Mimi's Potato Salad

Mimi Bowden (Given to April by Mom)

2-6 hard cooked eggs                                          

1 Tbsp. mustard     

6 med. potatoes                                                    

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 c. thinly sliced celery                                        

1 Tbsp. celery seed                              

1/2 c. finely chopped onion                                 

1 Tbsp. vinegar                                    

1/3 c. chopped sweet pickle                                 

2 tsp. salt                                                                      2 c. mayonnaise     

Boil potatoes in salted water 25-30 minutes.  Cool, peel and cube.  Add celery, onion, and sweet pickle.  Mix mayo, mustard, sugar, celery seed, vinegar, and salt; toss with potato mixture.  Fold in chopped egg.  Use some eggs as garnish for the top and sprinkle with paprika.  Cover and chill.

Ruth's Crab Dip

Krista & Erik Schimmelbusch

8 oz. cream cheese

1 tsp. horseradish

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. chopped onion

1 Tbsp. milk

¼ lb. fresh crab meat

¼ tsp. salt

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Dash pepper

Combine cream cheese and milk.  Add other ingredients.  Bake 20 minutes at 375° and sprinkle with ½ c. slivered almonds.  Serves 4 to 6.

Easy Mini Cheesecakes

April Lowe

(Makes about 2 dozen)

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup margarine or butter, melted

3 – 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened

1 (14 oz) can Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT Evaporated milk)

3 eggs

2 teasp vanilla extract

1 (21 oz) can Pie filling or Topping, any flavor or berries to top each one

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 300.  

2.  Combine crumbs, sugar and margarine; press equal portions firmly onto bottoms of 24 mini-muffin cups.  Demarle silicone molds work best for popping these out when they are chilled.

3.  In large mixer bowl, beat cheese until fluffy.  Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth.  

4.  Add eggs and vanilla, mix well.  

5.  Spoon equal amounts of mixture (about 3 tablespoons) into prepared cups.  Bake 20 minutes or until set.  Cool.  Chill, Top with filling, a raspberry, or mini chips.

**  I often make this in my food processor and just drizzle the milk in while it's running.  It's super fast that way!

Chocolate: Melt 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips; add to batter.

Buttermilk Chicken with Sweet Corn Sauce

April Lowe


Today I thought I would share with you one of my  favorite chicken recipes!  This recipe comes from the Canyon Ranch Spa and is not only a healthy choice, but delicious!   Canyon Ranch has some of the most mouth-watering lower-calorie, low-fat recipes I’ve ever tried.  They know how to make a dish healthy without sacrificing taste. 

This chicken recipe has only 260 calories, 7 grams of fat, and 30 grams of protein per serving.  And if you are not a corn sauce fan, then it can have even less calories without the sauce.  Those of you who like corn chowder (Aaron) may like the corn sauce!  I personally love to make a batch or double batch of this chicken without the sauce and slice it up, refrigerate it, and use it throughout the week for salads and other meals.  The seasoning is so flavorful and it is a good substitute for crispy breaded chicken.  Here it is.  Bon Appetit!

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (if you get bone-in then de-bone them) – trim fat
• 1/4 c. low fat buttermilk
• pinch black pepper

Batter:

• 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 3/4 tsp. salt (I  like sea salt)
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. celery seed
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 tsp. olive oil

Sweet Corn Sauce:

• 1/2 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic
• 1/4 c. diced onion
• 1 1/4 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. minced jalapeno pepper
• 2 Tbsp. minced red bell pepper
• 1 1/2 c. chicken stock (homemade if possible)
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• pinch black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1. With a meat mallet, pound chicken breast on a flat surface between 2 sheets waxed paper until about 1/2 inch thick.  In shallow glass baking dish combine chicken with buttermilk and black pepper.  Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
2. In a medium saute pan, saute corn, garlic and onions in olive oil over medium heat until onions begin to turn translucent.  Add jalapeno and red bell pepper and cook for 30 more seconds.  Add chicken stock and cook until you reduce liquid by half.  Season with honey, salt and pepper, thyme, and lemon juice.  Transfer to blender and puree briefly.  Set aside.
3. In medium bowl, combine all ingredients for the batter except olive oil.  Dredge each marinated chicken breast (marinated in the buttermilk and black pepper) in the seasoned flour batter mixture until all sides are coated generously.
4. Heat olive oil in large saute pan and add chicken breasts.  Over medium heat, cook chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side until golden.  When chicken is fully cooked, juices run clear when meat is pierced with a fork.  Serve each chicken breast with 1/4 c. sweet corn sauce.  Makes 4 servings.  It’s good served with sauteed mustard greens.

