January 23: Berry Green Salad

Here is another great salad.

2 c mixed salad greens
1/4 c crumbled feta cheese
2 TB candied or toasted walnuts
4 strawberries, sliced
1/4 c blueberries
Raspberry vinaigrette dressing

January 22: Pear and Feta Cheese Salad

Here is another great salad for you to try. 

6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce

2-3 pears, chopped

1 c dried cranberries

1 c chopped pecans or walnuts

8 slices bacon, crisp-cooked an crumbled

4 to 6 oz feta cheese, or blue cheese, or Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Poppy seed dressing, homemade or commercially prepared
Balsamic Vinaigrette, like Newman's Own Light Balsamic

In a large salad bowl, combine lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and cheese. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing and then with balsamic vinaigrette. Use about a   70/30 ratio with the dressing. Toss all ingredients together. 

January 21: Apple Crasin Green Salad/Poppy Seed Dressing

For the next several days I will be posting some of my favorite green salads. In the winter I start missing the freshness of summer salads. My good friend, Barbara, gave me this recipe. 

Salad ingredients: 
Toss together.

1 head romaine lettuce

1 head red leaf lettuce, or 2 heads romaine , broken into bite size pieces

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

1 c toasted sugared pecans*

½ c crasins

2 Gala apples, cubed

crumbled bacon, opt.

Poppy Seed Dressing:

¾ c sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dry mustard

2 TB onion

¾ c oil

1 TB poppy seeds

Blend first 4 ingredients in blender.  Blend in oil, very slowly. Add poppy seeds. 

*To sugar nuts, combine nuts in skillet with sugar and cook over medium heat until coated.

January 20: Sweet Corn Cake

Sweet corn cake is a family favorite. Several years ago I found this recipe and it is very similar to what we eat at Chevy's.   

Recipe 1:
½ c butter, softened 

1/3 c Masa Harine 

¼ c water 

1 ½ c frozen corn, thawed 

¼ c corn meal
1/3 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 TB cream, or milk
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 375. Blend the butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the masa harine and water to the butter and beat until well combined. Put the frozen corn into a blender and coarsely chop the corn on low speed. You want to leave several whole kernels of corn. Stir the chopped corn into the butter and masa harine mixture. Add the cornmeal to the mixture. Combine. In another medium bowl, mix together the sugar, cream, salt, and baking powder. When the ingredients are well blended, pour the mixture into the other bowl and stir everything together by hand. Pour the corn batter into an ungreased 8x8 pan. Smooth the surface of the batter with a spatula. Cover the pan with foil. Place this pan in a 13x9 pan filled 1/3 of the way with hot water. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the corn cake is cooked through. When the corn cake is done, remove the small pan from the larger pan and let it sit for at least 10 minutes. To serve, scoop out each portion with an ice cream scoop or rounded spoon.

January 19: Chicken Enchiladas

I know this recipe is popular and everyone probably already has it, but the way Antonia, my sister-in-law, makes it is the best I'd ever tasted.  The different? she loads it with chicken, she limits her sauce so that it is not swimming in sauce and she sautes the onion. 

Flour tortilla shells

Lots of cooked, cubed cooked chicken breast

1- 4 oz can chopped green chilies

½ c sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

Cheddar cheese/Monterey Jack cheese

1 onion, chopped finely, sautéed

Mix soup, chilies and sour cream together. Set aside. Fill tortilla shells with lots of chicken and a little cheese and onion. Roll up, place in baking dish. Pour the soup mixture over the enchiladas. Top with Cheese. Bake at 350 until heated through and bubbly.

January 18: Orange Flip

This delicious and refreshing drink recipe comes from my nieces, Morgan and Kaytlin. 

1- 6 oz can undiluted frozen orange juice concentrate

1 c water

1 c non-fat milk

1 tsp vanilla

10 ice cubes

Whirl all ingredients in blender until the ice cubes are blended.

January 17: Healthy Puffed Rice Squares/balls

A healthy and delicious treat. No sugar recipe. Thanks Tracy for this wonderful recipe. 

1 c sugar or Spenda or ¾ c. Agave syrup

2 c peanut butter

1 c honey

10 c puffed rice

Heat sugar and honey. Stir until melted. Add peanut butter. Stir until well blended. Pour over puffed rice.

Mix. Place mixture in a buttered 17x12 pan. Or form into balls. 

Half of this recipe works well in a 9x13 pan.

Cut in 2 inch squares or shape in balls.