Recipes

Ok, a couple more recipes that we like. The first is a side salad I make when we make Mexican food. Sam loves it and then doesn't eat as many carnitas. :0) It's also really good with grilled food, or just by itself.

Corn and Black Bean Salad

2 cups fresh corn kernels (I use frozen, it's faster)
1 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (or red onions)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup red wine vinegar (I use cider vinegar)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Dash of salt

Combine corn, bell pepper, onions, ciantro and beans in a medium bowl.

Combine everything else in a small bowl, whisk it up and pour it over the other stuff. Toss and chill for at least 1/2 an hour. It's better if it chills a little longer, though..

10 servings (1/2 cup)

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This one is a favorite dip that even Meghan likes. We eat it with baked pita chips. I like to bake them myself, slow on a low temp, so that they don't burn. They aren't as hard then as, say, Stacy's Pita Chips. Meg just cuts fresh pitas into triangles, separates the layers and we either dehydrate them (I have a dehydrator), or bake them at like 250, spread out on a cookie sheet, until they're crispy. It's also good with fresh veggies or chips (but then that negates the low fat thing)

Low Fat Red Pepper Hummus

1/2 jar of roasted bell peppers (or if you're ambitious, you can roast and peel a fresh one)
2 1/2 Tablesppons of lemon juice
1 T tahini (sesame paste, you can find it near the peanut butter at the store)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained (save a little liquid aside)
1 garlic clove, minced.

Stick it all in a food processor and process until smooth. If it's too thick,add some of the liquid you drained off the beans).

6 servings (1/3 cup)

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Ok, one more. This one is from a friend, also. Sue and I loved it, Sam wasn't crazy about it, but he doesn't like spinach much.

Chicken Caesar Lasagna

9 dried whole wheat lasagna noodles, cooked to pkg directions
2 10 oz containers refrigerated light alfredo sauce
3 Tbls lemon juice
1/2 tsp cracked pepper
3 cups chopped, cooked, chicken breast (I use Costco rotisserie chicken)
1 10 oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 cup bottled roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
3/4 cup shredded Italian blend cheese.

Preheat oven to 325.

Combine Alfredo sauce, lemon juice, and pepper. Stir in chicken, spinach and red peppers

Spray a 3 qt rectangular baking dish with Pam. Arrange 3 noodels in bottom of dish. Top with 1/3 chicken mixture. Repeat layers twice. Cover; bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until heated through. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake, uncovered for an additional five minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

9 servings


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OK, Sue and I are off to play today. We made plum jam this morning from plums a friend gave me. Yum. The guys are off at work so now we're going shopping. :0)

We're gonna give family pics another shot tonight, it was so late that the last ones we did were pretty grainy. Hopefully, we'll get started earlier this time and we can post some.