spinach with cilantro cashew dressing

this is from the moosewood cookbook, i think.

8 cups fresh spinach, loosely packed (about 5 oz)
1 large tomato, cut into wedges
1/4 cup canola or other vegetable oil
3 tbs fresh lime juice
2 small garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp salt, more to taste
2 tbs toasted coarsely chopped cashews

stem and rinse the spinach. spin or gently pat it dry. tear the large leaves into smaller pieces and leave the small leaves whole.
arrange the spinach in a serving bowl and top it with the tomato wedges. combine the oil, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, salt and cashews in a blender and puree until smooth.
just before services, pour on the dressing, and toss well.

salmon and green bean salad

this is one of my favorite salads. the recipe is from a light cooking pasta cookbook. kara requested this, so here you are sister.

1 can (61/4 oz) salmon (i usually use any leftover salmon from dinner)
8 oz pasta shells
3/4 cup green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
2/3 cup finely chopped carrots

dressing:
1/2 cup nonfat cottage cheese
3 tbs plain nonfat yogurt
1 1/2 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs fresh dill
2 tsp grated onion
1 tsp prepared mustard

flake the salmon

cook pasta. add green beans to pasta for the last 2-3 minutes. drain and rinse pasta and beans under cold water.

in a food processor or blender...combine cottage cheese, yogurt, lemon juice, dill, onion and mustard. process til smooth.

combine pasta, beans, salmon and carrots.

pour dressing over pasta mixture and gently stir to combine.
(i usually add a bit of salt to taste)

smoky red rice and chorizo with black beans

i think this is from racheal ray. i switched out the chorizo for kielbasa, something my family will more willingly eat.

1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup white rice (i use brown)
1 cup drained piquillo peppers or 2 roasted red peppers (i roasted 2 red peppers)
1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
one 3/4 to 1lb package spanish chorizo, cut on an angle into 12 slices
2 serrano chiles, seeded and chopped (i used mild green chiles)
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
15 oz can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

in a pot, bring the chicken broth and oil to a boil. add the rice, cover and simmer for 15 min.
puree peppers in a food processor.
stir puree into rice, along with parlsey and paprika. cover, turn off heat, and let stand for 5 min.
meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil over med-high heat. add the chorizo and cook until crisp, turning, about 2 minutes on each side. transfer to a paper towel to drain. add the chiles, onion and garlic to the skillet and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. stir in the tomatoes and beans; season with salt and pepper.
serve the rice in shallow bowls and top with beans and chorizo.

peanut butter cookies

this recipe is good if you don't like super-sweet cookies. it's from the food network test kitchen cookbook.

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch fine salt
8 Tbs unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
granulated sugar, for rolling

whisk the flour with the baking soda and salt in a small bowl. slowly beat the butter with the brown sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until just blended. then beat on high until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, about 10 minutes. beat in the egg and peanut butter.

turn the mixer to low and beat in the flour mixture to make a smooth dough. scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

preheat the oven to 375. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. put the granulated sugar on a pie plate. using about 2 tsp per cookie, shape the dough into balls, then roll them in the sugar and space them an inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. press a crosshatch on top of each cookie with the tines of a fork, flattening slightly as you do. bake, turning the pans once, until lightly browned, about 9 minutes. briefly cool the cookies on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool.

congressional chili

this comes from a cookbook called peace meals. this recipe was printed in house beautiful a while ago. we thought it was quite delicious.

1 Tbs olive oil
2 med yellow onions, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 lbs ground beef, preferably sirloin
16 oz canned tomato sauce
3 Tbs prepared red mole (can be found in mexican food aisle)
3 Tbs chili powder
3 cups water
32 oz canned kidney beans
shredded cheddar cheese
diced onions
sour cream (our addition)
tortilla chips (our addition)

heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium. add the onions, peppers, and garlic. saute until the onions are translucent and the peppers begin to soften. season with salt and pepper and set aside. brown the beef in a soup pot; drain off any excess fat. add half of the sauteed onion-pepper mix to the meat. stir in the tomato sauce, mole, chili powder, and water. bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. adjust the seasoning by adding additional salt, pepper, mole, or chili powder. simmer for 30 minutes. add the beans and the remaining half of the onion-pepper mixture. cook for 15 minutes. serve topped with cheese and onions.

honey-oatmeal muffins with pecans and dried blueberries

this is from artvoice, a local paper, and it's pretty good and healthy.

2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil (i subsituted apple sauce)
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 cups quick or old-fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup dried blueberries (i used craisins)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 Tbs baking powder
3/4 tsp salt

preheat oven to 400.

combine the milk, vegetable oil (or applesauce), egg and honey in a medium sized bowl and mix together. in another bowl, mix together the oatmeal, flour, dried blueberries, pecans, sugar, baking powder and salt. combine the contents of both bowls together and stir until the ingredients are just combined. spoon the batter into 12 greased muffins tins. be sure to only fill the tins 2/3 full. bake the muffins for 15-18 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick pulls out clean.

peanut butter and banana muffins

i like to give these to the nursery kids for their snack on sunday. also, the adults love them and i promised the recipe. this is from jessica seinfeld's "deceptively delicious" cookbook.

1 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup carrot or cauliflower puree
1/2 cup banana puree
1 large egg white
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.
*i use a mini muffin pan.

in a large mixing bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the brown sugar with the peanut butter, the vegetable and banana purees, and the egg white, using a wooden spoon.

put the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl or zipper-lock bag and stir or shake to mix. add to the bowl with the peanut butter mixture and stir just to combine (the batter will be a little lumpy-do not overmix). add the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and stir once or twice.

divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, 15-20 minutes. turn the muffins out onto a rack to cool.

store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or wrap individually and freeze for up to 1 month.

*i substitute more banana puree for the carrot or cauliflower puree. but i do use a little less banana and add a bit of carrot juice. makes me feel better!