Another Cucumber Salad Recipe

SPICY ENGLISH CUCUMBERS, makes 3 cups

2 English cucumbers, washed (I used Japanese cuc's from the shared garden)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1 T dry mustard (or to taste)
1 t prepared horseradish (or to taste - I like more)
1 T chopped fresh dill

Cut cuc’s crosswise into 1/8" thick slices (sometimes I dice them), then toss with kosher salt in a bowl and let stand 15 minutes. Rinse and drain cucumbers and dry. Whisk remaining ingredients together, stir in cuc’s, and let stand at least 5 minutes.

Note: This gets spicier the longer it sits in the fridge

Truckee Farmer's Market

Tuesday morning Jen, the kids and David and I headed over to the once a week Farmer's Market in Truckee. Wonderful breads - bought a delicious loaf of multigrain with flax seed bread. Also whole wheat individual pizza crusts with the sauce. We are trying those in the next few days.

There were market baskets from Africa for sale that the proceeds benefited the farmer's market. I love the round ones but found it bit uncomfortable against my leg when carrying it. I sure do like the look of them.

I opted for this one which is is flat against me leg when carrying it.

It's not only great for use at farmer's markets but also to put the vegetables I pick at our shared garden. I am very happy with this market bag.

I made up a few different types of cucumber salads yesterday using the Japanese cuc's from the garden. This one is Cucumber Salad with Spicy Wasabi Dressing.

1-1/2 teaspoons dry wasabi (or to taste)

2 cucumbers

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar (I use Splenda)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon black or toasted white sesame seeds

Mix the wasabi with 1/2 teaspoon warm water in the bottom of a mixing bowl and let it stand for 5 minutes.

Peel the cucumbers, cut each one in half lengthwise, and use a melon baller or spoon to scoop out the seeds. Cut the cucumbers width-wise into 1/4-inch crescents.

Add the vinegar and sugar to the wasabi and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the sesame oil, salt and pepper. Just before serving, add the cucumbers, scallions and sesame seeds to the dressing and mix well.

Note: I like more dressing then the recipe calls for so I usually make double and sometimes add in a bit more cucumber.

BBQ Baked Beans

I made these for the first time to serve at our summer party this past weekend. They came out good and were well received. The recipe is a keeper. This is actually a recipe form Famous Dave's that I received with my last shipment I ordered from the of their BBQ sauces and rubs. I ate there with my brother Ron and Deb in Omaha when we were back there a few years ago and we became fans of the taste of their sauces and grilling rubs. This recipe uses one of the their BBQ sauces, but you could use your favorite as well, though the taste will of course be different.

Grill or fry until blackened 8 oz. of mild smoked sausages. (The ones I bought said mild but have a kick to them which was good in this recipe) You can also smoke them again on your grill which I did not do. Once cooked, cut each sausage lengthwise and then in quarters. Then cut quarters into slices. Set aside.

You'll need 1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper and 1 cup chopped onion, 1 (28 oz) can baked beans, and 1 bottle (20 oz) of Famous Dave's Rich and Sassy BBQ Sauce.

Saute peppers and onions just until onions are slightly softened. Add sliced sausages, beans and BBQ sauce. Stir to blend. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. These are better made 10 hours to 2 days ahead of time. Cover and place in fridge for the flavors to meld well. This is a must. The taste really does improve. Enjoy at your next BBQ.

Pesto Chicken Packets

Made these the other night for dinner and they were delicious. This entree is on our menu rotation now.

To make two entrees: Slice 1 zucchini, chop 2 Roma tomatoes and clean 4 to 8 green onions, saving the white and mostly pale green parts for the recipe.

Cut heavy duty foil into 12 to 15 inch long pieces. One per entree. Drizzle a a little EVOO on the center of each piece of foil and place a boneless, skinless chicken breast on each. Spread each breast with a tablespoon of pesto. Pile the half of each veggie on each chicken breast, starting with zucchini and ending with green onions.

