Snap peas, Chicken, and Strawberry Salad

8 ounces fresh sugar snap peas, stringed/trimmed and rinsed
1 pound thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast, or regular chicken breasts pounded to a thickness of 1/4- to 1/2-inch
About 3/8 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces (1 pint) strawberries, hulled, then cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium carrot, grated (about 1 cup, loosely packed)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Fill a large bowl with water and ice.

Steam or boil the sugar snap peas for 3 to 5 minutes, until just tender. Drain them and transfer to the bowl of ice water. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then drain and let dry. Leave small sugar snaps whole; cut medium ones in half and larger ones into 3 pieces.

Preheat the grill for direct heat. If using a gas grill, preheat to medium-high (450 degrees). If using a charcoal grill, light the charcoal or wood briquettes; when the briquettes are ready, distribute them under the cooking area for direct heat. For a medium-hot fire, you should be able to hold your hand about 6 inches above the coals for 4 or 5 seconds. Have ready a spray water bottle for taming any flames. Lightly coat the grill rack with oil and place it on the grill.

Sprinkle chicken with about 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper to taste over the chicken pieces, then use 1 tablespoon of the oil to brush the chicken.

Place the chicken pieces on the grill; close the lid and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, turning over the pieces once, until they are cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool for 10 minutes.

Cut the chicken crosswise into 1/2-inch strips, then into bite-size pieces, if desired. Transfer to a large bowl and add the sugar snaps, the strawberries and the grated carrot. Sprinkle the balsamic vinegar, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt over the salad; toss gently, making sure to distribute all of the oil and vinegar. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Serve warm, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes: This was awesome. Seriously so good. The peas were cooked to a nice, soft consistency and blended nicely with the strawberries and chicken. And yes, grilling the chicken makes such a difference; I'm sure of it. So good.

Quinoa with Lemon and Zucchini

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium zucchini, halved and thinly sliced
1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
1 1/4 cups quinoa, rinsed for 1 minute under running water
2 1/2 cups water
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Lots of chopped fresh dill
Crumbled feta (optional)
Pine nuts (optional)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until zucchini is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Remove zucchini from the pan and add quinoa, water and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, until quinoa is tender but still chewy and a white spiral-like germ appears around each grain, about 15 minutes.

Toss quinoa with zucchini, zest, lemon juice, and dill. Serve warm or room temperature, topped with feta cheese if you like.

Note: I halved this because it said it made six servings and I knew my house wouldn't eat six servings. If you do this, feel free to keep the zest amount the same, but do not do 2 T. of lemon juice. Wow.

Cheesy Cornbread

1 cup melted butter (I use ¾ cup)
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 can cream-style corn
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
4 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Optional:
1 can green chillies or chopped jalapenos, crumbled Bacon, and/or green onion

Combine butter, sugar, eggs, and corn. Next add the remaining 4 dry ingredients and the cheese. Stir just to combine. Do not over-mix.

Pour the mixture in a 9x13 inch pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then turn the temperature down to 300 degrees and bake for 50 minutes.

Granola

3 C. rolled oats
1 C. slivered almonds
1 C. cashews
1/4 C. + 2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 C. + 2 Tbs. honey
1/4 C. oil
3/4 tsp. salt
1 C. dried cranberries


Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. In large bowl, combine oats, almonds, cashews, brown sugar and cinnamon. In separate bowl combine honey, oil and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour over one or two cookie sheet pans. Bake for 1 hour, 15 min. stirring every 15 minutes to bake evenly. Remove from oven and add dried cranberries.

notes: obviously there are a lot of recipes for granola out there. this has been my favorite that i have found so far. the original recipe i used called for maple syrup instead of honey and raisins instead of cranberries but since my husband won't come within a 10 foot radius of anything maple or raisins, i made my own substitutions and they work perfectly.

Tzatziki Sauce

1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1/2 T. Kosher Salt
1 T. lemon juice
1/4 clove of garlic, chopped
1/4 t. dried dill (or 1 t. chopped fresh dill)
Dash pepper
1/4 t. salt
6 ounces of Greek yogurt (fat-free, low-fat, whatever)

Peel the cucumber, then cut in half lengthwise and take a small spoon and scrape out the seeds. Discard the seeds. Slice the cucumber into thick slices, then put in colander (placed on a plate or in the sink, to catch the water), sprinkle with the Kosher salt, and let stand for 30 minutes or more to draw out the water. Pat dry with paper towel.

