Glossary of cooking procedures and ingredients
Italian-Style Broccoli
Oriental Green Beans
Ginger Broccoli
Marinated Asparagus
Cucumbers in Sour Cream
Mediterranean Potatoes
Marinated Cucumbers
Confetti Potato Pancakes


Italian-Style Broccoli: (serves 2-4) 1 Tlbs. olive oil, 1 head broccoli, cut into florets, 1 clove garlic, minced, 2 Tlbs. sunflower seeds, 3 Tlbs. water,, Salt and pepper to taste 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat, then saute the broccoli in the oil for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, sunflower seeds, water, and salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook over low heat until the liquid has evaporated, abut 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pn from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Serve immediately.

Oriental Green Beans: (serves 4-6) 1 pound green beans, trimmed, 1 1/2 cups water, 1 Tlbs. vegetable oil, 1/4 cup vegetable broth, 2 Tlbs. soy sauce or tamari, 1-2 tsp. rice wine or dry sherry, 1 Tlbs. sugar, 3 cloves garlic, minced

Heat the water in a wok or large saucepan. Carefully add the beans and steam until tender but crisp, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the broth, soy sauce or tamari, rice wine or sherry, and the sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Wipe excess water from wok or saucepan, add the oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minutes. Add the beans and sauce, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Serve immediately.

Ginger Broccoli: (serves 4) 1 1/2 pounds broccoli, florets and stems sliced into diagonal pieces, 2 tsp. roasted sesame oil, 3 Tlbs. tamari or soy sauce, 2 tsp. ground ginger ,2 tsp. brown sugar,4 Tlbs. water

In a medium frying pan over medium heat, saute broccoli in the sesame oil for about 8 minutes. Combine the tamari or soy sauce, ginger, and sugar, and add to the broccoli. Add water, cover, and simmer for 2 minutes.

Marinated Asparagus: (serves 4) 32 fresh asparagus spears, 1 1/2 Tlbs. Italian dressing, 1 1/2 Tlbs. vinaigrette dressing, 1 pimiento cut into 4 long strips

Wash and trim asparagus spears. Steam until tender. Drain. Place in a flat container. Add salad dressings and marinate in the refrigerator until cold. To serve: wrap 8 spears of asparagus in one long piece of pimiento. Tie pimiento into a bow if possible.

Cucumbers in Sour Cream: (serves 4) 2 large cucumbers, peeled, 1 Tlbs. salt, 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, 2 Tlbs. cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed, 1 cup sour cream

Slice cucumbers as thin as possible and place in a glass bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Let stand for 1 hour to overnight. Rinse with water, if desired, to remove some of the salt. Squeeze liquid from cucumbers by hand. Combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Stir into cucumbers and serve. Recipe from: Lisa Sullivan, a close friend.

Mediterranean Potatoes: (serves 6) 2 cups thinly sliced onions, 4 Tlbs. olive oil, 1 1/2 pounds (4-5) tomatoes, peeled and seeded, 1/4 tsp. salt, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1/4 tsp. basil, 1/4 tsp. thyme, 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Saute onions in 2 Tlbs. of the olive oil until tender. Cut tomatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Stir tomatoes and salt into the onions and set aside. In a bowl, mix garlic, herbs, black pepper, and 2 Tlbs. of the olive oil. Oil a 10x2-inch baking dish. Spread 1/4 tomato mixture in dish. Top with 1/2 of the potatoes and half of the garlic mixture. Spread on 1/2 of the tomato mixture, remaining potatoes, remaining garlic mixture and top with the last 1/4 of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese and 1 tsp. olive oil. Bake 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Cover loosely with foil if top begins to brown during cooking.

Marinated Cucumbers: (serves 4) 1 Tlbs. olive oil, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1/4 tsp. honey, 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, 1 large cucumber

Peel cucumber if it is waxed. Slice thinly into rings. Blend oil, water, vinegar, honey and seasonings in a bowl. Add to marinade and toss until slices are coated. Chill at least 6 hours.

Confetti Potato Pancakes: (makes 12 pancakes) 1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and shredded, 2 green onions, thinly sliced ,1 small red bell pepper, diced into small pieces, 2 egg whites, 3 Tlbs. unbleached all-purpose flour, 3/4 tsp. salt shredded Cheddar cheese (optional), nonstick cooking spray

Toss all ingredients together well. Heat a nonstick skillet and spray with cooking spray. Drop 2 Tlbs. of the mixture onto skillet and spread and shape into 3-inch rounds. Cook, turning once, for 6 minutes or until golden on both sides. Place pancakes on ovenproof plate, cover with foil and keep warm in a 200F degree oven. Repeat until all of the potato mixture is used. Top with shredded Cheddar cheese, if desired,