Vegetarian Paella

(If you prefer meat in your diet, add salmon or grouper, shrimp, scallops and substitute the soy sausage with pork sausage).

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 8 ounces soy sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
• 1 cup sliced yellow squash
• 1 cup baby squash or sliced zucchini
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas
• 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 6 to 8 saffron threads
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 red, yellow and green peppers.
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions: Heat oil in a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add soy sausage and garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add artichokes, squash, zucchini, carrots, asparagus, peas, tomatoes, saffron, paprika, and bay leaves, bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Add rice and broth and cook for 5 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, remove bay leaves and stir in parsley. Slice peppers and place on top to garnish. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.

                                  Curried Spinach

                                      Oriental Green Beans

        Milena's Fennel/Tangerine Salad

The mixture of tastes is an incredibly enjoyable experience.
                                                            Buon Appetito!!!

1 fennel
2 tangerines (peeled and separated)
salt and pepper
oil and vinegar



Clean, pare and dice the entire fennel
Peel the tangerines and slice into halves

Mix fennel and tangerines together.
Add salt, pepper, oil and vinegar.
And then toss so all ingredients blend together

Chill and serve.

                               Eggs Florentine with Orange-Dill Sauce

Ingredients

1 pound washed spinach, stems removed             1 egg yolk
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice                   1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice                                         1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 tablespoons butter at room temperature              1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill                               1 teaspoon white vinegar
6 eggs                                                                     3 English muffins, split in half
2 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced                                  fresh cracked black pepper   

Instructions

1. Fill a medium pot with water and bring it to a boil. Drop in the washed spinach and cook for 3 minutes, stirring several times. Drain the spinach in a colander. Put a bowl or plate directly on top of the spinach, inside the colander, and press down to squeeze all excess water from the leaves. Cover and set aside.
2. Fill the bottom of a double boiler halfway with water and place over medium heat. Set the top pot over the water and drop in the egg yolk. Add the orange juice and stir until blended. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and the lemon juice, then the turmeric, salt, and butter. Add 1 teaspoon of the dill and whisk until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended and the sauce has a thick creamy consistency (approximately 2 minutes).
3. Remove the top part of the double boiler and set aside. Pour the white vinegar into the water in the bottom pot and heat it just to the boiling point. Gently crack the eggs one by one into the simmering water, and poach for 3 minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and let the water drip from the spoon so they aren’t watery. Transfer the eggs to a warm platter and cover.
4. Toast the English muffins on the middle rack under the broiler. Remove them from the oven and pot them on plates. Place 1 tomato slice on each muffin half and spoon 1⁄4 cup of the cooked spinach on top. Arrange 1 poached egg on top of that and drizzle a spoonful or so of the orange-dill sauce over everything. Sprinkle some of the remaining 1 teaspoon of chopped dill and black pepper over the sauce as garnish. Serve immediately.