When cucumber is done, put it in a blender with the lemon juice, garlic, dill, and few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, and then stir this mixture into the yogurt. Taste before adding salt (it may not need it). Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend.

This will keep for days or more in the fridge, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it. Serve with pita chips or whatever else you want!

Note on Greek yogurt: This is becoming more and more popular and therefore should be available in most large supermarkets. Even Yoplait is making their own. The brand I found was Chobani and it was about $1.49 for the six ounces. Regular yogurt will not work because of its moisture content. However, if you can't find Greek yogurt, you can strain regular plain yogurt through cheesecloth for about two to three hours to get the general consistency of Greek yogurt.

Easy Peanut Butter Dip

One part peanut butter
Two parts vanilla yogurt

Mix the two together using a utensil. Eat with bananas or apples. For a single serving, I did one spoonful of the p.b. and two of the yogurt and it was perfect, and perfectly tasty.

Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Salad

1/2 bunch cilantro (tough stems discarded)
grated zest and juice of one lime (2 t. zest and 2 T. juice)
2 T. white wine vinegar
3 T. olive oil (I did 2)
1/2 t. salt
1 t. sugar
3 c. black beans (about two cans, rinsed and drained)
2 or 3 ribs of celery, diced (about 1 cup)
3 large scallions, white and light-green parts, finely chopped

Combine the cilantro, lime zest and juice, vinegar, oil, salt, and sugar in a blender. Process to form a pureed dressing.

Combine the beans, celery, and scallions in a large bowl; add the dressing and mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes, then stir again and taste; add salt as needed. Serve; or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. Mix well before serving.

Grilled Pineapple

1 large ripe pineapple
3 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. freshly-squeezed lemon or lime juice
1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper

Trim, core and peel pineapple. Cut into quarters from top to bottom. Slice out the core from each quarter. Cut each quarter slice into four pieces, once lengthwise and once crosswise. you should have 16 wedges of pineapple about 1 inch by 3 inches.

In small bowl combine honey, lemon or lime juice and black pepper. Brush glaze on each slice of pineapple coating completely.

Preheat grill and spray with a non stick spray. Place wedges on the grill and cook approx. 4 minutes on each side, turning so that grill marks are on all sides, until pineapple becomes fragrant and starts to dry on the surface. Do not overcook or they will by mushy.

Remove and brush with any remaining glaze and enjoy.

Notes: oh my, this is so good I can never get a picture before it disappears. Imagine pineapple wedges with grill marks on them. I have to give credit to the website where I found this recipe but I don't know where it is at this moment. Just know I didn't make it up someone else did and shared it with me which I am now sharing with you. Seriously though, too delicious to describe with words. And don't skip on the pepper, it gives it an extra kick!

Easy Pizza Sauce

(We found that store-bought pizza sauce is quite expensive. However, if we use one of the big cans of generic spaghetti sauce and add spices...YUM!)

26 ounces of spaghetti sauce
3 packets red pepper flakes
2 t. onion powder
2 t. sugar
4 t. garlic
4 t. basil

Mix all together. This makes enough for four pizzas, so we put them in freezer bag, and freeze until we need them. Also, it's a little spicy, but we like it that way. Feel free to cut back on the red pepper flakes.

Clam Dip (for Miles)

8 oz. cream cheese
2 TBLS. mayonnaise
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 TSP salt
1/2 TSP worchestire

Mix/blend all ABOVE ingredients together until smooth

ADD:

1 small can DRAINED minced clams, stir with spoon

TOP with:

1/4 lb. cheddar (shredded)

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until bubbly. Serve with veggies or tortilla chips.

We had this on Thanksgiving and one CUTE little boy I know wanted to be sure his mom had the recipe, now she does!!! ;)

Bruschetta

2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

2 T. olive oil

1 T. fresh oregano

1 t. fresh basil

2 t. fresh parsley

1/2 t. sugar

dash salt

1 clove garlic, minced

dash of balsamic vinegar

Mix everything together. Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice loaf of french bread and brush the tops with olive oil. Put the bread in the oven for five minutes. Remove bread from oven and top with bruschetta and parmesan cheese. Put back in the oven for another five minutes.

