Fresh and Crunchy

California Style Tuna Salad Rolls

Ingredients

2 cans albacore tuna, in water, drained and flaked
Mayonnaise, as desired, just enough to moisten (4-5 Tlbs)
10-inch flour tortillas (lg burrito size, I used the spinach/green tortillas to mimic seaweed)
Flat dark green leaf lettuce (Boston, red leaf, etc)
2 med zucchini, chopped julienne (long matchsticks)
2 medium carrots (can use several baby carrots), chopped julienne
1 red bell pepper, julienne
Flavored cream cheese like garden veggie (I used Laughing Cow)

Instructions

1. Combine the tuna with the mayonnaise in a small bowl and mix until blended.  Set aside.
2.  Lay the tortillas on a work surface and spread cream cheese over entire surface.  You can leave a bit of space on the right/left sides since those will be cut off, but spread clear to the edge of the top and bottom of tortilla.  This will help seal it when you roll it up.
3. Place one lettuce leaf on the lower middle 2/3s of the tortilla, press slightly and it will stick flat to the cream cheese.
4. Arrange the zucchini, carrots, and pepper sticks lengthwise in rows on top of the lettuce
5.  Spoon the tuna in a line next to/on top of the vegetables (away from the edge).
6.  Roll each tortilla up snugly into a cylinder.  You can cut crosswise in half or use a sharp, thin knife and slice into 1 1/2 inch rounds (like a California roll).  Arrange on plate and serve as an appetizer or as a light refreshing meal.


Variations:
Switch out or add the following veggies ~ 
   Avocado; peeled, pitted, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
   Seedless/English cucumber, chopped julienne


I got about 5 rolls per tortilla.  I made 4 tortilla wraps (cut up) and served them with fruit and salad for a light summer dinner.  Easy, crisp, and delicious!

Simple Slaw

Cabbage Slaw

This recipe is very light and a little tangy. It works great on burgers, BBQ, or a chicken slider.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 Tlb dill picked juice (from a jar of pickles)
2 Tlb cider vinegar
2 Tlb sugar
1/2 tsp coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (16 oz) package shredded cabbage cole slaw mix

Whisk all ingredients together, except cabbage mix, in a large bowl. Add the cabbage mix and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Saving Oven Space

Slow Cooker Stuffing allrecipes

"Making this moist bread dressing in a slow cooker is an excellent way to free up the oven for other dishes on a busy cooking day."

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or margarine 2 cups chopped onion 2 cups chopped celery 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 12 ounces sliced mushrooms 12 cups dry bread cubes 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 4 1/2 cups chicken broth, or as needed 2 eggs, beaten

Directions:

1.	Melt butter or margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, mushroom, and parsley in butter, stirring frequently.
2.	Spoon cooked vegetables over bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl. Season with poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, marjoram, and salt and pepper. Pour in enough broth to moisten, and mix in eggs. Transfer mixture to slow cooker, and cover.
3.	Cook on High for 45 minutes, then reduce heat to Low, and cook for 4 to 8 hours. **Don't add all the broth at once! Make sure you take the time to mix it thoroughly so that all the liquid gets absorbed. Check and stir your stuffing every hour and add more broth as needed. Many people suggested skipping the "high" cooking period or at least shortening it. If it is still soggy at the end of your cooking time, remove the lid and let it finish cooking and it will help dry it out. A crock pot liner would probably be nice for clean up.

Alternative Side Dish

Barley Pilaf with Chickpeas and Artichoke Hearts
Cooking Light

Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking barley
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tlb commercial pesto
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas (or you can substitute cannellini beans if you wish)
1 Tlb fresh lemon juice
1 Tlb olive oil
1 tsp bottled minced garlic
1 (14 oz) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup (2 oz) pre-shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Combine the first 2 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 3 minutes. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until barely is tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in pesto and chickpeas; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Stir in lemon juice.

While barley cooks, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and artichokes; saute 3 minutes or until lightly browned.

Place 1 cup barley mixture into each of the 4 bowls, and then top each serving with 1/4 cup artichoke mixture. Sprinkle each serving with 2 Tlb of cheese. (I mixed the artichokes in and served it family style with cheese on the side so people could use it as wanted.)

Use Your Zucchini!

Summer Squash Bake
Kraft

prep time: 10 min

total time: 50 min

makes: 8 servings

Ingredients:

2 small Zucchini, thinly sliced

1 small Yellow squash, thinly sliced (Didn't have so I substituted mushrooms)

4 Eggs

1/2 cup MIRACLE WHIP Dressing (I used light Mayo)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1 cup finely Shredded Italian Five Cheese Blend

1 small Onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped green peppers

1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper

Directions:

HEAT oven to 375°F.

HEAT large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Add zucchini and yellow squash; cook and stir 5 min. or until crisp-tender.

BEAT eggs and dressing in large bowl with whisk until well blended. Stir in Parmesan. Add zucchini mixture and all remaining ingredients; mix lightly. Spoon into 8-inch square baking dish. (I covered the top with more of the Italian cheese mix)

BAKE 35 to 40 min. or until center is set and edges are lightly browned. (Mine took more like 45 minutes)

Twist on Potato Casserole

Three-Cheese Baked Gnocchi

Start to Finish: 30 min
Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

15 oz can pumpkin puree (not pie mix)
8 oz container creme fraiche (I substituted Greek yogurt for cost and fat)
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 lb thick-sliced prosciutto, cut into thin strips (substituted chopped bacon)
3 roasted red peppers (jarred), drained and diced (I omitted these, but they would probably be good)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 lbs packaged gnocchi pasta (I found mine at Target in the pasta aisle)
1/2 cup pine nuts, coarsely ground (I substituted chopped walnuts)
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 stick butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Lightly coat a 13x9 inch (3-quart) baking pan with cooking spray.

