Long time coming

Wow! It has been a long time since I last posted a blog.  I started a new job and was really involved in what I was doing.  But I did not stop cooking.  In fact the recipe I am describing today was one I made the first week of October.

Do you ever wish for a recipe that looks like a million bucks but is so easy, you almost feel guilty.  That would be this main dish/salad dish.  It is good for potluck dinners and banquets because it can be fixed in advance and is very attractive.  I like it especially for the Christmas holiday parties  because it is so easy and colorful.

It is all red and green in this picture as I usually use tricolor end pasta but you could use plain pasta and it would still taste great and be photogenic.

Tortellini salad

1 9oz. Package refrigerated cheese tortellini (I like the tri-color, five cheese variety)

8 oz. sugar snap peas ( you can use frozen but fresh is better)

1pint grape tomatoes (I like to mix yellow and red)

1/4 cup grated Romano and Parmesan cheese

1/2 bottle Girard's Light Champagne Dressing

Cook tortellini according to package directions.  Put the sugar snap peas in a colander and pour the boiling water/ tortellini into the colander. This will blanch the snap peas.  Rinse under cold water, drain and put into a 2.5 quart or larger mixing bowl. Add the salad dressing. Cover.  Refrigerate. When the tortellini and peas are chilled, cut each tomato in half lengthwise and toss into the mixture.  Add the shredded cheese and mix. Usually, I double or triple the recipe.

This is really attractive served in a clear glass bowl. Stand back and enjoy the complements.

Salmon Burgers with Lemon Caper Mayo

Younger daughter here! Tonight Wisehubby and I made this recipe with just a few tweaks to ingredients, and it was a big 'ole hit in our house.

I used 1 tbsp. of lemon juice from a bottle and 1 tsp. of lemon peel out of a can because I didn't buy a lemon on accident. Plus, grating your own lemon peel? Ain't nobody got time for that!

I used two 7 oz. individually frozen salmon fillets because that's what I had. I just had to defrost those puppies.

I used Italian bread crumbs because that is what I had and I was too lazy to toast up some wheat bread and food process it.

I ended up using salt and pepper on the outside of the burgers because I forgot to mix the salt in the salmon to begin with.

I accidently used too much Italian bread crumbs in the patties because I didn't catch that you put half in the blend and half on the outside. It was ok. I just sprinkled a little on the outside before we grilled it.

We grilled on some foil because I had a suspicion that the patties might fall apart. They didn't, but rest assured, had we not used foil they would have.

Finally, we used one white bread bun and two slices of sourdough instead of wheat buns. Again, it was a situation driven by what was available and defrosted.

Any day is a good day for Tex-Mex

On Sunday, the Grillmaster and I went to lunch at a local Mexican Restaurant and sampled the brisket fajitas.  Well the servings were enormous so we ended up bringing just under 1 pound of brisket fajita meat home.  Tonight, the Grillmaster and I wanted to eat the leftovers but didn't want it to feel like leftovers.  So this is what I came up with.  It is a recipe that I modified from a Sunset, Cooking Light and Easy cookbook so it also has the benefits of being calorie controlled.

Brisket with Fiesta Rice 

1 lb prepared (cooked) brisket (I only had 15 oz.)

1/2 cup grilled sliced yellow onions and bell peppers

( This is what  came home in my food container from the restaurant.)

Rice Recipe

1 cup uncooked long grain rice

1 cup water

1 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes in tomato juice

1 10 oz can Rotel brand or Pace brand diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 Tablespoon chili powder

Combine in a medium sized Dutch oven.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.

Add one 15 oz can of black beans, drained but not rinsed.

Return to low heat. Stir in the beans.

Layer the brisket meat on top of the rice and beans.

Top with 2oz Queso Fresco (Mexican white cheese) crumbles

Cover until the cheese starts to melt then you are ready to serve.

Notice, there are NO added fats or oils.  It still tastes pretty amazing.

This serves 8 about 250 calories per serving.  Since it was dinner time, the Grillmaster had 2 servings and he was stuffed.  I served a side salad with salsa ranch dressing.  Since I substituted non-fat Greek yogurt for the sour cream in my Ranch dressing and then mixed it 50-50 with salsa, the salad dressing was non-fat and full of flavor as well.

Enjoy!

Sorry for the picture but it didn't look like much until we served some.