COWBOY CAVIAR

People go nuts over this fresh tasting dip at potlucks!

1 can shoepeg (white) corn, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained (can also use fresh)
1 can black beans or black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
3 avocados, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. diced onion
1 pkg. dry Italian dressing mix
1 small bunch cilantro, minced
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
tortilla chips or Scoops for dipping

Mix all ingredients except chips together in a bowl with a lid. Let stand at least 15 minutes before serving with chips.

CORDON BLEU BAKE
Found this at Matthew's Menu.

2 packages reduced sodium stuffing mix
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 c. milk
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 lb. sliced deli ham, cut into 1/2 inch strips or cubed ham
1 c. shredded swiss cheese
2 c. cheddar cheese shredded
2 c. cooked and shredded chicken (or turkey)

*This recipe makes ALOT which is great if your family is large or likes leftovers. Otherwise, it freezes well and would be nice to put half in the freezer for "one of those days!"
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare stuffing mixes according to directions on box. Meanwhile in a bowl, combine soup and milk. Put chicken in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with pepper. Layer with ham, swiss cheese and 1 cups of cheddar cheese, soup mixture and stuffing. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. *At this point you can freeze. Then thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake for 45 minutes, uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer.

OATMEAL COCONUT COOKIES

If you are a chocolate lover, you can add chocolate chips, too.

Both ways are really good!

1 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2-3 c. oatmeal*

7 oz. (1/2 the pkg) shredded coconut

(optional) 1 c. chopped walnuts or chocolate chips

(white chocolate chips would be good, too!)

Preheat oven to 350. Cream together the butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Mix to combine. Add the coconut and nuts (if desired) and then *enough oatmeal to get a thick dough.  Add chocolate chips if desired. Bake for 10 minutes.

BLUE CHEESE AND BACON STUFFED MUSHROOMS

Another Taste of Home Magazine winner, especially if you like the
strong taste of blue cheese.

24 large fresh mushrooms
1 carton (8 ounces) reduced-fat spreadable chive and onion cream cheese
1 c. (4 ounces) crumbled blue cheese
4 green onions, minced
1 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 c. crumbled bacon or bacon bits, divided

Remove stems from mushrooms and set caps aside, discard stems or save for another use. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, blue cheese, onions, garlic and 1/4 cup bacon. Stuff into mushroom caps, a scant tablespoonful in each. Place mushrooms in a greased 15 X 10 baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining bacon. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 18-22 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Yield: 2 dozen.
These are really rich due to all of the cheese. When I made them, I reduced the cream cheese some and added some breadcrumbs and some minced mushroom stems.

BANANA CREAM PIE SMOOTHIE

Found in Cooking Light Magazine.

1 c. sliced ripe banana (about 1 large)

1 c. vanilla low-fat yogurt
1/2 c. 1% milk
2 T. graham cracker crumbs (about 1/2 cookie sheet)
1 T. nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 ice cubes (about 1/4 cup)

Arrange banana slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, and freeze until firm (about 1 hour).
Place frozen banana and remaining ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Serve immediately.
2 Servings

GRILLED CEASAR CHICKEN

I found this in Kraft's Food & Family Magazine a few years ago.
It is so versatile because you can eat the grilled chicken as is or slice it up, add some romaine lettuce, shredded parmesan cheese, and a little more dressing, and put it on top a ceasar salad or stuff it in a pita pocket. You can also brush the chicken with barbeque sauce when almost done, like the original recipe says.

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
1/3 c. Classic Caesar Dressing

Pour dressing over chicken in resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Refrigerate 30 minutes to marinate. Remove chicken from marinade and discard bag. Preheat grill to medium heat. Place chicken on grill and cover with lid. Grill chicken 6 to 8 minutes on each side or until done.

SUMMER FRUIT SALAD

Another good one found in Taste of Home Magazine.

2 medium navel oranges, peeled and sectioned

2 medium kiwifruit, peeled and sliced

1-1/2 c. halved seedless red grapes

1 c. sliced peeled apple
1 c. diced honeydew
1 c. fresh blueberries
1/4 c. orange juice
2 T. honey
1 T. lime juice (I have also used Limeade Concentrate)
1-1/2 c. sliced ripe bananas

In a large salad bowl, combine oranges, kiwi, grapes, apple, honeydew, and blueberries. In a small bowl, combine the orange juice, honey and lime juice. Drizzle over fruit mixture; toss to coat. Chill until serving. Add bananas just before serving. Serve with a slotted spoon. Yield: 8 servings.

PAULA DEEN'S CHOCOLATE PECAN COBBLER

If you are a fan of brownie pudding, this is like that
kicked up a notch. I cut the butter in half and it turned out fine. If you want to channel your inner Paula though, use the 6 T.!

