Middle Eastern Stuffed Peppers

I always have the hardest time planning a menu when someone is coming over for dinner.  I know I have mentioned this before, but I go back and forth between a million different things and it is enough to drive a person crazy!  We were having some friends over for dinner and I somehow finally decided to make these stuffed peppers.  They caught my eye because they had a different filling than other stuffed pepper recipes that I have seen and I thought they would be part of a fun meal.  

I'm not sure if I like prepping the actual peppers in the microwave, but I followed the recipe and did it anyway.   I'm not really sure if this filling was the best thing to put in a bell pepper, because these were very hard to eat.  They were good, but it was very messy and took a lot of effort to get a bite that had part of the pepper as well as the filling.  Luckily our dinner guests were good sports and they didn't seem to mind too much. 

 The filling was very good and would make a great dish by itself, maybe with some chopped red bell pepper added to the mix.  

Middle Eastern Stuffed Peppers adapted from Family Circle magazine

6 medium-size sweet red bell peppers

1 cup whole wheat Israeli couscous

1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 seedless cucumber, chopped

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

3 large scallions, trimmed and chopped

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 Tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Prepare couscous according to package directions.

2. Trim about 1/2-inch off the tops of the bell peppers. Seed and core peppers.

Place the peppers cut side down in a microwave safe glass baking dish. Pour in 1/2 cup water and cover with microwave-safe plastic wrap, venting one corner. Microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Remove peppers from dish and set aside.

3. In a large bowl combine cooked couscous, chickpeas, cucumber, feta, scallions and parsley.

Add lemon juice and olive oil. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Stuff peppers with an equal amount of couscous mixture, about a scant cup in each. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Feta-Watermelon Tabbouleh

I found the perfect Tabbouleh recipe last year and haven't really wanted to try another one since. Until, I saw a Tabbouleh recipe that had watermelon in it. Watermelon is my favorite food. I usually don't do anything to it, because I just want to eat it the way it is. But, last summer I tried a delicious watermelon salad that absolutely converted me to combining watermelon with savory ingredients like feta cheese. And dressing it with olive oil mixtures.

I decided I wanted to make this particular Tabbouleh with quinoa instead of bulgur, because I had quinoa on hand and I wanted to make a big batch of it to use with other ingredients as well.
It worked. I think bulgur has more of a bite/crunch to it, but the quinoa was really good in this salad.

Overall, I really liked the combination of flavors and thought this was a great take on Tabbouleh. This would be a great side for a summer dinner, or a main dish for that watermelon lover that might be out there in your midst.

Here is the recipe for Feta- Watermelon Tabbouleh from Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine
* I used quinoa instead of bulgur- I cooked one cup of quinoa in 2 1/4 cups water for 15 minutes and then used half of that in this tabbouleh

Greek Salad with Orzo and Black-Eyed Peas

So many things are going on in life right now. We have had a 24 hour stomach bug that is making it's way through our family. The third child had it this morning and had to be checked out of school. Fun times all around! Cross your fingers that it skips over the parents!

Anyway, I wanted to share this salad really quickly. This was something that I saw on epicurious and I thought it was so cute because they served it in little mason jars.
Greek salad is a serious favorite around here and I loved this take with black-eyed peas. I made a couple of changes to the recipe which are noted below.

This salad turned out really great. The first night I served it on top of romaine. There were enough leftovers that a few nights later I mixed in a can of tuna and a little more lemon juice and we were able to eat it again. Very good. I have to say that the peperoncini really made this delicious. They are definitely becoming a favorite of mine.

Recipe for Greek Salad with Orzo and Black-Eyed Peas
* I reduced the amount of feta cheese
* I used black olives instead of kalamata
*I omitted the red onion
*I didn't mix the tomatoes into the salad because some people don't care for them. I placed them on top for those of us who do like them

Mexicali Chop Salad with Crunchy Tortilla Strips

I don't usually get posts up this quick, but somehow I did with this one.
We had this salad for dinner a couple of days ago and it was really good.

