Creamy Ranch Slaw

Need a light side dish for summer?

Creamy Ranch Slaw is easy to make, low calorie, and sure to please a crowd!  This slaw is dressed with a lite homemade ranch-style dressing.  The taste is perfect for the salad which has some added crunch with celery and carrots.  A winning combination to the ranch dressing.


It's a perfect side dish for hamburgers, hot dogs, or grilled chicken. I recently served it at a beach picnic with my BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches.  The cool flavor and crunchy texture was just perfect with the sandwich.  In fact, MGG ate 2nds right out of the mason jar!

This is a great salad to take along to a picnic, potluck, or any event.  I packed ours in my favorite Italian canning jars.  I just love them!  They are the perfect size for salads, fruits, or sauces.  I use them often to pack take along foods, being so convenient and leak proof with the lid.  Try them when you need the perfect food carrier.  Just make sure to pack it well and keep it in a cooler, or insulated bag with some freezer packs to keep it cold.

It's best eaten the same day, but will keep in the frig for another day without getting too soggy.  You may lose some of the crunch, but the flavor holds up well.  You can also make this ahead of time and keep the salad and dressing separate until ready to serve.  

Such a great summer side dish, I hope you try this soon.  Simple ingredients that carry a flavor punch...just delishhh!

Creamy Ranch Slaw

Serves 8

½ c light mayo

1/3 c plain low-fat yogurt

1/3 c 2% milk

1 T apple cider vinegar

1 t onion powder

¾ t garlic powder

¼ t salt

¼ t pepper

6 c cabbage, shredded

3 -4 stalks celery, sliced

2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced

3 T fresh parsley, roughly chopped

In a medium bowl, mix together the mayo, yogurt, milk, and vinegar with a whisk until smooth and incorporated.  Add onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, stir until mixed well. 

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, celery, and carrots.  Pour dressing over the vegetables and toss.  Add parsley and toss lightly. 

Note: Fill mason jars with salad for a take along side dish.  Keep cold in a cooler or insulated bag with freezer packs. 




Recipe shared on :  Sunflower Supper Club - weekend potluck

Southern Sundays and BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Welcome to Southern Sundays!

I hope everyone had a wonderful week.  I've been working on a very large project and my hours have been long, long, long.  So when I heard that I was going to get the weekend off I jumped at the chance to do something fun!

MGG and I went on a picnic yesterday.  This is where we ate.

Such a beautiful day at the beach.  This is a beach a little north of us, quiet, and less crowded, this pier was built in the 1800's in anticipation of creating a large shipping port.  The weather was just perfect for a nice picnic.  So I created some great "take along" dishes and off we went!

So today I wanted to share with you our main course, BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches.

These were done with a little help from the store, with a new Root Beer BBQ sauce.   So Yummy!!!

I tend to like the Carolina sauce the best with the vinegary flavor, but sometime I like it a little sweet.  After a taste test at my favorite store (Williams Sonoma) I just had to pick up a bottle of this sauce.  I love root beer...and in this sauce, it is sweet, with a bit of a kick in the back end.  So if you love root beer this sauce may be a winner for you!

To make this quick dish I poached a couple of chicken breasts, toasted up some kaiser rolls, and heated the Root Beer BBQ sauce. (Use your favorite sauce)  Once the chicken was done I just shredded it and put it in the simmering sauce.  Simple, easy to transport with some help from some tin foil and an insulated bag.  That's all there is too it.  A wonderful hearty Super Sandwich!

Look how good this looks!!  Sweet and spicy at the same time.  Soooo good!

I served it with some great side dishes, a Creamy Ranch Slaw, and a Jicama Melon fruit salad.  I'll be sharing those recipes with you this week, along with some of my favorite tote-able dishware.  


BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

serves 2


2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Kaiser rolls
1 bottle of Root Beer BBQ sauce (or your favorite flavor of BBQ sauce)


In a 2 quart sauce pan filled halfway with water, bring water to a boil over high heat.  Add chicken breasts and boil at a slow boil for about 15 minutes.  Chicken will become opaque and white.


