Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins (Our Best Bites)

 
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. table salt
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. grated orange or lemon peel
1 large egg
3/4 c. buttermilk
1/3 c. canola oil
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
1 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. sugar

Streusel Topping
1/4 c. sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spoon the flour into measuring cups and level ith with a knife and combine it in a large bowl with the baking powder, salt, sugar, and citrus peel. Make a well in the center of the mixture. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and oil. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining flour and sugar and then toss the blueberries in this mixture until they are well-coated. Gently fold the blueberry mixture into the batter. Spoon the batter into lined muffin tins, filling 2/3 full.
To make the streusel topping, combine the 1/4 c. sugar, 2 1/2 Tbsp. flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two butter knives until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the batter and bake for 18 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Makes 12 muffins.


Southwestern Cobb Salad (Cooking Light)



For a quick no-cook meal, substitute diced rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey breast, use  pre-cooked bacon you can just zap in the microwave, and you can even buy pico de gallo.  

Vinaigrette:
3 Tbs white wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil

Salad:
3 slices bacon,cooked and crumbled.  I use pre-cooked bacon so it’s super quick
cooking spray
8 oz skinless, boneless turkey or chicken breast cut into 1/2 inch pieces*
1/4 tsp salt
8 cups torn romaine lettuce
1/2 C pico de gallo
1/2 C diced avocado
1/2 C (2 oz) crumbled queso fresco (feta makes a good sub, or shredded pepperjack)
1/4 C chopped green onions
1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
*note that nutritional information reflects turkey breast.
To prepare vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine, or place in a jar and shake.   Set aside.
To prepare salad, heat a skillet to medium high heat.  Spray with cooking spray.  Sprinkle turkey or chicken with salt and add to pan.  Saute until done, about 4 minutes.
Arrange 2 C lettuce on each of 4 plates and divide ingredients among them.  If you want to be specific, each serving should have about:  2 teaspoons bacon, 5 tablespoons turkey or chicken, 2 tablespoons pico de gallo, 2 tablespoons avocado, 2 tablespoons queso fresco, 1 tablespoon onions, and about 1/3 cup beans.
Drizzle vinaigrette evenly over salads.  Serves 4.
Nutrition Facts per serving:
calories: 293, fat: 13.6g, protein 22.4g, carbs: 19.9g, fiber: 6.6g
WW points: 6

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Vinaigrette (Our Best Bites)

You’ll need a bag of spinach,


sliced fresh strawberries, red onion, and cucumbers (peeled or un-peeled, whatever your preference)…


Toasted almonds (just heat them in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they’re golden and fragrant)…


and one recipe of the Lemon Poppy Seed Vinaigrette.  If you want to add a little more protein to serve as a meal, you can also add strips of grilled chicken.


This next part is super hard.  You can arrange all the ingredients on individual plates…


or you can just shake everything together and let people serve themselves.   Either way is delicious and easy…


and a great way to use all the fresh ingredients that are starting to become available.


Lemon Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

2-3 large lemons (use as needed–you’ll need 1/3 c. juice and 1 tsp. zest)
1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
1/4 c. canola oil
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. grated onion
1 clove finely pressed garlic
Using a Microplane or other fine grater, grate 1 tsp. lemon rind off the lemons.  Grate 1 tsp. onion.  Place in a small container with a lid.  Add the remaining ingredients and shake vigorously.  If possible, refrigerate at least an hour before serving.  Shake well before serving.

Southwest Roll-ups (Money Saving Mom)

Ingredients

2 cans refried beans
1/2 cup salsa
2-4 cups cooked chicken, chopped (or 2 cans of chicken)
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
16 tortillas 

In a bowl mix refried beans, salsa and chicken.  Place 1/8 to 1/4 cup of mixture in a tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese.  Fold in the sides of the burrito and roll. Wrap each burrito in a paper towel and then aluminum foil. 

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place in oven for 20-30 minutes until heated through. Or microwave for 1 min 30 seconds. Serve with sour cream and salsa.