Kale Salad

Kale Salad

Kale, rinsed and torn into bite-sized pieces

Dried cranberries

Crisp bacon, 2 or 3 slices

Diced green onions

Parmesan cheese

Pink Lemonade Dressing

Place kale, dried cranberries and diced onions in a large bowl.   Crumble the bacon over the kale.   Pour some of the dressing over and toss until well coated.   Divide into salad bowls and top with the parmesan cheese. 

Very tasty- can add other ingredients like sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, blue cheese, or feta cheese.

White lasagne

White lasagne

8 lasagne noodles 

2 cups diced ham

Fresh asparagus- I had about 10 fairly thick stalks

8 oz fresh mushrooms, baby portabellas if you can

Ragu light Parmesan Alfredo sauce 

1/2 to 1 cup Parmesan cheese 

Clean mushrooms and slice or dice. Place in a large bowl. 

Clean asparagus and cut into 1 inch pieces. Put in the bowl with the mushrooms. 

Cook lasagne noodles according to package directions. Do not drain, but pull out each noodle using tongs and spread on a sheet of wax paper. 

Place the asparagus and mushrooms in the hot pasta water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain. 

Spread a couple tablespoons of the Alfredo sauce in the bottom of an 11 x 7 

casserole. Layer 4 noodles slightly overlapping on the sauce. Spread  1 cup of the ham and about half of the asparagus and mushroom mixture over the noodles. Spoon the Alfredo sauce over and spread a little to distribute the sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 

Repeat layers.  

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave for about 5 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and cheese has melted. 

Shrimp Tacos

Shrimp Tacos

Shrimp (I used frozen jumbo shrimp, thawed and drained well) 

Kraft tangy lime dressing 

Tortillas

Lettuce, shredded 

Diced tomatoes

Diced green onions 

Shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese 

Sauté shrimp in a nonstick skillet. Pour a little of the dressing over the shrimp. Heat and stir until the dressing is absorbed. 

Arrange lettuce, shrimp, tomatoes, onions and cheese on tortilla. Drizzle with a little of the dressing. 

Broiled salmon with avocado cream

Broiled salmon with avocado cream

1 lb salmon filets

1 tsp dill weed

1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning

1 ripe avocado

1/2 tbsp lime juice

1 clove  garlic, minced

1 1/2 tbsp sour cream

Mash the avocado and add the lime juice. Add the garlic and sour cream, stir or whisk until smooth. Set aside. 

Arrange salmon on broiler pan. Sprinkle with the dill, lemon pepper and salt to taste. Broil until the meat flakes with a fork. 

Serve filet topped with a dollop of the avocado cream. 

Orange Rice

Got this recipe from my friend,Joan. 

Orange Rice

3 tbsp margarine or butter

2/3 cup diced celery

3 tbsp diced onion

2 tbsp grated orange rind

1 cup orange juice

1 1/2 cup water 

1 cup raw rice

Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onion and celery in the margarine in a large skillet unto the onion begins to brown. Add the rind, juice and water. Bring to a boil. Stir in the rice. Continue cooking on low, until the rice is cooked and liquid has all been absorbed. 

 10 servings 

Italian cheese ball

This recipe is a modification of theItalian  Cheese Log. 

Mix together 

8 oz fat free cream cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or provel 

1 package dry Itslian dressing mix 

Shape into a ball or place in a bowl and chill. I left the cream cheese out a too temperature and it got very soft so was too messy to shape into a ball so I just put it in a bowl and chilled. 

Serve with snack crackers. 

This is also very good as a sandwich spread. I put some on rye bread and grilled it.  Yummy!  

Lasagne - two recipes

The recipes are similar - just a variation in the ingredients.

Lasagne With Meat Sauce

9 lasagne noodles, cooked al dente 

28 oz can pasta sauce

1 lb meat of choice ( lean ground beef, Italian sausage, ground turkey ) browned and drained 

1 container part skim ricotta cheese

1 egg

1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (divided) 

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp basil

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 

Cook noodles and drain. Toss with a little olive oil to keep from sticking together. I use the No-Boil noodles - but cook them first if I have time. They are a little thicker and sturdier than regular noodles do don't tear as easily once they are cooked 

Mix together the ricotta, 1 cup of mozzarella, and the egg. Set aside. 

Take out a couple spoonfuls of the pasta sauce and spread in the bottom of an 11 x 7 baking dish. Mix the remaining sauce with the meat. 

Place 3 noodles side by side on top of the sauce. 

Spoon about 1/3 of the ricotta mixture onto the noodles and spread out. Don't worry too much about getting a perfect layer. 

Spoon about 1/3 of the remaining sauce over the ricotta layer.  When spreading the sauce it might mix some with the cheese but that's okay. It will all be a big gooey mess of cheese, noodles and sauce anyway. 

Repeat noodles, cheese and sauce layers twice. End with the sauce layer. 

Cover the top with the 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan cheeses. 

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 more until cheese is melted and sauce bubbles. 

Let sit 15 minutes before serving. 

Spinach Lasagne  

9 lasagne noodles cooked al dente 

1 carton ricotta cheese

9 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thaw and drain well 

1 1/2 cup mozzarella

1 egg 

1 tsp Italian seasoning 

1 tsp basil

28 oz can pasta sauce

Drain spinach well and get rid of any excess moisture by placing in a strainer and pressing with a spoon. You don't want watery lasagne. 

Cook noodles and drain, toss with a little olive oil to keep from sticking together. 

Mix ricotta, egg, 1 cup mozzarella and the spinach. 

Place a couple spoonful of sauce in the bottom of an 11 x 7 baking dish. 

Layer 3 noodles over the sauce. 

Spoon about 1/3 ricotta mixture over the noodle layer. 

Spoon sauce over the cheese.  Repeat the layers twice more - noodles, cheese, and sauce. 

Spread 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan over top. 

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 more minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. 

Let stand 15 minutes before cutting and serving.