Our Fabulous Bites

I loved this salad, great dish for a hot night and I thought it was filling enough for as a main course.  I served it with egg rolls and fresh fruit.    Some notes:  I thought this tasted better day one.  The next day the cucumbers were softer than I like, and the greens were droopy.  So I think if you expect leftovers, don't add cucumbers, spinach or napa cabbage to the entire dish, but let people add them to their own plates.   Ingredients SALAD INGREDIENTS: 1 package wheat Linguine pasta, Cooked, Rinsed, And Cooled 1/4 head Sliced Napa Cabbage, Or More To Taste 1/4 head Sliced Purple Cabbage, Or More To Taste 1/4 bag Baby Spinach, Or More To Taste 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin 1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin 1/2 Orange Bell Pepper, Thinly Sliced 1/2 bag Bean Sprouts (I couldn't find any so we didn't have these) Chopped Cilantro, Up To 1 Bunch, To Taste 3 whole Scallions, Sliced 1 whole Cucumbers Peeled...

I saw this recipe, and I wanted to like it.  I wanted Jeff to like it.  And we did!  This is easy and good too.  We ended up making 4 sandwiches using rolls similar in size to hoagie rolls and had plenty of leftover veggies which I used for pizza toppings and that was quite yummy too.  I'm going to make this a regular dinner chez-Thomas. Grilled Veggie Sammys 1/4 cup mayonnaise 2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced (it depends how strong of garlic you want) 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 sliced red bell pepper 1 small zucchini, sliced 1 small yellow squash, sliced 1 small red onion, sliced olive oil & veggie oil kosher salt & pepper 1 french baguette, or some sturdy rolls Feta or a different mild cheese Directions: Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix mayo, garlic and lemon juice.  Set aside. Combine all veggies on a cookie sheet, drizzle with oils*, salt & pepper.  Toss to coat.  Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes, until veggies ...

Recipe and picture found here  and by nutritionfor.us This dish was easy and yummy. Jon enjoyed it (I often use Jon's approval as meaning it's a winner and a keeper and he voluntarily says something is pretty good.) I think you could add some other things for extra flavor, but we still all liked it. I personally would have loved some green pepper mixed in. We also omitted the mushrooms since they don't work well with Jon's stomach. But I'm sure for those who like mushrooms... it would make this dish even better. Ingredients: 1 1/2 Tblsp evoo 1 large onion, chopped 1 cup mushrooms, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 (14.5 oz) cans Italian diced tomatoes, drained 1/4 cup tomato sauce 3 basil leaves, chopped 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 tsp sea salt 1/2 cup skim ricotta chesse 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese 3 Tblsp Parmesan cheese About 6 oz lasagna noodles, broken into thirds & fully cooked 2 Tblsp parsley (dried or fresh) Directions: 1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet o...

(Picture and recipe from www.alexandracooks.com) We bought a big container of blueberries at Costco last week and had plenty left over from what I got them for. I expected there to be extra, but I also expected Jon and Koen to love having them to snack on. My second expectation didn't turn out. I learned Jon doesn't care for fresh blueberries as a snack and Koen apparently lost interest in them since the last time he had blueberries.  So I was grateful to come across this recipe that would allow me to use my extra blueberries and hopefully sweeten them up enough for my boys to enjoy. I pinned this recipe some time ago and it can be found  here .  We all very much enjoyed it. I didn't have buttermilk so I followed a commenters suggestion of making my own. I didn't have any lemons on hand, so I did put a little bit of lemon juice in there... but no one noticed. I'm sure the zest would be better and more noticeable. I also used regular table salt, but put in just a tad...

This is a favorite recipe of mine, but since I'm the only one in the house who likes it and it makes a HUMONGOUS amount, I rarely get a chance to make it. So, I was excited when Mom asked me to bring a salad to the family dinner last week, knowing just what I would make!! Spring Salad by Sheri Blacker For sugared almonds: melt butter in skillet, add sugar, then almonds. Stir until sugar is dissolved and almonds are coated and toasted. For whatever reason, I have yet to have these turn out like Sheri's. Mine are always like almond brittle, so I just break it up into little pieces after it has cooled. Mom suggested I try making it with no butter, but heat the almonds and sugar over low heat until carmelized, adding a tad bit of water if needed, so I will try that next time. ¼ cup sliced almonds 3 Tbls butter 1/3 cup sugar For salad combine: 1 head red or green leaf lettuce, torn 3-4 cups spring mix 4 cups baby spinach 1 bunch red or purple grapes, cut in half...

All three of us really liked these dishes. We really enjoyed using the cornmeal for the crust; gave it a little crunch, without feeling heavy like breading or batter. And the couscous was light and flavorful. Oh and both of these come together in minutes!! Super quick and easy. Mmmm, mmmm, I love yummy, light, healthy dishes. Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia 4 tilapia fillets 1/2 c cornmeal 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2 tbsp fresh parsley zest of one lemon (reserve lemon for serving) 2 tbsp oil Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. In a shallow plate, combine cornmeal, salt, pepper, parsley, and lemon zest. Dredge tilapia fillets in the cornmeal mixture. Cooke fillets 2 at a time, about 3 minutes on the first side, and 2 minutes on the second. Sprinkle fresh lemon juice on top, or serve sliced wedges on the side. Tomato & Basil Couscous 1 c. chicken/veggie broth 1 1/4 c. couscous 1/2 c. chopped green onions 1/2 c. diced...

Aren't peppers red,orange, and yellow peppers beautiful? Anyways. We made these last week, and all three of us really enjoyed them. They are quite filling, and all around healthy! And since we've been having bizarre weather here that has included 90ish one day and 54ish the next (yep, ridiculous), we decided to have an "Autumn" meal :) Stuffed Peppers Large bell peppers, remove tops, ribs and seeds. 2 cups grain (we made adobo rice) 1 tsp safflower oil, whatever oil you use 1 yellow onion, chopped 1 large carrot, grated 1 medium potato, diced (we used red potato) 3 roma tomatoes, diced 1 cup corn, do yourself a favor and use fresh or frozen, not canned a few mushrooms, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (omit to make vegan) 1 tbsp red pepper flakes 1/2 cup green onion, chopped 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 1 lime, juiced 1 tsp hot sauce (we add more for heat) garlic powder & cumin (we just threw it in...

We had these last night and loved, loved, loved them. They are packed full of scrumptiousness. We used this  'Lettuce Wrap'  recipe, but then added cous cous and more veggies to the filling, and wrapped them in cabbage. They are super quick and easy! A note about using cabbage over lettuce. Boston/Bib lettuce is amazing for lettuce wraps. It holds in the filling, and it's buttery delicious. However, it's more expensive. So you could use Iceberg, but it's hard to get a good big piece without it tearing, and then when you do, it doesn't hold very well. Cabbage is a great alternative, and our new 'go-to' for wraps. It's sturdy and holds your filling with no problem, plus it's dirt cheap! Cous Cous & Veggie Cabbage Wraps   Filling: Oil for sauteing Water chestnut, diced Mushrooms, diced Carrots, matchstick sliced Onions, diced Bamboo, diced Garlic, minced Any other veggies you like Cous Cous, made to your liking. ( We jus...

I just learned a wonderful trick. Perhaps you were all in the loop, but after testing out this last week, I was excited and had to share... If your lettuce has started to wilt, don't despair! It is not lost. All you have to do is put it in an ice water bath and it will crisp back up!! It's wonderful!