Citrus Salad

DRESSING:
2/3 C. canola oil (or veggie oil)
1/4 C. lime juice
2 Tbls. fresh orange juice
1 tsp. grated lime zest
1 tsp. grated orange zest
2 Tbls. sugar

SALAD:
4-5 C. torn lettuce
1-2 oranges (cut into pieces)
2 avocados (cubed)
2/3 C. candied nuts*
16 oz strawberries (optional)

*NUTS
1/4 C. sugar
2/3 C. chopped walnuts or almonds

heat the sugar and nuts over medium high heat on the stove. stir continually until the sugar melts and coats the nuts. cool.

I cut the dressing in half and it was more than enough.

Honey-Citrus Turkey Breast

Just right for Thanksgiving, a turkey recipe with a hint of orange and honey. And, it is a crazy piece of cake to cook!

1 tbsp. flour

1 orange, peeled

4 to 8 lb. turkey breast, thawed

1/4 c. honey

1/4 c. sweet orange marmalade

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 c. water

2 to 4 tbsp. flour

1/2 to 1 tsp. instant chicken bouillon

1 orange, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shake flour in large size (14 x 20 inch) oven cooking bag. Place bag in 12 x 8 x 2-inch baking pan. Cut orange into 4 slices and place in bag. Place turkey breast on orange slices. Combine honey, marmalade, nutmeg and salt; spoon over turkey breast. Close bag with nylon tie; make 6 half-inch slits in top of bag. Insert meat thermometer through slit in bag into thickest part of turkey breast.

Cook 15 to 17 minutes per pound or until meat thermometer registers 180 to 185 degrees. For gravy, remove turkey from bag. Strain drippings. In saucepan stir water into flour until smooth. (Use 2 tablespoons flour and a teaspoon bouillon for each cup of turkey drippings.) Add chicken bouillon and turkey drippings. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Garnish with orange. Serves 8 to 10.

Best Healthy Pizza Ever!

I invented this one myself, and it is amazing!

1 Whole wheat pita
3 0z Part-skim mozzarella cheese
6 to 8 green olives (the good ones from the olive bar are best - like Sicilian spiced)
1/2 cup finely shredded spinach
1 can pizza sauce

Pre-heat the oven to 350. I find that a pie tin works best, but a cookie sheet should work just fine, too. Generously cover the pita with the pizza sauce, olives, spinach, and mozzarella cheese. Cook until the cheese is melted (about 10 minutes).

For an even better pizza, use no-salt added tomato sauce seasoned with red pepper, black pepper, garlic powder, olive oil, and oregano to taste.

High fiber, high nutrients, high good fats, and reasonable calories!

Healthy Chili

This is pretty good!

Healthy Chili

Makes 6-8 servings.

1 yellow onion
1 lb. extra lean hamburger
1 red bell pepper
2 small zucchini
1 can of corn (drained)
1 can black beans (drained)
1 can pinto beans (drained)
1 28oz plus 1 14oz can of diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 heaping tsp. fajita spice
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Saute onions in some oil until translucent and lightly browned, about 5 min. Add ground hamburger and saute for about 8-10 min. Add red pepper and zucchini and cook for 5 min. Add corn, beans, tomatoes, water, and brown sugar. stir well. Add fajita spice, cumin, cayenne and cinnamon, stir well. Reduce heat to low; partially cover and simmer for 20-25 min or until thick and soupy. Cook longer if you like your veggies softer. If desired, sprinkle with a little cheddar cheese and fresh cilantro before serving.

*Use more or less water for desired consistency. Reduce cayenne pepper for a milder chili.
** I cut the recipe in half for Steve and I and there was still plenty left over for my lunch the next day.

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Brownies

These are the richest, chocolatiest brownies you'll ever eat. Seriously. Even I can only eat one in a sitting.

¾ Cup Butter

4 oz unsweetened chocolate

2 cups granulated white sugar

3 eggs

1 T. vanilla

½ cup buttermilk

1 ½ c. flour

2 T flour

1 ½ c. Semisweet chocolate chips

2 T powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Combine butter and chocolate in large, microwaveable bowl. Melt on high for 1 minute intervals, stirring in between. D on t let sizzle. Add sugar

Add eggs one at a time, stir in vanilla and buttermilk. Add 1 ½ c. flour.

