Cabbage Ramen Salad

For me, this salad was originally served as a meal at our sister Michelle's house. (She got the recipe from her friend, Erin Griffitts.) It's been one of my favorites ever sense! Every time I serve it or take it to a pot luck, everyone raves about it. Simple, easy, fast, and delicious. You can't beat that!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound Tri Color Cole Slaw Mix
• 1 bunch Green Onions, chopped
• 1 cup Slivered Almonds, toasted if you like
• 1 cup Salted Sunflower Seeds
• 2 pkgs Ramen Noodles (Chicken) broken and toasted. (It's easiest if you break it up before you open the bag.) Reserve the seasoning packet

Dressing:

• ¾ cup Oil
• ½ cup Sugar
• ½ cup Cider Vinegar
• 2 Seasoning Packets From Ramen

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all the salad ingredients together in a bowl. Make dressing
separately. Pour dressing over salad up to 1 hour before serving,
chill.

NOTES: If I want to make this a meal you can add shredded chicken.

Iranian (Persian) Rice

My wonderful, patient Father-in-law (Mohamad) taught me how to make Iranian (Persian) Rice when he came to visit a few years ago. I found a copy of the exact recipe HERE. But I've published it on our humble, little blog for all of you anyway. It's not low calorie or 'healthy,' but it is some of the yummiest rice you'll ever taste! (I mean, mo butt'a is bett'a, right?)

SERVINGS: 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups long grain white rice
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 2 quarts water
• 1 cup water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Start the 2 quarts water and salt boiling in large stock pot or dutch oven.
2. Rinse rice until water runs clear (or as close to clear as you can get it)
3. Add rice to boiling water, boil about 10 minutes or until rice is about half cooked.
4. Drain rice in colander, reserve.
5. In stock pot or dutch oven, pour about 1/4 cup melted butter on bottom, tilt to cover 2 inches up sides.
6. Pour the half-cooked rice into the pot, try to make a nice mound in the middle, and avoid the sides as much as possible.
7. With the end of a wooden spoon, make holes in the mound of rice (5 or 6 places) evenly around.
8. Pour the remaining melted butter onto the rice, and drizzle 1/4 Cup of the extra water into the holes you made. Cover pot with kitchen towel to absorb the steam, place pot lid on towel.
9. Cook on very low heat, checking after about 15 minutes. If the rice is browning too fast, add the remaining extra water a little bit at a time.
10. Cook rice until it's done, about 30 minutes.
11. Try not to check it too often, as it needs to steam.

Brown Rice (its SOOOO yummy!)

My husband (Deland) grew up eating rice EVERY DAY. (He is Iranian after all.) And let me tell you I LOVE Iranian Style Rice. It is so yummy, buttery, and the crispy rice on the bottom of the pot is amazing! The problem is that I'm allergic to large amounts of butter. (It makes my butt bigger.) Plus I know brown rice is much healthier. So I did some research and came up with an amazing brown rice "recipe" that tastes different from the Iranian rice my husband and I love, but is equally yummy. (Deland eats it by itself.)

Enjoy! (And let me know what you think!)

INGREDIENTS:

• Brown Rice
• Beef Broth - Low Sodium
• Olive Oil
  
• Fresh Garlic - 3 or 4 cloves
  
• Dried, Whole Bay Leaves - 3 or 4
  
• Sea Salt - a dash
• Pepper - a dash
  

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Read the instructions on the bag.
   
2. Substitute beef broth for the water.
3. Substitute olive oil for the butter.
4. Add bay leaves, garlic, salt and pepper to the broth.
5. When it comes to a boil, add the rice.
6. Just follow the directions on the bag from here.

Simple Salsa

I got this recipe from the book, "Your Best Body Now," By Tosca Reno. It really is yummy. I used it over Mexican Chipotle-Marinated Pork Tenderloin (from the same book) and served it with Brown Rice. But I can't wait to try it with pita chips!

Servings: 8

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 can (19 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup white onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Serve with Mexican Chipotle-Marinated Pork Tenderloin, or over chicken with baked whole-grain tortilla or pita chips and a salad.

Eat-Clean Egg Salad

SERVINGS: 1 cup of egg salad

DETAILS:

Egg Salad is the perfect school lunch! It’s hearty, tasty and takes no time at all to prepare. Trade the fatty, mayonnaise-laden version for this Eat-Clean recipe from my latest book, The Eat-Clean Diet for Family and Kids! Make sure to pack it in a cooler.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup / 60 ml fat-free cottage cheese
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml skim milk
• 1 tsp / 5 ml mustard
• 4 hardboiled egg whites, diced
• 1 hardboiled yolk
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml chopped green onion
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml chopped celery
• Dash curry powder
• 1/4 tsp / 1 ml sea salt

PREPERATION: 

1. Whip cottage cheese and milk until smooth in medium-sized mixing bowl.
2. Blend remaining ingredients except egg whites with cottage cheese mixture.
3. Add diced egg whites to cottage cheese mixture. Mix well.

Yogurt Cheese

Ingredients:

• 2 Quarts low-fat plain yogurt, dairy or soy based.

Method for yogurt cheese:

1. Place 4 layers of damp cheesecloth in a fine mesh sieve or colander. Place the colander over a bowl.

2. Add yogurt and let it drain overnight in the refrigerator.

3. Discard the water from the bowl.

What Next?

The result of the draining process will leave you with a soft, creamy cheese-like product. In fact, it is lower in calories than cream cheese but can be used in its place. It is also lower in lactose, highter in protein, and lower in sodium than cream cheese. The best part is that it is all nautral.

You now have a wonderful base into which you can mix just about anything, since yogurt cheese readily takes on the flavors of whatever you choose to mix it with. It is sinfully rich and makes you think you are eating something naughty – but you aren’t.