Poppy Seed Salad

Spinach or Romaine lettuce
Mandarin oranges
Cranberries
Apples – chopped
Poppy seed salad dressing

Pico De Gallo- Proceed with Caution Blog

5 plum tomatoes, diced
1 12-oz can of pickled jalapenos, diced (seed them if you don't want it too spicy)
1 to 1.5 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 of a large red onion, diced fine
1 to 2 avocados
juice of 4 limes
Combine all ingredients except avocado and lime juice in a large bowl and refrigerate at least one hour. Dice avocado(s) and add to the bowl, along with the lime juice. Toss together and let sit for 15 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Lemon Raspberry Bars

Crust:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

Cream together the butter and powdered sugar on medium speed. Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour and salt. Mix until combined and smooth. Press the crust dough into the 8x8 cake pan. Make sure the crust is evenly spread out. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees and remove from oven.

Filling:

2 large egg yolks
1-14 oz. can fat free sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
6 ounces fresh raspberries

Once the crust is cool, combine the egg yolks and condensed milk until well mixed. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir until mixture begins to slightly thicken. Gently fold in the raspberries. Fold carefully so you don’t break the raspberries.

Pour the lemon raspberry filling evenly over the crust. Bake for 15 minutes, or until just set.

Cool to room temperature, then chill for at least one hour before serving. Cut into bars and serve. Keep bars in the refrigerator-up to five days.

*Note-use fresh raspberries and make sure you gently fold the berries into the lemon filling or you will have pink bars.

Yield: 16 bars

Sesame Orange Cold Chicken Salad

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 c. onion, diced and sautéed
1 c. celery, diced and sautéed
¾ c. cucumber, diced
Zest of 2 oranges
½ c. toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

Sauce:
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Juice from 1 orange

Seasoning:
¼ tsp. ground mustard
½ tsp. ground fennel seed
Pinch of cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper
½ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. ground clove
½ tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. kosher salt

Directions

Mix the chicken, onion, celery, cucumber, orange zest, and walnuts. Mix the sauce ingredients together. Add the seasoning to the sauce. Pour sauce over the chicken mixture and toss to coat. Excellent with wheat pita or in a wrap.

Black Bean Salad with Fresh Corn

Black Bean Salad with Fresh Corn
Ingredients

* 2 cups black beans, cooked, rinsed
* 1 ear corn, boiled, kernels removed from the cob
* 1/2 medium red onion, diced
* 1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
* 1/2 medium poblano pepper, diced
* 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (leaves and stems)
* 1/2 cup lime juice
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
* 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
* 1 tablespoon salt

Directions

Combine the beans, corn, onion, peppers, and cilantro in a large bowl. Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the bean mixture. Chill the salad for 2 hours before serving.

Pastina with Peas

Pastina with Peas

8 oz. little pasta shells
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
½ cup (4 oz) fat free cream cheese, room temp.
1-2 cups of mozzarella cheese
½ cup parmesan cheese
Optional:
Garlic
Italian Seasonings
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook about 12 minutes or until done. Drain the water.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the chicken stock and the peas to thaw them out.
Once the pasta is done and the water has been drained, add the chicken stock with the peas to the pasta.
Then add all of the cheeses. Stir over low heat until all of the cheese is melted and it forms a sauce.
Add Italian seasonings and garlic to taste
Transfer to a large bowl and serve.

Fantastic Focaccia

Fantastic Focaccia Bread

Ingredients:

1 package (13.8 ounces) refrigerated pizza crust

2 garlic cloves, pressed

2/3 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Romano or Parmesan cheese, divided

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, divided

2 firm plum tomatoes, sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out pizza crust to within 1 inch of edge of Rectangle Stone using lightly floured Baker's Roller(R). Press garlic over crust using Garlic Press; spread evenly using Skinny Scraper. Sprinkle olive oil over top of dough.

2. Grate half of the Romano cheese over crust using Deluxe Cheese Grater. Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese and 1 teaspoon of the oregano. Thinly slice tomatoes with Ultimate Slice & Grate fitted with adjustable thin slicing blade; arrange in single layer over cheese. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and oregano. Grate the remaining Romano cheese over top.

3. Bake 25-28 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Cut into squares with Pizza Cutter; serve hot using Mini-Serving Spatula.

Yield: 24 appetizers

Nutrients per serving: (2 appetizers): Calories 160, Total Fat 6 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 15 mg, Carbohydrate 17 g, Protein 10 g, Sodium 370 mg, Fiber less than 1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving (2 appetizers): 1 starch, 1 medium-fat meat (1 carb)

Cook's Tips: This recipe can be made on the Classic Round Stone. Roll pizza crust to a 12-inch circle; proceed as recipe directs.

There's no need to peel garlic cloves before pressing when using the Garlic Press. When cloves are pressed, the garlic flesh gets forced through the holes, while the papery skin stays in the hopper.

(C)The Pampered Chef, Ltd. 2002