BAKED PITA CHIPS

Recipe originally submitted by Jenae Montoya

1 package baked pocketless pita bread
Extra virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt
Dried parsley, oregano, basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut stacked pita bread in to small triangle (pie) shapes. Put on a deep baking sheet/pan. Drizzle olive oil over pita and toss until fully coated. Arrange pita on bakin sheet. Sprinkled oiled pita with salt and herbs. Bake at 10 – 15 minutes or until desired brownness/crispiness. Enjoy with hummus or tziki sauce.

TZIKI SAUCE: Greek Yogurt Sauce

Recipe originally submitted by Jenae Montoya

1 tub plain yogurt
2 cups peeled and chopped cucumber
1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
Lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt
Pepper

Just combine all ingredients in a large bowl according to your taste. Enjoy with pita bread/chips, salad or meats

GREEK STYLE PASTA SALAD

Recipe originally submitted by Jenae Montoya

1 box “small” pasta (i.e.: bow tie, macaroni, rotini, mini shells, orzo…your choice)
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup garlic infused Greek green olives (Safeway)
½ cups chopped carrots
1 cup chopped cucumbers, peeled
1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 small package pine nuts, lightly dry pan toasted
1 package feta cheese, chopped or crumbled
Lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt
Pepper

Cut and chop veggies beforehand ( or while waiting for boiling water). Dry pan toast pine nuts. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta. Cook until al dente according to box directions. Drain past and run under cold water to cool. Ad veggies, lemon juice, olive oil, according to taste. Toss pasta and veggies with the feta cheese and pine nuts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with favorite meat or main dish.

PINEAPPLE ZUCCHINI CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Recipe originally submitted by Anne Ivie

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour (can use all white flour if you don’t have this)
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
freshly ground nutmeg, to taste (optional)
1 pinch ginger (optional)
2 whole large eggs
3 Tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups grated, unpeeled Zucchini
1 20oz.can crushed pineapple in juice, drained. Reserve juice.

FROSTING

2 Tablespoons butter, softened
8 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened. (can use full fat cream cheese)
2 cups powdered sugar, approx.
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Splash of milk or pineapple juice, if necessary
chopped walnuts or pecans, if necessary


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To prepare cake, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, coconut, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl: stir well with a wire whisk. Combine oil, eggs and vanilla; stir well. Stir egg mixture, grated zucchini, and pineapple into flour mixture. Batter will be stiff and dry but keep folding it and it will all come together. If it still seems too dry, just add a little splash of pineapple juice.

Spoon batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for about 33-3a5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs and cake is pulling away from sides of pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To prepare frosting, combine butter and cream cheese in a large bowl, Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla just until smooth. Add a splash of milk or pineapple juice if necessary. Spread frosting over top of cake. You can garnish with chopped pecans or walnuts, if desired.

Notes: If your zucchini is huge, scrape the seeds out of the center before you shred it so it's not too too watery. Also, I spread it out on layers of paper towel to drain it and dry it off a bit. Then I measure it out 2 cups. Not sure if this is critical, though Nuts can be added to the cake batter, if necessary this recipe makes a very generous amount of frosting. This recipe can be turned into a carrot cake just by substituting shredded carrots for the zucchini.

FRESH TOMATO, BASIL AND CHEESE PIZZA

Originally Submitted by Deena Callahan

1 14 ounce Italian cheese-flavored pizza crust
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ cup fresh, grated Parmesan cheese, divided
3 – 4 Roma tomatoes, cut into ¼ inch slices
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place pizza crust on a baking sheet. Brush crust with olive oil. Sprinkle with ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, leaving a ½ inch edge around edge of crust. Arrange tomato slices over cheese, overlapping edges. Top with garlic slices, remaining ¼ cup cheese, salt and pepper. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes or until crust is golden. Remove pizza to a cutting board, and top with fresh basil leaves. Slice in pieces.

LASAGNE

Originally Submitted by Sunny Ray

1 pound Sweet Italian sausage
1 pound ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
½ cup water
2 Tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon fennel seed
2 teaspoon fresh chopped basil (use less if dried)
4 Tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped (use less if dried)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon ground pepper
23 ounces Ricotta Cheese
½ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 egg
1 pound mozzarella cheese (grated)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
12 lasagna noodles

Brown the ground beef, Italian sausage, onions and garlic in a pot until they start to look brown. It takes about 6 to 9 minutes to brown the meat. I like to use a Dutch oven to cook this portion of the recipe. I use a medium low temperature to brown the meat. It is optional to remove the grease from the meat once it is finished browning, your choice.

Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water. Gently stir into the cooked meat.

Add the white sugar, fennel seed, basil, 2 Tablespoons Italian parsley, salt, Italian seasoning, and ground pepper. Gently stir these seasonings into the sauce. Cover the pot and let the meat sauce simmer

For 1 hour and thirty minutes.

Soak the lasagna noodles in hot tap water for 15 minutes.

While the noodles are soaking, you can make the cheese filling. To a mixing bowl add the ricotta cheese. Grate the fresh nutmeg over the ricotta cheese. Add the egg and the remaining 2 Tablespoons fresh Italian parsley. Mix these ingredients together with a spoon.

To build the lasagna layers use a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Spread 2 cups of meat sauce on the bottom of the pan. Remove the lasagna noodles out of the water bath. Shake water off wet noodles. Lay 6 noodles across the layer of sauce. Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the layer of noodles. Spread half of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta layer. Spread half of the Parmesan cheese over the mozzarella layer. Spread 2 cups of meat sauce over the cheese layer. Lay down the next layer of noodles. Spread the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, saving some cheese for the top of the lasagna. Put the last layer of meat sauce on the cheeses. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Cover the lasagna with foil. Bake in preheated oven a 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for approximately 15 minutes. Serves 12 people.

PINEAPPLE BARS

1 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup flour
1 cup pineapple
1 ½ cup shredded coconut
1 tablespoon butter
¾ cup sugar
3 Tablespoons corn starch

Combine brown sugar, flour, butter, coconut, and sugar until crumbly. Spread about 2/3 of the mixture in a 9 inch square pan. Set aside. In a saucepan combine lemon juice, pineapple, butter, and cornstarch. Bring to a boil while stirring over medium heat. Cool slightly. Spread over bottom layer. Cover with remaining crumbs, pressing down with your hand. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cut while warm.

BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Originally Submitted by Donna Workman

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 slices bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 (28 ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes
1 large onion, minced
6 ounces tomato sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup dry white wine
1 pound lean ground beef
½ cup chicken stock
½ pound ground pork
½ teaspoon dried basil ( can substitute 2 Teaspoons chopped fresh basil)
½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 carrots, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound pasta

In a large skillet, warm oil over medium heat and sauté bacon, onion, and garlic until bacon is crisp; set aside

In large saucepan, brown beef and pork. Drain off excess fat. Stir in bacon mixture, mushrooms, celery, carrots, tomatoes, tomato sauce, wine, stock, basil, oregano, salt and pepper to saucepan. Cover, reduce heat and simmer one hour, stirring occasionally.

Bring a large pot of slightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 8 – 10 minutes or until al dente: drain. Serve sauce over hot pasta. Makes about 9 servings.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER SALAD

Originally Submitted by Shauna Cooke:

2 Cans whole kernel corn (drained)
2 cans black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
¾ cup thinly sliced green onions
1/3 cup olive or vegetable oil
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin

In a large bowl, combine the corn, beans, tomatoes, and the onions. In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients; add to corn mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with a slotted spoon. Yield: 8 – 10 servings.