a few recipes I like

This is a paper I made up for the ladies at my church. I will send my revised version in a minute. The links should be available for everyone that I used.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE SALAD!!!!

There are different varieties of lettuce, such as iceberg, leaf, spinach, escarole, romaine, or butter. The darker lettuces offer more vitamins than pale iceberg, for example. Spinach has iron, and all varieties are low in calories. One cup of shredded lettuce has about 5 to 10 calories.

http://nutrition.about.com/od/healthymainmeals/a/mmm_salads.htm

Types of Lettuce:

Red-tip leaf lettuce has a tender, sweet, delicate flavor that makes it versatile for many types of green salads.

Radicchio is bitter and peppery-tasting when eaten alone, but small amounts add a nice accent to other greens.

Spinach has a mildly hearty flavor and is often used raw in salads.

Swiss chard has large stems with a delicate flavor similar to celery; leaves have a hearty spinach-like flavor.

Romaine has large, crisp leaves and a slightly sharp flavor that make this the classic lettuce for Caesar salad.

Curly endive has a mildly bitter flavor and adds visual interest to salads.

Arugula has a peppery, pungent flavor that is an ideal contrast when mixed with milder greens. 

http://www.bhg.com/bhg/templates/story/printableStory.jsp?storyid=/templatedata/bhg/story/data/simplesecrets_knowsaladgreens_07102002.xml&catref=SC427

Strawberry Balsamic Salad with Basil and Feta

Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced strawberries
2-3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
5 basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup feta cheese

Directions:

1. Place sliced strawberries in a medium bowl. Drizzle strawberries with balsamic vinegar. Stir until strawberries are well coated.

2. Sprinkle fresh basil over the strawberries. Add feta cheese and stir.

3. Serve cold.

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This delicious recipe brought to you by Two Peas & Their Pod
http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/strawberry-balsamic-salad-with-basil-and-feta/

Chicken and Berry Salad

3 ounce skinless chicken breast - grilled, chopped, and chilled

• 1 cup each - blueberries, raspberries, chopped strawberries
• 1/3 cup each - raw chopped green beans, carrots and red peppers
• 1 cup chopped lettuce
• 1 Tbsp sunflower seeds
• 2 Tbsp fat-free Italian salad dressing
  

Just toss all ingredients together. Chill and serve.

(55g carbohydrate, 380 calories, 12% calories from fat)

 

http://diabetes.about.com/od/dieticianapprovedrecipes/a/summersalads.htm

GRAINS IN YOUR SALAD, OR AS YOUR SALAD

Great Grain Side Dishes Article By: Leslie Fink, MS, RD Barley, bulgur, wheat berries, couscous and more. Walk the grain aisle at a natural foods store or well stocked grocer and you’ll be amazed at the variety. Yet white rice and regular pasta seem to take center stage in the majority of American grain-based recipes. Both have 5 PointsPlus™ values per cup and are typically less nutritious than many of their high-fiber, high-protein counterparts. Some grains even have fewer PointsPlus values: Grain PointsPlus values per cooked cup Bulgur 4 Barley 5 Wild Rice 4 Regular Couscous 4 Whole Wheat Couscous 5 Whole Wheat Pasta 4 Time to try something new Here’s a collection of grain side dishes that can be enjoyed as they are, beefed up with protein for lunch or dinner, or stuffed and baked into large bell peppers for an exciting vegetarian entrée.

http://www.weightwatchers.com/templates/print.aspx?PageId=1205071&PrintFlag=yes&previewDate=7/12/2011

Quinoa and Spinach

Weight Watchers Recipe

 

Course: side dishes PointsPlus™ Value:    3 Servings:  8 Preparation Time:  12 min Cooking Time:  25 min Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Quinoa’s delicate flavor pairs well with spinach. Since it’s not an actual grain, it makes an excellent Passover side dish.

