Lite 'N Easy Cheese Dip

This sweet little clipping is apparently from an advertisement for Sargento cheese. I say that because it’s got their brand of cheese in it. Hey, many wonderful recipes are created by the folks who are promoting their products. The “lite” caught me. The tuna almost stopped me. I like tuna but it just seemed odd. What do you think?

Lite ‘N Easy Cheese Dip

1 cup light mayonnaise
1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 8-oz. package Sargento Fancy Mild Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well-drained
1 6 ½ oz. can chunk light tuna in water, drained
2 tablespoons chopped pimento, optional

In medium bowl, mix mayonnaise, yogurt and mustard. Add remaining ingredients and stir well.

Makes 3 cups.

Serve with Devonsheer Melba Rounds or Toast.

Apple Raisin Bars

This recipe was in an October 2011 issue of Family Circle. I was thrilled to get it because at the time our apple tree was producing more apples than I could possibly keep up with.

Apple Raisin Bars

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups packaged light-brown sugar
2 eggs
½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups diced Golden Delicious apple
¾ cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Liberally coat a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, blend together sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla for 3 minutes or until smooth.

Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture; mix for 2 minutes or until just incorporated. Stir in diced apples and raisins and spread into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cook completely before cutting into bars and serving.

Makes 12 bars, at 338 calories per serving.

White Chocolate Raspberry Pie

Some pies are made to be savored. This would be one of them. Another great recipe from the folks at Pillsbury. I also love the feedback from other cooks. One suggested using extra creamy Cool Whip instead of the whipping cream. Another used strawberries instead of raspberries and found it to be wonderful. For me, anything with white chocolate is wonderful!

White Chocolate Raspberry Pie

1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box

5 oz white chocolate baking squares

3 tablespoons milk

5  oz cream cheese, softened                                      

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 to 1 teaspoon grated orange peel

1 cup whipping cream, whipped

3 cups fresh raspberries                                           

Heat oven to 450°F. Make pie crust as directed on box for One-Crust Baked Shell, using 9-inch glass pie plate. Cool completely.

In microwavable bowl, microwave 4 squares of the white chocolate and the milk uncovered on Medium about 2 minutes or until almost melted. Stir until melted. Cool to room temperature.

In small bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and orange peel with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Beat in white chocolate mixture. Fold whipped cream into white chocolate mixture. Spread in bottom of cooled baked shell. Arrange raspberries on filling.

Melt remaining square of white chocolate; drizzle over pie. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until set. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie.

Expert Tips
White chocolate is made of a mixture of sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids, lecithin and vanilla. Check to see if the label states it contains cocoa butter; if not, it's not white chocolate

Fettuccine Primavera

This recipe appeared in a newspaper back in August of 1990. I have no idea which newspaper. It somehow got clipped off. But I’ve kept this recipe, fully intending to try it one day. Microwaves really do come in handy sometimes when it comes to quickly preparing a meal.

Fettuccine Primavera

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 green onions, minced (including green tops)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 medium carrot, peeled and very finely diced
½ cup finely diced sweet red pepper
½ cup finely diced green pepper
1 cup finely diced zucchini
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
¾ pound fettuccine
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Combine butter, oil, green onions, garlic and carrot in microwave-safe 2 ½-quart casserole. Cover with lid and microwave on HIGH (100% power) 4 minutes, stirring at two minutes.

Add red and green peppers, zucchini and mushrooms, arranging mushrooms in center. Cover and microwave on HIGH 2 minutes 45 seconds to 3 minutes 15 seconds, or until vegetables become barely tender.

Meanwhile, cook fettuccine al dente according to package directions.

Add whipping cream to microwaved mixture. Cover and microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes 45 seconds to 3 minutes 15 seconds, or until cream is hot, not boiling. Stir in basil, salt and pepper.

Drain pasta well and return to pan. Add vegetable mixture and toss well. Add cheese and toss again. Serve at once.

Makes 6 servings.

