Blueberry Chutney

(From Cooking Light, January 2005)

The recipe below is served over chicken. The chutney kicks ass, so if you don't eat chicken, serve it with tofu or seitan, etc.

Chutney:
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup golden raisins
3 T cider vinegar
1 1/2 t grated fresh peeled ginger
1/4 t salt
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t crushed red pepper
Dash of ground cloves
1 garlic clove, minced

Chicken:
1 1/4 T olive oil
3/4 t dried basil
3/4 t dried oregano
6 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine all chutney ingredients in a medium sauvepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 25 minutes or until thick, stirring occassionally (if using frozen blueberries, it will take much longer than 25 minutes to thucken chutney).

2. Combine olive oil, basil, oregano, chicken, and garlic in zip-lock bag. Marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours.

3. Remove chicken from bag Discard marinate. Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over chicken.

4. Heat grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 5 minutes on each side or until done.

Sundried Tomato Pesto

(From America's Test Kitchen)

3 Garlic Cloves, unpeeled
One 8.5 ounce jar of sundried tomatoes packed in oil*
1/4 cup virgin olive oil*
1 oz Parmesan Cheese (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup toasted walnuts.
Salt and pepper

*You might want to adjust the amount of oil to your preference.

1. Toast the walnuts by placing them in a dry skillet over medium heat and shaking occasionally. They are done when they are lightly browned ( be careful, they burn quickly).

2. Toast the unpeeled garlic in a dry skillet until it is lightly brown. Allow to cool, and then peel.

3. Place garlic, tomatoes, oil, Parmesan, and walnut is food processor and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. When adding to pasta, use some excess pasta water to loosen the consistency of the pesto.

Carrot Ginger Dressing

3-5 carrots, peeled
¼ cup water
¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 ginger root, minced
1 T soy sauce
2 T sesame oil (for a kick make it spicy sesame oil)
1/8 cup peanut, corn, or vegetable oil
1-2 shallots, minced (or sweet onions)

1. grate/mince carrots in a food processor.

2. combine with other ingredients and process as desired