Remove chicken and set aside on a cutting board to cool.  Meanwhile, heat oven to "broil".  Split your Kaiser rolls in half and place on a baking sheet.  Toast rolls for about 45 seconds or until golden brown and toasted.  Remove and wrap in foil to keep warm.  


Once chicken is cool enough to touch shred using two forks.  In a medium saucepan add your bottle of BBQ sauce and heat over low heat.  Once it get's bubbly add the shredded chicken and stir to completely coat with sauce.  Cook about 5 minutes until chicken is thoroughly heated through.  


Pack in a storage container if transporting.  Wrap container in tin foil and place in an insulated bag to keep chicken warm.  To serve, divide chicken between the two Kaiser rolls placing on the bottom half of the roll.  Place the top half of roll and serve immediately.

What's your favorite BBQ sauce??

So let's get to the features of last week's party.  I would like to thank everyone for participating.  It's so good to see all your creative food items!  Last week we had a small party, but we had some delishhh entries!

We had two entries that stood out from the crowd.  Different types of food but both are "comfort food".

Congratulations on your featured recipe!

"Best Damn" Short Ribs

by Paula of Call Me PMc

Peach Pie Cookies

by Deana of Country Momma Cooks

I want them both right now!!!

I must eat them...

Congratulations again to you all!  Stop by the creative artist's blog and say "Hi!".  I'm sure they love to hear from you.

So let's party!  I can't wait to see what you all bring this week.  Make sure to tell all your friends so they can join the party as well!

Guidelines:

Please become a follower by joining my site with Google Friends Connect in the right side bar.
Link back to your specific recipe and not to your main site.
Link back to Southern Sundays either in your post, or grab my Southern Sundays Button located in the right side bar.
Please visit a few of the links in the post and say hello to your fellow bloggers!
Enjoy, have fun, cook lots of food, and relish your Southern Sunday!

Santa Fe Stir Fry

I need a 20 minute meal!!

Work is killing me, I'm working very, very late hours.  The other day I was asked to come back in to work and do some work on a project between 11:30pm and 5:00am.  My first thought was "Huh? Are you kidding me???"  So I ran home, took a nap and then was getting ready to go back to work.  Then I get a phone call, and fortunately for me the system bombed and I didn't have to come in.  But here it was 11:30 at night and I was sitting there wide eyed, drumming my fingers wide awake.  Geez!


So there is no doubt with my crazy work schedule that I need a 20 minute meal.


This one is perfect!  Semi-homemade, which helps a gal along in a pinch.  This dish is a stir fry.  Now stir frys are usually associated with Asian cuisine but I thought I'd mess around with the flavors a bit and go southwest on you.  A little help from Uncle Ben's Santa Fe rice make a great addition to the meal.  It's full of corn and black beans, so it really helps you out by having all the mix-ins already in the dish!  The chicken?  well let's just say that it's full of citrus and chili flavoring!


I must say this came out fantastic.  I even gave the recipe to my mom to make, being quick and all.  She LOVED it!

So take if from a work crazed girl...this dinner will be on the table in 20 minutes.  It's hearty and full of southwest flavors.

Hope you enjoy this!


Santa Fe Stir Fry


serves 2


1 chicken breast, skinless and boneless
3 T. Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime Seasoning
2 T canola oil
1 pouch of Uncle Ben's Santa Fe ready rice
Garnish: cilantro


Cut your chicken breast in to 1" pieces.  Place Fiesta Lime seasoning in a pan and coat the chicken with the seasoning.  


In a hot skillet or wok, add canola oil.  Then add your chicken over medium high heat and stir fry until done.  About 5-7  minutes.  In the meantime place rice pouch in the microwave and heat according to the directions on the package.


Serve chicken over the rice. Garnish with cilantro if desired.  Enjoy!

