Cabbage Relish Salsa

I adore the cabbage salsa at a local Mexican restaurant.  This authentic Mexican recipe is a close approximation--friends say they can't tell the difference!

Prep: 15 minutes
Chill: Several Hours, or overnight
Yield: 2 quarts salsa

1 head cabbage, finely shredded
4 medium tomatoes, diced
6 green onions chopped including the green part
1-2 jalapenos, finely chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
juice of 2 large lemons
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp oregano

Mix together and refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.

Homemade Italian Salad Dressing

Total Prep Time: less than 5 minutes
Yield: 10 or more servings

3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and shake to mix. Refrigerate.

Tips and Tricks
If you don't have red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar will work too. The oil may become solid in the refrigerator, so pull it out at room temperature before using.
Make It Healthier
Omit salt.
How Kids Can Help
Measure ingredients. Shake to mix. Older kids could probably make this entire recipe.

Hard Rock Cafe's Alfredo Sauce

Yield: 18 cups

1 gallon heavy cream
2 Tbs dry basil
2 Tbs dry oregano
1 1/2 tsp freshly-ground white pepper
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs chicken base
3 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups Parmesan cheese
6 oz roux, at room temperature


Place heavy cream, spices and chicken base in the steam kettle. Mix with a wire whip to blend well. Bring to a boil. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Continue stirring until the cheese is completely melted. Add the roux and continue stirring until it is totally incorporated. Continue to heat the Alfredo sauce until it thickens, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Tips & Tricks:
Freeze leftovers for later use.

Suggested Serving:
Serve with Hard Rock Cafe' Chicken Penne Pasta, or over noodles, cannelonni, or in your favorite Alfredo dish.

Baked Santa Fe Dip

Yield: 28 servings
Prep: 10 minutes, chill 24 hours, bake 25 minutes

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
1/2 cup light mayonnaise dressing or salad dressing
1 8-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained (3/4 cup)
1 4-ounce can chopped green chili peppers, drained
2 tsp finely chopped canned chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped (3/4 cup)
1/4 cup sliced green onion
2 Tbs snipped fresh cilantro
3-4 cups vegetable dippers such as sweet pepper wedges and sliced jicama
1 bag lightly salted tortilla chips or baked tortilla wedges



1 Stir together cheeses, mayonnaise or salad dressing, corn, chili peppers, chipotle chili peppers, and garlic powder in a large mixing bowl. Spread mixture into a 9-inch quiche dish, shallow one-quart casserole, or 9-inch pie plate. Cover and chill up to 24 hours. Combine tomato, green onion, and cilantro. Cover and chill up to 24 hours.
2 To serve, bake cheese mixture in dish in a 350 degree oven about 25 minutes or until heated through. Spoon tomato mixture in the center. Serve with vegetable dippers and tortilla chips.

Catalina Salad Dressing

1 10 oz can tomato soup
6 oz water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbs mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Pour soup, water, vinegar, oil, and sauce into blender. Mix well. Add sugar, salt, pepper, mustard, and garlic powder. Blend on high speed for 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.

Serve over green salad. Store leftovers in refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Lemon-Peach Jam

Prep: 30 minutes, plus 24 hours setting
Yield: 15 cups

6 cups peeled, pitted & mashed peaches
9 cups sugar
2 boxes Pectin
1 1/2 cups water
4 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest

Stir together peaches, juice, zest & sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes. Combine water & pectin & heat to a full boil, boil for 1 minute and add to peach mixture. Stir for 3 minutes or until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour into 1-2 cup freezer safe containers or jars& set at room temperature for 24 hours to set. Refrigerate & use within 3 weeks or freeze.

Tips & Tricks:
The riper the fruit, the softer the set will be, so I use a combination of fully ripe fruit (for a full flavored jam) and fruit that is very firm but no longer green.

Peel fruit quickly by blanching in hot water and then dunking in cold water. Peels will slip off.

