Wild Rice and Quinoa Garden Salad

• 3 cups water, divided
• 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Combine 1 cup water and wild rice in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour or until the rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Combine 2 cups water and quinoa in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; fluff with a fork.

Place the rice and quinoa in a large bowl. Stir in the green onions, bell pepper, and cucumber.

Combine oil and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over quinoa mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

by Tim Dineen

Cranberry and Almond Rice Pilaf

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 green onions, chopped (optional)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in hot oil until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Stir cranberries and jasmine rice into onion until rice is coated with oil and rice is lightly toasted, about 5 minutes more.

Pour chicken broth into skillet and season with kosher salt and black pepper.

Bring rice mixture to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 22 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat; stir green onions, cilantro, and almonds into rice mixture. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

by Tim Dineen

Cashew Raisin Rice Pilaf

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup uncooked wild rice
• 2 cups frozen green peas
• 1 (4 ounce) jar diced pimento peppers, drained
• 1 cup cashews
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Melt margarine in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the long grain rice, onion, carrot and raisins for 3 to 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan bring 1 1/2 cups salted water to a boil. Add wild rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Drain and set aside.

When the rice/raisin mixture is finished simmering (rice is cooked), stir in cooked wild rice, peas, pimentos and cashews and heat through.

by Tim Dineen

Baked Rice

• 4 slices bacon
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• Splash Tabasco
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

PREPARATION

In a large heavy skillet, fry bacon until crisp; crumble and set aside. Sauté onions, celery, and green pepper in the bacon grease until tender.

Add rice, tomatoes, crumbled bacon, and seasonings. Cook on top of the stove for 10 minutes.

Pour into a large buttered baking dish; cover tightly and bake at 350° for 1 hour, or until rice is tender.

by Tim Dineen

Tomato Tart

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1/2 recipe Pate Brisee for Tomato Tart
• 2 ounces Italian fontina cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 1/2 pounds firm but ripe tomatoes (4 medium), cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place garlic on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Wrap to enclose garlic in foil, and place on a small baking sheet. Bake until soft and golden brown and the tip of a knife easily pierces the flesh, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside. Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees. When garlic is cool enough to handle, using either your hands or the dull end of a large knife, squeeze the cloves out of their skins and into a small bowl; mash with a fork, and set aside. Discard the papery skins.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/8-inch-thick circle, about 12 inches in diameter. With a dry pastry brush, brush off the excess flour; roll the dough around the rolling pin, and lift it over a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Line the pan with the dough, pressing it into the corners. Trim the dough so that it is flush with the edges; transfer to the refrigerator to chill, about 30 minutes.

Spread roasted garlic evenly on the chilled crust. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Arrange the tomatoes on top of the cheese, in an overlapping circular pattern. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Transfer to oven. Reduce temperature to 400 degrees. and bake until crust is golden and tomatoes are soft but still retain their shape, 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool for 20 minutes, and serve warm.

Crust

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or other herbs (optional)
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup ice water

DIRECTIONS

Pulse flour, salt, and thyme, if desired, in a food processor until just combined. Add butter. Process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. (To mix by hand, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender or 2 table knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.)

A Add 1/3 cup ice water, and process just until dough comes together, no more than 30 seconds (dough should not be sticky). Squeeze a small amount between your fingers; if dough is crumbly, add the remaining water, a little bit at a time.

Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap; flatten into a disk. Wrap in the plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or overnight) before using.

by Tim Dineen

Sweet Potato Egg Muffin Cups

• 6 eggs
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups mashed sweet potato
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Cheddar cheese, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Whisk eggs, garlic, curry powder, cumin, salt and pepper in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the mashed sweet potato and stir until mixed thoroughly. Fold in the red pepper, cilantro, scallions, and cheese if using.

Divide the egg mixture evenly between the prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until eggs are set. Let cool for 10 minutes. Unmold and serve.

by Tim Dineen

Sweet Rolls

Ingredients:

ROLLS

• 2 and 3/4 cups (345g) all-purpose flour
• 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 package instant yeast
• 1/2 cup (120ml) water
• 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
• 2 and 1/2 Tablespoons (40g) unsalted butter
• 1 large egg

FILLING

• 3 Tablespoons (45g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

COFFEE GLAZE

• 1 cup (120g) powdered (confectioners') sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons (30ml) strong coffee (or use milk/cream instead)

Directions:

Make the dough: Set aside 1/2 cup of flour. In a large bowl, toss the 2 and 1/4 cups flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast together until evenly dispersed. Set aside.

Heat the water, milk, and butter together in the microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot to touch. About 115-120F degrees. Stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture. Add the egg and only enough of the reserved flour to make a soft dough. I only needed 1/3 cup, but you may need the full 1/2 cup. Dough will be ready when it gently pulls away from the side of the bowl and has an elastic consistency.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 3-4 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl (I used non-stick spray) and let rest for about 10 minutes.

Make the filling: After 10 minutes, roll the dough out in a 14x8 inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter on top. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle it all over the dough. Add more cinnamon/sugar if desired. Roll up the dough tightly. Cut into 11 even pieces and place in a lightly greased 9-inch round pan. I used a pie dish, lightly sprayed with nonstick spray. Loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 60-90 minutes. Here is what I do: heat the oven to 200F degrees. Turn oven off. Place rolls inside oven and allow to rise.

After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375F. Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. I covered the rolls with aluminum foil after 15 minutes to avoid heavy browning.

Make the glaze: Right before serving, top your cinnamon rolls with glaze. Mix the powdered sugar and coffee together until smooth and drizzle over rolls. You may replace the coffee with milk or cream instead. If you prefer a thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar and then add salt to cut the sweetness, if desired.

Overnight: The dough may be made the night before through step 4. Allow the rolls to rise at room temperature for 12 hours. If they rise *too* much overnight, gently press them down a bit before baking the next morning.

by Tim Dineen

Mexican Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

For the salad:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups homemade vegetable broth
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can sweet corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. paprika

For the avocado dressing:

• 1 avocado, pitted
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbs. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbs. olive oil

Directions:

For the salad, combine the quinoa and vegetable broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed and the germ of the quinoa is exposed. Remove from heat.

While the quinoa is cooking, combine the black beans, corn, tomatoes, green onions, jalapeno, cilantro, cumin and paprika in a large bowl.

Prepare the dressing by combining all of the dressing ingredients (everything except the olive oil) in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine and then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Turn on the processor and then slowly stream the olive oil through the top opening, continuing to process until the dressing is combined.

Add the quinoa to the black bean/corn mixture and toss to combine. Pour the dressing over the mixture. Serve warm or chilled. Top with additional cilantro if desired.

by Tim Dineen