Not So Tuna Salad

Originally submitted by Christie Pethel

(I usually half it. It makes a lot.)

4 cups soaked almonds. (Cover almonds with water and let soak 8 hours)
5 tablespoons lemon juice
6-8 green onions (minced)
2 Tablespoons dry dill
1 Tablespoon salt
5-7 celery stalks (minced)
2 dashes cayenne pepper (optional)
1 large clove garlic (minced)

Put almonds in food processor until finely chopped. Add the remaining ingredients. It will form into a ball. Everything should be finely minced together. If you don’t have a food processor, crush the nuts down to a coarse crumb and dice all the ingredients up and add to mixture. Serve over sliced tomatoes, crackers, or my favorite; bagels. Use anywhere you would use tuna salad. You can dip with celery, put in wraps, or on bread as a sandwich. It is very addictive.

Authentic Mexican Roasted Salsa

Originally submitted by Janelle Bryner

(Uses all fresh ingredients)

4 – 6 large roma tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
7 – 10 sprigs of cilantro
2 Serrano peppers
1/8 cup or less onion (yellow is best)
salt

Roast tomatoes and Serrano peppers on the stove until softened. They will be burned on their skins. (To roast: put in a frying pan on medium heat with no oil until blackened and soft.) Toss them in a blender. Add the garlic, cilantro, onion and salt and. then blend until the cilantro and garlic are in very small pieces. Sample it and add more of whichever ingredient you would like. Salty chips require less salt in the salsa. The smaller the Serrano pepper the hotter it is. Try it on your eggs.

Broccoli Salad

Originally submitted by Julia Fergusen

1 bunch broccoli cut in pieces
½ cup chopped red onion
1 cup raisins, grapes or craisins
½ cup sunflower seeds, pecans or almonds
4 or 5 slices bacon, crumbled

Dressing:

1 cup mayo
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup vinegar
½ cup sugar

Whole Wheat Muffins

Originally submitted by Anne Ivie

½ cup margarine
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 cup water
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup nuts, if desired

Cream butter and sugar. (Or melt butter and add sugar to it.) Add egg. Add water and flour alternately. Put in greased or paper lined muffin tins. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

Mandarin Nut Tossed Salad

Originally submitted by Shauna Cooke

1 package (16 oz) ready to serve salad greens
1 can (11 oz) mandarin oranges, drained
¾ cup chopped salted peanuts
½ cup to 2/3 cup Italian salad dressing
1 Tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce

In a bowl, combine the salad greens and oranges. Sprinkle with the peanuts. Combine the salad dressing and soy sauce. Drizzle over the salad and toss to coat.

BISTRO CHICKEN TWIST (From Pampered Chef)

1 cup chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup snipped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove
1 packages refrigerated French break dough (I used Rhodes frozen White Bread, defrosted in refrigerator to prevent bread from rising)
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning Mix

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine chopped chicken, diced bell pepper, basil, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic; mix well. Place bread dough, seam side up, on cutting board. Slice each loaf lengthwise, end to end, cutting halfway through to center of loaf; spread open flat. Lightly sprinkle flour evenly over dough. Roll dough crosswise to a 4-inch width, creating a well down center of each loaf.

Spoon half of the chicken mixture down center of each loaf. Gather up edges over filling, pinching firmly to seal. Place loaf, seam sides down, in an "X" pattern on your baking sheet. Crisscross ends of dough to form a large figure "8", keeping ends of dough 1-inch from end of baking sheet.

Combine egg white and seasoning mix; lightly brush over dough. Cut a 3-inch slit in each of the top sections of the twist to reveal filling. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese over loaf. Bake 30-32 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings.

DIJON HAM AND CHEESE TWIST

4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 pkg yeast
1 cup water
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cup chopped cooked ham
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup chopped dill pickle (or pickle relish)
1 egg

Set aside 1 cup flour. Mix remaining flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Heat water, mustard, and butter to 125 to 130 degrees F. Stir into flour mixture. Mix in enough reserved flour to make soft dough. Knead 4 minutes.

On greased baking sheet, roll dough to 14x12 in. Sprinkle ham, cheese, and pickles down center 3rd dough lengthwise. Make cuts from filling to dough edges at 1-inch intervals along sides of filling. Bring strips from opposite sides of filling together. Twist and place ends at an angle across filling; cover. Place large shallow pan with boiling water. Place baking sheet over pan; let dough rise 15 minutes. Brush loaf with egg. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.