Sour Cream Coleslaw

This is my favorite coleslaw. It's simple and creamy. Enjoy as a side to your favorite barbecue dish or on a sandwich.

1 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 small head of cabbage, or 1/2 large
2 carrots, grated
2 scallions, sliced

Whisk together the sugar and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. Add the dry mustard, sea salt and pepper. Stir in the sour cream until combined well.

Chop or shred the cabbage as big or as small as you like it for your coleslaw. Add it to a large bowl. Mix in the carrots and scallions. Pour the dressing over and mix well. Add more sea salt and pepper if desired. Refrigerate until you are ready to eat.

Enjoy!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are absolutely delicious!  I've replaced the eggs with zucchini, and you'd never know!  My family actually prefers these over "regular" chocolate chip cookies. Peel the zucchini if you don't want any green pieces in the cookies, then you won't be able to see the zucchini in them at all.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 medium zucchini, finely grated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups unbleached A/P flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 12 oz bag chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl by hand, cream the butter and sugar together. Stir in the zucchini and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Stir into the creamed butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a parchment lined or greased baking sheet.  Bake for 15-18 minutes depending on your choice of chewy or slightest crispy.

Enjoy!

Veggie Fajitas with Cilantro Lime Sour Cream Sauce

This is actually a simple, tasty meal that is fun and requires only a little bit of effort.

For the fajita filling

1 large or 2 medium onions
3 red and/or yellow bell peppers (no green-these are just unripe red bells)
1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
Sea salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
To prepare, heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add a bit of olive oil to the pan. Add all ingredients. Stir to sauté for just a few minutes. You want the veggies to still have a crunch to them, not to be soggy and limp. Transfer to a serving platter.

For the Cilantro Lime Sour Cream

1 cup sour cream
Juice from 1 lime (2 if not very juicy)
1/2 cup cilantro, stems and leaves, chopped
Mix well and set aside.

1 pkg. large flour tortillas
Fresh Salsa or chopped tomato
Cilantro Lime Sour Cream
Guacamole

For assembly
Warm the tortillas slightly, if desired.
Place everything out in separate bowls and let everyone make their own fajitas with desired toppings.

Enjoy!

Caramelized Bananas

These Caramelized Bananas are heavenly over vanilla ice cream, or have it as a topping on a big ice cream sundae, and it will only take 5 minutes!

Serves 4

4 bananas, sliced
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Melt the butter and add the bananas. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon on top. Stir to combine. Continue stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. The bananas are ready for your ice cream!

Enjoy

Spinach Cannelloni

This is a great weekend meal. It always takes me back to my childhood when I would order manicotti any time I spotted it on a menu.

For the tomato sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For the spinach filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 lb frozen, cut spinach, defrosted
3 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 box cannelloni or manicotti pasta, cooked and drained according to the package directions or oven-ready

Assembly:
Make the tomato sauce first. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and onion. Sauté for a few minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes and sea salt. Turn the heat down to low and simmer while you make the filling. This is a good time to cook your pasta, too, if needed.

For the filling, heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and onions. Sauté for a few minutes and add the spinach. Sauté until most of the water from the spinach has evaporated. Remove from the heat. Transfer the spinach to a large mixing bowl. Add the ricotta and cheddar cheese, egg, nutmeg, garlic powder, sea salt and pepper. Mix well.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Pour just enough tomato sauce into a 9 x 13 baking dish to cover the bottom. Start filling the pasta. Place in a single layer.  Cover the top with the remaining tomato sauce. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake for about 30 minutes, or longer if using oven ready noodles.

Enjoy!