Thursday, August 26, 2010

Berry Smoothies

2/3 cup 2% milk
3/4 cup frozen unsweetened strawberries
/3 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries
2 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 cup ice cubes
1/2 light lemon yogurt

Directions: place the milk, berries and sugar in a blender; cover and process until blended. Add ice cubes; cover and process until smooth. Pour into chilled glasses; serve immediately. Yield: 2 servings

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup (prepared with fat-free skim milk) equals 106 calories
2 mg cholesterol, 44 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein

Warm Salmon Pasta Salad

2 cups whole wheat bow-tie pasta
1 red apple, cored and diced
2 (6 oz./170 g.) cans sockeye salmon, broken into bite-size pieces
1 cup sliced celery
3 green onions, diced
1 small zucchini, trimmed and diced
1 yellow pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup frozen baby peas, thawed
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Curry Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. curry powder
salt and pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.
2. In a salad bowl, combine pasta, apple, salmon, celery, green onions, zucchini and yellow pepper. Set aside.
3. To prepare the vinaigrette: in a small bowl, combine canola oil, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper. HEat for 30 seconds in microwave.
4. Pour vinaigrette over salad and toss lightly. Garnish with walnuts.
Serve immediately.
*To prevent browning, place apple pieces in a solution of 1 cup cold water and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice for 1-2 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings
Calories: 280
Fat: 19 grams
Saturated fat: 2 grams
Cholesterol: 15 mg
Sodium: 320 mg
Carb: 16 g.
Fiber: 3 g.
Protein: 13 g

Strawberry Topped Waffles--Lorren Ryan

2 pints fresh strawberries
5 Tbsp. sugar divided

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup splenda
1 light fat free Lemon Cream Pie yogurt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup fat free milk
Pam cooking spray

Place strawberries and 3 Tbsp. sugar in a food processor or blender. Cover and process until coarsely chopped; set aside. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and remaining sugar.
Combine the eggs, sour cream, milk and oil; Stir into dry ingredients until just combined. Preheat waffle iron. Fill and bake according to manufacturer's directions. Serve with strawberry topping, whipped topping and additional strawberries if desired.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Empanadas--Terra Reed

Prep Time: 30 min.
Cook Time: 30 min.
Ready In: 1 hr. 30 min.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
2/3 cup shortening
6 T. water

2 1/2 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples
1 cup white sugar
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg

1 yellow onion
1 green bell pepper
1 T. olive oil
8 ounces tomato paste
1/2 c. water
1 T. distilled white vinegar
1 pound lean steak, cut into 1 inch cubes

Directions:
1. To make dough: In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in the shortening till pieces are the size of small peas. Add a small amount of water to slightly moisten. Form dough into a ball. Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thick and cut into 4-inch circles. Lightly flour both sides of circles.

2. To make fruit filling: In a saucepan combine fruit, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Heat over medium heat until hot, thoroughly mixing.

3. to make meat filling: In a medium skillet, saute the onion and green pepper in olive oil. Add tomato paste, water, and vinegar, and cook for 20 minutes. Add meat and coat thoroughly with the sauce.

4. Place spoonful of one of the above mixtures in the center of a dough circle. Place another circle on top. Fasten the two circles together by pressing the edges with a fork. These may be baked in a preheated 350 degree oven until golden brown.

Mexican Wedding Cookies--Melody Sever

Servings: 18

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla and 1 t. almond flavoring
2 t. water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Stir in vanilla and water. Add the flour and almonds, mix until blended. Cover and chill for 3 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

3. Shape dough into balls or crescents. Place on an unprepared cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from pan to cool on wire racks. When cookies are cool, roll in confectioners' sugar. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Taco Seasoning

1 T. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Directions: In a small bowl, mix everything together and store in an airtight container.

Avocado, Tomato, and Mango Salsa--Lorren Ryan

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ready In: 45 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 mango - peeled, seeded, and diced
1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced
4 medium tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
2 T. fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped red onion
3 T. olive oil

Directions: In a medium bowl, combine the mango, avocado, tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, and garlic. Stir in the salt, lime juice, red onion, and olive oil. To blend the flavors, refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.

Brazilian Style Flan--Terra Reed

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Ready In: 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup milk, plus 2 T. milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Melt the sugar in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Once the sugar becomes golden brown syrup after about 10 minutes, pour it immediately into a round baking dish, swirling so that the syrup cots all sides of the dish. Set aside to cool.

