Muhammara

Muhammara is a Turkish walnut/garlic spread. The garlic gives it a nice kick. This recipe is a combination of many recipes I have tried.

1 12 oz jar roasted red peppers - or 2 fresh roasted red peppers
2/3 C walnuts - toast in a dry frying pan for a couple minutes.
12 cloves garlic
2/3 C breadcrumbs
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 t ground cumin
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/4 C pomegranate syrup (see below)
juice and zest from 1/2 lemon

Lightly toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan for several minutes. Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until very smooth. It should not be gritty. Add salt to taste. Refrigerate several hours before serving, but serve at room temperature.

Serve with tosted pita triangles, toasted French bread or sesame crackers.

Pomegranate Syrup
Boil pomegranate juice until reduced by half. I make an entire jar and freeze it in ice cube trays. Works great in pomegranate martinis, too.

Ultimate Cosmo

Another recipe from Heather...

2 shots vodka- preferably Grey Goose
1 shot orange liquor - cointreau or Grand Marnier
Juice of one lime
1 shot of cranberry
lemon rind for garnish

You can tell the difference without the lemon. We used orange and it was not the same. Place in shaker with ice. Makes about a drink and a half.

Heather's Marinade

This simple marinade is great on beef or pork. I have used this with steaks, pot roast and a pork roast.

Juice of half a lime
1-2 T brown mustard (Grey Poupon)
1 T soy sauce
2 T canola oil
salt and pepper

Add all ingredients to a ziploc bag and shake to mix well. Add meat and marinade for an hour to overnight. Grill or roast as normal. For pork, add few sprigs of chopped fresh rosemary.

Strawberry Guacamole

1 avocado
1 large clove garlic, diced
juice of 1/4 lime
1/4 - 1/2 t salt
1 T chopped cilantro
1 serrano pepper, diced
1 large strawberry, diced

Pit and mash avocado. Add remaining ingredients, except strawberry, and mix well. Fold in strawberry. Garnish with a couple slivers of strawberry, if desired.

Crock Pot Chili

2 lbs. pork shoulder, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 C onion, coarsely chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 serrano peppers, seeded and minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 can beer
3 T Ancho chili powder
1/2 t ground cumin
2 t dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t salt
1 T sugar
6 tomatillos, quartered
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (7-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 t liquid smoke

Brown pork shoulder in skillet coated with cooking spray. Add to crock pot. Add onion and peppers. Sauté until almost tender. Add garlic and sauté another minute. Add beer and heat til boiling. Transfer to crock pot and add remaining ingredients and 1/2 cup of water. Cook on low for 8-10 hours (or high for 5 hours) in crock pot. Remove bay leaves. Garnish (see below).

~Optional Garnishes~
cilantro, finely chopped
green onions, finely chopped
shredded jack or cheddar cheese
fat free sour cream