smashed potatos

2 1/4 pounds potatoes
Splash of milk
1 Tbsp. butter
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Sprig fresh rosemary
Olive oil

Scrub your potatoes clean, cut them in half, and put them into a pan of salted, boiling water. Boil for about 10 minutes until tender. Stick a knife into them to check they're soft all the way through. Drain in a colander and return them to the pan. Add the milk, butter, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mash until smooth and creamy, adding another splash of milk if necessary. Pick a rosemary leaves off the woody stalk and lightly push them into the potato. You can drizzle with a little olive oil, or use olive oil instead of butter.

give credit: jamie oliver

restaurant style salsa

• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
• 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
• ¼ cups Chopped Onion
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
• ¼ teaspoons Sugar
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
• ½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)
• ½ whole Lime Juice

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

pulled bbq chicken sandwiches with cole slaw

pulled bbq chicken sandwiches

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14-ounce) can low-sodium tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
5 tablespoons molasses
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 whole rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded into thin strips (about 4 to 4 1/2 cups)
6 whole-wheat sandwich thins
6 large green lettuce leaves

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, vinegar, molasses, pepper and liquid smoke and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add chopped chicken, return to a simmer, and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Split rolls. Place a leaf of lettuce on each roll, then pile on 3/4 cup of the chicken mixture onto the roll.

*For an unhealthy and delicious option, add turkey bacon and blue cheese.

cole slaw

1/2 cup nonfat Greek-style yogurt, or 2/3 cup regular plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (16-ounce) bag shredded coleslaw mix

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

If using regular yogurt, place it in a strainer lined with a paper towel and set the strainer over a bowl. Let the yogurt drain and thicken for 20 minutes.

In a large bowl whisk together the Greek or stained yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Add coleslaw mix and caraway seeds and toss to coat.

give credit: healthy appetite pulled bbq chicken sandwiches and healthy appetite cole slaw

garlicky brussels sprouts

• 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 12 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered lengthwise
• 1 Tbs. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

1. Place Brussels sprouts in bowl of food processor. Pulse 12 to 15 times, or until shredded.

2. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until light brown. Increase heat to medium-high, and add shredded Brussels sprouts, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, or until browned, stirring often. Add 1 1/2 cups water, and cook 5 minutes more, or until most of liquid is evaporated. Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

give credit: vegetarian times

wa's bread stuffing

2 eggs
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2T garlic, minced
1 cup stuffing
7 slices one day old white bread, crumbled
35oz chicken broth
4 heaping tablespoons sage
2t garlic salt
salt and papper to taste

saute onion, celery, and garlic in olive oil. add salt, pepper, and garlic salt.

in a bowl, mix stuffing, bread, sage, chicken broth, eggs to right consistency. add onion/celery mixture to bread mixture. mix well.

pour into a 9x12 pyrex. bake at 350 for 30 mintues covered, 15 additional minutes uncovered.

squash casserole

3 yellow squashes, sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 8oz sour cream
1 7oz jar sliced pimentos
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 stick butter
1 package pepperidge farm herb bread crumbs

cook squash in salted water for 7 minutes. drain and add next 6 ingredients plus salt and pepper. in separate skillet, melt butter and add 8oz (about half the bag, assuming a 16oz bag) stuffing. mix well. pack stuffing mixture in 9x11 pyrex and pour squash mixture over. cover with additional bread crumbs.

bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

give credit: betsy

meditteranean chicken and orzo salad with sun-dried tomatoes and pinenuts

8 ounces (1¼ cups) orzo
1 cup diced cooked chicken
½ cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
½ cup chopped fresh basil
1⁄3 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups (about 3 ounces) crisp greens, such as romaine or Boston lettuce, for serving.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Cook orzo according to package directions.

Drain well.

In a large bowl, combine orzo with chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, olives and pine nuts.

To make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.

give credit: jana

mediterranean harvest gratin

2T Olive Oil

1 Chopped Onions

Salt and pepper to taste

2t chopped Thyme

1 yellow squash, trimmed, cut in 1/4-inch slices

1 zucchini, trimmed, cut in 1/4-inch slices

1 eggplant, trimmed, cut in 1/4-inch slices

2 cups Italian Seasoned Tomato Sauce

3/4 cup Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese

2T Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add pure olive oil and onions to large skillet on MEDIUM. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 15 min, until soft but not browned. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange onions in single even layer in 13x9x2 inch casserole dish; top with thyme. Alternate slices of yellow squash, zucchini, and eggplant over onions to create 3 slightly overlapping rows of veggies lengthwise in the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dollop with tomato sauce; spread with spatula to cover vegetables.

Bake 20 min. Remove from oven; top with dollops of ricotta. Return to oven; cook 30 min. Drizzle with olive oil.

give credit: betsy

Orzo with Oven Roasted Vegetables

1 med. zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces
1 med. yellow squash, cut into bite sized pieces
1 med. red bell pepper, cut up
1 med. yellow bell pepper, cut up ( don't ever use green peppers to substitute)
1 lb. fresh asparagus, cut up into bites
1 red onion (don't use a yellow one), sliced
3 Tbs. xtra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 450 degrees. In large bowl, toss all veggies with oil, salt and pepper.Spread in a single layer in a large roasting pan. Roast 30 min. or until lightly brown, or crispy, as I like them. While roasting, bring a pot of water to boil. Cook 8 oz. of orzo until tender. Drain and cool in large bowl.Roast 1/4 cup pine nuts, add to bowl with orzo.

Make dressing: Mix 1/3 cup lemon juice (preferable fresh) and 1/3 cup olive oil. Stir.

Toss vegetables with orzo, dressing, pine nuts. Cube some good quality feta cheese and top mixture. Serve at room temp.

give credit: mary

3 beans

depending on the size of the crowd do 1 or 2 cans of the following:

garbanzo beans
black beans
pinto beans w/ jalapeno

drain all beans and pour into pan

add 1 can rotel

heat on stovetop

DONE!

steamed vegetable platter

dressing:

6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

2 tsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

vegetables:

12 string beans, trimmed

2 medium carrots, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1/4 inch rounds

2 cups cauliflower florets

2 ears corn, husked and cut in half

2 small yellow squash, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch rounds

2 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch rounds

2 cups broccoli florets

2 slices low-fat cheddar cheese

1 tsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

dressing:

put all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, whisk to blend and set aside.

vegetables:

bring water to a boil over high heat in a steamer. place the basket into the steamer and put in the string beans, carrots, and cauliflower. cover and cook for 3 minutes. add the corn, yellow squash, zucchini, and broccoli. re-cover and cook for 2 minutes more. transfer the vegetables to a warm platter. arrange the corn around the outer edge of the platter and dust it with the spike seasoning. drizzle the dressing over the vegetables in the center and top with the cheddar and parmesan cheese. cover with foil until ready to serve.

give credit: in the kitchen with rosie