Lemon Scones

I think I did it this time around...I've really gone and done it!

I found my favorite scone.

Why are they my favorite?  Well, it's the texture of these scones that sold me.  They are cake-like, not crumbly.  A lot of scones are kinda crumbly, and sometimes dry.  I tend to like the more moist type of scone.  This one is just perfect, for me anyway.  So if you like a cakey scone you'll LOVE this one.

Sssshhh! There is a secret ingredient.  (It's yogurt)  Yes! lemon yogurt for flavor, moistness, and tang.  No cream in these scones.  So the calories are down.  And with only 3 T. of splenda, or sugar if you prefer, the carbs are down too!  How cool is that!  

Some step by step pics to help you along...

Please do yourself a favor, and your family too, and make these scones.  They are great for breakfast, and perfect with coffee or tea as an afternoon snack.  

Best hot out of the oven, but make sure to get yours first.  You deserve it....and also, cause they will disappear in no time!

Lemon Scones

adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

8 servings

Nonstick cooking spray

1 ¼ c flour

3 T Splenda

2 t baking powder

¼ t baking soda

1/8 t salt

¼ c butter

6 oz carton lemon light yogurt

1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.   Lightly coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until crumbly. In a small bowl, combine yogurt and egg; add all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing dough for 10 strokes. Lightly pat dough into a circle 6 inches in diameter. Cut dough into 8 wedges. Carefully separate wedges; place wedges about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.

Bake about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Serve warm.  

22 g carbs 2 g fiber (1.5 carb count)

Linked to the following parties:  Weekend Potluck

Southern Sundays

Happy Southern Sundays!

Last week's party was fun, fun, fun!  Everyone shared some fantastic dishes.  I would like to thank everyone for participating.  I just love seeing everyone's creativeness in action.


Two entries were the bomb!  I'm happy to feature both of them for you this week.

Congratulations on your featured entry!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

by Winnie of  Something Sweet

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes

by Paula of Call Me PMc

Everyone's lovin' the chocolate!

Congratulations again to you all!  Stop by the creative artist's blog and say "Hi!".  I'm sure they love to hear from you.

So let's party!  I can't wait to see what you all bring this week.

Guidelines:

Please become a follower by joining my site with Google Friends Connect in the right side bar.
Link back to your specific recipe and not to your main site.
Link back to Southern Sundays either in your post, or grab my Southern Sundays Button located in the right side bar.
Please visit a few of the links in the post and say hello to your fellow bloggers!
Enjoy, have fun, cook lots of food, and relish your Southern Sunday!

Grilled Pork Chops with Chilled Bean and Tomato Salad

The weekend is here and company's coming.

Time to brew up a batch of my Orange Iced Tea and break out the grill.

For this alfresco dinner party I'm making pork.  Simply seasoned and grilled.  We at a lot of pan fried, bone-in pork chops in my house growing up.  Simple and delicious with mashed potatoes.  As I got older I discovered think cut boneless pork chops.  I love the low fat tender meat, and use is often in dishes such as my Tuscan Pork Chops.  Recently, I just starting to delve into the thick cut pork loin chops, boneless variety.  I'm not sure what my hesitancy was before, but I must say...they are juicy and tasty when cooked just right!  I use this type of pork chop in this recipe.  It's just perfect for grilling.

To go along with the meat I've made a marinated bean salad that chills in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the meal.  

The meat and this bean salad is such a perfect combination of flavors, that I must say this is a favorite dish.  One that's simple to make, but worthy of company!  I would even go so far as to say that the bean salad should be made on it's own.  It would be a perfect summer side salad for any grilled dish.  To round out the meal you just need some crusty country bread, and a nice mixed green salad.  Dinner is served!

So come on over, pour some iced tea, and join me in a wonderful alfresco dinner!