6 T. butter
1 3/4 c. sugar, divided
1 c. self-rising flour (just add 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt to the 1 c. of flour)
2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder, plus 4 T., divided
1/2 c. whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. Health toffee bits
1 1/2 c. boiling water
Ice cream, whipped topping, or Caramel Whipped Cream, recipe below.

Preheat the oven to 350 . Put the butter in an 8 X 8 baking dish and put the dish in the oven until butter is melted, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and set aside. In a medium bowl combine 3/4 c. of the sugar, the flour, and 2 T. cocoa. Add the milk and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Pour over the melted butter in the baking dish. In a separate medium bowl, combine the remaining 1 c. of sugar, remaining 4 T. of cocoa, the pecans, and toffee bits; sprinkle evenly over the sugar mixture. Slowly pour boiling water over top of the cobbler. Bake until top of the cobbler looks set, about 40 to 50 minutes. Serve warm with Caramel Whipped Cream, ice cream and pecans, if desired

CARAMEL WHIPPED CREAM

2 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. sugar
2 T. caramel syrup

Combine the cream and sugar in a medium bowl and beat with a whisk or beater until soft peaks form. Add the caramel syrup, and lightly fold together.

WW CRAB RANGOONS

Crab. Cream Cheese. Crunch. You can't go wrong
with these yummy little bites!

1/4 c. fat free cream cheese
1/2 c. flaked imitation crab (I used 1 small can of crab instead)
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
15 won ton wrappers (app)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine cream cheese, crab, lemon zest, salt, and lemon pepper in a bowl. Fill a little bowl with water and spray your baking sheet with cooking spray. Place 1/2 T. of crab mixture in the center of each won ton. Dip your fingers or a brush in the water and moisten the edges of the won ton wrapper. Seal by either folding in half to form a triangle or by bringing all sides to the middle to form a pouch. Place on baking sheet. Spray wontons with cooking spray and bake for about 15 minutes or until edges are browned.
5 pcs=about 3 WW points

THE HUNGRY GIRL'S COPYCAT OF TACO BELL'S
BACON RANCH TORTADA

I receive the Hungry Girl emails daily and decided to try this recipe she made less guilty. It was really
good and only has 5 WW points!

1 serving

1 T. mashed avocado
2 oz. cooked, skinless chicken breast, sliced
1/4 c. lettuce (I left out because I don't like warm lettuce)
2 T. chopped tomato
1 T. pre-cooked crumbled bacon
1 high fiber tortilla
1 T. fat free ranch dressing

Combine avocado, chicken, lettuce, tomato, and bacon in a bowl. Stir to combine. Spread into center of tortilla. Fold the sides toward the center, followed by the top and bottom to seal. Spray a skillet with nonstick cooking spray and carefully brown on both sides. Dip in ranch dressing.

KEY LIME PIE ICE CREAM

All I have to say is this is by far my favorite ice cream I have ever tried that does not involve chocolate. So sweet, tart, and summery! I have to thank Real Mom Kitchen for the recipe.

1 1/2 c. 2% milk
1/2 c. bottled Key lime juice (I used Nellie and Joe’s)
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
dash of salt
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
8 graham crackers (2 cookie sheets), coarsely crushed, divided

Stirring with a wisk, combine milk, lime juice, whipping cream, salt, and sweetened condensed milk.
Pour mixture into freezer bowl of an ice-cream freezer, and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Stir graham crackers into ice cream or add during last 5 minutes in the freezer. (In my Cuisinart it takes about 25 minutes for the ice cream so I add the crackers just a little after the 20 minute mark). Spoon ice cream into a freezer-safe container, and cover and freeze for 1 hour or until firm. Makes 1 1/2 quarts.

SEVEN LAYER SALAD

Layer the following veggies in a 9 X 13 dish:

lettuce

chopped celery

chopped onions

chopped green pepper

chopped cucumber

1/2-1 pkg. frozen peas, unthawed

Alternative layer ideas: sliced hard boiled egg, chopped green onion, chopped cauliflower or broccoli, sliced tomato, shredded carrot, etc.

Mix dressing ingredients and pour over salad:

1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. sour cream
1 pkg. dry italian dressing mix
(I like to thin mine with about 1/3 c. milk or water)
1 tsp. dill weed

Top with:
1/2- 1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c. crumbled bacon or bacon bits

Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour before serving. This salad tends to get soggy when leftover so I half this recipe for the 4 salad eaters in my family.

SODA CRACKER CANDY

Sounds so weird, but is oh so addicting and delicious. I remember

my older sister making this when we were little.

soda crackers (about 35)

1 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 pkg. chocolate chips

chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray well with cooking spray. Line foil with an even layer of crackers. Combine butter and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Pour over crackers. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. When soft, spread out evenly. (Sprinkle with nuts if desired). Refrigerate until candy will peel off foil. Cut into pieces and eat!