The salad caught my eye in a recent issue of Vegetarian Times. It looked too delicious to pass up and seemed like the perfect summer meal.

First you crisp up some lightly seasoned corn tortilla strips in the oven. While that is happening you mix up a quick, light dressing. The dressing starts with warming some olive oil, garlic and spices, which is then combined in the food processor with lime juice, scallions, and cilantro.
The dressing was really good!

Then all sorts of veggies are chopped and added to a bunch of romaine. You've got celery, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, fresh corn kernels, roasted red peppers and really, whatever else you want to add. I decided to add sliced mushrooms since my family likes them. Oh, and don't forget the pinto beans, for some protein.

My son doesn't like dressing on his salad, but this time I decided to go ahead and dress the entire salad before serving it to my family. I gave everyone a large bowl of salad and we all dug in.
The kids really liked this salad, even my son- with the dressing.
I loved it too. It was really fresh and delicious.
The tortilla strips gave just the right amount of crunch and the dressing was the perfect compliment for all the veggies. I had the leftovers for lunch today. Wish there was more for tomorrow!


Recipe for Mexicali Chop Salad with Crunchy Tortilla Strips
* I seasoned half of my tortilla strips with chili powder and half with paprika (for the kids)
* I used grape tomatoes, halved, in the salad
* I added sliced mushrooms to our salad
* I omitted the red onion

Greek Salad

Eggplant is such a versatile vegetable. It can take on almost any flavor and I was very intrigued by it's use in this salad.

Once again, I found this recipe in my Mayo Clinic cookbook
and the picture just looked too delicious to pass up. I really love salads, especially in the summer, so this went on the weekly menu plan immediately.

You roast the eggplant in the oven and then mix up a quick vinaigrette. Chop a few veggies and dinner or lunch is ready.

I really loved the flavors of the vinaigrette. The tomatoes and cucumbers added a nice crunch to the roasted eggplant. Truly tasty.

Recipe for Greek Salad

Carrot Ginger Dressing

If there was ever a salad dressing that would make you want to eat salad at every meal, every day for the rest of your life- this is it.
I saw this recipe on Prudence Pennywise a couple of weeks ago and Prudy served it with an Asian Steak Salad.
I don't eat steak, but I had a feeling that this salad dressing would be good on any type of greens and veggies.

I was sooo right.
I didn't really measure out the ingredients- except for the carrots and celery. I just estimated the amounts (I feel fairly confident doing this, given how much time I spend in the kitchen) and gave them a whirl in the blender.

I tasted it with a spoon and then I tasted it again.
This stuff was so good, I probably could have eaten it as soup or poured it in a glass and had it as a drink.
But really, it is so yummy. Nice and fresh, but also creamy from the pureed veggies.
It would be great as a dip for vegetables too.
Luckily, I doubled the recipe, so after we ate it one night, I was able to enjoy it for lunch over and over again.

Salad never tasted so good.

Recipe for Carrot Ginger Dressing from Prudence Pennywise
I didn't actually measure the ingredients, I just kind of eye balled it
I added 2 cloves of garlic and a couple Tbls of water

Egg Vegetable Salad Wrap

This past Easter we hard-boiled a ton of eggs. We wanted to make sure that everyone had enough to dye and I wasn't too worried about using the extra eggs because we were making potato salad right around that time and my kids like to eat them for breakfast or snacks.

My son always requests egg salad sandwiches whenever we have hard-boiled eggs and the reason why is because he wants to turn them into Egg Salad Open Face Sandwiches.
We did that one night for dinner, but still had quite a few eggs, so I figured we would need another recipe to use some of them up.

I found this recipe in a little flyer from Publix and I wanted to try this spin on egg salad. A few more vegetables, dijon mustard and whole wheat tortillas made this a nice twist on egg salad.
My family still prefers the egg salad faces, but I really enjoyed this version.

