I like Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. One key ingredient is Tahini. It’s really hard to find out here in East Texas. Luckily, it is easy to make and probably tastes better than store-bought.

Tahini
1 c. Sesame Seeds
3 Tbsp. avocado oil
1 pinch of salt

In a dry pan, toast sesame seeds until fragrant and lightly browned. Once cooled, grind in a food processor until powdery. Then run processor while slowly adding avocado oil and a pinch of salt. Pour into a container and store in the refrigerator. It will keep for at least a month. These are some of my favorite recipes that include tahini paste.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic
1/3 c. tahini
1 lemon, juiced
1 roasted red pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Purée all ingredients together in a food processor. Serve at room temperature with sliced squash and cucumbers or celery and carrot sticks.

Tahini Ginger Chicken Salad

Tahini Ginger Sauce:
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
1-1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. sriracha sauce
3 Tbsp. avocado oil
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. tahini paste
3/4 c. chicken broth

Mix soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil and srirachi sauce together and set aside. Skip the srirachi sauce if you don’t like heat.
Sauté ginger and garlic in avocado oil until softened. Whisk in tahini paste and chicken broth. Cook on medium-low heat about 5 minutes. Let cool.

Salad:
8 c. shredded cabbage
1-1/2 c. carrots, grated
3/4 c. radishes, sliced
1/2 c. green onions, sliced
3-4 c. chicken, shredded
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds

Mix together vegetables for the salad in a large bowl. Top with chicken and drizzle Tahini Ginger Sauce and toss to coat. In a dry skillet, toast sesame seeds 1-2 minutes and sprinkle over the top of the salad.

For just David and me, I made all of the Tahini Ginger Sauce, reserving half. Then I halved the salad recipe for our dinner. I used the leftover Tahini Ginger Sauce in a rice-bowl dinner.

The rice bowl is a great way to use leftovers. I heated leftover white and brown rice and layered a cup each into two bowls. Then I sautéed vegetables from the refrigerator that needed to be eaten soon. I used asparagus, yellow squash, green peas, grated carrots and onions. Layer those over the rice. Dress with some of the leftover Tahini Ginger Sauce.

I had about 10 frozen shrimp tails leftover from a prior dinner. I thawed them and cooked them in butter and garlic salt until the tails just started to turn pink. Place those on top of the rice and vegetables. That was a quick, light and flavorful dinner for two.

Besides sharing recipes, I love to hear about and share cooking shortcuts. For instance, when I make lasagna, stuffed pasta shells or manicotti, I’ve learned that it isn’t necessary to cook the pasta first. As long as there’s enough liquid in the sauce, the pasta will cook until done when baking the dish in the oven.

Another idea for stuffing pasta or pastries, is to use a large storage bag. Just load the bag with filling and cut a small opening in the corner. Squeeze the filling through the small opening and throw the baggie away when finished.

I used both of those techniques to make manicotti last week. I also added frozen peas to the recipe, making it a one-dish meal.

Stuffed Cheese and Peas Manicotti
1-pint container ricotta cheese
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
2 eggs
1 c. peas, fresh or frozen, thawed
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 pkg. family-sized manicotti pasta
2 c. red pasta sauce or 16-oz. jar spaghetti sauce
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded

Mix together the ricotta cheese, 3/4 of the mozzarella cheese, eggs, peas, salt and pepper. Place mixture into a plastic baggy. Turn the baggy into a pastry bag by cutting off one corner. Then use it to squeeze the mixture into the uncooked manicotti shells.

Smear a little pasta sauce into the bottom of a 13×9″ baking dish. Then layer in the filled shells. Mix any remaining filling with the rest of the pasta sauce and pour over the shells. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. Then cover with a foil tent to keep it from getting too brown, and bake for 10 more minutes. The cooking time for the recipe is longer than usual because uncooked shells are used.

If you decide to cook the shells, only 40 minutes of baking is required. But cooked manicotti shells are much harder to fill and messy. The extra cooking time is worth it.
Here’s another great summer-time recipe using peas.

Pesto, Pea and Pine Nut Pasta Salad
1-1/2 lb. short cut pasta, like bowtie or rigatoni
1/4 c. olive oil
1-1/2 c. prepared pesto
3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-1/4 c. mayonnaise
1 c Parmesan
1-1/2 c. frozen peas, thawed
1 small bag fresh baby spinach, torn
1/2 c. pine nuts
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta, drain, toss with olive oil and let cool. Combine pesto, lemon juice, mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese. When the pasta is cooled to room temperature, stir in the pesto-mayo mixture. Toss in the peas and spinach. Taste and adjust seasonings. Top with pine nuts. Serve at room temperature.

Please send me your cooking shortcuts.

I’m spending a lot of time outdoors, trying to keep up with the vines, gardens, mowing and weeds. It is nice to have help with dinner, and my slow cooker comes in handy.

