greek salad dressing

i'm forever trying to recreate Panera's greek dressing.
this one is pretty darn good, but still no panera.
don't store it in the fridge, it gets all congealed and gross.



1/2 cup EVOO
2 tsp each: garlic powder, oregano, basil
1 tsp each: salt, pepper, onion powder, ground mustard
5/8 cup red wine vinegar

Cheddar-Parmesan Crackers

i haven't made these yet, but they sound absolutely wonderful. pictures to come post-baking.

4 ounces cheddar cheese, coarsely grated

2 ounces parmesan cheese, finely grated

3/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces

2 tbsp water, + more if needed

1. in the bowl of a food processor, place all the ingredients except the butter and water. pulse 5 times.
2. add the butter and pulse again until the butter pieces are the size of BBs.
3. add the h2o, i tbsp at a time, and pulse just until the dough holds together. if the dough is still crumbly, add more water 1 tbsp at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
4. turn the dough out onto a large piece of waxed paper. roll into a log, 10" long, and square off the ends.
5. refridgerate, well wrapped, for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days or freeze up to 1 month.
6. preheat to 375 degrees.
7. to make the crackers, cut the log into 1/4" thick slices. arrange on baking sheet 1" apart.
8. bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the crackers are a light golden color.
9. turn the crackers and bake for 3-5 minutes more, or until they are golden around the edges.
10. cool on a rack, serve at room temp.

Spinach + Chickpea Soup

2 cups uncooked brown rice

1 tbsp EVOO

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves minced garlic

8 ounces fresh shiitake, stems removed, caps thinly sliced (4 cups)

6 cups veggie broth

1/2 tsp rosemary

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 bags (10 ounces total) baby spinach

salt + pepper

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1. in large saucepan, bring 4 cups water to boil. stir in rice and return to boil.
2. reduce to simmer + cover. cook for 30 minutes.
3. in second large saucepan, cook onion in oil for 5 minutes.
4. add garlic + shiitake. cook til mushrooms are tender (around 5 minutes).
5. add broth and rosemary. bring to boil.
6. cover and remove from heat.
7. check rice-- if not tender after 30 minutes, cover and cook 10 minutes more.
8. stir in 2 cups cooked rice + chickpeas into broth, return to boil.
9. reduce to simmer, cover, cook for 5 minutes.
10. stir in spinach + cook, uncovered, until just wilted.
11. season with s+p and sprinkle with cheese.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 cup water

1.5 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips


1. preheat to 400 degrees. Line pan with paper liners.
2. mix sugar, oil, eggs. add pumpkin and water.
3. in separate bowl, mix flour, soda, powder, spices and salt.
4. add wet mixture to dry mixture.
5. stir in chocolate chips.
6. fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
7. bake for 20 minutes.