Spinach with Tahini
from epicurious.com (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/1222193)
*note from cooking experience: this will take you a little longer than mentioned... for me, around 45 min. total prep/cooking. I found that that 1/2 cup of water was not enough to cook all the spinach 'in handfuls', so I had to keep adding water to the pan.

1 medium garlic clove, chopped
3 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
1.5 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
15 oz. loosely packed baby spinach (24 cups)
2 teaspoons sesame seeds (optional), toasted

Blend together garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt, and 1/4 cup of the water in a blender until smooth.

Bring remaining 1/2 cup to a simmer in a 12-inch skillet over high heat.

Add spinach in handfuls, tossing with tongs, and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.

Drain spinach in a large sieve set over a bowl, pressing to extract any excess liquid.

Discard liquid and wipe bowl dry, then stir together spinach and tahini mixture in bowl. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Serves 4.
(make double if you want more than about 2 c. worth!)

Goat Cheese Spread with Pistachios and Mint
only the best appetizer ever.... takes no time at all, too. :)

from "Simple Vegetarian Pleasures" by Jeanne Lemlin

5 oz. soft mild goat cheese
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped shelled pistachio nuts
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint or 1 teaspoon dried

In a medium size bowl, mash the goat cheese with a fork. Stir in nuts and mint.

Line a 6-oz. cup or ramekin with a piece of plastic wrap big enough to extend over the sides. Pack in the goat cheese mixture and smooth over the top. Fold over the plastic wrap to cover the cheese. Chill at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours before serving.

To serve, invert the container on a plate. Let it warm slightly to soften. Serve with crackers or crostini (I serve with flatbreads)... can also line plate with olives, sliced raw fennel, and orange slices.

i like that you guys have included where the recipe came from...


from good housekeeping (!!) "delicious vegetable cooking:"
garbanzo salad

prep time: 20 minutes
ingredients:
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 small tomatoes (about 12 oz)
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
1 green onion
1 can garbanzo beans (15-19 oz)
2 tablespoons fresh herbs (basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, etc)

as usual, i just used the recipe as a guideline. they say to prepare a vinaigrette first, then add the vegies and the beans. i just drained/rinsed the beans. chopped the tomatoes, olives, and spices. added them to beans. poured in vinegar and oil. stirred everything up. yummy!
i also used only one tbsp of vinegar, NO mustard, and probably 2+ tbsps of each basil and thyme.

*serves 4*
but im guessing that depends on how many other side dishes there are.

JEWELED RICE WITH DRIED FRUIT

Here, you only boil the rice briefly before combining it with the dried fruit and cooking it without water. We adapted this rice from a Persian method that yields a buttery crust (called tah-dig) on the bottom of the pan — later the crust is served with the rice. Usually you have to dip the pot in cold water at the end of cooking to release the crust, but a happy kitchen accident occurred when we tested this recipe. Food editor Ruth Cousineau let the rice stand for almost an hour (things can get hectic when you're preparing a holiday meal), and the crust came right out without the dipping. Using a heavy pot helps keep the rice hot, too.

3 cups basmati rice (1 1/4 lb)
4 qt water
3 tablespoons salt
1/2 cup dried apricots (3 1/2 oz), quartered
1/2 cup golden raisins (3 oz)
1/2 cup dried cranberries (2 oz)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped shelled unsalted pistachios (not dyed red; 2 1/2 oz)

Rinse rice in several changes of cold water in a large bowl until water runs clear. Drain in a large sieve.
Bring water and salt to a boil in a 6-quart heavy pot, then add rice and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes from time water returns to boil. Drain rice in sieve.

Toss together dried fruit in a bowl. Melt 6 tablespoons butter with cardamom and pepper in cleaned and dried pot, stirring to combine, then alternately layer rice and dried fruit over it, beginning and ending with rice and mounding loosely. Make 5 or 6 holes in rice to bottom of pot with round handle of a wooden spoon, then cover pot with a kitchen towel and a heavy lid. Fold edges of towel up over lid (to keep towel from burning) and cook rice over moderately low heat, undisturbed, until tender and a crust forms on bottom, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat and let rice stand, tightly covered and undisturbed, at least 30 minutes.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet over moderate heat and cook pistachios, stirring, until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
Spoon loose rice onto a platter, then break crust into 1-inch pieces and scatter over rice. Sprinkle with pistachios.

Cooks' notes:
• Rice can be parboiled and drained 4 hours ahead and transferred to a bowl. Keep, covered with a dampened kitchen towel, at room temperature.
• Rice can stand off heat up to 1 hour.
• If you're short on time, you can skip letting the rice stand after cooking: Spoon loose rice onto a platter and then dip bottom of pot into a large bowl of cold water for 30 seconds to loosen crust.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Cucumber-Mint Soup
from The Soup Peddler's Slow & Difficult Soups

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and shredded
1 small cucumber, stripe-peeled and sliced thin
4C unsweetened plain yogurt
3T honey, dissolved in 1/4C warm water
2T chopped fresh mint
1/4C finely ground raw pistachios
2C water
1t salt, or to taste

Combine all the ingredients in the soup container and mix well. Let sit overnight in the refrigerator. Stir the soup before serving it chilled.