Salad:

• 4 lemon cucumbers, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 yellow banana chili peppers or other mild chili pepper, such as Anaheim, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 medium bell pepper, preferably yellow, seeded and chopped into 1/4-inch chunks
• 1 medium red onion, chopped into 1/4-inch chunks
• 8 ounces tomatoes, preferably plum, seeded and chopped into 1/2-inch chunks
• 2 cups coarsely torn spinach leaves
• 1.5 cups 1/4-inch cubes stale French bread
• 2/3 cup Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing (recipe below)
• 12 Mediterranean-style black olives, such as oil-cured or kalamata
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Place the cucumbers, chili and bell peppers, onion, tomatoes, spinach, and bread in a large bowl and toss to mix.
2. When ready to serve, pour in the dressing and toss again. Top with the olives, feta, and black pepper and serve right away.

Source: Gardeners' Community Cookbook

Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1 1.5 lb boneless pork loin
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 5 black peppercorns
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 1 oregano sprig
• 1 parsley sprig, plus 2 tbsp chopped parsley leaves

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine 2 tbsp of the oil with the garlic. Add the pork, turn to coat and let stand for 1 hour.
2. Set a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400F. In a medium ovenproof skillet, heat the remaining oil.
3. Season the pork with salt and pepper and add to the skillet, fat side down. Cook over moderately high heat until richly browned, 4 minutes. Brown the pork on the remaining sides, then turn it fat side up. Add the orange juice, stock, wine, peppercorns and herb sprigs and bring to a boil.
4. Transfer the skillet to the upper shelf of the oven and roast the pork for about 35 minutes, until and instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 145F. Transfer the pork to a carving board.
5. Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan and boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, 15 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and stir in the chopped parsley. Carve the pork and serve with the orange sauce.

Source: Food and Wine, October 2009

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp olive oil
• juice of 1 small lemon
• 6 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tbsp dried oregano (or italian seasoning)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup spinach, destemmed and torn
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, tenderized until 1/2" thicks

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl combine the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix together. Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish and pour oil mixture over chicken.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the spinach, feta cheese and onion and mix thoroughly.
4. Spoon spinach mix onto each chicken breast. Secure open sides with toothpicks.
5. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups blackberries and raspberries
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 tbsp butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Place 6 ramekins on foil lined baking sheet.
2. Divide 4 cups fresh blackberries and raspberries between 6 ramekins. Sprinkle with the lemon juice.
3. Stir together egg, sugar, and flour in a medium bowl until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over fruit.
4. Drizzle butter over topping.
5. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes.

Serves 6
Source: MyRecipes

Pizza Dough (2 thin crusts):

• 1 cup + 2 tbsp water, 80 degrees
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp sugar
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1.5 tsp active dry yeast

Toppings:

• 1.5 cups pasta sauce (no I don't make my own pizza sauce...yet)
• small onion, finely diced
• freshly minced garlic cloves
• 1 cup mozzarella, grated
• 1 fresh mozzarella ball, thick slices
• 1 cup grated parmigiano reggiano (yep, real parmesan cheese)
• 2 torn slices of provolone
• 1 cup sweet German sausage, small cubes
• 1 slice prosciutto, chopped
• fresh rosemary
• fresh thyme
• fresh oregano

Directions:

1. Add ingredients to bread maker, select pizza dough cycle, press [Start]. It kneads the dough for 25 minutes and lets it rise for 30 minutes.
2. Sprinkle two pizza stones with cornmeal and put in cold oven. Preheat to 425.
3. Sprinkle wooden pizza peel with plenty of cornmeal so pizza can easily slide off onto the stone. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Divide in half and press into two 14" circles. Put crust on peel to assemble the pizza.
4. Sprinkle a little parmesan on the crust. Spread half the sauce onto the crust. Use half the diced onion, minced garlic, grated mozzarella, parmesan, provolone.
5. For the cheese pizza, top with the slices of fresh mozzarella and half of the herbs.
6. For the sausage pizza, top with the sausage, the prosciutto, and the remaining half of the herbs.
7. Gently slide the pizzas on to the stones, careful not to knock off the toppings.
8. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until edges of crust are golden brown.
9. Remove stones from oven and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the cheese to set before cutting.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds beef stew meat, such as boneless chuck, trimmed of any excess fat, cut into 1- to 1.5-inch chunks, and blotted dry
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup smooth or chunky tomato salsa, homemade or prepared
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Pinch of dried oregano or marjoram
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. In a zippered-top plastic bag or a bowl, toss the beef, in batches, with the salt, pepper, and flour.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 1.5 tablespoons of the oil until very hot. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes, then transfer to the crock. Add half the beef to the skillet and brown on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to the slow cooker. Brown the remaining beef in the oil and add to the cooker. Add the salsa, vinegar, oregano, and water to the cooker and stir to evenly distribute.
3. Pour the wine into the skillet and place over medium heat. Stir constantly, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pan; it will reduce a bit. Pour into the cooker and stir. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
4. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley. If the estofado is too thin for you, use a beurre manie to thicken it a bit. Serve with rice.

Before it got too late, I ran to Whole Foods to pick up some red wine and red wine vinegar. Ended up with a Whole Foods 365 Trackers Crossing, South Eastern Australia Shiraz for $5.99. Super cheap red wine for cooking. Not bad at all. I used the last of our Arriba! Medium tomatillo salsa. Sorry Sweetie!!! I'll get more!!! :-D

Turned on Groove Salad and went to work. It smells delicious...I'm glad I ate before I began this one.

Note: I find that most user-submitted recipe photos look disgusting. The recipe may sound good, but if the picture looks nasty, it's generally a bit of a food-turn-off.