Nutella & Fruit Panini

There are a few different ways to try this recipe. This picture is with bananas but you can do it with all kinds of fruit. I have tried raspberry, strawberries (cut thin), blueberries, & blackberries. You can also use different kinds of bread (I use pound cake), whatever you fancy.

1 loaf of pound cake (I buy mine from Safeway, or you can make it)
Any kind of berry (or fruit) rinsed and cut (my favorite was raspberries)
Nutella or any chocolate-hazelnut spread
Powdered sugar

Cut the pound cake into 1/2 inch slices. Place a big blop of Nutella spread in the middle of the slice and add fruit on top. Then if you have a George Foreman Grill (it works the fastest and easiest) place the sandwich in the grill and press for about 45 seconds, or longer depending on how grilled you want it. The Nutella is warm and gooey and just melts into the fruit. Sprinkle with a small amount of powdered sugar and your ready to go. It is amazingly good!

Chunky Beef Stew

A yummy, quick, healthy meal. The whole family enjoys it! :)

1 onion, chopped

4 Portions top round steak, cut into 1 inch chunks (About 1 lb)

2 1/2 cups Beef Broth (I use 2 1/2 cups water w/ 3 bullion cubes)

4 portions potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 lb. Baby carrots (I cut mine in half)

2 celery stalks, sliced

1/4 cup Tomato Paste

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup red wine (optional- I opt out.)

2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Lightly coat a large pot with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Add beef chunks and saute until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes

3. Add beef broth, potato chunks, carrots, celery, tomato paste, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf and wine. Bring to a boil over high heat.

4. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaf and discard.

5. Spoon beef stew into bowls, dividing it into 4 portions. Sprinkle with parsley, serve and enjoy!

Ranch Chicken Salad

Fresh and crisp combination of corn, black beans, bell pepper and chicken in a cilantro-lime dressing.
This recipe comes from the Eating for Life Cookbook. It doesn't taste like a "Diet Meal" or I wouldn't eat it! ;P

1/4 cup low-fat mayo or Miracle Whip
1/4 cup low-fat Sour Cream
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. grated lime zest (peel)
1 lime, halved
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground red pepper (if you like it HOT. I omit it and it's fine.)
4 portions cooked chicken breast (about 1 lb.) cut into bite-size pieces. (I usually just boil the chicken, but last night I marinated it in italian dressing and grilled it. I really liked the added flavor it gave the salad.
1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (11 oz) can of corn, drained
1 red (or green) bell pepper diced
1/2 red onion, chopped fine (I only do about 1/4 onion for less "bite")
2 heads of Bibb lettuce, washed. I used spinach- and it was great!

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, cumin and ground red pepper. Stir in chicken, beans, corn, bell pepper and onion.
2. Divide lettuce evenly among 4 plates and top with a portion of chicken salad. Serve and enjoy!

I like to cut all the pieces up quite small, to eat the left-overs on chips, like a salsa type dip. It requires a little time chopping, but is totally worth it. It's fresh and filling. A great dish for a summer party!

Mexican Chicken Sandwiches

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded taco or Mexican cheese blend, divided
1/3 cup mayonnaise
8 slices sourdough bread
1/2 cup salsa

Directions: In a small bowl, combine the oil and seasonings. Brush over both sides of chicken. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.

Meanwhile, combine 1 cup cheese and mayonnaise; set aside. Grill bread slices on one side until lightly browned. Spread with cheese mixture; grill until cheese is melted.

Place chicken on four slices of bread; top with salsa, remaining cheese and remaining bread, cheese side down.

Yield: 4 servings. Editor's Note: Reduced-fat or fat-free mayonnaise is not recommended for this recipe. (From Simple & Delicious magazine.)

Comments: The chili and garlic powder rub on the chicken give it such a good flavor. I also like the cheese mixture you spread on the bread. (This is definitely not a super healthy meal that’s for sure!) To add some extra flavor, I mixed some ranch dressing in with the mayo. The recipe calls for sourdough bread, but I recommend Texas toast. It makes it sooo yummy! (The first time we tried this recipe, we used those ciabata artisan rolls from Costco; I don’t recommend those rolls for this meal. They’re too dense.) I also recommend cutting the chicken breasts in half. The sandwich is almost too filling if you have a whole chicken breast. Plus a half breast would fit better on the Texas toast. My mouth is watering just thinking about these sandwiches. So scrumptious!

The Best Ribs!!

They taste better than this picture shows

These ribs are so easy to make, but so incredibly good. You buy as much meat as you would want. We try to get the boneless ribs, but you can get the ribs with bone. Boil water and put all the ribs in. Boil for 2 hours. Take the ribs out and put into a pan to bake in the oven. Use your favorite BBQ sauce and pour the whole bottle over the ribs, making sure every bit is covered. If you have a lot of ribs use more sauce. You want to be generous with the sauce. Next cover the pan with tin foil and cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour, then uncover and cook for another hour. When they are done they are so tender and delicious!

Yummy Onion Rings

We were in the mood for some nice fried onion rings and I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. It is delicious and can feed a family of four easily. We only ate half the batch and I used one onion. The recipe says it takes about 20 minutes, but it took me about 45, and it was well worth it. When they were done frying, I put them on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels and set them in the oven at 200 degrees to stay warm. Also, we don't have a deep fryer, so I just filled a frying pan with oil and it worked great! That is also why it took a little longer. (the picture doesn't do it justice because we already ate half the batch!)

INGREDIENTS:

1 large onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 egg

1 cup milk, or as needed 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs seasoned salt to taste 1 quart oil for frying, or as needed

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
2.	Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3.

Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are all coated; set aside. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a fork. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat, then place on a wire rack to drain until the batter stops dripping. The wire rack may be placed over a sheet of aluminum foil for easier clean up. Spread the bread crumbs out on a plate or shallow dish. Place rings one at a time into the crumbs, and scoop the crumbs up over the ring to coat. Give it a hard tap as you remove it from the crumbs. The coating should cling very well. Repeat with remaining rings.

4.

Deep fry the rings a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Season with seasoning salt, and serve.

Cheesy Broccoli Potato Soup

This soup is quick and easy, and I usually have all the ingredients on hand. It calls for velveeta, and I buy the 2lb size and use the other half to make another dish I'll post in the future. Great dish for a cold winter's day (we are still doing winter where we are at...sad I know). I also like to make bread bowls to serve this in, since it is a little thicker.


Melt 2 tbsp. butter and add:
1c celery chopped
1c onion chopped

Add:
3 1/2 cups water
4-5 diced potatoes
3-4 carrots (I use a couple handfuls of baby carrots chopped)
1 head broccoli (I use the frozen stuff...bag or box frozen)

Cook until broccoli is soft and add:
2 cans cream of chicken
1 lb. velveeta cheese cubed

This can be made in about 30 minutes, but don't let it sit too long or it can burn to the bottom.