Quick Ranch Dressing

Yummy & tastes just like regular Ranch! From callieknutrition.com.

Name


Ingredients:

1/2 cup cottage cheese
2 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (without problem ingredients)
1/4 cup milk (or less for a thicker dip consistency)
2 teaspoons McCormick Just Five Homestyle Ranch Dip, Dressing & Seasoning Mix packet (more or less to desired taste) check for problem ingredients


Directions:

Blend all until evenly mixed. Store in the fridge. Refrigerate 1 hour to allow flavors to blend. Makes about 1 cup of dressing.

Creamy Swiss Steak

An oldie, but a goodie from my old Rival Crock Pot recipe booklet I got when I bought my crock pot back in 1982. It is easy peasy and goes great with a bake potato, rice or noodles or any side dish. I give it: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Creamy Swiss Steak


Ingredients:

½ pounds round steak, cut ¾ inch thick
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper to taste (if tolerated)
1 10 ½ ounce can cream of mushroom condensed soup (without problem ingredients- I use Organic Pacific Cream of Mushroom Condensed Soup)
1 6.5 ounce can mushroom steams and pieces (drained)


Directions:

Cut round steak into serving pieces. Season flour with salt and pepper. Dredge meat in seasoned flour. Place meat in bottom of crock pot. Spread can of cream of mushrooms soup over meat. Top with mushroom stems and pieces. Cook on Low 8 to 10 hours.

Fresh Basil Pesto

Homemade pesto is one of the best ways to enjoy a bounty of fresh basil. It's great on pasta, baked potatoes, pizza, or bread. Make it in just 15 minutes! From simplyrecipes.com.

Fresh Basil Pesto


Ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (can sub half the basil leaves with baby spinach)
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces), if tolerated
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts (if tolerated), (you can sub chopped walnuts)
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste (if tolerated)


Directions:

1. Place the basil leaves and pine nuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times.

2. Add the garlic and Parmesan or Romano cheese and pulse several times more. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula.

3. While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady small stream. Adding the olive oil slowly while the processor is running will help it emulsify and help keep the olive oil from separating. Occasionally, stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor.

4. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

5. Toss with pasta for a quick sauce, dollop over baked potatoes, or spread onto crackers or toasted slices of bread.


NOTE: Basil pesto darkens when exposed to air. To store, cover tightly with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic is touching the top of the pesto and not allowing the pesto to have contact with air. The pesto sauce will stay greener longer that way.

Crispy Focaccia Breadsticks With Garlic Herb Oil

Today we are introducing everyone’s favorite Focaccia Bread recipe. Seriously, it’s everyone's favorite. Long thin crispy focaccia sticks with a slight chew and perfectly crunchy bottom. Baked in only 5 minutes flat, this focaccia is fast in the oven, easy, and frankly, quite dreamy. You DO need to prepare in advance, as the dough gets it's complex flavor from sitting overnight in the refrigerator- but trust me, it is SO worth it! Hot from the oven, we’ll brush this crispy flatbread with an aromatic mix of toasted garlic, olive oil, and fresh herbs. Ready to make it?! From foodtalkdaily.com.

Crispy Focaccia Breadsticks


Yield: 15 breadsticks

Ingredients:

Focaccia Dough
3 cups flour(all purpose flour or bread flour)
2 tablespoons granulated yeast
½ tablespoon white sugar
1 ¼ cups water
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil


Garlic Herb Oil for Brushing
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon basil
1/2 tablespoon parsley
¼ teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
¼ tablespoon coarse salt
pinch of pepper (if tolerated)


Directions:

Focaccia Dough
1. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix the yeast with 1/4 cup water. Let sit for a minute until bubbly.

2. Add the rest of the water, flour, and sugar, and knead for 6 minutes. Add the salt and olive oil and knead for one more minute or two. Scrape the sides of the mixer to get any dough that separates.

3. Punch the dough down to let the air out, and divide it into 15 balls(each about 50 grams.) Grease them with olive oil on all sides (to prevent sticking), and place on a baking sheet fitted with parchment paper. Wrap the baking sheet in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours, or overnight.


Herb Oil
1. In a small pan or pot, heat the olive oil with the minced garlic. Lightly sautée until the garlic is fragrant until just starting to turn golden. Remove from the heat and let cool. Add the herbs and salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. When ready to bake breadsticks, Preheat the oven to 480 F(250 C). Place a baking brick or simply turn a baking sheet upside down, on the bottom rack of the oven. This makes the bottom of the bread extra crisp!

3. Stretch the balls of dough into 8 inch long strips (see photo above). Work slowly, not to rip the dough. The edges will be thicker than the center of the bread. Place them carefully on the hot upside down baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, until golden.

4. While hot, brush the focaccia with herb oil. Enjoy hot!

Cream Cheese Sauce

Niki originally made this yummy Cream Cheese Sauce to put over pork, but loves it so much she will try to make it more often for chicken. From nikicooks.blogspot.com.

Cream Cheese Sauce


Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
8 oz cream cheese (Original or Plain Philadelphia Brand, brick not tub)
1/ 2 cup milk
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons chives (if tolerated)


Directions:

Melt butter over medium heat. Cook the garlic in butter about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and add cream cheese and milk. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly or sauce will scorch, until smooth and hot. Stir in chives. Serve over pork, chicken, or as a dipping sauce.