Peanut Soba Noodle Salad (revisited)

Salad
cucumber - peeled and cut into thin strips
green pepper - cut into thin strips
green onion - thinly sliced
grapefruit - segmented and halved
green apple - peeled and cut into 1 in cubes
daikon - thinly sliced
bok choy - sliced into 1 in strips
soba noodles
mint, chopped
cilantro, chopped
sesame oil - to drizzle on cooked soba noodles
sesame seeds, toasted - for garnish


Peanut Sauce:
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbs. smooth peanut butter
1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. agave nectar
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. chili oil
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)

Mix it all together - best if served slightly chilled.

Couscous with Morroccan Roasted Vegetables and Chickpeas and Herbed Yogurt

Spice mix for Vegetables and Chickpeas
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Vegetables
1/2 medium red onion, cut into medium wedges
2 small zucchini trimmed and cut into 3/4 in. moons
1 bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1 in. pieces
3 radishes, trimmed and cut into wedges
8 small carrots (nantes), peeled and cut into 2 in. pieces
1.5 cups chickpeas (fresh is best - start the night before by soaking the dried chickpeas) - add these to the roasting pan for only the last 5-10 minutes.

pre-roasting

Couscous
1 package couscous
3 cups vegetable broth (I used reserved liquid from cooking the chickpeas - really good)
1/4 cup dried cherries, finely chopped

Herbed Yogurt
7 oz. plain Greek yogurt (I used 2% Fage)
1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1 T. chopped fresh mint
1 Tbsp. lime juice (I used a key lime)
1/4 tsp. salt

Best Part - LEFTOVERS!

Goat Meatballs with Tzatziki

Goat Meatballs with Tzatziki and Quinoa with Cherry Tomatoes and Green Peppers:


My Presentation:

Derek's Presentation:

Regardless of presentation, a really delicious and surprisingly each meal to prepare.


Meatball Ingredients:
Ground Goat
Mint
Cilantro
Allspice
Cumin
Cayenne
Salt
Pepper
Panko
Egg
Pomegranate Juice
Chicken Broth
EVOO

Combine all ingredients (use your judgement on the amounts based on other meatball recipes - I don't have the exact quantities!). Divide mixture into evenly sized balls (you choose how big or small). In a heated pan with some EVOO, add meatballs and brown on each side. You'll have to do this in batches, most likely. Once browned, put in the oven at 350 F until cooked through.


Tzatziki Sauce:

7 oz ounces plain Greek yogurt (Fage 2% is my favorite)
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
Pinch kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
3-4 mint leaves, finely minced

Directions

Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator (though I only had about 30 minutes for this step).

Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint.

Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.

Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.