Viviana's Chilean Curly Celery Salad

This Chilean salad is a family tradition for Viviana whenever a large meat course is the main event. It is especially wonderful alongside ham, roast turkey, or chicken. 

The nutrition facts were created at Calorie Count!

Viviana’s Chilean Curly Celery Salad

Serves two

Ingredients:

2 stalks celery

Pinch salt

1/8 t fresh cracked black pepper

2 t lemon juice, fresh squeezed is always best

2 t olive oil

1/4 cup black olives, cut into thick slices

Directions:

Cut the rinsed and dried celery into 2 inch lengths across the grain. Then slice each piece into three or four lengths cutting from top to bottom - do not cut all the way to the top. Place the slices in a bowl, cover with very cold water, add a few ice cubes, and allow to sit for about an hour or so until the celery pieces curl. The thinner the slices, the greater the curl.

Drain the celery and pat dry. Toss with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add the olives and toss gently.

Janice's Light Waldorf Salad

This was the "fancy salad" that someone always brought to the nicer family gatherings. I was never a fan as I was in an anti-mayo phase for most of my youth. Now I just want to give a skip to the mayo for health reasons and this salad is one of my new favorites!

The nutrition facts were designed on Calorie Count! Enjoy

Waldorf Salad

serves four

Salad Ingredients:

1 cup celery, sliced

2 apples, Fuji, cut into chunks

2 T dried cranberries

1 T parsley, minced

2 T walnut pieces

4 lettuce leaves, such as Boston or Bibb

Dressing Ingredients:

2 T Greek Yogurt, 2%

2 T lemon juice, fresh squeezed

Pinch salt

1/8 t ground white pepper

1/8 t dried ground mustard

1 t honey

Directions:

Prepare all the salad ingredients, except the lettuce, and place in a bowl.

Mix the dressing, taste, and adjust the seasonings to suit you.

Add the dressing to the salad and toss gently to combine.

Divide the salad evenly on top of each of the four lettuce cups. Enjoy all by itself for lunch, or as a delectable addition to dinner. Eat with a fork. Or as a fun salad wrap!

Graeme’s Lentil Soup

Sometimes simple is best and this soup is proof. Enjoy with a slice of dense chewy bread and a deliciously colorful salad.

The nutrition facts for this wonderful soup were created at Calorie Count.

made with red lentils

Graeme’s Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups lentils

1 small carrot, grated

1 medium onion, grated

Water

Salt to taste

Directions:

Rinse lentils in a colander and put into a large soup pot.

Add one small grated carrot, and one medium grated onion.

Add about 3 to 4 times more water than lentils.

Add desired amount of salt.

Bring to a boil and simmer (on the lowest possible setting) for 3 to 4 hours, making sure you stir a LOT.

If you do not stir enough, you will end up with burned soup on the bottom of the soup pot.

The soup is done when it has reduced significantly, and the fragrance in the house will not allow you to wait another minute before you eat some of the soup! 

Enjoy!

Pamela's Roasted Poblano and Corn with Chile Lime Aioli

Another "clean" recipe from Pamela: sugar free, chemical free, gluten free.

The nutrition facts were created at Calorie Count!

Roasted Poblano and Corn with Chile Lime Aioli

Adapted from the Ritz Carlton Spa in Tucson by Pamela Fagan Hutchins

Ingredients:

5 ears of corn (or 2 bags of frozen corn)

3 T avocado or olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 T garlic, minced

3 poblano peppers, chopped

1 T lemon juice

1 t salt

1 t pepper

1 T smoked paprika

4 T butter, unsalted

1 c crumbled cojita cheese

Aioli ingredients:

1/2 cup Vegannaise (or use mayonnaise)

1 T chili powder

1 t cayenne pepper

1 lime, juiced

Directions:

Shuck and roast 5 ears of corn on broil, close to the burner until lightly browned.

Sauté onion and garlic over med-hi in oil, add poblano, lemon juice, salt, pepper, smoked paprika.

