(jessica)

I will be honest. I don’t like to cook in Summer. And with everything on my plate (non food items) for the past two months, there is no time for eating – let alone cooking. But a person has to have potato salad at least once in Summer, right. The usual mayonnaise kind is a little fat heavy for my taste, so I started using some of my favorite salad dressings instead. Trader Joe’s has some wonderful dressings with much better calorie and fat counts, and there is a delicious Vidalia Onion dressing at Sam’s Club that works very well for potato salad.

I like to vary the ingredients, but here is one of my favorite combos:

I start with either baby red skin or yellow skin potatoes – chop them and steam them. They keep their shape much better and don’t absorb all the dressing. I have never liked the peel/chop/boil method because the resulting potato salad can be so mushy.

Then, add chopped celery . . .

Chopped green onion . . .

Toast some Pine Nuts in a dry pan – and keep an eye on them because once they start to toast – they can get toasted too much (i.e. burned) in a big hurry.

Crumble some very crisp bacon (unless you are a vegetarian). This is the pre-cooked kind from Hormel that is instant, low cal and makes no mess . . . I microwave it for a minute and a half and let it sit for a few moments to get crisp.

And, finally, cut some sweet cherry tomatoes in half, and you are ready to toss it in the dressing of your choice, and chill (or not).

(Cassie)

OK, I must admit. This isn’t necessarily an EASY, QUICK dinner.

But, it’s delicious, different and fun!

Here’s my dinner the other night. Stuffed bell peppers.

I started with ground turkey, salt/pepper to taste, Italian seasoning, and diced onion in a pan on medium heat. As the mixture browned, I added a couple cups of fresh chopped spinach to the pan.

While that was simmering away, I cleaned my pretty multi-color bells (I don’t like green, only the “non-gassy” ones, which seem to be red, yellow and orange) and put them in the microwave in a dish with just a bit of water in the bottom and a bowl turned over on top as the cover. They come out just cooked enough so that in the end, they’re easy to cut and still a tad firm.

AT THE SAME TIME, my rice is cooking, which will become a part of the stuffing. I chose the Near East Sun Dried Tomato and Basil this time, because I thought it would really add to the flavor.

Here’s some ingredients I’m also going to use. Parmesan cheese, a container of interesting sauce (I chose another sun dried tomato blend) and extra sharp cheddar.

Back to the meat. Stir, stir, stir…add a couple things. Like the Parmesan (just enough to really help pull the ingredients together) and the sauce. DING! Rice is done now. So I add that to the mix as well.

Time to stuff the peppers. And I do mean stuff. I packed the mixture down so that each bell is really a full serving.

Topped it off with grated extra sharp cheddar cheese and popped it into the oven (uncovered) for 30 minutes at 350.

You can certainly add your special ingredients to this dish to make it your own! Ground beef instead of turkey, different flavors of rice, sauce, cheese. You get the idea. Play a little. Experiment with flavors.

There you have it. A little salad and bread on the side and you’re serving one awesome meal.

Enjoy~!

(Cassie)

A while back, I introduced you to this wonderful gravy made by Imagine Foods.

Since then, I have used it in many recipes. What I’m sharing with you today is a quick and easy way to add zest so many things; potatoes, omelets, poultry and stuffing – just to name a few.

Here are all the ingredients you’ll need to make this AWESOME sage gravy:

Put about 1 T. of butter in a small pan and bring to a bubble. Then add your chopped sage (I used about 8-10 leaves). Stir and allow the butter to burn (brown) a bit while cooking the sage. Add a pinch (or two) of brown sugar to the mix. When the sage is just this side of “crispy,” add one container of Imagine Turkey Gravy and a bit of S & P to taste (that’s salt and pepper).

Let this little medley simmer all the while you prepare your meal. The first night, I poured it over our Turkey Cutlets that I had fried ever-so quickly in a pan (because they’re so thin, they don’t take long to cook). We also spooned a little (or a lot) over the stuffing that I prepared for a side dish.

My family RAVED about this flavor. Truthfully, sometimes turkey meat can be so dry (especially if overcooked even a little).

The next morning, I used the leftover gravy on top of my mushroom and swiss omelet!

