Asian Chicken Spring Rolls, by Diane

This recipe is super versatile, you can really fill these things with anything you want. You can also fry them but I like to keep them healthier and chilled. The rice paper takes a bit of finessing to get used to, but once you get the hang of things they are easy to make!


Ingredients:

1 lb chicken, cooked (I used chicken breasts but ground chicken or another type of meat works well too)
2 cups baby carrots
1 small handful cilantro
4-5 sprigs green onion, green and white parts
3 tbsp. each peanut and hoisin sauce
1/2 cucumber, diced finely
2 avocados, thinly sliced
Broccoli coleslaw mix (julienned broccoli, red cabbage and carrot)
Crushed peanuts
Rice paper


Directions:

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a food processor until chopped finely. Pour mixture into a bowl and stir in cucumber. Set aside.

2. Assemble mixture and remaining ingredients in an assembly line in order of ingredients.

3. Soak rice paper individually in warm water until flexible (should take about 15-30 seconds). Fill towards one side in a line with fillings in order, then roll like a burrito (fold lengthwise over the filling leaving 1/2 of the circle left, then tuck in sides, then continue folding vertically).

4. Serve with extra dipping sauce if desired.

Fallafel-Inspired Veggie Burgers, by Diane

I made these the other day for lunches, they were really easy to make on a Sunday and keep for the rest of the week. Everyday I got creative with garnishes, but below was the combination I liked the best. Overall, it was my first time making veggie burgers and I liked them a lot! The original recipe came from here: http://www.veggieful.com/2012/09/veggie-burger-recipe.html


Ingredients:

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon oil plus more for frying
1 can chickpeas 400g , drained and pureed
½ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped finely
1 teaspoon dried coriander
1 teaspoon dried cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon dried turmeric
¼ teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoons flour
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped finely
good pinch of salt
good pinch of freshly cracked black pepper

Garnishes:
Thin-Sliced Whole Wheat Roll and/or Bibb Lettuce Leaf
Avocado
Homemade Tzatiki Sauce (combine plain lowfat greek yogurt with chopped cucumbers and mint, sea salt, and lemon juice)


Directions:

1. Make veggie patties - Sauté onion, garlic and oil in a pan until onion has browned and garlic is fragrant.
2. Add all ingredients to bowl and stir to combine.
3. Form 6 balls out of the dough and roll them in your hands for a while until completely round and formed together.
4. Flatten each ball of dough into a patty as flat as you can make it.
5. On high heat, fry each patty in 1 tablespoon of oil for a couple of minutes on each side until browned and the outside has become crispy. Set patties aside.
6. Serve on toasted turkish bread with vegan tzatziki, rocket, beetroot, browned onions and a side of oven chips and tabbouleh.

Chocolate, peanut butter, toffee bark, by Cheryl

I have no idea what to call these. All I know is that they are so good and I can't stop eating them. So I can't make them anymore! I got this recipe from my sister-in-law about six years ago and just started making them again this past month. I gave away many bags of them as gifts to our Italian friends and neighbors for the holidays and they loved them. And true to Italian style they asked if they were supposed to be eaten for breakfast :/ They are super easy to make, incredibly unhealthy, and seriously addicting. Yum!

Ingredients:


1 sleeve saltines
2 sticks butter
1 bag Reeses Peanut Butter Chips
1 bag chocoloate chips
1 cup sugar 

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 375.


2) Line a greased jelly roll pan (cookie pan with sides about an inch) with saltines side by side.


3) Melt butter in sauce pan.

4) Add 1 c. sugar and bring to boil. Boil 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Make sure it doesn't burn, which can happen quickly.


5) Pour mixture over saltines.


6) Bake 5 minutes.


7) TURN OVEN OFF.


8) Pour peanut butter chips over the top and put back in oven 2 minutes.


9) Pour chocolate chips over and put back in oven 2 minutes.


10)Remove from oven and swirl with knife. Let set (I leave it out for about 45 minutes).


11) Refrigerate until it gets hard, then cut into pieces.

Fiori di Zucca Fritti (Fried Zucchini Flowers), by Cheryl

I don't know about you, but I had never heard of or seen zucchini flowers before moving to Italy. A zucchini flower is the golden flower blossom at the end of each growing zucchini. A very popular recipe here is to make a light dough batter, cover them in that, and fry them in oil. Our neighbor (who else?) gave us her recipe a few months ago, but the final product didn't turn out well for us. We were trying to make balls with the delicate flowers inside of them, but the dough overpowered the flower and we were unable to taste anything but that. Then we said, f*** it, let's just use crescent rolls and wrap them in that. Same problem except now they had a buttery sweet taste to them and all I wanted to do was eat the rolls and flowers separately. Alas, we tried once more and found a recipe online that we can now use forever from here.The key is not to make a ball of dough to put the flower inside. The key is to make a more liquidy dough to dip the flower in, just covering it, and fry it like that. They were so tasty and easy to make that we'll be making them part of our rotation as a side. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

12-16 zucchini blossoms
1 cup water
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 pinches of salt
vegetable oil

Directions:

1) Remove the stem of the flowers.

2) Prepare the batter by mixing the water, egg, and salt together, gradually sifting the flour into the water and mixing it with a wire whisk. The batter should be moderately dense. You can add more water or flour depending on your preference.

3) Place an ample amount of oil into a pan and heat the oil over high heat. Make sure it's hot before you use it.

4) Dip each flour into the batter, covering it completely, and place it carefully into the hot oil. Fry on both sides until they are golden brown.

5) Remove from oil and place on a plate with a paper towel to absorb some of the oil. Add a sprinkle of salt to the finished product. They are excellent when hot, but can also be eaten at room temperature.