Egg-Vegetable Salad Wraps adapted from a Publix publication
6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup chopped radishes
1/4 cup fat free mayo
2 Tbls dijon mustard
1/4 tsp crushed dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
6 lettuce leaves
6 6-7 inch whole wheat tortillas
2 plum tomatoes, chopped

In a large bowl combine eggs, cucumber, zucchini, carrot, and radishes.
Add the mayo, dijon mustard, basil, salt, paprika, and pepper.
Mix gently.
For each wrap, place a lettuce leaf on a tortilla. Divide chopped tomatoes evenly on top of the lettuce. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the egg mixture on top of the tomatoes. Roll up tortilla and secure with toothpick, if necessary.
Cut tortilla wraps in half and serve.

Spring Chicken Salad

Pictures are often the reason that I want to try certain recipes.
Cookbooks and magazines are fun for me to look at and pictures of certain recipes will make me want to try them.
That is what happened here. Partly. I saw the picture for this recipe in Food Network Magazine and was happy about the word Spring in the title. Plus, it looked yummy.
This time of year always makes me want to eat more salad, so everytime I find a good salad recipe that the entire family enjoys I am excited.

I also happened to have most of the ingredients for this salad on hand, which is unusual since I don't usually have potatoes in the house.
I liked that the dressing was made with greek yogurt, which is something that I usually sub for mayo, so the fact that it was already in this recipe made me happy.

I don't really love fresh tarragon, simply because it has that anise/licorice flavor, but in this salad it wasn't too strong since it was mixed with the fresh chives. It was subtle enough that I didn't mind it at all. This was a super fast dinner, that didn't require any cooking, which is always appreciated by me on a weeknight.

I used some cooked turkey breast that I had in my fridge instead of chicken. I also reduced the olive oil by 1/2. Quick and delicious!

Recipe for Spring Chicken Salad

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh.
I don't remember the first time I tried it, but it was love at first bite.
It combines some of my favorite things- tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, and lemon juice- to make a very light and refreshing salad.

I found this particular recipe in a cookbook I have on my shelf, The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook: Eating Well for Better Health.
This cookbook is full of beautiful pictures and healthy dishes.
Some of the recipes can also be found online at MayoClinic.com

This particular recipe has more "vegetables than grain" and it is suggested you serve it on lettuce leaves or in a pita.
I think it is great on its own.
I made this as a side dish to take to a family dinner and lots of people tried it for the first time and loved it.

This can be made ahead and it really didn't take me very much time to throw it together.
The bulgur has to soak for about 15 minutes, but during that time you can chop the herbs, vegetables and get everything else together.
I was secretly hoping that there would be lots of leftovers, but everyone enjoyed it so much, that I only had a little bit left to have for lunch later that week.

I will definitely be making this version of Tabbouleh again. It was perfect.

* you can find bulgur at health food stores in the bulk section, or you can buy a box of Tabbouleh and save the seasoning pack for something else, just using the bulgur.

Recipe for Tabbouleh from the Mayo Clinic

Garden Sliders

I saw these little guys in a recent issue of BH&G, and thought they were just so cute. They were featured with some other yummy bbq recipes and I thought they would be perfect for our 4th of July meal.
My sister had some very delicious White Bean Hummus with Basil and Pine Nuts from Trader Joe's, so I just used that instead of making my own white bean spread. I also just roasted my veggie slices in the oven instead of on the grill and it worked out great.

I thought these were the perfect size to eat in a couple of bites and they would make a great snack. Plus they can be made ahead and chill out in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Easy and delicious is just the way my summer is going. (Too bad all of that is going out the window since school starts in 10 days. We aren't ready!)

Garden Sliders adapted from Better Homes and Garden Magazine

• 1 15- to 16-oz. can Great Northern or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
• 1/2 tsp.Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1 medium yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 24 1/4-inch-thick slices baguette
• 2 medium roma tomatoes, cut in 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 small cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• Small celery top sprigs, small tomato wedges, and/or pickle slices (optional)

Directions

1. For bean spread, in blender or food processor combine beans, 1 tablespoon of the oil, the garlic, and Italian seasoning. Cover; blend or process until smooth. Season with salt and ground black pepper.

