Cranberry Walnut Relish

Ingredients

• 1 orange
• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (about 8 ounces)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped walnut pieces

Directions

Finely grate the zest of half of the orange into a medium saucepan, then squeeze in all of the juice. Add the cranberries, sugar and walnuts and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and the cranberries start to pop, about 10 minutes. Let cool.

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES

 Ingredients:

3 Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size cubes...
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp of brown sugar (more if you want it sweeter)
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground ginger
Sea salt, to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a small baking dish with cooking spray. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into bite size cubes and place in the baking dish. Melt butter in the microwave and pour over the potatoes along with the olive oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Add more sugar or cinnamon if desired. Toss to coat evenly.

Quinoa Patties

Yield: 12 patties

Ingredients
 2½ cups cooked quinoa
4 large eggs, beaten
½ teaspoon sea salt
⅓ cup fresh chives, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
⅓ cup parmesan or gruyere cheese, freshly grated
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup whole-grain bread crumbs, plus more if needed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

 1. Combine quinoa, eggs and salt in medium bowl.
2. Stir in chives, onion, cheese and garlic.
3. Add bread crumbs; stir and let stand for a few minutes.
4. Form quinoa mixture into 12 1-inch thick patties.
5. Heat oil in 10.5-inch PerfectGreen Fry Pan on Medium-Low (175°F).
6. In batches, add patties to pan; cover and cook for 7-10 minutes, until bottoms are deeply browned.
7. Flip patties with spatula and cook for 7 more minutes, until other side is golden brown.
8. Remove patties from skillet and cool on a wire rack.
9. Repeat steps 6-8 with remaining patties.

Bacon and Potato Bake

 4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
1/2 cup onion (finely chopped)
8 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled
 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
1 12 oz. can Evaporated Milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1).Spray an 8-inch-square baking dish with cooking spray.
2). Layer 1/2 potatoes, 1/2 onion, 1/2 bacon and 1/2 cheese in prepared baking dish. Repeat layering with remaining ingredients.
3). Combine evaporated milk, egg and seasoned salt in small bowl. Pour evenly over potato mixture and cover with aluminum foil.
4). Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Uncover, then bake for an additional 5 minutes. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Vegetable Tian

 (thinly sliced veggies topped with cheese and then roasted)...



1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium potato
1 medium tomato
1 tsp. dried thyme
to taste salt & pepper
1 cup shredded Italian cheese

Directions:

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 180 (400 degrees f) Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté both in a skillet with olive oil until softened (about five minutes).

STEP 2: While the onion and garlic are sautéing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables.

STEP 3: Spray the inside of an 8x8 square or round baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread the softened onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and thyme.

STEP 4: Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown

LOADED POTATO CASSEROLE

 8 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
8 slices bacon, cooked, chopped, divided
1/2 bunch green onions, sliced

Place potatoes in saucepan, and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil over med-high heat. Cook until tender, then drain well.

Preheat oven to 375° degrees F.

Transfer potatoes back to the saucepan. Masher with a potato masher until almost smooth. Add cream cheese, sour cream, butter, milk, salt and pepper. Continue mashing until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese and half the bacon. Spoon mixture evenly into a lightly oiled 3-quart casserole dish. Use a spatula or fork to make an irregular surface

Bake for 20 minutes. Top with remaining cheese, bacon and green onions. Bake for 5 more minutes to melt cheese. Serve immediately.

Cajun Spiced Corn

Ingredients

1 sheet (18x24-inches)Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil
1 package (10 oz.) frozen whole kernel corn
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
Prep

1. PREHEAT oven to 450°F or grill to medium-high.
2. CENTER vegetables on sheet of Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil. Sprinkle with Cajun seasoning; stir to blend. Top with margarine.
3. BRING up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to seal making one large foil packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside.

Cook

1. PREHEAT oven to 450°F or grill to medium-high.
2. CENTER vegetables on sheet of Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil. Sprinkle with Cajun seasoning; stir to blend. Top with margarine.
3. BRING up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to seal making one large foil packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside.

 

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

 6 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp parsley
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 lb bacon crumbled.

Mix first 4 ingredients in a mixer until creamy, spoon into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan, top with cheese & bacon. Cover with foil and bake @350 for 30 mins

Fried Rice

Fried Rice

 3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)
3 tbs sesame oil
1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)
 1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup soy sauce


On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the peas/carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated! **You could really play around with this rice too! Try adding some diced ham, or green onion :) Yum!

What you should know about Cauliflower

  

It’s that time of the year when markets bloom up with that spongy, anti-inflammatory, heart healthy flowering vegetable know as cauliflower. You’ll want to include cauliflower as one of the cruciferous vegetables you eat on a regular basis if you want to receive these 7 fantastic health benefits.


