ginger oriental ramen noodle salad

Perfect for a quick yummy salad for a potluck or to compliment any meal.  Add grilled chicken to make it a complete meal!!

1/4 head purple cabbage, finely chopped
1/4 head green cabbage, finely chopped
1/4 head Napa cabbage, finely chopped
4 green onions, sliced
1 PKG Ramen noodles oriental or chicken, crushed
1 TBL BLACK sesame seeds

Mix together except the noodles and refrigerate an hour.

DRESSING:
2 TBL sugar
3 TBL Rice vinegar
1 TSP fresh grated ginger
1 TSP Mirin Sauce
1/2 c. salad oil
1/2 tsp. pepper
Flavor packet from the noodles

Toss together just before serving!!

watermelon "salsa"

this is a perfect yummy quick salsa for a hot summer's day!!

3 cups ripe seedless watermelon finely cubed
1 green pepper chopped
1 yellow pepper chopped
2 medium jalapeno pepper's chopped
1 cup sweet onion chopped
1 bunch minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
salt to taste
Tabasco hot sauce to taste

Mix the above together, add salt and Tabasco to your taste and heat preference.  Cover and let salsa rest in refrigerator for  1 hour to macerate. You can serve it with fish, grilled chicken or just with tortilla chips. Enjoy!!

autumn harvest chili

Autumn Harvest Chili Warms the whole family by the fireplace!!!
mmmmm

3 cans beans Black, Pinto, Kidney Beans
3 colors Whole Bell Peppers Cut
2 Whole Red Onions
2 Cans Stewed Tomatoes (No Sugar)
1 Cup Corn
10 Cloves fresh Garlic
MorningStar Farms® Breakfast Patties Organic Soy 6 Patties
MorningStar Farms® Fakin Organic Bacon Strips 6 Strips
1 1/2 t Clove Spice
1 1/2 Chile Powder
Cheyenne pepper to taste
Olive Oil

Cut the peppers & onions in half and then cut thin strips. Grill veggies with olive oil to golden brown in a stewing pot. Add rinsed beans, corn & stewed tomatoes. Cook 45 min. While cooking beans and veggies, brown the chopped breakfast patties and bacon strips in a fry pan.breakfast patties to beans. Add spices and chopped garlic.

Add bacon strips as crispy garnish.
~Serve with Homemade Pan Corn Bread.

turkey apple wrap

My new favorite thing is Flatout bread. They are a low fat, low carb, yummy and easy alternative to sliced bread for sandwiches. I have been making yummy wraps for breakfast, lunch and dinner and thought I would share one of my lunch time favorites.

1 Flatout wrap
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon fat free mayo
2 slices turkey breast
1/3 apple cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup romaine lettuce or spinach
1 thin slice of red onion

Spread the Dijon and mayo all over the flat wrap. Pile the rest of the ingredients on one half of the wrap and roll. Enjoy!!

**I like to use a tart green apple like a granny smith, however, you can use your favorite apple.

renee's fresh spring rolls

This is a fresh and yummy recipe that you can make for lunch or as an appetizer. You will LOVE it!!

6 spring roll wrappers (by the tofu in your grocery store or Asian markets)
12 medium shrimp, cooked and shelled
1 cup shredded leaf lettuce
1/2 avocado, sliced
1/2 cup peeled, seeded, chopped cucumber
1 medium carrot, julienned

Quick Thai Dipping Sauce:

1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar or rice vinegar
3 tablespoons mirin
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

In a bowl of cool water, soak a wrapper until limp. Lay wrapper out flat. Place 1/6 of each ingredient down middle of wrapper, starting with lettuce. Fold over each end and tightly roll the wrapper around the contents, as if making a burrito. Moisten at seam; press to close. Lay on plate, cover with moist paper towel and refrigerate until ready to serve. Then slice in two and serve with Quick Thai Dipping Sauce, below, or peanut sauce. To make the Quick Thai Dipping Sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl....Yummy!!

"thai" chicken salad

Easy and yummy!!

1/4 cup reduced fat creamy peanut butter, preferably natural
2 tbsp less sodium soy sauce or tamari
1 tbsp rice vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp minced ginger
2 cups rotisserie chicken, chopped
8 Romaine lettuce leaves
2 cups pre-shredded dry coleslaw mix
4 tbsp rice vinegar
2 plum tomatoes, halved and sliced

Combine peanut butter, soy/tamari sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice and ginger in a medium bowl. Stir in chopped chicken. Place two romaine lettuce leaves on each of four plates. Drizzle rice vinegar over coleslaw and toss. Top each plate with 1/2 cup of coleslaw and vinegar mix. Surround romaine with sliced tomatoes, then top plates with one-fourth of the peanut chicken mixture.

ham and turkey wrap

1 6-inch whole-wheat tortilla warp
1-2 tsp Dijonnaise, or tsp each of fat-free mayo and Dijon mustard
1/4 cup arugula (or spinach or romaine)
2 thin slices low-fat deli-style turkey breast
2 thin slices low-fat shaved honey ham

Spread Dijonnaise or mayo and mustard on wrap. Sprinkle arugula on top. Lay deli meats on arugula. Roll wrap and cut in half. Serve with baby carrots and grape tomatoes.