Pasta Salad

Nikki H.

1 box of tricolor fusilli

Red bell pepper

Baby cucumbers

Olives

Baby spinach

Little mozzarella balls

Carrots

Artichoke hearts

Sundried tomatoes

Newman's Own Family Italian dressing

Vegan Broccoli Salad

Nikki H.  
Recipe Found HERE

Cashew Sauce

1 cup raw cashews (soaked or boiled)

½ cup unsweetened almond milk

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp maple syrup

½ tsp sea salt (add more to taste)

¼ tsp black pepper 

Broccoli Salad

2 lbs raw broccoli (stems removed)

1 ½ cups red grapes halved

¾ cup red onion diced

½ cup dried cherries

½ cup roasted pumpkin seeds 

Boil the cashews in water for 10 minutes. Drain any excess water and set them aside to cool. 

Add the cashews, ½ cup unsweetened almond milk, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper to a blender. Blend on high until the sauce is smooth and creamy. 

Trim the stems off the broccoli and cut the florets into bite-sized pieces. Put the broccoli into a large mixing bowl along with 1 ½ cups halved grapes, ¾ cup diced red onion, ½ cup dried cherries, ½ cup roasted pumpkin seeds, and all of the cashew sauce.

Use a large spoon to toss the salad together until everything is coated with the cashew sauce. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary. 

You can enjoy the salad immediately or put it into the fridge to chill for one hour before serving. 

 Notes: Store the leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.

Triple Chocolate Fudgy Brownies

Recipe Found HERE

1 cup granulated sugar (200g) 

1 cup brown sugar (200g), lightly packed 

3 eggs room temperature 

3/4 cup cocoa powder (75g) 

1 cup flour (120g) 

1 teaspoon salt (6g) 

1.5 cup dark chocolate chips (260g) (or whatever you prefer, semi-sweet, etc.)

1 cup melted butter (225g), unsalted 

1 tbsp coffee (15mL) (optional) 

1 tbsp vanilla extract (15mL) 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prep a 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, combine melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and coffee then mix together well. 

Add the white and brown sugars to the mixture and whisk together well. 

Sift cocoa powder, flour, and salt into the bowl and mix until just combined 

Toss in chocolate chips (or chunks) and fold into the batter. 

Add batter to pan and smooth to the edges. You can add more chocolate chips to the top before baking if desired. 

Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the center is just set. DO NOT OVERBAKE, baby it at the end. You'll notice the center does not wiggle when the pan is moved. 

NOTES

Measure and prepare all your ingredients before starting to make the recipe even easier. 

Make sure to line your baking pan otherwise your brownies will stick to the pan, this is a super important tip! 

Make sure to sift your ingredients to avoid lumps where possible, cocoa powder can be quite lumpy. 

If you don't have an 8x8 inch pan for your brownies just use foil to create one or two walls for a smaller baking dish. Line with parchment and you'll be good to go! 

The batter is thick so spread it out to the corners of the baking pan as best you can but it'll level out in the oven. 

The coffee really helps to enhance the chocolate flavor, the brownies themselves don't have a strong coffee flavor but you can skip it if you want. 

You can add either chopped chocolate or chocolate chips to the top of your brownies but this is totally optional. 

I've made the recipe both ways but found the brownies to be a bit more photogenic without the additional chocolate on top. 

Don't over-bake your brownies. Unlike cake layers, brownies will not have a springy center and a skewer inserted into the center will not come out clean. Your brownies are done when the center is set and you see the top just begin to crack. The center will continue to bake and set after you remove the brownies from the oven so don't worry if they seem a bit fudgy. 

Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to your brownies will take away from that nice fudge-like texture. The best and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off. 

Storage and freezing - leftover brownies will keep well in the fridge for 4 days or can be frozen. Thaw completely before serving.

Red, White, & Blue Jell-O Cups

Recipe Found HERE

Great to make ahead. I got about 20 servings in 5 ounce cups.

(1) 6 ounce package of Strawberry Jell-O (or other red flavor) 

(2) 3 ounce packages of Berry Blue Jell-O 

(1) 8 ounce container of Cool Whip 

Maraschino cherries (with stems) 

Clear plastic cups 

Make the Berry Blue Jell-O according to the package instructions. Fill your cups 1/3 full with the Berry Blue Jell-O (I used about 1/3 cup for my cups). Place in fridge for 1 hour (or 10 minutes in the freezer if you're in a hurry). 

Fill cups another 1/3 full with Cool Whip, smoothing out the top. I used about 2 Tablespoons for my cups. Place in freezer. 

Make Strawberry Jell-O immediately. Let cool in fridge for 20 minutes. You don't want the Jell-O to solidify at all, you just need it to cool down so you can pour it on top of your Cool Whip without melting it. 

Remove cups from freezer and Jell-O from fridge. Fill the remainder of your cup with red Jell-O (leave a little bit of room at the top). Refrigerate for another 20 minutes or just until Jell-O starts to set slightly. 

OPTIONAL: Push one maraschino cherry with stem into the red Jell-O, leaving the stem stick out like a little firework. 

Refrigerate for another 30 minutes, or until Jell-O is firm. Enjoy!

Black Bean Corn Salad with Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette

This is a fabulous side dish, salad topping, or my favorite dip with chips!

Recipe Found HERE

SALAD

• 2 ears fresh corn (or frozen corn)
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans
• 1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh chopped cilantro (plus a bit more for garnish, if desired)
• 1 avocado (optional) 

DressiNG

• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 1-2 limes
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (2 peppers, not 2 cans; use smaller peppers and if they are all large, use only 1-1/2)

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the corn, cover, and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the corn from the water and let cool.
2. Meanwhile, place the chopped red onions in a small bowl and cover with water. Let sit about ten minutes, then drain completely in a sieve and set aside.
3. Place the beans in a sieve; run under cold water to rinse well. Let drain completely and set aside.
4. Holding the cooled corn upright in a large bowl, cut the kernels off the cob in strips. Add the beans, red onion, red bell pepper and cilantro.
5. Make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a blender or mini food processor; process until smooth.
6. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or, preferably, overnight.

1. Right before serving, add freshly diced avocado. Toss the salad gently, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (a squeeze of fresh lime to freshen it up). Garnish with a bit of fresh chopped cilantro if desired. Serve cold.

Lemon Bars

Yvonne C.

Crust:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour, unsifted

Filling:
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
Rind of 1 lemon, grated

Cream butter and powdered sugar. Add salt and flour and mix well. Pat into 9x13 greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 min. To make filling, mix all ingredients and pour over hot crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 min. Let cool, then sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut in squares. Store in refrigerator.

***Lisa's Favorite Pasta Salad***

(Jamie T.)

16 ounces penne pasta, cooked 

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled 

1 cup diced cucumbers 

1 cup shredded carrots 

1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes (or diced Roma) 

1/2 cup chopped green onions/scallions 

spinach leaves (2 bags of spinach) 

Dressing: 

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar   

1/2 cup sugar

1 garlic clove minced
1 green onion chopped (1 long green onion/scallion)
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon of poppy seeds

Blend dressing ingredients in blender, adding poppy seeds last.