Many people who came to the Launch Party asked for recipes for the watermelon water and dips.
Heidi’s Watermelon Water
Ingredients
Preparation
- Combine half the watermelon, half the water and half the sugar in a blender. Puree. Pour through a coarse strainer into a large container. Repeat with the remaining watermelon, water and sugar. Stir in lime juice. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 4 hours.
- To serve, stir in club soda or seltzer and garnish with lime.
Makes about 10 cups.
64 calories,1 carbohydrate serving
Source: http://www.eatingwell.com
Eggplant Caviar
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Ingredients
Preparation
- Cut eggplants in half and sprinkle the cut surfaces with salt, ground pepper and olive oil.
- Place on cut side down on baking sheet and roast until very soft at stem end. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Scrape the flesh out of the skins into a bowl and stir vigorously to loosen into a puree.
- Add remaining ingredients, mix well, and taste for salt and lemon.
Variation
You may also cook whole eggplants on the grill until soft, then continue with recipe.
Source: The Art of Simple Food Alice Waters
Buttermilk Herb Dip
Ingredients
Preparation
- In a large bowl, whisk all the ingredients for the dip.
- Season with more Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste.
- Let sit for 15 minutes.
Yield: 3 cups dip
Source: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/farmers-market-crudites-buttermilk-herb-dip
Fresh Pickled Vegetables
Ingredients
Preparation
- For about 3 1/2 cups pickling brine, combine above ingredients and bring to a boil.
- You may pickle cauliflower florets, sliced carrots, quartered cipollini onions, halved okra pods, small turnips cut into wedges, whole green beans, small cubes of celery root and more.
- Cook each type of vegetable separately in the brine, scooping them out when they are cooked but still a little crisp.
- Set them aside to cool.
- Once all the vegetables are cooked and cooled, and the pickling brine has cooled to room temperature, combine the vegetables, transfer to jars or another covered container, cover with the pickle brine, and refrigerate.
- The vegetables are ready to eat in a few minutes and will keep for a week in the refrigerator.
Source: Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food
White Bean Spread with Garlic and Rosemary
Ingredients
Preparation
- Place olive oil, garlic, and rosemary in a 10-inch skillet and heat over medium heat until ingredients start to sizzle. Add beans and their liquid and cook, mashing with a wooden spoon or potato masher until mixture thickens slightly. (It will thicken more as it cools.) Transfer to a serving bowl or storage container.
- Makes a generous 1 cup. Serve with chips or toasted bread.
Note: I pureed the bean dip with an immersion blender. Much easier on the hands.
Source: Perfect Recipes for Having People Over, Pam Anderson
Tapenade
Ingredients
Preparation
Thoroughly rinse the olives in cool water. Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Process to combine, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the mixture becomes a coarse paste, approximately 1 to 2 minutes total. Transfer to a bowl and serve.
Will keep up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
Source: Alton Brown http://foodnetwork.com
Spiced Rosemary and Thyme Nuts
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Ingredients
3 cups large whole nuts – cashews, pecans, almonds, walnuts
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Place nuts in a medium heatproof bowl.
- Pour oil into a small heavy saucepan and place over medium-low heat until warm. Do not let it get too hot – the oil will burn.
- Add rosemary and thyme and stir until aromatic, about 1 minute.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in cumin and cayenne.
- Pour the flavored oil over the nuts and stir to coat evenly.
- Sprinkle with sugar, salt and black pepper.
- Stir again.
- Transfer to a jelly roll pan or a baking pan with sides.
- Bake for about 15 minutes total, stirring after the first 10 minutes.
Let cool. - Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Yield: 3 cups
Source: http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com
Roasted Peppers in Oil
Ingredients
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
5 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Preparation
- Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate. Reduce grill heat to medium.
- Grill whole peppers until charred on all sides, turning about every 5 minutes.
- Place charred peppers in a plastic food storage bag and close. Allow peppers to cool in bag.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a glass jar.
- Remove cooled peppers from bag and scrape off charred skins. Cut peppers in half and remove seeds and stems.
- Slice peppers into long strips and place in oil mixture. Mix well, assuring peppers are covered in oil.
- Serve, storing leftover peppers in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Try them on sandwiches, pasta, or a side dish.
Serves 6.
Source: All Recipes.com, Kim’s Cooking Now.
