Fudge Cookies

These cookies are one of my favorites.  They have a slightly crispy outside and a fudgy interior.  You can under-bake them for a more gooey texture or you can bake them a little longer for a crispier cookie.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons room temperature butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon milk
Powdered sugar for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

Beat butter with sugar until fluffy.

Add 1 egg and vanilla and beat well.

Add cocoa, flour, baking powder and milk and beat well.  Dough will be very sticky.  Scrape bowl with spatula so all dough will be in center of bowl.  With a tablespoon scoop dough and place on ungreased cookie sheet.  You should get approximately 14 cookies.  Dust cookies with powdered sugar.  Press cookies into rounder shape (like the shape pictured) with your fingers.  Bake in middle rack of oven until top of cookies cracks or about 9 minutes.

Oven Wedges

I like having oven wedges instead of fries because they are lower in fat and calories, and you don't use tons of oil.  You can dip them in ketchup or eat them as is.  They go perfectly with a homemade hamburger or as a side dish to any meal.

INGREDIENTS

3 red potatoes, scrubbed well and boiled for 10 minutes
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1/2 tablespoon oregano
1 medium yellow onion, sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

After boiling potatoes, slice into wedges.  Pre-heat oven to 425 F.  Spray cookie sheet with 2 sprays of Pam and drizzle with olive oil. Place sliced potatoes and onions onto cookie sheet and season.  Mix together and place in oven on bottom rack.  Flip after golden brown on one side and bake until other side is golden brown.

Quinoa Salad with Tangy Dressing

Quinoa Salad

Tangy Dressing

This quinoa salad is a different take on tabbouleh, but is just as healthy and in my opinion, even more delicious, especially with the tangy dressing drizzled on it.  The quinoa will help fill you up because of its high protein and fiber content.  The salad also looks pretty with all the colors of the complementing each other.


INGREDIENTS

For Salad

2 small cucumbers, cut into cubes
2 small tomatoes, cut into cubes
2 bunches green onions
2 bunches parsley
1 medium red onion, diced
1 small green pepper cut into small pieces
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed

For Quinoa

1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt

For Dressing

3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sumac (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

For Salad

Cook quinoa in 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat until water is absorbed.  Put 1 cup cooked quinoa over the salad ingredients and mix together.

For Dressing

Mix all ingredients together.  Serve on the side so each person can put as much dressing as they want.

Spicy Chicken in Tomato Sauce

This chicken has a slightly crispy outside, but is tender inside.  The spices and tomato sauce give it a rich flavor.  It goes perfectly with rice or pasta and it's super easy to make, especially if you're short on time.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken

4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 yellow onion, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon ginger root, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoon tomato sauce
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup water

INSTRUCTIONS

For the chicken

In a bowl, beat eggs and add flour, corn starch, water, salt, and pepper.  Beat with a whisk until combined.

Cut the chicken into cubes and cover each piece with the egg mixture.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan and add chicken pieces.  Brown chicken and cook through.

For the sauce

Heat olive oil and add onions, garlic, and ginger.  Stir until light brown.

Add tomato sauce, vinegar, salt, black pepper, cumin and red pepper flakes.  Stir together and then add soy sauce and chicken broth.  Finally, add the dissolved cornstarch and stir until starch thickens.  Add the chicken to sauce and stir.  Remove from heat and serve.

Pizza with a Mediterranean Twist

I love pizza, but I'm always disappointed when I order a pizza and find the crust is soggy or that there are hardly any toppings on the pizza so I decided to make my own, my way.  I think you'll enjoy homemade pizza even more than ordering out.  You control the crust and add what you want and as much as you want.  Below is my pizza recipe, which I've given a Mediterranean twist.  I've used feta cheese and 2 types of Mediterranean meats.  One meat is called soujouk and it is a spicy, dry sausage and the other is basturma, which is a highly seasoned, air-dried cured beef.  You can find these at your local ethnic market.  However, if you can't find them, you can leave them off and the pizza tastes just as good.  

INGREDIENTS

Dough

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil

Toppings

1 green pepper sliced
1 red pepper sliced
1 yellow onion sliced
1 tomato sliced
8 pieces soujouk, cooked
8 pieces basturma
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
12 pitted black olives
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese (or as much as you want to add)
Ragu Tomato sauce (use as much as needed to spread over crust)

INSTRUCTIONS

Dough

Add yeast, honey, and oil to the warm water and stir.  Let stand for 5 minutes.

Add salt to flour and then add the water mixture.  Knead for 5 minutes .  I use a KitchenAid mixer to make the kneading easier.  Form a ball and put in a bowl lightly coated with olive oil and turn the ball a couple of times in the bowl.  Cover with a towel and place in warm area.  Let stand for 1 hour.

Toppings

In a non-stick pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Season the vegetables by adding 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt, black pepper and oregano.  Sautee vegetables until they are soft and there is no more water in the veggies.

Sauteeing the vegetables will prevent your crust from getting soggy when the vegetables are added on top of it.

Making the Pizza

Pre-heat oven to 450 F.  To assemble the pizza, roll the dough over a floured surface and make a circle.  Place on a pizza pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray such as Pam.  I recommend using the Food Network's pizza pan.  It allows the crust to bake evenly and makes it crispy.

Add the Ragu sauce to cover the surface of pizza and then add all of your toppings.  Place on bottom rack of oven and bake about 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  I recommend checking on the crust frequently so that you get it exactly to your liking.

***PIZZA CRUST TIP***
For a thinner, crispier crust follow these steps:

After letting dough stand for 1 hour in a warm place, put dough in a plastic bag and seal bag.  Refrigerate for 48 hours.  Remove from fridge and let stand for 1 hour before rolling it out and baking.