Nutrition Facts:  4 Servings

Each servings contains:  260 calories, 23 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fat, 73 mg cholesterol, 30 grams protein, 496 mg sodium, 2 grams fiber

Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken

April Lowe

This has become one of mine and Andy's favorite recipes.  It is fresh and flavorful.  We love to eat this with Krista's fresh salsa recipe I've also posted on the blog.  This is really flavorful and good over rice or on an entree salad with avocado, black beans, roasted corn, etc.  You can double or triple the marinade and freeze the rest to use on future batches.   When I have a bunch or two of cilantro or several limes, I make as many batches as I can in my blender and freeze it for up to a year.  Then just thaw the marinade and add chicken the day you want to cook it!

• 6 chicken breast halves
• ¼ c. fresh lime juice
• ¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 ½ tsp. firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil for brushing grill grates
• 1 ½ c. salsa
• 1 c. light sour cream (optional – leave out for lower calories)

Pound chicken to ½-inch thickness, so it’s evenly thick, between two sheets of plastic wrap.  Put chicken in a shallow dish or one gallon Ziploc bag.  Whisk all marinade ingredients until well blended.  Cover both sides of all chicken with marinade.  Marinate at least one hour.  Remove chicken from refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.  Heat grill to medium.  Place chicken on grill and cook for 1 ½ minutes.  Rotate chicken 90 degrees and cook an additional 1 ½ minutes to get attractive grill marks.  Turn chicken over and cook, periodically rotating, until done and juices run clear.  Usually cooks about 8 to 10 minutes.  Serve with salsa, a tiny bit of sour cream, and cilantro garnish.  Makes 6 servings.

The BEST Lemon Chicken

April Lowe


A friend gave this recipe to me and we love it!  It's a yummy lemon chicken that's not too herby or lemony.  You can make the marinade ahead of time and freeze it as well.  I make a triple batch of marinade when I have fresh lemon and herbs for it and then freeze it.  Just defrost and marinade.


Ingredients:
2 tbsp. lemon zest
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2-4 lbs. of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks
2-3 tbsp. melted butter
Thinly sliced lemons, for garnished


Directions:
Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper in a large zipper-lock plastic bag.  Seal the bag and shake well to blend.  Place the chicken pieces in the bag with the marinade, pressing out excess air and sealing once more.  Refrigerate and let marinate for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.  Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and transfer to a baking dish, skin-side up, reserving the leftover marinade.  Brush the top of each piece of chicken with melted butter.
Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the skins are crispy and well-browned.  Halfway through baking, pour the remaining marinade over the chicken pieces in the baking dish.  Once fully baked, cover loosely with foil and let rest 10 minutes before serving.  Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with lemon slices and serve.

April's Grain Free Stuffed Peppers

April Lowe


I made this recipe up when I started cutting back on grains and gluten in my diet.  I wanted a good stuffed pepper without the rice but didn't like all of the Paleo recipes I found so this recipe is the end result of that experimentation.  Don't tell Andy there's no rice!  He still hasn't figured it out!

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb all natural pork sausage (looking for one like all natural Jimmy Dean they sell at Costco)
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp paprika or smoked paprika
1-2 tsp. montreal steak seasoning (or a really good all purpose steak seasoning)

salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. green onion, sliced
2 c. tomato sauce (2 cans)
2 c. cauliflower rice (take a head of cauliflower raw to your cheese grater and grate the head until you have 2 c.)
4 lg - 6 med green peppers

Remove tops from peppers and hollow.  Brown meat and then remove from pan and set aside. Saute onion and garlic in a little oil until just browned then add chopped tomato and saute for 2-3 min. Add meat back in and the spices, green onion, cauliflower rice, and 1 c. of the tomato sauce. Cook about 3-4 min. Scoop filling into hollowed peppers and put in pan. Add about 1/2 to 1 inch of water to bottom of the pan.  Pour remaining cup of tomato sauce over the top of all the peppers and bake at 350 for 40 min or until peppers are tender.  Can add more tomato sauce if you like your peppers more soupy.

Vegetable Curry Dip

April Lowe

♥

1-cup light mayonnaise                       3 teaspoons tarragon vinegar

1-teaspoon curry powder                    1 teaspoon grated onion

1 teaspoon crushed garlic                    1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, curry powder, garlic, vinegar, onion, and horseradish.  Mix together, cover and chill overnight.  Serve with raw vegetables.  Makes 1 cup.  (8 servings)

Nutrition Facts: Calories – 66, Protein – 0 g, Carbohydrate – 5 g, Fat – 5.4 g, Saturated Fat – 1 g, Cholesterol – 7 mg, Fiber – <1 g, Sodium – 32 mg

Fancy Cauliflower

Tauna Lowe

Cooked cauliflower

½ c. mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. prepared mustard

¾ c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

Paprika, optional

Place cooked cauliflower in a casserole dish.  Mix mayonnaise and mustard.  Spread over cauliflower.  Sprinkle with grated cheese.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Bake in oven at 350° until cheese melts, about 20 minutes.

