Made this for a picnic yesterday, and it turned out great! This is an easy, yummy dish to make for a potluck.

Ingredients:

2 cans garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained)

1 can kidney beans (rinsed and drained)

2 stalks of celery (finely chopped)

1/2 red onion (finely chopped)

a few dashes of mixed herbs (I used rosemary, thyme, basil, etc)

Dressing Ingredients:

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup granulated sugar (could use a little less and it would still be good)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix main ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Add them together and put the in the fridge for about 2 hours to allow the beans to soak up the dressing. 

Cabbage Waldorf Salad

Arite you guys, cabbage is 19 cents/lb at stop and shop this week - yes, I read the circular as soon as it comes out, but aren't you happy? Cabbage is actually really good for you, and it makes one of those salads that Dave actually enjoys. He does eat veggies, most of the time only under supervision, but this is a salad he actually eats by his own will - when he can remember that it's in the fridge.

Ingredients

* 1/2 medium head Cabbage, shredded
* 1 cup halved seedless red grapes
* 1 cup miniature marshmallows (optional)
* 3/4 cup shredded carrots
* 1/2 (20 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained
* 1/2 large apple, cored and diced
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
* 3/4 cup mayonnaise

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Add mayonnaise; toss to coat.

Super Salsa

I made this salsa to add to Monica's chili recipe... and as a result I'm 100% sure that 1) I'm never going to buy salsa again, and 2) whenever I make chili in the future, I will be adding this salsa to it. Both the salsa and the chili came out amazing! I'm definitely going to put up some of this salsa so it's on hand and ready to go.

Some notes about this salsa: it's got some heat and some tang to it... but isn't that what makes a salsa great?! Depending on what you're in the mood for, though, you can simply add more or less of whatever ingredient... just remember that with fresh chile peppers, the flavors do intensify a bit, especially in a cooked salsa like this one. (Salsa cruda, also called pico de gallo or salsa fresca, is a different animal in that you don't cook the salsa... I made a cooked salsa for Monica's chili recipe because I wanted the added sweetness and added depth of flavor to mellow out the heat from the chile peppers.)

I will definitely be experimenting with this recipe by trying other types of green chiles, and by adding corn, beans or other veggies...

Makes 3-4 cups of salsa

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs Roma tomatoes, blanched and chopped (You can use canned diced tomatoes)
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and diced
• 2 sweet bell peppers (I used 1 orange and 1 red), seeded and diced
• 2 green chilies (I used Anaheim chilies), seeded and diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped parsley or cilantro (I used parsley since Mr. D is not a cilantro fan)
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder
• juice of 2+ limes
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. If you are using fresh tomatoes, blanching them removes the skin, which I prefer when cooking them, otherwise the skins come off and there are loose bits of tomato skin everywhere. (To blanch: boil a pot of water, remove any stems and cut a shallow "x" onto the bottom of the tomatoes, prepare a bowl with ice water, place tomatoes into the boiling water until the skin starts to split, remove and place the tomatoes in the bowl of ice water for a few seconds, and then, finally, the tomato skin should slide right off.) Then chop up the tomatoes.
2. Heat a large pan, add the tomatoes and about 1/2 cup of water. Cook tomatoes on med-high to soften, stirring occasionally. Use a masher or large spoon to break up the tomatoes a little bit so it looks like a very chunky sauce... this is the base for your salsa. Remove the tomatoes to a bowl.
3. Wipe out the pan and heat the oil, add onions and saute 2 minutes (turning down the heat to med-low), add all the peppers and saute 4 minutes, and then add garlic and saute 2 minutes. Cooking time may vary, but the goal is to soften these ingredients and bring out the flavors without cooking them through or letting them brown.
4. Add the tomatoes back into the pan with the pepper/onion mixture. Stir together and cook 2 more minutes.
5. Add the parsley, chili powder and lime juice, stir and cook for another minute or two. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Remove from the heat and cool.

Corn Casserole

                                                                                                             photo courtesy of my camera

This is the best corn casserole I have ever had and is really easy to make! It is from Monica via "cooks.com"

Ingredients:

1. 1 16 oz. can whole corn, drained
2. 1 16 oz can cream style corn
3. 2 eggs beaten
4. 1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt 
5. 1 stick butter (I used 2 tablespoons less than a stick and it came out fine)
6. salt and pepper to taste
7. 1 box Jiffy Corn Mix

Directions:

1. Butter a 2 quart casserole dish
2. Beat the two eggs in the dish
3. Combine first 6 ingredients (besides eggs) and mix well in the casserole dish
4. Gradually add the Jiffy corn mix and stir until all is combined
5. Bake at 1 hour at 350 degrees

*the reason I mix everything in the buttered casserole dish is because it is fast and easy to make that way

Elisabeth's Kenyan Cabbage Stew: A Dinner-Swap Recipe

My sister Elisabeth made this tender, melt-in-your-mouth stew for a pot-luck dinner swap. The veggies were tender, the broth was rich with flavor, and the cilantro gave this stew just the right amount of kick... not bitter at all! It was surprisingly sweet, actually, from the natural sugar in all the veggies. I'm already dreaming about the way it tastes; cannot wait to make this myself so I can taste it again... YUM!

Ingredients: 

• 1/4-1/2 cup oil 
• 1 medium red onion (chopped)
• 3 plum tomatoes (chopped) 
• 1 cabbage (shredded) 
• 1 carrot (shredded)
• 3 cups water 
• 1/2 green pepper (diced)
• fresh cilantro (chopped)
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the oil (vegetable or olive) in a large pot.
2.  Add the onion and reduce heat to medium.
3. Once the onion becomes slightly browned, add the tomato.  Continue cooking (stirring occasionally) until the tomato is well broken down and is cooked into the oil.  
4. Add the shredded cabbage and carrot, stirring to coat with the stew broth. 
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  
6. Add water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to med-low, simmering for about 15 minutes.
7. Add green pepper and cilantro.  Cover and let simmer for 5 - 10 minutes until the cabbage is tender.
8. Add more salt or pepper to taste.