Toss chocolate chips in 2 T flour and add to brownie mixture.

Bake in greased 9X114 pan, 28-33 minutes. Let cool 30 min. Dust with powdered sugar.

Crock Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu's

Easy. Only 4 ingredients. And delicious, and even pretty healthy--especially if you use the 98% fat free cream of chicken soup.

6 thawed chicken breasts

1/2 lb swiss cheese

6 to 12 slices "sandwich meat" ham (thicker cuts are better)

1 can cream of chicken soup

Cut swiss cheese into 12 thick but narrow strips.

Pull out your trusty meat hammer and pound the chicken breasts out until they are an even thickness and very malleable. Cut each chicken breast in half.

Roll each piece of cheese up with the ham and chicken. Toothpick together. Place in crockpot.

Once all cordon bleu's are assembled, dump soup on top. Cook in crockpot on low heat for 4-6 hours, or high for 2-3. Serve with rice, the extra sauce around the chicken will be great on top of the rice. I prefer the flavor of brown rice with this recipe.

Texan Hot Sauce - Adam's Version

I recieved this recipie from a true-blood Texan and modified it to be amazing!

1/2 jalepeno with seeds
1/4 t ground garlic
1 T fresh-ground black pepper
2 T fresh cilantro
3 - 15 oz cans of no-salt added diced tomatoes

Slice the jalepeno in half lengthwise and fry on the George Foreman Grill for a few minutes until seered. Thoroughly drain the tomatoes. Draining is essential for consistency. Blend all ingredents to a puree in a blender. The best flavor occurs if the salsa sits for 24 hours or is frozen. Do not eat with low-sodium tortilla chips as it will be very bland.

Low-sodium and lots of good vegitables!

Texan Hot Sauce - Original

I recieved this recipie from a true-blood Texan. Feel free to change the proportions as you wish.

4 small (2 large) jalepenos - Remove seeds for less heat
1 t garlic salt or ground garlic
1 T black pepper
1 T fresh cilantro
3 - 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce

Slice the jalepenos in half lengthwise and fry for a few minutes until seered. Thoroughly drain the tomatoes. Draining is essential for consistency. Blend all ingredents to desired consistency in a blender.

Fish Sauce

This fish sauce is fantastic, but there really isn't a recipe for it. It's just "add ***** until it looks right."

So I made it today for my birthday dinner :). And I measured what I added. It didn't turn out perfectly, but here's about the right amounts:

1/4 c + 2T pickles

3T mayo

3T sour cream

a slightly-too-full 1/4 t. seasonall

1 1/2 t. dried onion flakes

Mix it all together. Hope for the best! If you're feeling healthy, replace the mayo and sour cream with plain yogurt.

It is best if you make it a few hours ahead so that the flavors get well-mixed.

Fat Cyclist Cake

I. Love. This. Cake. Period.

The recipe is taken from the Fat Cyclist's Blog. No idea who he is, but it's the most entertaining recipe I've ever read. And it's delicious. In his words:

"It is a Chocolate-Chip-Oatmeal cake. It is not a fluffy, airy cake that collapses away to oxygen and a whiff of chocolate when you put it in your mouth. No. It is a substantial cake, something you could make a meal of. The oatmeal keeps it dense and moist, and the chocolate keeps it chocolatey.

Do not put frosting on this cake. Frosting is what most cakes need to hide the fact that they are dry, over-airy, and flavorless.

I promise you, if you make this cake, you eat will three pieces before nightfall. You will gain three pounds before dawn. And you will look for reasons to make this cake again soon. You will make this cake whenever you are asked to bring a dessert over to a picnic, and you will be invited to an increasing number of picnics when people learn that you will bring this cake.

Your enemies will approach you to resolve your differences, just so they can have some of this cake.

