Corn and Avocado Salad

If you want to bulk this recipe up, try adding rinsed black beans or halved cherry tomatoes.

3c fresh corn kernels
2t canola oil
1/4c red bell pepper; diced
1/4c orange bell pepper; diced
1 jalepeno; diced
1/4c scallions; sliced thin
1/2 avocado; diced
3T fresh squeezed lime juice
1t cumin
1t kosher salt
1/2t black pepper

- Sautee the corn and peppers in canola oil until corn is cooked through and slightly toasted.
- Cool the corn mixture and add the remaining ingredients
- Serve cold or at room tempurature

Serves 4

(Nutrition Information Pending)

Refrigerator Lo Mein

I call this refrigerator lo mein because I make it using whatever is in the refrigerator at the time. You can follow the recipe as written below or sub your own vegetables and protein. This dish works well with shrimp, chicken, beef, or pork. Omit the meat for a great vegetarian meal, or a side dish.

1/4c red bell pepper; julianned
1/4c onion; julianned
1/4c celery; sliced
2T scallion; diced
1c broccoli florets
1c baby corn
1c shiitake mushrooms; sliced
1/4c water chestnuts; sliced
1c pork tenderloin; cooked and diced
3c whole wheat fettuccini; cooked
2 clove garlic; minced
1T ginger; minced
1T canola oil
3T teriyaki sauce
2T sherry
1t dark sesame oil

- Sautee vegetables in canola oil, starting with the hardest vegetables first
- Add garlic, ginger and sherry. Continue cooking until vegetables are just undercooked
- Add pasta, teriyaki sauce, and sesame oil
- Toss with scallions and serve.

Serves 4

(Nutrition Information Pending)

Grilled Potato Salad

Want to try something a little different? Try making this salad with a mixture of red, white, purple, and/or sweet potatoes.

20 small baby potatoes; red or white; cooked
1c green beans; blanched
4t olive oil
3t rice wine vinegar
1 clove garlic; grated
2t whole grain mustard
1t sugar
1/2c sweet red bell pepper; finely diced
1/2c celery; finely diced

- lightly spray the cooked potatoes with olive oil or cooking spray and grill them on high until lightly browned on all sides.
- combine the oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, sugar, celery, and red bell pepper in a bowl
- add the green beans and grilled potatoes
- serve hot or at room temperature

Helpful Hints

What is the best way to grate your garlic? Use a microplane! Microplanes can be used for zesting citrus or grating cheese, chocolate or garlic. The microplane is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. If you don’t have one, I highly recommend picking one up at your local kitchen store. You may even be able to find them at your nearest hardware store (ask for a rasp).

http://us.microplane.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=158

Serves 4

Spinach and White Beans

The is a very versatile recipe that is high in vitamins and protein. It's great with nearly every animal protein as well as on it's own. You can even top it with an egg for a yummy breakfast.

Did You Know?

Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B2, calcium, potassium, and vitamin B6. It is a very good source of dietary fiber, copper, protein, phosphorus, zinc and vitamin E. In addition, AND it is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, niacin and selenium. Wow, that's good stuff!
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1c onion; diced
2 cloves garlic; minced
1c canned white beans; drained and rinsed
4c chopped spinach; frozen
4T grated parmesan
4t olive oil

- Sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent
- Add beans and cook until beans are softer and lightly browned on some edges
- Add spinach and cook until spinach is defrosted and hot
- Add cheese and serve

Optional Add-Ins

- 1tsp crushed red pepper before serving
- cooked chicken
- sundried tomatoes

Serves 4

Spicy Red Cabbage Slaw

This makes a good side dish for grilled chicken, steak, or shrimp. It is AMAZING on top of grilled shrimp tacos!
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2c red cabbage; shredded
1/4c corn kernels; grilled
1T scallions; minced
1/4c red bell pepper; minced
3T reduced-fat sour cream
2T fajita sauce
2T chipotle in adobo
juice of 1/2 lime

- mix fajita sauce, sour cream, lime juice, and chipotle.
- toss dressing with the cabbage, corn, scallions, and bell pepper.

Helpful Hint

Don't have time to grill some corn? This recipe works very well with pan roasted corn. Simply heat the corn in a pan with 1t of canola oil until the corn is lightly browned.

Gluten Free

To make this recipe gluten free, replace the chipotle in adobo with a bit of chipotle powder.

