Rhubarb Crumb Bars

Ingredients

Makes 16
FOR THE STREUSEL
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus room-temperature butter for pan
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

FOR THE CAKE
1/2 pound rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon light-brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Butter and flour parchment and pan, tapping out excess flour.

Make streusel: Whisk together butter, brown sugar, and salt. Add flour and mix with a fork until large crumbs form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make cake: In a medium bowl, combine rhubarb, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup flour. In another medium bowl, whisk 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs, one at a time. With mixer on low, beat in vanilla, then flour mixture.

Spread batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle with rhubarb and top with streusel.

Bake cake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely in pan. Using paper overhang, lift cake from pan. Cut into 16 bars.

Curried Rice Salad With Grapes

Ingredients

Serves 6
1 cup long-grain brown rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
Coarse salt
Ground pepper
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup halved red seedless grapes
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1/3 cup chopped roasted cashews
Directions

Rinse rice in a sieve until water runs clear. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add curry powder; cook 30 seconds. Stir in rice, 2 1/2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover; simmer gently until rice is tender and has absorbed liquid, about 1 hour. Remove from heat; steam, covered, 10 minutes.
Fluff rice with a fork; transfer to a shallow bowl. Stir in lime juice and remaining tablespoon olive oil; season with more salt and pepper. Refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour.
Stir in grapes, mint, and cashews.

Minestrone Salad

Ingredients

Serves 4
1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more for seasoning
8 ounces gemelli or other pasta, such as penne or rotini
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 zucchini (about 6 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups corn kernels, cut from 1 ear, or frozen
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 pound assorted tomatoes, roughly chopped
Directions

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt to the boiling water. Add gemelli, and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water; set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add carrot, and cook until it softens, about 4 minutes. Add zucchini, green beans, and corn. Cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a medium bowl to cool. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, beans, tomatoes, and reserved pasta. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, if desired. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Sloppy Bao

Ingredients

Serves 8
1/4 cup safflower oil
2 pounds lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped shallot
2 tablespoons chopped lemongrass
1/4 cup Thai red-curry paste
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 cups ketchup
2 tablespoons fish sauce
20 Thai basil leaves
2 teaspoons light-brown sugar
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
Coarse salt
8 (8-inch) lengths of baguette, halved horizontally
2 cups julienned green mango or Granny Smith apple, for serving
Thinly sliced jalapenos, for serving
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add beef, shallot, lemongrass, red-curry paste, and garlic. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
Stir in ketchup, fish sauce, 10 basil leaves, brown sugar, and mustard. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Place baguettes in oven and cook until toasted, about 2 minutes. Fill each baguette with about 1 cup beef mixture, and top with remaining 10 basil leaves, mango, and jalapenos. Serve immediately.

Roasted Salmon With Zucchini, Lemon, and Dill

Ingredients

Serves 4
1 1/2 pounds (about 3 medium) zucchini, cut diagonally into 1-inch-thick pieces
2 lemons, quartered, seeds removed
8 sprigs fresh dill
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 (about 8 ounces each) skinless salmon fillets
Directions

Heat broiler, with rack 4 inches from heat. Combine zucchini, lemons, and dill on a large rimmed broiler-proof baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat.
Nestle salmon fillets among vegetables; season generously with salt and pepper. Broil until vegetables are tender and fish is opaque throughout, 15 to 20 minutes.

Monica Bhide's Chile Pea Puffs

Heidi notes: If you have the time make a double batch of these, they freeze really well - a month or two double bagged. Bake straight from the freezer. You can get paneer at an increasing number of places now - at most Indian grocers, and some cheese shops. If you can't track down the paneer, no problem. You can make these dumplings with ricotta, crumbled tofu, or queso fresco. Vegans, go the tofu route, and seal the wrappers with water in place of the egg white. Monica suggests baking these (see photo), but also mentions they can be fried.

nonstick cooking spray (HS note: or a bit of olive oil)
1 cup cooked green peas, lightly mashed
1/4 cup crumbled paneer
2 small green serrano chiles, minced (remove seeds to reduce heat)
1/4 teaspoon salt to start
1/4 teaspoon red chile powder or red chile flakes (less to reduce heat)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
32 wonton wrappers
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet with cooking spray (HS note: or line with parchment paper).

In a bowl combine the peas, paneer, green chiles, salt, chile powder, and garlic. Mix well.

Place one teaspoon of the mixture into a center of a wonton wrapper. Lightly brush the sides og the wrapper with the egg white. Fold the wrapper over to form a triangle, or if you are using round wrappers, fold to form a half-moon. Press the edges with a fork, gently to secure the seam so the filling does not fall out. (HS note: I rolled them into mini-spring-roll shapes - see photo)

Place the puffs in a single layer on the baking sheet. Spray them lightly with cooking spray (HS note: or brush with a bit of olive oil). Cook for 7 to 8 minutes or until they are crisp and the skin changes to a lovely golden brown. Turn once, halfway through baking. Serve immediately with your choice of chutney.

Makes 32 puffs.

Yougurt Tartlets

If you have a hard time finding whole wheat pastry flour, feel free to substitute unbleached all-purpose flour. I made six little tarts, but I don't see why you couldn't make one large tart using a 9-inch tart pan. If any of you do this (the larger size), let me know, I just haven't had a chance to test it.

1 cup whole wheat pastry four
1/3 cup rolled oats
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon butter, coconut oil, or olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons natural cane sugar (optional)
1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use low-fat here)
1/4 cup maple syrup
zest of one lemon
3 teaspoons fresh ginger juice*
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

crystalized ginger, dried fruit, or fresh fruit/berries for topping
special equipment: 6 small tart (4-inch) pans or I suspect one 9-inch tart pan would be just about right for a single tart.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees, rack in the middle. In a medium bowl combine the flour, oats, and salt. In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the maple syrup and sugar. Now add the flour and oat mixture to the butter and stir well. Cook a couple minutes - just until you get a bit of a toasted smell. Stir in the sesame oil and remove from heat. Divide mixture into six equal portions, and as soon as it is cool enough, quickly press the mixture into (and up the sides) of each of the tart pans using your fingers and/or the base of a glass. Freeze until completely cooled - 5 or 10 minutes.

In the meantime, to make the filling, combine the yogurt, maple syrup, lemon zest and ginger juice in a medium mixing bowl. Taste. Add more ginger juice if you like. Now stir in the eggs until well incorporated.

Fill each tart shell with about 1/4 cup of filling (see photo), don't worry if you have a bit leftover. Bake for about 20 - 23 minutes. The filling should be set, and no longer jiggly. Remove the tarts and let cool for ten minutes. Now refrigerate for a couple hours, and serve topped with chopped crystallized ginger, fresh fruit, or dried fruit.

Makes six 4-inch tartlets.

*Fresh ginger juice: Grate peeled ginger with a micro-plane grater. Press and squeeze the grated ginger against a fine strainer extracting as much juice as possible.