While the water heats, in a large bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, creme fraiche/yogurt, mozzarella cheese, Cheddar cheese, prosciutto/bacon, roasted red peppers, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

When the water is boiling, add the gnocchi and cook according to package directions (usually just until they float). Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water, then drain the gnocchi.

Return the gnocchi to the pan, then add the cheese mixture. Stir well until everything is thoroughly mixed and the cheese is mostly melted. Stir in the reserved cooking water.

Transfer the gnocchi and sauce to the prepared baking pan, spreading it in an even layer. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the ground pine nuts, breadcrumbs and butter. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs mixture evenly over the gnocchi, then bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

We found this yummy and something different. It would make a great side dish to meat and it's very filling with its starchy pasta and has a nice hint of heat.

Not Your Usual Crockpot Dish

Monterey Spaghetti

Ingredients:

4 ounces spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 can (3 oz) french fried onions

Directions:

Grease crock-pot. Cook spaghetti in boiling water for 5-7 minutes. Drain. In a small bowl, beat egg. Transfer to the crock-pot. Add sour cream, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder. Mix spaghetti, 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, spinach and half of the onions in the crock-pot.

Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. In the last 30 minutes of cooking turn to high if cooking on low and add to top of casserole the remainder of the Monterey Jack cheese and the onions. (I found these time measurements to be way too long, I did high, so if you're not around to watch it, I would suggest more like 4-5 hours on low or 2-3 on high). Serve when cheese is melted. Serves 6-8 (as a side dish)

I served this as our main dish for our family of 2 adults, 3 kids, and ate it with salad, biscuits, fruit, etc. It was filling and delicious with hardly any leftovers.

A Great Side for Soups or any Meal

Braided Bread

(I got this from a ward cooking group)

2 TBS yeast

½ cup warm water

2 cups warm milk (microwave for 2 min)

1 cube (1/2 cup) butter, softened

1- 1½ cups sugar

4 tsp. salt

9 cups flour

4 eggs

Combine yeast and water (add a little sugar) and set aside. Combine milk, sugar, salt and butter and mix together. Add ½ of the flour. Add yeast mixture, eggs, and the other ½ of flour. Knead until satiny. Rise until doubled and braid. Brush with egg and let rise for approx. 1 hour. Grease cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes (may need a little longer). Makes 4 loaves. Can wrap cooked/cooled loaf in saran wrap and foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks.

A Great "Green" Salad Alternative

Bodacious Broccoli Salad All Recipes

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 12

Ingredients:

8 slices bacon 2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped 1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded 1/2 large red onion, chopped (cut back a little) 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/8 cup white sugar 2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup mayonnaise 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1.	Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and crumble.
2.	In a large bowl, combine broccoli, cheese, bacon and onion.
3.	Prepare the dressing in a small bowl by whisking together the red wine vinegar, sugar, pepper, salt, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Combine dressing with salad. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve. I made this for Christmas dinner and really enjoyed it; so did everyone else. It's clean and fresh and the broccoli/bacon combo is wonderful. Even good as leftovers since the raw broccoli stays fairly crunchy unlike lettuce.

Simple Side

Crispy Veggie Fries

Prep Time:

10 min

Total Time:

25 min

Makes:

6 servings

What You Need

1 egg

1 cup mushroom caps, cleaned

1 cup bite-sized broccoli florets

1 cup bite-sized cauliflower pieces

1 pkt. SHAKE 'N BAKE Extra Crispy Seasoned Coating Mix

Make It

PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Beat egg in small bowl. Dip vegetables in egg; (Wisk egg and add a little milk to make it stick better to veggies) shake in coating mix. (I rolled them in a bowl)

PLACE breaded vegetables on lightly greased shallow pan.

BAKE 20 min. or until crisp and golden brown.

We ate them with ranch dressing. We liked the mushrooms the best, but I think zucchini and yams would also be good. The seasoning was a little overpowering for the kids so you could maybe add in some other large breadcrumbs or season your own. Make sure to get the extra crispy shake n bake crumbs

A surprisingly wonderful side dish!

Roasted Cabbage with Simple Balsamic Reduction

Cabbage:

4 cups Chopped red cabbage (in 1-inch pieces)
4 cups Chopped green cabbage (in 1-inch pieces)
2 Tlbs Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Salt
1/ tsp Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Core and chop all cabbage into 1-inch pieces and mix together in a large roasting pan (I used a baking sheet covered with tin foiled, lightly sprayed). Drizzle oil, salt, and pepper over cabbage and toss to mix well.

Roast for about 30 minutes uncovered, stirring once halfway through. Cabbage is done when still crisp-tender and edges begin to carmelize. Remove from oven and drizzle with simple balsamic reduction to taste (or serve along side).

Note: I did not measure the oil, salt, or pepper and probably used a little more than advised.

Balsamic Reduction:

1 1/2 cups Balsamic vinegar
3 Tlbs Brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled (I used minced garlic)

In a small pot, combine vinegar, sugar and garlic. Bring to a moderate boil and boil for 5 minutes to reduce mixture by half. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened (about as thick as pancake syrup). Remove garlic and discard (I skiped this). Serve. Leftovers of reduction can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one week.

(My reduction never quite got that thick, but it was good. As much as I liked it with the reduction, I loved the cabbage on it's own and could have eaten the entire thing!)