Recipe for the Best Cake in the World

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup boiling water — do not put your fingers in this water, for it is hot!
• 1 cup oatmeal — regular oatmeal, not instant, you cretin.
• 1 c. brown sugar — how come it tastes so good?
• 1 c. white sugar — I have no clever comment to add to this ingredient, unless you consider this comment clever.
• 1 stick butter — No, don’t use margarine. Use butter. Margarine is gross.
• 1 tsp baking soda — I tried brushing my teeth with baking soda. Once.
• 1/2 tsp salt — Or go crazy and put in a whole teaspoonful.
• 1 3/4 cup flour — Warning: flour may contain wheat products.
• 2 eggs — From a chicken; ostrich eggs are too big, and taste nasty.
• 1 pkg milk chocolate chips, or semi-sweet if you think you are too good for regular milk chocolate chips.

Instructions

Pour the boiling water over the oatmeal and stir. It’s best if the aforementioned pouring of boiling water over said oatmeal occurs in a bowl. Stir and let set for 10 minutes. Put the butter in about 5 minutes into this ten minutes, so it can melt.

Meanwhile…

Stir together in a different bowl:

• Flour
• Baking soda
• Salt

Once the 10 minutes has elapsed…

Stir the brown sugar and white sugar into the oatmeal mixture.

Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then stir the eggs into the oatmeal mixture.

Mix the flour mixture into the oatmeal mixture. You should now have one mixture. If you have more than one mixture, you need to reevaluate some life choices you made in your childhood.

Stir half the chocolate chips into this mixture. Do not snitch more than 5% of the chocolate chips as you do this.

Grease and flour (or, in my house, just spray with Pam) a 9 x 13 pan. Note that this is an update. Originally I said that "you should use a 9 x 9 pan. Or an 8 x 10 pan. Or a 40 x 2 pan. Something that comes out to about 80 square inches." I was guessing. I was wrong. I regret the error. I have other regrets as well, but another time, another time.

Pour the cake batter in, then sprinkle the other half of the bag of chocolate chips on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until the center of the cake is not a gooey mess. Let cool at least a little bit or the molten chocolate will burn the living daylights out of the roof of your mouth.

Serve warm, or at room temperature if you must. With vanilla ice cream if at all possible.

Eat.

Rejoice."

Tasty Stir Fry

Ingredients
Rice
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken, thawed and cut into strips
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
3 cups small fresh broccoli florets (from about 1 large crown)
1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips

Method
Cook rice and keep warm. Meanwhile, combine broth, soy, vinegar, pepper and cornstarch in a bowl. Heat a wok or heavy skillet over high heat. When very hot, add 1 tablespoon oil. Add chicken and stir-fry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside. Add remaining oil, garlic and ginger; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add broccoli and carrot; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add soy mixture and chicken, stir well, and cover. Lower heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes. Serve over rice.

Great, light flavor with lots of good vegitables, protein, and fiber!

Aubrie's Salsa

This is the easiest salsa you'll ever make, and it's totally incredible. It's a smooth salsa, and can be spicy (Adam, Kelly...that should appeal to both of you). It used canned tomatoes, but still tastes really fresh.

I stole the recipe from Aubrie's recipe blog, apparently she adapted it from somewhere else. All I know is that it's good.

1 - 2 Tb. lime juice
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 yellow onion (or red onion, diced)
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro (I used a little less--I don't like my salsa being too overwhelmed by cilantro)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with chipotle chiles (if you can't find them or want it less spicy, it works with garlic and onion tomatoes too)
Salt & pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste, if desired (the salsa starts out pretty mild--the more of this you add, the more heat you add, but it retains the salsa flavor pretty well)

Put all ingredients in a food processor/blender and blend until desired consistency.

Lynette's Chicken Fettuccine

Super easy. Super good. Not super healthy. Oh well.

3/4 cube butter

Dry italian seasoning (to taste--about 1 T)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 8 oz brick cream cheese

1 to 1 1/2 c water

Melt all ingredients together, simmer until you are ready to eat it.

Serve over cooked fettuccine noodles with some cooked and sliced/diced chicken. (I just fry up a couple of frozen chicken tenders with some salt and pepper, then slice them into strips.)

Cafe Pierpont Black Bean Salsa

This recipie is phenominal! I usually make it without the red onion, but delicious either way. The secret is to very, very thoroughly drain the canned vegitables. Only takes a few minutes to whip up and refrigerates well.

