Cucumber and Carrot Salad

Difficulty: Very easy

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: None

Cost per serving: $0.25 to $1.00

Useful leftovers: Useful but not great. The salad is best fresh.

So easy! So healthy! So tasty!
1 cucumber
1 carrot
1 tablespoon of walnut pieces
Toasted sesame oil
Lemon juice or vinegar
Salt and pepper

Wash the cucumber and slice it thinly or cut into chunks.

Scrub the carrot and cut it into small pieces. I like to do this by cutting a thin slice lengthwise so it will sit flat, then cutting it into wedges, then cutting those into sticks. Use a sharp, heavy knife for best control.

Put the cucumber and carrot in a mixing bowl and season with the sesame oil, lemon juice or vinegar and salt and pepper. Sprinkle the walnuts on top and serve.

To make this really special, toast the walnuts for a few minutes in a dry saute pan over medium heat or in a 350° oven for a few minutes, then let them cool and add them to the salad.

Easy, Fast, Tasty, Pea soup

Just one word - YUM!

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: up to ten minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Cost per serving: $0.50 and up depending on garnishes

Useful leftovers: Yes


Just like the title says this is easy, fast and very tasty. 

1 small onion or half a big one
1 small carrot of half a big one
1 pound bag of frozen peas, rinsed with hot water
Pinch of thyme, fresh or dried
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Cut the carrot and onion into small dice. Saute gently in the olive oil until they are cooked but not browned. This is called sweating.

Add the peas and enough water just to cover them. Bring to a boil and blend, either with a stick or regular blender or in a food processor. Salt and pepper to taste.

To make it fancy blend it really well then force it through a sieve. This will get rid of any bits of veggies that didn't puree completely and give you a smoother texture.

You can add a touch of cream and a dot of butter if you want a more classic French style soup.

You can garnish this soup many ways. I like crunchy or salty things as they contrast with the mild soup. Croutons, nuts, bits of ham, small chunks of lemon and bits of black olive are all great with this soup. You could put a dollop of yogurt or sour cream in the middle for a nice garnish.

Lamb Flank Steaks

Difficulty: Medium

Prep time: A minute. Plus a couple of minutes to heat the pan

Cooking time: A minute or less on each side

Cost per serving: $3.00 to $5.00

How to use leftovers: Sliced thin on crackers with mustard and lemon juice, or added to salads, perfect for sandwiches. Best eaten cold as a leftover as these are thin and can dry out.

A pretty nice lunch featuring Lamb Flank Steaks

I love these! Inexpensive (for lamb), easy easy easy to cook and very tasty.

You have to use a hot, heavy-bottomed pan for these. They need to brown fast without overcooking the thin interior.

Lamb flank steaks - figure 2 per person. They are about 2 oz. each, or you can serve one as an elegant appetizer
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Salt the lamb. Put a teaspoon of oil in the pan for each steak. When it starts to smoke add the flank steaks. Don't crowd the pan or they will boil in their own moisture rather than brown. You want them to brown in less than a minute.

When they are browned turn them over and brown the other side. They will brown more if you wipe them around the bottom of the pan to scrape up the brown bits.  As soon as they are browned take them out of the pan and keep them warm on a plate for a minute.  Grind pepper over them.

Super Sauce

Difficulty: Very Easy

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: None

Cost per serving: $0.50

Useful leftovers: Yes

A sour cream based dressing. It really brings out the flavors of certain foods. Great with cucumbers.

I never measure anything so start out light and add more flavorings as you taste it. This sauce is amazingly low in calories and packs a flavor punch.

The light sour cream that I use has only 20 calories per tablespoon. Here is a great trick - before you add the other ingredients whip the sour cream with a wire whip until it lightens and thickens like regular whipped cream.

If you beat it until the volume increases 50% then it is only 13 calories per tablespoon! Amazing.

Start with a half cup of sour cream and whip it until it holds soft peaks. Add any or all of the following flavorings.

I use this combination of flavorings:

1 tablespoon of dijon style mustard
1 tablespoon mushed up blue cheese
1/2 tablespoon prepared or fresh horseradish
Zest of one lemon and half of the juice
1 teaspoon chopped shallot, rinsed
Salt and pepper

Also good:

Capers
Finely chopped olives
Anchovies or a little mashed up smoked fish
Parsley or cilantro or basil
Hot sauce or peppers
Sweet peppers
Finely chopped cucumbers

Be sure and gently fold the flavorings in so you don’t undo all the whipping.

Taste and add ingredients as you wish.