I made this for a lunch with friends last week, and since one of them called for the recipe yesterday, I thought I'd better make up the recipe and show the picture. The beauty of salads sometimes is that you can through anything into it and make it work. Moreover, it's very forgiving provided you have a great dressing. Also, I've loved having banana peppers on my patio because I can just cut the hot ones and add them to the salad instead of using crushed red pepper, which feels so "coarse" in what is mostly a soft and simple salad.
Recipe for Cucumber Couscous Salad
1 cup cooked whole wheat couscous
1 small-to-medium cucumber, thinly sliced (like on a mandolin)
2 banana peppers, sliced
1/4 cup sweet onion, diced (Green onions may work well, too.)
1 tomato diced
2 tablespoons dehydrated parsley
1 tablespoon fresh mint (or about 10 large leaves)
1/2 teaspoon herbed salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Drizzle olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder, optional
Combine ingredients in serving bowl. Stir carefully. Serve immediately or chill to marinate flavors
I was reading through one of the many blogs I follow and became inspired to make mini-quiches. One thing I've learned as of late is to bake everything I can in muffin tins. You see, the weather in Florida is positively wonderful right now. (Sorry, dear loved ones in Spokane.) And it doesn't make a lot of sense to run your oven for an hour because as it is the windows are open to let the wonderful breeze blow through your house, and there's no point in making a case for turning on the air-conditioner.
Recipe for Paprika Pie Crust
2 cups flour
1 t salt
1 t sweet paprika
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup cold water
Mix dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix oil and water. Beat with a fork until there are lots of bubbles. Pour liquid into dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Divide crust into 12 equal portions. Slightly grease a muffin pan. Press each portion of dough into a cup of the pan making sure the dough is up the sides and not too thick along the bottom of the cup. Bake at 375 degrees for about 7 minutes or until beginning to turn golden. If at any time crust becomes difficult to handle, consider refrigerating it for 15 minutes or so.
Recipe for Sun-Ripened Tomato Quiche Filling
6 eggs, beaten
6 oz. Ricotta Cheese
1 Tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped
1 banana pepper, chopped
1/4 cup onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup sun-ripened tomatoes, cut into smaller-than-bite-sized pieces
1/4 t. salt
1/8 cup Parm-Reg for topping (optional)
In large bowl, beat eggs. Add ricotta and stir until well mixed. Add remaining ingredients and stir until evenly mixed. Pour egg mixture evenly into each of the 6 muffin cups with par-baked crust. Bake on 375 about 15-20 minutes or until eggs are cooked. Sprinkle with cheese in last minute of baking or just before serving.
It is recommended that the egg mixture not drip behind the crust or overflow the crust because it may make the crust soggy.
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