My beautiful friend, Cheryl, brought this incredibly addictive salad slash dip to our party the other night.  She carried it in a BIG ol'bowl.  I thought she might have gone overboard and made too much.  It turned out, she knew exactly how much to make.   We couldn't get enough of this tangy sweet collage of goodness.  We walked past it dipping our chips all night long.  And when it was time to eat our grilled fajitas, we went back to the bowl to make it a condiment. I was lucky there was just enough leftover that I could photograph it in good light the next day.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 (14 oz.) can shoe peg corn with liquid
• 1 (14 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14 oz.) can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 small jar diced pimentos with liquid
• 2 bell peppers, red, green, yellow or mix, cored, seeded, medium diced
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 cup celery, finely diced (optional)
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded, finely diced

Mix all the vegetables in a large bowl.

• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

In small saucepan over medium heat, bring remaining ingredients to a boil.  Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to coat evenly.  Marinade in the fridge 4 hours or overnight.

Serve with tortilla chips as a dip.  Most scrumptious as a condiment with fajitas or as a side salad

Makes 10 cups.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

I lurv asparagus right up there with spinach.  Don't you?  I have eaten it snapped off fresh, coming out of the ground.  Of course, I prefer it sauteed in good extra virgin oil with a few cloves of garlic and seasoned with fresh ground pepper.  *mouth watering*

HERES ALL IT TAKES

• 1 bunch asparagus
• 2 to 3 large garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt & fresh pepper to taste

Prep asparagus by snapping off the thick ends.  Just bend the bottom stalk and it will naturally snap off, discard thick ends.  Wash thoroughly.  Peel and slice garlic cloves.

Heat oil in a medium fry pan on medium heat until oil is shimmering but not smoking.  Add asparagus and garlic and cook until garlic has soften and lightly tan, 4 to 6 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, then serve hot.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

This cheesy broccoli and rice recipe was a BIG HIT with the family.  It made a perfect side to a batch of crispy, chicken.  It, also, made a filling vegetarian lunch the next day.  I thought it was even better the next day.
Broccoli rice recipes I've tried in the past left me with overcooked broccoli and dried out rice.  I like my broccoli to have a bite and I want the rice to blend with the creamy cheese sauce that holds it all together.

Well, I was so impressed with the creaminess of the Smoked Gouda and Cheddar Mac with Spinach recipe, I thought I'd follow it again to make my own creamy, cheesy broccoli rice recipe. The results yielded a dish full of broccoli goodness and soul satisfying creaminess.

Precooking the long grain rice gave me control to have a moist, fluffy and flavorful rice.  Blanching the broccoli ensured I would have the right bite to my vegetable.  Then baking it off in the oven for 20 minutes brought all the ingredients together under a topping of sharp cheddar cheese.  Mmmmm...

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

First, fill a large saucepan with water, set to boil over medium-high heat for blanching the broccoli.
Then, get the rice started.

• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons oil
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 2 cups hot water

In a medium saucepan, lightly brown rice and sliced garlic in oil for 3 to 5 minutes on medium heat; constantly stirring.  Add hot water, stir; cover with lid.  Reduce heat to low and cook 12 minutes, or until water is absorbed.

PREHEAT OVEN 400ºF. Grease 8 x 8 x 2-inch pan.

While you're waiting for the rice to absorb the water,
blanch the broccoli.

• 3 small to medium crowns of broccoli, cut into 2 to 3-inch pieces

Blanch 4 minutes in boiling water.  Use a slotted spoon to lift out broccoli to a strainer set over a bowl to drain.  Allow broccoli to cool enough to handle.  Roughly chop into small pieces about 3/4 to 1-inch in size. Transfer to large mixing bowl.

Bring it all together.

• 2 1/2 cups cooked rice from above
• 1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 cup Monterrey jack cheese, grated
• 1 (12 ounce) can CARNATION Evaporated Milk
• 2 tablespoons  yellow onion, finely diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Measure out the rice. (You'll have leftover rice.)

In the mixing bowl with the broccoli, add measured rice, 1 cup cheddar, all the jack cheese, evaporated milk, onion, salt and pepper.  Transfer to 8-inch pan.  Top with remaining cheddar.
Bake 20 minutes.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

This recipe has been sponsored by the cool crowd over at One2One Network in partnership with Nestle Carnation The Cooking Milk.