Ingredients

	1 Tbsp olive oil
	1 large onion(s), minced
	1 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced (medium)
	1 cup(s) uncooked quinoa, rinsed (or purchase pre-rinsed quinoa)*
	2 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
	1/8 tsp black pepper
	1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional
	4 cup(s) spinach, baby leaves, packed, coarsely chopped
	1/2 tsp table salt

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  
• Add quinoa to skillet; cook, stirring frequently, until quinoa starts to turn golden brown, about 2 minutes.
  
• Add broth, black pepper and red pepper flakes to skillet; bring to a boil. Cover skillet and reduce heat to low and simmer for 13 minutes; stir in spinach. Cover skillet and cook until spinach and quinoa are tender and liquid is absorbed, about 3 to 5 minutes; season with salt. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.
  

• *To rinse quinoa, place quinoa in a fine wire-mesh sieve. Place in sink and set under cold running water until water runs clear; shake off excess liquid.
  
  Quinoa is available in the grain or natural food section of the supermarket.
  
  
  
  
  

Warm Barley Salad

Weight Watchers Recipe

 

Course: side dishes PointsPlus™ Value:    6 Servings:  4 Preparation Time:  10 min Cooking Time:  12 min Level of Difficulty:  Easy

This simple side dish makes a wonderful accompaniment to any spring meal. The combination of salty capers and feta, and slightly sweet vinaigrette is fantastic.

Ingredients

	1 cup(s) uncooked barley, quick-cooking variety
	1/4 tsp table salt
	1/2 cup(s) feta cheese, crumbles
	1 Tbsp capers
	1 tsp dill, minced
	1/4 cup(s) scallion(s), minced (green parts only)
	4 tsp low-fat vinaigrette
	1/4 tsp black pepper
	1 tsp lemon zest, freshly grated

Instructions

• Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium-size pot; stir in barley and salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until barley is tender, about 10 minutes. (There may still be some water in the pot. If so, cover the barley and set it aside for 10 minutes for the liquid to be absorbed. Or you can drain the barley).
  
• Spoon cooked barley into a serving bowl; add cheese, capers, dill, scallions, vinaigrette, pepper and lemon zest. Stir gently but well; serve warm. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.
  

Notes

• Oregano and chives are also delicious in this salad. Replace the dill weed and scallions with a quarter teaspoon of dried crushed oregano and two tablespoons of minced chives.
  
  For extra flavor and color, consider stirring two cups of torn baby spinach leaves into the salad just before serving and increase the dressing to taste (could affect PointsPlus values).
  

From Amanda Sodam:

Fruit Crisp

(Modified recipe from The Joy of Cooking)
Filling:
2 bag of frozen berries
1 bag of frozen peaches
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon flour
Butter your pan. Then mix the filling ingredients inside the pan. Fruit does not need to be thawed.

Topping:
1 stick of butter
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup brown sugar
½ tsp salt
½ to 1 tsp cinnamon
About 2/3 cup oats
About 1/3 cup chopped pecans (you can definitely add more if you want)

Mix all the dry ingredients together really well. The recipe says to cut in solid butter, but I just melt it, pour it over and mix it in. Cutting in butter is often too much work. Crumble over filling.
Bake for about 40 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and hot. Serve warm with ice cream or honey Greek yogurt.

Microwave Popcorn

"Believe it or not, you can make your own delicious, low-fat microwave popcorn using standard popping corn and a brown paper lunch bag. It works perfectly."

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Directions:

1.	In a cup or small bowl, mix together the unpopped popcorn and oil. Pour the coated corn into a brown paper lunch sack, and sprinkle in the salt. Fold the top of the bag over twice to seal in the ingredients.
2.	Cook in the microwave at full power for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, or until you hear pauses of about 2 seconds between pops. Carefully open the bag to avoid steam, and pour into a serving bowl.

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Printed from Allrecipes.com 7/13/2011

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/microwave-popcorn/detail.aspx