Barbara Emmett's Onion Rice

Erik Schimmelbusch

3 lg. sweet onions

4 Tbsp. butter

½ c. raw rice

5 c. boiling, salted water

¾ c. grated Swiss cheese

2/3 c. half & half

Saute onions in butter.  Cook rice in water for 5 minutes.  Drain and mix with onions.  Add cheese and half and half.  Bake covered at 300° for 1 hour.

*Barbara Emmett is a long time friend of Erik’s family.

Sliced Tomato Vinaigrette

April Lowe

♥ 

This is light and refreshing in the summer, especially with garden fresh tomatoes!  It's another recipe from the Pendulum Court restaurant at the Eyring Science Center on BYU campus.

3 medium tomatoes, raw

1/8 tsp. garlic in water, chopped

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. granulated sugar

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 Tbsp. mustard

2½ Tbsp. corn oil

1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. distilled vinegar

2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Slice tomatoes.  Line slices overlapping in a small casserole dish.  Combine other ingredients.  Pour dressing over tomatoes.  Keep chilled.

Gulliven's Corn

Amanda Short

1 (20 oz.) bag of frozen whole kernel corn

1 c. heavy cream

3 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Place corn in sauce pan with cream.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.  Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in small pan.  Stir in sugar and flour – do not brown.  Stir flour mixture into corn.  Stir and cook until slightly thickened.  Turn into oven safe dish.  Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. melted butter and parmesan cheese.  Brown very lightly in broiler.

* Mandy’s grandmother made this for Sunday dinner.

Lemon Garlic Potato Packet

Kim Lowe

♥ 

  

2½ lbs. medium red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks

12 garlic cloves, peeled

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 ½ tsp. freshly grated lemon peel

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

In a large bowl, toss all ingredients until potatoes are evenly coated.  Wrap potato mixture in a foil packet or in individual foil packets.  Place packet(s) on grill over medium heat and cook 30 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender, turning packet over once halfway through grilling.  The packet(s) can also be baked in the oven at 350° - 400° until fork-tender.  Makes about 6 cups or 8 accompaniment servings.

*Alex loves this dish!  Although Kim doesn't want him breathing near her after he indulges!

Potato Salad 101

Kim Lowe

♥

2 lbs. small all purpose white or red potatoes

3 Tbsp. white vinegar

1 Tbsp. canola oil

½ c. chopped celery

½ c. finely chopped red onion

3 hard cooked large eggs, chopped

¾ c. low-fat mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. prepared mustard

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish, drained (optional)

Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes or until tender.  Drain.  Cool and peel.  Cut potatoes into ½-inch cubes.  Place potatoes in a large bowl; sprinkle with vinegar and oil.  Add celery, onion, pickle relish if desired, and eggs.  Toss gently.  Combine mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper.  Spoon mayonnaise mixture over potato mixture; toss gently to coat.  Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours.  Makes about 7 servings of about 1 cup.

Nutrition Facts: Calories – 215, Total Fat – 6.1g, Protein – 4.9g, Carbohydrate –35.9 g, Cholesterol  - 91mg, Sodium – 536 mg, Fiber 1.9 g

Grilled Cajun Chicken Salad

April Lowe

♥

This recipe comes from the Pendulum Court restaurant in the Eyring Science Center at BYU.  While  I was in the Dietetics program at BYU I was required to spend a year in the Pendulum Court restaurant so I learned most of their recipes during that time.  This was one of my favorites!

1 Tbsp. chili powder

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. cumin

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. garlic in water

1 Tbsp. corn oil

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 heads Romaine lettuce

1 lb. salad mix

8 cherry tomatoes, or more if desired

2 red peppers

1 red onion

½ lb. mozzarella cheese

Croutons as desired

2 c. light ceasar dressing

Combine chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, pepper, garlic and oil in a bowl.  Spread mixture over chicken breasts.  Marinate for 30 minutes.  Cook chicken at 315° for 15 to 20 minutes.  Cut chicken into ½-inch strips.  Tear Romaine lettuce into bite size pieces and add to salad mix.  Cut tomatoes into halves.  Cut red peppers into strips.  Cut onion into slices.  Grate cheese.  Assemble salads with equal ingredients on each.  Add more tomatoes, onions and peppers as desired.  Top with a small amount of light Caesar dressing.