Stuffed Round Steak with Wine Sauce
1/2 c. onion, small diced
1/2 c. Kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 c. mushrooms, chopped
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. water
1-1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1-1/2 lb. round steak, tenderized
1/4 c. dry red wine
1/2 c. beef broth
Salt and pepper

Sauté onion, olives and mushrooms until tender. In a small bowl, combine vegetables, cheese, bread crumbs, water and herbs.

The last time we had a steer processed for meat, the processor tenderized a few of the steaks. So I chose one of those that was about 10×16 inches and 1/4-inch thick. Lay the steak flat on a cutting board and lightly season with salt and pepper. The cheese and olives are salty, so don’t over season. Spread the stuffing over the steak. Roll up the meat starting from the short end, like a jellyroll.

Use string to secure the roll, creating a small roast-like bundle. Place in a slow cooker and pour wine and broth over the meat. Cook on low for 7 hours. When done, remove the meat and let rest.

I decided to make a gravy to go with the meat roll and noodles. Pour residual juices in the slow cooker into a sauce pan. Cook at medium heat.

Stir in about 2 Tbsp. flour and cook until a roux forms. Then add about 2 cups of beef broth. Stir until a gravy forms. I also added 1/4 c. fat-free half-and-half to give the sauce a creamy texture.

Remove the string from the meat roll and slice 1-inch-thick portions. Serve with egg noodles and gravy.

If your garden is producing squash, double the stuffing recipe and use half to make stuffed squash.

Stuffed Squash
4-6 summer squash, cut in half length-wise
Stuffing mixture
1/2 stick butter
Salt and pepper

Scoop the meat out of the squash, making small canoe-like shapes. Chop the squash meat and add to the stuffing mixture. Mound the mixture into the squash canoes and place slices of butter on top. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake in a 425-degree oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top.

I have 48 hens, mostly Ameraucana, Black Sex-linked, Buff Orpingtons and one lone Barred Rock. The Black Sex-linked hens are the newest addition to the flock. I’m learning more about them, and I doubt I will raise that breed again. Those birds are noisy, bossy and aggressive. They are always raising a raucous, talking back and picking on others – pecking on others, that is. I get angry when I see one of them grab a beak-full of feathers from another hen.

While working in the vineyard last Friday, I saw two Black Sex-linked hens attacking green grapes on the vines. They’d knock them to the ground, peck at them a few times, and not even finish those before they’re attacking the next cluster. That was the last straw. Unfortunately, the bad behavior of a few will directly impact the entire flock. Until harvest (about 2.5 months), the girls will be in their fenced yard. I’ll be selling cage-free eggs instead of pasture-raised.

The last two years, I’ve fenced my blueberries to keep the chickens away. It’s a good thing. I love getting lots of berries. Saturday, I picked 8 pounds and there’s still more ripening. I’ll freeze a few gallon bags, but we will eat plenty now. Besides desserts, I use them in salads, smoothies and they are great with fat-free Greek yogurt for breakfast.

Blueberry Lemon Bars
Crust and topping:
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lemon, zested, divided
2 c. flour

Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. Greek yogurt
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 pinch salt
1/2 c. flour
3 c. fresh blueberries

Make the crust and topping by stirring the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, salt and 1/2 of the lemon zest together. Add the flour and continue to stir until well combined. Reserve a heaping 1/2 c. in the fridge to use later as a topping.

Press the remaining crumbles into the bottom of a 9×9 foil-lined baking pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 18 minutes.

To make the filling, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add one egg at a time. Then add sugar, yogurt, remaining lemon zest, lemon juice and salt.

Continue to mix on a slower speed until well combined. Add flour and mix until that is combined. Gently foiled in the blueberries with a spatula.

Pour the filling into the baking pan and spread evenly over the crust. Remove the crumble topping that was reserved in the fridge. Break it up with your fingers or a fork and sprinkle it over the filling. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out fairly clean.

Cool at room temperature. When completely cool, refrigerate for an hour. When ready to cut, lift the dessert out of the pan using the foil lining. Cut into squares and serve.

Lemons brighten up these catfish patties.

Spicy Catfish Patties
3 Tbsp. oil
2 lb. catfish filets, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 c. red pepper, finely diced
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. chives, finely chopped
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1-1/2 c. bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 c. flour
Salt and pepper, to taste
1-1/2 c. oil

Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Saute the catfish, onion, peppers and garlic, with a pinch of salt and pepper, for about 5 minutes or until the fish is cooked. In a bowl, combine the cooked fish and vegetables with mayonnaise, chives, cilantro, mustard, bread crumbs, eggs and lemon zest.

Gently press ingredients together, making 10-12 patties. Wipe the cast-iron skillet clean and heat oil until it shimmers. Dip each catfish patty into the flour until coated. Then fry on each side for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and drain on a paper-towel lined plate. Be careful not to crowd the skillet, so it is best to cook in small batches of 4-5 patties.

Serve hot with homemade tartar sauce.