How Kids Can Help:
Kids can help peel peaches & can push buttons on blender. Kids can help stir the jam.

Jicama Romaine Salad

Prep/Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

4 cups torn romaine
4 cups julienned peeled jicama
2 medium tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
CHILI PEPPER DRESSING:
2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fat-free milk
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup chopped green chilies

In a large salad bowl, combine the romaine, jicama, tomatoes and cheese. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, milk, sour cream, garlic, oregano, cumin and hot sauce; stir in chilies. Pour over salad and toss to coat.

Tips and Tricks

If you don't like spicy food, omit some of the ingredients from the dressing to make it more suited to your tastes, or use a different dressing altogether. The salad and dressing can be made in advance, then tossed right before serving. See Spotlight On Produce for advice on choosing jicama.

Make It Healthier

At 67 calories per serving, this recipe is already very healthy. Use reduced-fat sour cream in the dressing. Fat-free sour cream will not give the dressing the right consistency.

How Kids Can Help

Tear lettuce. Peel jicama with vegetable peeler. Measure ingredients. Pour dressing over greens.

Nutrition Facts

3/4 cup equals 67 calories, 2 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 7 mg cholesterol, 114 mg sodium, 10 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 3 g protein

Diabetic Exchanges

2 vegetable, 1/2 fat

Zucchini-Tomato Pasta Sauce

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 60 minutes
Yield: 10 servings

2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons canola oil
8 large tomatoes, chopped
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Hot cooked pasta

In a large saucepan, saute onions in butter and oil until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, zucchini, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Serve with pasta.

Tips and Tricks
Chop tomatoes coarsely to save time. It's also not necessary to peel the zucchini. Use fresh herbs for a more flavorful sauce.
Make It Healthier
Use unsalted butter or trans-fat free spread. Omit salt. Serve with whole grain pasta.
How Kids Can Help
Older kids can cut up the vegetables. Younger kids can measure the spices.

Nutrition Facts
1/2 cup sauce (calculated without pasta) equals 96 calories, 6 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 6 mg cholesterol, 275 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 2 g protein
Diabetic Exchanges
2 vegetable, 1 fat

Black Bean Corn Salsa

Yield: Just shy of 6 cups salsa
Prep: 10 minutes

2 cups black beans, drained
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 cup chopped tomatoes
2 cups whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chopped jalopeno peppers
1/2 tsp olive oil
salt to taste

Combine ingredients in a small bowl.

Suggested Sides:
Serve as an appetizer or snack with tortilla chips, or use as a garnish on tacos, burritos, breakfast omlettes, etc.

Make it Healthier:
Use reduced sodium corn & beans. Omit salt & oil.

How Kids Can Help:
Kids can help add ingredients to bowl & stir.

Tomato Recipeshare: Salsa

For the summer months when we have too many tomatoes to eat, this is a fabulous homemade salsa!

32 tomatoes
4 onions
1 large can diced green chilis. (Look in the bulk foods section, can is about 8 inches tall)
1 Tbs plus 1 tsp salt
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs garlic powder
1/2 regular size spice bottle of cilantro
Vinegar to Taste (1/4 cup to 2/3 cup)

Blanch tomatoes & remove skins. Dice tomatoes & add remaining ingredients, mixing well. Cook & pour into pint size bottles. Hot water bath.

Tips & Tricks:
This is a relatively mild salsa. For spicier salsa you can add canned jalepenos or habanero peppers in addition to or in place of green chilis. If you replace chilis with spicier peppers, one small jar goes a long long way! Don't make the mistake of using a bulk size jar! My mom did that one year, and the salsa was spicy enough that in subsequent years she would use 1 quart of the jalepeno salsa to season an entire batch!

Lemon Chive Dressing

Prep/Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1/4 cup

1/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon minced chives
dash salt

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine all ingredients; shake well. Serve over salad greens. Refrigerate leftover dressing.

