Pesto Pasta

2 cups fresh basil
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup walnuts
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice
salt
pepper

Combine pesto ingredients in a blender until desired consistency. Heat in a saucepan over low heat. Serve over pasta. Makes 4 servings.

Chunky Gazpacho with Shrimp

3 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 small cucumber, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
handful of basil, torn into small pieces
three-inch-thick slice of day-old baguette, cut into pieces
salt
pepper
ice cube
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp hot sauce

In a bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber, onion, garlic, basil, bread, salt, and pepper. Pour half of the mixture along with an ice cube into a blender and purée until smooth. Pour puree back into the bowl, and add olive oil and hot sauce. Stir it all together. Chill in refrigerator until very cold, at least 30 minutes.

When ready to serve, pour gazpacho into three bowls. Place seven jumbo shrimp (or as many as desired) into each bowl for dipping, and garnish with additional torn basil. Serves 3 large bowls. Another great way to make use of August's tomato bounty.

Bruschetta

Fresh loaf of bread - baguette, or in my case, whole wheat Italian
2 tomatos or 1 large tomato, diced
1/4 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
handful of basil, torn into small pieces
1/4 cup grated parmesan
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375. Slice bread and place on baking sheet(s). Rub bread with garlic and brush with olive oil. Bake in oven for approximately 5 minutes, until bread is golden brown and crunchy. Meanwhile, combine tomato, onion, garlic, basil, parmesan and a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl. When bread is done, let cool for a few minutes before arranging on a plate. Spoon bruschetta mixture over bread. Makes a great August appetizer with ingredients fresh from the farmers market. Make it vegan by leaving off the parmesan.

Almost Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes

7 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli bittersweet chips)

1 1/2 sticks butter

1/3 cup sugar

4 eggs

3 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla

1 heaping tbsp cocoa powder (for completely flourless cake) or flour (which I used because I didn't have cocoa on hand)

walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Put a pot of water to boil. Cut chocolate into small pieces if using a bar instead of chips. Cut butter into 1/2 inch slices. Combine choclate and butter in a metal bowl. Once water is boiling, lower heat until just simmering. Place bowl over pot and stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter melt. Remove from heat, add sugar, and let cool for a few minutes. Whisk in eggs one by one. Then whisk in honey, vanilla, and flour or cocoa powder.

Use nonstick spray to grease a muffin tray. Pour mixture into muffin tins. Bake for 10 minutes, and then turn off the oven and leave the cakes in the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove tray from oven and let cool completely. They may sink in the middle a bit, it's okay. Carefully remove cakes and refrigerate until serving. Serve with a drizzle of honey and a pinch of chopped walnuts.

Makes 12 "cupcakes." Makes a fantastic romantic treat, with a bottle of red wine and some candles ;-)

Lemon and Basil Eggs over Foccacia

Fresh loaf of foccacia bread (or whatever yummy fresh baked bread you can find - I used black olive semolina)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
3 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup parmesan, grated
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the top off the foccacia and hollow out the bread inside. Tear the top of the foccacia and the inside bread into 1-inch pieces and save for the egg mixture. Brush the inside of the foccacia with the lemon olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the basil, cheese, salt, pepper, and milk. Whisk lightly. Stir in bread pieces. Carefully pour the egg mixture into the toasted foccacia bottom. Return to the oven and bake until the eggs have cooked, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cut the baked foccacia into 8 pieces and serve.

From Giada de Laurentis, Everyday Italian

Rice and Beans

1/2 cup rice
1 cup water
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 green pepper
1 tomato
1/2 small onion
3 cloves garlic
2 cups or 1 can pinto or black beans
3/4 cup water or chicken stock
salt
pepper
crushed red chilli pepper
cumin
hot sauce
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

Combine rice and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, dice pepper, tomato, onion, and garlic and sautee in pan coated with olive oil for five to ten minutes until tender. When rice is 3/4 done, add rice, beans, and water or chicken stock to sautee pan. Simmer for about 15 minutes until water is absorbed and rice and beans are tender. Add spices and cheese (or no cheese to keep it vegan). Serves 3-4. Leftovers make great burrito filling.

Vegetarian Taco Salad

2 cloves garlic
1 tomato
1/2 onion
1 can pinto or black beans
salt
pepper
crushed red chili pepper
hot sauce
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated.
Couple large handfuls of tortilla chips, crushed or broken into small pieces
Mixed greens


Dice garlic, onion and tomato and sautee over medium low heat in extra virgin olive oil. Rinse beans and add to sautee pan. Cook until onions are soft and tomatoes and beans begin to disintegrate. Add salt, pepper, crushed red chili pepper, and hot sauce, to taste. Add grated cheese and chips. Stir mixture. Serve over mixed greens. Serves 2.

Upside-Down Berry Cornmeal Cake

2 cups fresh blueberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries
1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of cake pan. Arrange berries in bottom of pan.
In bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, milk, and oil. Add liquid mixture to flour mixture. Stir until combined, pour batter over berries, and spread evenly.
Bake approximately 40 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in cake pan 5 minutes. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen sides. Place a plate over the pan, flip upside down, so that cake is now on plate instead of pan. Remove paper. Top with remaining berries.

From August 2007 Better Homes & Gardens

Grilled Monkfish and Vegetable Kebobs

2 monkfish fillets (or other white fish)
2 large carrots
3 white turnips
Seafood Magic (spice similar to Old Bay)

Rinse and chop monkfish, carrots, and turnips into bite size pieces. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add vegetables and boil until semi-soft. Drain in collander. Place monkfish, carrots, and turnips on skewers. Sprinkle with Seafood Magic.

Grill kebabs over medium heat about 15 minutes, or until monkfish turns from translucent to bright opaque white and starts to split open. Makes four skewers.

Note: Served in picture over beer steamer broth, recipe below, for dipping.

Beer Steamers

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp margarine
5 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 1/2 lb steamers (or clams or mussels)
1/2 bottle lager beer (ex. Budweiser, Molson, etc)

Sautee olive oil, margarine, garlic, and onion over medium-low heat in a deep pan or pot. Add steamers and beer, cover, and let steam until steamers open up.

Serves two as an appetizer, with toasted bread to dip into the broth.