Middle Eastern lamb stew

Although this stew can be made by just throwing all the ingredients into the slow cooker and letting it simmer for the day (still adding the chickpeas and spinach at the end), it will be much more flavorful if you've got the time to brown the meat and cook the spices first!

Middle Eastern Lamb Stew
Olive oil
1 to 1 1/2 lb lamb meat
2 t cumin seeds
2 t coriander
Cayenne pepper to taste
Salt & pepper
Onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 c stock
20 oz can of chickpeas
6 to 8 oz spinach

Brown the lamb in the olive oil. Add the spices, onions, and garlic and cook until softened. Place mixture in slow cooker over medium heat and add the tomatoes and stock, allowing to cook for 3 to 5 hours, until the lamb is very tender.

Just before serving, mash up about 1/2 the chickpeas with a fork and stir both mashed and whole chickpeas into the stew. Add the spinach and serve.

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Pear and blue cheese pizza

This is an unusual but delicious pizza pie, especially appropriate for the fall. It will only take about 30 minutes to make.

Pear & Blue Cheese Pizza

For each pizza pie:

Olive oil
Onion, thinly sliced halves
Balsamic vinegar
1 t dried sage
Salt & pepper
Pizza shell
Pear, cored and sliced very thin
1/3 c walnuts, chopped
1/2 c Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Cook onions in oil until they begin to brown. Lower heat and continue to cook until very soft. Stir in the Balsamic vinegar, sage, and the salt and pepper. Spread the onions out on the pizza shell. Top with pear slices, walnuts, and cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or so at 400, until the cheese is melted.

Cauliflower with Gruyere sauce

Gruyere makes a really nice smooth cheese sauce. You can mix in other cheeses if you'd like, but I like this one just as is. Experiment with using different colors of cauliflower for fun.

Cauliflower with Gruyere Sauce

Large head of cauliflower, cut up into bite-sized pieces.
1 c milk
4 t flour
1/2 c Gruyere cheese, shredded
Fresh chives, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper

Steam or microwave the cauliflower until tender. Whisk the flour with a little milk until smooth. Heat the rest of the milk to a low simmer in a large saucepan. Stir in the flour mixture and cook until it thickens. Stir in cheese and spices. Add the cauliflower to the pot and turn to coat.

Earl Grey ice cream

This is one of the most unlikely flavors I think I've ever heard of for ice cream, but the result is an amazingly tasty mix. It's subtle, but creamy and delicious. Substitute other tea flavors if you'd like.

Earl Grey Ice Cream

1 c heavy cream
1/2 c vanilla soy milk (or 1/2 c milk plus t vanilla)
1/4 c sugar
3 tea bags

Place the milk in a microwavable cup and heat for about a minute. Add the tea bags and let it steep for about 5 minutes. Press all the liquid out of the tea bags and discard them.

Mix with all the other ingredients. Refrigerate for a couple of hours. Pour into small ice cream maker and process. Recipe can be doubled.

Spicy split pea soup

Nothing warms you up better than a hearty bowl of soup or stew. This spicy split pea soup is great for crisp fall days right through the winter. All you need to add is bread.

Spicy Split Pea Soup

Ham bone and water to cover
1 lb dried split peas (2 1/2 c)

2 T butter
Onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 T curry paste
1 t coriander seeds, crushed
Salt

Place the ham bone in a crock pot with water to cover it, and cook on high for at least half a day. Scrape the meat off and remove the fat and the bone. Add enough water to equal 4 cups. Add the split peas and cook for several hours, adding more liquid if needed.

In a small saute pan, cook the vegetables and spices until soft and fragrant. Add to the split pea mixture for the last 20 minutes to half hour.

Variations: Add milk or light cream and cooked vegetables like sweet potatoes.

Panini with leftover chicken tikka

Italian combinations are not the only possible ingredients for panini. These tasty grilled (or oven-heated) sandwiches are also a wonderful way to use up leftover Indian meats and curries. Whenever I make chicken tikka, for example, I always make extra so that we can have some panini a few days later.

Here’s what I like to do with the chicken tikka. You can use plain pre-cooked chicken and just add Indian spices to the sauce if want. Leave the chicken out, or substitute tofu if you’d like a vegetarian meal. These hearty sandwiches can be ready in under thirty minutes.

Panini with Chicken Tikka

Crusty bread slices or rolls, toasted
Shredded chicken tikka (or plain chicken seasoned spices from chicken tikka recipe)
Yogurt
Crushed tomatoes, fresh or canned
Chickpeas
Olive oil
Garlic, cumin, cayenne, salt, and allspice

Mix the shredded chicken with the yogurt and some cayenne pepper. Mash or process most of the chickpeas until roughly chopped. Stir in the rest of the chickpeas, some olive oil to moisten, and season with the spices listed.

Spread a layer of the chickpea mixture on each sandwich, top with the chicken mixture, and roll in foil to grill or heat in the oven. About 10 minutes at 350 does it.