Reduce heat. When corn is lightly browned, cool a bit. Then remove corn from the ear and add to sauté with butter. Return heat to med-hi. Sprinkle cojita over mixture. Mix aoili ingredients.

Serve corn/poblano mixture with tortilla chips and aioli or as a side dish.

Pamela’s Sugar Free Chocolate Chips

Following a light and natural approach to food, but still want your chocolate chips? This is the perfect recipe for you!

What is a serving of chocolate? Well, let's just say yours may be different than the 72 decently sized chunks chosen for the following nutrition facts. You can create your own nutrition analysis at Calorie Count, it's a snap!

Pamela’s Sugar Free Chocolate Chips

Ingredients:

1 cup virgin coconut oil

1 cup cocoa

1 T pure vanilla extract

1 T cinnamon

1/2 cup stevia

Ingredient Options:

Instead of stevia, use brown coconut palm sugar. 

Make the flavors suit your taste by experimenting with different amounts of the vanilla, cinnamon and stevia.

Directions:

Melt the coconut oil on lowest heat possible. Stir in cocoa, vanilla, cinnamon, and stevia.

Line large baking pans with saran wrap; pour in thin layer of the melted mixture. Freeze.

After the chocolate is solidly frozen, store in the freezer inside zip lock bag.

Chop “chips” as needed.

Poured into a very thin layer and it makes a yummy chocolate bar.

Michael’s Hot ‘n Sweet Chile Pork

We’ve all eaten Tex-Mex food, a style of eating that is not quite firmly in one cuisine or the other. Michael’s awesome take on pork is Tex-Asian cooking at its finest. Make a big pot and enjoy. (picture coming soon!)

The nutrition facts were created at Calorie Count!

Michael’s Hot ‘n Sweet Chile Pork 

Ingredients:

1-1/2 - 2 lbs. lean, trimmed pork chunks

1 packet of your favorite Taco seasoning (rec. Lawry's or Old El Paso)

1/2 yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

1  med. clove garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. good olive oil

2- 3 cups good quality bottled red chili salsa (chunky is best; rec. Pace Chunky Medium or Hot)

2/3 cup of good peach jam

4 - 6 cups jasmine rice, cooked

salt and pepper to taste

a dash or two of cayenne pepper (optional, for real spice fans!)

Directions:

Begin cooking the rice per cooker instructions or your usual method.

Empty the contents of the taco seasoning packet into a large freezer bag.  Add the trimmed pork chunks, seal the bag and shake, to thoroughly coat the pork.  Set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet or saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic, and sautee until the onion begins to look translucent.  Raise the heat level a bit, add the spice-coated pork.  Cook over medium heat for four to six minutes, until the pork is well browned on all sides.

Once the pork has browned, remove from heat and use a large spoon to remove as much of the pork fat as possible. 

Return the meat to the burner and add the salsa and peach jam, mixing thoroughly.  (Add salt and pepper to taste, and the cayenne, if desired.)  Cover the pan and simmer the meat/salsa mixture for five or ten minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Serve over hot rice.  Goes well with steamed or sauteed yellow squash or zucchini, carrots, green beans, or garden salad.

Serves six.

Michael’s Poached Zucchini Salad

This salad is delightful as a lunch main dish or side dish at your next grill out. The nutrition facts were designed by Calorie Count! Michael says he will send a pic of the complete dish soon!

Poached Zucchini Salad

Ingredients:

1 med. to large zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks

6 - 8 med. fresh button mushrooms (caps and stems), cut into chunks

1/2 cup of sweet onion, very coarsely chopped

1 medium red tomato, cut into 6 or 8 wedges

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 Tbsp. chicken or beef bouillon

1/2 cup hot water

1 Tbsp. dried oregano leaf

3 or 4 dashes of salt-free, all-purpose herb seasoning

1 small bay leaf

1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinaigrette dressing

fresh ground black pepper to taste

grated Parmesan/Romano cheese for garnish

Directions:

Dissolve the bouillon in the hot water.  Pour into a medium sized skillet or wok, and add onions, garlic powder, bay leaf and oil.  Bring the liquid just to a boil.  Add the zucchini chunks and cook until they begin to soften, about 4 minutes.  Raise the heat to keep a low boil going. 