2. To grill squash, toss squash slices with remaining tablespoon olive oil. Place in a grill basket. Place basket directly over medium coals for about 5 minutes or just until squash is tender, turning once.

3. Spread one side of each bread slice with bean spread. Top half of the bread with tomato, squash, and cucumber slices. Top with remaining bread slices, spread side down. Secure sandwiches with wooden picks. Top with celery sprigs, tomato wedges, and/or pickle slices. Makes 12 appetizers-size sandwiches.

Make-Ahead:Make the bean spread up to 2 days ahead; refrigerate, covered. Slice vegetables up to 24 hours ahead. Assemble sliders 2 hours ahead

Greek Tuna Salad Pasta

It is really hot today. Don't you think so? We have been swimming everyday in grandma's pool and today we decided that we would go to the library. It was about 10:30 in the morning and I was thinking about what else we could do to keep ourselves busy.
I thought too soon.
We stayed at the library for 4 1/2 hours.
We missed lunch. My youngest took a nap on my lap. And I was the one who finally spoke up and said that I was hungry so we had to go.
That really has nothing to do with this post, but I just found it humorous that my children were so entertained by the library.
Now on to the food.
I made this pasta salad about 6 weeks ago. I don't remember all the things I changed about it, but as soon as I made it, I wrote down the changes to the recipe and so, the recipe below is my version of the recipe.
I added a couple extra vegetables and used whole wheat pasta.
This would be a really great option for a really hot day (like today), because you only have to boil the pasta and if you have some leftover, cooked pasta in the fridge, then you can just whisk up the dressing, have a quick lunch or dinner, and keep your house nice and cool, by avoiding the use of the oven.
I hope everyone has a great Father's Day weekend! We are grilling out and I get to make a cake! (I haven't baked a thing in 4 weeks, so I am a little excited about the cake!)

Greek Tuna Salad Pasta adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine
1 pound whole wheat penne rigate pasta

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2-3 Tbls fresh lemon juice

1- 15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cucumber, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped

1 cup matchstick carrots

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
Two 6-ounce cans solid white tuna in water, drained and broken into chunks
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain and spread onto a baking sheet to cool.

2. Meanwhile, pour the vinegar into a large bowl and whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Stir in the tomatoes, cucumber, yellow pepper, and carrots. Add the pasta and parsley and toss; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tuna. Top with the feta.

Up Next- Carrot-Zucchini Muffins

Asian Chicken and Mango Salad

I decided to go with a another dish that called for mangoes, since I found 3 really lovely mangoes and didn't use all of them in the quick bread for TWD.
This salad was sooo easy and really good. I reduced the amount of oil in the dressing, just because I always do and it leaves more room for flavor from the other dressing ingredients.
I had a hard time finding a plain old rotisserie chicken. There were so many flavors, I was beginning to think I was going to have to roast my own. But then I found a salt and pepper only chicken and took it home and had this salad ready in about 15 minutes.
We have been eating the leftover dressing on salad greens and sprinkling peanuts on top.
It was really a great dinner.

Asian Chicken and Mango Salad adapted from Redbook Magazine
Sesame-Soy Dressing
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh gingerroot, grated
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2/3 cups canola oil (I used 1/3 cup)
1/3 cup rice vinegar (I used 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Salad
1 store-bought rotisserie chicken
1 large ripe mango, halved, pitted, and diced
1 large seeless cucumber, quartered lengthwise, cut into chunks
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
8 cups mixed salad greens
lime wedges, for garnish
Directions
Dressing: Combine the sesame-soy dressing ingredients in a 2-cup jar; cover jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well to dissolve the honey. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks.
Salad: Remove skin and bones from rotisserie chicken and pull into long shreds. Toss chicken in a large bowl with mango, cucumber, red onion, and salt.
Add 1/2 cup of dressing and toss to lightly coat. Serve chicken salad over watercress or mixed greens. Garnish with lime wedges.


