Avocado Crunch Wrap

Avocado Crunch Wrap

* 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
* 1 tablespoon canola oil
* 2 teaspoons finely chopped canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, (see Note)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups shredded red cabbage
* 1 medium carrot, shredded
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
* 1 ripe avocado
* 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
* 2 tablespoons minced red onion
* 4 8- to 10-inch whole-wheat wraps, or tortillas

1. Whisk vinegar, oil, chipotle chile and salt in a medium bowl. Add cabbage, carrot and cilantro; toss to combine.
2. Mash beans and avocado in another medium bowl with a potato masher or fork. Stir in cheese and onion.
3. To assemble the wraps, spread about 1/2 cup of the bean-avocado mixture onto a wrap (or tortilla) and top with about 2/3 cup of the cabbage-carrot slaw. Roll up. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut the wraps in half to serve, if desired.


* Ingredient Note: Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce are smoked jalapeños packed in a flavorful sauce. Look for the small cans with the Mexican foods in large supermarkets. Once opened, they'll keep at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.

Mediterranean Wrap

Mediterranean Wrap

* 1/2 cup water
* 1/3 cup couscous, preferably whole-wheat
* 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
* 1/4 cup lemon juice
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 teaspoons minced garlic
* 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 1 pound chicken tenders ** or vegetarian substitute of course:)**
* 1 medium tomato, chopped
* 1 cup chopped cucumber
* 4 10-inch spinach or sun-dried tomato wraps or tortillas


1. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in couscous and remove from the heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, combine parsley, mint, lemon juice, oil, garlic, 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper in a small bowl.
3. Toss chicken tenders in a medium bowl with 1 tablespoon of the parsley mixture and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Place the tenders in a large nonstick skillet and cook over medium heat until cooked though, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a clean cutting board. Cut into bite-size pieces when cool enough to handle.
4. Stir the remaining parsley mixture into the couscous along with tomato and cucumber.
5. To assemble wraps, spread about 3/4 cup of the couscous mixture onto each wrap. Divide the chicken among the wraps. Roll the wraps up like a burrito, tucking in the sides to hold the ingredients in. Serve cut in half.

Greek Style Quinoa Salad

Greek-Style Quinoa Salad

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
3 tbsp. olive oil
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed in a garlic press
¼ cup kalamata olives
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
7 ounces sheep’s milk feta cheese, cubed
¼ cup diced red onion
Salt and pepper to taste

Place quinoa in a strainer and rinse under cold running water.
Add water and quinoa to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
Cook 15 minutes until quinoa is almost translucent.
Spread cooked quinoa on a large dinner plate and place in freezer for 15 minutes to chill.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, and garlic. Toss with quinoa.
Add olives, scallions, grape tomatoes, feta cheese, and red onion; gently mix ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

*Feta cheese may be too salty for some. To lower the sodium count, soak it in water overnight.

Savory Cheesecakes on Greens

Mini Cheesecakes

* 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
* 1 slice bread, processed in a food processor to make 1/2 cup bread crumbs
* 1 cup (one 8-ounce container) whipped cream cheese
* 2 large eggs
* 1/4 cup sour cream
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
* 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese, like Stilton or Roquefort

The original recipe called for this to be served on a nice well-dressed, Italian salad. I wanted pizza flavored so I omitted the bleu cheese and added diced tomatoes, basil and grated parmesan. Tasted just like pizza!


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat four small (3/4-cup) soufflé molds with the butter. Divide the bread crumbs among the molds and coat the bottoms and sides heavily with the crumbs, pressing them onto the buttered dish so they stick.

Put the cream cheese in a medium bowl and add the eggs, sour cream, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the parsley. Mix well with a whisk and divide among the soufflé molds. Sprinkle the crumbled blue cheese on top of the cream cheese mixture in the molds. Top with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.

Arrange the molds on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. The cheesecakes will still be slightly wet and soft in the center. Let cool for 10 minutes before unmolding.

Oriental Black Beans

8 c thinly sliced napa cabbage, divided
2 15 oz cans black beans, drained
1 1/4 c chopped sweet red pepper
1 c fresh bean sprouts
1/4 c plus 2 Tbs sesame soy and ginger vinaigrette

Combine 2 c cabbage, beans, and 3 remaining ingredients in a bowl, tossing well.
Divide remaining cabbage evenly among 4 individual servings
Spoon bean mixture evenly over sliced cabbage.

Yield 4 servings
Serve w baked pita chips

The mild flavor and crisp texture of napa is especially good in this recipe. You can substitute angel hair slaw, which is shredded, prepackaged cabbage. It has a slightly stronger flavor.

Options:
1/2 c roasted peanuts
1 c edamame


We had this all tossed together with an Asian vinaigrette and it was amazing good!

Texas Two-Step

Black Bean Salad with Corn, Red Peppers, Avocado & Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette
Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients

2 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 ears fresh corn, cooked, cooled and kernels cut off the cob
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced shallots (you'll need one medium shallot)
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest (be sure to zest limes before juicing them)
½ cup chopped cilantro, plus more to garnish
2 Haas avocados, diced

Directions

Combine all ingredients except avocados in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight. Right before serving, add avocados and mix gently, being careful not to mash avocados. Garnish with a few springs of freshly chopped cilantro if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Greek Chickpea Salad

Credit Deb for this one... We tried it last weekend. Added some Fri-chik and some veggie bacon bits to it and wrapped it in pitas. YUMM!! Definitely a keeper! Thanks!



Chickpea Salad

2 (15.5-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 small red onion, minced
3/4 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped (about 1/2 large cucumber)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, minced
1 ounce reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
2 tablespoons kalamata olives, pitted and minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Procedure

In a large bowl, toss chickpeas, onion, cucumber, mint, feta and parsley. In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, olives, mustard, oil, and garlic together. Pour dressing on top of the chickpea mixture and stir gently until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and feel free to add slightly more cheese, lemon juice, oil, salt, or pepper right before serving.

BBQ Salad

Barbeque Salad

Hearty salad served with a tangy bbq dressing

Servings: 4
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min

Ingredients:
1 lb veggie chicken, sliced (I'm using the Worthington frozen chicken roll
1 c veggie bacon bits
Mixed lettuce greens (I use 2 bags - 1 romaine & 1 spring greens)
1 red onion, cut into thin slices or big chop - less the 4 tbsp. needed for the salad dressing
1-2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
3-4 eggs, boiled & sliced
Grated romano cheese, optional

Barbeque Dressing:
1 c. mayo (I use light)
1/2 c. barbeque sauce (any kind works)
2 tbsp. lemon juice (I have used lime juice when I was out of lemons)
4 tbsp. minced red onion



Directions:
Toss together all salad ingredients or you can leave each ingredient separate and let each person make their own with the ingredients they prefer.

Whisk dressing ingredients together and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Serve on the side so each person can add as much as they prefer.

I serve this salad with a hearty bread or crusty rolls, but it would also be good with homemade croutons.

BTS??? Really??

This is what I fed him last night. This is what he said, "This is way BTS!" And since the children were in the kitchen when he said it, he had to come up w something ummm... g-rated enough to answer. "Better than sunshine" is what he came up with. :) I can handle that.

We stuffed it inside warm pitas and drizzled with a light vinegrette. Sooooo good!!!