These can be done without the cream cheese marble as well.

Prep Time: 20 min Inactive Prep Time:  Cook Time: 30 min
Serves:
about 24 (2-inch) brownies  These can be done without the cream cheese marble as well.
 
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
3 ounces finely chopped semisweet chocolate
3 ounces finely chopped unsweetened chocolate
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Marble:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (the microwave for 45 seconds at 50 percent power is a great way to do this)
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
 
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, so that the edges of the paper come up the sides. Lightly butter the paper. Put both the semisweet and unsweetened chocolates and the butter in a heatproof medium bowl. Fill a medium saucepan with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat; set the bowl of chocolate over the water to melt. Whisk until smooth. (Alternatively, melt in a microwave at half power, for 1 minute, stir and then heat for another minute or until melted.) Whisk the flour and salt in a bowl. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Take care not to over mix the batter. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

For the marble swirl:
Whisk the cream cheese with the sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Drop very large spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture onto the surface of the brownie batter. Insert a butter knife through the batter to the bottom of the pan. With the flat edge of the knife, make swirling motions through the batters, occasionally lifting the knife through the top, until the dark and light batters are marbled. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out coated with a fudge-y crumb, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the brownies in the pan on a rack. To take the brownies out of the pan, lift the edges of the paper. Cut the brownies into squares.
Serve.

Copyright 2003 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved
 

Printed from FoodNetwork.com on 09/25/2008
© 2008 Scripps Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved

You can make this with just one or two vegetables.  You don’t need all three.  I know it is unconventional to add a bit of flour into the sauce raw, but I got the idea from a fondue recipe that does the same.  Not needing to make a bechamel saves a lot of time.

Serves 8-10
3 cups chopped greens (callalloo, chard, kale, spinach)
3 cups broccoli – florets and spears chopped
1 small butternut squash– peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes (sweet  potato is a good sub here)
16 ounces whole grain elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
2 rounded cups grated cheddar – (10 oz)
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups low fat cottage cheese
1 cup milk (skim is fine)
1 minced clove of garlic
salt and pepper

Get two pots of water boiling, one should be 1/3 full of water, the other 2/3 full.  Both should be salted.  Get all of your ingredients prepped.  Add the callalloo and broccoli into the pot that is 1/3 full of water. Pour through a colander after 5 minutes.  In the other pot, add the sweet potatoes.  After 3 minutes add the macaroni and cook until the macaroni is done – about 6 more minutes.
Strain through a colander but do NOT rinse.  Put back into the empty pot and add the butter and stir well.  Add the milk, garlic and cottage cheese and stir well.  Add the cheeses, add the greens, heat it up a bit over medium heat stirring and season with salt and pepper. 
Serve!

8 oz. semi or bittersweet chocolate, cut up into small pieces
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 T. butter, unsalted
1 tsp. espresso powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2T. coffee liqueur (optional) such as Kahlua, Tia Maria. Illy, etc.
cocoa powder for coating

Place cut up chocolate in a bowl.  Heat cream and butter to almost boiling.
Remove from the heat and stir in espresso powder, cinnamon and liqueur.
Pour over the chocolate pieces and let sit for five minutes.
Stir until smooth and glossy. Place bowl, uncovered, in refrigerator for about an hour or until chocolate is completely set. Using a small scoop or a tablespoon form mixture into 1″  balls (Wear latex gloves - it’s messy). Place the balls back in the fridge for ten minutes to set up a little bit after handling.
Roll in cocoa and reform into perfect little truffle balls. Serve.

 Makes 20-24 truffles

1  8″store bought piecrust

5-6 apples ( mixed varieties such as Macs, Macoun, Granny Smith, Empire, etc. add flavor) 
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Streusel Topping:
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark whichever is at hand)
4 tablespoons cold butter cut into pieces
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Peel and core apples. Slice into 1/4 inch slices and toss in bowl with the lemon juice (to prevent browning). Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon and sprinkle on apples. Prick pie shell and place apples into it. Place ingredients for streusel topping in food processor and pulse until the consistency of cormeal. Alternatively, mix by hand in a bowl. Scatter on top of apples and place in oven for 40-45 mins.

2 pounds halibut or a firm-fleshed fish such as salmon, haddock, etc.

Marinade:
2 tablespoons rice wine or sake
3 slices of fresh ginger (about the size of a quarter), smashed with the flat side of a heavy knife or a cleaver
1 tablespoon of soy sauce

Seasonings:
3 tablespoons finely shredded scallions
2 tablespoons finely shredded fresh ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil, heated to sizzling

Rinse the fish fillets lightly and pat dry. Place in a bowl. Combine all the marinade ingredients and lightly pinch the ginger slices in the rice wine to impart their flavor. Add to the fillets and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
 
Place the fillets skin side down on a heatproof plate with a rim and pour the marinade over, taking out the ginger slices. Cover with a piece of parchment or wax paper. Place the dish in a microwave oven and cook for about 6 minutes. The fish will be opaque all the way through when done. Sprinkle the cooked fish with the shredded scallions and shredded ginger. Drizzle with the hot sesame oil.

