Black Raspberry Cream Pie

1 purchased 9-inch graham cracker crumb pie shell
1 egg white, beaten
1c whipping cream
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 10oz jar black raspberry spread

Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush pie shell with beaten egg white. Bake for 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

In a medium mixing bowl beat whipping cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Add black raspberry spread. Beat on low spread just until combined. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon mixture into pie shell. Cover and freeze for 4-24 hours or until firm.

Flavor Options:
You can also use red raspberry or red plum fruit spread.

Presentation Suggestion:
Garnish with fresh raspberries, black raspberries, black berries, lemon peel twist and/or mint leaves.

Southwestern Stir-Fry

1 1oz to 1.5oz envelope fajita seasoning mix
1/2c water
2Tbsp cooking oil
1/2Tbsp Worchestershire Sauce
12oz skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
(or 1 pound round steak, tenderized and cut into bite sized pieces)
non-stick cooking spray
1 medium yellow or green sweet pepper, cut into bite-size squares
1 small zucchini, bias sliced
1/2 small onion, cut into thin wedges
2/3c salsa
1tsp chili powder
1/2c frozen whole kernel corn (or 1 15oz can, drained)
1/2 cup cooked or canned black beans, rinsed and drained

For marinade, combine the fajita mix, water, oil and Worchestershire sauce in a medium mixing bowl. Add chicken (or beef) to marinade; stir to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Spray a wok or large skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat over medium heat. Add sweet pepper, zucchini and onion; stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from wok.

Drain meat; discard marinade. Add meat to wok. (Add additional tablespoon cooking oil to wok during cooking, if necessary, to prevent sticking.) Cook and stir for 4-5 minutes or until no longer pink. Return veggies to wok. Stir together salsa and chili powder. Add salsa mixture, corn and beans to wok. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes more until heated through.

Serving suggestions:
1. Serve with warm tortillas and cheese.
2. Serve atop a bed of mixed salad greens.
3. Serve atop cooked white rice. Sprinkle the top with a light dusting of cheese.

Italian Veggies

1 zucchini, julienned
1 yellow squash, thickly sliced & quartered
1c baby carrots, julienned
1c mushrooms, thickly sliced
1c broccoli florets, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2-3Tbsp Italian Dressing

Put all ingredients in a large skillet and cook for 5-10min until veggies are crisp-tender and heated through, stirring frequently.

Garlic Green Beans

1Tbsp butter
3Tbsp olive oil
1 medium head garlic, peeled and minced
2 14.5oz cans green beans, drained
salt & pepper, to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter with olive oil; add garlic and cook until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Stir in green beans and season with salt and pepper. Cook until beans are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Notes:
1. You can also use a couple of handfuls of fresh green beans, rinsed and snapped.
2. If you are counting "Weight Watcher's Points" these have 4pts per serving.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1/2c vegetable oil
1/4c chicken stock
3c yellow onions, diced
2tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2tsp cayenne pepper
2c masa harina
4 quarts water, divided
2c crushed tomatoes
1/2 lb velvetta cheese, cubed
3lbs boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

In a large pot, place oil, chicken stock, onion and spices. Sauté until onions are soft and clear, about 5 minutes.

In another bowl, combine masa with 1 quart water. Stir until all lumps dissolve. Add to sautéed onions and bring to a boil. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add remaining water to pot. Add tomatoes and return to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add cheese and stir until it is completely melted. Add chicken; heat and serve.

Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled tortilla chips and salsa.

Serves 16-20

Notes:
1. The unused portions freeze well.

2. This recipe is similar to the Chicken Enchilada Soup served at Chili's Restaurants.

3. Again, this may not be a "healthy" recipe with 1/2 lb velvetta as the main ingredient, but it is one of my family's favorites.

Erin's Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 package Taco Seasoning
1 1oz package Buttermilk Ranch dressing mix
1/2c picante sauce
2 cans corn, drained
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2c water

In a large pot, brown beef, onion and pepper. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 1 hour.

Serving suggestion: You can top this with avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese and/or tortilla chips for a really nice presentation.

Grandma Halfmann's Cranberry Salad

1 small pkg. Cherry jello
1c hot water
1c sugar
1Tbsp lemon juice
1c pineapple juice
1c raw cranberries, finely ground
1 orange, no rind
1c crushed pineapple, drained
1c celery, finely chopped
1/2c walnuts, chopped

Dissolve jello in hot water. Stir in sugar, lemon juice and pineapple juice.

Chill until partially set. Add remaining ingredients. Chill until set.

Note: Make sure the crushed pineapple is drained of almost all liquid or the jello will be too liquid and will not set properly.

Texas Caviar

2 cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1Tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 cup Italian dressing

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to coat everything with the dressing. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until ready to serve.

Corn & Black Bean Salad

1 14oz can corn, drained
2 14oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
4 tsp. lime juice
3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
onion powder, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 avacado, skinned, pitted and cubed

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and refridgerate for 1 hour.

Serve with tortilla chips for scooping.

Sausage & Peppers Rustica

1 lb. Italian Sausage links
1 medium bell pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (19oz) tomato basil soup (I like Progresso brand)
non-stick cooking spray

Spray large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium high heat. Add sausage and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes. Remove sausage from pan and slice diagonally. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp drippings. Add green pepper, onion and garlic; sauté 2 min.

Stir in soup and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Partially cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Serving suggestion: Place sausage over cooked linguini or egg noodles and top with the sauce mixture.

For a less fat version, wipe all the sausage drippings from the skillet and re-apply a thin layer of cooking spray before adding the vegetables to sauté.

Ranchero Sauce

2 14oz cans vegetable stock
1/8 c olive oil
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 small can mild chili peppers
1 large onion roughly chopped
3 cloves minced garlic

Put all ingredients including the garlic and olive oil into a skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 50-60 minutes or until the onions are soft.

If the sauce is too thin, simmer longer. If it's too thick add a little more vegetable stock or water.

You can add some hot sauce (like Cholula brand) to brighten up the flavor if you like.

Add 1 teaspoon tomato paste if you prefer a little more tomato flavor.

This should not be a firey hot sauce. It should have just enough heat to let you know that it's a mexican sauce.