Cindy's Tabouli

My Aunt Cindy made this last week's for my cousin's baby shower. It was a huge hit! It is the perfect summer salad!

1 cup bulgar wheat (look for it in the International aisle)
1 cup boiling water
2 large carrots, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced
1 medium cucumber, diced
3 medium tomatoes, diced
1 cup parsley, chopped
1 cup green onions, sliced
1/4 cup mint leaves
feta cheese (optional)

Dressing:
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Put bulgar wheat in a large mixing bowl and pour boiling water over it. Let it stand for 10 minutes, then stir gently. Mix together dressing and pour over bulgar wheat. Add remaining ingredients annd toss gently to mix. Cover the salad and refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.

Cheesy Potatoes

Is there anything better, really? I don't think so. This recipe is tried and true. I've seen lots of different variations of it, most of which include melted butter in with the cheese mixture. I've made it that way before, but honestly, this recipe does not need any extra fat to taste good. It's got plenty even with my lower-fat version. :o) I use bread crumbs instead of corn flakes because I always have them on hand. So, here's how I roll:

-2 lbs frozen hash brown potatoes
-2 cups 2% cheddar cheese, shredded
-2 cans 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
-1 cup low fat sour cream
-1/2 small onion, chopped
-salt & pepper to taste
-2 tbsp butter, melted
-1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425. Mix cheese, soup, sour cream, onion, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Add frozen potatoes; mix well. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and add potatoes. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Toss melted butter together with seasoned bread crumbs and add to top of potatoes. Bake an additional 10 minutes until bread crumbs are browned and cheese is bubbly.

*I have to give a shoutout to my friend, Tonya, for inspiring me to make this tonight. She was serving cheesy potatoes with ham for her family tonight and upon hearing that, I had to make this for dinner. :o)

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

A few years ago, my friend Abby brought this into the Governor's office with tortilla chips and I've been making it every spring/summer since. Hallie makes a similar version and serves it as a side dish. It is also great on top of grilled chicken or fish. Really, you could put whatever vegetables you like in it. It's a lot of chopping, but very worth it in the end. This salsa is also always better the second day.

-1 can of yellow corn, drained (I guess you could use frozen)

-1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

-1 red pepper, diced fine

-1 orange pepper, diced fine

-2 or 3 jalapenos, diced fine (leave the seeds if you want some heat)

-1 small red onion, diced fine

-1 pkg cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters or halves

-1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

-juice of 1 or 2 limes

-salt and pepper to taste

Dice everything and combine in a large bowl. Chill and serve. This feeds and army! I have also started zesting the limes and adding that as well. YUM!

Pink Cloud

This is my sister's recipe. Ellie loves it, of course! Makes a great breakfast or snack.

1 (15 oz) can crushed pineapple
1 pkg strawberry Jell-O (I use sugar free)
1 (16 oz) container low-fat cottage cheese
1 (8oz) container Cool Whip (use regular, it makes all the difference. Fat free, Lite and Sugar Free could make it runny.)

In a small saucepan, mix pineapple and Jell-O powder together. Bring to a rolling boil. Turn off heat and allow to come to room temp. Stir in cottage cheese. Gently fold in Cool Whip and refrigerate for several hours before serving.

*Tip: Once the pineapple mixture cools, I thoroughly drain every bit of the juice off. I also drain the cottage cheese as much as possible before stirring it in to the pineapple mixutre. I find doing this makes the texture really fluffy. Otherwise it could get a little runny.

Hallie's Salad Dressings

My sister-in-law, Hallie, makes the most delicious salads all year round. I always feel so healthy after I eat one. She always makes organic spinach salads with loads of healthy ingredients, including every color bell pepper you can imagine, red and green onion, apples, beets, fresh cilantro (always a must with Hallie and me), pomegranate seeds, and sunflower seeds or dry roasted peanuts. One of these babies and you're good on vitamins for the day. The veggies are great, but her dressings are really what make the salads.

Mexican Lime Vinaigrette

• Juice of one lime
• Large pinch paprika
• Large pinch cumin
• Large pinch sugar
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Dash white vinegar

Curry Vinaigrette

• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp dry mustard

The curry dressing is wonderful over a spinach salad with red apples, raisins and roasted peanuts.

