olives 1 ½ cups

Pasta 24 oz. (fun shape… about 1 inch)

Feta Cheese 1 cup

                                    

Dressing                 

12 oz plain Greek yogurt

4 large strips of roasted bell pepper (the kind in a bottle)        

1 large Shallot

½ cup olive oil

6 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp white vinegar

1 Tbsp salt

8 fresh basil leaves (1 ½ Tbsp of the basil paste from the refrigerated section)

Jalepeno Popper Dip

HW 2012

Serve this with nacho chips, pita chips, sliced, toasted baguette - you name it. We had it with Trader Joe's Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips (or something like that).

Jalapeño Popper Dip
from annies-eats.com

Ingredients:
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 (4 oz.) can diced jalapeño peppers, drained
½ cup shredded Mexican style cheese
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cooking spray

Directions: 
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.  In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, green chiles, jalapeños, and shredded cheeses.  Mix thoroughly with a spoon or spatula until smooth and evenly combined.  Spread the mixture into a baking dish (approximately 9 x 9-inches).

In a second bowl, combine the Panko and Parmesan and stir with a fork until combined.   Sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture in the baking dish.  Spray lightly with cooking spray.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and the topping is golden.  Serve warm with baguette slices, vegetables, etc. as desired.

Here is the link:

http://www.annies-eats.com/2010/10/21/jalapeno-popper-dip/