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Chicken Blueberry Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette

Ingredients

For the salad

  • 2 ½ cups chopped lettuce
  • 1 cup of cooked or canned chicken in chunks or cubes
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 2 Tablespoons nuts of choice
  • ¼ cup dressing (try the grapefruit vinaigrette in the next column)

Directions

  1. Wash hands with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds.
  2. Combine ingredients in a large bowl.
  3. Divide between smaller bowls and serve.

Makes 2-3 servings

Ingredients

For Grapefruit Vinaigrette

  • ½ cup oil
  • ¼ cup grapefruit juice
  • 2 teaspoons vinegar
  • 1-3 teaspoons honey
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Wash hands with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds.
  2. Place ingredients in a jar, then seal and shake. Alternatively, mix ingredients in a glass or stainless steel bowl with a fork or whisk.

  3. Place in the refrigerator and let stand 15 minutes or longer to blend flavors.

  4. Use to dress cold or warm salads, marinate meat or vegetables, or pour over vegetables 30 minutes before roasting.

  5. Store extra dressing in the refrigerator and use within 3 days. After 3 days, freeze or discard remaining dressing.

     

Makes 1 cup

Ham & Black Bean Soup with Peach Salsa

Ingredients

For the soup

  • 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • ½ cup onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1½ cups diced cooked ham
  • 1 10-ounce can tomatoes and green chilies or diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 cups low-sodium broth
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or red chili flakes (optional)
  • Juice of 1 lime (or 2 Tablespoons lime juice or lemon juice)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Garnishes: low-fat sour cream, low-fat shredded cheese, peach salsa (see next column)

Directions

  1. Wash hands with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds.
  2. Rinse and drain beans.
  3. Place beans in a bowl and partially mash with a potato masher or fork, or pulse in a blender or food processor. Set aside.
  4. Heat oil in a medium-sized pot. Add onion, garlic, and ham and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
  5. Add beans, tomatoes and green chilies, broth, and spices. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may need to add water if soup is too thick.
  6. Stir in lime/lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
  7. Serve warm with garnishes.

Makes 6 1-cup servings

Ingredients

For peach salsa

  • 2 tomatoes, chopped or 1 cup canned
  • ¼ onion, diced
  • 1 cup canned peaches, drained and chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon cilantro, chopped
  • Salt and lemon/lime juice to taste

Directions

  1. Wash hands with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds.
  2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Toss well to blend. Chill before serving.
  3. Enjoy with fresh vegetables, whole grain chips, whole wheat crackers or on top of soup.

Makes 2 cups

Veggie Stuffed Pitas

Ingredients

  • 2 zucchinis (medium, 2 1/2 cups chopped)
  • 4 carrots (medium, 1 1/4 cups grated)
  • 2 cups broccoli (chopped)
  • 12 ounces cheddar cheese, low-fat
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 12 mini pitas (6 inch)

Directions

  1. Wash hands with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds.
  2. Remove the broccoli flowers from stems, cut the flowers into small florets and put into mixing bowl. Peel carrots and cut off the ends. Grate carrots and put into mixing bowl.
  3. Slice the zucchini into thin slices. Cut each slice into quarters and put into bowl.
  4. Grate the cheese and put into a separate bowl. Measure oregano, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and mix together.
  5. Heat oil in a skillet. Put the spices in the heated oil and then add the mixture of vegetables to the pan. Stir vegetables with a wooden spoon and saute about 5 minutes. When the vegetables are slightly tender, remove from heat.
  6. Spoon vegetable mixture into the pita. Top the hot vegetables with 1 ounce grated cheese.

Makes 12 servings

Stuffed Peppers with Lentil Meat Sauce

Ingredients

  • 5 large peppers
  • 1 1/2 cups brown rice 
  • 1 1/2 cups CNP Meat Sauce with Lentils  
  • 5 Tablespoons low-fat cheese
  • 1 Tablespoons CNP Mexican Seasoning (optional)
  • Chopped jalapeños or carrots (optional)
  • 1 4-ounce can chopped black olives (optional)
  • Nonstick spray

Directions

  1. Wash hands with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds.
  2. Cook rice and set aside.
  3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a baking sheet (any size) with nonstick spray.
  4. Wash peppers. Cut off tops and scoop out seeds. To help them stand up, take a small slice off of the bottom. Trim around the stem of the peppers. Throw away the stem. Chop the trimming and bottom parts of the pepper, then set aside. 
  5. Mix CNP Mexican Seasoning into CNP Meat Sauce with Lentils for extra spice.
  6. Place peppers in 9×13-inch baking dish coated with nonstick spray. 
  7. Layer inside each pepper a Tablespoon of low-fat cheese, and then even amounts of rice and lentil sauce until the peppers are mostly filled. Sprinkle each top with chopped pepper from the trimmed top and bottom along with any desired extra ingredients like chopped jalapeños, carrots, or black olives.
  8. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 4o minutes. The peppers will change to a deeper color as they cook.
  9. If desired, sprinkle a little more cheese on each pepper after the 40 minutes, and then bake for another 5-8 minutes, or until cheese is melted. 

Makes 5 servings

1 pepper per serving

 

CNP Meat Sauce with Lentils

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 3 Tablespoons tomato paste 
  • 1  8-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 2.5 cups water
  • 1 cup green lentils
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt 

Directions

  1. Wash hands with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds.
  2. Sauté onions, garlic, and oil in a pan for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, lentils, and salt. 
  4. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
  5. Cook until lentils are soft all the way through. Add more water for desired liquidity of sauce.

Makes 5 servings

1/2 cup per serving


Picnic Chicken

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 pounds raw chicken pieces
  • 2 1/2 cups corn flakes or bran flakes cereal, finely crushed
  • 20 whole-grain crackers, finely crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped (1 teaspoon minced or 1/2 teaspoon powder)
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
  • 1 Tablespoon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Nonstick spray

Directions

  1. Wash hands with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds.
  2. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  3. Spray a baking sheet (any size) with nonstick spray.
  4. Remove skin and visible fat from chicken. Cut chicken into strips or chunks.
  5. In a bowl, combine egg whites, yogurt, mustard, and salt.
  6. In a shallow bowl, combine cereal and cracker crumbs, cayenne, and garlic.
  7. Dip chicken pieces into the yogurt mixture to coat. Then dip into the cracker mixture and pack crumbs onto each piece of chicken.
  8. Arrange pieces on baking sheet coated with nonstick spray.
  9. Bake at 375°F for 50 minutes until the internal temperature of chicken reaches 165°. Larger pieces make take longer.

Makes 14 servings

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