Garden Vegetable Casserole

Ingredients:

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 2/3 cup whole kernel corn
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ¾ cup Reduced fat biscuit/baking mix
• 1 cup milk
• 4 egg whites or ½ cup egg product
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 8x8 inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Sprinkle ¼ cup of cheese into dish. Top with zucchini, corn, tomato and onion. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. In a separate bowl, combine baking mix, milk, eggs, salt and pepper. Pour batter over vegetables. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Let stand about 5 minutes until serving. Makes 6 servings.

Easy Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces angel hair pasta, uncooked
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken, cut in 1 inch pieces
  
• 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
  
• 2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
• ½ cup fresh sugar snap peas
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves or 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 ½ teaspoons lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  

Method:

Cook and drain pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat and add chicken and onion. Cook 5-6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Add broccoli and peas; continue cooking an additional 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently until vegetables are crisp tender. In a small bowl, combine broth, thyme, lemon peel, cornstarch and lemon-pepper seasoning. Add sauce into chicken and vegetable mixture and cook 1-2 minutes until sauce is thickened. Stir in tomatoes, heat through. Serve over pasta. Makes 4 servings.

Ranch Chicken Wraps

Ingredients:

• 1 can jumbo biscuits
  
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 envelope ranch dressing
• 3 chicken breasts sliced and cooked
• 2 Tablespoons melted butter
  
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup mayonnaise

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cookie sheet by spraying with a light coat of non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine oil and 1 Tablespoon dry ranch dressing mix. Combine until well blended. Separate biscuit dough into 8 rounds. Using a rolling pin, roll each biscuit into a 6 inch oval. Spread about 1 teaspoon of ranch mixture onto dough. Arrange 3-4 pieces of chicken into center of biscuit. Bring long ends of biscuit together and pinch to seal or use a toothpick to secure. Brush each biscuit with melted butter and sprinkle tops with about 2 teaspoons dry ranch dressing powder. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until light golden brown. In a small bowl, prepare dipping sauce by mixing sour cream, mayonnaise and any remaining ranch dressing mix. Serve warm wraps with prepared dipping sauce.

Simple Corn Salad

Use some of your garden produce in this yummy salad!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed


• 4-5 Roma tomatoes, diced


• 2 ribs celery, chopped


• 1/3 cup chopped red onion


• 1/3 cup chopped green pepper


• 1/4 cup olive oil


• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper


• 4 cups bagged lettuce, assorted kinds

Method:

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss gently. Combine oil and next 3 ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over corn mixture; stir gently. Add lettuce, toss gently to coat. This is a delicious portable side salad; mound lettuce on top of the dressed salad; then toss just before serving to keep the salad crisp. For salad in a jar, layer corn salad into pint jars, top with lettuce. Invert on plate to serve. (Dressing can be doubled for extra drizzling if desired).

Cranberry Lime Cooler

Ingredients:

• 1-1/3 cups light cranberry juice cocktail, chilled
• 4 (12 oz) cans Fresca
  
• 4 lime wedges
  

Method:

Combine cranberry juice cocktail and Fresca in a pitcher. Pour into 4 tall glasses filled with crushed ice, and squeeze a lime wedge over each glass. Makes 4 servings.

For individual serving, fill glass half full of crushed ice. Fill 3/4 full with Fresca then top off with cranberry juice cocktail. Squeeze lime wedge on top.

Lemon Drop Cookies

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• Zest from 2 lemons
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 ¾ cups flour
  
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Extra powdered sugar for finished cookies

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and powdered sugar. Cream with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest and vanilla. Mix to combine. In another bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet, mixing well to combine. Divide dough in half and using parchment paper, roll dough into 2 logs. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and slice in ¼ -inch slices. Place cookie slices on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart lined with parchment paper. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool for about 8 minutes. While cookies are still warm, sprinkle with powdered sugar or toss cookies in a re-sealable bag with powdered sugar. Makes about 2 dozen.

Stuffed Pizza Burgers

Ingredients:

• 6-8 pre-made uncooked ground beef patties
  
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon granules
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 slices mozzarella cheese
  
• 4 hamburger buns
  
• ¼ - 1/3 cup pizza sauce, warmed
• 2 green peppers, slices into rings
  

Method:

In a large bowl, combine beef patties, garlic, bouillon, Italian seasoning, and salt. Combine well and re-shape into 8 patties. Place a slice of cheese between two patties and press edges to seal. Grill, uncovered, over a medium-high flame for 6-8 minutes on each side or until meat is no longer pink. Serve on buns with warmed pizza sauce and topped with green pepper rings. Serves 4.