Can I just tell you this is the CREAMIEST potato recipe I have ever made? When Cassie from One2One Network asked me to make two recipes using Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk in place of regular milk, I didn't think it would make much of a difference.  I was wrong.  It made a WORLD of difference to the texture of the recipes.  All my years growing up, watching my Memaw add Carnation cooking milk to her recipes, I never put the two together.  It was the secret ingredient that wasn't really a secret at all.  Memaw knew; she kept several cans of cooking milk in her pantry year round.

We, generally, think of using cooking milk in holiday recipes, more specifically, dessert recipes.  Pumpkin Pie is the first recipe that comes to mind for me.  But after thumbing through the Nestle Carnation Holiday Recipe Booklet, I was up to trying this recipe, Loaded Potato Potluck Favorite.  I knew my family would dig it.  Who doesn't love mashed potatoes with cheddar cheese and bacon bits? What I didn't expect was the incredibly creamy texture.  It was what I've always wanted my mashed potatoes to taste like, but never did.  I knew right away it was because I used the cooking milk instead of regular milk.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 8 medium potatoes (about 2 1/2 to 3 lb. total), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 cup CARNATION Evaporated Milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2 cups (8-oz. pkg.) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled, divided
• Sliced green onions (optional)

Place potatoes in large saucepan.  Cover with water; bring to a boil.  Cook over medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender; drain.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Grease 3-quart casserole dish.

Return potatoes to saucepan; add evaporated milk, sour cream, salt and pepper.  Beat with hand held mixer or mash by hand until smooth.  Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese and half of bacon.  Spoon mixture into prepared casserole dish.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through.  Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese, remaining bacon and green onions.  Bake for an additional 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Makes 16 servings.

COOK'S TIP
This casserole can be assembled ahead of time and refrigerated.  Cover with foil and bake at 350ºF for 40 to 45 minutes or until heated.  Uncover; top with cheese, bacon and green onions; bake for an additional 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

EXTRA BONUS!
Download your own free copy of the CARNATION-Holiday Guide
for more savory dishes like this one.
Click here: CARNATION - Holiday Guide.pdf

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Simple and quick recipes are always my first choice when throwing together a hot lunch.  My family would eat nachos everyday, if I'd let them. They're similar to salads really, minus the greens.  We can throw just about any vegetable, legume, meat, fruit, salsa, and of course, wonderful cheese on top of a bed a chips.  Slide'em into the oven for less than 10-minutes and then we're ready to chow down.  Any combination of our favorite toppings always seems to work out into a fun & filling lunch.

Better still, making nachos is a great way to clean out the frig of all those half-cut bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, etc.  Leftover grilled meats, cuts of cheese that are too small for a recipe, fresh herbs on their last day can be used to make fabulous nachos.

HERE'S A GOOD COMBINATION

• green bell pepper. diced small
• red bell pepper, diced small
• yellow onion, sliced thin
• tomato, seeded, diced small
• black beans, drained and rinsed
• fresh cilantro
• Monterey cheese, grated
• Cheddar cheese, grated
• Habanero Cheese, grated
• tortilla chips
• sour cream for dipping
• your favorite salsa for dipping

Heat oven to 375ºF. Use a cookie sheet lined with foil for easy cleanup, or not.  Make a layer of chips on the sheet.   Arrange the toppings as you like them.  Cover lightly with grated cheeses.  Bake 7 to 10 minutes.

mmm...hot, veggie nachos

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Mustard greens have a stronger flavor compared to, let say, spinach and collard greens.  It's described as pungent and bitter with a dominating mustardy flavor.  However, cooked with other vegetables, mustard greens lend a zippy mustard taste that can pick up the flavor of blander vegetables or greens.  Mustard greens are the source of the spicy seeds used to make mustard.

Mustard greens work well with beans, mushrooms, carrots, corn, sweet potatoes and leeks.  Cooked mustard greens mellow and add a hint of spiciness to soups, gumbos, and stews.  It takes well to stir-frying and sauteing with other vegetables.  Adding small amounts of water during cooking helps create enough steam to soften the mustard greens.  Straight up steaming mustard greens only increases their bitter tastes.

• Pick a bunch of mustard greens with uniformly colored green leaves without any yellowed or dry leaves.
• Mustard greens yellow and dry out rather quickly in the frig.  They are best used within 1 or 2 days.
• Wash mustard greens by filling your sink with cold water, then plunging them until free of soil.  Lift greens out of water to a colander, and check bottom of bowl.  If there is any sand or dirt, discard the water and repeat the process.  Strip or cut the leaves from the stalks.  To chop, stack 4 to 5 leaves on top of each other and roll into a fat jelly roll shape.  Using a large sharp knife, slice crosswise into strips.