Add the mushrooms, oregano, black pepper and herb seasoning, stirring to coat the mushrooms with liquid.  Cook for another 2 or 3 minutes, until the mushrooms are reducing and the zucchini chunks are tender.

Pour the entire mixture into a colander to drain the liquid.  Remove the bay leaf and quickly transfer the vegetables to a serving dish.  Add the fresh tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and toss.  Top with generous sprinkles of the grated cheese, and serve immediately.  Serves two generously

Serves 2 generously.

Kathe's Lentil-Carrot Soup

Fans of this mighty soup hounded Kathe night and day for her recipe - and she entrusted it to CC Palate! Many thanks! 

The nutrition facts were designed at Calorie Count!

Adapted from a dog-eared Chatelaine recipe, take as many liberties as you choose with the ingredients. Make it yours and make it tomorrow!

Lentil-Carrot Soup

About 1 1/2 cups of red lentils
About 6 cups of stock or water - I usually use V8 for part of this
Ginger and garlic to taste - I use a couple of tsps. full of the mixed G&G paste, a brand called Aki - fresh is fine, of course
Spices: cumin, curry powder
A couple of bay leaves
A couple of onions, chopped
3 or 4 good-sized carrots, cut into uniform pieces
1 red pepper, cut into uniform pieces
A couple of stalks of celery, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

In a big soup pot, simmer the lentils in the stock/water/V8 with the ginger and garlic and spices for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop onions, carrots, red peppers and celery. Add to soup pot.

Simmer the whole lot for half an hour or so, until vegetables are tender and lentils have somewhat disappeared into the stock. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Soup freezes beautifully, so I often make a double batch. Easy to reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

Laura’s Spice-rubbed Chicken Breasts

Laura’s husband proclaimed these the most tender and juicy chicken breasts ever! Give them a try tonight. The nutrition facts were created at Calorie Count, the best free website to count your calories!

Laura’s Spice-rubbed Chicken Breasts

4 servings

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black or red pepper (depending on how spicy you want it!)

1/4 tsp ground allspice

Directions:

Slice chicken breasts horizontally across the middle to create 2 thinner halves. One at a time, cover each half with plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness with a meat mallet.

Rub each piece with olive oil.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and spices. Rub the mixture over both sides of each piece of chicken.  A thin plastic gloves makes this a tidy operation.

Grill each side for 2 minutes over medium heat.* Let rest for five minutes.

*Alternative cooking method: On the stove-top, heat 1 tbsp. canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Brown a few minutes on both sides until the juices run clear. Allow to set covered with foil for five minutes.

Vendetta555's Roasted Summer Day Veggies

Vendetta555 loves to create quick and easy recipes. Use her helpful hint about how to keep your dishes to a minimum and enjoy this delicious recipe! The nutrition facts were created at Calorie Count!

Roasted Summer Day Veggies

ready for roasting

Ingredients:

1 zucchini, sliced

1 yellow squash, sliced

8 oz mushrooms, button, sliced

1/2 onion, cut into large chunks

1 T olive oil

2 t garlic powder

1 t dry onion powder

1 t paprika

1/2 t turmeric

1 t cumin

1/2 t black pepper

1/2 t oregano

Pinch sea salt

1/8 t cayenne pepper

Optional Ingredients:

sweet red pepper, shallots, purple onion, carrots, or Japanese eggplant

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Slice the veggies into equal sized pieces, rounds or lengths. If you are using baby squashes, leave them whole or slice in half. Small or medium pieces are fine - the size is up to you. Larger pieces will need a few more minutes to roast.

Place all the ingredients in a zip lock bag and shake it all about until the veggies are well coated.

Dump the veggies onto an ungreased non-stick cookie sheet (or a baking pan) and spread evenly.  Roast for approximately 12-15 minutes (depends on the size of your veggies) - or until a fork slides into the yellow squash easily. 

Enjoy as two side dishes or one main dish. Delicious served over quinoa.