Rice, Black Bean and Vegetable Salad

Salads come in such a wide variety of flavors and ingredients and, I think, they are just a fun addition to the meal. Just about anything goes with a salad, so be creative. This one tastes great alongside Mexican food as it is shown here with the Easy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas posted on 6/11/2014. This is a very hearty salad. Chock full of rice, beans, and vegetables, the menu only needs another salad, vegetable, or maybe fruit to be complete for the family. Blessings...

Recipe:

2-2/3 cups canned chicken broth
1-1/3 cups rice
1 can (15.5 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 pound Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onion, green and white parts
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro or basil (2 tsp. dried basil can be used)
1 clove garlic, minced

1. Bring broth to a boil and add rice. Lower heat to low; cover and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Allow rice to cool while you chop veggies.
2. Transfer rice to a large bowl and add the beans and veggies.
3. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temp. for best flavor.

Yield: 8 servings
Note: Add diced leftover chicken or beef for a main dish salad to serve 4 - 6.
This recipe comes from a long-ago Bon Appitit magazine, with a few adaptations by me.

Easy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

This easy recipe comes from Campbell's Kitchen, one of my favorite sites to check out on occasion. If you would like to check out the site it is at www.campbellkitchen.com. The recipes are tasty and simple to put together, often with ingredients that we have in our pantries. I also find that most of the recipes are very kid-friendly being made with very simple ingredients. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (regular or 98% fat free)
1/2 cup sour cream, light is fine
1 cup picante sauce
2 tsp. chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I use Mexican blend)
6 flour tortillas (6-inch), warmed
1 small tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup), optional
1 green onion, sliced (about 2 tbsp.), optional

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Stir the soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl.
2. Stir 1 cup of the soup mixture, chicken and cheese in another bowl.
3. Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas. Roll up the tortillas and place seam-side down in an 11 x 7 x 2-inch baking dish. Pour the remaining soup mixture over the filled tortillas. Cover the baking dish.
4. Bake for 40 minutes or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Top with the tomato and onion if desired.

Serves: 6
Note: The enchiladas are served with Rice, Black Bean and Vegetable Salad. I will post the recipe tomorrow.

Date Nut Bread

This bread is my husband's absolute favorite of all the different quick breads that I make. He would have me make this recipe once a month, if he could. The bread is full of chopped dates and pecans so it is a bit high in calories, but worth every single one of them. The recipe makes two loafs, one for now and one for the freezer for later. This is another recipe from my old McCall's Cook Book that is tattered and has pages falling out of it from all of the years of use. Don't you just love a cook book that represents years of loving the people in your life? I sure do. Blessings...

Recipe:

4 cups pitted dates
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts (I use pecans)
2 cups boiling water
2-3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1-1/4 cups light-brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Cut the dates into thirds. Place dates and chopped nuts in a large bowl and pour boiling water over; stir and let cool to room temperature - about 45 minutes.
2. Grease two 8-1/2 x 4-1/2-inch loaf pans. Set aside.
3. Combine flour with baking soda and salt; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, with electric mixer at high speed, beat butter with sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Scrape sides of bowl down to combine well.
5. Stir in cooled date mixture with a wooden spoon. Add flour mixture; stir with the spoon until well combined. Turn into prepared pans.
6. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 60 - 70 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Turn pans front to back half-way through baking time for even baking.
7. Cool breads in pans for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Yield: 2 loafs, 14 slices each
225 calories per slice
3.5 gms. fiber per slice

Chili

Homemade chili is so much better than the typical chili that comes from a can, and it is so easy to prepare. I've been making this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book since I received the book as a bridal gift in 1979. I did adapt the recipe a bit to our taste. The recipe takes very little time to prepare, an hour to simmer, and dinner is ready. We will often have cornbread or corn muffins, and maybe a green salad alongside for our dinner. You might want to try the recipe for Corn Muffins posted on 3/5/2014. It is excellent. Blessings...

1 pound very lean ground beef (4%)
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped green pepper or celery
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes with chilies
1 16-oz. can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder or to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 bay leaf

1. In a 3 to 4 quart soup pan with lid, cook meat, onion and green pepper until meat is lightly browned and vegetables are tender.
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

Yield: 6 cups
208 calories per cup
6 gms. fiber

Date Cake

Two of my husbands absolute favorite foods are chocolate and dates. This cake is delicious. The dates add wonderful moistness and flavor to the cake, but the flavor of the dates is not overwhelming or distracting. I did add an extra half-cup of chopped dates to the recipe, much to my husbands liking. The topping of melted, gooey chocolate chips, crunchy sugar and pecans is perfect in place of a rich frosting.
Blessings...

Recipe:

1-1/2 cups finely chopped dates
1 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1-3/4 cups unbleached flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional (I use pecans)
2 cups chocolate chips

1. Toss the dates with the baking soda in a medium sized bowl. Pour the boiling water over them and stir. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and set aside.
3. Sift together the nutmeg, flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder, set aside.
4. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla; blend well.
5. Pour in the date mixture and blend.
6. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the dry ingredients and beat until batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the greased baking pan and smooth top.
7. Sprinkle the sugar over the top, followed by the chocolate chips and nuts.
8. Bake cake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. This is a bit tricky with the melted chocolate so look to find a spot free of chocolate for accurate testing.

Yield: 12 servings
515 calories with pecans
482 calories without pecans
5 gms. fiber
Tip: We love to microwave each piece for about 20 seconds on high to soften the chocolate. Yum!
Note: I use Private Selection chocolate chips, a Kroger product, which has 1 gram fiber per tablespoon. Most of the other brands do not have this amount of fiber, so if this count matters to you, do check the package labels.

Ham and Pea Salad

Making a main dish salad is a simple way of getting the family meal on the table in short order. Salads work great for lunch, dinner or tea as long as there is enough variety for the larger appetites that may be involved. This recipe is very easy to put together and the salad keeps well in the refrigerator for two to three days, so it can easily be prepared in advance. Serving bread and a variety of salads for a meal is a fun way of gathering together a group of friends and/or family for a casual time together. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 pkg. (12 ounces) frozen petite peas, thawed and drained on paper towels
1/2 cup cubed medium Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream or plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 teaspoon regular yellow sandwich mustard
1/2 teaspoon milk
1/8 teaspoon shallot salt or onion salt

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a serving bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients and stir into salad. Chill for about an hour and serve.

Yield: 3-3/4 cups
189 calories per 1 cup serving
3.5 gms. fiber

Cherry Cola Salad

Are you old enough to remember cherry-flavored cola from the 1950's? Well, even if you aren't, a bite of this sparkling, delicious, ruby-colored cherry salad is sure to become a family favorite. The recipe goes together in minutes and is another one of those gelatin salads that holds it's shape beautifully for a few days. I love it when a gelatin doesn't separate into a puddle of moisture, and this one does not. The salad is full of fruit and very kid-friendly. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice
1/2 cup water
1 pkg. (6 oz.) cherry gelatin (I used the large equivalent of sugar-free gelatin)
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling (I used Lucky Leaf. No high fructose syrup and more fiber)
3/4 cup cola (I used Hansen's natural soda)

1. Drain pineapple, reserving juice; set pineapple aside.
2. In a saucepan or microwave, bring pineapple juice and water to a boil. Add gelatin; stir until dissolved.
3. Stir in pie filling and cola. Stir in pineapple and pour into a serving bowl or a 9 x 9-inch pan.
4. Refrigerate until firm.

Yield: 9 servings
126 calories per serving
1 gm. fiber

Note: I figured the calorie and fiber counts using the products that I listed above. This is another Taste of Home Cookbook recipe.