Coming Tomorrow- CEiMB- Thai Style Halibut with Coconut Curry Broth

Vegetable-Stuffed Rice-Paper Rolls with Curry Peanut Dipping Sauce and Steel-Cut Oats with Pomegranate Molasses + Almonds

It is kind of embarrassing to admit this, but I actually tore this recipe out of a magazine about 4 years ago. I made it last week. I just kept coming back to it and finally rolled these little guys up. Glad I did, too.
I have used rice paper sheets before-in these Spring Rolls and these Rolls. So, I already had those in the pantry. Everything else was ready to go.
This dipping sauce was divine. The best I have tasted. It is almost identical to the sauce they use at my favorite Thai restaurant, except this one uses chunky peanut butter. We used the leftover dipping sauce as a salad dressing the next day. It worked wonderfully. I loved these spring rolls. I shared some with a neighbor the next day and she loved them too. It doesn't get better then veggies and peanut sauce. They would have been great with some chicken or shrimp rolled up alongside the veggies.

I also saw a great way to serve steel-cut oats in Super Natural Cooking. The author of that cookbook said that drizzling pomegranate molasses on top of the oatmeal and sprinkling it with walnuts was one of her fave breakfasts. So I got out my molasse and drizzled away. It melted deliciously on top and I threw on some sliced almonds just cuz that is what I had in the pantry. Yum.

Vegetable-Stuffed Rice-Paper Rolls with Curry Peanut Sauce
Peanut Sauce:
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 Tbls each freshly squeezed lime juice and fish sauce
1 tsp each red curry paste, sugar, and grated fresh gingerroot
1 Tbls minced fresh cilantro
Garden Rolls:
6 rice-paper sheets
2 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
2 large carrots, peeled and julenned (I used matchstick carrots)
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned
1/2 cup bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
1 red pepper, julienned
3 scallions, julienned
1/4 cup whole basil leaves
1/4 cup each whole fresh cilantro and mint leaves

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine first eight ingredients and cook, stirring, until well blended. Stir in minced cilantro, remove from heat, and set aside.
Fill a wide, flat bowl with warm water and soak one sheet of rice paper for 30 seconds, until pliable. Remove paper, blot it on a clean towel, and lay flat.
Lay 1/3 cup lettuce in the middle; top with one-sixth of the remaining ingredients. Fold front third over the mound and pull filling toward you a bit to compact into a tight roll. Roll over once, then fold the sides over the middle and continue rolling away from you until secure. Place seam down on a paper plate lined with waxed paper, sprayed with cooking spray.
Repeat with remaining rolls. Slice in roll in half on the bias and serve with peanut sauce.

Up Next- CEiMB- Garden Risotto

Zucchini- Cranberry Muffins and Greek Barley and Tofu Salad

Thanks for all the well wishes. I am feeling much better- I hope the flu never comes back! Now on to the food.

When Mary, The Food Librarian, left me a little note on her blog (she knew I had all the frozen cranberries) on her post about these Cranberry-Zucchini Muffins- I quickly wrote them into my schedule. They are so good! I made a couple of changes, like using half whole wheat flour and subbing unsweetened applesauce for the oil. And when I was searching in the freezer for my cranberries, I discovered another bag of them! Yeah! The recipe comes from Martha Stewart. Hopefully you have some frozen cranberries hiding in your freezer!

The Barley recipe came about when I was looking for a quick and healthy lunch that I could make with what I had on hand in the fridge and the pantry. I had never tried barley and tofu together, but I thought it sounded good, so I went ahead with my experiment.
I decided to saute the tofu with some Greek Seasoning (I love it!), to get a crunchy edge on the tofu. I took the other components and mixed the salad together and there you have it- a healthy, fast, lunch! It was really good and my little girls gobbled it up (even the tofu)!