MUSTARD GREENS, MUSHROOMS and YELLOW PEPPER

• 1 pound mustard greens
• 2 tablespoons oil or bacon drippings
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 pint white button mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 2 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 small yellow pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into small dice
• 1 or 2 sliced pepperoncini peppers, totally optional
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Wash greens and strip leaves from stalks. Discard the stalks.  Chop leaves into 1/2-inch strips.  Slice onion, mushrooms, mince garlic cloves and dice yellow pepper.

Using a large skillet or stockpot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions and mushrooms and saute for 10 minutes, until soft and golden.  Add garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes longer.

Turn heat to medium high, and stir in mustard greens.  Add the water, cover and cook for 4 minutes.  Stir in yellow pepper and pepperoncini peppers, cover and cook 4 more minutes, stirring several times to cook greens evenly.  Season with salt and serve hot.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Grilled fresh zucchini can be eaten alone, on the side, or my favorite way, as a topping on grilled pizza.  It can be prepared ahead and eaten at room temperature or hot from the grill.  Anyway you slice it, it's takes about 10 minutes to cook on a gas grill and it's super easy to prepare.  (Yellow Squash can be grilled the very same way.)

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

To keep this quick and simple, use a gas grill set to high heat (450ºF) or a grill pan over medium high heat.

• 2 to 3 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 2 tablespoons oil
• salt & fresh ground pepper

On a cookie sheet or shallow dish, drizzle oil over zucchini to coat both sides.  Season to taste with the salt and pepper.

Arrange the zucchini on the hot grill grate and grill until nicely browned on both sides, 4 to 6 minutes per side.  Transfer to a  plate or platter.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Okra is in season around these parts of Texas.  The most common okra recipes involve frying it up.  And while I love the salty crunch of good fried okra, it's not my favorite favorite.  Okra cooked with stewed tomatoes and onions is what I crave this time of year.  My Memaw called it 'Okra Gumbo'.  Is that what you call this too?

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 pint fresh okra, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Add all the ingredients to a medium sauce pan, cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until onions are soften and okra is tender.

Serve hot on the side!

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Cheesey Zucchini and Squash goes WAY BACK for me.  I started eating it as a filling with pita bread, back in the days when I lived single and poor in Fort Worth.  I would eat cheesey zucchini & squash when I grew tired of egg salad sandwiches.  Those two recipes kept me going.

Today, I eat it as a side dish.  I'll either make it spicy with green chilies or mild with thin slivers of onion.  It's very good with jalapeno jack cheese when I don't have green chilies on hand.

SO HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 small green zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 small yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 thin slice of yellow or purple onion
• 1 tablespoon mild green chilies, optional
• 2 ounces Monterey Jack or Jalapeno Jack cheese, shredded

Place the cut zucchini, squash and onion in a medium sized, microwaveable bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap or a saucer.  Microwave on high for up to 2 minutes.  VERY CAREFULLY, remove cover.  Add green chilies and shredded cheese.  Return to microwave uncovered, heat for up to 30 seconds until cheese is melted.  Allow to cool a minute or two before serving.

This makes a small serving for two or a healthy heap for one.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

You can't go wrong with this fresh and simple recipe.  Roasted vegetables make an excellent filling for quesadillas whenever you need to throw together an appetizer for guests, a light lunch for yourself, or a quick recipe for a large, hungry crowd of Main Street Farmers' Market Fans.  The kids down at market wanted to gobble them up.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED

• 20 homemade flour tortillas or store bought
• 2 (8 ounce) blocks Smoked Colby Cheese, grated
• 2 Cubenelle Peppers
• 2 Golden Zucchini
• 2 jalapenos
• 1 large green zucchini
• 1 large yellow onion
• olive oil
• salt & freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 425ºF.

Chop the golden and green zucchini, cubenelle pepper and onion into all the same size one-half inch pieces.  Remove the seeds from the jalapenos and mince.  Place all the vegetables on a large sheet pan, drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  Flatten out vegetables on pan so they cook evenly.   BAKE 25 to 35 minutes, until zucchini are tender but not mushy.  Transfer to a bowl for your quesadilla assembly line.

While the vegetables are roasting, grate the cheese with a hand grater or a food processor. Set aside.

Time for assembling.  Heat a griddle pan over medium high heat.  Start with the flour tortilla, on one half of the tortilla add about 2 tablespoons of grated cheese, 3 to 4 tablespoons roasted vegetables, another tablespoon of cheese.  Fold tortilla in half and cook one minute on each side, until tortillas is crispy and golden.  Remove from pan and allow cheese to cool for a minute before cutting into servings.

YOU'RE READY TO EAT!

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.