Seasoned Yukon Gold Wedges

This recipe came from the back of a bag of potatoes.  We loved this recipe!

1 1/2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges
1 T. olive oil
1/4 c. dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 t. paprika
3/4 t. salt
1/4 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. ground cumin
1/8 t. pepper
1/8 t. cayenne pepper

1. In a large bowl, toss potatoes with oil.  Combine the remaining ingredients; sprinkle over potatoes and toss to coat.

2. Arrange potatoes in a single layer in a 15" x 10" x 1" baking pan coated with cooking spray

3. Bake, uncovered at 425 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes or until tender, stirring once.

Green Bean Casserole

This is a great "lighter" and in my opinion, tastier version than the cream of mushroom soup version

Ingredients

Vegetable cooking spray

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup skim milk

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-sodium, reduced-fat Swiss cheese

1/2 cup low-fat sour cream

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 (9-ounce) packages frozen French-style green beans, thawed and drained

1 1/2 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix

2 teaspoons margarine, melted

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Coat a medium saucepan with cooking spray, and place over medium heat until hot. Add onion; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add flour, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add the milk, stirring until blended. Stir in cheese, sour cream, sugar, and salt; cook 5 minutes or until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly.

Place green beans in an 8-inch square baking dish; pour the sauce over beans. Combine stuffing mix, margarine, and egg white in a bowl; stir well, and sprinkle over green bean mixture. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Roasted tomato & vegetable soup

I like vegetables, but getting the recommended servings in per day is hard!  I created this soup as a great way to get a good portion of veggies and fiber, plus it's filling.

In a 425 degree oven roast the following on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray:

tomatoes, cut into quarters (I used about 3 med sized tomatoes)
1 onion, cut into chunks
1 lg. zucchini and 1 large summer squash, cut into thick chunks
1 red pepper, cut into large slices
handful of baby carrots

Douse with olive oil and roast!

Roast for approximately 20 - 25 minutes

In a stockpot, add 1 T. olive oil and saute 3 cloves of garlic.  Once soft, add 2 - 28 oz. cans of tomatoes (they can be fire roasted or the kind with basil, oregano & garlic), a can of garbanzo beans, 2 t. basil, 2 t. oregano, salt & pepper (adjust as needed). You can add what you have on hand... like kale or spinach or any other vegetables you might want to throw in.  If you don't like peppers, leave them out.

Add in roasted vegetables.  Puree in with an immersion blender, or puree (in batches) in blender.  Add chicken or vegetable broth to achieve desired consistency.

Add 3 T. Greek yogurt (or more to taste), to add creaminess.  Adjust amount of salt and pepper to taste.

Done!  Make a grilled cheese and start dipping.

Swedish Girl's Gazpacho

When describing Gazpacho to someone who has never tried it, the sound of "cold, pureed vegetable soup" does not sound appetizing, I'll admit!  However, if you're a vegetable lover, especially when tomatoes, cukes & peppers are at their peak, you are going to LOVE gazpacho.  What I love is: a) you can mess around with what veggies you add and b) a one cup serving is 49 calories.  Therefore, you're not going to get fat eating gazpacho, people!  I have estimated the quantities in this recipe.  Feel free to omit the zucchini and add more pepper or more cukes or tomatoes.  It's a healthy, refreshing, tasty meal for the end of summer.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 tomatoes, chopped (can be a variety - Roma, beefsteak, plum, cherry... whatever you have on hand.  It should be equivalent to about 2 beefsteak tomatoes... more or less!)
• 1 cucumber, quartered
• 1 yellow pepper, seeds removed and quartered
• 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and quartered
• 1 small zucchini, cut into chunks
• 1 - 2 jalepeño or red chili peppers, seeds removed (optional)
• 1 small red onion, chopped OR 3 – 4 green onions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups tomato juice (or V8).  If you want the gazpacho to be on the chunky side, wait to add this until the end to get the consistency you want.
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 T. fresh)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (1 T. fresh)
• Handful fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (or more to taste)
• 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Directions

1.    Puree tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, zucchini, onion, jalepeño and garlic in a blender or food processor, about 30 seconds, or to desired consistency. Add tomato juice, olive oil, cilantro, oregano, basil, celery salt, salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine vinegar. Pulse a few times to mix. Pour into a bowl and chill at least 1 hour.

2.  Before serving, adjust the seasonings by adding more salt, seasoned salt, pepper (or Tabasco if you like it hot!).

3.    Serve with chopped avocado and a dollop of sour cream.

NOTE:  I've made gazpacho before by adding a slice or two of bread before running it through the food processor.  It thickens it up a bit and makes it more filling.  The best thing about Gazpacho is you can really play around with the ingredients to make it your own.