Grilled Pork Chops with Chilled Bean and Tomato Salad

serves 4

1/3 c red wine vinegar
1/4 t salt
1/4 pepper
3 T olive oil
2 15 oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 c cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 T parsley, chopped
4 1" thick boneless pork loin chops
2 t Italian seasoning
Garnish: parsley

In a medium bowl combine the red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Whisk in olive oil.  Add the beans, tomatoes, and parsley, tossing to combine.  Cover and chill 1 hour.

Heat charcoal or gas grill to medium heat.  Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with salt & pepper and Italian seasoning.  Cook for 5 minutes per side or until desired degree of doneness.  Let stand 5 minutes to rest.  

Stir bean salad and spoon on to a serving platter.  Top with pork chops.  Garnish with parsley if desired.

shared with:
The Weekend Potluck

Fast & Fresh: Strawberry Banana Parfait

Summer heat calls for Fast & Fresh desserts!

When the temperature rises we turn to lighter desserts.  MGG and I love something a little sweet after our dinner on the weekends.  What can I say, it's hard to give up!  Often we have a scoop of ice cream, but during the summer we love to incorporate fresh fruits with our dessert.  Sometimes is just some light angel food cake with a fruit coulis on top.  Fruit gives dessert a fresh sweet taste and a lightness to the dish.


Tonight I made a parfait.  Easy, fast, and fresh!  This is the newest entry in my Fast & Fresh series.  Recipes that are easy to make, keep you out of the heat of the kitchen, and incorporate fresh ingredients.


This parfait is just perfect.  Creamy vanilla pudding nestles among fresh strawberries and bananas.  What a great flavor combination.  The vanilla wafer crumb topping add just that little extra flavor enhancer and a bit of crunch!


For the pudding you could make homemade (but that would involve heat in the kitchen!), or use instant.  Even a pre-made pudding cup would work for this dish and be delishhh!  Feel free to change the pudding flavor as well for a nice variation.  Lemon would work wonderfully.

I hope you enjoy this light dessert, and try it soon.


What is your favorite, easy to make dessert?


Strawberry Banana Parfait


makes 1 parfait


4-5 strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 c vanilla pudding
1/2 small banana, sliced
2 T whipped topping
1 vanilla wafer, crumbled
Garnish: banana slices or strawberry slices


In a small glass or dessert dish place sliced strawberries in the bottom.  Top with the vanilla pudding.  Add banana sliced by placing them vertically along the sides of the glass and on top of the pudding.  Top with whipped topping and vanilla wafer crumbs.  Garnish with banana slices or strawberry slices.

Tuscan Pasta With Tomato Basil Cream

Need to get dinner on the table super quick?

How about in under 20 minutes?  Sounds great huh?

Well I have the dish for you. Everyone loves pasta.  This dish is simple, yet elegant, and good enough for company.  The best part is that you can have this dish on that table in under 20 minutes.  The secret is taking some help from refrigerated pasta, and jarred sauce, and zipping it up a bit with some wine and fresh ingredients.  

I discovered this recipe from Southern Living one day and turned to it (gladly) one night when my work was trying to kill me and I pulled a really late night.  Who wants to cook when you're tired?  So this recipe fit the bill.  To round it out serve it with a wonderful mixed green salad and some crusty bread.  Or, if you are like me, just eat it alone while standing in the kitchen!  

So make sure to give this a try...it's a dish that tastes fabulous, and the kids and hubbies will love it.  All in under 20 minutes!

Can't get much easier than this!

Kitchen Tip:  Ravioli is a perfect item to keep on hand in the freezer.  Freeze raw pasta in the package it came in or transfer it to a freezer bag.  No need to thaw, just pop in boiling water and you are ready for dinner!

Tuscan Pasta With Tomato Basil Cream

adapted from Southern Living

serves 4

1 (20-oz.) package refrigerated spinach and cheese ravioli

1 (16-oz.) jar sun-dried tomato Alfredo sauce

2 tablespoons white wine

2 medium fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 T chopped fresh basil

2 T grated Parmesan cheese

Garnish: fresh basil strips

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, pour Alfredo sauce into a medium saucepan. Pour wine into sauce jar; cover tightly, and shake well. Stir wine mixture into saucepan. Stir in chopped tomatoes and basil, and cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Toss with pasta, and top evenly with  grated Parmesan cheese. Garnish with basil if desired.