Spread another 2 to 3 tablespoons of pesto on top of each one. Bring foil up and seal top then sides to make a leak proof packet. Place packets on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 355 degree F oven for about 35 to 40 minutes. (You can also cook these on your grill using indirect method, grill preheated to medium. Close grill when cooking for about 25 minutes.

When finished cooking, carefully open each packet. There is a lot of steam, be careful. It created lovely juice when cooking. I removed from packets and served a top steamed brown rice. Buon Appetito!

Low-Fat Chicken, Leek, and Mushroom Casserole

This isn't like your mother used to make! This casserole has great fresh flavor and no added fat. This is a recipe I adapted by Martha Stewart. She cut out the use of high fat and sodium canned soups. Go Martha! I just cut back on the use of olive oil in the recipe and used 1% milk instead of whole milk.

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 large)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons EVOO (Martha's recipe 5 tablespoons)
1 leek, white and pale green parts only, coarsely chopped and rinsed well
1 celery stalk, cut into 1/2-inch dice
10 ounces crimini mushrooms, halved if large (I used a 10 oz bag of thickly sliced)
3 tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons sherry
2 1/4 cups store-bought low-sodium and 98% fat free chicken broth
3/4 cup 1% milk (Martha uses whole milk)
1 dried bay leaf
8 slices dense multigrain bread, crusts removed, slices cut into triangles
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 ounce)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season chicken with salt and peeper on both sides. Heat 1 teaspoon (2 T) oil in saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until golden brown on 1 side, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip, reduce heat to medium, and cook until cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a plate, and return pan, with drippings, to medium heat.

Heat remaining 1 teaspoon (3T) oil in pan. Add leek, celery, mushrooms, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden brown and tender, 8 to 10 minutes. (Reduce heat if vegetables brown to quickly.) Stir in flour, and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add sherry, stock, milk, and bay leaf, and cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf.

I was watching President Obama's speech at the Democratic retreat while cooking last night

Arrange bread on bottom of a 2-quart oval baking dish (I sprayed with nonstick cooking spray first), overlapping slices slightly. spoon half of the vegetables and sauce over bread. Slice chicken crosswise ,1/2-inch thick, and arrange on bread. Top with any accumulated juices from chicken. Spread remaining vegetables and sauce over chicken, sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan cheese, and bake until golden brown and bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Note" The hearty multigrain bread works best in this casserole. It will maintain its texture unlike a softer white-bread loaf, which may become gummy. The bread beautifully absorbs the flavors of the chicken, pan juices, and fresh crimini.

Enjoy with no guilt!

Light Spinach and Mushroom Strata

Before I cooked dinner last night I tossed together a healthy strata for brunch today. I love spinach so I loved every delightful mouthful.

6 eggs
1 cup 1% milk
1 pkg frz chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (get all the water out of it you can)
1 cup diced mushrooms
1 cup shredded Jack cheese
4 slices Double Fiber whole Grain Bread, crusts removed, cubed

Pam an 8x8-inch glass baking dish. arrange bread cubes in bottom. Whisk eggs and milk together in a bowl. stir in spinach, mushrooms, Jack and black pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 45 or so; until eggs are puffed, cooked through and strata is bubbly and brown. Makes 6 servings

In each serving there is lots of spinach and mushrooms, 1 egg, less than 1 slice of double fiber whole grain bread, 1/6 cup Jack cheese and 1/6 cup 1% milk.

Eating Light - Butternut Squash

Last night I created this recipe using butternut squash. We enjoyed the combination of flavors and will make this again.

Spiced Butternut Squash with Apple Cider

1 2+ pound butternut squash, cut in half, seeds removed and peeled with a vegetable peeler
1/4 - 1/3 cup apple cider
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray (optional)
1/8 - 1/4 cup brown sugar or brown sugar substitute
Ground ginger, cinnamon and coriander to taste

Cut peeled and seeded squash into about 1-inch pieces. Steam in a basket steamer until tender. arragne squash in a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray. Pour apple cider over and toss very gently. Spray with butter spray if desired, sprinkle with brown sugar and spices. Can sit until ready to bake. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Enjoy!