Grilled Vegetable Gazpacho

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Cooking Light for helping me become the foodie I am today.  In 1999, I started subscribing and thanks to CL, I have learned SO much about cooking.  I'm posting this (Cooking Light July 2011 recipe) in early August when gardeners are picking ripe tomatoes, cukes, cilantro & jalepeños each day.  What better use for them than a tasty gazpacho?  This one is spicy, so cut back on the jalepeños if you wish.  Grilling the veggies first gives this sopa (that's Spanish for soup!) a nice flavor.  ¡Buen provecho!

Ingredients

• 3 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, cored and cut in half crosswise (about 3 pounds)
• 1 onion, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 (1-ounce) piece French bread baguette, cut into 2 slices
• Cooking spray
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 cups thinly sliced, quartered English cucumber
• 1/4 cup minced green onions
• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

Preparation

• 1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
• 2. Brush cut sides of tomatoes and onion slices with 1 tablespoon oil. Lightly coat bread with cooking spray. Place bread on grill rack, and grill 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until toasted. Remove from grill. Place peppers on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 8 minutes or until blistered, turning peppers after 4 minutes. Remove peppers from grill. Place peppers in a small paper bag; fold tightly to seal. Let stand for 20 minutes. Arrange onion on grill rack; grill for 10 minutes. Turn onion over. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides down, on grill rack; grill onion and tomatoes 10 minutes. Peel and seed peppers.
• 3. Combine 2 tablespoons oil, bread, grilled vegetables, 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and garlic in a blender; process until smooth. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, cucumber, and remaining ingredients; toss. Ladle about 2/3 cup soup in each of 6 bowls, and top each serving with about 1/3 cup cucumber mixture.

Caprese Salad

This is a perfect summer dish when basil & tomatoes can be picked from your garden.  This will make enough for 2 side salads, so double or triple depending on what you need.

3 roma tomatoes (or use grape, cherry or whatever you're growing!)
3 string cheese sticks
about 1/3 c. fresh basil, chopped
1 T. balsamic
1/2 T. olive oil
salt to taste

Chop tomatoes, slice string cheese into small rounds and chop basil.  Toss with balsamic & olive oil and add salt to taste.  The key is fresh ingredients & a good quality balsamic and olive oil.  YUM.

Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies

This recipe appeared in Cooking Light.  After coming home with a load of veggies from the farmer's market, I decided this looked like the PERFECT summer recipe.  Tell your kids it's mac & cheese with some colorful veggies and they'll love it.  I usually double the recipe so we have leftovers for lunch.

 Ingredients

• 4 ounces uncooked ziti
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow squash
• 1 cups chopped zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups chopped tomato
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided (any cheese blend will work) 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray

Preparation

• 1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
• 2. Preheat oven to 400°.
• 3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add squash, zucchini, and onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomato and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper.
• 4. Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg. Stir into pasta mixture. Spoon into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 301
• Fat: 12.1g
• Saturated fat: 5.3g
• Monounsaturated fat: 5g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.9g
• Protein: 16.5g
• Carbohydrate: 32.8g
• Fiber: 4.1g
• Cholesterol: 65mg
• Iron: 1.9mg
• Sodium: 640mg
• Calcium: 291mg

Siam Peanut Slaw

I have to give credit to my friend Amanda Travis for this one.  WOW is it good... you'll never think of "slaw" the same way!

1 bag coleslaw mix
1 pkg Ramen noodles (do not use seasoning)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 cup honey roasted peanuts
1/2 stick butter
3 scallions chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup olive oil (or sesame oil is even better if you have it)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
Peanut sauce (can come from a jar or see "Thai Chicken with Rice Noodles" recipe)

Break up Ramen Noodles and toss with chopped onions, cilantro, both types of nuts, and cabbage. drizzle with melted butter. Mix oil, sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar to make dressing and keep separate until about 1-2 hours before serving and pour over salad. Mix occasionally to coat during hours leading up to serving. Just before serving drizzle with peanut sauce

Outback Steakhouse Chopped Blue Cheese Salad Recipe

Thanks to my friend Jennifer Bruining for finding this tasty recipe online.

Candied cinnamon pecans:
1/3 cup pecans sliced-lengthwise
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons butter, melted

Salad:
3 cups chopped butter or bibb lettuce
3 cups chopped red leaf lettuce
3 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
1 green onion, chopped

Blue cheese vinaigrette dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Slice each pecan half into at least three lengthwise pieces.
Combine the cinnamon and brown sugar.
Toss the pecans with the melted butter, then with the cinnamon/sugar mixture, making sure to coat them all evenly.
Put the nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 5 to 8 minutes, until sugar is caramelized. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and slide the pecans off of the parchment to cool.
Chop all of the lettuce into small bite-sized pieces; and rinse them with cool water.
Slice the green onion.

Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients.
Place the chopped lettuce into a serving bowl large enough to allow you to toss the salad.
Add the vinaigrette and toss thoroughly.
Sprinkle with the chopped onion.