Tips and Tricks
This recipe is a pared down version intended to serve one or two people. It can easily be doubled or tripled to serve a larger family. Chives can be found in the produce section of the grocery store. They are also one of the easiest herbs to grow, and a perennial, so they come back year after year. Grow them in a pot on your kitchen windowsill!
Make It Healthier
Omit the salt.
How Kids Can Help
Older kids could probably make this entire recipe. Younger kids can measure ingredients and shake dressing.

Nutrition Facts
2 tablespoons (calculated without greens) equals 17 calories, trace fat (0 g saturated fat), 1 mg cholesterol, 90 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 1 g protein
Diabetic Exchanges
free food

Cooking From Scratch: Marinades

It's grilling season, and marinades are a great way to add flavor and uniqueness to your grilling fare!

There are three key flavors in a good marinade: something sweet, something spicy, and something tart. A good marinade will also have some oil added to lock in the juiciness of your meat. With these in mind you can usually make up a delcious marinade with ingredients in your fridge or cupboards and little preplanning beyond thawing your meat in the morning, tossing it in a bag with your marinade, and grilling it in the afternoon or evening. No recipe needed!

For safety reasons, remember to save some of your marinade out for basting or to serve over your cooked meat-don't reuse the portion you marinated your meat in all day because its a risk factor in food poisoning!

Here are some jumping off points for each of the flavors. Mix and match them to find the marinades your family loves best!

Something Sweet:
7-up
Dr Pepper
Honey
Sugar
French Salad Dressing
Ginger Ale


Something Tart:
Acids are an important part in a marinade. It tenderizes the meat as well as prevents heterocyclic amines from forming. These compounds created from cooking over a flame are cancer causing agents, so an acidic marinade will help prevent these from getting into your food!

Yogurt
Orange Juice
Grape Juice
Cooking Wine
Crushed Pineapple
Tomato
Buttermilk
Mango
Papaya
Fig
Vinegar
Viniagrette Salad Dressings
Apricot


Something Spicy:
A few drops of Tobasco Sauce
Ground Ginger
Minced Onion
Minced Garlic
Cinnamon
Worchestershire Sauce
Soy Sauce


Oil:
I always use Olive Oil when cooking, and my marinades are no exception although you can use any vegetable oil. I skip the oil step if I'm using a salad dressing in my marinade that is not reduced fat.

Making Your Marinade:
After choosing one or two flavors from each category that will complement each other, put your ingredients into a large Ziploc bag. Add thawed meat and place in refrigerator for at least four hours or as long as 12. Marinades with a high acid content will require less time & be aware that marinating too long can make your meat mushy. Marinating longer than 12 hours is not advised because it can contribute to food poisoning. Turn your bag of marinating meat over every couple of hours.

Tips & Tricks:
Slice or pound our your meat so it is thin, this will help the marinade flavors permeate your meat. If you use fruit juice in your marinade, undiluted concentrate works the best. Fruits & vegetables in your marinade should be minced extremely fine, crushed, or pureed for the best result. Be aware of using too much sweet ingredients as they can cause excess smoking on your grill.

The chicken pictured at the top of the screen was marinated with a mixture of BBQ sauce, mustard, lemon juice, fresh garlic, worchestershire sauce, and ground pepper.

Santa Fe Chicken Salad

Photo & Recipe Courtesy of An Ordinary Mom


4 breasts of chicken, cooked then sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped small

1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 ear of corn, cut off kernels (can use frozen or can corn)

1 tomato, chopped

1 avocado, diced

1/2 cup red onion, chopped fine

1/4 cup jack cheese

1/4 cup cheddar cheese

1/4 small jicama, diced

Lemon-pepper

crushed tortilla chips

cucumbers (optional)

Buttermilk Salsa Dressing (see below)

Pound the chicken with a meat tenderizer. In a skillet, heat the oil. Add the chicken and sprinkle generously with lemon-pepper. Cook each side about 7 minutes or until done. Remove from pan to cool. Slice the chicken. Prepare all ingredients and toss the salad. Don’t add the salad dressing until ready to serve.



