Laptop Lunches #104

Peach slices, honey roasted almonds in the flower cup, Chocorooms, grape tomatoes and bell pepper slices with ricotta dip, and spicy cucumber salad.

I have two new recipes to share with you today! First, though, I have to say that I'm glad I finally took the plunge and bought a box of Chocorooms at the local Five Below. They are so cute and they actually taste as good as they look! And the tiny chocolate "mushrooms" go perfectly with honey roasted almonds

All right, so, onto the recipes. Ricotta dip is a modified version of something in America's Test Kitchen Cooking for Two 2009. (I like more garlic; also, I wasn't in the mood for grating lemon zest.) It was a really nice change of pace from salad dressing for dipping my veggies into. I am thinking about trying to stuff some large olives with it tomorrow.

Ricotta Dip
Servings: About 4

3/4 cup ricotta cheese (I used whole-milk)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 large fresh basil leaves, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced to a paste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings.


And the cucumbers are entirely of my own invention, an effort to replicate something a friend of mine used to make. It isn't quite like hers, but it's good!

Spicy cucumber salad
Servings: 2-3

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
Salt
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds

Put cucumber in a strainer over a bowl and salt lightly, stirring a bit to coat evenly. Let sit for about 1/2 hour to sweat out liquid.

Mix vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, chili garlic sauce, and garlic clove in a bowl. Toss cucumber with dressing, then stir in sesame seeds.

This recipe is pretty spicy. If you're not much for spicy foods, you will want to use less chili garlic sauce. I recommend adding about 1/8 of a teaspoon at a time and then working your way up to adjust the seasoning to your liking.

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Slightly Induglent Tuesday