Tomato Tart with Goat Cheese & Herbs

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Ingredients

Uncooked Pie Crust 9", refrigerated
Cherry Tomatoes, fresh, 3 cups whole
Olive Oil, 1-2 tsp
Thyme, fresh, 1 tsp (OR 1/4 tsp dry Thyme OR Herbs De Provence)
Salt & Black Pepper
Goat Cheese, 1/4 cup crumbled (2oz)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven 425F. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spay it with a non-stick spray. Place the cool pie dough on the foil and unroll it.
2. Put tomatoes on dough in one layer leaving 1" on edges. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme and goat cheese crumbles. Fold the edges covering tomatoes and folding the dough to hold together. Drizzle the whole pie with olive oil all over, including the edges, and smooth oil on edges with a brush or fingers. Sprinkle edges with coarse salt for decoration, if desired.
3. Bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 35 minutes. Serve warm.    

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Nutritional info per ¼ tart: makes 4 servings
    * Calories: 294
    * Fat: 17g    Carbs: 32g (fiber: 1g)    Protein: 4g

Puff Pastry Cheese Straws

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Ingredients: 
Puff Pastry, 1 sheet, thawed 
Egg, fresh, 1 large, beaten lightly 
Pecorino Romano Cheese, 6 tbsp grated (1.25 oz) 
Pepper, black, freshly ground 
Salt, coarse

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Beat egg slightly. Roll out pastry. Cut it in half. Brush one half of pastry with egg then sprinkle with cheese.
Place another half of pastry on top and seal it with rolling pan. But do not press too tight. Brush again with egg then sprinkle with cheese, pepper and salt on top. Roll with rolling pan to press the cheese into pastry.
3. Cut pastry sheet into 1/2" strips, width-ways. Twist each piece and place on baking tray covered with parchment paper.
4. Bake in oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the pastry is browned and puffed. Transfer to wire racks and cool.
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Nutritional info per 1 pastry: makes 12 servings
   * Calories: 98
   * Fat: 6.5 Carbs: 7g (fiber: 0g) Protein: 1g

Panini Ham & Cheese Sandwich with Pears

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Ingredients
Bread, Sourdough, 2 slices (2.5 oz)
Swiss cheese, 2 slices (1 oz)
Ham, 2 pieces (2 oz)
Pears, fresh, 1/4 pear (1.5oz) , thinly sliced
Pepper, black, freshly ground
Yellow Mustard, 1 tsp

Equipment:
panini press, non-stick cooking spray

Preparation
1. Heat the panini maker, spray it with non-stick spray if necessary.
2. Arrange a sandwich with all the ingredients and cook it pressed in the panini maker for 3-5 minutes.

Serve warm with fresh arugula.                        
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Nutritional info: makes 1 sandwich
    * Calories: 407
    * Fat: 13g Carbs: 49g (fiber: 2.6g) Protein: 27g

Sirniki (Farmer Cheese Pancakes)

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Ingredients:
Farmer Cheese, two 7.5oz-packages (450g total)
Granulated Sugar, 2 tbsp
Flour, white, all-purpose, 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup for dredging
Egg, 1 jumbo (or 1 large+1 egg white) raw
Vanilla Extract, 1 tsp
Oil for cooking (2-3 tbsp) 

Equipment: 
frying pan

Cooking Instructions:
1. Mix all the ingredients except oil. Put 1/2 cup of flour in a shallow dish. Form 8 cutlet-shape flat cakes (1/2"-thick) and dredge every one in flour.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan. Cook cakes at low-medium heat for 3 minutes on each side (just like pancakes) till golden brown.

Serve warm with Greek yogurt, honey, jams, sour cream, milk, sweetened condensed milk.
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Nutritional info per one cake: makes 8 cakes
    * Calories: 174
    * Fat: 9g Carbs: 12g (fiber: 0.3g) Protein: 10g

Banana baked with Ham and Gruyere

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Ingredients:
Banana, ripen, 2 medium (80g each)
Ham, 4 thin slices, 2 oz (preferably low sodium)
Light Sour Cream, 4 tbsp
Gruyere Cheese, 1/3 cup, shredded
Black Pepper, ground
Paprika

Equipment:
2 baking dishes
cooking spray 

Cooking Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease the baking dishes.
2. Peel bananas, cut them in half crosswise and cut each half lengthwise. Wrap each piece in slices of ham and arrange in two baking dishes. Grind some black pepper on top.
3. Add sour cream and spread it over the wrapped bananas. Put shredded cheese on top and sprinkle with paprika.
4.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve warm with a piece of toasted bread.

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Nutritional info: 1 dish
    * Calories: 248
    * Fat: 10g Carbs: 23g (fiber: 2g) Protein: 18g

Cheddar Biscuits

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Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 tbsp salted butter, chilled (OR 4 tbsp unsalted butter & 1/4 tsp salt)
3/4 cup (2 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup Kefir, chilled (OR buttermilk)

Equipment: 
food processor (or pastry blender)
biscuit cutter

Cooking Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. In a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt (if using). Put it in a food processor (or pastry blender) together with butter, pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cheese; toss to coat. Stir in the buttermilk just until the dough comes together. Do not over-knead!
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat (or roll very easy, do not push on) it into a 1/2 -inch thickness. Dip a biscuit cutter in flour and cut out 8-12 biscuits.
4. Transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet covered with cooking spray.
5. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Do not open the oven during baking!

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Nutritional info: 8-12 biscuits
    * Calories: 142
    * Fat: 6g Carbs: 18g (fiber: 1g) Protein: 4g