Claireooto's Profile

Maybe something like this big artichoke heart, caramelized onion and brie tart. It's a bit like pizza, so kids like it too, but it's fancier...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/07/09/artichoke-heart-caramelized-onion-and-brie-tart/

Or a big eggplant and olive tart with a cornmeal crust, also like a fancy pizza
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/08/15/eggplant-olive-tart-with-a-rosemary-cornmeal-crust/

And a honey roasted potato salad
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/04/21/honey-roasted-potato-salad-with-arugula-and-pecans/

I like a meal with lots of different elements that can be enjoyed together. Nothing complicated, but fun to eat. So you'll have a flatbread, a greens and bean combo, some roasted potatoes, a sauce, a nice salad. (I'm vegetarian!)

So maybe these roasted red pepper semolina crepes with broccoli rabe and chickpeas
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/03/24/red-pepper-semolina-crepes-with-broccoli-rabe-chickpeas/

Or roasted sliced potatoes with broccoli rabe puree and tender whole wheat flat bread...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/04/11/broccoli-rabe-walnut-and-rosemary-puree-and-roasted-sliced-potatoes/

http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/03/24/tender-folded-whole-wheat-flatbreads/

along with sage roasted butterbeans and greens with raisins and pinenuts
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/03/10/sage-roasted-butter-beans-and-greens-with-raisins-and-pine-nuts/

FOr an appetizer (or part of the meal) little roasted carrot, apple and goat cheese dumplings
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2011/11/25/roasted-carrot-apple-with-goat-cheese-in-a-rosemary-crust/

For dessert, since it's spring...fresh strawberry tart with white chocolate pastry cream and a hazelnut cocoa crust
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/06/12/strawberry-tart-with-white-chocolate-pastry-cream-hazelnut-cocoa-crust/

Oh, and I just remembered pizza with faina, a bit of Uruguayan deliciousness...it's like a crispy bit of socca ON TOP of a piece of pizza.
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/02/03/pizza-with-faina/

Wow, this is so strange, I just posted a chickpea flour recipe!! It's a sort of cake, with tarragon, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and mozzarella baked on top. Delicious! and so pretty...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/04/10/chickpea-flour-cake-baked-with-tarragon-and-artichoke-hearts-and-spinach-sauteed-with-white-beans-and-black-truffle-butter/

I also like to make pakoras, like ginger-parsnip pakoras
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/01/27/parsnip-and-ginger-pakoras/

and fried green tomato pakoras (with cilantro tamarind almond sauce)
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/09/11/fried-green-tomato-pakoras-and-cilantro-tamarind-almond-sauce/

And I've made a yummy sort of frittata cake, with swiss chard...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/09/12/chickpea-flour-chard-frittata-cake-with-olive-sofrito/

I'm constantly trying to use up overripe bananas. My boys gobble them down one week, and decide they don't like them the next.

I make lots of banana bread, of course. I've made banana bread with chocolate covered cranberries; banana, peanut butter, chocolate chip cake; banana, lime and coconut bread; semolina cake with bananas and coconut milk; banana pear chocolate chip cake; banana chocolate chip cranberry sauce cake...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/?s=banana&submit=Search
And then I got tired of making cakes so I made cookies, instead. Bar cookies, with coconut shortbread, blueberry jam, and a banana-almond frangipane.
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/12/29/coconut-shortbread-with-blueberries-and-banana-frangipane/

Funny you should have a picture of bagels, because that's what we'll be eating this weekend! I made a batch of cinnamon egg bagels. My boys don't like raisins, and it's really hard to find cinnamon bagels without raisins, so I made my own!! They're delicious. Other than that, I'll be working and we'll be busy, so it will be quick meals and leftovers.
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/04/05/cinnamon-egg-bagels/

I like a bean dip, with home made crackers or vegetables. A can of chickpeas can be dressed up a million quick way. some suggestions here...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2011/11/16/not-necessarily-hummus/

And I'm kind of enamored of these tarts at the moment. Simple crust, rosemary ricotta filling, and then different toppings to suit your various guests. My favorite was smoked gouda and pear, but we also did brie and castelvetrano olive, and you could do any combination that you like! It's a slightly fancier version of individualized pizzas.
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/03/28/ricotta-rosemary-tart-with-two-toppings-smoked-gouda-pear-and-pecan-or-brie-castelvetrano-olive-and-pine-nut/

And a big salad, like this one with arugula, apricots, pecans and french fets (yum)
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/06/08/arugula-salad-with-apricots-pecans-and-french-feta/

Maybe this super-easy and elegant side of roasted potatoes and artichoke hearts
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/03/11/roasted-potatoes-and-artichoke-hearts/

and a big tray of also-very-easy blackberry blondies with bittersweet chocolate chips for dessert
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/03/31/blackberry-bittersweet-chocolate-chip-brownies/

Thrift at Home - chickpea flour has a lot of fun applications! You can use it to make pakoras and croquettes...

Here are some broccoli and chickpea flour croquettes
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2011/11/28/broccoli-chickpea-flour-croquettes/

parsnip and ginger pakoras
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/01/27/parsnip-and-ginger-pakoras/

fried green tomato pakoras...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/09/11/fried-green-tomato-pakoras-and-cilantro-tamarind-almond-sauce/

and you can also use it to thicken curries.

That looks beautiful and delicious!! I love socca, too. It's funny you should make it as a sort of crust for a pizza, because I was fascinated to learn about faina, which is socca as a TOPPING for pizza. I encountered this in a beautiful Uruguayan movie called Gigante, and then I (of course) tried to recreate it at home. It was surprisingly delicious! Like pepperoni for vegetarians. Crispy and peppery.
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/02/03/pizza-with-faina/

ANd I've also made a sort of version of socca with toppings baked right in - I used chard, mozzarella, garlic, rosemary. And I served it with a tomato-olive sofrito. (I added some eggs, milk, and regular flour, though, so it was no longer vegan or gluten free. Delicious, though!)
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/09/12/chickpea-flour-chard-frittata-cake-with-olive-sofrito/

I like tarts and pies! Either small individual versions, or something larger that you can slice into elegant pieces. They're all easily adaptable, and most hold up well at room temperature.

I recently made a ricotta-rosemary tart, and I made several versions with different toppings. One had pears, pecans and smoked gouda (really delicious!). And one had castelvetrano olives, brie and pine nuts. But you could put anything you liked on.
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/03/28/ricotta-rosemary-tart-with-two-toppings-smoked-gouda-pear-and-pecan-or-brie-castelvetrano-olive-and-pine-nut/

I also like little non-sausage rolls. You fill pastry (I make my own, you could use pre-made puff) roll and slice into pieces. I've filled it with roasted mushrooms and white beans; chard and olives; butternut squash and goat cheese...all easily adaptable to the season.
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/05/01/non-sausage-rolls-with-roasted-mushrooms-and-white-beans/

These little dumplings have roasted apples and carrots and goat cheese in a rosemary crust - sweet and autumnal...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2011/11/25/roasted-carrot-apple-with-goat-cheese-in-a-rosemary-crust/

and here are some small individual butternut squash pies with a flaky crust made with beer...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2011/12/30/roasted-butternut-pies-with-a-beer-crust/

Roasted butternut with caramelized fennel
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/03/07/butternut-tart-with-caramelized-fennel/

Tart with pumpkinseed sage custard and roasted butternut coins...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/04/20/tart-with-pumpkinseed-sage-custard-and-roasted-butternut-coins/