Cilantro Lime Yogurt Dressing

1 cup nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
1 Tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 Tablespoon minced scallions or chives
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
salt to taste

          In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, cilantro, scallions or chives. and lime juice.  add sal to taste.  Set aside for at least one hour to allow the flavors to meld.  Stored refrigerated in a covered container, it will keep for 3 or 4 days.

TIM'S NOTES: This dressing has a bit of a bite to it from the yogurt and the lime juice.  Just recently, I discovered if you add a couple pinches of sugar to it, it takes the edge off of that bite, but doesn't affect the flavor of the dressing.  It is good either way, but I think it is a little more refined with the sugar.

Golden Basmati Rice

1 cup white basmati rice
1 cup diced onions
2 teaspoons canola or other vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups peeled and grated carrots
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange peel
3/4 teaspoon salt

Rinse the rice and soak it in water to cover for 30 minutes.
          When the rice has soaked for about 20 minutes, saute the onions in oil for about 5 minutes.  Add the turmeric, cinnamon, and cardamom.  Cook, stirring constantly, for another minute and set aside.  Bring the 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.  Stir in the onion mixture, carrots, orange peel and salt.  Drain the rice and add it to the saucepan.  Return it to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes until tender.
        Remove from the heat and allow to sit 10 minutes.  Just before serving, stir the rice to fluff it.

Spaghetti with Oil and Garlic

12 cloves garlic
1/4 cup best quality olive oil
4 quarts water
1 1/2 Tablespoons salt
1 pound spaghetti
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
freshly ground black pepper (garnish)
Grated Parmesan cheese (garnish)

1. Peel garlic cloves.  Mince six of them and set aside.  Slice remaining garlic.
2. Heat the oil in a small skillet.  Add sliced garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
3. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot.  Stir in salt, add the spaghetti, and cook until tender, but firm;  do not overcook.  Drain pasta well, and transfer to a pot.
4. Add the chicken broth to the pasta, and simmer until most of the broth has been absorbed, 5 minutes or so.
5. Stir in the heated olive oil and sliced garlic, then the minced garlic, and the chopped parsley.  Toss thoroughly.
6. Divide pasta evenly among heated plates or shallow soup bowls.  Pour any remaining broth over pasta and serve immediately, accompanied by lots of freshly ground black pepper and grated Parmesan cheese.

TIM'S NOTES:  I am not sure I like the sharp, biting, unrefined taste of raw garlic, so I sliced and cooked all 12 cloves.  I think the garlic flavor would be more pronounced if you left some raw, but I was happy with the more refined flavor when I cooked it all.  You decide.  Also, I found that spaghetti doesn't come in 1 pound packages, but rather 12 ounces.  I used one package plus a little more.  Served with a green salad, and a beverage of your choice, this makes a simple, yet elegant dinner.

Gluten Free Strawberry Almond Flour Cake

4 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups almond flour
1 Tablespoon coconut flour (or 1/4 cup almond flour, if preferred)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 to 2 cups mixed fresh berries, for topping.

          Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease the bottom and sides of an 8 inch round cake pan.  Sprinkle the 2 Tablespoons sugar on the bottom.

          In a large mixing bowl, beat together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and the vanilla until smooth.  In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks.  Slowly beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar.  Set aside.

          Whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt, and add to the egg yolks.  Stir together to form a thick dough.  Fold in the egg whites 1/2 cup at a time, incorporating them fully between each addition.  The final addition should result in a smooth fluffy batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake the cake on the center rack until it's golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven  and allow it to cool on a rack for about 5 minutes.

          Run  a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake from the sides;  turn the cake out onto a serving platter.  Allow the cake to cool fully before topping with sliced strawberries or other fruit of your choice. 

TIM'S NOTES: There were two choices for almond flour--one that was superfine, and one that was coarser.  I suppose either one would work, but I like a more refined product, so I chose the superfine flour.  I did not use the coconut flour because it didn't seem worth it to buy a whole other kind of flour for such a miniscule amount.  If you happen to have it on hand, feel free to use it, but the extra almond flour works fine as well.  I thought maybe this cake was going to be too dry, so I added freshly whipped cream (sweetened with a little sugar and vanilla) before adding the berries.  The cake would have probably been moist enough as is, but the whipped cream just added another dimension to the flavor.  I put the cream on top of the cake, but if you were up to it, you could probably split the cake and put the whipped cream between the layers. This recipe also did not say how long to bake the cake.  I baked it about 20 minutes and it was perfectly done.