YUM!!

I can’t even describe how fantastic this flavor is. Of course, you have to be a sage fan for this version. The other night, I added basil to the gravy and poured it over veggies. Oh my, I think you’re gonna like this one!

(jessica)

Wow, no one has been cooking around here in awhile!

But, we’ll try to make up for that with this super supper idea based on the well-known 7-Layer Dip you might encounter at parties. This version is easier, goes in a soup bowl, and satisfies even big appetites.

First, let’s gather and prep ingredients:

Non-Vegetarians want to start with a pound of ground beef or ground turkey breast – cooked thoroughly and fat-drained if using ground beef. Gather all ingredients and be ready to layer before cooking the meat because you want it piping hot as your first layer.

Here are the rest of the ingredients:

This stuff is one of those great things you would never discover. It is only about 60¢/can and is “hot dog chili”. Most health food folks would run the other way. But guess again – this is a flavored puree of beans and is delicious. A half gram of fat and 10 calories per tablespoon! Not even high in sodium, but does contain MSG. This does make a great coney island hot dog, but is perfect for this recipe as well – much more flavor than refried beans.

Heat in the microwave for 2 minutes just before you start layering. Stir after one minute.

Chop some fresh cilantro and green onion. Get out some Mexican Seasoning if you have any (optional). Use on the meat while cooking.

Finely grated cheese and sliced ripe olives . . .

Then, some guacamole. You can make your own if you have the time and ambition. I have neither and buy mine in the deli section -

along with fresh salsa . . .

And now, we are ready for assembly!

Layer 1 is the very hot meat Layer . . .

Layer 2 is the very hot chili Layer (the hot dog chili, that is). Refried beans could be subbed here.

Layer 3 – grated cheese – so it will melt into the meat and chili . . .

Layer 4 is your greens (cilantro and green onion) . . .

Layer 5 – spoon a generous helping of salsa over the greens . . .

Layer 6 – add a serving of guacamole . . .

And Layer 7 – sprinkle with black olives . . .

And there you have it. You can eat this whole thing with a spoon, or use tortilla chips as dippers. Our favorite is to combine the two – spooning some of all seven layers onto the tortilla chip (keeps the chip from breaking).

This makes a great party meal – where everyone adds their own Layers.

Buen appetito!

(Cassie)

Wisdom Woman “akagracie” sure did submit a winner in the lemon recipe contest!

I made her Chicken Piccata recipe on Sunday night and it was a real crowd pleaser – and SO easy.

Well, it was easier than it should have been, because I decided to skip the step about pounding the chicken breasts. I’m sorry, akagracie, they were just the most beautiful breasts, and I didn’t have the heart to beat them to a pulp.

OK, here’s the recipe as it was provided to Wisdom Woman:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tsp salted butter, 2 whole, boneless, skinned chicken breasts, halved & flattened, 1/4 C freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 med. lemons), 1/4 C. dry vermouth or dry white wine.

Here’s a couple of the stars of the flavor show.

In a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the chicken & saute for about 3 min. on each side.

Add half the lemon juice & all the vermouth & cover. Steam on high heat for 2 min. Add the remaining lemon juice & return to a simmer, uncovered, for 1 minute (no more; it will dry out quickly otherwise).

Transfer the chicken to a small heated platter. Garnish with finely chopped parsley, cilantro, dill, or chives, and serve. (OK, I fudged a little again! I only had fresh basil in the house, so I actually added it early to the chicken to let the flavors seep in during the cooking process).

Let me tell you something about this lemon/vermouth sauce. It’s incredible! I served the chicken with some veggies, garlic toast and a vermicelli with fresh mushrooms and a creamy sundried tomato sauce.

Comments from the eating gallery included, “Mom, this is excellent!” “Great dinner, Honey!” and my favorite, “How do you come up with such creative and delicious meals?” (from Mom, of course!).

And to myself, I said, “Thank you akagracie for a fantastic lemon recipe.”

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO SUBMITTED RECIPES. DON’T FORGET TO VISIT THE COMMENTS FROM OUR LEMON CONTEST AND PRINT OUT THE RECIPES YOU’D LIKE TO TRY IN YOUR KITCHEN.