brown rice salad...

1 1/2 cups instant brown rice

1 chopped green onion

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped cucumber

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Cook brown rice & let cool. Combine ingredients for vinaigrette & combine with rice & vegetables. Serve at room temp.

This salad makes an excellent side or a great filling lunch. You really could add any vegetables you like, I just used what I had on hand.

(1 cup-5pts)

m&m "bakery" cookies...

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 cup shortening

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup veg/canola oil

4 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

4 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp salt

m&m's

Combine first 5 ingredients and cream about 2 min. Add vegetable oil & mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and add to dough; mixing just until combined. Fold in m&m's. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 min.

Oh boy, oh boy...I really could leave it at that, but I won't.

I got into my mom's old recipes and found this cookie recipe that was given to her by a dear friend years ago. I was best friends with this dear friends daughter & got to enjoy these cookies on a somewhat regular basis!! They also became a fast favorite in our house.

Because of the cream of tartar & the oil (I NEVER said ANYTHING about these being a "light" cookie...) they really take on the consistency of a bakery cookie. They have a little bit of crispness to them that is sooooo yummy, while still remaining a little chewy. I really don't know how else to describe them...JUST GO BAKE SOME!!

I really think they are better at room temp as opposed to warm. That's just my opinion.

You certainly could use chocolate chips instead of m&m's. My mom would sometimes even use mini chocolate chips.

I also chilled the dough for about 10-15 min before baking & stuck the bowl of dough back in the fridge in between baking times. They turned out better if the dough was a little cold.

I don't care how hot it is. Crank up your oven and bake these little babies.

cheddar bacon quiche...

1 pre made 9in. pie crust dough

2 whole eggs

2 egg whites

8 slices bacon; cooked & diced

3/4 cup 1% milk

4 oz shredded cheddar cheese

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

salt & pepper

Place pie crust dough in 9 inch pie plate. Combine all ingredients and whisk well. Pour into pie pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 min. Place tin foil over edges of pie crust half way through cooking time.

I've been on a quiche kick lately. I like to keep the pre made pie crusts on hand so if I need a quick dinner I can throw a quiche together. The plus here is that everyone loves it!! Who doesn't have eggs & cheese on hand? If you don't have bacon, you could always add a little cooked chicken with broccoli, mixed vegetables, mushrooms & swiss, etc. Be creative!

corn & black bean salad...

2 cans corn, drained

2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained & rinsed

1 red onion, diced

grape tomatos

sliced black olives

chopped parsley

1 Tbsp lemon or lime juice

3/4 cup Fat Free Italian dressing

1 tsp chili powder

Combine first six ingredients. Whisk together lemon juice, dressing & chili powder and pour over salad. Let marinade at least 1 hour in the fridge before serving.

I threw this together so fast for a BBQ, and for some reason I didn't have the highest expectations for this one. Boy, was I wrong. It quickly disappeared!! The dressing is surprisingly...FABULOUS! The chili powder takes away that bottled dressing taste & the lemon juice just adds a little zip to it. This is perfect for Summer because there is nothing in it that could spoil if left out.

chicken curry wraps...

3/4 pound cooked chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1/4 cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise
2 Tbsp reduced-fat sour cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp curry powder

2 Tbsp slivered almonds
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt

4 flour tortillas

Combine chicken and seasonings in a bowl, place in tortilla & wrap!!

This was such a quick dinner to put together. It was also very filling! I use either low fat or low carb tortillas to keep this on the lighter side. I divided this into 3 portions and made larger wraps & two smaller. I also season my chicken with a little seasoning salt before cooking.

TWD blueberry pie...

Thank you, thank you, thank you Amy from South in Your Mouth for choosing this recipe! I thoroughly enjoyed making this. I thought the pastry was the perfect pie crust (thank you, Dorie!) I didn't want to waste one bit of the dough so I made pie crust cookies (just cut out & sprinkle with a little sugar before baking.) Really, I'm not sure which I enjoyed more...the tiny cookies disappeared quickly!!

For the complete recipe you can visit Amy's site. Please do, you won't be disappointed!

rolled pizza...

These are absolutley a new favorite at our house!!

Bread dough purchased from the bakery (16oz)

Roll out to 12-14 inches in diameter.

Sprinkle on toppings (no sauce) & roll up as tightly as possible.

Tuck the ends under, place seam side down on a lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with a little olive oil & sprinkle with a little salt (or oregano)

Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 min until golden brown.

Slice & eat!

You can serve these with pizza sauce on the side, but it really doesn't need it.

The recicpe was adapted from Giada De Laurentiis' Venetian Rolled Pizza. I cut the amount of cheese in half & used 1 tsp olive oil per roll instead of 1 Tbsp. Any pizza topping would be wonderful in these...I just stuck with the tried & true (& what I had on hand!!) The word from the dinner table tonight was "AWESOME!!" I'll take it!