Any leftovers can be refrigerated and then reheated at 350 degrees for about 5-10 minutes.

Notes from e: Although it would probably be much better with fresh herbs, I couldn't justify the cost for something I thought only I would eat. So I used dried herbs. I use 1 t. of the dried oregano, 1/2 t. of dried basil, and 1 t. of the dried parsley. And it still tasted great.

Lentils and Rice, or Rice and Lentils

olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 c rice
1 c lentils, picked over
4 c water or broth
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onion in olive oil until translucent; add remaining ingredients. Bring to simmer and cover, cooking 25-30 minutes or until moisture is absorbed and rice is tender. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Curry Couscous

1 1/2 c. couscous
3 c. chicken broth
1 T. curry powder
2 t. salt
1 t. pepper
2 T. olive oil
1/2 c. raisins
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 c. slivered almonds, toasted

Pour couscous into a bowl. Mix chicken stock, curry powder, salt, pepper, olive oil, and raisins in a saucepan and bring to a boil; remove from heat. Pour the boiling liquid over the couscous. Seal the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork. Top with cilantro and almonds.

Note: I like this because it was so easy and I had almost everything on hand. What I didn't (cilantro), I simply omitted, although I think it would be good. My 15-month-old ate this quite readily at first but I think there was just too much pepper (did I not halve it like everything else?!) so when I do it again, I'll certainly reduce the pepper. I think that craisins would be just as good in this as the regular raisins. Also, I just boiled everything in a sauce pan, added the couscous, removed from heat, and put lid on for 10 minutes. No need to dirty two pans.

Scalloped Pineapple

8 1-inch slices of French bread, cubed
1 c sugar
1/2 c butter,melted
3 eggs, beaten
2 20-oz cans of pineapple, tidbits or chunks, drained
1/4 c milk

Combine bread cubes, sugar and butter. Combine eggs and milk; mix in pineapple. Combine mixtures in greased 9x13 dish and bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

This makes an excellent side dish for baked ham. I enjoyed it cold with lunch the next day, but I'm weird like that.

Dumplings

These taste amazing in homemade chicken soup. Sure you could mix up some Bisquick, but these are more substantial and have a richer taste.

4 T softened butter
2 eggs
1/2 c flour
1/4 c parsley
1/4 c minced onion
salt and pepper to taste

Cream butter with a fork, then beat in the eggs. Stir in remaining ingredients. Add a tablespoon or two of the heated soup stock. Drop the batter into the simmering soup in desired sizes. I prefer mine about the size of tennis balls. Cook until set and cooked through, about ten minutes. Serve immediately.

This recipe is from the go-to cookbook in our home: Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything.”

Tortillas

We have a hard time eating store-bought tortillas now. If you have never eaten fresh tortillas, you won't understand how much better these are. They really are easy to make and everyone should know how to make these. If you have fat, flour and salt stored for emergencies (and you should), it's a great resource. Think of all the things you can do with tortillas.

3 c flour
½ t salt
4 T butter or shortening or lard
7 oz. warm water

Combine flour and salt, cut in the butter. Add water slowly just until dough holds together. Knead until dough is quite smooth and elastic. You may prepare ahead to this point and wrap dough in plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, divide dough into 12 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, press a piece into a disk, then roll it out as thin as possible (should measure about 7 inches in diameter). Toast the tortillas one at a time in a dry pan over medium heat, turning once. It takes about 2 minutes total (about how long it takes to roll out the next one). Serve warm, or allow to cool and store in plastic wrap. You can easily double the recipe if needed.

