Dressing
3 T honey
3 T fresh lime juice
1 t lime zest
3 T finely chopped fresh mint leaves
Place all of the fruit into a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the honey, lime juice, zest and mint. Right before serving, pour the dressing over the fruit and toss gently to combine.
2 packages of refrigerated Chocolate chip cookie dough ( the pillsbury roll works best)
2 8oz. of softened cream cheese
3 eggs
1 cup sugsr
1 teaspoon vanilla
Press 1 roll of cookie dough onto the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over dough. Slice other roll of cookie dough and place on top of cream cheese mixture. Bake @ 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Let cool and then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Refrigerate until serving.
2 c pearl barley
6 c water
3/4 c vegetable oil
3/4 c balsamic vinegar
1 bunch parsley leaves (or more, you can't have too much)
Lots of salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cans dark red kidney beans
2 10 oz pkgs of frozen corn
Place barley and water in a pan, bring to boil then simmer partially covered until tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing in a large bowl: oil, vinegar, salt, pepper. Mince the parsley and add to dressing. Drain and rinse the kidney beans and frozen corn, add to dressing. When barley is done, drain it and add to the bowl. The warmth of the barley will finish thawing the corn. Toss and adjust seasoning. Serve warm, room temp or cold. Holds in the fridge for days. Great with grilled meat. This recipe makes enough for a crowd. Halve or quarter for a family meal.
Juice of 1 orange, about 1/4 cup
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tbs. champagne or white wine vinegar
3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs. finely chopped fresh basil
a pinch of coarse salt and a good grinding of black pepper
1 pint strawberries, sliced
8 thin or 4 regular scallions, sliced thinly
Greens of your choice, figuring about 2 generous handfuls per person
1 cup carmelized walnuts
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (or feta, if you prefer)
Whisk first 7 ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. May want to add more o.j., sugar or agave syrup, if you prefer sweeter. Will make about 3/4 cup vinaigrette.
Assemble the salad by tossing the greens with the sliced strawberries and scallions. Add the vinaigrette and top with crumbled cheese and carmelized walnuts.
1 cup oil (canola or vegetable tastes best)
1/2 cup vinegar (white, apple cider or rice)
1 tsp. prepared mustard
3/4 cup sugar (may decrease to 1/2 cup if preferred)
1 tsp. onion juice or 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. poppy seed
1/2 cup whole pecans
1 tbs. butter or margarine
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 small red onion, diced
1 quart strawberries, sliced
Lettuce, select 1 to 2 types (enough for a large bowl)
Using an electric mixer (or in a shaker), combine first 7 ingredients for dressing, until thick. Saute pecans in butter and cayenne pepper, be careful not to burn them. Fill bowl with mixed greens. Just before serving, add sliced strawberries, pecans and diced onions. If done too early, pecans can soften. At time of serving, add dressing and toss. Tip: all can be prepared a day ahead of time and refrigerated in individual containers (including pecans). The sugar in the dressing will settle and need only to be mixed a little.
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
3/4 cup (6 ounces) block-style low-fat cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 to 4 cups peeled & diced apples
(I usually use 4 medium sized Honey Crisps)
Preheat oven to 350. Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, cream cheese, butter and vanilla at medium speed until well-blended, around 4 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Set aside.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, and beat at low speed until blended.
Combine 1/4 sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons of that cinnamon mixture and the chopped apples in a bowl. Stir the apple mixture into the batter. Pour batter into a greased (cooking spray or butter) 9" spring form pan. Sprinkle the top of the batter with the remaining cinnamon mixture.
Bake around 1 hour (when it pulls away from side of pan it should be done). Let rest at least 10 minutes before removing from pan. I usually remove the outside circle of the pan, and let it cool completely before I try to remove the cake from the bottom of the pan.
Yummy as a dessert or a breakfast sweet.
Cooking Spray
Egg (or 1 or 2 eggwhites)
Cheese
English Muffin, Bagel, or Sandwich Thin
Coat microwavable bowl with cooking spray. Crack egg into bowl. Poke egg a few times with a fork (or beat it if that's your preference. Microwave it on high (partially covered) for about 35 seconds (until set). Have a glass of wine (this is hard work –you need to rest up for the next step). Once set, put slice of cheese on top and microwave for an additional 8 seconds. Remove from microwave, but on bread, and enjoy your sammy!