3. Place the egg yolks into a blender and blend on medium for 5 minutes, then add condensed milk, 3/4 cup plus 2 T. milk, and egg whites. Continue to blend until all ingredients are combined. Pour egg mixture into the baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place baking dish on towel, inside roasting pan, and place roasting pan on oven rack. Fill roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish.

4.Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. The center of the flan will still be soft. Allow flan to cool before unmolding onto a plate. Refrigerate before serving.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos--Lindsay Weston

Recipe from http://www.ourbestbites.com

1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 c. green salsa
1 T. fresh lime juice
1/2 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1/4 t. granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T. chopped cilantro
2 T. sliced green onions
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
1 c. grated pepperjack cheese

small corn or flour tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time, and just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Place 2-3 T. of chicken mixture on lower third of tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch away from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can.
Place seam side down on the baking sheet, and be sure to not let them touch each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle kosher salt on the top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends turn golden brown.

Dip them in sour cream, guacamole, or salsa and enjoy!

Brazilian Lemonade--Lorren Ryan

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ready In: 10 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
2 limes
1/2 cup sugr
3 T. sweetened condensed milk
3 cups water
Ice

Directions: Wash limes thoroughly. Cut off the ends adn slice into eight wedges. Place limes in ablender with the sugar, sweetened condensed milk, water, and ice.
Blend in an electric blender, pulsing 5 times. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove rinds. Serve over ice.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Cheesy Roasted Red Pepper Dip--Lindsay Weston

Taken directly from ourbestbites.com

Cheesy Roasted Red Pepper Dip
7oz jar roasted red peppers (about 1C diced) buy 'em or make 'em!
4 C grated pepper jack cheese (3/4 lb)
8oz cream cheese (I use low-fat)
3/4 C mayonnaise
2 T minced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350. Remove peppers from jar and blot excess water with paper towels. You want to make sure they are dry so they don't add moisture to the dip. Then dice 'em up.

In a bowl, soften cream cheese in microwave so it will be easier to stir. Add in mayo, onion, garlic, and dijon. Stir to combine and then add in grated cheese and the diced peppers. Place in an 8x8-ish dish (pie plate works). At this point you can pop it in the fridge if you're going to cook it later and you can even make it a couple of days ahead of time. Place in the oven and cook for 30-45 minutes. Baking time depends on the dish. It will start to bubble and brown on the outside edge, and you want it to be bubbly all the way through to the center. It will be nice and golden brown on top, especially around the edges. Mine usually takes 40-45 min.

Serve immediately. If the dip is done and your party hasn't started, just keep it warm in the oven. If you're eating left-overs, or you cooked it ahead of time, reheat in the oven as well. Funky things happen in the microwave. Don't ask me what, I'm sure Alton Brown could explain it, but I'm no food scientist.You can serve it with anything that sounds good- tortilla chips, pita chips, crackers (choose a plain flavored one) or veggies. However my favorite is soft, warm baguette slices.

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips--Rochelle Pearson

Dip:
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 apples (Fuji) - peeled, cored, and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
1 T. white sugar
1 T. brown sugar
3 T. fruit preserves, any flavor (I use peach)


Chips:
10 (10 inch) flour tortills
butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups cinnamon sugar

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix fruits, sugars, and preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

Stuffed Mushrooms--Terra Reed

From allrecipes.com

Prep time: 20 min. Cook time: 30 min. Servings: 10

Ingredients:

20 fresh mushrooms, stems removed
2 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams, drained
2 cloves grlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup grted Parmesan cheese
1 small onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup dry bred crumbs
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 Tablespoons dried parsley
2 Tablespoons Italian-style seasoning
ground black pepper, to tste
1 1/2 cups butter, melted
1/2 cup shredded mozzrella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.
2. Arrange mushroom cups hollow side up in the baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together minced clams, grlic, Parmesan cheese, onion, bread crumbs, green bell pepper, parsley, Italian-style seasoning and black pepper. Slowly stir in approximately 1/2 the butter, enough to mke the mixture slightly moist.
4. Generously fill the mushroom caps with the clam mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Drizzle with remaining butter.
5. Bke in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Hot Artichoke Dip--Terra Reed

1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix
1 Can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup Hellmnn's or Best Foods Mayonnaise
1 container (8 ounces) sour cream
1 cup shredded Swiss or mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)

Heat oven to 350. In 1-quart casserole dish, combine all ingredients. Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with your favorite dippers.
Makes 3 cups dip.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Bake time: 30 minutes