Zucchini Bread

1 1/2 cups Sugar
3 eggs
2 cups raw zucchini or yellow squash (use food processor)
3 tsp vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour or wheat flour (if using wheat flour, use about 1/4 cup more zucchini)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup nuts (optional)
1/2 raisins or dates (optional)

Preheat oven at 350. Mix all ingredients. Grease loaf pan. Pour into loaf pan (8x4 or 9x5). Fill pan about 2/3 full. Bake in oven for 45 minutes. This bread freezes wonderfully! This recipe is very very moist and YUMMY!

Picadillo (Cuban Meat Sauce)

1 lb. lean ground meat
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (I use the chopped kind sold in jar)
1/3 cup chopped green olives
1/4 cup raisins
1 can diced tomatoes with juices
1/2 cup white wine
salt/pepper to taste

Brown meat in large skillet and drain. Add onions, green pepper, and garlic; continue to brown with meat. Once meat is well browned, add olives, raisins, wine, tomatoes and salt/pepper. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. (You can always add more white wine, olives, raisins, etc. to suit your tastes....I'm not big on measuring so I just throw in whatever.)

Cheese and Tamale Pie

Cheese and Tamale Pie

1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup salsa
1 (15.5 oz) can pinto beans, drained
1 (14.5 oz) can diced chili-style or regular tomatoes, drained
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups (8 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (reduced-fat), divided

1 1/3 cups self-rising yellow cornmeal mix
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook first 3 ingredients in a large skillet, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Return meat mixture to pan; stir in salsa, beans, tomatoes, and salt. Simmer 5 mins. Stir in cilantro. Spoon mixture into greased 11x7 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese.
2. Whisk together cornmeal, milk and egg in medium bowl. Stir in remaining 1 cup cheese. Spread batter over beef mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 mins or until cornbread is lightly browned. Cool completely. Cover tightly with aluminum foil; freeze up to 3 months.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from freezer; discard foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until thoroughly heated.

To serve without freezing: Prepare recipe through Step 2, omitting covering and freezing procedure.
To thaw and bake: Thaw casserole overnight in refrigerator. Uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 mins or until thoroughly heated.

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

This is another of Ellie Krieger's recipes from her book The Food You Crave. It is really one of the best soups I've had in a while.

4 teaspoons olive oil
8 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into small chunks
Pinch of salt, plus more to taste
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 stalks of celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup orzo, preferably whole-wheat
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt. add it to the pot, and cook, stirring a few times, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a dish and set a side.

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pot. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and thyme and cook, stirring over medium-high heat until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of broth and bring to a boil. Add orzo and let simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Turn the heat down to low to keep the soup hot but not boiling.

Warm the remaining 1 cup of broth in a small saucepan until hot but not boiling. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually whisk the lemon juice into the eggs. Then add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking all the while. Add the mixture to the soup, stirring well until the soup is thickened. Do not let the soup come to a boil. Add the cooked chicken to the soup. Season with the salt and pepper and serve.

Serves 4, serving size 1 1/2 cups. Calories per serving 280. Total fat 10g; mono 6g; poly 1g; sat 2g. Protein 26g. Carb 22g. Fiber 2g. Chol 39mg. Sodium 291mg.
From Hilary.

Mini burgers and couscous salad

Mini Burgers
1 to 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (you could also use lamb or turkey)
salt
pepper
1tbsp. cumin
1tsp. cinnamon

Mix together, form small bugers, and brown in pan with 1tsp. olive oil



Couscous salad

1 box instant couscous( I used the whole wheat kind), make per box directions
1 seedless cucumber chopped
4 Roma tomatoes chopped and seeded
1 garlic clove(finely chopped)
salt
pepper
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp. olive oil

Mix together and serve with mini bugers on the side.

I really liked this recipe, it was easy to make and the kids liked the burgers since they were their size.

Green Chile Broiled Tilapia

I'm posting this in case some of you may not have got the email I sent earlier.

6 (6 oz.) tilapia fillets
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chiles
2 TBsp. ketchup
1 TBsp. olive oil
1 tsp. grated lime rind
1 TBsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. hot sauce

Lime wedges
1. Preheat broiler. Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper. Arrange fillets on a lightly greased rack in a broiler pan.
2. Stir together green chiles and next 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Spoon about half of mixture evenly over fillets, spreading to edges.
3. Broil 5 inches from heat 10 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork. Serve fish with remaining green chile mixture and lime wedges.

Makes 6 servings