There are certain kitchen appliances I can’t live without – such as my food processor. But one-trick pony gadgets – like a rice maker – have literally no place in my kitchen.
For ORANGE RICE SALAD, the rice is cooked like pasta – in lots of water, then drained. So easy, and no need to worry about burning the rice. (Been there, done that!)
Even though there are oranges and dried cranberries involved, this is actually a savory salad. For the most part, this is a very easy to prepare salad. The only slight issue is removing the skin around each orange segment.
ORANGE RICE SALAD – makes about 8 cups
- 1½ cups basmati rice, raw
- 2 quarts water
- 1¼ tsp salt, divided
- 3 T vegetable oil
- 1½ T sherry vinegar
- 2½ T orange juice
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp orange zest, packed
- 3/4 tsp garlic, pressed
- 1 tsp dried oregano (or 1 T fresh)
- 2 oranges
- 3 oz feta cheese, crumbled
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Place just the rice in a large pot on medium/high flame. Stir often for 3 minutes to toast the kernels – this will give the salad a toastier flavor. 
Add in the 2 quarts of water and bring to boil. Cook for 15 minutes – until rice still has a little chew. 
Immediately drain in a sieve and spread out onto a parchment lined, rimmed cookie sheet to dry and cool.
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, orange juice, black pepper, zest, garlic, and oregano. Set aside. (Yes, I know it’s not pretty – but, it’s delicious!)
Now it’s time to peel the oranges. TAKE YOUR TIME WITH THIS SO YOU DON’T CUT YOURSELF! Slice off the tops and bottoms of oranges – this will stabilize the orange so it doesn’t roll. Using a sharp knife, remove peel down past the wedge skin. Try to remove all the bitter white parts. 
Hold the orange in one hand or lay it on a cutting board, and carefully slice along the inside of the skin that encases each segment down to the core. Do this on both sides of each segment. Removing the skin will allow the juice to blend into the rice. Cut segments in half widthwise, and set aside.
To assemble, put rice into a large serving bowl. I would suggest transferring the bulk of the rice via a spatula – the parchment will be wet and may tear if you lift it with all of the rice. Add in the oranges, feta, cranberries, and dressing. 
Gently mix well. Let set for, at least, 20 minutes to blend flavors. Add in almonds at serving time to keep them crunchy.
Lasagna is one of those dishes that’s good on many levels: it’s easy to put together, it’s a potluck favorite, it can be made ahead of time, and it’s fabulous leftover.
Remove and discard the stem ends, peels, and any imperfections from canned tomatoes. Pulse in food processor or chop by hand. Add to onion mixture along with tomato paste, and 35g (1/2 cup) (1 1/4 oz) Pecorino. Bring to boil, then lower flame to keep a simmer for 20 minutes UNcovered.
Boil at least 4 cups of water. Place dried noodles in 9″x13″ casserole dish. When water is boiling, pour over noodles so they’re immersed. Gyrate them so they don’t stick. Let set 15 minutes to parcook.
While the noodles are softening and the sauce is cooking, mix together cottage cheese, 113g (4 oz) (1½ cups) Pecorino, cream, garlic, remaining 1/4 tsp salt, pepper, and 1 tsp cornstarch. Set aside.
When 15 minutes for the noodles is up, place them on tea towels in a single layer. Pat tops to dry. Cut 2 of them in half widthwise (so they’re each about 5″ long). Empty and dry casserole dish.
Preheat oven to 375º (190°C) Fahrenheit.
Lay 3 long noodles, all touching the same short side of casserole. Take one of the short noodles and lay it along the opposite short side. (This will fill in the gap.) 
Carefully spread half of the cottage cheese mixture over noodles. Sprinkle on 39g (1/2 cup) Fontina.
LAYER TWO: Place 3 long noodles on top, this time touching the opposite short side. Take 1 short noodle and place it along the other short side of casserole. 
Pour and spread 429g (1½ cups) sauce. Sprinkle on 39g (1/2 cup) Fontina.
LAYER THREE: Place 3 long noodles on top, touching the same side as layer one, followed by (you guessed it) 1 short noodle on the opposite side. 
Spread on the remaining cottage cheese mixture and sprinkle with 39g (1/2 cup) Fontina.
TOP LAYER: Place 3 long noodles touching the same side as layer two, and the remaining short piece on opposite side. 
Pour on remaining marinara sauce. With your fingers, mix together the remaining 39g (1/2 cup) Fontina with 1/8 tsp cornstarch. Sprinkle on top of sauce. Finally, sprinkle on remaining 21g (3/4 oz) Pecorino.
Cover with foil and bake at 375ºF (190°C) for 35 minutes. Increase oven to 500ºF (260°) and remove foil. Bake 10 minutes more. Remove from oven and let lasagna rest on stovetop at least 20 minutes to set. Sprinkle on basil.
With the weather heating up and bulky clothes coming off, I’m always looking for ways to appease my hunger but shred the pounds. Soups are generally my go-to diet food since they fill you up without a lot of calories. But hot soup in hot weather doesn’t really appeal to me, so I look to chilled soups.
Once I fine-tune a recipe to my liking, I move on. However, I’m not a gal so set in her ways that I’m not willing to be flexible about revisiting a recipe. (This does NOT apply to household activities in which I’m constantly suggesting (okay, nagging) that my husband put his keys and wallet in the same spot so he doesn’t have to spend 15 minutes daily looking for them.)
In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
Stir in cinnamon until blended. Then, using a large spoon, add in brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, and vanilla, mixing until smooth.
Lightly beat together the whole egg and yolk, 
Stir in the flour mixture until most of flour is incorporated.
Finally, stir in oats and butterscotch chips.
Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit.
Bake at 375º F for 9-10 minutes. The key is to look at the edges, not the center. The edge should start to look baked, but the center should not be browned. Because the cookies will continue to cook on the hot sheet out of the oven, if you wait to remove them from the oven until they look baked, they’ll be overcooked.
Let cookies cool on cookie sheet before removing them to a wire rack.
I’m always interested in new salads – one can only eat so many lettuce and tomato dinner salads. My ISRAELI COUSCOUS SALAD combines Israeli couscous (aka pearl couscous) with arugula, mint, dried cranberries, pistachio nuts, and feta cheese with a tasty vinaigrette.
It’s tricky business when you have guests for dinner. I usually gear my meal to be ready half an hour after the designated arrival time. But there’s the rub. Sometimes people are late, or worse, early. They’re hungry, but you don’t want them to fill up on weighty appetizers.
I’m a fan of potatoes – dressed up or dressed down, they’re pretty much always good. I’m, also, a fan of brunch….only for dinner. So CHEESY BRUNCH POTATOES is an Antonini family favorite evening meal.
When water reaches boil, drop in potatoes and cook about 5 minutes – just to par-cook them. 
(You don’t want them completely cooked or they’ll start to mash when fried.) Pour into sieve to drain.
Continue flipping until the potatoes are browned. 
Turn off flame.
In my ongoing attempt to post bathing-suit friendly recipes, I decided to turn to RED LENTIL SOUP. Enjoy it either as a meal unto itself, or as a starter to curb your appetite before the higher-caloric main course.
Tired of the same old salad? Try Fattoush Salad. It’s quick to put together (unless you’re compulsive, like me, and make your own pita bread). Comprised of arugula, cucumber, mint, and cilantro, it’s a light salad that cleanses the palate.
Vegetarian Cooking For Carnivores BLOG 