Southern Sundays

Happy Southern Sundays!

Welcome to my party! I hope eveyone had a wonderful week.  MGG and I had a "date" night last night.  We dressed up, and went out to Hollywood.  Dinner and a movie was on the agenda, and lot of walking around and people watching!  I love to people watch, don't you?  Especially in Hollywood.  It's full of some really bizarre things.  People of all kinds, locals and tourists.  So much fun!

At dinner I noticed that our restaurant had a extremely large section of dinner salads.  As I was reading all the different types and their ingredients, I thought "wow, I really need to make more fresh main course salad to eat.  Why not?  It's summer time, eating light is great, and the varieties are endless.  Plus it gives me an opportunity to try out some new homemade salad dressings. Sounds great, huh?  Look for some great salads to come in the next week or so!

What's your favorite salad?

On to the party.  Last week we had a great turn out.  There was such a great variety of goodies, I was drooling over each and everyone of them!

Two entries that you all viewed stood out from the crowd.  The exciting part is that both entries are from the same creative soul!  So I'll be featuring both those entires below along with my personal pick for good measure.

Congratulations on your featured entry!

Delishhh!

Chex Lemon Buddies

By The Daily Smash

Oh my!

Popeyes Style Fried Chicken

By The Daily Smash

Yum! My favorite!

Peaches and Cream Ice Cream with Raspberry Coulis

by Roz of La Bella Vita

and

WOW!

Watermelon Shrimp Salad

by Laura at Now Things are Cooking

Congratulations again to you all!  Stop by the creative artist's blog and say "Hi!".  I'm sure they love to hear from you.

So let's party!  I can't wait to see what you all bring this week.

Guidelines:

Please become a follower by joining my site with Google Friends Connect in the right side bar.
Link back to your specific recipe and not to your main site.
Link back to Southern Sundays either in your post, or grab my Southern Sundays Button located in the right side bar.
Please visit a few of the links in the post and say hello to your fellow bloggers!
Enjoy, have fun, cook lots of food, and relish your Southern Sunday!

Strawberry Banana Pancakes

Good Morning Sunshine!

It's time for breakfast!

How about a nourishing breakfast?

Then let's have my Strawberry Banana Pancakes!


How can that be nourishing?  Well I'll tell you.  These pancakes are low in fat, using low fat buttermilk, a moderate 2 carb count per serving, some nice fiber from the oatmeal, and some nice protein.  While they are a healthier version of a pancake, you will never know.  They taste just PERFECT!  As an extra bonus you get to make your own fruit syrup topping.  How fun is that?


This pancake make 8 servings.  That's 2 pancakes per serving that are about 4 inches round.   They are such a tender pancake...light and fluffy.  I just love this batter.


Kitchen tip:  Freeze any leftover pancakes.  You can heat them in the microwave or toaster during the week for a quick breakfast or use them as a base for a snack. 

As you all know I love my breakfast dishes...pancakes are an all time favorite that mom served regularly growing up.  My sister's family has a re-occurring pancake breakfast too!  This is just another variation on a classic dish, and a good one too!


What's your favorite way to serve pancakes?  or do you prefer waffles?


So enjoy a great breakfast this weekend with a serving of Strawberry Banana Pancakes.  The kids will love them too! 

Strawberry Banana Pancakes


serves 8 (2 pancakes each)


3 bananas peeled and sliced
1/2 sliced strawberries
1/4 c sugar-free maple flavored syrup (you can substitute the real stuff if you want!)
2 t lemon juice
1/4 t cinnamon
1 c flour
1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/8 t salt
1 c low-fat buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
1 T canola oil
1 T sugar-free maple flavored syrup (you can substitute the real stuff if you want!)
1 t vanilla


In a small bowl stir together bananas, strawberries, 1/4 cup of syrup, lemon juice, and the cinnamon.  Set aside to use as the topping.


