Chickpea, Spinach & Avocado Salad

I found this recipe by Christina Soong-Kroeger and was holding it back for summer. It is sometimes hard to remember that half the world is experiencing summer right now.

So for the Aussie’s and Kiwi’s, this recipe is for you!

Even though this is a summer salad, it would work well during anytime of the year. I think I would add tomatoes, but that is just a personal preference.

Pair it with barbecue pork or even enjoy it by itself for a light lunch. The best part is this is healthy, tasty, and super simple to make.

 Ingredients:

4 cups baby spinach leaves, washed and spun dry

1 can chickpeas, drained

¼ red onion, thinly sliced

1 ripe avocado

1 cup alfalfa or bean sprouts(optional)

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon honey

½ - 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

Arrange spinach leaves on plate and place chickpeas and onions on top.

Peel half of the avocado away and use a spoon to scoop the avocado directly on the salad.

Sprinkle the alfalfa on top.

Make up the dressing by placing all contents in a glass and whisking until combined.

Pour over salad and toss to combine.

Serve immediately.

Prime Rib Roast

I have learned over the years that if you wait until the day after a holiday you can get the best cuts of meat on discounted or clearance prices. The day after Thanksgiving, I bought a four-pound Prime Rib for less than $15.00. At the price, I did not feel guilty about cutting it into steaks.

If you prefer to cook your Prime Rib as roast, I thought you would enjoy this recipe. If you follow the directions, it will turn out perfect!

Chef Noche's Instructions for Making the Best Boneless Prime Rib Roast
INGREDIENTS

1 Boneless Prime Rib Roast 3 Lb
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 tsp of pepper
2 tsp of dried thyme
2 tsp of salt
10 cloves of minced garlic

Begin by setting the roast in a roasting pan with the fat side facing up. In a separate, smaller bowl, mix together 2 tbsp of olive oil, 2 tsp of pepper, 2 tsp of dried thyme, 2 tsp of salt and 10 cloves of minced garlic.

Spread this mixture over the roast until it is well coated, and let it sit at room temperature for roughly 1 hour. When the hour has passed, preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and once the oven has been preheated for around 10 minutes, bake the roast inside the oven for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, lower the temperature to about 325 degrees Fahrenheit and let it bake for just about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes more. Take it out of the oven when it is done and let it sit for about 15 minutes in order to allow the roast to keep its juices before carving. After carving, it can be prepared in any dish in any way, with an elegant and mouth-watering garlic aroma and taste that will follow it.

The finished roast can be sliced and is excellent when served with a romaine lettuce salad, with crunchy croutons added to provide a breaded taste that will exquisitely complement the taste of the meat and garlic. The salad is best left without dressing, and cherry tomatoes can be added for additional sweet flavor, along with diced sweet onions. The slices of roast can be applied in delicious thin slices, and served with creamed corn on the side along with any other vegetable dish. Peas are a popular choice as the side dish, and asparagus especially will bring out the finer taste that is present in the roast.

Flavored Olive Oils

The holiday season will soon be here. The season also brings parties, family gatherings, and yummy food. One of those tasty treats might be crusty bread and infused olive oil.

 These infused oils can be costly if you purchase them in the store. On average,the lowest price I found for a garlic olive oil was $19.95. Why pay that much, when you can make it for a fraction of the cost?

 Around the holidays, infused oils work well when you need a host gift. Why show up with the traditional bottle of wine or plant, when you can bring homemade flavored olive oil?

Stop shaking your head in doubt, and saying this is too difficult or you do not have the time. I promise this is simple to make and takes little effort or time on your part.

The first step, deciding on your olive oil. Since I am going to flavor it, I usually get an inexpensive brand of extra virgin olive oil. If you keep an eye out for sales advertisements, you can sometimes get great deals. The Food Lion grocery stores sometimes have the pint bottles on sale for buy one get one free. World Market/Cost Plus will also have excellent same day sales on olive oil.

Next, you will need to decide what flavors you want to make. I have made, garlic, rosemary garlic and cayenne pepper. For garlic, you will need one head of garlic peeled. Leaving the cloves whole is preferred, but you can crack the cloves to remove the skin. Place garlic in your crock-pot and add olive oil, I use either a 16-ounce or a 24-ounce bottle. Cook on low for six hours, turn off heat and cool. When the pot is cool enough to handle, remove garlic and place in bowl for later. Strain oil through doubled cheesecloth into the jar or container you will be storing your oil. It is important there are no bits of garlic in the container. The reason is because garlic is water based, and we do not want to grow any botchalism.

Rosemary garlic olive oil is made the exact way as the garlic. Add a sprig or two of fresh rosemary to the pot with the garlic and olive oil. Again make sure to remove the entire sprig when done.

Cayenne pepper uses the same amount of oil and the same cooking time. I use four or five whole dried cayenne peppers instead of fresh. Dried peppers will float in liquid. What I suggest is make tiny little slices along the pepper so the oil can get in and the flavor out. When cool you will still need to strain the oil through the cheesecloth. If the peppers are intact you can add them or fresh (dried) peppers to the bottle.

I usually make the pepper oil once a year. I only use it when I want to spice something up like roast vegetables or when making pot stickers. I make the garlic several times a year and use it  daily for cooking.

Now for those garlic cloves you set aside. You can make your own garlic butter, by either making your own butter or soften 1 cup of whole unsalted butter and blend together with the cloves. On the other hand, you can skip the butter. Slice a baguette and spread the cloves on the slices like butter.

Time to make more....