Lemon Squares

Continuing on yesterday’s theme of family recipes, I didn’t make these lemon squares either, but they are so awesome that I wanted to share. And for the readers who have been asking for more recipes with ‘real flour’ and ‘real sugar’, this is one for you!

2 c. flour, sifted
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 c. confectioners sugar
4 eggs
4 T flour, sifted
4 T lemon juice
1 t baking powder
2 c. sugar

Melt butter in a glass dish. Mix in 2 cups sifted flour and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, and then press mixture firmly into a 13×9 glass dish. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350F until the bottom is light brown.

Beat together eggs and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, and then pour mixture on top of hot crust. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350F. Cool, and cut into squares. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

Mom’s Potato Salad

There’s nothing especially complicated about this recipe for potato salad, but it is much better when made a day ahead. My Mom recommends Yukon Gold potatoes, which are boiled whole. And you should definitely use your favorite Italian salad dressing, perhaps something like Kraft Good Seasons mix made with plenty of red wine vinegar. She will only use Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise, but be careful not to add too much since the flavor really comes from the salad dressing. I am biased of course, but this is my favorite potato salad.

2 lbs. potatoes
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
1 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1/4 c. Italian salad dressing
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

Boil potatoes in a covered pot for 30-35 minutes until tender. Drain, cool, and peel. Cut into cubes and combine in a bowl with onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix with Italian salad dressing. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

Just before serving, add mayonnaise. Toss until coated, and stir in eggs. Sprinkle with paprika and serve either cold or room temperature.

Basil Parmesan Dip

I brought this dip to my annual family picnic, inspired by the basil plant in my parent’s backyard.

I used this recipe from Cooking Light which was very easy to put together. I liked the combination of basil, Parmesan, and lemon juice. While this worked fine as a dip, it also might be good as a spread, maybe for a tomato sandwich on fresh Italian bread?

Lemon Garlic Hummus

It is so easy and economical to make your own hummus. This recipe doesn’t include tahini, and some may not consider it a proper hummus, but I think the lemon and garlic work well. You can also control the texture in your food processor and leave just a few lumps. Here it is served with carrots, cucumbers, and…..whole wheat toast. I was out of pita!

1 c. chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 t minced garlic
1 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
1 T apple cider vinegar

Blend in food processor until the desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Veggie Nachos

My original plan when I came home from the produce market was to put together a nice traditional ratatouille. Except what I really wanted was nachos! Oh, you’ve never eaten nachos with eggplant before? Me neither, but it was pretty good. And of course I didn’t have tortilla chips in the house either, so I made some by cutting a wrap into triangles and putting them in the toaster oven for 10 minutes.

1 T olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 zucchini, diced
1 eggplant, peeled and diced
10 mushrooms, sliced
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 T chili powder
Dash cayenne pepper

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms and cook until softened, about 20-25 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, chili powder and cayenne and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through. Serve on your choice of tortilla chips, topped with shredded cheddar.

Pumpkin Flax Muffins

I was excited to use my newly purchased flax, and wanted to try this recipe from Angela at Oh She Glows. I substituted 3/4 c. canned pumpkin for the banana because, well, all the bananas had been used to make ice cream! My sister added the chocolate chips which was a nice touch.

The muffins were good, but they were fairly dense. I would have preferred something a little bit sweeter, but using banana would probably help that. I do think these would be great for traveling since they are compact and nutritious.

Potato Vegetable Frittata

Frittatas are a great way of using assorted leftover produce. I threw this one together and it came out pretty well. The broccolini seemed to float to the top and brown in the oven, which was a nice touch.

1 T olive oil
3 small potatoes, diced finely
1/2 c. diced scallions
4 eggs, beaten
2/3 c. milk
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c. chopped broccolini
Salt
Pepper

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, and saute potatoes and scallions for 20 minutes, until softened. In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk, and Parmesan cheese. Add broccolini, potato mixture, and a dash of salt and pepper.

Coat a 9″ pie plate with cooking spray. Pour potato and egg mixture into the pie plate and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350F.

Cantaloupe Salsa

When I saw this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, I realized I hadn’t purchased a cantaloupe all summer, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I added cucumber based on her reader suggestions, and kept the heat to a minimum with just a dash of cayenne pepper. This was definitely a refreshing salsa on a hot day, with a nice balance of sweet, sour, and spicy. I meant to add fresh basil leaves, which I think would make a nice addition next time.

1/2 large cantaloupe, diced
1/2 medium cucumber, diced
1/4 c. diced scallions
Juice of 1 lime
Dash of cayenne pepper
Dash of salt

Place cantaloupe, cucumber, and scallions in a bowl. Add lime juice, cayenne, and salt and gently toss.

Banana Soft Serve Ice Cream

OK, maybe it wasn’t fair to promise everyone banana ice cream without mentioning that it was both vegan and raw. But as Gena at Choosing Raw points out, it’s the kind of recipe that wins people over. There are no fancy ingredients, just frozen chunks of ripe banana. That’s it! You put them in a food processor, and blend until you get the consistency of soft serve.

Unfortunately, the geriatric food processor started to get stuck, and the only way to unstick it was to add some liquid, and next thing you know there was a splash of milk in there. The machine really got going, and then the final product appeared. It was no longer raw or vegan, but I got the point – this was fantastic ice cream! Whether you are looking to go raw or vegan or lactose-free, or just want to turn those ripe bananas into an awesome summer dessert, I urge you to give this a try. And if you serve the ice cream over a brownie as shown here, I promise not to tell.