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Enjoy!

This is an healthier alternative to the usual sour cream and dill cucumbers dish. It's refreshing year round. I use the Greek low fat yogurt but regular low fat yogurt will work just as well. This recipe was from Cook's magazine who thoroughly tests recipes. I was going to skip the salting/pressing step for the cukes but ended up following the recipe exactly as written. You'll be amazed at how much liquid actually comes out of the cukes. I also like to seed my cucumbers as well as peel them and also omitted the garlic.

Yogurt Mint Cucumber Salad

3 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick on the bias.
Table salt
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup minced fresh mint leaves
2 Tbls. olive oil
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Ground black pepper

Toss the cucumbers with 1 Tbls. salt in a strainer or colander set over a bowl; weight with water-filled, 1 gallon zipper-lock bag, sealed tight. Drain cucumbers for at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours, then rinse, and pat dry with paper towels.

Whisk yogurt, mint, oil, garlic, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Add cucumbers; toss to coat. Serve chilled, adjusting seasonings if necessary.

This is a lemony, garlicy, spicy marinade for chicken.

Peruvian Chicken Marinade

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
8 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. turmeric
1 Tbls. hot paprika
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix together and marinade the chicken for about 30 minutes.

My Mom sent me this recipe for tomato sauce from a cookbook - sorry, I'm not sure which one - and I think it's the best way to put up tomatoes. I froze the sauce in plastic containers and, once frozen, then vacuum sealed them for longer storage in the freezer. You can also process them in jars using standard canning techniques. I found that my onions and tomatoes were sweet enough and didn't have to add any sugar.

The cookbook called for creating variations by adding any of the following ingredients after it's been roasting for about 50 minutes:

1/4 cup drained capers
1/2 cup pitted black and/or green olives
2 to 3 Tbls. tapenade
1 cup sauteed or raw mushrooms
1 cup of any chopped raw or cooked vegetables
Red chile flakes or hot pepper sauce

Roasted Tomato Sauce

Makes about 10 cups

15 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
8 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered
10 medium onions, quartered
1 cup chopped fresh herbs
About 1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
Generous grinding of black pepper
3 or 4 Tbls. sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a large roasting pan, toss together all of the ingredients except the sugar. Roast for 25 minutes. Gently stir the vegetables. Roast for another 25 minutes and gently toss. Roast for another 45 minutes, or until the tomatoes are softened and somewhat broken down into a sauce, with a golden brown crust on top. Remove from the oven and taste for seasoning. Adjust to taste.