Fruit Salsa

1 cup strawberries

2 kiwifruit

1 apple

1 banana

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

2 tablespoons sugar

wash and chop fruit into fine pieces. Mix in juices and sugar. Stir well. serve with cinnamon chips

Cinnamon Chips

4 flour tortillas

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons butter

Spread butter on tortillas. Mix cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over tortillas. Place tortillas (two at a time) on a cookie sheet and broil until sugar starts to bubble. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Cut tortillas pizza style to make chips. Cool and serve with fruit salsa

Asparagus Saute

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 bunch fresh asparagus

A few shakes garlic powder or 1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced onion

4 tablespoon Parmesan cheese or as much as desired

Rinse asparagus spears and pat dry. Remove rough ends. Cut into 1-2 inch pieces. This helps it all cook evenly and not be too mushy or too hard.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, minced onion, and asparagus spears. Add salt and pepper. Stir and cook until tender, but still crunchy. Approx. 10 minutes. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese in for the last couple minutes of cooking.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2 Cups flour
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 Cups canola oil
1 Cups sugar
1/4 Cups brown sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 Cup sour cream
3 Cup grated zucchini
3/4 Cup mini chocolate chips

Topping:
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 loaf pans and set aside.
Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Place flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

With a stand or hand mixer beat oil, white sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until combined and slightly fluffy, 1-2 minutes.

Add vanilla and sour cream and mix until combined.

Gently stir in the grated zucchini.

If you only have regular chocolate chips, or a chocolate bar, just give it a chop so it's the size of mini chocolate chips. Stir remaining flour mixture into batter and mix just until combined. Add chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Divide the batter between the two pans. Sprinkle topping over each.

Bake in your preheated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes. I set my timer for 45 minutes and then keep an eye on it for the remainder.

When it's done a toothpick or skewer should come out without goopy batter on it and the top will be gorgeous and cracked with sugar.

Let it cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes and then remove from pans. You definitely have to eat a slice warm. And slathered with butter.

Makes 2 loaves

recipe by Our Best Bites Cookbook

Thai Cucumber Salad

3 cucumbers

¼ Cup lemon juice

¼ Cup canola or peanut oil – I also add a dash of sesame oil for flavor

¼ Cup rice vinegar

¼ Cup chopped cilantro

¼ Cup chopped green onions or snipped chives **(I leave this out usually)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

**I also add sesame seeds for appearance and chopped peanuts if I have them on hand

Peel cucumbers with peeler. Discard green skin. Continue to peel into long shreds. Discard the seed parts of cucumber.

For the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, oils and rice vinegar. Add the remaining ingredients. Pour the dressing over the cucumber shreds and give them a stir. Top with cilantro. Serve cold and accompanied by the peanuts.

Recipe by Kristina Barney

Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing

1 pkg. dry Ranch Dressing mix
1 cup buttermilk (I used 1 Tbsp lemon juice then enough milk to fill 1 cup total)
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 small jalapeno (remove seed)
1 cup light mayo
1 tsp lime juice
1 garlic clove

Blend all ingredients in food processor. Refrigerate until served.

Note: I use this on salads, tacos, burritos, enchiladas... anything Mexican.

Seasoned Spread for Vegetables and Pasta

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 envelope Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix

Mix ingredients until well blended. Serve over hot cooked vegetables or pasta or rice.

Notes: Our chefs used Zesty Italian by Uncle Dan's, Mediterranean Garlic by Uncle Dan's and Bacon and Onion by Watkins. Recipe was halved and still made plenty.

Summer Squash Casserole

6 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken
3 cups seasoned stuffing
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup melted butter

Cook squash and onion in boiled, salted water for 3-5 minutes. Drain well. Combine sour cream and soup. Stir in carrots and then drained squash and onion. Combine butter and stuffing and spread 1/2 of it on bottom on baking dish. Spoon vegetable mixture over top and then top with remaining stuffing mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Makes about a 9x9 pan full.

Vegetable Pizza

2 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp minced onion
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped cauliflower
1/2 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Unroll crescent roll dough on a small baking sheet. Arrange into a single layer to serve as a crust. Bake in the preheated oven 10 minutes, or until puffed and lightly browned.
3) In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, onion and garlic.
4) Spread the cream cheese mixture over the crescent roll dough crust. Layer with cauliflower, broccoli, and green peppers. Top with cheddar cheese. Chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Chicken with Wild Mushroom and Balsamic Cream Sauce

Salt
1/2 pound orzo pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 6 ounces
Pepper
2 tablespoons butter
12 cremini or baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
12 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
12 white mushrooms, sliced
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, a couple of sprigs, chopped
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, eyeball it
3 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half, a couple turns of the pan
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful

Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add orzo pasta. Cook to al dente.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper and add to the hot skillet. Cook the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm.
Return the skillet to the heat, turn heat back a bit, and add the butter. Once the butter melts add the mushrooms and brown stirring occasionally for about 4 to 5 minutes. Once the mushrooms are brown season with salt and pepper then add the garlic, thyme and shallots. Cook stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes or until the shallots are wilted. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Whisk in the stock, balsamic vinegar and the cream. Turn the heat up to high and simmer for about 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice the chicken on an angle. Add the parsley and the chicken back to the skillet to heat up, about 1 minute.
To serve, pile orzo on dinner plates and top with the sliced chicken and sauce.
photo by: Food Network