In a large bowl add flour, oats, baking powder and soda, and the salt.  Making a well in the middle add the buttermilk, egg, oil, 1 T of syrup, and the vanilla.  Stir until just moistened.  Let the batter rest for 10 minutes to soften the oats.


On a hot griddle, sprayed with cooking spray, spoon batter forming a 4 inch pancake.  Cook over medium heat until bubbles form on the top of the pancake and bottoms, edges are slightly dry and the bottoms are golden brown. (About 1-2 minutes)  Flip and cook the other side until cooked through and golden brown. (About another minute or so.)  Serve warm topped with the fruit and syrup mixture.

Fast & Fresh: Balsamic Glazed Green Beans

I have a perfect side dish as my newest "Fast & Fresh" entry.

My Balsamic Glazed Green Beans are the perfect seasonal side dish.  They compliment most every dish, and utilize fresh green beans, straight from the farmer's market (or grocery store!).  I recently made them with my Lemon Cilantro Chicken Scaloppini and they were great together.  


The fresh seasonal ingredients, minimal preparation, and quick cooking time qualify these as "Fast & Fresh"!


I adore this side dish, but I'm partial to green beans.  I'm sure that you and your families will enjoy this, and possibly become a favorite of your too!

Tell me, what is your favorite way to use green beans?


Balsamic Glazed Green Beans 


serves 4-6


3/4 lb fresh green beans
1 T. butter
3 T. shallots, minced
2 T. garlic, minced
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper


Blanch 3/4 lb. of fresh green beans in boiling water for 4-5 minutes, until tender crisp.  Remove from water.  While beans are cooking melt 1 T. butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add 3 T. minced shallots and 2 T. of minced garlic.  Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, allowing to thicken slightly.  Add green beans and toss to coat.  Serve.

Lemon Cilantro Chicken Scaloppini

One of the wonderful benefits of living in California is it's unique cuisine.  A blend of fresh foods grown in the state along with a twist of regional flavor.


Such is today's dish.  A prime example of taking a basic, classic chicken scaloppini and incorporating regional flavors to turn it into a new, fresh dish.


Lemon Cilantro Chicken Scaloppini starts by making a basic chicken scaloppini, but adds spice with hot chili flakes, and citrusy flavors with lemon and cilantro.  It's just a beautiful combination of flavors.


This is an easy dish to make, and is perfect for a weeknight meal.  You only need several ingredients and most of which you probably have in your kitchen already.

Come join me in some of the flavors of California that I enjoy so much.


Kitchen Tip:  If you don't want to pound out your chicken breasts, try picking up chicken cutlets, or thin sliced breasts at the market.  They work wonderfully too!

Lemon Cilantro Chicken Scaloppini

serves 4


4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt & pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2/3 cup fat-skimmed chicken broth
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon hot chile flakes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro


Rinse chicken breast and pat dry. Place halves between two sheets of plastic wrap; with a mallet or a rolling pin, gently pound chicken to an even 1/4 inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Place flour in a shallow plate and add chicken turning to coat each side.  Shake off any excess flour.  

Add 4 teaspoons of oil to a large nonstick skillet that been heated over medium high heat.  Place chicken in pan and cook 4- 6 minutes until no longer pink.  Transfer to a platter and keep by tenting with foil.  If you need to cook in batches you can keep the chicken warm in a 200 degree oven.

Add remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil and garlic to hot pan used to cook chicken and stir over high heat until garlic is slightly limp, about 15 seconds. Add chicken broth, lemon peel, lemon juice, and chile flakes to pan.  Stir until mixture is boiling. Boil, stirring occasionally, until juices are slightly reduced, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, then stir in fresh cilantro. Spoon sauce evenly over chicken. 


source: Sunset