1. NutritionalCauliflower also contains vitamins B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine) and B9 (folic acid). It contains omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin K. It serves as a good source of proteins, phosphorus and potassium. Cauliflower is a very good source of vitamin C and manganese, which are both powerful antioxidants.

2. Antioxidation
Aside from these antioxidants above, cauliflower also contains carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, and phytonutrients that include kaempferol, ferulic acid, cinnamic acid and caffeic acid. With these antioxidants, you can be certain that eating cauliflower regularly will help protect you from free radical damage and reduce your risk for diseases caused by oxidative stress, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

3. DetoxificationIt contains glucosinolates and thiocyanates (including sulforaphane and isothiocyanate), which help to increase the liver’s ability to neutralise potentially toxic substances that could lead to cancer if left unattended. The presence of enzymes like glutathione transferase, glucuronosyl transferase and quinone reductase also help in the detoxifying process.

The detox support provided by cauliflower includes antioxidant nutrients to boost Phase 1 detoxification activities and sulfur-containing nutrients to boost Phase 2 activities.While the glucosinolate content of cauliflower is definitely significant from a health standpoint, cauliflower contains about one-fourth as much total glucosinolates as Brussels sprouts, about one-half as much as Savoy cabbage, about 60% as much as broccoli, and about 70% as much as kale.

4) Cancer Prevention 
There are dozens of studies linking cauliflower-containing diets to cancer prevention, particularly with respect to the following types of cancer: bladder cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer. This connection between cauliflower and cancer prevention should not be surprising, since cauliflower provides special nutrient support for several body systems that are closely connected with cancer development as well as cancer prevention.

Several research on this flowery vegetable have revealed that it has compounds to resist cancer; it has the ability to eliminate cancer enzymes.

5) Anti-Inflammatory
Potentially, regular cauliflower consumption can help decrease the risk of inflammation-mediated diseases such as arthritis, obesity, diabetes mellitus, inflammatory bowel disease and ulcerative colitis. A cup of boiled cauliflower contains about 11 micrograms of vitamin K and 0.21 g omega-3 fatty acids. Because of the omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin K in cauliflower, it helps to prevent chronic inflammation that leads to conditions such as arthritis, chronic pain, and certain bowel conditions. In addition, one of the glucosinolates found in cauliflower–glucobrassicin–can be readily converted into an isothiocyanate molecule called ITC, or indole-3-carbinol. I3C is an anti-inflammatory compound that can actually operate at the genetic level, and by doing so, prevent the initiation of inflammatory responses at a very early stage.

6) Digestive Support
A cup of boiled cauliflower delivers about 3.35 g of dietary fiber, which helps clean your digestive system and gets rid of unnecessary substances. Additionally, a substance called glucoraphin present in cauliflower appears to have a protective effect on your stomach lining. With glucoraphin, your stomach is not prone to the bacterium helicobacter pylori, thereby reducing your risk for stomach ulcer and cancer.

7) Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular
By virtue of having antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, cauliflower consumption is protective against cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. For instance, in atherosclerosis, there is chronic inflammation of the blood vessel, and the deposition of lipids and white blood cells eventually leads to a decrease in their diameter. This decrease in diameter leads to decreased blood flow to essential organs like the brain (which could lead to stroke), heart (which could lead to heart attack) and kidneys (which could lead to kidney failure). By decreasing chronic inflammation, cauliflower is able to maintain the patency of the blood vessels and keeps excellent blood flow to essential organs of the body.
Scientists have not always viewed cardiovascular problems as having a central inflammatory component, but the role of unwanted inflammation in creating problems for our blood vessels and circulation has become increasingly fundamental to an understanding of cardiovascular diseases. Of particular interest is its glucoraphanin content. Glucoraphanin is a glucosinolate that can be converted into the isothiocyanate (ITC) sulforaphane. Not only does sulforaphane trigger anti-inflammatory activity in our cardiovascular system–it may also be able to help prevent and even possibly help reverse blood vessel damage. It also contains allicin, which has been found to reduce the occurrence of stroke and heart disease.

Forget The Mashed Potatoes: Try This Very Healthy Alternative
Cauliflower florets are the part of the plant that most people eat. However, the stem and leaves are edible too and are especially good for adding to soup stocks.
To cut cauliflower, first remove the outer leaves and then slice the florets at the base where they meet the stalks. You can further cut them, if you desire pieces that are smaller or of uniform size. Trim any brown coloration that may exist on the edges.
One of the best ways to eat cauliflower to maximize nutrients is to eat it raw. However, for those who don’t like the crunch or taste, try this mashed cauliflower recipe which is a delicious and healthy substitute for traditional mashed potatoes.
Ingredients:
1 large head cauliflower
5 garlic cloves
1/3 cup fresh herbs (chives and basil both work particularly well)
Sea salt

Directions:
1. Chop cauliflower into smaller chunks – about bite-size pieces works well.
2. Peel garlic cloves and cut in half, lengthwise.
3. Steam cauliflower and garlic for 15 minutes or until cauliflower and garlic are tender enough for a fork to easily pass through.
4. Combine steamed cauliflower, garlic, fresh herbs, and sea salt in a food processor or a strong blender and blend until everything comes together into a mashed potato-like consistency – it’s quite good smooth or slightly chunky. Alternatively, you can mash everything together by hand with a potato masher or a fork.
Enjoy this delicious and healthy mashed cauliflower dish.


