Balsamic Spring Veggie Ravioli

Another Kari Kreation.

Ravioli Primavera

Serves 3-4

1 bag frozen cheese ravioli
1 Portabello Mushroom, sliced & cut into 1 inch sections
1 red pepper, sliced and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 Roma Tomatoes, chopped bite size
6 Asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch sections
1-2 cups Arugula (optional)
Whole roasted garlic cloves (optional)
1 Tbs fresh Thyme leaves, chopped (fresh oregano would also work or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
Chopped Garlic to taste
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Put 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar in a small pan on medium low heat. Get it simmering and then keep an eye on it while you cook the rest of the meal. You want to reduce it by at least 1/2 but be careful it does not dwindle down too fast and burn. When it is reduced (about 15 minutes at a low simmer) remove from heat and set aside.

Start water for cooking the ravioli.

Heat aprox 4 Tbs olive oil in a large frying pan over medium/med high heat. Add at least a tsp chopped garlic, thyme leaves and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook a minute till fragrant, but don't let it burn! Add mushrooms, red peppers & asparagus and cook until they start to soften. (5 -10 minutes) Make sure the heat is high enough that its cooking away most liquid that's being released. Start cooking your frozen ravioli. Add roma tomatoes and roasted garlic cloves, cook for a couple more minutes till they're warm and soft. Remove from heat and stir in Arugula till its wilted. Mix with Ravioli, adding a little more olive oil if needed to coat the raviolis. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar reduction over it and shower with fresh parsley, parmesan and ground pepper.

Roasted Garlic

Roasted Garlic Two Ways

Whole heads: Especially delicious served with Camembert cheese on bread. mmmmm.....

• Cut each head evenly in half (around the equator).
• Place in a baking dish about the same depth & width as the amount of garlic you're using. For one or two heads, I use a small corningware dish & put it in my toaster oven. You can sort of squeeze them in there if you need to.
• Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Add 1 Tablespoon of water for each head of garlic.
• Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake at 400 for 45 minutes to an hour until the cloves are golden, tranluscent and very soft.
• If you check them and they're not done, add a little more water before covering with foil again. If the outside cloves start browning or getting crunchy, it's overcooked!

Peeled Cloves: These are great thrown on pizza, mashed with camembert cheese as a bread spread, put into mashed potatoes, added to pasta sauces... they should keep a few days in the fridge. I would generally do whole heads unless you have a huge container of peeled garlic you are trying to use up.

• Spread cloves on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper
• Put the sheet in the oven at 350
• Check often to make sure the cloves aren't browning. Stir them once they have started to cook.
• If they are browning but don't seem quite done, throw some water on the sheet.
• The cloves should be golden, soft and translucent

BBQ Pork

Not very traditional, but the easiest recipe ever for a crowd and the garlic makes it extra yummy. Courtesy of my friend Julie

Slow cooker BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Serves 6-8

4-5 lb piece of pork. Loin is the leanest, but the fattier butt roast is great too if you remove the extra chunks of fat at the end of cooking. Ask your butcher. If you get a fattier piece you need more meat. If its a loin roast, 1/2 a pound per person should be plenty.

1 Large bottle of BBQ sauce or a couple small ones

As many peeled cloves of garlic as you can manage. Costco sells giant tubs of them for $5 and you can throw in 1/2 the tub if you want.

Put all the ingredients in the slow cooker on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10. Remove pork & shred, removing any superfluous fat. Throw shredded meat back into the cooking liquid and serve in the cooker or in a separate bowl. The garlic will have cooked and softened like roasted garlic, make sure to put a few cloves on each sandwich. Serve on Hamburger buns with extra BBQ sauce, a salad, cornbread, etc.

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Sandwiches

I've been addicted to these lately and finely feel like I have the method perfected, for my tastes at least. I like having them for dinner with steamed artichokes on the side. You can buy fresh mozzarella for really cheap ($6 for two huge logs) at Costco, otherwise it tends to cost $5 packed in the little tubs of water with just enough for two people. It goes bad quickly too, so use it up within a week, maybe two.

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Sandwiches
Serves 1 for dinner, two for lunch

1 large ball of fresh, water packed Mozzarella, or 1/3 of a huge costco log (see above)
1 large bag of Basil
1 1/2 roma tomato per person
1 sandwich size baguette per person
1 clove of garlic
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Slice baguette in half length wise & stick cut sides up under the broiler until it is crunchy but not too browned. Remove from heat. Slice garlic clove in half and rub over the cut/toasted side until the bread softens. The garlic will disinegrate/melt into the bread. Do this to both halves of the baguette. Drizzle both halves with olive oil.

Core tomatoes and slice aprox 1/4 inch thick. Lay slices on baguette halves and then sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cover tomtoes w/ basil leaves. Slice Mozzarella the same way and lay on top of the basil. Eat cold, or broil for 2 more minutes until the cheese just barely melts.

Shrimp Tacos

Not super inspired, but this is the way I came up with and how I like to make mine. Unfortunately cooking this tends to give me an itchy puffy face (I think its the spices??), so who knows if I'll make it again. : (

Shrimp Tacos w/ Mango Salsa

Serves 2-3 (just add more meat for more people)

1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed (rock shrimp works well if you can find it, or try a white fish or even bay scallops)
2 Tb butter
2 tsp chipotle chili powder or smoked paprika, or maybe even plain chili powder
3 cloves pressed or finely minced garlic
Corn Tortillas, heated
1 very small head of green cabbage
Mango Salsa (recipe follows)
Sliced avacado (optional)

Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the shrimp, garlic and chili powder. Stirfry until the shrimp are cooked through, remove from heat and serve in corn tortillas w/ shredded cabbage (shave off with a knife), mango salsa and avacado slices.

Mango Salsa
1-2 mangos cubed
1/4 - 1/3 of a sweet onion, chopped very fine
Juice of 1/2 a lime
Chopped Cliantro to taste

Peel the mango & chop into 1/2 inch cubes. If the mango is not very juicy, mash part of it up with a fork to make the salsa more saucy. Add the rest of the ingredients & let the salsa rest in the fridge until dinner is ready. One mango is usually enough for 2 people, but two would be great if you love mango & have some chips to polish it off.