Orzo Salad

Orzo Salad

6 cups water
3 cups whole wheat orzo
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed, trimmed and quartered
1 half bag Dole Baby Spinach, stems removed
a handful of pitted kalamata olives, rinsed and quartered
about 10 sundried tomatoes, chopped (hint: find them packaged in the produce section at Meijer, they are in a plain plastic package not packed in oil, so much better for you!)
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
about a half a pound of greek feta, cubed small
you could also add capers, pine nuts and cannellini beans
Dressing:
juice of 3 - 4 lemons
3- 4 t. Dijon Mustard
a blend of Olive and Canola Oils
salt and pepper to taste

This is a great dish for the week, make it up on Sunday and take a bowl every day, or take it to a BBQ, picnic or potluck.  It makes a huge bowl and is really easy to customize with additions or size.  We are totally diggin' this salad right now!

Salt-Free Taco Seasoning

Here is my recipe for Salt Free-Taco Seasoning... I use it all the time and make it in HUGE batches. I don't buy the packets anymore. EVER! I just made another batch, so I thought I would share it with you!

6 Tbsp. Chili Powder

2 Tbsp. Cumin

2 tsp. Onion Powder

2 tsp. Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp. dried Thyme

1 tsp. dried Oregano

1 Tbsp. dried Basil

1/4 tsp. White Pepper

Combine all and store in air-tight containers...

Lemon - Raspberry Muffins

Yummy!  From Eating Well....  

Yield 1 dozen muffins

1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups raspberries

1.  Preheat oven to 400* and line 12 cup muffin tin with papers. 

2.  Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemon in long strips. Combine the zest and sugar in a food processor; pulse until the zest is very finely chopped into the sugar. Add buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla and pulse until blended.


3.  Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture and fold until almost blended. Gently fold in raspberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.

4.  Bake the muffins until the edges and tops are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm

Ginger-Teriyaki Strip Steaks with Cucumber Salad

Ginger-Teriyake Strips Steaks with Cucumber Salad from Weight Watchers Fast & Easy 20 Minute Meals, P.75

Thai-Style Steak Salad

Thai-Style Steak Salad

WW Taco Soup

1 Point/Cup - there are a lot of recipes posted out there, but this is the one from my WW center and my all-time fav...  the others pale in comparison...

48 oz jar Great Northern Beans
2 cups whole kernal corn
1 qt. diced tomatoes
1 cup water
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing

Meatless Monday's, Issue #1

I feel that having a meat-free meal on occasion has great benefit... Brian looked at me funny when I told him to expect this once a week, but oh well, he's not doing the cooking... So here is Issue #1 of Meatless Mondays...

Farro, Avocado, Cucumber & Cherry Tomato Salad from Cooking Light

I could have eaten the WHOLE bowl - delish! I had never had Farro before, but it has a nice nutty, sweet, chewy texture. Oh, I don't love Cilantro, so I substituted Parsley which I was chopping for the soup anyhow.

Bean and Pasta Soup from Issue #7, November 2003 Everyday Food Magazine

Yummy!