Super-Stuffed Baked Potatoes

From Cook's Country TV

Ingredients
7 large russet potatoes (about 12 oz. each), scrubbed
6 T. unsalted butter and 3 T. melted
3/4 tsp. salt
1 (5.2 oz.) package Boursin cheese, crumbled
1/2 C. half-and-half
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 C. chopped fresh chives
1 tsp. pepper

Bake your potatoes either by oven or microwave until tender. Slice and remove top 1/4 of each potato, let cool 5 minutes then scoop out flesh leaving 1/4 inch layer of potato on inside. Discard 1 potato shell. Brush remaining shells inside and out with melted butter and sprinkle interiors with salt. Transfer potatoes scooped side up to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack and bake at 475 degrees until until skins begin to crisp, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix half of the Boursin and half and half in a bowl until blended. Cook remaining butter with garlic in sauce pan over med-low heat until garlic is straw colored, 3 to 5 min then stir in Boursin mixture until combined.

After hand mashing or potato ricing your potato flesh, which should be approx. 5 cups, gently fold in Boursin mixture and 3 T of chives, remaining salt and pepper until well mixed. Remove potato shells from oven and fill generously with flesh/cheese mixture. Top with the remaining crumbled Boursin and bake until tops of potatoes are golden brown, about 10-15 min. Sprinkle with remaining chives and serve.

Notes: these were delicious! I think I could have gotten away with only using 6 potatoes but they suggest you do 7 for extra flesh and also if you mess up a shell when scooping it out. The Boursin cheese was a little pricey and the only kind I could find last minute was a garlic flavored so I opted to not add the minced garlic but the flavored cheese worked wonderfully. I also used dried chives (since I had them and was too cheap to buy fresh) and they worked great too but I think fresh would have given it a little extra kick. These were even fantastic as leftovers.

Layered Bean Dip with Baked Chips

So I kinda "created" this tonite and it was a big hit with my whole family (okay, not emmy - but she only wants to eat candy). It was actually our "main course" (ahem, my only course).

Dip:

1 can (160z) of fat-free refried-beans

1/2 package of fajita seasoning

1/4 - 1/2 t. cumin

2-3 minced garlic cloves

1 ripe avacado

1 lemon

1/8 t. salt

1 t. olive oil

lite sour cream

sliced olives

chopped tomatoes

shredded monterey jack and cheddar cheese

chopped cliantro

Chips:

flour tortillas

PAM

salt 'n pepper

In a small saucepan heat the beans up with the fajita seasoning, cumin, and garlic. Once warmed, take off the heat and set aside.

Mash the avacado up with a fork and the juice from one lemon, the 1/8 t. salt and 1 t. oil. It does not need to be completely smooth.

Then either in individual ramikins or other serving dish, layer the beans, then avacado, next with sour cream, tomatoes, cheese and cilantro. (I did mine in 7 ramikins - I layered the beans, then dolloped on about 1 T. of the avacado and about 1 T. of sour cream. I also put about 1 T. of cheese on each serving, too.)

Place in fridge for at least 4 hours (more longer if doing it in a larger serving dish).

Chips:

Heat oven to 350. Cut up the flour tortillas in triangles (I used fajita-size tortillas and made 6 triangles per tortilla). Place on a baking sheet and spray each wedge with PAM. Then sprinkle salt and pepper as desired. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes. Then turn each one over, spray again with PAM, and cook another 5 minutes. Done. (We did about 6-8 tortillas, on 2 different baking sheets).

Dip "chips" in the bean dip. Yum.

Texas Rice Salad

3 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup (15oz.) can black beans rinsed and drained
1 can (11oz.) corn, drained
1-2 avocados peeled, pitted, diced
2 cups salsa
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup chopped red onion (I don't add this--not an onion fan)
2 T fresh lime or lemon juice
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Mix all well and serve with Fritos Scoops

Chopped Salad

2 heads Romaine lettuce
2 small cucumbers
Granny Smith apples
2 Roma tomatoes
2 avocados
3-4 green onions
4-5 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
2 barbeque chicken breasts or breasts from a rotisserie chicken
Feta or blue cheese

Chop all ingredients FINE, so the flavors can MIX.

Dressing:
1 pkg. Good Seasons dry Italian dressing mix
1/2 C. Briannas Poppy Seed dressing

Make dressing as directed. Can use rice vinegar and olive oil. Mix together, put on salad, Wala!!!!!!!

I found this recipe in my mom's new quilting cook book, I LOVE avocados, Granny Smiths, and Feta, so I thought I'd try it out. ENJOY.