Cauliflower Soup

6 cups water
4 cups cauliflower, chopped
2 cups sliced carrots
2 tsp chopped parsley
4 chicken boullion cubes
salt to taste
white pepper to taste

In a five-quart saucepan, add all ingredients except salt and white pepper. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Strain off and reserve most of the liquid. Place vegetables in a food processor (or use a stick blender) and puree.

Add pureed vegetables and reserved liquid back into the pot, add salt and white pepper, and reheat.

Serves 6

Asian Salad Dressing

2 cloves garlic
1 piece fresh ginger (about the size of a garlic clove)
3 ounces soy sauce
1 1/2 ounces rice vinegar
1 tbs sugar
3 drops sesame oil
1/2 ounce water

There are two options for preparing this dressing.
You can either whir ingredients in a blender, or you can finely mince the garlic and the ginger and whip the rest of the ingredients together with a wire whisk.

Quick Chicken, Rice, and Broccoli

2 cups cooked chicken
1 pkg frozen broccoli pieces
1 cup chicken broth (I cook and freeze my own chicken stock)
1 can fat free cream of chicken soup (or one recipe cream of anything soup)
1 1/2 cups brown minute rice
1 TBS dried onion
1 cup grated non-fat cheese

Mix all but the cheese and cook covered tightly at 350 for 40 minutes.
Sprinkle with the cheese and stir.

Serves 6

To bulk up this dish, I usually double the amount of frozen vegetables.

Greek Chicken - Crockpot

6 medium potatoes, quartered
3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken pieces
2 large onions, quartered
1 whole bulb garlic, minced
1/2 cup water
3 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 TBS olive oil

Place potatoes in bottom of crockpot. Add chicken, onions, and garlic.
In small bowl, mix water with oregano, salt, and pepper.
Pour over chicken and potatoes. Top with oil.
Cover and cook on high 5 - 6 hours or on low 9 - 10 hours.

Serves 8

Garlic Lime Chicken - Crockpot

1 lb bone-in skinless chicken thighs (or 1 lb boneless chicken breast)
1/2 cup lime juice
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp thyme, dried
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp oil
1 1/2 cup instant brown rice

Combine all ingredients except rice in a crockpot and cook on low 8 to 10 hours.
During the last 15 minutes, stir in rice.

Roasted Chickpeas

2 cups canned chickpeas, drained (I precook dried beans and store them in my freezer)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Spray cookie sheet (with sides, to prevent the chickpeas from rolling off) with Pam. Spread chickpeas on pan in a single layer and sprinkle with the remaining ingredients. Bake 50 - 60 minutes until golden and crispy, shaking pan every 15 minures to prevent scorching. If the chickpeas aren't crispy enough, simply bake them a little longer. If they're starting to get too brown, turn the oven temperature down a little. Allow to cool completely before storing.

Confetti Couscous

1 TBS olive oil
1 garlic clove, split
1 small red or green pepper, finely diced
3 green onions, sliced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 1/4 cup fat free chicken broth (I make and freeze my own chicken stock)
1 cup couscous
1 TBS rice vinegar
2 TBS minced fresh mint
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil with garlic in large non-stick skillet. When hot, discard garlic and add bell pepper, onion, and carrot. Cook, stirring often until the onion begins to brown on the edges - about five minutes. Put couscous in the skillet and add the broth and vinegar. Remove from heat, cover tightly, and let stand 10 minutes. Add mint, salt, and pepper. Fluff with fork and serve.