A few things I've made this past week that we've really enjoyed:

1) Greek hummus "dip." Basically, hummus (made, in my case, from
scratch, with chipotles and roasted red bell pepper), with chopped
cucumbers, kalamata olives, halved grape tomatoes, and crumbled feta
on top, served with pitas brushed with oil, salted, and toasted then
cut into triangles. An appetizer, I suppose, but a great main vegetarian
dish when rounded out with whatever ya got leftover in the fridge.
Along the lines of:

<http://allrecipes.com/recipe/greek-layer-dip/>

The hummus along the lines of:

<http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Smoky-Chipotle-Hummus/Detail.aspx?evt19=1&referringHubId=1281>

less the cilantro and maybe half the cumin.


2) Quinoa salad. Tried an awesome version at "Taste of Downtown Nashua"
last week, but couldn't remember which of the 27 venues I had it at,
so experimentation was necessary. This seems about right:

1/2 c. quinoa, rinsed
3/4 c. water

Bring to boil, cover, simmer 15 minutes, let rest 5 minutes, fluff up.

1/2 c. dried sweetened cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. chopped scallions
1/4 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1/4 c. chopped toasted walnuts
2 T crumbled feta

Dressing:

2 Tbsp. raspberry vinegar
1 tsp. honey
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon juice

Mix cooked cooled quinoa with rest of salad ingredients. Whisk
dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Toss gently to mix.
Makes enough for 2-3 generous servings. Even better next day.


3) Potatoes au gratin with smoked gouda and apples

1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced
1 large Granny Smith apple, sliced into thin wedges.
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. snipped fresh thyme
1/2 c. shredded smoked Gouda cheese (plus extra for topping)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (Toaster oven works fine).
Grease a 1 1/2 quart au gratin or other baking dish.
Bring a pot of water to the boil, cook potato slices 5 minutes. Drain.
Make the sauce: In a sauce pan, cook the onions and garlic in the
oil until soft. Add the flour, cook for a minute, then add the milk
all at once. Add the thyme too. Whisk and heat until boiling, thickened
and smooth.
Layer 1/2 the potatoes, 1/2 the apple slices, and 1/2 the cheese.
Pour half the sauce over that, then layer the rest of the potatoes,
apples slices and cheese over that, then add the rest of the sauce.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake ~30 minutes.
Uncover, sprinkle the "extra" cheese on top. Bake another ~30 minutes,
until top is "golden brown and delicious." Let stand 10 minutes before
serving. Serves 4.

We just had this with cooled steamed green beans dressed with
minced fresh onion and Italian dressing. Basically anything that cuts
the starchiness/creaminess of the potatoes will complement it nicely.

If you're a meat eater, you can chuck a couple of slices of bacon or
pancetta, fried and crumbled, in there.


4) Ham salad. Got the urge, found some scraps of Easter ham in the
freezer, got out the celery and onions and went looking for the
pickle relish in the fridge, came across a half-full jar of green
olives and went, "Ah ha!" So into the food processor went the ham,
celery, onions, and green olives. When coarsely chopped, added some
mayo and a splash of yellow mustard. Mundane, I know, but great
stuff in a pita with lettuce or just gobbled down on saltines. Salty
ham *and* salty olives - what's not to like?


--
Silvar Beitel