Serves 4

Spicy Teriyaki Green Beans

These make a great side dish for chicken, steak, or pork. Add shrimp and server over brown rice, whole wheat couscous, or bulgur for a complete meal.

2 cloves garlic; minced
2t ginger; minced
4c green beans; lightly steamed
1/4c teriyaki sauce
2T scallions; minced
2t red pepper flakes
4t canola oil

- On high heat, add oil and green beans to pan. Allow the green beans to get lightly browned.
- Add garlic, ginger, scallions, and red pepper flakes to the green beans.
- Add teriyaki sauce and continue to cook until sauce is thickened.

Gluten Free

To make this recipe gluten free, replace the teriyaki suace with gluten free soy or tamari.

Serves 4

Udon Soup with Shrimp and Vegetables

Want to try something a little different? Try using Japanese buckwheat Soba noodles in place of the Udon.

1/2c baby corn ears
1c broccoli florets
2t ginger root; grated
1/2c shiitake mushroom; sliced
1/4c scallion; chopped
1 clove garlic; minced
4c broth (chicken or vegetable)
2c udon noodles
1lb large shrimp; raw, peeled, deveined, cut in half
2T sherry
2T soy sauce
2t Mirin
2t fish sauce
1c bok choy; shredded
1/4c water chestnuts; sliced
1/4c carrot; shredded
2t canola oil
1t toasted sesame oil

- sautee vegetables, garlic, and ginger in canola and sesame oil until just tender
- add sherry, broth, soy sauce, mirin, and fish sauce and bring to a simmer
- add noodles and shrimp.
- continue cooking until shrimp are pink

Did You Know?
Mirin is a Japanese sweet cooking wine, that dates back more than 400 years. It is made by combining and fermented rice), rice yeast, and Japanese liquor. It is clear and light gold in color, and a bit syrupy. Cooking mirin is less than 1% alcohol.

Serves 4

Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Leeks

Want to try something a little different? Try using sweet potatoes instead of butternut squash. For a creamier soup, add 1c of evaporated skim milk at the end.

Did You Know?
Chicken stock and broth are not the same. Chicken stocks are made from the entire chicken (meat and bones). Chicken broth is made with only the meat. You will get a richer flavor from using stock than you would from broth. Stock should also have a thicker mouth feel due to the release of gelatin from the chicken bones.

1T + 1t olive oil
1 1/2c leek; sliced
1T garlic; minced
1c celery; diced
6c butternut squash; cut into 1” pieces
3c apple; sliced
6 1/2c stock or broth (chicken or vegetable)
1t cinnamon
1t dried thyme
2t kosher salt
1t pepper

- toss the squash with 1t of olive oil and 1t of salt. Roast in the oven, on a foil lined cookie sheet, at 400* for approximately 30 minutes (or until squash is tender and lightly caramelized)
- in a large pot, sautee leeks, celery, and garlic in 1T of olive oil until tender.
- add the roasted squash, apples, thyme, salt, pepper, and cinnamon to the leeks and continue sautéing until the apples begin to tender
- add stock and simmer until apples and squash are very tender
- blend in batches until smooth

Gluten Free
To make this recipe gluten free, be sure to use a gluten free stock or broth.

Serves 8

Brussels Sprouts with Onions and Bacon

These are NOT your Momma’s Brussels sprouts!

I can remember sitting at the dinner table for HOURS refusing to eat my sprouts. Boring, soggy, and bitter. Yuck. It took me nearly 20 years to try sprouts again, but I’m glad I did. I came up with this recipe that I’m now hooked on. I hope it will make a sprout lover out of you too.

4c fresh Brussels sprouts; halved
1c onion; diced
1/4c chicken stock or broth
2t sugar
2T apple cider vinegar
8 slices center cut bacon; diced

- cook bacon in a large pan until crisp; remove and place on paper towels to drain
- sautee onions in bacon pan until translucent
- add sprouts and broth to onion, and continue sautéing until sprouts are tender and pan is dry
- add sugar and vinegar to the sprouts and continue cooking until vinegar is reduced

Substitutions
Don’t want to use bacon? Try subbing Canadian bacon, or even ham. Canadian bacon is lower in fat than traditional bacon, so you may need to add a tsp or two of canola oil to help it crisp.

Gluten Free
To make this recipe gluten free, be sure to use a gluten free stock or broth.

Serves 4