Greek Barley and Tofu Salad by Mary Ann
1 cup instant barley

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

14 oz pkg. extra firm tofu, drained and cubed

1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

1- 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Greek Seasoning

juice of 1 lemon

Cook the barley according to pkg directions. While the barley is cooking, heat 1 Tbls canola oil in an electric skillet. Add tofu to skillet and season with Greek Seasoning. Cook tofu until golden on all sides, 5-8 minutes. Remove tofu to a separate bowl.

When barley is cooked, transfer to a large bowl. Add cooked tofu, roasted red peppers, garbanzo

beans, and cucumber. Stir to combine. Add lemon juice and stir again.

Sprinkle with feta cheese and season to taste with more greek seasoning or salt and pepper.

Zucchini-Cranberry Muffins from Martha Stewart

Dry:

1 3/4 c flour (I used half whole wheat)

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t salt

Wet:

2 eggs

1 c sugar

1/2 c vegetable oil (I used unsweetened applesauce)

1/2 t vanilla

1 c finely shredded zucchini

Combine dry and wet then add 1/2 cup whole cranberries. (The Food Librarian quartered her cranberries)

As with all muffins, don't overmix.

Bake them at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.

Coming on Monday-Hummus

Weekly Lunchbox- Popcorn Squares, Stuffed Pitas with Tuna, Egg and Corn, Italian Lentil and Bulgur Salad, and Simple Chicken Parm Sandwiches

This week's lunchbox is super yummy! The Popcorn Squares were in Family Fun magazine and I decided to rework a granola recipe I made a few weeks ago so that we could have some homemade granola but also so I could use some in this recipe. It was a favorite. The Stuffed Pita is from a really cute Annabel Karmel cookbook called Lunch Boxes and Snacks. It has some of the best lunch ideas that I have seen. I doubled this recipe because it looked great and the rest of us were able to enjoy it too.

The Lentil Bulgur Salad is yummy and unexpected, because it has Italian Seasoning, I added some cooked chicken to the leftover and it made a great snack/lunch.

And last, the Simple Chicken Parm Sandwich. I doubled Prudy's Great Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns recipe and made them into minis, so I had great buns for sandwiches. I also had some leftover chicken, marinara and provolone, so I threw them all together. Delish!

Stuffed Pitas with Tuna, Egg and Corn adapted from Annabel Karmel's Lunchboxes and Snacks

2 eggs

1 6-oz can tuna, drained

1/2 cup corn

2 Tbls fat-free mayo

1 tsp white wine vinegar

4 scallions, chopped

salt and pepper

few drops of Tabasco sauce ( I used 3 drops)

alfalfa sprouts

2 whole wheat pitas

Put the eggs in a saucepan of cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, 7-8 minutes. Drain and cool under cold water. Peel the eggs when cold.

Meanwhile, flake the tuna with a fork and mix with the corn, mayo, vinegar, scallions, salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Roughly chop the hard-boiled eggs and add the the tuna mix with the sprouts., stirring well.

Cut the pita breads in half to make four pita pockets and divide the mixture among them.

Italian Lentil-Bulgur Salad by Mary Ann

1 cup bulgur

2 Tbls fresh lemon juice

2 Tbls olive oil

1/2 English cucumber, halved and sliced

1 1/2 cup fresh green beans, blanched

1 1/2 cups brown lentils, cooked

2 Tbls fresh parsley, chopped

2 Tbls. Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

2 small tomatoes, chopped

Boil 2 cups of water and pour over the bulgur, that is in a large bowl. Cover and let bulgur absorb water. When water is absorbed fluff bulgur with a fork. Add lemon juice and olive oil. Stir well. Add cucumber, green beans, lentils, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and pepepr. Mix well and adjust seasoning to taste. Add tomatoes and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate.

Popcorn Squares from Family Fun Magazine
1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup homemade granola*
1 cup roasted and salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
3 cups plain popped popcorn

Step 1 Line an 8- or 9-inch square pan with foil. Heat the honey in a large saucepan until it boils, about 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter and stir until mixture is well blended.

Step 2 Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the granola, the peanuts, and the popcorn until everything is coated.