PS - Thanks to Hallie, my new obsession is pomegranate seeds. They are delicious and Ellie loves to snack on them. That makes me happy because they are chock full of antioxidents and vitamins. Hallie shared a tip for cutting up pomegranates that really works wonders. Cut both ends off the pomegranate and then score it (cut four slices through the pith, without cutting into the fruit). Submerge the pomegranate in a large bowl of water and start to peel it, as you would an orange. Soon, the pith will rise to the top while the seeds fall to the bottom.

Stir-Fried Veggies

I use this recipe with just about any fresh vegetable and it's always a perfect side dish. Green beans, peppers... Last night it was sugar snap peas. I don't have measurements because I just eyeball everything with these. YUM!

Couple handfuls of fresh veggies (or a few bell peppers, whatever!)
olive oil
minced garlic
soy sauce
slivered almonds

Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Add olive oil; just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Toss in veggies and keep them moving. When they are just heated through but still crisp, add soy sauce and garlic. Stir fry for a few minutes so the flavors absorb. Add slivered almonds and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

The vegetables will be crispy and really flavorful. YUMMY!

Jalapeno Jack Corn Muffins

I love corn bread and I love messing with it. Sometimes I add black olives, black beans, jalapenos, cheese... whatever. This recipe is one of my favorites. I'm making another big batch of Shana's Turkey Chili this weekend, and these will be a perfect side.

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup buttermilk (I usually use sour cream instead)

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 12 one-inch cubes

Heat oven to 425. Line 12 muffin cups with paper baking cups or spray tin. In medium bowl, combine milk, buttermilk, butter, and egg; blend well.

In large bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix well. Push dry ingredients to sides of bowl to form well in center.

Add milk mixture; stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups. Press cheese cube into center of each.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Mom's Corn Casserole

I know I just posted a recipe for a Corn Bake, but I wanted to share this one as well. My mom made this to go with our Thanksgiving dinner. It was so delicious - I'll be making it often as a side. It also got the thumbs up from my always-hungry baby girl, who had never eaten corn until Thanksgiving. Yum, I hope you try this.

1 (15 oz) can creamed corn

1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn

1/4 pound butter, melted

1 (8.5 oz) package corn bread mix (Mom uses Jiffy)

1 (8 oz) container sour cream

Preheat oven to 350. Mix creamed corn, kernel corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream and butter. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes.

Sweet Potato Casserole

I found this recipe online in my search for some Thanksgiving side dishes. I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of sweet potatoes, but this dish was so delicious that I devoured it down. I made a couple of modifications when making this. You cannot go wrong with these sweet potatoes.

3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup evaporated milk or half and half
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Mix together sweet potatoes, sugar, 1/2 cup butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Spread into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Mix together 1/3 cup melted butter or margarine, pecans, brown sugar, and flour. Spoon on top of sweet potato mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Corn Bake

This is my sister's recipe that she got from a friend years ago. It's become quite the family favorite and is an excellent and unique side dish with just about anything. Easy, too. Enjoy!

1 can creamed corn; do not drain

1 can regular corn; do not drain

1 cup uncooked macaroni

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon grated onion

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a 13x9 greased casserole dish. Cook covered for one hour.

Baked Beans

These might sound weird, especially with the pineapple, but they're a hit every time. They're kind of sweet and sour with a little kick. I served them for the first time at Ellie's Baptism celebration, and since then they've shown up at our family parties no matter who is hosting. We just had them at my brother-in-law's 40th birthday party. I saw this recipe on Paula Deen's show (Tammy!) and on the Food Network Web site it has rave reviews.

4 (16-ounce) cans baked beans (I drain these part way, my sister doesn't)

1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup molasses

1 cup BBQ sauce

2 tablespoon yellow or brown mustard (I use spicy ground mustard)

5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

1 (6-ounce) can french-fried onions, crushed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, mix together beans, pineapple, molasses, BBQ sauce, mustard, bacon, and a third of the onions. Add some salt and pepper, to taste. Pour beans in 9 by 13-inch casserole dish and sprinkle remaining crushed onions and bacon on top. Cook in oven for 1 hour or until beans brown and bubble. Serve warm.

I've also done these in the crockpot all day and they're wonderful. YUM!