Chocolate Coconut Pie

Okay. Who LOVES chocolate? And who LOVES coconut? This recipe is for you. And me! LOL Thank you Pillsbury for another wonderful recipe!

Chocolate Coconut Pie

1 Pillsbury® refrigerated Deep Dish pie crust, softened as directed on box

1 can (12 oz) coconut milk

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup milk

1/3 cup cornstarch                                        

1 cup water

1 bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup chocolate shavings

Heat oven to 450°F. Bake pie crust as directed on box for One-Crust Baked Shell, using 9-inch glass pie plate. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 15 minutes.

In 2-quart saucepan, heat coconut milk, granulated sugar and milk to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. In small bowl, mix cornstarch and water. Reduce heat to medium-low; stir in cornstarch mixture until thickened.

In large microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on Medium (50%) about 2 minutes or until melted. Stir half (about 2 cups) of the coconut milk mixture (haupia) into the melted chocolate. Spread in baked shell. Gently spread white haupia on top of chocolate layer. Refrigerate pie 2 hours.

In chilled medium bowl, beat whipping cream and powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream over pie; sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie.

Expert Tips

To make chocolate shavings, pull a swivel-bladed vegetable peeler or thin, sharp knife across a block of chocolate. The curls will be easier to make if the chocolate is slightly warm (let it stand is a warm plave for about 15 minutes before cutting). Use a toothpick to lift the curls and arrange them on pie.

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Spinach Frittata

Lately it seems that I’m always on the hung for low calorie recipes. This is one of them. I don’t know where it came from. All I have is a faded newspaper clipping. But it’s a good recipe. And it’s also quick and easy. That’s a wonderful combination these days.

Spinach Frittata

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon minced onion

¾ cup liquid egg substitute

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup chopped cooked spinach, very well drained

Heat oil in 8-inch skillet or omelet pan. Add onion and cook until transparent and tender.

Combine egg substitute with 2 tablespoons cheese, oregano, pepper and spinach. Mix well.

Pour egg mixture into skillet with onion and cook over very low heat until edges are lightly browned. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons cheese over top and place under broiler until cheese is lightly browned. Cut into wedges.

Makes 4 servings.

106 calories per serving.

Sunny Fruit Fiesta

This recipe comes from Healthy Meals in Minutes. It’s on one of those little cards that you get in the mail, so I figure that’s where I got it. I LOVE fruit salad. In fact, we made one this afternoon. We used yellow and red watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, green and red grapes, apples and pears in it. Absolutely wonderful!

Both of these versions of fruit salad look wonderful. I’m especially excited to try the tropical fruit version because I love fresh pineapple.

Sunny Fruit Fiesta

1 cantaloupe melon, halved and seeded
½ honeydew melon, seeded
¼ cup superfine or granulated sugar
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons grated lime peel
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup black or red seedless grapes

Using a melon baller, scoop flesh from cantaloupe and honeydew into balls; set aside.

In a large glass or ceramic bowl, combine the sugar, lime juice, lemon juice, and lime peel. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Add the cantaloupe and honeydew balls, strawberries, and grapes. Toss gently to combine.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to blend flavors, stirring once or twice.

Spoon the fruit mixture into serving bowls or hollowed-out melon halves, dividing evenly. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

Variation:
For a tropical fruit version, substitute kiwi slices, pineapple chunks, papaya slices or mango cubes for some of the melon balls. Add a little grated fresh ginger or ground ginger. A dash of coconut extract would also make an intriguing addition. Try serving this version in a hallowed-out pineapple half.

Tip:
A perfectly ripe cantaloupe will have a sweet, fresh fragrance. It should feel heavy for its size and give slightly at both ends when gently pressed. If the cantaloupe is soft, yellowing, or feels wet at the stem end, pass it by.

To ripen a hard cantaloupe, store it in a warm place for several days, away from sunlight. Once it is ripe, refrigerate and use within a week.

For a melon basket:
Use a non-toxic marker to draw a zigzag pattern on melon. Cut deeply into fruit along pattern, separate halves, seed, and fill with fruit.