Step 3 Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Refrigerate the pan until the mixture is cool, about 30 minutes. (I refrigerated them over night and cut them in the morning).

Step 4 Cut the mixture into small squares . The treats will be a bit crumbly, so you may want to serve them in paper candy cups.

* Homemade Maple Peach Granola by Mary Ann

5 cups oats

heaping 1/3 cup wheat germ

heaping 1/3 cup flaxseed meal

1 1/4 cup macadamia, walnut, and pecan pieces

2/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup peach nectar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 T canola oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup raisins, or other dried fruit

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well mixed. Spread on a large jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes, or longer, until dry. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.


Simple Chicken Parm Sandwiches by Mary Ann
whole wheat mini buns (Thank you Prudy)
cooked chicken
marinara sauce
Provolove cheese slices

Spread marinara on both sides of the bun. Fill with shredded chicken, top with cheese. Pop in the microwave until cheese is melted and sammy is warm!

Afghan Cooking- Chabli Kebab with Sallata and Baghlan Rice

The local paper did an article on Afghan cooking and I couldn't resist trying a couple of the recipes. Check out this LINK for the full story and the rest of the recipes. We really enjoyed this dinner and thought it was a great way to learn a little bit about another ethnic cuisine. We had the Chabli Kebab which is like a hamburger patty, in the way it looks, not tastes. That was eaten with Salata, to which I added celery just for fun. We had Baghlan Rice on the side and really enjoyed it.
CHABLI KEBAB
1 pound ground or minced lamb, beef or turkey (I used ground turkey breast)

1 finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon garlic paste

1 tablespoon dried cilantro

1 teaspoon black pepper

Salt to taste

1 egg

2 diced tomatoes

2 diced spicy green pepper

1/2 cup flour

In a large bowl, mix ingredients together by hand. Wet hands with salty water (to keep meat from sticking) and pat meat mixture into patties. Place in pan and fry in corn oil until they look like hamburgers. Serves 4-8, depending on size of patty. Serve with Sallata as a condiment.

SALLATA

Cilantro

Green onion

Tomato

Spicy green pepper

Cucumber

Lemon(I just used the juice)

Radishes

Finely chop all ingredients and mix together. It is eaten as a condiment or garnish along with your meal.

BAGHLAN RICE/QABULI PALAU 8 cups of rice (or as many cups as people being served)

1/8 cup salt

4 chopped carrots

1 cup raisins

1 tablespoon sugar

1/8 cup chopped almonds

Pinch of cardamom

1 teaspoon cumin

Salt to taste

Soak rice in water overnight or for 4 hours or more. Drain rice and put it in boiling water over stove. Add the salt. Let it slow-boil for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain rice.
In the pan with chicken oil (I used the same pan I cooked the kebab in), fry chopped carrots and raisins. Take carrots and raisins out of oil when done. Strain the oil and add 1 tablespoon sugar to oil. Heat until dissolved.
Pour heated oil and sugar over rice. Put rice mixture into pressure cooker for 20 minutes at medium pressure.
After cooking, mix in cardamon, cumin, carrots, raisins and almonds to rice. Add salt to taste

Elephant Monkey Choco-Delight and Panzanella

This milkshake/smoothie might not look too tasty, but it is my son's most requested drink. It goes well with meals, or can be an after-school snack. I always use Dreyer's/Edy's Slow Churned Rich and Creamy Chocolate Ice Cream when I make this smoothie. It makes me feel a little bit better about the fat content. This pleases kids and adults, alike. We had it along with The Barefoot Contessa's Panzanella, because some things are so good, you just have to make them again. I made the panzanella a few weeks ago for Barefoot Bloggers, but repeated it because it has also become a new family favorite.

Monkey Elephant Choco-Monkey Delight
1 medium banana, sliced and frozen for at least 2 hours
1 cup skim milk
1 cup chocolate ice cream (I use Dreyer's/Edy's Slow Churned 1/2 less fat)

1/4 cup peanut butter

Place all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth. Serve immediately!