Serves 6
© Copyright Nina Simonds 2008

This rice is fragrant and delicious. I think it goes especially well with grilled, steamed, or roasted meat and seafood. You can use basmati or jasmine white rice but adjust the measurements accordingly.

2 cups basmati brown rice
4 cups water

Herbal Seasonings:
¾ cup minced scallion greens
¾ cup cilantro leaves rinsed, drained, blotted dry and chopped
½ cup flat leaf or curly parsley sprigs, rinsed, drained, blotted dry and chopped
2 tablespoons fruity olive oil
1 ½tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ teaspoons salt, or to taste

1. Put the rice in a bowl and using your fingers as a rake, rinse the rice under cold
 running water to remove some of the talc. Drain the rice in a strainer.
2. Put the rice and water in a heavy, 3-quart saucepan or pot with a lid. Heat uncovered until boiling.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the water has evaporated and craters appear on the surface.
3. Remove from the heat and add the Herbal Seasonings. Fluff the cooked rice lightly with a fork to separate the grains and mix the seasonings evenly with the rice.  

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6
© Copyright Nina Simonds 2008

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, stem trimmed and halved lengthwise
2 teaspoons virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons rice wine or dry white wine
 
1. Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in the middle of the oven.
2.Toss Brussels sprouts with oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and white wine, then arrange in a 17- by 12-inch shallow baking pan.
3. Cover with aluminum foil and cook for about 20 minutes. Uncover and toss the sprouts. Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake for 10-15 more minutes until golden brown and slightly crisp. Portion into a serving pan and serve hot or at room temperature.

© Copyright Nina Simonds 2008

 The simple technique of roasting accentuates the natural and delicious flavor of vegetables. I like to vary the vegetables in this dish, using fall or winter root vegetables like pumpkin or sweet potato, eggplant or fennel. The dish is especially good served over couscous or rice.   

3 medium zucchinis, ends trimmed
1 medium eggplant, stem trimmed
1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
1 orange bell pepper, cored and seeded
1 yellow bell pepper, cored and seeded
1 large red onion, peeled and ends trimmed
1 pound cherry tomatoes 
3 tablespoons virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, stems trimmed, rinsed and blotted dry, about 7     to  8 
2 teaspoons oregano
1¼ teaspoons salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Cut the zucchini eggplant, bell peppers and onion into 1-inch dice.
2. Put the cut vegetables and cherry tomatoes in a roasting pan, pour in the olive oil, garlic, tear the basil leaves and add along with the oregano, salt and pepper. Toss lightly to coat and spread out in a single layer.
3. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the vegetables are brown at the edges and very tender. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold.

Serves 6
© Copyright Nina Simonds 2008

This bread salad is the favourite every-day Lebanese salad. The spice sumac gives it a distinctive sharp flavor. The old traditional way was to moisten the toasted bread with water and a little lemon juice before soaking it further with the dressing, which made it deliciously soft and soggy. Nowadays, the toasted bread is broken into pieces and added to the salad at the end while it is crisp. You can buy purslane and small cucumbers (they have a better flavor than our large ones) in Middle Eastern stores.
11/2  pita breads
1 Cos lettuce, cut into 1/2 inch ribbons
about 100g purslane leaves or lamb’s lettuce
4 firm ripe tomatoes, cut into medium pieces
4 small cucumbers, peeled and cut into thick slices
1 green pepper, seeded and cut into small slices
11/2 mild onions or 8 scallions, chopped
large handful chopped flat-leaf parsley
4−5 sprigs of mint, shredded
1/3 - 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon ground sumac

Cut around the pita and open them out. Toast them under the grill or in the oven until they are crisp; turn them over once.
Break them into small pieces in your hands. Put all the vegetables and herbs in a large bowl.
For the dressing, mix the olive oil with the lemon juice, salt, pepper and sumac.

Just before serving, sprinkle the toasted pita o ver the salad then toss the salad well with the dressing. Serves 6–8

1 cup of lemon juice
2-3 tablespoons of sugar
3-4 medium-sized borage leaves
2 cups water

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend for approximately 30 seconds.
Strain into a tall glass, and garnish with borage flowers.

Copyright@ Di-Di’s Timeless Herb Secrets

http://www.herb.co.za/herbal/borage-recipes.htm