Italian Dressing

1 Tablespoon garlic salt
1 Tablespoon onion powder
2 Tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1 Tablespoon dried parsley (optional)

3 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon flax seed oil
4 Tablespoons olive oil (total oil - 1/3 cup)
10 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar (2/3 cup)
~2 Tablespoons lemon juice (optional - juice of 1 small lemon or 1/2 of a large lemon)

In a small bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients. Store in a sealed container.

To prepare dressing, combine1 heaping Tablespoon of the the dry mix with the water. Add the other liquid ingredients and shake vigorously. 1-3 Tablespoons per serving averages out to about 10 servings per bottle.

Started this recipe with one off of the 'net, eliminated the sugar and extra salt and changed some of the ratios and particulars of the liquids.

soba noodle salad

8 oz soba noodles
1 c frozen shelled edamame
1.5 c shredded carrots (2-3 carrots)
1.5 c thinly sliced scallion (1 bunch)
0.5 c chopped fresh mint (less)
1 lg orange
2 Tbsp white miso
1.5 - 2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
0.5 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more)
0.25 tsp sale (ignore)

Cook noodles till about 3 mins from done, then add edamame to pot for remaining time.

empty into colander; rinse w/ cold water. drain. mix with carrots, scallion and mind.

Grate orange to produce 0.5 tsp zest. Juice orange to produce 4 Tbsp liquid. Place zest and juice in mixing bowl and mix in remaining ingredients. Pour dressing over noodles, etc. & place in fridge.

Better if it sits for a while for flavors to blend.

Ratatouille, pressure cooker

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 eggplant, chopped into chunks
1 zucchini (2 if small), same size chunks
1 yellow squash, same size chunks
2-5 mushrooms, bigger pieces
3-4 tomatoes, chunks
1 onion, medium to large diced
2 carrots, similar sized chunks
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 Tablespoon basil
1/4 cup water
pinch of salt (add to garlic while mincing)

heat cooker, medium-high, add oil when hot
saute onions, 1 min
add carrots, 1 min
add squash (zucchini, etc), 1 min
add eggplant, 1 min
add garlic, pepper, thyme, tomatoes, mushrooms, 1 min
add water
close pressure cooker, heat on medium high till pressure reached, turn burner to low, pressure cook for 4 minutes (total of 20-30 minutes from start of cooking portion), release pressure, open, add basil, enjoy hot with cous-cous or quinoa or as leftovers (flavors meld great the next day)

Play with ratios & ingredients (make sure the volume stays below the pressure cooker max fill line (OK, make sure you can at least close the lid and by the time it's done, it will probably be around the max fill line ;-))

I joke with Donna that it only takes 4 minutes to cook, and since I pre-cut and pre-measure everything, there are only 9 (or 10) bowels to clean up afterwards!

Veggies, cooked

broccoli, steamed: 14 minutes
squash, baked, toaster oven: 45 minutes
yam, baked, toaster oven: 40-45 minutes
yam, microwaved: 2.5 minutes, flip, 2 minutes
potato, baked, toaster oven: 75 minutes
potato, microwaved: 3.5 minutes, flip, 3 minutes
carrots, steamed: 20 minutes

Women's Health cranberry pear sauce

1/2 cup sugar (1/4 cup turbinado)
12 oz fresh cranberries
3 pears - peeled, cored and chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves

In a large saucepan, bring 1 cup water, sugar & 1/4 tsp salt to boil. stir well

Add everything else. stir well to combine. Reduce to low heat and simmer 25-30 mins until cranberries burst. Remove from heat. Serve at room temp or chilled

pineapple ginger cranberry sauce

3/4 cup pineapple juice (or pureed pineapple)
2 tsp (+) minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup sugar (1/4 cup +1 Tbs Turbinado)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

combine the pineapple juice and ginger in a saucepan and stir in sugar until dissolved. Add nutmeg and cranberries and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 - 10 mins or until berries begin to pop. Remove from heat and chill until serving time.

Ice Cream

2.5 cups whole (organic) milk
1.5 cups heavy (organic) cream
0.5 cups + 1 Tbsp maple syrup (organic, grade B)
2 egg yolks (large)
1/2 vanilla bean (Penzy's)

split vanilla bean in half length wise and scrape out seeds with edge of knife.

mix milk, cream, all of vanilla bean and 1/2 cup of maple syrup in pan.

put egg yolks and Tbsp of maple syrup in bowl and whisk.

heat milk mixture to 175 deg F, stirring constantly. remove from heat and transfer 1/2 cup of hot mixture at a time to egg yolks/syrup, whisking constantly, until about 1/2 of mixture is transferred.

pour back into pan, scraping vanilla seeds from side with spatula, bringing heat to 185 deg F, whisking constantly. immediately remove from heat and place mixture into a bowl in an ice bath. cool to room temp or below, then refrigerate till mixture is cool (~40 deg F, from 3-8 hrs).

remove vanilla bean husk(s) and pour into ice cream maker, scraping side of bowl to get all of the vanilla seeds. operate for 20-25 minutes (Cuisinart model). transfer to glass container that is pre-frozen in freezer and allow to set up.

Variations:
1 cup cream/3 cups milk - not as creamy!
substitute 1 cup keifer (Greek) for 1 cup milk (while cooling) - adds nice tangy component
Might play with reducing syrup slightly

Note: Mixture increases in volume during freezing (due to air entrainment). Overflow of container can result in a big mess both outside and inside (read - you must take it apart to clean it) the unit.