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Cheesy Cauliflower Patties

 1 head cauliflower
2 large eggs
1/2 c cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 c panko
1/2 t cayenne pepper (more of less to taste)
salt
olive oil

Cut cauliflower into florets & cook in boiling water until tender about 10 minutes. Drain. Mash the cauliflower while still warm. Stir cheese, eggs, panko, cayenne & salt to taste.

Coat the bottom of a griddle or skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat. Form the cauliflower mixture into patties about 3 inches across. Cook until golden brown & set, about 3 minutes per side. Keep each batch warm in the oven while you cook the rest.

Mock Potato Salad

LOW CARB "POTATO" SALAD
16 ounce package frozen cauliflower
1/2 cup mayonnaise ( I used Miracle Whip, adds a few carbs but tastes great!)
4 ounce jar diced pimientos, drained well
1/4 cup dill pickle relish, drained well
1 tablespoon chopped onion, optional
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Salt, to taste
Cook the cauliflower until tender, but not mushy, about 8 minutes. Drain very well, then chop into bite-sized pieces. Mix all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Chill several hours before serving.
Makes 6-8 servings 
Recipe from Marianne Grant

FRIED CABBAGE DISH

 Ingredients:
1 lb bacon, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 lbs cabbage, finely diced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
Fry bacon until crisp and well browned.
Drain and set aside.
Add chopped onion to the bacon grease and stir until translucent.
Add cabbage, pepper flakes, salt and pepper, stirring until all cabbage is coated.
Add the crumbled bacon bits and cover.
Cook over low heat until cabbage is tender.

Fried Rice

3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)
3 tbs sesame oil
1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup soy sauce


On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the peas/carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated! **You could really play around with this rice too! Try adding some chopped chicken, diced ham, or green onion :) Yum!

Best scolloped potatoes

	5 c . potatoes 1 c. sour cream 2 c. sm. curd cottage cheese 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. minced dried onion 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
	Cook potatoes with jackets, no salt. Peel and grate to make 5 cups. Combine remaining ingredients and mix with potatoes. Bake in covered casserole dish for 40 min. at 350º. Uncover, and top with grated cheese and return to oven until melted.

Funeral Potatoes

• 2 lbs hash browns  (boil  potatoes and then shred or use frozen hash browns)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 pint sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cups longhorn cheese, grated, firmly packed
• 1 1/2 cups corn flakes, crushed
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

1. Saute onion in 1 tablespoon butter until translucent.
2. Mix all ingredients, except cornflakes and 4 tablespoons butter, together.
3. Put potato mixture into a 9x13 inch baking pan.
4. Combine cornflakes and butter, and sprinkle evenly over top of casserole.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes or until heated and bubbly.

these are called funeral potatoes because they are served so often at funerals, they can be put together ahead of time, kept in the fridge and then baked just before they are to be served.

Pierogi Casserole

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
3/4 cup butter
3 cups cooked mashed potatoes
16 slices cheddar cheese
2 large onions, minced

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook noodles, drain.

2. While noodles are cooking, melt butter and saute the onions until tender.

3. Place half of the cooked noodles in the bottom of a 13x9 casserole dish.

4. Layer with 8 slices of cheese, all the cooked mashed potatoes, the remaining noodles, then top with remaining 8 slices of cheese.

5. Poke holes through the top layer of cheese; pour butter and onion mixture over top evenly so it goes through the layers.

6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is lightly browned. Serves 6.

Green bean casserole

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 lb bacon cooked and crumbled
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cans french cut green beans
1/2 cup onions, cooked until clear
canned french fried onions
Stir the soup,, green beans, onions, soy sauce, black pepper, and onions in a 3-quart casserole.
Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture. Sprinkle with canned french fried onions.

Roasted Red Potatoes with Bacon and Cheese

1/2 cup KRAFT Ranch Dressing
1/2 cup KRAFT Finely Shredded Italian* Five Cheese Blend
1/4 cup OSCAR MAYER Real Bacon Bits
2 lb. small red potatoes (about 6), quartered
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Make It
HEAT oven to 350°F.
MIX first 3 ingredients in large bowl. Add potatoes; toss lightly.
SPOON into lightly greased 13x9-inch baking dish; cover.
BAKE 55 min. or until potatoes are tender, uncovering after 40 min. Sprinkle with parsley.