1 can black beans
1 can chopped tomatoes with jalapenos
1 can corn
½ red onion diced
Juice from ½ a lime
Fresh cilantro
Salt
½ teaspoon minced garlic (be conservative)

Drain all cans thoroughly. Mix beans, tomatoes, corn, onions, lime, and garlic. Add cilantro and salt to taste. Let all ingredients refrigerate at least 3 hours. High in fiber and low fat!

Fajita Marinade

This marinade is amazing! It has a strong citrus flavor. You can stir fry with peppers and onions, but I love the flavor so much that I just cook the chicken. Tastes great with whole wheat tortillas! You can use it with tofu, but it is much better with chicken!

1/4 c Olive Oil
1/4 c Red Wine Vinegar
2 T Worcestershire
2 T Lemon Juice
2 T Lime Juice
1/2 t Black Pepper
1 T Cilantro
1 T Cumin
1 t Garlic Powder
1 t Oregano
Mix ingredients together and use to marinate beef or chicken at least 6 hours or overnight. Low sodium and lots of good olive oil.
Yield: 8 Servings

Adam's Salsa Verde

Salsa verde is a delicious, spicey salsa with a fruity taste.

6-8 Tomatillos
1/4 Jalepeno (to taste)
Cilantro (to taste)
Juice from 1/2 a lime
A few grinds of fresh ground pepper

Wash tomatillos to remove sticky film. Place all ingredients in a blender. It is usually easiest to add the tomatillos one at a time. Best served with baked scoup tortilla chips. High in trace minerals and fiber.

Best Fruit Salad

I LOVE this fruit salad. It doesn't matter what you put in, or how fresh it is, it always tastes good. (Of course, fresher, tastier fruit does still make it better...)

Sauce:
1 c cold water (or pineapple juice, althought that doesn't seem to make a big difference)
2 tbs corn starch
1 tbs butter
Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 small limes, which I think is better)
1 c sugar

Combine the corn starch and water in a small sauce pan and cook until very thick.
Add the remaining ingredients and cook slightly (until butter and sugar are dissolved, DO NOT add the sugar early, or it will NEVER get thick.)

Cool completely, then mix into fruit and serve.

This recipe makes a VERY LARGE fruit salad. To use all of the sauce you probably want about 12 cups of sliced and diced fruits. You want it to be bite-sized so that a few pieces fit on a spoon and you can mix up all the fruit flavors. I usually just make half of a recipe. The sauce keeps OK for a couple of days, so you can have it a few times.

It is especially good with some watermelon as a main base, because it's a good cheap filler that tastes great with the sauce, but that isn't necessary. I usually use watermelon, oranges, an apple, grapes (cut in half), and a handful of strawberries. You can mix and match whatever fruits you want. Other good ones are bananas(although they don't keep well, so it's best when you don't expect leftovers), pears, peaches, plums, cantelope...you get the picture. Whatever's cheap and in season! Or canned fruit works great too (especially oranges or pineapple) and is usually easier.

Pasta a la Primavera, AKA: Nate's "Good Pasta"

This is the yummy pasta we had for lunch in Island Park. Super fast and easy...

1 pkg. pasta, any shape

1 pkg of the best mozerella cheese you can find, 8oz+ depending on how cheesy you want it.  We use 16 oz of Trader Joe's slicing mozzarella.

5-6 fresh tomatoes (about 1 to 1.5 pounds)

2 tablespoons olive oil

garlic (again...as much as you want, 2-4 cloves, depending on the size and your garlic tolerance)

Put the pasta on to boil, make sure to salt the water.

Dice the tomatoes and cheese and put in a large bowl. Mix in the oil and garlic.  Salt and pepper to taste.

When pasta is done, drain and stir into the cheese/tomato mix. Serve immediately.

Joe's Chocolate Pie

Chips Ahoy cookies

1/3 cup melted butter

2 cups milk

1 large package jell-o instant chocolate pudding

8 oz. container cool whip

Smash 1 row (1/2 package) of Chips Ahoy cookies in a gallon size plastic bag. Add butter and mush around until well mixed. Press cookie/butter mix into the bottom of pie plate.

Mix milk and pudding mix together. Gently stir in 1/2 of the cool whip until blended and smooth. Pour into pie crust. Top with remaining cool whip.