Buttermilk Salsa Dressing

In a blender mix one envelope of ranch dressing with the required amount of mayonnaise and milk. Then add FRESH deli salsa to taste. Try and not get too much of the liquid.

How Kids Can Help:
Kids can add veggies to the salad bowl.

Sweet Onion Sauce

This delicious sauce is perfect for replicating Subway's Sweet Onion Dressing. It is also great on Coleslaw or Spicy Thai Salad.

Yield: 3 1/2 cups (will dress several salads. Keeps well)
Prep: 10 minutes

1 cup olive oil
1 cup sugar
1 small onion
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 C white vinegar
1 small carrot, grated

Finely chop onion, add oil, salt, sugar, and mustard and beat or blend until well mixed. Add vinegar and beat. Fold in celery seeds and carrot.

Refrigerate leftovers and blend well before each use.

For sandwiches: After building your sandwich, dress with sweet onion sauce instead of mayonnaise. My favorite is a chicken breast sandwich with pepper jack cheese, tons of veggies, and sweet onion sauce.

For Coleslaw: Finely shred cabbage and dress with sweet onion sauce

For Spicy Thai Salad: Combine finely shredded cabbage, chopped peanuts, grated carrot, and dress with Sweet Onion Sauce. Season with Thai seasoning, a few drops of Tobasco sauce, and top with crushed ramen noodles.

Barbeque Sauce/Oven BBQ Chicken

Yield: This will coat 6 lbs of meat

3/4 cup sugar
1 cup ketchup
1 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup Worchestershire sauce
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp Tobasco sauce

Mix together. For BBQ chicken, pour sauce over 6 lbs of skinless chicken. Bake at 350 for 2 hours. Baste chicken 2-3 times while baking.

Tips & Tricks:
The more often you baste the better the chicken will turn out. In a pinch, I have used mustard in place of the dry mustard. This BBQ sauce can be used to season grilled meat as well with good results.

How Kids Can Help:
Kids can chop onion with Pampered Chef chopper

Salsa Cruda

Yield: 3 cups
Prep: 10 minutes

2 sprigs fresh cilantro
1 4 oz can green chilis, undrained
1 small onion, quartered
1 can plum tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup Italian Dressing
1/4 Tsp Hot Pepper Sauce
1/2 Tsp sugar

Place multipurpose blade on food processor work bowl. Add cilantro and hilis to bowl, pulse 2 times. Add onion and tomatoes and pulse 2 times. Add dressing, hot pepper sauce, and sugar. Pulse 2 times to combine.

Suggested Sides:
Tortilla Chips

Make it Healthier:
Use fat free Italian dressing & sodium reduced tomatoes & chilis.

How Kids Can Help:
Kids can press the pulse button on the food processor.

Greek Cucumber Sauce

Prep: 10 minutes
Yield: 10 or more servings

2 medium cucumbers
16 ounces sour cream or plain yogurt
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
salt

Peel cucumbers and grate each length-wise with a coarse grater. Salt; allow to drain and press out excess liquid from grated cucumbers.

Peel garlic cloves; remove sprout; crush. Mix cucumber, garlic, vinegar and salt.

Fold the yogurt or sour cream and the olive oil into the mixture.

Tips and Tricks
This makes a great sauce for sandwiches or hot chicken dishes. Serve with pita bread. I prefer to use the yogurt because it's lighter than sour cream, and I only use one or two garlic cloves, depending on how big they are. I do salt the cucumber to help draw out the water, but I omit the extra salt.
Make It Healthier
Use low-fat or fat-free sour cream or yogurt. Omit salt.
How Kids Can Help
Older kids can grate the cucumber. Younger kids can stir the wet ingredients.